Borrowing a boat

Time slipped away like a white colt flashing past a crack, and in the blink of an eye, another month had quietly passed.

"Stop."

At Daoist Zhang's calm yet commanding voice, the four students seated cross-legged in the hall slowly brought their cultivation to a close and exhaled long breaths of stale air.

After round upon round of intense breathing exercises, fine beads of sweat dotted their foreheads and their clothes were slightly damp, yet every pair of eyes shone with barely concealed excitement and anticipation.

Over the past month, everyone's progress had been plain to see.

Li Jinyuan and Wang Xiaoliu, seated furthest to the outside, had somewhat inferior aptitude and were hardly ascetics by nature, but even they had finally crossed the threshold of sensing qi during this month.

Each had accumulated his first thread or two of spiritual qi within his body. Though as feeble as a candle guttering in the wind, it meant they had officially stepped across the threshold of cultivation, no longer outsiders who could only gaze at the gates and sigh.

Daoist Zhang rose, lightly flicked his horsetail whisk, and began pointing out the flaws in each student's cultivation, his gaze burning bright.

"Jinyuan, you've made progress these past few days, and your qi gathering has grown faster, but you were too impatient during that last round of breathing exercises. When qi travels through the meridians, it should flow like a gentle stream, nourishing all things without a sound. Yours was somewhat insubstantial, like rootless duckweed.

Remember, haste makes waste on the path of immortal cultivation. If you fail to lay a solid foundation in qi induction, you may pay dearly for it when you attempt foundation establishment."

A flicker of shame crossed Li Jinyuan's face. He quickly rose and bowed respectfully. "I recognize my mistake. I have indeed been a little impatient these past few days. I will be sure to correct it."

Daoist Zhang nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the other side. "Xiaoliu, your aptitude may be ordinary, but your simple, honest nature works in your favor. Still, your perception of spiritual qi needs to become more refined. Practice the mind-calming incantation more often, and don't let outside distractions disturb your mind."

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Master Zhang," Wang Xiaoliu promptly replied.

Having assessed those two, Daoist Zhang finally turned to Gu Qinghe, a measure of approval entering his eyes. "Well done, Qinghe. Your qi is steady and solid. Over this past month, you've accumulated sixteen threads of spiritual qi. At this rate, you won't make this year's Dao Academy Examination, but if you keep working diligently, you may well have a chance to contend in next year's heavenly examination."

Though Gu Qinghe could not help regretting that he would miss this year's major examination, delight still showed on his face, and he cupped his hands in thanks.

For a young man from a poor family like him, reaching this point had already taken everything he had. Earning such praise from his master was no small feat.

Yet when everyone's gaze involuntarily shifted to the youth in blue robes in the corner, nothing remained in their eyes but pure envy, and even... a trace of despair.

"Chu Bai."

Daoist Zhang looked at the final disciple he was proudest of, his voice filled with undisguised satisfaction and pride. "You now have twenty-seven threads of spiritual qi within you. You actually accumulated another seventeen this month?"

Twenty-seven threads!

At that number, even Li Jinyuan, who had always prided himself on his family's wealth and his broad experience, could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

On average, that was nearly one thread of spiritual qi in less than two days!

Such speed was simply staggering.

While they were still congratulating themselves on accumulating a single thread of qi in three to five days, or even seven to eight, believing they had made strides, Chu Bai had already left them choking on dust along that same track. They could barely even make out his retreating back anymore.

"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Master, and... I've had decent luck lately and kept my mind free of distractions." Chu Bai rose and answered modestly, remaining unruffled by praise or disgrace, without the slightest hint of arrogance over his astonishing results.

He knew better than anyone that luck alone did not account for this astounding progress. The efficient conversion granted by his [food injury leaks elegance] fate destiny turned every mouthful of meat he ate into pure energy, but an even greater contribution came from the "pure bathing spirit flow" by the Three-Bath River.

That high-quality water-aspected spiritual qi not only filled his dantian, but also seemed to nourish his meridians and physique imperceptibly, improving his aptitude little by little. It was like replacing an ordinary carriage horse with a steed that could travel a thousand miles; naturally, the speed was no longer remotely comparable.

Taking advantage of the break, Chu Bai sat cross-legged again and summoned the panel with a thought.

A pale blue screen appeared in his mind, its rows of information clearly visible.

[Name: Chu Bai]

[Realm: Qi induction (27/100)]

[Acquired fate patterns: Relentless toil, relentless effort]

[Acquired fate patterns: Food injury leaks elegance, quick-witted]

[Skills:]

[Minor Qi Gathering Technique: Proficient (135/200)]

Looking at the information, Chu Bai silently took stock.

At most, there are four months left until the Dao Academy Selection.

At my current pace of one thread every two days, accumulating a hundred threads of spiritual qi and breaking through to the qi refining first layer before the selection shouldn't be much of a problem. In fact, it's practically nailed down.

But that's still nowhere near enough.

Chu Bai's brows drew together slightly. He did not let this lull him into complacency.

The Dao Academy Selection is like thousands of troops and horses trying to cross a single-log bridge. It tests not only cultivation realms, but combat spell arts as well. If I only just manage to reach the qi refining first layer, with a wisp of spiritual qi inside me but no time to practice even one offensive spell art, I'll still be a sitting target who knows nothing but meditation.

What's more, this year's chief examiner is the famously strict "Iron-Faced" County Commandant Zhao. Under him, cultivation without the skills to back it up will never pass muster.

I have to go faster. I need to leave at least a month, or even longer, to focus on an offensive spell art and familiarize myself with actual combat.

His gaze settled on the proficiency of the [Minor Qi Gathering Technique].

135/200.

With a little more time, this basic cultivation technique would break past its current "Proficient" level and reach the next stage. Given the panel's characteristics, breakthroughs in skills often brought qualitative changes. When that happened, his cultivation speed was bound to surge again!

Besides a breakthrough in the technique, there's also the Three-Bath River...

Chu Bai pondered. Cultivating among the reeds along the bank had produced striking results lately, but it was heavily affected by the weather and surroundings. Moreover, as his perception of the "pure bathing spirit flow" grew sharper, he vaguely sensed that the spiritual qi at the center of the river seemed denser still. There might even be some sort of source there.

If I could get a boat and head farther out into the river...

Once that thought arose, he could no longer suppress it.