I'll Teach You to Cultivate

Deep into the night, as midnight drew near, a sharp pain struck Luo Fanchen and Ling Moxue between the brows at the same time.

Luo Fanchen's Lesser Celestial Circuit breathing practice broke off. He sensed that the Witch Puppet had been destroyed.

He gently woke Ling Moxue, who was suffering from a splitting headache, and handed her a fragment of a Breath Concealment Pill. "Swallow this. You'll feel better."

Ling Moxue's delicate brows drew together into a tiny inverted V. After she swallowed it, Luo Fanchen formed a hand seal and pressed a fingertip between her brows, slowly calming the turmoil in her blood and qi.

After a while, the strain finally eased from her little face.

Still dizzy, her ears ringing, she looked down and noticed the arm pressed close against her in his embrace.

The tips of her ears reddened. She sprang back several steps as if startled, then stammered apology after apology, afraid Luo Fanchen would grow angry.

"So the tracking method was placed on you after all."

After circulating the Lesser Celestial Circuit more than ten times, Luo Fanchen was fairly certain no such method had been left inside him.

He formed a hand seal and sent out two streams of True Essence to lift Ling Moxue. At the same time, he gripped her arm and sent True Essence through her skin to examine her Meridians and organs.

He found several suspicious spots, but his cultivation was shallow and his spiritual sense had yet to awaken. He could neither identify nor remove them.

"M-Master Luo, is there anything I can do?"

Ling Moxue stared down at her toes, her voice cautious. She remained wary of Luo Fanchen, but she feared falling into Ling Youdao's hands even more.

After several days together, she had a rough grasp of how Luo Fanchen conducted himself.

Master Luo was cautious, forceful, and terribly... averse to trouble? He looked cold and killed without blinking, yet at times he could be very gentle.

A person like that probably wasn't a Demonic Cultivator. Still... Master Luo seemed deeply wary of Ling Youdao, who was one.

She feared that if they could not remove the mark on her, Master Luo would cast her aside rather than invite trouble.

"What can you do?"

Luo Fanchen weighed the brocade box in his hand. Five pieces of the Breath Concealment Pill remained. Ling Moxue was still mortal, so each piece could conceal her aura for about three two-hour periods.

Her body could withstand the spiritual power of two more pieces at most. That gave them six two-hour periods.

It would be a stretch for him to break through to the Fourth Level of Qi Refining in that time, but it was enough to make preparations.

"The Demonic Cultivator will come into the mountains looking for you tomorrow at the latest. I need to prepare for the fight. You're unwell, so stay here and don't wander off."

"Could I... go with you, Master Luo? I want to... help you."

Ling Moxue twisted her grimy fingers together. The campfire clearly illuminated the bruises on the backs of her hands.

She was afraid Luo Fanchen would abandon her.

Luo Fanchen saw the unease on her face. After a moment's thought, he took a wax-yellow book from the Storage Bag at his chest and held it out to her, his voice softening.

"What you need most is to practice diligently and set foot on the Dao Path as soon as possible. Then you won't hold me back."

"This is the method I used to enter the Dao. It's called the Longevity Art, a low-grade Mystic Method. Today, I'll teach you to cultivate."

"Now?"

Ling Moxue's eyes widened slightly. She accepted the book with both hands, a little hesitant, and examined it closely.

Its rough pages were made from some kind of animal hide. The three crooked characters for "Longevity Art" on the cover suggested it was merely a hand-copied text.

"Your aptitude is decent, but unfortunately, you've missed the best age to begin cultivating. You must make up for it through diligence if you want even a sliver of a chance to join a Dao Sect."

"Besides, if you succeed in Seated Illumination and gain inner sight, you'll be able to detect what Ling Youdao left on you."

Luo Fanchen spoke slowly. He did not expect Ling Moxue to achieve inner sight in a single day; he only wanted to steady her nerves.

Now that he had passed on a method to her, they were teacher and disciple in all but name. He would not abandon her lightly.

"M-Master Luo, I can't read."

Ling Moxue lowered her head, embarrassment written across her small face. Luo Fanchen patted her shoulder. "That's all right. I'll explain it to you."

"The great path of cultivation is long. Broadly speaking, it has two branches: Body Refining and Qi Refining. Qi Refining is further divided into five paths—Spell Cultivators, Talisman Cultivators, Sword Cultivators, Formation Cultivators, and Pill Cultivators. Today, I'll guide you onto the path of a Spell Cultivator."

"Spell Cultivator?"

"That's right. Spell Cultivators focus on True Essence. They fight with agility and have many methods at their disposal. They are the foundation of Qi Refining cultivators."

Luo Fanchen spoke at length. Ling Moxue blinked, longing in her eyes. "Are Spell Cultivators the strongest?"

"Ahem. Naturally. The Violet Firmament Sect, foremost throughout the Eight Wastes, is a Profound Sect of Spell Cultivators."

Luo Fanchen coughed lightly. For Rogue Cultivators short on techniques and resources, the Spell Cultivator path was one of the worst choices, surpassed only by the Body Cultivator path.

Any low-level Rogue Cultivator without a specialty could be classed, broadly speaking, as a Spell Cultivator.

"The Eight Wastes are vast beyond measure. The Five Great Mystic Sects have stood supreme for tens of thousands of years. Beneath them are the Eight Great Daoist Sects. Every twenty years, they hold the Ascension Immortal Assembly among their subordinate sects to recruit talent."

"As we agreed, you must distinguish yourself at the next assembly in three years and join a Dao Sect. You must not slack off."

"I'll work hard, Master Luo."

Ling Moxue's voice was timid. She agreed with him carefully, meek and obedient, giving no sign at all that her Admiration Points stood at -4.

Luo Fanchen sat on the ground and patted the space beside him. Only after Ling Moxue sat cross-legged close to him did he continue.

"The path of Qi Refining has six realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Void Return."

"Six realms... What realm are you in, Master Luo? Core Formation?"

"..."

Ling Moxue blinked innocently. Luo Fanchen's face stiffened. In the end, he managed only one reply.

"When you achieve inner sight and enter Qi Refining, you'll understand how difficult cultivation is. Then you'll know what realm I'm in."

"I'll cultivate hard. I won't hold you back, Master Luo."

Ling Moxue lowered her eyes in assent. Joy showed on her small face, but so did a trace of sadness.

She was happy because, once she became a cultivator, no one would dare bully her again. She was sad because she had become Luo Fanchen's servant and no longer had any freedom.

Luo Fanchen was meticulous and cultivated with extraordinary diligence. Even if she truly set foot on the immortal path, she had no confidence she could ever catch up to him.

"To draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, you must have a Spirit Root. It comes from the Primordial Qi granted by the Heavenly Dao while you are in the womb, rests within your spiritual seat, and belongs to the Five Phases."

"Your Spirit Root favors metal and fire, and your aptitude is decent. Though the Longevity Art doesn't suit you, it's enough to bring you through Seated Illumination and into Qi Refining."

Luo Fanchen placed his fingertips on Ling Moxue's wrist and explained the basics of cultivation. Circulating the Longevity Art with his True Essence, he guided her breathing through the Lesser Celestial Circuit.

"Qi Refining has nine levels. For the first three, you must open the Conception, Governing, and Penetrating Vessels and their sixty-six acupoints."

"The Conception Vessel begins at the perineum acupoint. Once you draw spiritual energy into your body and refine your first strand of True Essence, you'll achieve Seated Illumination and inner sight, see the vessels within you, and formally set foot on the immortal path."

Ling Moxue only half understood. Her long eyes narrowed slightly.

She felt a gentle warmth rise from her wrist, pass her lower lip, spread through her chest and organs, then gather below her abdomen at the perineum acupoint.

Her face reddened slightly. Her body tingled. She did not dislike the feeling—if anything, it was rather pleasant—and that left her a little uncomfortable.

After guiding Ling Moxue through the circulation five times with his True Essence, Luo Fanchen gradually withdrew it and breathed out a mouthful of turbid air.

"Did you memorize the route?"

"I did."

"Good. You have some talent."

Luo Fanchen nodded in satisfaction. Guiding her had been remarkably easy.

After the first circuit, she had even begun drawing in small amounts of spiritual energy on her own. Her talent was exceptional, worthy of a Superior-Grade Spiritual Root.

Ling Moxue lowered her eyes and kept breathing. Her little face scrunched up tightly; clearly, circulating the energy on her own was not going smoothly.

"Spiritual energy is thin in the mortal world. This Spirit Dust contains pure spiritual energy and can help cultivators draw it in. Keep this piece for your Seated Illumination."

Luo Fanchen tossed her an irregular, thumb-sized crystal that gleamed like colored glass.

Ling Moxue caught it carefully in both hands. She could hardly bear to put down the sparkling crystal. After playing with it for a long while, she finally held it in her hand and resumed her breathing practice.

With the Spirit Dust's help, her energy flowed several times more smoothly. Delight spread across her face.

"Haste makes waste. Don't rush. For an ordinary cultivator, a month to achieve Seated Illumination is normal; two months is mediocre; seven days marks excellent aptitude."

"How many days did it take you, Master Luo?"

"I was born attuned to spiritual energy. I had inner sight from birth."

Luo Fanchen gave a self-mocking laugh. Strange signs had appeared when he was born, and spiritual energy had flowed through him naturally. His Lineage had placed great hopes in him as a future cultivator.

But when his Spirit Root was tested at five, he proved to have only a Five-Element False Spiritual Root. After more than ten years of struggle, he had reached merely the Third Level of Qi Refining.

"Master Luo... So you're a cultivation genius."

"A genius? Heh. Focus on circulating your energy and breathing in spiritual energy. Until I return, don't move from this spot."

Luo Fanchen rose with a soft sigh. His shadow stretched longer and longer in the flickering firelight until he disappeared.

"I wonder whether the Snake Demon in the Four Elements Mountains is real."

Concealing his tracks, Luo Fanchen moved through the valleys and woods. As he went, the low-grade magic sword in his hand cut down fierce beasts as easily as vegetables. He also cast out several dark-yellow paper talismans to absorb their blood.

These unranked talismans were called Blood-Absorbing Talismans. A common tool of Demonic Cultivators, they could absorb mortal blood to be refined into blood essence. They worked on Demon Beasts as well.

At the first light of dawn, Luo Fanchen had slain nearly a hundred fierce beasts. He weighed the nine talismans, now soaked crimson, and finally sheathed his sword.

"Nine Blood-Absorbing Talismans full of blood essence from fierce beasts, with Spirit Stones for bait. If there's a Snake Demon here, that should draw it out."