Demonic Cultivator

Upon learning that Zhou Qing had come to visit, Chen Qingxuan was delighted.

He brought Zhou Qing to his residence and asked with a smile, "How has your cultivation been lately?"

Zhou Qing said, "It has been fairly smooth."

He looked around Chen Qingxuan's room and found that rather than the chamber of a Cultivator, it resembled the room of a worldly scholar.

Several bookshelves stood in the room, packed densely with thread-bound books, while a rich scent of ink drifted everywhere.

Zhou Qing's gaze was soon drawn to a painting on the wall. It depicted a woman with fine brows and beautiful eyes, possessing an extraordinary bearing. What caught his attention most was the jade flute hanging at her waist—the very one Chen Qingxuan never parted with.

He guessed the woman's identity and asked, "Martial Uncle, is this the senior you mentioned before, the one who fell into demonic corruption?"

Chen Qingxuan nodded gloomily.

Curious, Zhou Qing asked, "I heard Martial Uncle say that she is still alive. Has she gotten any better?"

Chen Qingxuan said, "What does better or worse matter? When cultivators suffer a momentary disturbance in their qi, they can still be saved. But once their Dao heart is thrown into turmoil, recovery becomes difficult."

He did not wish to discuss the matter, so he changed the subject. "Did you come to see me today because something important has happened?"

Zhou Qing said, "This disciple wishes to seek Martial Uncle's guidance on formations."

Chen Qingxuan said in surprise, "You wish to learn formations?"

Zhou Qing nodded.

After pondering for a while, Chen Qingxuan said, "In truth, I had the same intention. Your comprehension is exceptional, and you are highly suited to develop in the direction of the arcane arts. When I first took you as my disciple, that had been in my mind."

"But now is not the time."

"By sect rules, disciples may only study spells after reaching the limit of the first level of Qi Refining and possessing three chi of Spirit Pressure. Only after reaching the limit of the third level of Qi Refining and possessing one zhang of Spirit Pressure may they study the arcane arts."

Zhou Qing asked, "Could it be that cultivating the arcane arts has requirements for one's cultivation level?"

Chen Qingxuan said, "Not exactly. Whether spells or formations, higher cultivation has its higher-level applications, and lower cultivation has its lower-level applications. There is no fixed rule."

Zhou Qing said, "Then why has the sect established such a rule?"

Instead of answering, Chen Qingxuan asked, "Why do you wish to study formations?"

Zhou Qing smiled. "It is always good to have one more exceptional skill at one's side."

Chen Qingxuan shook his head with a smile. "You are within the sect now, with the sect looking after you in all things. Why would you need an exceptional skill to protect yourself?"

What belongs to the sect is not truly mine. Only what I hold in my own hands can put me at ease, Zhou Qing thought, though naturally he could not say that aloud.

Chen Qingxuan seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "It is not that I mean to make things difficult for you. This question concerns a crucial juncture in cultivation. If you cannot distinguish it clearly, endless troubles will follow."

Startled, Zhou Qing asked, "Please enlighten me, Martial Uncle."

Chen Qingxuan began pacing the room. Without realizing it, he walked before Mu Zhuosha's portrait. Seeing her radiant image within it, he sighed to himself and said, "What do you cultivate immortality for?"

What did one cultivate immortality for?

Zhou Qing furrowed his brow, thinking, Why was Martial Uncle suddenly asking such a grand question?

After pondering for a while, he recalled arriving in this world and discovering that cultivation was real. His first thought had been that if he could not cultivate immortality and seek longevity, then all the wonderful things in life would lose their luster because life itself was so fleeting.

He said, "Cultivating immortality is for the pursuit of longevity."

Chen Qingxuan nodded approvingly. "It is a very simple question, yet also a very difficult one."

"Cultivating immortality originated from the thought of all living beings seeking longevity. That is the root of the immortal Dao. Everything else—formations, spells, Talismans, and the like—is merely an art for protecting the Dao."

"But in the course of its development, cultivation also gave rise to a crooked path: cultivating not to seek longevity, but to seek power. The difference lies in one's fundamental motive. Once the root differs, the results will differ by a thousand miles."

"If one cannot question one's own heart and distinguish this matter clearly, the consequences will be beyond imagining."

Zhou Qing asked, "What consequences would there be?"

Chen Qingxuan said, "The Cultivation World discovered long ago that if one cultivates with the pursuit of power as one's motive, the spiritual qi within one's body will become active and aggressive. This aggressive spiritual qi will in turn affect the cultivator's mind, making them extreme, irritable, and volatile."

"This mutual stirring of heart and qi will intensify without end, until it finally drives the cultivator onto a dead end."

"Even so, some cultivators still cling to wishful thinking. They believe they can reap its benefits while casting aside its harms. They deliberately nurture their own extreme mentality, which grants certain traits to their spiritual qi and lets them hold every advantage when fighting spells."

"Such people are called Demonic Cultivators in the Cultivation World. Most Demonic Cultivators are cultivators of strange and extreme temperament, capable of harming others at any time."

"They may not originally have intended to hurt anyone; they merely wished to possess power. But once they have nurtured an extreme mentality, and their spiritual qi further magnifies that mentality, the consequences are no longer theirs to control."

Zhou Qing said, "Martial Uncle fears that this disciple will become intoxicated with pursuing power and turn into a Demonic Cultivator?"

Chen Qingxuan said, "I am not worried solely for you. This is a difficult problem every cultivator must face."

"Power is far too intoxicating. Once you possess power, you can control the lives of those without it. That is a supreme sense of authority, and such authority is addictive."

"Every cultivator suffers this temptation at every moment. Once their heart becomes clouded one day and they step onto the crooked path, returning will surely require them to endure countless torments."

"That is why the sect established this rule. Newly initiated disciples must first focus on cultivation. Only after building a certain foundation may they gradually come into contact with offensive arts such as spells."

"Of course, there is another, more practical reason. Whether spells or arcane arts, both consume a great deal of energy. Once one becomes immersed in them and forgets the passage of time, one may only awaken suddenly to find that one's lifespan has run out. That is an immense pity."

"Before the sect established this rule, disciples were all keen on studying spells, because spells produced immediate results. So long as they thoroughly mastered a single spell, they could establish their authority among their fellow disciples and trample underfoot fellow sect members whose cultivation exceeded their own."

"That is the sense of authority I mentioned earlier. No one can easily resist that feeling. Over time, they either enter the Demonic Path or squander their time and waste their lifespan."

"A cultivator at Peak Qi Refining has a lifespan of only a little over two hundred years. It may seem long, but it passes in the blink of an eye."

"That is why the sect forcibly requires Outer Disciples not to descend the mountain and venture abroad: to create a stable environment in which they can grow. Unlike those Rogue Cultivators, they need not face the harsh environment of the Cultivation World and urgently master offensive arts to protect themselves. They can therefore raise their cultivation calmly and temper their hearts and techniques."