A new day

Liu Changxu was a very disciplined person. His father, Liu Shihao, had greatly influenced him in this regard.

After learning that Liu Changxu had three-element roots, Liu Shihao placed high hopes in him, wishing that his son could travel farther along the path of immortal cultivation.

Thus, ever since Liu Changxu began cultivating at the age of eight, Liu Shihao had drawn up a rigorous cultivation plan for him and personally guided his cultivation, even at the expense of his own cultivation time.

What Liu Shihao told him most often was that cultivation was a lifelong undertaking, and he could not afford to slacken for even a moment. If he arranged his cultivation time well and persevered over the years, good results would follow.

Good cultivation habits mattered more than anything else. Liu Changxu wholeheartedly agreed with this and had always steadfastly followed his father's teachings.

Through their tireless efforts over the years, Liu Changxu had progressed faster in cultivation than anyone else his age in the lineage.

Instead, cultivators whose aptitude had been poor to begin with could often attain the great path of golden core and nascent soul through their own unrelenting efforts.

Thus, to travel farther along the path of immortal cultivation, good aptitude alone was not enough. Even more essential were great perseverance, unwavering resolve, tremendous courage, and profound wisdom.

Once Liu Changxu had clarified his own path of immortal cultivation, he immediately set to work.

First, he arranged his daily schedule. He would practice his cultivation art in the mornings and evenings, train in spells and swordsmanship before noon, and spend the afternoons making talismans and tending his spirit fields and spirit fruit trees.

Liu Changxu practiced his cultivation art in the mornings and evenings because he was less likely to be disturbed during those hours. Interruptions were the greatest taboo when practicing a cultivation art, especially at a crucial point in circulating energy. Any disturbance could cause a breakthrough to fail or even send him into qi deviation.

Although Liu Changxu was dissatisfied with the Essence-Nurturing Qi Refinement Art, it could take him as far as the foundation establishment early stage. Moreover, the magical power it produced was relatively pure, which greatly benefited cultivators attempting to break through to foundation establishment.

As far as spells went, Liu Changxu only knew the Fireball Spell, Spirit Eye Technique, Spirit Ear Technique, and Lightness Technique.

During this Demon Hunting, Liu Changxu had keenly felt his lack of combat options. Although he had reaped substantial rewards from the hunt, luck had played a considerable part.

Therefore, Liu Changxu decided to learn several more spells suited to his needs.

For offensive spells, Liu Changxu planned to learn the Water Arrow Technique. It was an area-of-effect spell, and although it was less powerful than the Fireball Spell, it was highly effective against targets spread over a wide area.

For defensive spells, the Earth Wall Technique and Golden Armor Technique offered the best protection. Unfortunately, Liu Changxu lacked metal and earth spiritual roots, so he could only choose the Wooden Shield Technique.

In addition, Liu Changxu planned to learn the Entangling Technique, which was highly effective at trapping enemies.

As for swordsmanship, Liu Changxu did not have any good sword techniques on hand. He intended to ask his father about them over lunch.

Also, although he already had a Talisman Brush, he still needed to exchange contribution points at the Family Treasury for the talisman ink and talisman paper required to make talismans.

Liu Changxu first went to his training room to practice spells. The room was built from green ridge stone, a Lower-Grade First-Tier spiritual material. The stone was hard but could not be used for artifact refining. Its deposits were widespread, and it was extremely inexpensive, so it was mainly used to construct halls and city walls.

The lineage owned several green ridge stone mines. All the stone needed for Liu Changxu's training room had cost fifty-five lineage contribution points, equivalent to fifty-five low-grade spirit stones.

Liu Changxu's training room was eight chi high, eight zhang long, and two zhang wide. Its furnishings were simple: just a meditation cushion and a target stone for practicing spells. The target stone was also made from green ridge stone.

Liu Changxu first practiced the Fireball Spell. His mastery of it had only reached minor accomplishment. During this Demon Hunting, his slow casting speed had made dealing with nimble demon beasts extremely difficult.

Liu Changxu's hands continuously formed spell seals, sending fist-sized fireballs hurtling toward the target stone. Sparks flew across its surface, and before long, the one-chi-thick stone was riddled with pits.

After practicing for a while and exhausting his magical power, he sat down to meditate and replenish it.

Once his magical power had recovered, he began practicing the Water Arrow Technique. Following the energy circulation route recorded in the spell, Liu Changxu formed seals and cast it. A cloud of moisture appeared in the air, but before it could condense into water arrows, it dissipated because he had circulated his energy along the wrong route.

Liu Changxu was not discouraged. He kept reviewing what he had learned and adjusting his energy circulation route until he finally began to condense something resembling a water arrow. Yet when he launched it, it left only a wet streak on the target stone.

Although it had little power at present, its strength would gradually increase as long as he continued practicing.

The Wooden Shield Technique required the caster to condense wood-aspected spiritual energy in front of himself. The protection it offered depended on how densely that energy was condensed.

After practicing for an hour, Liu Changxu had only managed to produce a hazy green shape. He would need considerably more time to make the Wooden Shield Technique usable.

The Entangling Technique was also a wood-aspected spell. It required the caster to condense wood-aspected spiritual energy into vines or ropes to bind enemies. It was another very practical spell.

Since the Entangling Technique and Wooden Shield Technique were both wood-aspected spells, they shared common principles. With his foundation in the Wooden Shield Technique, he soon managed to condense a hazy green rope. From then on, he only needed to practice diligently.