Cultivation

The moonlight shone like silver, clear and gently radiant.

The lake glittered, mist rising from its waters. Strand after strand of rosy light intertwined in dazzling splendor, forming beautiful rainbows so bright that they were almost blinding.

Meanwhile, the rich fragrance of divine medicine filled the air, captivating and brimming with vitality. This was an essence of the divine Dao, suffused with the vigor of life; cultivating here yielded twice the results for half the effort.

After soaking in it for just half a day, Lin Fan felt refreshed in body and mind. His blood surged with vitality, as though he had been born anew, all worldly dross washed away until he was pure and unblemished.

"If only I could soak here every day. Even without cultivating, I could live to a hundred, untouched by evil influences!" Lin Fan murmured, keenly sensing the wonders of this place.

He was still only a mortal who knew nothing of cultivation, yet it had already done so much for him. If he returned to soak after becoming a cultivator, the benefits would surely be even more astonishing.

"As expected of a sacred cultivation ground. This Immortal Lake alone would be enough to nurture a host of Heavenly Talent disciples."

Lin Fan was deeply envious and wished he could soak here every day. Compared with the ruins of the Supreme Dao Arena, this place was heaven against earth-a Phoenix Nest against a dog kennel.

This was the Cultivation Holy Land he had yearned for. Unfortunately, he had already boarded a pirate ship, and getting off would not be easy.

As the first faint light of dawn appeared, Qi Daolin returned, the corners of his mouth lifted in apparent delight. He took Lin Fan away and brought him back to that dilapidated sect compound.

Crumbling walls stood amid rampant weeds, a scene of desolation and decay without even a place to live. Had someone called it a primeval forest, no one would have doubted them.

"From now on, you will study bone text with me every morning, cultivate for the rest of the day, and soak in the Immortal Pool at night." Seated on the Dao platform, Qi Daolin spoke with solemn dignity, exuding an air of supremacy over all.

"All right!" Lin Fan agreed without hesitation, his eyes lighting up. He was more than happy with this arrangement; even spending every day in the Immortal Pool would suit him, and he would never tire of it.

He swore that his exceptional longing for the place had absolutely nothing to do with hearing the Heavenly Immortal Academy's rule that the Immortal Pool belonged to the female disciples on even-numbered days.

"Also, once you embark on the path of cultivation, you must never slack off. You must persevere, especially as the heir to my Supreme Dao Arena. If you cannot reign supreme over the world one day, I will expel you!" Qi Daolin warned him, stern and solemn.

Lin Fan felt a flicker of disdain. You haven't even reigned supreme over the world yourself, old man, yet you expect me to rule all beneath heaven? He was rather speechless.

Still, he answered earnestly, "I promise I'll persevere to the very end!"

"Very good!" Qi Daolin smiled and drew up a series of training plans for him. Almost every moment of each day was filled, leaving no time to rest except during meals.

Lin Fan was dumbfounded. Was this a schedule meant for a human being? Climbing mountains against raging torrents, running thousands of li with a boulder on my back without stopping-even an ox plowing the fields wouldn't be worked like this.

This was inhuman-midnight to midnight, seven days a week!

Especially since he also had to fight ferocious beasts. He would practically be grinding madly against the edge of death!

And this was only the first stage. Even harsher trials awaited him later.

"Then let us officially begin your cultivation now. I will explain bone text to you. Listen carefully and do not let your mind wander!" Qi Daolin said sternly, his demeanor changing in an instant to that of a strict teacher.

Lin Fan immediately sat cross-legged as well. This was the first lesson of his life on the path of cultivation, and it held extraordinary significance.

"Bone text consists of mysterious symbols possessing unfathomable, inconceivable power. Once a living being masters and employs these symbols, they can gain strength far beyond that of ordinary people, even reshape heaven and earth..."

As Qi Daolin spoke, he demonstrated for him. Brilliant symbols appeared between his palms, unleashing an intimidating power and possessing a metallic quality. One moment flames sprang forth; the next, lightning flashed. It was truly wondrous!

At that moment, Lin Fan stared in stunned amazement, unable to recover for a long time. His gaze remained fixed on those runes, as though they held some magical allure that drew him in, leaving him utterly entranced.

Runes were profoundly mysterious and possessed extraordinary power. They formed the structure of the world's primal essence and embodied the Great Dao. Only by mastering them could living beings truly touch the power of cultivation.

Yet very few living beings could truly master and employ runes. It required comprehension; some people might spend most of their lives struggling to learn a single rune, let alone use it.

Even among those who learned runes, however, the vast majority remained at the level of crude application, unable to use them flexibly, much less accomplish the even harder task of innovation.

A person's strength was inseparable from runes. They could be said to run through a cultivator's entire life; the stronger the person, the more numerous and profound the runes they mastered.

Lin Fan sank into contemplation and study, immersed in an ocean of runes. He continually recalled those few simple symbols, as though trying to engrave them upon his heart.

Seeing him enter a state of Dao comprehension so quickly, Qi Daolin smiled. That Lin Fan could achieve this on his very first encounter with runes was enough to prove his exceptional talent.

Still, he reminded him, "Mastering runes is not something you can accomplish in a moment. Take it slowly. Do not grow impatient and exhaust your mind."

Comprehending runes was no simple process, and mishaps could occur along the way. The wrong methods or an impatient pursuit of quick results could leave one injured.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound left Qi Daolin dumbfounded.

A patch of light appeared in Lin Fan's palm, revealing a strange symbol. It shone brilliantly, containing an inexplicable power.

"Dao Master, how well did I learn it?" Lin Fan asked with an innocent smile, waving the rune in his hand. It stirred the air and produced a buzzing sound.

At that moment, Qi Daolin's brow twitched, and he stared in shock. In less than two hours, this boy had mastered a rune and put it to use.

Wasn't that far too fast? I only explained the barest basics, and he learned it before I even told him how to control runes. Is this really his first time studying bone text? Or are all First Generations this fast?

Qi Daolin compared Lin Fan with himself, and the gulf was enormous. Back then, when he first encountered runes, he had taken half a month to master his first one-and that had already been considered very fast.

"Passable, but you still fall short of certain geniuses. Do not grow arrogant or complacent!" Qi Daolin said with affected composure, concealing his astonishment.

"Oh, I'll work hard," Lin Fan replied, then resumed studying the text.

At the same time, he could not help marveling inwardly. The Heavenly Talents of this world are far too formidable. I thought I was comprehending it very quickly, but it turns out I'm only average.

Hehe, I really did pick up a treasure! With comprehension like this, how could my Supreme Dao Arena fail to flourish? Qi Daolin secretly rejoiced, then thought, No, I mustn't let him become arrogant and complacent. I need to polish him well and keep him in check.

Time flew like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye, the morning passed and afternoon arrived.

By then, Lin Fan was running through the Great Wilderness with a boulder taller than himself and weighing several hundred jin on his back, training his body.

The first realm of cultivation-the Blood Moving Realm-required constant tempering of the flesh, making the body as powerful as a treasured artifact.

Of course, the Blood Moving Realm was not merely about tempering the body. One also had to comprehend bone text, then transform the world's primal essence into divine radiance to nourish flesh and blood.

The difference in strength within this realm was clear. The weak possessed only a few thousand jin of destructive force, while the strong could exert tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand jin, enough to split mountains and shatter stone.

Moreover, there was virtually no limit.

But there was a standard that marked a true Heavenly Talent: a hundred thousand jin of strength in a single arm, using the physical body alone. Anyone with the ambition to reign supreme over their generation in the future had to reach that threshold. This was also what Qi Daolin demanded of him.