Of the eighteen levels of mental cultivation in the Carefree Heart Sutra, the first six belonged to early Qi Cultivation, and each of these six levels had its own differences.
The first level was the most crucial. It marked the transformation from an ordinary person into a Qi Practitioner, a fundamental transformation. Yet this threshold barred the vast majority of people. Without the tempering of that first wisp of True Qi, one could never truly become a Qi Practitioner. The Internal Energy Cultivation of the martial path was much the same. Without being able to visualize and sense Qi, one could not even touch the threshold of internal energy—though this threshold was somewhat lower than that of an Immortal Path Qi Practitioner.
Aside from the first level, the fifth and sixth levels were also crucial. Early Qi Cultivation relied solely on the accumulation of True Qi to advance, while mid Qi Cultivation and late Qi Cultivation required both comprehension and cultivation to advance. The transition from early Qi Cultivation to mid Qi Cultivation was a change in cultivation method, and this threshold likewise blocked the path of many.
The fifth and sixth levels were crucial because they marked the beginning of the transition from accumulating True Qi to comprehending one's realm. If one relied purely on the accumulation of True Qi, one could certainly push through to the final two levels of early Qi Cultivation. But upon entering the seventh level of mid Qi Cultivation, difficulties would pile upon difficulties, and one would lack the strength to continue.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Xiaohua had stalled after cultivating to the Qi Cultivation fourth layer, doing nothing but accumulating strength. Had he not gained this small insight into the Way of Life and Death today, then even if