Qian Renxue stood stunned for a long while. At last, she bit her lip and spoke, unable to keep the apprehension from her voice. "Must I really discard it?"
Ye Lingtian raised an eyebrow and looked at Qian Renxue, at a loss for words. "Never mind that your cultivation is as flimsy as a castle in the air.
"Just consider this: if two forms of magical power from different sources existed in your body, do you know what the consequences would be?
"The two powers are different, and the paths they follow run in opposite directions. They might seem to coexist peacefully on an ordinary day, but when you actually circulated and used them, the conflicting forces would burst your meridians apart.
"Then your meridians would be severed inch by inch, and you'd lose all your cultivation. You'd truly become a cripple with little time left to live. How could that compare to discarding your old cultivation and starting over now, when you can still keep your foundation intact?"
He paused, and when he saw Qian Renxue's face turn pale, he continued frankly, "You don't need to be too reluctant to part with that little bit of cultivation. I've cultivated for fifty years and seen all kinds of cultivation methods. Although I can't tell where yours came from, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it low-grade."
"To put it bluntly, you just passively wait for spiritual Qi to bore its way into your body. You don't even use one part in ten. Not only is your progress slow, but you've also accumulated a bellyful of impurities. Discarding it will let you go into battle unburdened. It can only do you good."
At those words, Qian Renxue's cheeks instantly grew warm. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed the cool cover of the Lingtian Qi-Guiding Art, and for a moment she felt rather awkward.
Could she really tell him the truth-that in all her life, she had never even heard of a "cultivation art"?
In her old world, cultivation relied on Innate Soul Power, and increasing it took painstaking, gradual effort. When had anyone needed to actively guide Qi into their body and refine their foundation?
Wouldn't saying all that out loud make her even more of a laughingstock?
She could only nod silently, quietly suppressing her pride as a top-tier prodigy. "I understand. I'll do as you say, young master."
Meanwhile, on Douluo Continent, the once-noisy Shrek Square had long since fallen silent. More than a hundred pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the sky screen, everyone stunned by Ye Lingtian's words.
Yu Xiaogang was the first to react. His face flushed red, and he craned his neck as he spoke, his voice far higher than usual. "Nonsense! What do you mean, low-grade?!
"I've spent my whole life researching Martial Soul cultivation, and people on Douluo Continent have cultivated this way for all these years. How did it become a low-grade method of passive breathing? That brat's just putting on an act!"
Flender and Liu Erlong hurriedly nodded along, though their voices were much less confident than usual. "Exactly... exactly. How could some brat from another world get to criticize our perfectly good cultivation method..."
"We can't quite say that." Ning Fengzhi stroked his beard, his tone thoughtful. He turned to Sword Douluo Chen Xin beside him. "Uncle Jian, what do you think?"
Chen Xin gazed at the tall, upright figure of Ye Lingtian in his green robes on the sky screen, his eyes shining. Resting a hand on the Seven Kill Sword, he said, "This man's swordsmanship has reached a divine level, and his strength is far beyond mine. His words may well have merit."
"I've practiced the sword all my life. If there really is a way to reach a higher level, I'd be willing to try it."
"Is what this guy's talking about really that amazing?" Dai Mubai frowned, rubbing his chin. "He says our cultivation makes impurities build up? How come I've never felt it?"
Ning Rongrong muttered, "But he can split the clouds with a casual swing. Even Grandpa Jian can't do that. He's so powerful, so what he says must make sense..."
In Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu's face was so dark it could drip ink. He pressed one hand against the offering table, his knuckles clenched white, and kept snorting coldly. "Utter nonsense! That brat is deliberately humiliating my granddaughter!"
Bibi Dong sat to one side, slowly turning a teacup in her hand, a gloating smile curling her lips. "Calm down, Worshipper Qian. Ye Lingtian's strength speaks for itself. What he said may not be wrong."
"Perhaps cultivation in our world really is the crude method of passive breathing he described?"
"You!" Qian Daoliu nearly choked. He glared at Bibi Dong, unable to speak, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy. He had seen with his own eyes how a casual strike from Ye Lingtian could rival a divine skill. The man truly had the strength to back up his words.
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Xue Ye's smile also faded. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If this method really is better than ours, should an opportunity arise in the future, could it perhaps also strengthen my Royal Knights?"
Back on Sword-Seeking Peak, Ye Lingtian got straight to work. He took out a lustrous white jade cushion and had Qian Renxue sit down.
"I doubt you know how to switch cultivation arts, so I'll guide you through it once."
"Thank you, young master." Qian Renxue nodded and watched as Ye Lingtian lightly touched the center of her forehead. The next second, a gentle current of Qi flowed into her body.
Qian Renxue's tense body slowly relaxed. Her nose was filled with the young man's scent, and her heart involuntarily gave another light flutter. Much of her earlier conflict and reluctance faded instead.
With her eyes closed, she could feel the Soul Power that had accompanied her for decades being gently pushed out of her body, bit by bit. There was no sharp pain, only an emptiness following a wave of relief.
Half an hour later, Ye Lingtian withdrew his hand. Looking at Qian Renxue, whose forehead was faintly damp with sweat, he nodded. "You can start practicing the art now. With your Spiritual Root, you should be able to sense Qi in a few days at most. That will count as taking your first step on the path of immortal cultivation."
Qian Renxue held the cultivation art in her hands and looked up at Ye Lingtian's clear features. In a low, solemn voice, she said, "I will remember your kindness, young master."
Ye Lingtian waved a hand and turned to find her spare bedding, missing the reddened tips of Qian Renxue's ears behind him.
After Ye Lingtian left, Qian Renxue gathered her thoughts for a while, then turned her gaze to the cultivation art in her hands. Was this the cultivation method of this world?
The people on Douluo Continent also watched the sky screen intently, all curious about what would be written inside.
"Someone, come here. No matter what's written in it, record it all for me." The various factions began calling people over to record it, as if by tacit agreement.
This was a cultivation method from another world. They had to record it. If they could cultivate it too, wouldn't they be able to grow stronger?
Even Yu Xiaogang looked toward the sky screen. Although he had successfully broken through the level-thirty bottleneck with the help of the Immortal Herb Tang San had provided, who wouldn't want to grow stronger?
For the time being, he couldn't count on Tang San, so he could only look to Qian Renxue.
As Qian Renxue opened the cultivation art, the words on its pages came into view.
But what followed was a look of utter bewilderment and confusion.
Although she could recognize all the characters in the art thanks to that power, could someone tell her what an acupoint was? What was a dantian? Was there really such a thing three inches below the navel?
Qian Renxue couldn't understand what it said at all, and likewise, if even she couldn't recognize it, the people on Douluo Continent understood it even less.