Instant Comprehension of Cultivation Methods

The Canglang Mountain Range was a land of overlapping peaks, with thirty-six in all.

The Shen Family occupied seven peaks, and the Scripture Pavilion stood on Tianwei Peak, the northernmost of them.

Tianwei Peak towered into the clouds. A massive platform had been carved out of its mountainside, and from afar, a three-story pavilion stood at its center.

The Scripture Tower was built entirely from spiritual wood, with mortise-and-tenon joints and red lacquered jade tiles. Its outer walls were engraved with all kinds of Immortal Cranes and Auspicious Beasts, exuding an ancient, elegant charm.

Shen Yun stepped inside. There were only a few people on the first floor, making it seem especially spacious.

Various Jade Slips were arranged on neat wooden racks—nearly a thousand of them, by the look of it. Beside each Jade Slip was a book introducing its contents.

If someone wanted to exchange for a Cultivation Method, the pavilion keeper would open the restriction and deduct the corresponding Contribution Points.

At that moment, a white-haired Old Man ambled over. The young man in front of the bookshelf respectfully said, "I'd like to exchange for this Water Origin Cultivation Method. I'll trouble you, Elder Ming."

Shen Ming casually waved his hand. The Jade Slip flashed, and he then said, "Eighty Contribution Points for one hour. Call me when you're done."

Shen Yun watched this scene, feeling somewhat puzzled. He subconsciously raised his head and looked ahead.

At the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, a young man in a loose white robe was sunbathing on a reclining chair. He read a book while drinking tea, looking utterly carefree.

"Young people lie flat while the elderly work themselves to the bone. Truly, the Heavenly Dipper has been turned upside down."

Shen Yun muttered softly, then cast the matter from his mind and said to Shen Qingruo, "You should have already chosen a Cultivation Method, right? You don't need to wait for me."

Shen Qingruo shook her head and said softly, "It's fine. I happen to be looking for a movement technique too."

Shen Yun nodded and began selecting a Cultivation Method. He failed to notice that the young man on the reclining chair glanced at him and muttered, "He wasn't even born when I was working."

The young man yawned and closed his eyes for a nap. Elder Ming came over, lit the Sandalwood Incense, and replaced the tea, every movement natural and unhurried.

Shen Yun made a circuit of the floor and discovered that it was filled entirely with Cultivation Methods for the Qi Refining Realm. Cultivation techniques accounted for one-fifth of them; most were combat spells, along with some unorthodox methods.

"I have the Three Spiritual Roots: Metal, Fire, Wood. I'll choose a Metal Element Cultivation Method first."

Shen Yun selected a copy of the Golden Edge Art. Metal Element Spiritual Energy had the strongest offensive power, and it greatly enhanced Magic Tools such as Flying Swords and Flying Daggers, so it was generally the first choice.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Shen Yun had committed all the contents to memory. He immediately experienced a wondrous sensation.

"Are cultivation techniques really this simple? It seems I've already grasped the basics."

Shen Yun thought it might be an illusion, so he began recalling every passage of the Golden Edge Art. Yet the feeling only grew stronger. It seemed that as long as he circulated the technique, he could immediately draw Qi into his body and achieve the Qi Refining Realm.

The contents were as simple to him as one plus one. He could not sense the slightest difficulty, so he switched to the Blazing Fire Cultivation Method. The result was no different.

Shen Yun's heart stirred, and he continued reading the Green Wood Cultivation Method. Once he had used up his three free opportunities, he immediately felt the urge to go home and test it.

He greeted Shen Qingruo, then hurried home without stopping.

Elder Ming glanced at him with some puzzlement and muttered, "He used up all three opportunities in a quarter of an hour. What a strange fellow."

The young man on the reclining chair stretched and said casually, "That kid's 'spirit' is extraordinarily powerful. Comprehending several Qi Refining cultivation techniques isn't difficult for him."

Elder Ming was startled. The last person whom Mister Fang had acknowledged had been four or five decades ago.

The young man sat up and looked at the graceful Shen Qingruo, thinking, That kid is still a little inferior to the Little girl. She entered the Qi Refining Realm in a single day. The Shen Family has indeed produced a fine seedling.

Shen Yun's home was located on Falling Cloud Peak. The place had beautiful mountains and clear waters, with magnificent scenery. Beneath its waterways ran a Spirit Vein, and the entire peak was surrounded by Spiritual Qi, brimming with Immortal aura like an ink-and-wash painting.

Shen Yun's father, Shen Pingsheng, was a Three-Attribute Spirit Root Cultivator. At the age of forty, he broke through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining and thereafter became a steward of the collateral branch, which was how he settled down on Falling Cloud Peak.

There was a Bamboo Forest halfway up the mountain. Within it stood a two-story wooden pavilion, simple yet quietly elegant.

Shen Pingsheng often kept the saying "I would rather eat no meat than live where no bamboo grows" on his lips. He had planted this Bamboo Forest himself when he arrived, and by now, it had grown into a graceful canopy.

Shen Yun took out a Jade Talisman. A breeze immediately swept through the Bamboo Forest, bamboo leaves rustling as the pavilion's doors slowly opened.

This Formation had been set up personally by Shen Pingsheng. He often bragged that his heroic bearing while setting up the Array Formation had attracted Mother Shen, allowing him to stand out among his many rivals.

Shen Yun was skeptical, but Shen Pingsheng's skill with Formations was indeed quite good—at the very least, it kept the two of them clothed and fed.

"Old Dad isn't home. Did he go to the Market to take another private job?"

Shen Yun shook his head. Other people's parents could hardly wait to accompany them to the Spirit Testing Ceremony, but Shen Pingsheng was something else entirely. He seemed not to care about it at all.

Last night, after drinking, he had even laughed and said, "It doesn't matter whether you have a Spirit Root or not. Laozi saved up enough money long ago—enough for you to squander for the rest of your life."

Shen Yun smiled. If he had not had such a father, he would not have such a relaxed state of mind today.

After returning to his room, Shen Yun sat cross-legged on a Meditation Cushion and began circulating the Golden Edge Art.

In an instant, Spiritual Qi surged over like a rising tide, slowly revolving all over his body.

The Spiritual Qi appeared in three colors, with the golden radiance the most dazzling. It entered his Meridians along with his breathing.

Like the sound of an egg cracking, a mysterious portal opened within his Dantian. Golden Spiritual Qi poured inside like a tide, weaving together into a stretch of water.

"This should be the Sea of Qi."

Shen Yun carefully sensed it. Spiritual Qi settled within the portal and gathered into a Sea of Qi the size of a puddle, marking his breakthrough into the First Layer of Qi Refining.

To break through into the Qi Refining Realm in only a quarter of an hour was so smooth it was hard to believe.

As he circulated the Golden Edge Art, his comprehension of the Cultivation Method grew deeper.

The Sea of Qi, which had originally been the size of a puddle, grew larger and larger. After an hour, it was already the size of a bucket.

As his Spiritual Energy continued to be refined, the speed of absorption began to slow, and the Sea of Qi was no longer as stable as it had been at the beginning.

"I should stop now. If I force a breakthrough, I'm afraid my foundation won't be firm."

Shen Yun carefully sensed it. He was only a step away from breaking through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to break through.

His realm of cultivation technique was simply too high. It was like a water pump, repeatedly expanding the Sea of Qi until it had reached its limit. He needed to settle down for a while and digest his gains.

Shen Yun thought for a moment and figured out the trick. He then turned around and cultivated the Green Wood Cultivation Method.

Wood Spiritual Energy poured in like flowing water and intertwined with the Metal Spiritual Energy. The overall quantity did not change, but its nature quietly transformed.

In less than half an hour, the two kinds of Spiritual Energy stood shoulder to shoulder, rising and sinking within the Sea of Qi. Although his cultivation had not broken through, his foundation had become even more stable.

Shen Yun felt as if he had discovered a new continent and began cultivating the Blazing Fire Cultivation Method as well.

An hour later, the Sea of Qi was illuminated by Three-Colored Rosy Clouds. The Metal, Fire, and Wood Spiritual Power had reached a complete balance, forming a three-way division.

He discovered that no matter which kind of Spiritual Energy he struck out, its might was nearly identical. The total amount of Spiritual Energy had increased by less than ten percent.

"No wonder single-attribute Spirit Roots are praised as Heavenly Spirit Roots. Even multiple-attribute Spiritual Energy doesn't offer much of a boost. The speed of cultivation is still more important."

Shen Yun had been passionate about new and unusual things since childhood. He began trying all sorts of methods. Since he could not increase his Spiritual Qi, he spent it all and then recovered it. The proficiency of the three Cultivation Methods rose rapidly.

A quarter of an hour, half a quarter... a hundred breaths.

Spiritual Qi poured into him as if being infused from above, rushing straight into the Sea of Qi. By the end, Shen Yun needed only twenty breaths to replenish his Spiritual Energy once.

"It seems I can't go any faster. Could I have already reached the limit?"

Shen Yun tried again and again, but the time remained stuck at twenty breaths, unable to advance even an inch.

"Son, come out for dinner!"

Only when Shen Pingsheng's voice reached him did Shen Yun cease his cultivation and rise.

"Tomorrow, the Fifth Elder will be teaching at the Lecture Hall. I'll know then."