Choosing a Cultivation Method

Half a month later, at the small lakeside courtyard.

Ever since accidentally discovering Red Iron Bamboo in the mountains, Zhou Ning had grown increasingly cautious. He had even stopped gathering wild vegetables.

Old Jia had duly returned as promised, bringing the Pure Heart Wisteria Flower.

Zhou Ning held a length of vine between his fingers. It felt as tough as sinew, and a white flower bloomed upon it, its petals translucent like glazed glass and remarkably wondrous.

He merely took a light sniff, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted out, calming his mind considerably.

"It truly is wondrous. No wonder it was so expensive-it cost me a full half year's income," he exclaimed.

"The Ancestral Aperture gate is the hardest to break through. If I can open it, the Grand Circulation gate will open as naturally as water flowing into a channel."

"After that, I can find a Qi Refining cultivation method, ingest Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, advance to become a Qi Refining cultivator, and fly through the air. Even against a Late Qi Refining cultivator of this world, I'd probably be able to hold my ground without defeat."

He thought to himself.

Only then would he possess a basic ability to protect himself, rather than being at anyone's mercy.

Zhou Ning looked inward at his sea of consciousness. The mysterious square jade stone had already turned mostly black.

As his cultivation improved, the time it took for the square jade stone to fill had grown a little longer.

It would take about another year before he could enter the Land of Wei a second time.

Before then, I must open all six meridians.

Zhou Ning sat cross-legged on his bed and began to calm his mind and steady his breathing.

At last, moonlight spilled across the windowsill and into the room, clothing him in a faint mantle of silver.

He placed the glassy flower between his brows.

As he activated the Meridian Opening Instruction, the edges of the petals glimmered, then dissolved into spiritual dust. Drawn along by spiritual power, it gathered into a vortex of light before his brow.

A cool sensation slowly seeped between his brows, steadily washing over the blocked divine meridian of the Ancestral Aperture.

"As expected of using Qi Refinement to practice Meridian Opening in reverse. The effect is astonishing."

The vortex of light spun faster and faster, its tail tapering into a cone that stabbed fiercely at the blocked Ancestral Aperture barrier!

The next moment, Zhou Ning heard a clear chime in his head, and the Ancestral Aperture gate opened wide.

Zhou Ning kept his eyes closed. As the cool sensation circulated, he saw his own warm, lustrous bones, his rushing blood, and his internal organs moving and trembling with each breath.

His cool Divine Sense roamed through his body, then burst uncontrollably through his flesh and spread in all directions.

The blood in the stone basin, the insides of the walls-the entire world stood revealed in the finest detail.

The feeling of having everything within his grasp was wonderful.

"I can see through things?"

He guided his Divine Sense through the wall and into the courtyard. It continued spreading outward, fifty meters, a hundred meters, until it finally stopped over the lake at two hundred and twenty meters.

Zhou Ning opened his eyes, somewhat shocked.

According to the Azure Flame Heart Method he had obtained from the Su Household, the Divine Sense of an ordinary Late Qi Refining cultivator reached only about two hundred meters, unless they cultivated a special Divine Sense Secret Method.

Such Secret Methods were generally accessible only to Foundation Establishment cultivators of major sects or Core Formation Cultivators.

"I'm only at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement, yet my Divine Sense is already this strong. In this world, I'm one of a kind." Zhou Ning felt a little pleased with himself.

With Divine Sense like this, he would surely meet no obstacle he could not overcome when controlling Law Artifacts.

Unfortunately, his reserves of spiritual power could not keep up and held him back.

"As I am now, I'm still too weak."

"I must break through the Grand Circulation gate."

Time flew like a shuttle, and another year passed.

The night was pitch-black and moonless.

Zhou Ning's Qi and Blood surged and roared throughout his body. He circulated the Spiritual Pivot Meridian-Unblocking Instruction, carefully guiding Spiritual Qi in through his five major meridian gates and toward his Dantian.

He had tried countless times and was well practiced. This time, he no longer held back.

At last, the Spiritual Qi from the several branch meridians touched in his Dantian. As though finding their head and tail, they joined in an instant to form a perfect closed loop.

Zhou Ning's body jolted. The True Qi that had previously required deliberate guidance now began to circulate along the Grand Circulation meridian, no longer scattering or leaking away.

Zhou Ning felt as light as if he might float away, and several degrees closer to the whole of heaven and earth.

If communicating with heaven and earth through the Clear Flame Heart Method was like touching through clothing, then opening all six meridians brought them truly into close contact!

With a thought, Spiritual Qi naturally gathered beneath him and gently lifted him off the ground.

With that, he had completed Meridian Opening and entered the realm of Qi Refining.

Zhou Ning opened his eyes, and his body slowly descended.

He felt the resonance with the wind. It was utterly intoxicating.

After a long while, he reined in his excitement.

Although he had connected all six meridians and the Spiritual Qi in his body made a full circulation, he had not ingested a portion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, so he could not yet be considered a true Qi Refining cultivator. In terms of Law Power alone, he was not much stronger than someone at the same realm who cultivated the Clear Flame Heart Method.

According to Chai Dingchun's autobiography, cultivation in the Qi Refining stage chiefly involved three things.

The first was the cultivation method. They ranged from first rank to ninth rank, with higher ranks being stronger. Methods of fourth rank or above had the potential to reach the Purple Mansion stage.

Besides a cultivation method, a portion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was also needed. Without the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi corresponding to the method, one could not become a Qi Refining cultivator even with a ninth-rank method.

Last came a Secret Method. Only after mastering one could a cultivator hope to advance to Foundation Establishment.

A year ago, after Zhou Ning had broken through the Ancestral Aperture meridian and developed Divine Sense,

He had examined the Jade Slips in the Storage Bag. They contained several cultivation methods from Chai Dingchun's collection. The highest-ranked was his family's Void Wind Qi-Unifying Instruction, a fourth-rank method that could be cultivated to the Purple Mansion stage.

But Chai Dingchun had been unable to gather the matching Profound-Piercing Wind and had ingested Wind Qi Among the Reeds instead. The method had fallen to second rank, making its Secret Method difficult to master. Even advancing to Foundation Establishment had been no easy matter, and the risk of death had been considerable.

Later, he had been fortunate enough to obtain a strand of Profound-Piercing Wind and master the Secret Method Vast Righteous Qi Instruction, making Foundation Establishment a nail already hammered into the board.

Unfortunately, he had been killed by Zhou Ning's spirit insect.

Looking back on it now, Chai Dingchun had truly been formidable.

Zhou Ning clicked his tongue inwardly. Mr. Wen once said that his ancestor guided a young man onto the immortal path. Later, the young man became a great cultivator and returned to repay the kindness.

That great cultivator's realm was probably at least Core Formation, perhaps even Nascent Soul!

Unfortunately, Mr. Wen had only one purple-bead spirit insect left, and he gave it to me to repay a kindness.

Otherwise, if I had a few more, I could throw one out whenever I ran into an Evil Cultivator. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The matter made Zhou Ning even more cautious. Even if his cultivation was higher than someone else's, there was still a chance he could come to grief, unless he ambushed and killed them in an instant.

After reflecting for a while, Zhou Ning took out a small white jade bottle and removed the stopper. A mass of molten-gold light hung quietly inside.

It gave off a feeling of utmost yang and righteousness, with a metallic edge hidden within.

"Over these three years, I've gathered a full portion of True Yang Metal Qi. I only need to ingest and refine it with the matching cultivation method, and I can become a Qi Refining cultivator of the Land of Wei."

According to Chai Dingchun, all trace of True Yang Metal Qi had vanished from the Land of Wei a thousand years ago.

Without True Yang Metal Qi, Qi Refining could not be accomplished. Zhou Ning reckoned that this lineage's inheritance might well have died out, and he did not know whether any cultivation method had made its way out.

If there was no corresponding cultivation method, he would have to gather Qi all over again. He could also ask around about the Profound-Piercing Wind while he was at it, since he had Chai Dingchun's fourth-rank cultivation method.

"I'll need to prepare some money too."

During this time, he had traded with Xu Qinghou for a batch of fish blood. It was extremely useful for Meridian Opening, and he reckoned it would fetch a good price in the Land of Wei.

A great deal had happened on Bamboo Creek Island over the past year.

In particular, the number of Fuluo Eels had plummeted.

If Zhou Ning had not developed Divine Sense comparable to that of someone at Late Qi Refining, and combined it with the Spirit Eye Technique and his Meridian Opening strength, he might not have managed to catch even one in a month.

Yuan Dahu's group had grown ever more masterful at netting fish. They had stirred up towering resentment not only on Bamboo Creek Island, but also among retainers in the fishing and hunting grounds of the other islands.

But Yuan Dahu was adept at cultivating connections. He had attached himself to the Su Household's direct line and sent them many spiritual materials, suppressing the opposition.

Su Wen, the previous steward, had broken through to Late Qi Refining and been transferred away from Cuiwei Lake.

A member of a Su Household branch family with no hope of breaking through had been put in charge in her place.

The new Steward Su had set new rules: Su Household retainers had to contribute fifty jin of Fuluo Eels every month. Anyone who failed for two consecutive months would be expelled from Cuiwei Lake.

As soon as the rule came out, cries of dismay rose everywhere.

Although the Su Household's treatment was not particularly good, it did have a first-tier Spirit Vein. If they were expelled, their cultivation speed would surely plummet.

There was nothing to be done. The rules of the world were dictated by important figures, and those with low cultivation had no say at all.

Life appeared peaceful for the moment, but without strength, one could not be sure of lasting from morning to night.

Zhou Ning looked inward at his sea of consciousness. The square jade stone had turned completely black, and he could enter the Land of Wei at any time.

I'll get ready today, then ask the new Steward Su for leave tomorrow and focus on exploring the Land of Wei.

He thought silently to himself.

Suddenly, Zhou Ning's expression shifted as a commotion came from outside.

Xu Qinghou carried a small bundle to Old Jia next door and said politely,

"Old Jia, when you go out tomorrow, could you buy me two bottles of Spirit Essence Pills?"

Old Jia opened the bundle. Inside was a small, gleaming white piece of Spirit Stone, containing pure Spiritual Qi.

Zhou Ning compared it and saw that it was only about a quarter the size of a normal Spirit Stone.

Old Jia hefted it and clicked his tongue. "You really have struck it rich, lad. You can even afford Spirit Essence Pills now!"

"If I'd had your means back then, I might have had a chance to break through to the late stage, instead of wasting half my life."

"You flatter me, Elder." Xu Qinghou could not hide the smile on his face.

What was Late Qi Refining?

One day, he would surely make a bid for Foundation Establishment and become a great cultivator of Cuiwei Lake!

"Yuan Dahu is your benefactor. Get along with him."

Old Jia reminded him that Yuan Dahu understood how to handle people and was smooth in his dealings. He was no creature destined to remain in a pond.

Otherwise, Xu Qinghou and the others would never have had a turn at such a profitable business. Someone would have swallowed it whole long ago.

"Naturally," Xu Qinghou said.

"If you keep cultivating like this, Zhou Ning won't be your match," Old Jia said.

He had seen with his own eyes how Zhou Ning practiced a mundane cultivation method every day. It was simply putting the cart before the horse and wasting his talent.

Xu Qinghou offered no comment.

His sights had long since turned to the Su Household's younger generation.

As long as his resources kept coming, his cultivation speed would be no slower than theirs!

In truth, he rather looked forward to the seven-year appointment a few months from now. What would the sect disciples think then?

Zhou Ning probed with his Divine Sense and discovered that Xu Qinghou was more than halfway through the Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

Well, although Zhou Ning had divided his attention to open his meridians, he was approaching completion of the Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

The difference between Spirit Roots was indeed terrifying. Xu Qinghou had a Low-Grade Spirit Root, and although he spent heavily on pills to cultivate, his current cultivation speed was only barely keeping pace with Zhou Ning and his Middle-Grade Spirit Root.

As for Old Jia, Zhou Ning shifted his Divine Sense slightly. Old Jia had reached Qi Refining Sixth Layer Perfection and was stuck at the bottleneck to Late Qi Refining.

But his Qi and Blood were declining throughout his body, so his combat strength was probably ordinary.

Old Jia was still pondering.

Xu Qinghou is a promising prospect. If the fishing business can be sustained, he has hope of reaching the late stage. Perhaps I could entrust my descendants to him...

Halfway through the thought, he sensed something amiss and looked around, but found no trace of anything.

Zhou Ning withdrew his Divine Sense without a sound.