Naming, Cultivation

"Ha ha ha, which little ones have come to my Forbidden Ground?"

At that moment, Elder Yu appeared as well, smiling warmly at the three children.

"Grandpa Yu!"

The moment they saw him, Yang Xiaohu and Yang Mingrui called out.

Yang Yueqing hurriedly tugged them both back and reminded them, "You should call him Ancestor!"

"Oh, oh. Xiaohu greets Ancestor Yu."

"Mingrui greets Ancestor Yu."

"Ha ha ha, all of you are good children. Here in the Forbidden Ground, this old man does not care much about titles. You may call me Ancestor, Grandpa, even Old Man—but there is one thing you must not take lightly."

Elder Yu paused briefly before continuing, "When you cultivate in the future, you must not be careless in the slightest. You must be diligent and work hard. Do not disappoint the Patriarch's painstaking efforts!"

"Yes! We will remember!"

Yang Yueqing cupped her hands and answered.

Elder Yu nodded. Then, together with Yang Guanfeng, he led the three children into the ancestral hall of the Forbidden Ground.

The memorial tablets of the Yang Family's ancestors stood here.

Only upon arriving here did Chen Yang learn that the Yang Family had indeed produced cultivators in the past.

Unfortunately, there had been no worthy successors, and the Lineage had slowly declined.

"The Spiritual Connection Realm—the peak of the Lower Three Realms. And his cultivation is not low either!"

Chen Yang now understood the cultivation realms of this world.

They were divided into nine major realms.

The Lower Three Realms were Qi Gathering, Core Formation, and Spiritual Connection.

The Middle Three Realms were True Intent, Profound Insight, and Treading Void.

The Upper Three Realms were Heaven Reaching, Tribulation Crossing, and Ascension.

Each realm was further divided into twelve minor layers: early-stage, middle-stage, late-stage, and perfection.

For example, in the Tiger Chasing Dynasty where the Yang Family resided, the nation's pillar of strength was a True Intent Realm cultivator.

Thus, for a Lineage to produce a Spiritual Connection cultivator was enough for it to become a great aristocratic house that ruled one region within the Dynasty.

Likewise, cultivation items such as artifacts, pills, formations, and talismans followed the same grading system.

For instance, Elder Yu had said that Chen Yang was currently a Qi Gathering Early-stage spiritual treasure and was not far from the middle-stage.

This also matched Chen Yang's inner inspection of himself. Two-thirds of the white little space within his body was now filled with spiritual power. Once it was full again, he could undergo his next advancement.

After paying respects to the ancestors, they arrived at the highlight of the day.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu brought the three children into a separate three-story pavilion.

At the center of the room on the pavilion's top floor stood a platform about one and a half meters high, apparently prepared to hold something.

Three meditation cushions sat around the platform, and three copies of the same cultivation method had been placed there as well.

"From this day onward, the three of you will cultivate within this pavilion. Strive to Condense Qi Mansion as soon as possible and enter the ranks of the Qi Gathering Realm."

Upon hearing that they could cultivate, all three children excitedly stepped forward. They went to their respective cushions, picked up the cultivation manuals, and began reading.

But before long, troubled expressions appeared on all their faces.

They simply could not understand them.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Seeing their brows scrunched into such adorably tangled knots, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu both burst into laughter.

"You three truly are impatient. Such drive is a good thing, but remember this well in your future cultivation: do not rush for quick success and instant gain."

"Indeed. Haste makes waste. The road of cultivation is long, and what matters is advancing step by step."

Yang Yueqing nodded in understanding. The other two little ones nodded along as well, though it was obvious they were completely lost in the clouds and mist.

"There is one more matter. Since the three of you have entered the Forbidden Ground and received methods of cultivation, your paths now diverge from those of mortals. Your former names will no longer be used."

As Yang Guanfeng spoke, he took Chen Yang from his sleeve and placed him upon the platform in the middle.

Pointing at Chen Yang, he said, "This item is called a Spirit Gathering Stone. It is a spiritual treasure that Ancestor Yu and I obtained while exploring outside. It can gather spiritual energy and will be your greatest support on the road of cultivation."

"I shall take the character 'Ling' from its name and add it to yours. From this day onward, you will be Yang Linghu, Yang Lingqing, and Yang Lingrui. Do you understand?"

Linghu and Lingrui were still dazed when Lingqing jabbed them with her elbow.

"Yang Lingqing thanks Ancestor for bestowing this name!"

The other two little ones hurriedly followed her example and thanked Yang Guanfeng for granting them their names.

"Good."

Yang Guanfeng nodded in satisfaction, then looked toward Elder Yu. "Elder Yu, I will leave them in your care from here on."

"Patriarch, rest assured."

The rich spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit Gathering Stone had its limit. If Yang Guanfeng remained here to cultivate as well, the total amount of spiritual energy the three children could receive would decrease, and it would also affect the overall spiritual energy environment.

Thus, after careful consideration, the two of them decided to leave this place to the three children.

Yang Guanfeng turned and departed, while Elder Yu had the three children sit upon their meditation cushions.

He first introduced the three of them to the basic knowledge of cultivation, then had them repeat it back to him.

None of the three children were foolish, and they quickly memorized it all.

Afterward, Elder Yu had them open their cultivation manuals and began reading through and explaining them.

"This method is called the Nether Spirit Path Seeking Scripture. It cultivates through seated meditation and contemplation, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one's own use. It is an orthodox Core Formation-level cultivation method..."

"The introductory section is what you must learn at present. It is the doorway into this method..."

"To Condense Qi Mansion, you must first draw Qi into your body and open the Qi Meridians throughout your body..."

"The limbs, chest and abdomen, and crown of the head contain twelve Qi Meridian in total. Once they are all broken open and lit by spiritual energy, a vortex of spiritual energy will form within the dantian..."

"The first step you must take now is to enter a state of seated meditation and contemplation. This is the foundation of everything..."

"Very well, do as I say. Sit cross-legged and straighten your backs. Place your hands upon your knees, empty your minds, and comprehend the Nether Spirit..."

The three children obediently put down their cultivation manuals, assumed the proper posture, and began trying to enter meditation.

Chen Yang lay upon the platform and listened to Elder Yu's explanation from beginning to end.

This cultivation method truly is profound and mysterious. Even I was left lost in the clouds and mist by some parts of it. I'll need to ponder it carefully. It seems cultivating as a cultivator is no easy matter after all, he thought.

Fortunately, he had known how to breathe and circulate energy ever since his birth, so he did not need to worry about cultivation methods at all.

He merely wondered whether artifact cultivation had cultivation methods as well.

As he pondered, Chen Yang suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Oh? This boy was this fast?"

Chen Yang's gaze fell upon Yang Lingrui, the youngest of the children.

This little one truly deserved to be the most talented of the three, as Elder Yu had discerned.

Combined with his pure and flawless childlike heart, he had already entered a meditative state devoid of all external distractions after sitting for merely the time it took to burn one stick of incense.

Elder Yu was somewhat astonished as well.

He knew this child possessed good talent, but he had not expected him to be so exceptional!

Amid his delight, he hurriedly stretched out his hand over Chen Yang, circulated his spiritual power, and activated Chen Yang's Spirit Gathering effect.

"Ah~ Using someone else's spiritual power sure feels great~"

With Elder Yu's help, Chen Yang began gathering spiritual energy while also starting his own breathing and circulation.

Normally, gathering spiritual energy on his own would consume his own spiritual power. But by relying on a human cultivator now, he skipped that step and only needed to focus on breathing and circulation.

About a quarter of an hour later, Chen Yang noticed that the Qi Meridian at the end of Yang Lingrui's left arm had begun to loosen.

A few breaths later, that Qi Meridian was completely opened, and the spiritual energy gathered within the pavilion immediately surged toward it.

Yang Lingrui, still in meditation, felt his body tremble as a warm current flowed from the tips of his left fingers.

"Entering meditation in the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, drawing Qi in a quarter of an hour—this child has the potential for Core Formation!"

Elder Yu was incomparably gratified. The Yang Family had produced such a fine seedling, and he was delighted from the bottom of his heart.