Chapter 12: Lesson Learned

Looking up at the cloudless expanse, the sky was a brilliant azure, and the wild grass beneath her feet grew with vigor. Zhao Chun felt as if everything before her eyes had been infinitely magnified.

After breaking through to the first level of Qi Refinement, she felt only that her five senses had become more acute; nothing else seemed particularly special.

As Xun Xian had said, in the early stages of Qi Refinement, one's strength is not yet apparent and one's Qi is not yet sufficient, making one no different from an ordinary person. At this stage, one should solidify the foundation and accumulate strength for a future burst of progress, clearing the first meridian to step into the second level of Qi Refinement in one continuous breath.

Between the first and third levels of Qi Refinement, the boundaries are clear. The distinction between the first and second levels lies in whether the meridians have been cleared. Once all twelve meridians are cleared, breaking apart the first single acupoint marks the entry into the third level.

As for the middle stage of Qi Refinement, the defining characteristic is the formation of a celestial cycle within the body—but that was a matter for later.

Whether moving from the first to the second level is difficult depends entirely on the width of one's own meridians. Those with narrow meridians find it easy to clear them but struggle in later cultivation stages. Those with wide meridians find clearing them difficult, yet their cultivation speed in later stages is vastly superior to the former. It is a matter of trade-offs.

Zhao Chun had only just completed the process of guiding Qi into her body. Her immediate priority was to select a primary spiritual root, convert the corresponding elemental Qi, and begin clearing her meridians.

Her Metal and Fire elements were abundant, while her Wood element was weak. She had to choose between the former two. She had an idea in mind, but when it came to actual implementation, she encountered a dilemma.

Xun Xian had explained that spiritual roots follow the laws of generation and overcoming rather than fusion; cultivating them separately is a common method used by multi-element cultivators. However, the Metal and Fire spiritual roots within Zhao Chun's body were intertwined; the two types of Qi were inseparable, and the Metal and Fire elements increasingly suppressed the Wood element, preventing it from moving.

She intended to ask about this during the next small lesson; for now, she could only cultivate both types of Qi simultaneously.

About two or three days later, Zhou Pianran came to find her and asked with a smile, "I heard the other day that there is a place in the outer sect called the Treasure Market that sells items for cultivators. Are you interested?"

Zhao Chun was short on funds and lacked nothing, so she declined. Seeing Zhou Pianran's longing expression, she advised, "If you want to go, wait until the senior sisters are on break; someone can lead you. Those places are crowded, and it's not safe to go alone."

Zhou Pianran nodded in agreement and added, "I haven't made any progress in my cultivation these past few days. I can't understand the books, and I can't remember the mantras you tell me. I've truly realized that I'm just not cut out for this.

"I thought, rather than wasting my days every day, I might as well find something to do. I went to ask Senior Sister Lian, and I'll go to the Lu River gardens with her from now on. At least I can save up some things to bring home to my parents in the future.

"It's just that they said I'm too young and will only pay half the wages."

Zhao Chun teased her, "How old are you to be working already? They actually dare to hire you; that half-pay is probably only because of Senior Sister's influence."

The task Lian Jing had taken on was at the Lu River, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Guantian River. It was rich in spiritual Qi and fertile soil, growing a vast amount of medicinal herbs. It was the primary source for the daily medicinal powders of the Lingzhen Sect, and thus highly valued by the sect. The fact that Lian Jing could bring Zhou Pianran in was a testament to her connections.

However, the work was laborious. Zhou Pianran was young, and Zhao Chun feared she wouldn't be able to endure it. Zhou Pianran, however, was confident and said, "With Senior Sister looking after me, I'll be fine. Don't worry!"

After that, everyone else began leaving early and returning late. The courtyard grew quiet, and Zhao Chun threw herself completely into her cultivation, not leaving her room except to eat.

By the time the second small lesson of the month arrived, she had become quite proficient at converting Qi.

This time, Xun Xian only briefly mentioned the basics, focusing his attention entirely on techniques. He warned the disciples, "Practicing techniques appropriately can improve your control over Qi, but you must avoid learning too many or too many disparate ones. Most of the techniques you can access are only of great use in the early stages of Qi Refinement. If you become obsessed with such external things and neglect your own cultivation, it will be a net loss."

Zhao Chun thought that it was like a tree: no matter how lush the leaves and branches are, if the roots are shallow, it cannot withstand the wind.

However, if no growth occurs at all, it will eventually wither. She thought she could select one or two techniques from the sect to use as tools for manipulating Qi.

During the Q&A session, Xun Xian first addressed the third level of Qi Refinement, then the second. By the time it reached Zhao Chun, not much time remained.

"Instructor Xun, this disciple intended to use the method of separate cultivation for spiritual roots, but unfortunately, the Metal and Fire elements are difficult to separate. When one moves, the other follows immediately. May I ask the reason for this?"

Xun Xian's eyebrows twitched slightly. After a moment of thought, he replied, "The method of separate cultivation requires choosing the most dominant spiritual root to cultivate. Theoretically, there must be a difference between spiritual roots—at minimum, a half-measure difference, called equilibrium; at most, a seven or eight-part difference, called dominance or weakness. But in the vast sea of people, exceptions occur. The sect's historical records mention a disciple with three spiritual roots where there was no difference at all between the three; they were perfectly balanced. You are likely in a similar situation."

"Then what choice should this disciple make?"

Xun Xian shook his head and said regretfully, "That disciple from the past had no choice but to cultivate all three elements simultaneously and ultimately stopped at the middle stage of Qi Refinement. You are better off than him; you can attempt to cultivate two elements together."

That meant there was no other way. After bowing in thanks, Zhao Chun sat back down, and pitying looks were immediately cast her way. When she had arrived today, her seat was much further forward. Although she wasn't the only one among the three-root disciples to have completed the induction of Qi, being able to break through to the first level of Qi Refinement in the first month still drew stares from others.

Someone let out a soft laugh and mocked, "I thought she was a real genius, but it turns out she's just a silver-plated spearhead!"

Zhao Chun looked forward. The speaker wore purple clothes and a golden crown, looking quite different from the surrounding disciples. He had a pair of slanted, triangular eyes filled with mockery.

He sat only one row away from Zhao Chun and appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Zhao Chun was not a weak person; her temperament was even somewhat stubborn and she possessed a clear sense of right and wrong. Thus, she said coldly

"A gentleman is slow to speak; only small-minded people dwell on right and wrong."

Upon hearing this, the man's brows shot up, and he prepared to cause trouble. A nearby disciple hurriedly pulled his sleeve and urged, "Instructor Xun is still here!"

His nostrils flared and his chest heaved, but he did not dare to actually stand up and alert Xun Xian. He could only stare deathly at Zhao Chun, wishing he could rush forward and tear her flesh.

Zhao Chun did not fear him. The strength gap in the early stages of Qi Refinement was not large, and this person looked pale and emaciated, clearly lacking any internal foundation. Instructor Zheng had compared her lack of strength to that of a martial artist; if she truly had to fight such a "showy pillow," she would have to worry about breaking two or three of his bones with a single punch!

Choosing to ignore him and focus on her cultivation, Zhao Chun sat cross-legged and practiced her breathing amidst the hostile gazes.

The purple-clad youth was fuming with rage. The moment Xun Xian left after the bell rang, the youth transformed his hands into claws and lunged for Zhao Chun's neck!

Zhao Chun's brows furrowed tightly. She clearly hadn't expected him to strike so ruthlessly at a ten-year-old girl. She immediately leaned to the side, propped herself up with her hand, and kicked toward his chest!

The youth let out a scream and tumbled backward, crashing into the desk of a nearby disciple.

Zhao Chun said coldly, "I intended to give you a lesson and let you suffer some physical pain, but I didn't realize you were heartless enough to strike even a young child. Although the sect rules state that disciples must not fight at will, the reason I broke your ribs today is because you struck first. Even if the law enforcement disciples come knocking, there are witnesses!"

The mouths of the surrounding crowd twitched. They indeed would not show favoritism for a second-level Qi Refinement disciple, but seeing Zhao Chun kick away someone three heads taller than her while calling herself a "young child" made them feel somewhat embarrassed.