Chapter 12 The only way to break through the stagnation of cultivation...

Eight years have passed.

Has Ji Mingran become a venerable immortal?

No, she became a dedicated and excellent worker in a funerary object shop.

Not only can they produce thirty paper figures or fifty other paper money, candles, ingots, and other funerary items daily on an assembly line.

He also answered questions fluently about the intricacies of funeral taboos and customs.

Does she know the art of cultivating immortality?

No, she doesn't understand at all.

Compared to training disciples, Boss Jiang seems to be training a successor for his coffin shop.

But it wasn't bad either; at least the way the townspeople looked at her changed from pure contempt to a mixture of contempt and respect.

No matter how much she pondered and studied the contents of the books, she still couldn't understand them at all.

She recognizes each character individually, but she just can't understand them when they're put together.

For the past eight years, Boss Jiang has been elusive, rarely appearing in the store except for the occasional surprise check on her homework.

Unable to get any information by asking, she had no choice but to memorize it by rote.

Three years ago, she finally memorized the mountain of ancient books in her room.

Then he began to review his memory, and Mr. Jiang would conduct random checks from time to time.

Now she can recite ancient books backwards without missing a single word.

Today, Boss Jiang, who was supposed to check the memorization results, was fast asleep, with books covering her face and her arms hanging down, swinging back and forth in the tree.

He waited patiently, continuing to make paper figures as he went, until Boss Jiang woke up.

Boss Jiang once told her, "As long as you are focused enough, you can sense unusual auras in the air, touch them, draw them in, and let them enter your body. After the spiritual energy is introduced into your body, it circulates throughout your body. Then, you guard your body and condense your energy, and then refine the spiritual energy into spiritual power and inject it into your sea of ​​consciousness. Right now, your sea of ​​consciousness is still a chaotic mess. Once your sea of ​​consciousness gathers enough spiritual power, you can break through the chaos, and your sea of ​​consciousness will take shape, reaching the Qi Refining Realm. At this point, the cultivator can freely use the spiritual energy in their sea of ​​consciousness to control some basic Daoist techniques."

She emphasized, "Of course, the key is to work hard and memorize. This will help you concentrate. Make forty paper figures every day, recite the text silently, and take the opportunity to sense the spiritual energy during the process. Then you will be able to complete the task."

It seems like they taught her, but then again, they didn't. It's as if they didn't take the opportunity to exploit her for work at all.

Recalling this, Ji Mingran sat cross-legged on a large rock under the tree, closed his eyes and focused his breath, sensing the spiritual energy as usual.

She is adept at focusing without distractions, and she knows the steps of making paper figures by heart; she can make them even with her eyes closed.

Gradually, her consciousness sank deeper and deeper, and she entered a state of selflessness.

Mr. Jiang lay on a tree branch, muttering in his sleep.

The bamboo pole flips and folds with the gesture, making a crisp sound.

A cool breeze brushed against my skin.

Scattered specks of light.

The airflow is fluctuating.

There was a slight difference in frequency.

Touching, following the trend, guiding, and leading, the Qi flows in from the crown of the head, along the meridians, and gathers in the dantian.

One more strand.

Ji Mingran continued to distinguish and collect the unique air currents, his breathing became more and more even, but his fingers flew and his movements became faster and faster, and the paper figure's skeleton had taken shape.

More and more spiritual energy was gathered in her dantian. She frowned slightly, concentrated her mind, and began to refine the spiritual energy in her dantian.

He circulated the refined spiritual energy throughout his body and introduced it into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Then, it vanished without a trace.

I could not sense the spiritual power she had refined at all.

She opened her eyes and was met with a pair of ethereal eyes.

Boss Jiang, who had woken up at some point, was hanging upside down from the tree branch, staring at her intently. Seeing Ji Mingran calmly meeting her gaze, Boss Jiang pouted, "You're really scaredy-free. What, still not good enough?"

Yes, no.

She remained stuck at the Qi Induction stage, the threshold of cultivation, for eight years.

Eight years ago, after Boss Jiang first taught her the art of inducing qi, she successfully inducing qi in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The speed was so fast that Boss Jiang was indignant, shouting that his century-old record as the first person to comprehend the Dao and cultivate Qi had been broken. Naturally, Boss Jiang quickly cheered up again, comforting himself that only his disciple could do such a thing, and that he, as the master, was truly amazing. So he happily resumed guiding her in Qi cultivation.

However, the spiritual energy she refined disappeared after being introduced into her sea of ​​consciousness.

Boss Jiang told her to practice a few more times. But no matter how many times she practiced, the result remained the same.

Boss Jiang couldn't believe it: "My disciple couldn't even reach the Qi Refining stage in one go, and is stuck at the mere Qi Induction stage." Then he was heartbroken: "In the end, it's because you're stupid." But then he was happy again: "But that's true. How many people are as talented as me? Comparing you to me is too much of a stretch. You're not the first one. Just learn step by step."

Ji Mingran was already used to Boss Jiang's ever-changing moods, and diligently practiced as instructed.

Winter passes and spring arrives; spring passes and summer departs; autumn comes and winter returns.

Eight years have passed, and her Qi-drawing speed is getting faster and faster, but her Qi-refining is still making no progress.

“Even the least talented and slowest cultivator should reach the Qi Refining stage in eight years.” Boss Jiang hung upside down from the tree, swaying back and forth, nearly bumping into Ji Mingran’s face several times. “I not only set up a Domain Blessing Array here all year round, but also a Spirit Gathering Array. Didn’t you feel anything when you activated the Demon Subduing Array that night?”

Ji Mingran knew that Boss Jiang was referring to the night he was attacked eight years ago.

She recalled: "The air currents from the four corners of the east, west, south and north rose into the sky and then converged into the center of the courtyard. They were then absorbed by the Domain Blessing Array and spread evenly across the entire courtyard. Afterward, they turned into mist and gathered into the Evil-Subduing Array, which was then activated."

Boss Jiang pondered for a moment: "As I expected, you were already able to sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy back then. Although I set up the multiple arrays, you were able to activate them successfully, which shows that you have a talent for sensing spiritual energy. Normally, you should have broken through to the Qi Refining stage when you were initiating Qi, but you have delayed until now..." Boss Jiang fell silent as he spoke, frowning and deep in thought.

She stared at Ji Mingran in front of her.

This phenomenon is not rare, but rather common.

Some people have talent, but it is extremely limited. After a flash of inspiration, that is the end. In the end, they are not even as good as the most ordinary people. The latter can still find a breakthrough through diligent practice, but the former, for some reason, can never do it again.

Her little apprentice was obedient and well-behaved; he not only earned money for her but also devoted himself to cultivation day and night.

She found it difficult to speak of this bad news.

Ji Mingran stared intently at Boss Jiang's face, which was so close to his own and gradually turning a liverish color, and said, "Boss Jiang, please speak frankly if you have something to say."

Boss Jiang took a deep breath and said in a very fast voice, "You are not a prodigy at all. On the contrary, you are very likely to have no talent for cultivation and will have no chance to enter the cultivation world in this life."

In short, Ji Mingran's future as a cultivator is bleak and uncertain, and difficult.

Boss Jiang carefully observed Ji Mingran's reaction. From the seemingly natural progression of mastering Qi cultivation to the complete failure of Qi refining, and then to the utter waste of his day and night practice, how could anyone accept such an outcome?

She had seen many people who became depressed and unable to go on living.

However, Ji Mingran blinked, raised his face, and asked seriously, "How many geniuses has Boss Jiang met?"

“One,” Jiang Xiaoyi said proudly, “Me.”

Ji Mingran smiled modestly: "Congratulations, boss, another one has appeared before you."

"ha?"

“Since he is a genius of unparalleled talent, he will naturally walk a path that no one has walked before, a path that no cultivator has ever cultivated.” Ji Mingran said confidently, “Don’t worry, even if I can only reach the Qi Refining stage, I can still make a name for myself with this.”

She nodded, beaming with joy, showing no sign of disappointment.

Mr. Jiang looked completely bewildered.

Where does her inexplicable confidence come from?

This confidence that emanates from her very being seems to have been there from the very first day I met her.

"You're truly the most blatant liar I've ever met. Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?" Boss Jiang calmed down, a smile playing on his lips. "Alright, enough nonsense. Since you can only guide qi, then let's do it properly!"

It would be so interesting if this disciple, who has difficulty cultivating Qi, could actually achieve something great in the future.

"Alright, go to the spiritual cultivation world. The spiritual energy there is abundant, and perhaps you can make a breakthrough."

Ji Mingran was genuinely astonished: "The spiritual cultivation world?"

Seeing his little apprentice's wide eyes, Boss Jiang felt pleased. He leaned back and sat down on the tree, explaining, "The world is formed by the flow of Qi. When Qi is abundant, Qi declines or Qi declines, and Yin and Yang are in balance. The world with abundant Qi is the realm of spiritual cultivation, where spiritual energy is plentiful, helping cultivators to cultivate and attain the Dao. Living beings do not need to deliberately capture it; they can sense it and cultivate themselves. The world with depleted Qi is the mortal world, where the heavenly fortune is strong, helping mortals to achieve great things."

"Is this not the spiritual cultivation world?" Ji Mingran asked.

“No.” Boss Jiang’s voice came from the tree. “The world we are in is one of the Three Thousand Lesser Mortal Realms, which is generally exhausted but still exists. The spiritual energy of each Lesser Mortal Realm is different. Some are rich in spiritual energy, enough but only enough for cultivators to form a Golden Core; others are thin in spiritual energy, and only those with talent, luck, and perseverance can achieve something. Even so, cultivators in this world can only reach the peak of Foundation Establishment at most. In addition, they are suppressed by the world’s destiny. If they obstruct those who bear the destiny of heaven, they will suffer a backlash.”

"There are also mortal worlds that are devoid of any spiritual energy, so there is no point in seeking immortality or asking questions. However, I have heard that the beings in those mortal worlds have other destiny, so it is hard to say."

In the apocalypse, even the air is thin, let alone spiritual energy.

Could it be that mutation is the embodiment of destiny?

Thinking back to the past, Ji Mingran felt a chill run down his spine.

Unwilling to think about it further, she changed the subject and asked, "Then what is this spiritual cultivation world that Boss Jiang mentioned?"

"The level a cultivator can reach in their lifetime is related to the Qi Dao of the world. Above the three thousand minor mortal worlds where you and I live is the spiritual cultivation world. The spiritual Qi of the minor mortal worlds gathers and flows to the spiritual cultivation world, while the spiritual Qi of the spiritual cultivation world flows back to the minor mortal worlds. The spiritual Qi of any minor world cannot compare to that of the spiritual cultivation world. That place is vast, rich in spiritual Qi, and has numerous sects. It is the true place to seek immortality and ask questions."

"Is the Heavenly Gate the path to the spiritual cultivation world?" Ji Mingran recalled what Boss Jiang had said the night he became an apprentice.

Boss Jiang lay on the tree, his clothes fluttering in the wind with the leaves. "The Heavenly Gate is a transcendent array that connects the mortal world and the spiritual cultivation world. It is formed by the Heavenly Dao and its appearance and disappearance are unpredictable. If cultivators from the lower realm want to go to the spiritual cultivation world, the only opportunity is to cross the Heavenly Gate."

"However, over the years, everyone has vaguely noticed the pattern of the great formation's disappearance," said Boss Jiang. "Simply put, the great formation is activated simultaneously in the three thousand worlds, consuming a huge amount of spiritual energy. Every time it passes through a person, it consumes one unit, and once it exceeds that, it's gone."

I understand, it means no overloading.

Ji Mingran asked, "Approximately how many people are there?"

Boss Jiang held up three fingers, which were hanging limply at his sides, and shook them. "Three thousand."

Ji Mingran has read a lot and has already distinguished the true meaning of the three thousand words.

The number three thousand minor mortals is a figurative number, implying infinity. The number three thousand cultivators, however, is a concrete three thousand.

Only three thousand people can cross the line at any given time in the infinite world, so it's not hard to imagine how fierce the competition is.

Even Golden Core cultivators cannot be confident that they can reach the Spirit Cultivation Realm completely unharmed.

Ji Mingran finally understood: "No wonder you said this matter is no different from seeking death."

"No. I don't mean sending you to your death." Boss Jiang lay back on the tree, his eyes peering through the leaves at the azure sky. "I mean that I want you to cross the Heavenly Gate at your current Qi Refining stage."

A note from the author:

Let's explore a new world!