Chapter 208 Cultivation Path A (Part Two) Path A's combat stats are maxed out...
After the welcome gift packs were distributed, the new disciples followed Elder Liu to the outer disciples' residences to register. Although the Jade Balance Sect was a small sect, it occupied a considerable area, and even newly admitted disciples were allocated a small, independent courtyard.
After Elder Liu arranged accommodations for all the disciples, he said, "From now on, this will be your living and training grounds. Starting tomorrow, all newly initiated disciples of the Jade Balance Sect must attend public classes in the main teaching hall on time. Do you understand?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a male disciple asked, "Elder Liu, what are the main topics covered in these general courses?"
Elder Liu smiled and said patiently, "The course content is mostly taught by the outer sect elders on some basic cultivation techniques, such as how to guide qi into the body, how to absorb spiritual energy with the help of spiritual roots, how to meditate, and how to absorb breath. If you have any questions, you can ask them, and the elders who are teaching will answer them for you."
"Of course, public classes are not mandatory. If a new disciple has already learned how to guide qi into the body, he/she can inform the elder and does not need to come to class. He/she can use his/her spare time freely."
"Oh?" a disciple in the back row exclaimed in surprise, "They can even cultivate freely?"
Elder Liu nodded and smiled, “Yes, every new disciple who enters the Jade Balance Sect can go to the sect’s library to choose a cultivation technique to practice, but only the first two levels of secret techniques are allowed. Please choose carefully.”
At this moment, a well-dressed young woman pouted and asked, "Elder Liu, how many floors does the Tibetan Academy have? Can we only go to the first two floors?"
"The Tibetan Academy has six floors. Outer disciples can only enter the first and second floors. If you can become inner disciples, you can go to the third to fifth floors."
"What about the sixth floor?" a disciple asked curiously.
"The sixth level..." Elder Liu paused, "...five hundred years ago, the sixth level was placed under a restriction, and only those with the right destiny can enter."
A destined person?
Hearing the hushed discussions around her, the elegant young woman asked again, "Elder Liu, what are the benefits of becoming an inner disciple?"
"There are benefits, of course." Elder Liu smiled and replied good-naturedly, "Inner disciples are exceptionally talented. They will be selected by the elders and peak masters first, followed by the next generation of disciples. If they are lucky enough to be accepted into the sect of an elder, they will receive personal guidance and training from their master, ensuring a smooth and easy path of cultivation. Moreover, the cultivation techniques, pills, spirit stones, and monthly stipends that inner disciples can access within the sect are far superior to those of outer disciples."
Having said that, Elder Liu, seeing the longing and curiosity on the faces of his disciples, stroked his beard and said, "Alright, I've told you everything I needed to say. It's still early, so go back to your courtyards and make yourselves at home. Be sure to arrive at the main hall at 3:45 AM tomorrow." With that, he turned and left.
After Elder Liu walked away, the new disciples dispersed in twos and threes, heading towards the courtyards they had been assigned.
Song Ce's courtyard was the most scenic among all the new disciples, with a lush bamboo grove as the first thing you could see. Blue stones were laid out in a well-organized manner, and the solid, heavy steps were also laid out just right, giving the whole courtyard a rustic charm.
Pushing open the courtyard gate and stepping into the house, one sees that the room is very clean, as if someone cleans it every day, and all the daily necessities are readily available.
Having successfully ascended to immortality before, and possessing exceptional aptitude in this body, Song Ce mastered the "Introduction to Qi" manual in less than half an hour. Overnight, his cultivation speed reached an astonishing level.
In the early morning, a faint ray of light shone through the gap in the wooden window. Song Ce opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
Perhaps because the spiritual energy on Mount Cenfeng was so abundant, Song Ce clearly felt a faint warmth filling his dantian, slowly circulating within his body. He couldn't help but concentrate and look inward, trying to probe his cultivation level.
After a night of cultivation, he has now successfully advanced to the second level of Qi Refining.
Thinking that he still had public classes today, Song Ce changed into the disciple robes that had been distributed yesterday, picked up his magic sword, and went out.
At this moment, a number of new disciples who had just entered the school yesterday had already gathered outside the main hall. Song Ce smiled and walked over to the end of the line, quietly waiting for the hall doors to open.
However, in a short while, the doors of the main hall slowly opened.
The elegantly dressed young woman from yesterday hurried over, but before she could even step forward, the composed young woman behind her whispered, "Miss Qingdai, something's not right with that boy."
"Who?" Mu Qingdai asked.
"It's that boy with the single wood elemental root from yesterday."
Mu Qingdai was taken aback, and subconsciously looked in Song Ce's direction, asking, "Yi Liu, what's wrong with him?"
Yi Liu shook her head, as if she couldn't quite understand the reason: "Yesterday when I saw that young man, he was just an ordinary person without any spiritual energy. How come he has already reached the second level of Qi Refining today?"
"What did you say?"
Mu Qingdai frowned and said in a low voice, "Could you have seen wrong? Even if he has the best aptitude, it's impossible for him to learn Qi Induction and advance to the second level of Qi Refining in just one night, right?"
Yi Liu said with certainty, "Miss Qingdai, I have been learning the art of observing qi from my father since I was a child, and I would never be wrong. Although the fluctuations of spiritual qi on his body are shallow, he is indeed at the second level of Qi Refining."
Mu Qingdai bit her lip, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
She grew up in a family of cultivators and had seen many peers with extraordinary talents, but she had never heard of anyone who could leap from a mortal to the second level of Qi Refining overnight... Could this Song Ce be hiding some secret?
The main hall was spacious and bright, with dozens of rows of wooden desks neatly arranged. Just as Song Ce had chosen a seat by the window, he saw the elegant young woman from yesterday sitting down next to him with her maid.
The girl would occasionally turn her head to look at him, her eyes full of inquiry.
Before long, an elder in blue robes stepped onto the platform and announced in a loud voice: "I am Sun Qiming, in charge of the basic teaching of outer disciples. Today's first lesson is to teach you how to identify spiritual roots."
"Spiritual roots are broadly classified into the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Each spiritual root has unique bonuses and mechanisms. Those with a metal spiritual root focus on offense, defense, and control, and are drawn to the essence of metal and stone..."
Two hours later, the noon bell rang softly, signaling the end of get out of class.
Just as Sun Qiming rose to leave the hall, Song Ce stepped forward and expressed his desire to have more control over his time in the future. After a brief examination, Sun Qiming nodded slightly, naturally granting his request.
“In that case, go to the library today and choose a cultivation technique to practice!” Sun Qiming said.
"Yes, thank you, Elder."
Following the original owner's memories, Song Ce headed towards the Tibetan Academy. Before long, he saw a solitary island floating in the air.
On the vast, isolated island stood a tall, red-walled building that occupied a large area. Layers upon layers of dark, solid tiles covered its roof, and golden auspicious cloud patterns were carved on the eaves, gleaming softly in the sunlight.
Song Ce took a few steps forward and saw a huge stone tablet standing outside the gate, with three powerful and elegant characters engraved on it: Zangxueguan (藏学馆).
The person guarding the Tibetan Academy was a handsome young man in a yellow robe. When he saw someone coming, he casually handed over a jade slip: "Inject your spiritual power into the jade slip, register your name, and you can enter."
Song Ce did as instructed, and his name and cultivation level immediately appeared on the jade slip.
The young man in yellow glanced at the jade slip, slightly surprised. He pointed to the stairs on the left and said in a deep voice, "The stairs to the first and second floors are over there. After you've chosen your cultivation method, come back to me to register."
"Yes, thank you, senior brother."
The first floor mainly contained basic cultivation techniques. Song Ce glanced through them and found that most were low-level beginner techniques. He randomly picked one up and opened it; the contents of the book were somewhat interesting.
This book is titled "Immobilization Technique," and as the name suggests, it utilizes the surrounding spiritual energy to compress it into threads of spiritual energy to bind the opponent. This technique can restrict the opponent's movement according to the caster's will. However, if the opponent's cultivation level is higher than the caster's, the immobilization technique will quickly lose its effect and can even backfire on the caster depending on the strength of their cultivation.
Song Ce put the immobilization spell back in its original place, climbed the steps, and found that the second level of the technique was significantly more advanced than the first level.
"Huh? Aren't you that... new disciple with a single wood elemental root?"
Suddenly, a slightly surprised voice rang out from behind Song Ce. He turned around and found that the person who came was none other than Manager Li from the outer storeroom.
"Greetings, Steward Li." Song Ce bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities." Manager Li laughed heartily, pointed to the bookshelf beside him and said with a smile, "Although there are many second-level cultivation techniques, not many are suitable for beginners. Since you have a wood elemental root, you might as well try this 'Five Elements Azure Grain Technique'. Although it is not as good as intermediate wood-type cultivation techniques, it is very suitable for cultivators with wood elemental roots like you."
As soon as Song Ce took the bamboo slip, he felt a gentle flow of wood-attribute spiritual energy emanating from it.
Manager Li is right. Although this technique is not top-notch, it is concise and clear, making it an excellent choice for beginners in the wood element.
"Thank you for your guidance, Manager Li."
"It's nothing, just a small favor," Manager Li said with a smile, waving his hand. "I'd also like to choose a book on elixirs to read. Please help yourself." With that, he turned and walked toward the bookshelf on the other side.
Song Ce carefully put away the "Five Elements Green Grain Secret" and then selected a copy of "Chronicles of the Nine Provinces".
While you can only choose one cultivation technique, there are no restrictions on the basic knowledge content of this continent, as long as it is returned within a certain period of time.
When Song Ce left the Tibetan Academy, it was already past 1 PM. He returned to his courtyard and took out the "Chronicles of the Nine Provinces" to read it carefully.
The very first page of the Chronicles of the Nine Provinces introduces the natural talents of mortals.
So-called talent is closely related to a cultivator's innate spiritual root. The purer the spiritual root, the faster the cultivation speed. Take Qi induction as an example: a single spiritual root may only need three to five days to successfully induce Qi; a double spiritual root will need more than ten days; but a triple spiritual root may take one or two months to make a breakthrough, not to mention those with four or five spiritual roots.
If one doesn't grasp the essentials, it's possible to spend half a year, a year, or even three to five years. In the end, one will only waste their life with no progress in cultivation. Mortal lifespan is finite, and those with mediocre talent may spend their entire lives stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage. This is why the Jade Balance Sect rarely has disciples with four or five spiritual roots.
Seeing this, Song Ce slowly closed the book, sat cross-legged on the couch, and began to practice the "Five Elements Green Grain Technique".
He opened his eyes after an unknown amount of time, a hint of surprise flashing in them. In just two short hours, the spiritual energy within his body had increased by more than 30% compared to that morning.
It seems that the original owner's single spiritual root aptitude, combined with wood-type cultivation techniques, indeed resulted in a faster cultivation speed.
"702, use the Heart of Grass and Trees."
"Yes, host."
The next second, a teardrop-shaped green halo appeared in Song Ce's palm.
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Author's Note: [Peeking while covering face]
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