Chapter 7 Transformation

  The next day after Lin Feng and the others entered Dan Tian, they were organized to learn the basic skills of cultivating true energy. The skill was called "Yin Qi Jue", a universal and common skill for beginners in the cultivation world. The skill was very simple, and with Yang Ling's detailed explanation, the five of them quickly understood how to inhale and exhale, circulate their energy, and store their true energy in their dantian.

  Apart from that, Yang Ling talked more about the common sense of Xiuzhen, anecdotes, legends and so on, letting Lin Feng and a few other newcomers to Xiuzhen have a general understanding of Xiuzhen. At least now they know that cultivators are just a group of people who pursue the great path of immortality, stronger than ordinary mortals but still far from true immortals.

  However, such simple and intensive training only lasted for seven days, after which they went their separate ways to practice on their own. As for other things they didn't understand, those with masters could ask them directly, while those like Lin Feng who didn't have a master could ask the teaching uncle during the concentrated lessons on the first day of each decade. From this point of view, Lin Feng was at a disadvantage compared to his four fellow disciples who had masters and could ask for guidance at any time. But what could be done about it? Who would want to spend their time cultivating a disciple with no future in cultivation, after all?

  But the so-called master leads into the door, and the cultivation is up to each individual. The key still lies in one's own practice and self-improvement. So, in fact, Lin Feng's conditions are not much worse than others. After all, they can't even reach the initial stage of Qi refinement now, let alone have so many questions to ask. If there really is a problem, it should at least be after having a sense of "Qi".

  However, Lin Feng's personality was gentle on the surface but strong-willed at heart. The more he was looked down upon by others, the more he gritted his teeth and wanted to surpass several of his fellow disciples who had entered the sect at the same time as him. So every day, apart from doing well in miscellaneous tasks and taking good care of Dan Tian, he would hide in his own room to practice breathing exercises, wanting to feel the existence of "qi" as soon as possible and enter the first layer of the Qi Refining stage.

  However, a month later, when another ten-day concentrated preaching was taking place, a piece of news struck Lin Feng severely. The smallest and seemingly chubby Zhao Chun had successfully cultivated his "qi" sensation and smoothly entered the first layer of the Qi Refining stage. It's worth noting that generally, cultivators with average talent usually enter the first layer of the Qi Refining stage around three months later, whereas Zhao Chun only took a month, which shows that his innate talent is far superior to ordinary people. This news spread like wildfire in the Yang family, and whether it was the senior brothers in the Qi Refining stage or the senior uncles in the Foundation Building stage, they all discussed it enthusiastically, with the underlying tone being that Zhao Chun is a rare genius, and in the nearly hundred-year history of the Yang family, he can be considered the first person.

  Lin Feng felt happy for Zhao Chun, but at the same time, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. It wasn't jealousy, but rather concern for his own future. According to what was said during the entrance exam, Zhao Chun's spiritual root was the best among the five of them, while Lin Feng's was considered the worst miscellaneous spiritual root. At that time, Lin Feng didn't dare say anything, but in his heart, he didn't think it was fair. He secretly believed that as long as he worked hard, even if his talent was slightly worse, his cultivation results wouldn't necessarily be inferior to Zhao Chun's. Now it seemed that in the world of cultivation, the quality of one's spiritual root was extremely important, and it wasn't something that could be easily bridged by effort alone.

  Lin Feng felt a bit stifled in his heart after being stimulated, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that maybe it was because he hadn't cultivated diligently enough. So he cultivated even more diligently. However, another month and a half passed, and when Zhou Lan, Wu Lin Pu, and Wang Lei successively entered the first layer of the Qi Refining stage, while he himself didn't have any qi sensation at all, Lin Feng finally realized that what his several shifu had said was true: having a Five Spirits Root meant having a miscellaneous spirit root. Wanting to achieve true cultivation was - difficult.

  More than a month had passed, and Lin Feng was still unable to feel any aura despite his hard work. This made him finally realize his situation. Lin Feng felt extremely disheartened. He liked cultivating the truth, and he had only just started on this path, but reality was so cruel. The huge gap between his current state and his goal made him feel very powerless. For several days in a row, he couldn't muster up the spirit to cultivate. After all, he was only ten years old, and this was the first time he felt like he had failed in his life. This was different from being scolded by his parents for breaking a bowl or feeling wronged after losing a fight with friends. It was a sense of defeat that made him feel like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't achieve his goal. This feeling of defeat was like a mountain, weighing on him and making it hard for him to breathe.

  Yang Ze was busy refining the elixir every day, seemingly not paying attention to anything else. But in the Dan Temple, it was just the two of them, and Lin Feng's emotional changes over the past few days were naturally noticed by him. After asking around, he also knew the reason. From nearly half a year of observation and contact, Yang Ze deeply understood that Lin Feng had a strong sense of pride. He knew that the prouder one was, the greater the blow they would receive after failure. If he couldn't walk out of this shadow, his cultivation path would come to an end.

  Although he was not Lin Feng's master, people always have feelings, and Lin Feng was sensible and diligent. Since coming to Dan Temple, he had tidied up the temple very well, which made Yang Ze feel much more at ease, so he thought it necessary to enlighten Lin Feng a bit.

  "Still hasn't refined his Qi?" Just as Lin Feng finished another cycle of meditation, he suddenly realized that Yang was sitting in front of him, but he didn't know when he had gotten there.

  "I've seen Master Shu, returned to Master Shu, but I still haven't cultivated any Qi." Lin Feng hastily stood up and replied, unable to conceal a hint of desolation at the end.

  "Come, sit down and talk." Yang Ze raised his hand to let Lin Feng sit down, then said: "Do you know how long it took for me, Shifu, to enter the first layer of Qi Refining? A full four months. To say it, I was almost a month later than the other three in your batch."

  "But... but I'm already almost five months along..." Lin Feng said softly.

  "I'll tell you about the principle of producing aura. Yang Ze saw that Lin Feng was still puzzled, so he changed the subject and said: "The spiritual energy is everywhere in the world, you should know this, right?"

  "Yes, Master and Uncle have taught us that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is everywhere, it's just that some places have more, while others have less." Lin Feng replied seriously.

  Yang Ze nodded and said, "The Qi-gathering mantra teaches you to spit out the empty air. In fact, it's about absorbing the spiritual energy in the air, slowly absorbing and transforming this spiritual energy into a part of your own body, so that you can use it, right?"

  "En." Lin Feng nodded and said, this is basic knowledge, he has already learned it.

  "Why can't ordinary people absorb and utilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth even if they have learned the breathing techniques?"

  "Because they don't have spiritual roots." These were basic knowledge, Lin Feng didn't know why Yang Ze asked him such a simple question, yet he still replied.

  "What role does the spiritual root play in absorbing spiritual energy?"

  "What's going on? This... this Master Uncle has never taught before." Lin Feng said with a difficult expression.

  "Then let me tell you!" Yang Ze said: "The spiritual root can't be seen or touched, and only through the use of a magic tool can its existence be sensed. However, if we absorb enough spiritual energy, that kind of aura is indeed perceivable. From this, we can infer that its function is like the core that absorbs or binds spiritual energy. With it, you can absorb spiritual energy; without it, you can't absorb spiritual energy. Is that right?"

  "Ah, it seems that's how it is. No wonder people without spiritual roots can't cultivate." Lin Feng thought for a moment and nodded.

  "So, do you have spiritual roots?" Yang Ze suddenly asked.

  "Yes, but... I'm a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root." Lin Feng said in an increasingly soft voice.

  "I'm only asking if you have spiritual roots, I don't care what kind of spiritual root you are, answer me loudly, do you have spiritual roots?" Yang Ze asked loudly.

  Yes!

  "Right, you have spiritual roots. Then no matter what kind of spiritual roots you have, as long as you have spiritual roots, you can absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. So you must be able to cultivate your senses, right?" Yang Ze asked loudly again.

  "Yes!" Lin Feng nodded heavily.

  "You see, the problem is solved now? You can cultivate, it's just that your spiritual root isn't good, so you're slower than others at cultivating, but what's the big deal? Compared to those who can't cultivate at all, aren't you much luckier? Yang Ze reached out and patted Lin Feng's head, he knew Lin Feng was more mature than most people, but after all, still just a child, what he needed now was confidence."

  "Yes, thank you Master Uncle, I understand, I will continue to work harder and cultivate diligently."

  "That's right, cultivating the truth is difficult and long-lasting. Without a strong will and hard work, there won't be great achievements in cultivation. Of course, blindly enduring hardships is also foolish. What Master wants to tell you today is that cultivating the truth requires a good method, finding a suitable way for oneself is the greatest shortcut." Yang Ze said with a smile, looking at Lin Feng: "Do you know what method is most suitable for someone like you with a spiritual root?"

  "Please, Master Uncle, instruct me." Lin Feng hastily bowed deeply.

  "Yes, you're a clever one. From today on, while you cultivate, also study that Spiritual Plant Compendium. When you can recite all the spiritual medicines in it fluently, I'll teach you the art of alchemy." Yang Ze said as he stood up and turned to leave.