Practice diligently.

During the journey, Jin Ming recalled a passage from the Fa Jing’s chapter on Encouraging Learning, silently reciting it, though its meaning was not entirely clear:

“If I am a mortal, all under heaven enslave me.
If I am at the Qi Refining stage, all under heaven abandon me.
If I am at the Foundation Establishment stage, all under heaven use me.
If I am at the Golden Core stage, all under heaven respect me.
If I am at the Nascent Soul stage, all under heaven honor me.
If I am at the Spirit Transformation stage, all under heaven worship me.
If I am at the Void Refining stage, all under heaven kneel before me.
If I am an immortal, all under heaven are but fleeting dust.”

A person’s existence and cultivation within the world ultimately unite words, actions, and Dao into one, thus achieving Dao and becoming immortal. The Fa Jing states that immortals exist in the world, yet no one truly knows what immortality is.

Back home, Jin Ming brushed aside the matter of spiritual blood. He had accepted that no one is perfect—he himself was no exception, nor were others.

Having set his goals, he focused more intently, cultivating his character day to day and refining his mind in his spare time. Physical cultivation involved completing tasks, practicing cultivation techniques, spiritual skills, and various mystical formulas, while mental cultivation entailed regulating his daily rhythm and studying books, influenced by masters of internal alchemy and array formation recorded in the classics.

Through understanding, Jin Ming realized: for mortals, life spans thirty thousand days and time must be cherished; for cultivators, one’s realm is paramount. Aptitude is merely a means to continuously reach the next stage. Even comprehension serves only to penetrate higher laws and elevate oneself to greater heights.

“To cultivate immortality is to cultivate one’s realm.” Perhaps this was Jin Ming’s answer to the second inquiry of his Dao heart: “Why do you cultivate immortality?”

It was already autumn, and he was sixteen years old—time to apply himself sincerely.

The Xuanling Technique, a lower-grade Xuan level skill, could be cultivated up to the perfection of Foundation Establishment. The Dragon Elephant Technique, a body tempering method of mid-grade Xuan level, could be practiced up to the initial stage of Nascent Soul.

Most mid-grade Xuan-level cultivation methods could be refined to the perfection of the Golden Core stage, while upper-grade Xuan-level methods could be cultivated to the peak of Nascent Soul.

The cultivation methods of this world were divided into Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang (Yellow) grades. The laws of Heaven and Earth were rare, difficult to encounter, and hard to obtain—these were the Heavenly and Earthly laws.

Mortals and Qi Refining cultivators practiced the Yellow laws, also called mortal methods. There were martial techniques like the Vajra Leg and the Solitary Nine Swords; defensive and body tempering methods such as the Zhengyang Classic, Boy’s Training, Golden Bell Shield, and Iron Cloth; as well as meditative health cultivation techniques like Tai Chi, Turtle Breath, and Eight Brocade Qigong, which strengthened the body and extended life.

Mortals spoke of meridians and acupoints, cultivators of spiritual roots and channels. Spiritual roots nurtured the acupoints and meridians. After reaching the first layer of Qi Refining, the mortal’s 720 acupoints—single, double, rare, and vital—transformed into spiritual veins, more evenly distributed and all functioning as acupoints. Once spiritual veins formed, they merged with the spiritual roots, nourishing each other. Cultivators under twelve were forbidden from excessive training to nurture their veins and roots, with spiritual root testing performed afterward. If incomplete semi-spiritual veins were overwhelmed by excessive spiritual energy, damage could occur, resulting in loss rather than gain, unless one possessed innate anomalies.

Beyond the Xuan and Huang laws were the Dao laws of Heaven and Earth. Before Spirit Transformation, cultivators mainly cultivated spiritual laws, known also as human laws; demonic beasts practiced their race’s demonic laws. After Spirit Transformation, cultivation shifted to Dao, learning the laws of Heaven and Earth, seeking enlightenment of the ultimate truths. Earth laws greatly benefited advanced cultivators, Spirit Transformation often led to Void Refining, while Heavenly laws resembled Dao’s principles, seemingly only used to restrain and balance the living beings of the world.

For other youths, cultivation was less appealing than playing with childhood friends, hiking mountains, and admiring rivers, indulging in simple pleasures.

The claim that cultivation is boring was merely an excuse.

Refining cultivation techniques and spiritual skills required comprehension and effort. Those with poor aptitude, unwilling to endure hardship, and reluctant to cultivate, lagged behind in their realms and tempted others. Here, youths could temper their Dao hearts. Yet some wasted their precious talents, ultimately falling back to an ordinary mortal’s state.

The Dragon Elephant Technique was a difficult body tempering skill. Zhao Jinshang had said that perfecting its five layers granted strength comparable to a True Lord. Jin Ming had reached the peak of the second layer, which was one reason he possessed near-mid Foundation Establishment speed—his great strength aided his swift movement. Practicing this technique was like harnessing a trace of the dragon-elephant power from the realm of demonic essence, with a powerful physique and extraordinary might.

The dragon elephant had dragon horns on its head, a slightly short snout, eyes like a blue dragon’s, scales covering its body, and limbs that were not thick. It was a primal beast; after transformation, except for scales on the forearms, it resembled a human.

Returning once more to the Cold River north of the city, Jin Ming refined his body there.

The Cold River curved for a hundred miles like a dragon lying in the land—cold but not frozen. Legend said its depths reached hundreds of feet. The shallow parts were less than four feet deep; the deeper it grew, the colder the water, with few demonic beasts inhabiting it. Even the great Ice Scale Carp only survived within several dozen feet. Because ice-element spiritual herbs occasionally grew around the Cold River, the city’s founders had enclosed the area along with the city walls thousands of years ago.

Mortals feared the cold, wind, and dampness, so few ventured near.

For cultivators, ice and thunder elements and their pressures—like moving mountains or waterfall forces—were excellent for body tempering and mastering control. Ice, a variation of the water element, was cold in nature. Jin Ming’s fire and wood spiritual roots conflicted, but if he controlled the balance well, the mutual overcoming could enhance the effects.

Breaking through bodily cultivation was not achieved overnight. Three months passed in a flash, and the Dragon Elephant Technique reached the third layer; he arrived at the early peak of Foundation Establishment.

As the first month passed, each village and clan held their customs and feasts. At this time, the family counted newborns with or without spiritual roots. The spiritual root test at twelve years old measured quality. One’s spiritual root status was known from birth, determining whether one could embark on cultivation.

If one had it, they had it; if not, they did not. Without innate talent, rare treasures, or miraculous encounters, mortals could not cultivate immortality. For mortals, spiritual herbs were exceedingly precious.

If one asked any mortal elder in the Zhao clan’s towns, they would understand that the Zhao family, even as cultivators, had considered the mortals. Mortal parents typically lacked background, and their aptitude was often far lower than cultivators’, making noble offspring rare. The low-level Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators in the lower ranks seemed like gods to them, who hoped to bear such children.

Among mortal children, some were unwilling to accept their fate and still displayed some spiritual aptitude. However, the Heavenly Dao seemed unfair; not all children could attain immortality. Some clan cultivators stuck at Qi Refining’s third or fourth layers were resentful and, with family consent, opened private schools where they taught mortal martial arts and low-grade Yellow level techniques without revealing the truth, deceiving children into thinking this was cultivation.

Some children would grow up, and the outstanding ones might journey further and see more. When they learned the truth, it brought tears.

The clan, considering resources, allowed private instructors to test the children and grant pills at appropriate times.

Did you know that the Wood Spirit Fruit cost eighty spiritual stones, and the other herbs could be refined into six Wood Spirit Pills, a fourth-grade pill worth over a thousand spiritual stones? Consuming one Wood Spirit Pill only yielded two inches of inferior spiritual roots. Fellow cultivators must understand—mortals’ five-person households used less than two spiritual stones monthly. Where did mortals get spiritual stones? Gathering spiritual herbs was dangerous—they could be killed by demonic beasts. Even if they profited from others, how many mortals could become wealthy, and how long would it take to exchange for a pill? Compared to the four great families, Zhao Jinyi distributed a few precious pills to mortals.

This was explained to Jin Ming by his seventh cousin Zhao Feiling, who had accompanied the Grand Elder to visit Maple Leaf Town.

Jin Ming had wanted to see it but was stopped by his grandfather.

After several days, he continued cultivation and finally broke into the mid-stage two months later. Similarly, his storage ring’s resources were nearly depleted.

He borrowed much from his parents and plunged back into cultivation.

Foundation Establishment was a stage demanding arduous growth. Without rare encounters, why would one break through the gate?

Cultivation involved refining techniques, tempering the body, and learning.

After a year and several months, Zhao Jin Ming finally advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage.