Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Twenty-Three: The Road of Cultivation

As the seconds ticked by, people in the classroom began to wake up one after another. Seeing this, Li Xi paused his conversation with Ye Junze and turned his attention to those who had regained consciousness. He started by asking them, just as he had with Ye Junze, whether they had managed to sense the qi. Most replied that they had not, and Li Xi could only offer words of comfort: “Don’t worry, after all, this is only the beginning of your cultivation.” For those who had found the sensation of qi, he encouraged them, saying, “Remain modest and diligent, and keep working hard.” In this way, Li Xi questioned each person in turn, but none had managed to circulate a complete minor cycle of qi as Ye Junze had. A few, however, had managed to circulate half a cycle, and Li Xi paid particular attention to these students. After all, those who could attempt to circulate their qi so soon after beginning clearly possessed a certain talent.

As more students awoke, Li Xi gradually gained a thorough understanding of everyone’s condition.

Once he had made his mental notes, Li Xi returned to the podium and gestured for silence. The room fell quiet at once. Seeing everyone’s attentive faces, Li Xi nodded in satisfaction and began, “Now, after our earlier session, I believe you all have a certain understanding of the ‘Xuantian Dao Manual.’ Next, I will answer some questions you may have about cultivation. During my explanation, feel free to ask about anything that confuses you—I will answer as best I can, holding nothing back.”

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately perked up, ears pricked, eager to catch his every word. Seeing their anticipation, Li Xi did not keep them waiting. He cleared his throat and said, “By now, you should understand what cultivation is. Simply put, the initial stage is about drawing spiritual energy into the body and using its nourishment to improve your constitution, thus enabling your body to adapt to and harmonize with the world around you. Later stages involve comprehending the laws that govern the universe and integrating with the great Dao. That’s all you need to know for now—I won’t elaborate, as knowing too much too early isn’t always helpful.”

The listeners nodded in understanding. Li Xi continued, “Now that I’ve discussed the goal of the initial stage of cultivation, let me explain how the world of cultivation is commonly divided into realms.” As soon as he said this, the audience seemed to come alive, as if this was the topic they had been waiting for.

“Although spiritual energy has only begun to reawaken in the past two years, our cultivation system has existed for many years. Just now, some of you, despite only just coming into contact with the techniques, have managed to sense qi, and a few have succeeded in circulating it through your bodies. These individuals are what we call practitioners in the ‘Qi Refining’ stage. I congratulate you: you have officially set foot on the path of cultivation and are now recognized as proper cultivators. Each realm is divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. This applies to all realms I will mention. Reaching the early stage of Qi Refining is marked by the appearance of a miniature qi cluster in your dantian. When you refine this cluster until it condenses into a visible mist, you will have reached the late stage of Qi Refining.”

Those who realized they had become cultivators couldn’t help but show pride, while those who had not yet sensed qi looked somewhat crestfallen.

Reading their expressions, Li Xi seemed to anticipate their thoughts and said, “For those who haven’t yet sensed qi, don’t be discouraged. Everyone’s talent is different, but diligence is the most important thing on the path of cultivation. For those already on the path, I urge you not to become arrogant or complacent. Cultivation is unpredictable; someone you look down on today might surpass you tomorrow, and such reversals are common in the history of cultivation.”

The listeners straightened their expressions at this, and those who had been discouraged regained their composure, as if Li Xi’s words had filled them with confidence and determination. Yet a few still looked indifferent, as though Li Xi’s words meant nothing to them, basking only in the pride of their own talent. Li Xi noted this but said nothing further; after all, the road of cultivation is long, and if they kept this attitude, the consequences would be theirs to bear.

Ye Junze, for his part, was unmoved by the earlier discussion. He simply observed everyone quietly. Li Xi's words were nothing new to him; he had heard them upon awakening, and even if he hadn’t, he understood perfectly well the dangers of standing out too much—otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent the past two years pretending to be ordinary.

Having inadvertently delivered a motivational speech, Li Xi unconsciously touched his nose, surprised to find himself in such a position. After collecting himself, he continued, “Let’s return to the main topic. The realm after Qi Refining is Foundation Establishment, which I mentioned when you first received your manuals—does everyone remember?” The crowd nodded to indicate that they did.

Li Xi went on, “Foundation Establishment involves transforming the qi cluster from Qi Refining into a foundational platform. You can think of this as the foundation of a house—the stronger the foundation, the sturdier the house. Similarly, the better your platform is during Foundation Establishment, the smoother your future cultivation will be. This is directly linked to how thoroughly you practiced your basics during Qi Refining. Every step is connected, and how well you master each realm will greatly affect your progress later on. I hope you’ll remember this well.”

The audience listened intently, committing every word to memory, some even using their phones to record his speech for fear of forgetting.

“After Foundation Establishment comes the Core Formation realm. Only upon reaching this stage will you gain access to the next part of the ‘Xuantian Dao Manual.’ Core Formation is when you transform your foundational platform into a golden core. A superior golden core allows you to hold more spiritual energy and draw in qi more smoothly, so you should already know how important it is to form a good core, just as I explained earlier.”

“The realm following Core Formation is Nascent Soul. At this stage, your golden core transforms into a nascent spirit, which is nurtured in your dantian. Cultivators at this level can communicate with the laws of heaven and earth—the most basic ability being instantaneous movement, crossing a hundred miles in a blink. And that is merely the simplest power of a Nascent Soul cultivator; as for other abilities, you’ll discover them yourself once you reach that stage.”

At these words, everyone’s eyes lit up with longing, as if they revered and yearned for the extraordinary powers of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Seeing their expressions, Li Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Do you all think that Nascent Soul cultivators are already incredibly powerful?”

Everyone nodded in unison—of course! Instant movement; if that’s not powerful, what is?

Li Xi chuckled at their synchronized response. “But above Nascent Soul there are still higher realms. I won’t go into detail now, as knowing too much too soon could hinder your future progress. I can tell you, though, that cultivators at those levels can move mountains and fill seas, shrinking the land with a single step.”

Everyone was itching with curiosity, longing for him to say more, but Li Xi merely waved his hand and said sternly, “Enough. I can’t say too much, but I’ll share a tidbit with you—on the condition that you all keep it to yourselves. If I ever hear this from anyone not present today, you will have only yourselves to blame for the consequences.”

The crowd nodded eagerly, some even raising their hands as if to swear an oath.

Satisfied that he could trust them, Li Xi asked, “What do you think is the realm of our Anze Academy’s principal, Principal Bai Ze?”

With that, the entire room burst into excited discussion. Someone shouted, “I bet it’s Core Formation!” Another immediately retorted, “Don’t be ridiculous—do you really think the head of such a big academy would be so weak?” Someone else chimed in, “Regardless of whether he’s Core Formation or not, you haven’t even broken through the early stage of Qi Refining. Is it really your place to call Core Formation weak?” The first person blushed but persisted, “Well, I still don’t think the principal is that weak. At the very least, he must be Nascent Soul—the strongest kind, too!” The others nodded in agreement.

Watching their debate, Li Xi laughed. “It seems you all believe the principal is at the Nascent Soul level. What I want to tell you is that our principal is not weaker than Nascent Soul—he’s stronger.” With that, he left them hanging. “As for his true realm, you’ll learn in time.”

When he refused to say more, the crowd could only look at him helplessly, resigned to their curiosity. But this time, Li Xi remained unmoved, making it clear that he would say no more, and the students could do nothing but give up for now.