As soon as Li Guanqi opened his eyes, he discovered that Lan He and all the disciples in the hall were staring at him.
Moreover, they looked at him as if he were a monster.
He knew what was going on, so he simply met their gazes with composure.
It was merely successfully drawing Qi and breaking through to the first layer of Qi Refinement, nothing worth making a fuss over.
He had followed the Qi-drawing mnemonic, and before long, he had entered an exceedingly profound and wondrous state.
He felt as though he were suspended between heaven and earth, surrounded by countless motes of colored light.
Among these motes of light, only the purple ones responded to his pull, flowing into his body.
Now, his entire being felt thoroughly invigorated, save for the sticky grime coating his skin, which was rather unbearable.
To make matters worse, the filth gave off an utterly revolting stench.
Lan He smiled faintly and said softly, "These are all impurities within our bodies. Walking the immortal path and entering the Dao will gradually expel them."
"Go back and clean yourself up first. The rest of you may now examine the Body Tempering cultivation methods and Qi-drawing mnemonics before you."
"If you have any questions, you may ask me directly."
Li Guanqi originally thought leaving in the middle of the very first lesson was rather improper, but the foul odor clinging to him was truly hard to endure.
Excusing himself to Lan He, he hurried toward Tianlei Peak.
Just as he arrived at the foot of Tianlei Peak, he saw an old man meditating cross-legged.
Sensing his arrival, the elder immediately opened his eyes. Li Nanting looked at Li Guanqi and exclaimed in shock, "Brat, you broke through to the Qi Refinement realm?!"
"Weren't you attending class? How did you already break through?"
Li Guanqi scratched his head and said rather awkwardly, "I broke through during class, so... I ended up in this wretched mess."
Hearing this, Li Nanting could not help bursting into hearty laughter, booming, "Haha! As expected of my disciple! You truly stunned the entire hall!"
"In the history of the Great Xia Sword Sect, no one has ever broken through during their very first lesson."
"Come, I'll take you back."
Li Nanting grabbed the boy and took flight through the air.
Along the way, they passed quite a few Tianlei Peak disciples practicing, all of whom froze in surprise at the sight of the pitch-black, grimy Li Guanqi.
Gu Ran lowered her sword, nudged the tall youth beside her with an elbow, and muttered under her breath, "Am I seeing things? Didn't Junior Brother just go to Tianshui Peak for class today?"
"How did he... break through already?!"
The tall youth was also somewhat dazed and murmured, "Isn't Little Junior Brother's talent a bit too absurd?"
"Normally, isn't the first lesson just Elder Lan explaining basic knowledge for newcomers to the immortal sect?"
Before long, word that Tianlei Peak disciple Li Guanqi had broken through directly to the first layer of Qi Refinement during the first class spread like wildfire.
For a time, the label of "genius" was no longer enough to describe Li Guanqi.
This was the mark of a true monstrous prodigy!
Meanwhile, the other newly inducted disciples were still struggling in the Body Tempering realm, striving to lift a hundred-jin millstone with one hand.
Having returned to his room and taken a bath, Li Guanqi finally felt alive again.
He had changed the bathwater three times and scrubbed his skin red before finally feeling much better.
Stepping out of the room, Li Guanqi found that his master had not left, and several jade bottles and spirit stones were set upon the table.
A glint of pride shone in Li Nanting's eyes, and he gestured for Li Guanqi to sit beside him.
Li Guanqi did not hesitate, walking over to sit beside the old man.
The old man looked at the youth with a gratified gaze, then asked softly, "Did Lan He tell you all about spirit ruins and destiny crests?"
Seeing the boy nod, the old man looked up at the sky and said quietly, "The matter of spirit ruins is predetermined at birth. Having one or not makes no difference; it won't hinder your path of cultivation."
"Since you have already set one foot onto the immortal path, your master shall explain the subsequent stages of cultivation to you today."
Li Guanqi's expression turned solemn, and he involuntarily sat up straight.
"The Qi Refinement stage is divided into ten layers in total. The first three layers temper the internal organs; the middle three layers temper the meridians; the latter three layers temper the spirit."
"The purpose is to let your body better adapt to spiritual energy and acclimate to the emergence of divine sense."
"Right now, do you feel a swelling sensation in your spiritual terrace?"
Li Guanqi nodded. Ever since his breakthrough on Tianshui Peak, he had felt as though something had appeared at his spiritual terrace between his brows.
The old man chuckled softly. "Don't worry, that is merely a sign that your sea of consciousness has begun to form, just like your dantian."
"Your dantian is not yet stable, so you must not rush."
"Right now, your dantian is as fragile as a newborn babe. Therefore, when cultivating, you must enter meditation free of distracting thoughts."
Li Guanqi nodded solemnly, clearly committing the advice to heart.
"When you reach the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, you can attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm."
"However, with talent as great as yours, it is best to cultivate to the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, the Great Circle, before considering breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
"With your talent and the assistance of a Foundation Establishment Pill, your master is not worried about your Foundation Establishment."
The old man continued, "You currently have five hundred contribution points. You can go to the library pavilion on Tianjian Peak soon to find a cultivation method suited to you."
With that, the old man handed over a cloth pouch.
"Take this storage bag."
Li Guanqi asked curiously, "What is a storage bag used for? A bag this small can't hold much."
"Hahahahaha! Why don't you try mobilizing the divine sense in your spiritual terrace to make contact with it?"
"Focus your mind and imagine the divine sense in your sea of consciousness as a silver thread."
Li Guanqi ceased using his mind's eye, and in an instant, he perceived the presence of divine sense within his sea of consciousness.
The mist-like divine sense was not plentiful, resembling a large water vat with only a shallow layer covering the bottom.
Then he focused his mind and tried to move his divine sense—and surprisingly succeeded!
Moreover, he discovered that this divine sense was like a pair of eyes, able to truly see everything in the outside world!
"It's not black and white..."
Li Guanqi's eyes suddenly welled with moisture, and two streams of clear tears flowed uncontrollably.
His lips trembled as he choked out, "I... I can see colors!!"
The old man smiled and patted his back, which helped ease the youth's emotions considerably.
As his divine sense touched the storage bag, he discovered that it contained an internal space ten zhang wide!
The old man chuckled softly. "Try using the storage bag to put away the items on the table."
*Whoosh!*
With a single thought from Li Guanqi, all the items on the table were swept entirely into the storage bag.
Li Guanqi grinned from ear to ear, happily stowing the storage bag away.
Afterward, the old man shared many more things about the cultivation world with Li Guanqi.
Every single detail fascinated Li Guanqi and opened his eyes.
For example, ghosts really existed in this world!
Ghosts that lacked their three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls, or those bearing deep grievances who, for various reasons, could not enter reincarnation.
There were also many plants, flowers, and crystals between heaven and earth that developed spiritual wisdom and could cultivate as spirits and monsters.
It seemed everyone was pursuing cultivation and longevity.
Meanwhile, flora spirits and creatures pursued cultivation to assume human form.
Li Guanqi did not yet know that before long, he would see everything his master spoke of with his own eyes.
On that day, the elder and the youth sat in the courtyard, conversing for a long time.
The old man patiently explained the issues Li Guanqi might encounter during cultivation.
He also told him that he could practice his boxing routine twice a day and not neglect it on account of cultivation.
After pondering it for a long time afterward, the old man had realized that the boxing routine was no simple set of fist and foot maneuvers.
Every stance within it contained numerous variations, and its control over a cultivator's physical body was exceptionally profound.
He had even considered whether to ask for the boy's consent to teach the routine to all disciples of Tianlei Peak.
Chapter 21