Condensing the Root of Heaven and Earth

As Li Fan read the descriptions of the Immortal Path in the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method, a growing chill crept down his spine. Before the Golden Core stage, things were still relatively normal: absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, borrowing the wonders of heaven and earth, and glimpsing the laws of heaven and earth. Once past the Nascent Soul stage, however, the style gradually turned frenzied. Seizing the essence of heaven and earth, extracting the marrow of heaven and earth, sacrificing the soul of heaven and earth... Even to the point of ultimately defying the principles of heaven and earth. Merely reading those words sent tremors of dread through the heart. The Heavenly Dao sat exalted on high, nurturing and birthing all things. For immortal cultivators to practice in such a manner was tantamount to turning against heaven itself—an act of monstrous defiance. Could the immortal cultivators truly not know what this signified? Yet this method of cultivation yielded progress far too rapidly. As recorded in the book, ever since the Immortal Venerable preached the Dao, a vast multitude of mortals who originally had no means of cultivating rose meteorically in mere decades. Cultivators at the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation realms sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The cultivation world at that time was so prosperous that truly, "Golden Cores walked everywhere, and Nascent Souls were treated worse than dogs." Watching their own cultivation levels effortlessly overtaken by mere mortals, how many of the immortal cultivators who originally held to ancient methods could remain true to themselves and resist trying the Immortal Venerable's teachings? Thus, the ancient methods steadily waned, while the new methods gradually took their place. A thousand years after the new methods spread far and wide, the cultivation world's grandeur reached its zenith. Regrettably, heavenly justice was clear, and extreme prosperity was destined to decline. Countless cultivators plundered the resources of heaven and earth with rapacious greed like wolves and tigers, devoid of all restraint. Even heavenly tribulations of ever-increasing frequency could no longer suppress the swelling ranks of cultivators. And so, one day, the Heavenly Dao's backlash finally fell. Heaven and earth underwent a cataclysm, and the Great Tribulation descended. From that point on, immortal methods could not be practiced together! The thriving cultivation world was struck as if by a thunderous blow. For a single sliver of survival, cultivators plunged into endless mutual slaughter. For an extended era, the cultivation world lingered in desolation and decay. It took several thousand years to slowly recover. Today's cultivators had already grown accustomed to the malice of heaven and earth. Drawing lessons from history, they established an entirely new cultivation order atop the post-tribulation wasteland. ... With the origins of the contemporary cultivation world concluded, the subsequent content of the book detailed the "Five Spirits Qi-Sensing" method. If a mortal who had purged their miasma could not easily draw qi into their body, they could nurture their own five spirits to forcibly absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, refine it, and break through to the Qi Condensation stage. The so-called five spirits referred to five emotions innate to humanity: Greed, fear, fury, hatred, and self-absorption. These five emotions lay hidden within the human heart, inexhaustible and ceaselessly generated. Five Spirits Qi-Sensing used these five spirits as driving fuel to cultivate the [Root of Heaven and Earth] within the dantian. The Root of Heaven and Earth linked a cultivator's dantian to heaven and earth; once formed, the cultivator could use it to forcibly siphon the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and refine it for their own use. Compared to ancient cultivation, which depended entirely on natural talent, the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method was defined by its consistency. Those of exceptional aptitude could cultivate the Root of Heaven and Earth in a single day and night, stepping onto the path of cultivation. And even someone devoid of any cultivation talent could, through daily, painstaking effort, form their own Root of Heaven and Earth within ten years at most. Having acquired the method to draw qi into the body, Li Fan lived in seclusion from then on, practicing the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method at home each day. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for the possibility that his cultivation path might not proceed smoothly, day after day passed until a full three years had gone by, and Li Fan still had not succeeded in drawing qi into his body. Li Fan was acutely aware of his cultivation talent—average aptitude, neither a genius nor in any way poor. His current predicament truly stemmed from another cause. "The Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation... blessings and misfortunes are truly hard to foresee," Li Fan thought with some helplessness. Five Spirits Qi-Sensing required the five emotions as fuel to drive the formation of the Root of Heaven and Earth. Yet because Li Fan cultivated the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, these five emotions rarely accumulated in him. Even when he did not intentionally circulate the Heart-Refining Incantation, it seemed to act on pure instinct, spontaneously crushing and shredding these negative emotions in his mind. It was akin to trudging forward under a heavy burden, which caused Li Fan's progress to be agonizingly slow. Li Fan had also attempted to draw qi into his body on his own without relying on the Root of Heaven and Earth. Yet he clearly lacked Xiao Heng's innate gift. The spiritual qi outside his body treated him with cold indifference. Without another's guidance, relying purely on fumbling blindly on his own, Li Fan had no confidence in how long it would take to draw qi into his body. Thus, he decided to dutifully rely on the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method to break through to the Qi Condensation stage. It might be slow, but it had the virtue of stability. And the one thing Li Fan did not lack was time. At the start of those three years, He Zhenghao had occasionally sent someone to check on Li Fan's cultivation. However, after Li Fan showed no progress for a long time, he rarely dispatched anyone anymore. As for Tianbao Pavilion, on account of Li Fan and Xiao Heng, its business across the surrounding islands actually improved, despite losing the backing of the Wanhua Merchant Guild. No one wished to offend a firm that might possess the backing of immortal masters, so they avoided conflict with Wanbao Pavilion as much as possible. Thus, Wanbao Pavilion aggressively expanded its market over the three years, thriving with immense vitality. Yin Yuzhen's confidence surged even further, and she rubbed her hands in eagerness, intent on returning to Yelan Island to reclaim control over Tianbao Pavilion's headquarters. ... Li Fan only paid occasional attention to external affairs. The vast majority of his energy was focused on cultivating the Root of Heaven and Earth. Regrettably, this matter truly could not be rushed. Li Fan estimated that, barring any accidents, he would still need around two years to succeed. Having cooped himself up at home for a long time, Li Fan grew restless that day and decided to take a walk outside. Without alerting anyone, he changed his clothes, donned a felt hat, and came to the marketplace on Liuli Island. Compared to three years ago, the place seemed unchanged. The sounds of haggling, hawkers calling out to customers, and playful banter rose and fell in waves. Here, Li Fan sensed a long-absent human warmth. Myriad thoughts in his mind surged forth in abundance, like parched saplings receiving nourishment. In just this brief moment, the progress of the Root of Heaven and Earth exceeded three days of bitter, closed-door cultivation at home. Li Fan came to a sudden realization. For ordinary cultivators, secluded retreat and quiet, bitter cultivation were necessary because ordinary people had no shortage of the five spirits that served as fuel. Li Fan, however, was a special case. The Heart-Refining Incantation ran constantly in his mind, turning those stray thoughts into nourishment to strengthen his mental spirit. And the Five Spirits Qi-Sensing Method was clearly inferior in grade to the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation; it could hardly compete for much and could only pick up the scraps. Li Fan could not alter this status quo for the time being. If he wanted to accelerate the formation of the Root of Heaven and Earth, he had to increase the volume of stray thoughts generated in his mind each day. Secluding himself daily clearly would not do; he needed to immerse himself in the mortal world. Having thought this through, Li Fan could not help feeling a spark of delight. It seemed that he might not even need two years to step into the Qi Condensation stage after all. ... "Elder Li?" Just then, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind him. Li Fan turned his head. Looking closely at the person's face, he paused for a moment before remembering who it was. It was none other than someone he had met once before: Zhang Haobo, captain of the Cangyuan of Liuli Island.