"Three roads, two tenets, and one truth—these you must comprehend, rember, and rely on no matter how talented or unique you are. You cannot ignore the basics, the foundation of cultivation.
Elder Ning gestured at them to prepare to write as he elaborated.
The three roads are the major paths to cultivate your way up. They constitute the current orthodoxy.
"Martial Cultivation is the most common road, suitable for pursuit even if you have zero innate talent. Invest resources in your body, learn from your superiors, and practice for perfection—that is all it takes, really.
"Monastic Enlightennt is the least taken road, taking a practitioner towards a life detached from the material world and its pleasures, or sotis the very opposite, hedonism. It is not ant for the ntally weak, which 999 out of a 1000 are.
"The third road is Mystic Arts, most widely practiced by cultivators like us. It mixes a variety of principles, even from the other two paths. Its advantage lies in its variations and unpredictable nature, and its disadvantage is its potential.
"For the practitioner of an average mystic art, crossing the first major realm of cultivation is hard, and making headway in the second major realm is nearly impossible without luck. Even if you cultivate an exceptional art, you’d be hard-pressed to reach the peak of the second major realm."
While scribbling on the shoddy scroll he had been given, Han Xuhan couldn’t help taking sharp breaths every now and then. Although this lecture contained the most basic knowledge about the world of cultivation, his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies!
He was in a world where cultivation was easily accessible! And he was about to step on this very path of his dreams! How could he not be excited?!
"Speaking of the major realms of cultivation, the two tenets must be discussed beforehand. They embody the beginning, after all.
"The first tenet is: Transform the mortal body for a Celestial Soul! Repeat after ! What’s the first tenet?"
"Transform the mortal body for a Celestial Soul!" The entire outer court roared in tandem.
"Then cos the second tenet: Reform the mortal soul for a heavenly dao! What’s the second tenet?"
"Reform the mortal soul for a heavenly dao!"
"That’s right." Elder Ning nodded in satisfaction.
"Hence, the first major realm of cultivation is called: the Physique Transformation Realm!"
This ti, the disciples roared even without being prompted. Many of them had already stepped onto this realm. They were naturally familiar with the na.
"Once the physique is transford into a suitable vessel for a Celestial Soul, one must pass the heavenly tribulation of flesh refinent! Passing the tribulation, you step onto the second realm of cultivation: the Soul Reformation realm!"
Hearing the disciples roar the na in excitent while furiously scribbling it down, Elder Ning’s eyes turned into a pair of crescent moons.
"After successful reformation, the soul is set on the path of celestial ascension. Then cos the pursuit of dao, but telling you anything about those upper realms in advance may very well stunt your potential and misshape your worldview, leading to more harm than good.
"So before reaching the peak of the Soul Reformation realm, it is better to avoid being poisoned by early, unneeded knowledge. Knowledge is the key to power, this you know; but it is also the key to corruption.
"This is the first truth you must comprehend as you begin your journey! Never veer off the orthodox paths! Don’t rely on dead words and dusty manuals to make your way!"
Han Xuhan was, of course, disappointed that he couldn’t get more spoilers, but nevertheless, not knowing much about the upper levels of cultivation always made the stories exciting sohow.
So he decided to taste that excitent first-hand by abiding by Elder Ning’s warning.
Elder Ning declared that he was going to teach them the basics of mystic arts. In Crimson Snow Sect’s archives, the number of such arts was in hundreds. But only a dozen or so were commonly practiced by the outer court disciples.
The Elder was going to guide them through the principles of these common arts in his basic lectures. But before he began, he called out Han Xuhan’s na abruptly.
Under the curious eyes of four hundred of his peers, he had a low-volu chat with the old man.
"Since you’re here as Xuanyuan Zhou’s attendant, we obviously cannot let you learn the signature techniques of our sect."
Han Xuhan nodded, having guessed that this was coming. Elder Ning looked satisfied by the lack of a protest and added,
"But the package you’ve paid for allows you to pick from a collection of secondary arts. So why don’t you take the day off and visit the Archives to pick one such art? Every day at the end of my lectures, you can ask for a few minutes of guidance."
The offer was better than his expectations!
"I’m grateful for the Elder’s kindness. I shall leave right away!"
Saying so, Han Xuhan jogged out of the hall. From the corner of his gaze, he noticed a guilty look on Xuanyuan Zhou’s face as she watched him leave.
Well, at least she had the decency to feel guilty. She’d probably feel less guilty if she knew that his choice to give up her slot was solely to maximize the benefits of his golden finger, hehe~
Grinning to himself stupidly, Han Xuhan ran down the mountain path. But this smile was wiped off his face soon after feeling a dull cramp in his legs.
"Ow! Fuckfuckfuck..."
Clutching his calves, he had to spend quite so ti rolling on the soft grass like a dog. The brutality of the world of cultivation made itself known once again.
He didn’t know how they were going to be taught basic martial arts, but judging by the distance between two mountain peaks, leg day would be an indispensable, unofficial part of their routine for sure!
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