Chapter 15
The method for advancing from the Body Tempering Stage to Qi Refining is simple.
Compress the spiritual power filling the dantian, scattered haphazardly throughout it, into a single point—the star of spiritual power.
It must be born as a Spiritual Star (靈星).
The method varies wildly from one cultivation art to another.
Yet amid all those methods, one principle never changes.
In general, a Spiritual Star formed through a higher-grade cultivation art is larger and denser, and becomes a stronger foundation when breaking through to Foundation Establishment later on.
The realm of Qi Refining is divided into nine stars.
Forming one star makes one a 1st Star cultivator; the more stars one creates, the higher one's realm.
The 1st through 3rd Stars are the early stage, the 4th through 6th are the middle stage, and the 7th through 9th are the late stage.
Great Perfection is the stage in which one lays the foundation to advance from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment.
The mantra that represents Qi Refining is Nine Palaces, One Path Returning to One (九宮一道歸一).
It is the realm in which one arranges nine Spiritual Stars in the dantian according to the principles of the Nine Palaces, then finally brings them together as one Dao to prepare for Foundation Establishment.
It was the first step on the Immortal Path: Qi Refining (鍊氣期).
Nine's tightly shut eyes opened.
Then Nine saw a white-hot glow enveloping the body.
The skin beneath the clothes was shining on its own.
“Hrk, cough, cough!”
Nine coughed as the throat stung.
The throat was painfully dry, parched for lack of moisture.
“What…? How much time has passed?”
Nine's mind felt clear.
The body wasn't heavy, either. It felt so light it could fly.
“Cough, cough.”
When Nine stood up, the layer of dust piled on the body billowed into the air.
The dust irritated the inside of Nine's nose, making it sting.
In the darkness, the self-luminous Nine glanced around the somber cultivation room.
The room was completely empty and clean.
The low-grade spirit stones Nine had prepared, the pills and talismans set aside just in case, and even the spare clothes were all gone.
Only pitch-black ash remained where they had been left.
After spacing out for a moment, Nine came to.
Thoughts racing faster than before, Nine recalled what had happened.
“Qi Refining!”
The realm Nine had practically yearned for their entire life!
Nine had broken through that wall.
Nine's mind grew as cool as if doused with cold water.
Nine settled back down on the floor and crossed their legs.
Eyes squeezed shut, Nine steadied their breathing and extended their consciousness inward to examine their body.
‘Whoa…!’
Nine marveled inwardly.
Nine's body had changed so much it was as if heaven and earth had been remade.
Thump, thump!
The strongly beating heart had turned an even deeper crimson than before, brimming with vitality.
Every meridian in the body was as clean as if washed, without a trace of impurities. Even the tiny capillaries, usually too fine to sense, were wide open.
The internal organs had grown so robust it was as if they had been reborn.
The bones had grown denser, and every strand of muscle had fallen into place, granting strength beyond that of an ordinary person.
‘What happened to my dantian?’
Nine's gaze turned toward the most important part of all: the dantian.
The first thing Nine saw was spiritual power, a pure jet-black.
Fragments of spiritual power flowed out from the core of the dantian.
Nine looked at them in confusion.
‘No, this isn't spiritual power…?’
Focusing more closely, Nine realized the source of that strange sense of incongruity.
What Nine had mistaken for spiritual power was merely a tiny fragment of something so vast it was impossible to imagine.
Nine gradually widened their gaze, which had been fixed on that confined space.
‘Huh…!’
The field of vision expanded without end.
Farther, farther, faaaaarther!
And yet the enormous thing showed no sign of revealing its true form.
Only when the expanded vision encompassed the entire dantian did Nine finally realize what they were looking at.
A Spiritual Star (靈星).
A truly, truly enormous star of spiritual power.
A pure jet-black Spiritual Star of overwhelming size revolved heavily at the center of the dantian.
A dantian is generally divided into three parts.
The core at its deepest point, the central area surrounding it, and the outer area, which takes up the most space in the dantian.
A typical 1st Star Qi Refining cultivator's Spiritual Star can't reach beyond the core.
It barely occupies a tiny, fingernail-sized part of the core, shining faintly.
Genius-level talent, an outstanding teacher and cultivation art, and pills inscribed with talisman patterns.
Even with all of those advantages, when one first enters Qi Refining and creates a star, one can barely fill the core and illuminate the central area.
But Nine's Spiritual Star was different.
The jet-black star occupied more than a third of the central area, shining with overwhelming brilliance and pouring its light all the way into the outer area.
What Nine had initially mistaken for spiritual power had been nothing more than the light radiating from the Spiritual Star!
The Spiritual Star within Nine was even larger than that of a dual-spiritual-root cultivator who had reached late-stage Qi Refining.
Only geniuses at Great Perfection, who've built a perfect foundation for Foundation Establishment, would have stars larger than Nine's.
“Heh, hehe….”
A silly laugh slipped out.
Nine's lips spread into a happy smile, and delight welled up unbidden.
A surge of exhilaration rose within Nine, making it feel as though anything was possible.
It was a truly perfect first step.
Buying a good cultivation art even though it meant pushing the limits, then compressing spiritual power as much as possible, had been the right choice.
The foundation one builds in Qi Refining is the most important part of the path of cultivation that lies ahead.
Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and everything beyond.
One's potential is determined by the foundation laid at this stage.
The length and direction of one's first stride on a journey often determine where one ends up.
Nine had taken the best possible first step.
That realization filled Nine with satisfaction from the depths of the heart.
Feeling spiritual power filling the body, Nine left the cultivation room.
The house was dark.
It was dawn, the time when the sun brightened the world.
In the dark dawn, the self-luminous Nine lit everything up.
With enhanced physical abilities, Nine bounced over and flung themself onto the living room sofa.
Then the bedroom door creaked open, and Pou drifted out sluggishly.
The white scroll was wrapped up in a little blanket.
“…You're really carefree, aren't you?”
While its owner was overcoming the enormous wall of Qi Refining, had Pou been lounging around so leisurely in the bedroom?
Nine couldn't stand it.
Nine swiftly snatched Pou out of the air.
Flap? Flap!
Pou struggled, but Nine paid it no mind.
Nine buried their face against the soft white paper and blew raspberries mercilessly.
Pou resisted so fiercely that the blanket flapped in every direction, but Nine refused to let go.
Nine kept blowing without mercy.
A few minutes later.
Nine rubbed their scratchy throat and lips, then called to Pou, sprawled in despair across the sofa.
Flaaap….
The oddly feeble way Pou floated made Nine snort with laughter.
Then Nine unfurled the scroll.
[User: Eun Na-in]
[Talent: Five-Element Spiritual Roots 7000 / 10000]
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body Rank 1 4190 / 10000]
[Cultivation Arts: Tempering Formula 8th Star 7000/15000 / Introductory Talisman Dao Art 10th Star Great Perfection / Body Tempering Formula-12th Revision 3rd Star 50/200 / (NEW!!) Five-Element Spirit-Raising Enlightenment Art (五行昇靈悟道法) 1st Star 20/100]
[Current Realm: Qi Refining 1st Star 2.5%]
+New features have been added+
“Huh?”
Nine tilted their head.
Other than Five-Element Spiritual Roots proficiency increasing by 1,000 and the addition of the Five-Element Spirit-Raising Enlightenment Art to the cultivation arts, nothing seemed to have changed.
Below the realm entry.
At the very bottom, words that made Nine's heart pound were written.
Unlike the usual black text, the notice shone a brilliant gold.
Nine swallowed nervously, then pressed the notice with a trembling fingertip.
Fwaaash!
Pou lit up.
The text displaying Nine's status and the notice disappeared, and a single sentence appeared.
[The user's realm has reached Qi Refining.]
When Nine finished reading the text, it seemed to read their gaze and disappeared back into the scroll.
[Unlocking functions suited to the rank of Qi Refining.]
[Spiritual Power Density]
[Physical Activation]
[Divine Sense Strength]
[New entries displaying these three stats at all times will be added.]
Nine's mouth fell open.
So that wasn't the end of Pou's functions?
Even its basic functions were already absurdly powerful, and now something else had been added!
Nine's heart pounded with anticipation.
But that wasn't all.
The golden text smoothly disappeared, then appeared again.
[Cultivation Art: A new path, the Cultivation Art Dao (功法道), has opened.]
[Even when you are not cultivating directly, your cultivation art will cultivate on its own and perform the cultivation for you.]
“Huh….”
Nine stared blankly at the sentence, dazed.
It was an unbelievable function.
If cultivators who spent their entire lives cultivating and persevering through arduous practice saw it, their eyes would pop out of their heads.
And yet, that still wasn't the end!
More sentences continued to appear.
[Your major realm has increased. Awaken new talents and constitutions suited to it. Choose.]
[Talent: Thunder Spiritual Root (雷靈根). One of the Five-Element Spiritual Roots will mutate into a Thunder Spiritual Root.]
[Constitution: Awaken Golden Sea, Azure River (金海滄川).]
Nine no longer had the energy to be surprised.
Nine slumped against the sofa and stared blankly at the choices, which blinked as if urging a decision.
Nine needed time to think.
So Nine closed their eyes, intending to sink into deep thought, but…
Something suddenly appeared beside the choices.
[If you do not choose, a Thunder Spiritual Root will awaken based on the user's Spiritual Star and talent. 5]
[4]
[3]
“Huh……!?”
[2]
No, wait a second.
Nine had learned a Five-Element cultivation art.
But if one of Nine's spiritual roots suddenly changed into a lightning attribute…
At best, the Spiritual Star would collapse. At worst, Nine's mind and soul could shatter!
Imagining what might happen, Nine's face went cold.
“No!”
[1]
Just before the blinking number disappeared, Nine quickly pressed Constitution: Golden Sea, Azure River.
“….”
A brief silence followed.
Tense, Nine stared at the blank space on the scroll.
Slide—.
The choices disappeared.
The golden light faded as they sank into the white space.
Flash!
Nine relaxed.
Instead of the chilling golden color, familiar black text gradually appeared, displaying Nine's status.
“Haaah…….”
A stream of sweat trickled down Nine.
Nine leaned back against the sofa again.
Nine was covered in cold sweat, but the heat from the glowing skin made it evaporate on its own.
“You're insane…. Pou, I'm giving you an hour of raspberries later….”
Tremble!
Pou, in Nine's hand, quivered faintly.
Ignoring the tremble, Nine looked over the newly rearranged and updated status.
[User: Eun Na-in]
[Talent: Five-Element Spiritual Roots 7000 / 10000]
[Constitution]
[Talisman Dao Sacred Body Rank 1 4190 / 10000]
[(NEW!!!) Golden Sea, Azure River (金海滄川) 0/ 10]
[Cultivation Arts: Tempering Formula 8th Star 7000/15000 / Introductory Talisman Dao Art 10th Star Great Perfection / Body Tempering Formula-12th Revision 3rd Star 50/200 / Five-Element Spirit-Raising Enlightenment Art 1st Star 20/100]
[Current Realm: Qi Refining 1st Star 2.5%]
NEW!!!
[Body Refinement Dao (煉身道)]
Spiritual Power Density: 40.7
Physical Activation: 14.5
Divine Sense Strength: 0
NEW!!!
[Cultivation Art Dao (功法道)]
[Select a cultivation art 0/1]
The display had gotten quite a bit longer.
But completely exhausted, Nine skimmed through it and let Pou go.
Nine planned to examine it more carefully and test the functions later.
“Hii, I'm exhausted.”
Beep!
Nine turned on the TV.
To soothe a tired mind and body, Nine turned on the documentary watched every morning without fail: ~The Ten Saviors Who Protected Earth~.
[This is the Promotion Ground (昇級地) at Lagrange Point L1, approximately 1.5 million km from Earth.
Currently, 10,000 cultivators selected by the government are stationed here……]
“Huh?”
The square-shaped Promotion Ground floated alone in outer space.
It was a familiar place to Nine, too.
Every New Year's Day, on January 1, cultivators at Great Perfection of Qi Refining became true half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators there.
“Wait, then…”
Nine hurriedly turned on the terminal and checked the date and time.
The screen appeared in the air and displayed the date.
[Immortal Path Calendar Year 470 (C.E. 2500) / January 1 / 05 : 13]
“Two whole weeks have passed!?”
In the quiet living room, Nine let out a shriek.
Clutching their head, Nine rolled around on the sofa.
It was the moment Nine's arrogant vow to reach the 4th Star of Qi Refining within a month crumbled away.