Chapter 11: Teaching My Beautiful Disciple (2)

I was quite happy to see that my disciple was taking so much interest in this. With such a heart dedicated to Cultivation, she would achieve greatness like no one else.

"Both Body Strengthening and Qi Condensation are divided into nine stages," I replied patiently. "In the first three stages of Qi Condensation, you merely sense and accumulate wisps of qi like morning mist. In the middle stages, stages four through six, that mist thickens into steady currents that can coat your weapons, dramatically increasing your physical strength and speed. By the seventh to ninth stages, your meridians are saturated with dense, roaring currents of spiritual power, allowing you to project blasts of qi from your palms, leap across treetops, and defend against ordinary steel blades without a scratch."

"And once the meridians are completely saturated?" she pressed, her dark eyes gleaming with an insatiable hunger for strength.

"Once your channels can hold no more, you face the first massive divide in the cultivation world: the Foundation Establishment Realm," I said, tapping the table lightly. "Like the previous realms, Foundation Establishment is divided into nine stages. Here, you no longer just let qi run wild in your limbs. You forcibly compress that gaseous mist, driving it down into the core reservoir below your navel, the Dantian. You condense that gaseous qi into a steady, swirling pool of liquid spiritual essence, laying down the actual cornerstone of your immortal foundation."

I paused, letting the weight of the concept sink in before continuing. "Reaching Foundation Establishment grants you two centuries of lifespan. More importantly, this is the realm where true immortal warfare begins. With liquid essence settled in your dantian, you can properly manipulate battle techniques, form elemental barriers, unleash devastating sword intent, and soar through the skies on a flying sword without exhausting your breath in minutes. It is the absolute dividing line between an apprentice and a genuine cultivator."

Shen Qingxue took a deep breath, resting her hand over her lower abdomen. "It sounds like forging an empire from scratch. First the walls, then the citizens, and finally the throne room."

"A fitting mortal analogy," I laughed softly. "And sitting on that throne brings us to my current stage: the Core Condensation Realm. Depending on which ancient scripture or sect you consult, people call it different names-some call it the Golden Core Realm, while others refer to it as the Core Formation Realm. In the end, the title doesn’t matter; the method of achievement is what counts. You take that vast, swirling ocean of liquid essence in your dantian, subject it to immense spiritual pressure, and compress it inward over and over until it crystallizes into a solid, revolving core."

I channeled a tiny wisp of my newly evolved Golden Core aura, letting a faint, suffocating golden shimmer dance across my fingertips.

"The denser, larger, and more flawless that core becomes, the deeper your cultivation base and the closer you step toward heaven. Unlike the lower realms that are divided into nine stages, from the Core Condensation Realm onward, the power scaling simplifies into four broad stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak."

Qingxue stared intently at the golden light hovering over my hand, her voice barely above a whisper. "And Master is already at the Late Stage of this realm..."

"That’s right,’ I said with a grin, leaning back into my chair and letting the light disperse into thin air. "Which means your Master has plenty of broad shoulders to shield you from the storms while you grow. Take your time, ask every stupid question that pops into your head, and build your foundation as steady as a mountain. With the techniques and resources on Lonely Cloud Peak, you won’t stay a beginner for long."

I had plenty more knowledge jammed into my head from thirty years of studying scrolls, but I deliberately held my tongue. Cultivation wasn’t something you could master by listening to a two-hour lecture, and dumping decades of esoteric theories onto a girl who had just learned what spiritual qi was would only scramble her brain.

"There are several terrifying realms beyond the Core Condensation stage," I said, waving my hand dismissively as I poured another cup of tea. "The Nascent Soul Realm like Wan’er’s, the Soul Formation Realm, and higher paths where ancestors can cleave mountains with a thought. But knowing that right now won’t help you gather a single speck of qi. Once your cultivation advances to that threshold, I’ll tell you everything you need to know."

Shen Qingxue nodded obediently, absorbing my restraint with quiet respect. She traced the smooth ceramic rim of her cup, hesitating for a second before looking up at me with those sharp, obsidian eyes.

"Master, earlier you mentioned spiritual roots," she asked softly, her brow furrowed in concentration. "What exactly are they? The deacon at the Grand Cloud Plaza discarded me the moment the testing stone failed to shine. Are roots truly that important?"

"In a way, they are the very foundation and starting point of your entire cultivation journey," I explained, leaning back against the wooden pillar. "They don’t just dictate where you begin; they shape your entire path toward immortality."

She leaned in, listening intently.

"To put it simply, a Spiritual Root is the innate, metaphysical structure within a cultivator that dictates how your mortal shell interacts with spiritual energy and the surrounding world," I continued, gesturing toward the vast sea of clouds beyond the peak. "Think of it like an organ, except it doesn’t physically exist in your flesh. If a mortal surgeon carved you open, he wouldn’t find a root tangled among your guts. It exists on a spiritual, ethereal plane interwoven with your soul and meridians. It’s hard to wrap your head around right now, but when you begin circulating qi, you will naturally feel its presence."

"An invisible organ that breathes the breath of the world..." she murmured, her sharp mind capturing the poetic weight of it.

"Exactly," I said with a nod. "And because it connects you to the Dao, it determines nearly every major aspect of your growth. First, it dictates what kind of elemental affinity you hold, whether your body naturally calls to Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, or rarer mutations like Wind and Lightning. Second, it dictates how efficiently you can draw ambient qi into your body and refine it into pure spiritual essence.

"Third, it decides what kind of battle techniques, scriptures, and divine arts you can learn without your meridians backfiring. And finally, it largely sets your cultivation potential and dictates how quickly or easily you can smash through realm bottlenecks."