Cultivation is Just That Scientific

Though Li Wenyuan held only a fourth-rank official title, he was the Prefect of Nanling Prefecture, making him the highest-ranking official in the region.

For Li Wenyuan to achieve further promotion, he would need to return to Zhongdu (Central Capital) to join the central administration.

A series of serious criminal cases had occurred in Nanling Prefecture, and although they were related to cultivators, the impact had been severe enough that Li Wenyuan could not avoid being affected, no matter his standing.

However, since Li Wenyuan had no intention of returning to Zhongdu, these matters did not weigh too heavily on him.

“Shimíng, go back and rest. The autumn examination is approaching; take care of yourself!” Li Wenyuan waved his hand with a smile, not wanting Li Shimíng to get further involved in these affairs.

“You should also rest early!” Li Shimíng reminded him before leaving.

As he exited the room, he noticed several officials hurrying over. With a sigh, he knew Li Wenyuan would not get the rest he needed today.

Crossing a stone bridge on his way back to his courtyard, Li Shimíng suddenly turned his gaze towards the guest courtyards where the two cultivators were staying.

The lights were still on in the guest courtyard.

“Li Shimíng seeks an audience with the immortals!” he called loudly, standing near the adjoining doors of the two guest courtyards.

As expected, there was no reply.

Nonetheless, out of courtesy, he still made his formal request.

He tried pushing one of the courtyard doors and found it barred from the inside.

This type of wooden latch wasn’t difficult to open from the outside. Drawing a dagger, he slid it into the door seam and, with a few deft movements, lifted the latch aside.

Upon entering, he saw the main room’s door wide open.

He carefully searched the main hall, bedrooms, and other rooms, but found nothing unusual.

It seemed as if the cultivators, ethereal and detached from mundane life, had left no trace of their presence here. The courtyard looked untouched, and even the bed covers were unused.

He hadn’t expected much but wanted to see if the cultivators had left anything behind.

Disappointed, he exited and moved into the other guest courtyard.

Entering the bedroom of the second courtyard, he noticed a disk on the ground.

The disk emitted a faint glow, with four luminescent, milky-white stones at its center, connected by a web of intricate patterns and lines forming a strange design.

The Introduction to Runes manual left by Chief Escort Wang didn’t mention such a disk, though this structure resembled some kind of formation.

“It can’t be a defensive formation; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to enter,” Li Shimíng reasoned with his limited cultivation knowledge.

He picked up a wooden chair nearby and carefully extended it over the disk.

“It’s not an offensive formation!” Seeing the chair unharmed, he dismissed another possibility.

Since there was no danger, he didn’t hesitate further and placed his hand into the disk.

Nothing attacked his hand, and nothing unexpected happened.

“Could it be a formation to assist cultivation?” A guess flitted through his mind.

Junior Sister Zheng hadn’t taken the Spirit-Gathering Disk with her because Senior Brother Zhao had called for her urgently, and she hadn’t expected not to return. Moreover, activating the Spirit-Gathering Disk consumed a significant number of spirit stones. Once stabilized, however, its consumption decreased.

Ordinarily, she would only activate the Spirit-Gathering Disk once during her stay to conserve spirit stones.

In the territory of the Great Xia, under sect jurisdiction, even stronger cultivators would give face to the sect. Among Qi Refining cultivators, sect-affiliated ones had a clear advantage in strength, artifacts, and talismans. Junior Sister Zheng never considered that she might not return.

This was why the Spirit-Gathering Disk remained. Of course, if Senior Brother Zhao had known about it, he would have come for it, even injured or facing threats from loose cultivators.

But Junior Sister Zheng had concealed the existence of the Spirit-Gathering Disk well, knowing that exposure might lead to fellow sect members turning on her for the treasure.

Li Shimíng considered these possibilities as he sat cross-legged within the disk’s glowing field, placing it beneath him.

He began to practice the Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique. Though he had tried many times before with no success, this time was different.

Around him, tiny light specks floated — gold, red, and green.

He didn’t know what these colors signified, but sensing them meant he had finally perceived spiritual qi.

Sensing spiritual qi provided the foundation for officially cultivating the Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique. Controlling his excitement, he absorbed the energy into his body according to the technique’s pathways.

Li Shimíng had no idea how lucky he was. Even those born with cultivation talent needed compatible resources, environments, and techniques to begin.

The Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique, passed down by Chief Escort Wang’s ancestors, was highly versatile, suitable for any cultivation talent.

This ensured that any descendant with potential could cultivate the technique.

Immersed in his first cultivation experience, Li Shimíng drew spiritual qi into his body, gathering it in his chest.

An hour later, his body suddenly trembled, and a vortex of spiritual qi formed in his chest. Though the amount of energy was small, the vortex kept it from dispersing.

When he opened his eyes, the room appeared as bright as day.

This was not from candlelight; his body seemed to have undergone a profound transformation after being nourished by spiritual qi.

He detected a foul odor and quickly checked himself, finding black, oily grime covering his exposed skin. Opening his clothes, he saw the grime everywhere.

The formation of the spiritual qi vortex had expelled the impurities from his body.

According to the Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique, this meant he had officially entered the first level of Qi Refining.

He didn’t dare move the spiritual qi in his chest because it was too scarce.

Without guidance, cultivating was like fumbling in the dark.

Noticing the Spirit-Gathering Disk still glowing, he knew it was wasteful to leave it active. But with his current beginner status, he couldn’t handle a second session of cultivation.

After one session, the pathways where spiritual qi had flowed were now aching.

After some thought, he pressed his hand on the Spirit-Gathering Disk and stored it in the mechanical room space.

Even within this space, the disk continued drawing spiritual qi from an unknown source outside.

Li Shimíng monitored the disk for a while, and seeing it didn’t interfere with other devices, he finally relaxed and withdrew his consciousness.