'Crunch.'
Another leaf was crushed beneath Shuyan's feet as he swept the straight stone steps leading to the cloudy peak of the picturesque mountain behind him. This was just one of the few mountains that fell under the area of the Bloodborne Sect. Everywhere his gaze traveled, there was a mountain awaiting his acknowledgement.
But in this vast expanse of pointy peaks, there were four towering mountains surrounded by numerous smaller ones, their tops obscured by flocks of white clouds and fog.
They were the four departments of the Sect, each led by an inner elder—absolute powerhouses, Core Formation Realm cultivators. Whatever that meant for Shuyan, since he didn't actually know the exact intricacies of Core Formation. But he knew enough to guess that inner elders—and even outer elders—were immensely powerful.
The peak he was part of fell under the expanse of Spirit Cauldron Peak, an alchemy-based peak led by an Inner Elder called Fang Lu. Every couple of minor peaks also had their own elder overlooking them—outer elders, just like how Emerald Peaks had Elder Han.
Shuyan glanced beside him to see the ratty-looking senior brother sweeping away while humming a tune—the same one who had been bragging nonstop about breaking through to the Bone Forging Stage, the third stage of the Body Refining Realm, which fell under the Foundation Establishment Realm. It was a complex system, but this was what fascinated Shuyan the most about cultivation.
'One could potentially complete certain tasks to uplift their entire being, enter higher realms of power, and gain a longer lifespan.'
It all started with Foundation Establishment, which was divided into three sub-stages—Qi Gathering Realm, Body Refining Realm, and Qi Condensation Realm.
After that came the Core Formation Realm, also divided into three sub-stages—Bronze, Silver, and Golden Core. And finally, the highest level that Shuyan knew—Nascent Soul—about which he didn't know much, since the available knowledge only mentioned the name of the realm and nothing else.
'Sigh.'
A deep sigh left Shuyan's lungs, prompting the senior brother to spare him a glance and ask, "What happened, junior brother?"
Shuyan just shook his head, his mind still filled with the vastness of cultivation and the long road ahead. His body was still in the Muscle and Tendon Tempering Stage. He wasn't at the absolute bottom, but he wasn't far from it either, having barely completed the Qi Gathering Stage and Skin Refinement.
I'm not in any position to think about those matters. His continuous pondering over his situation had brought him to one conclusion—he needed to progress. He needed to get farther in cultivation if he wanted to achieve anything and leave his name in the legends like the immortals. And then there was the yearly competition coming too. He was at risk of being eliminated. He needed to reach at least Bone Forging just like his senior brother if he wanted to retain his position as an outer disciple.
He sighed again, ignoring the boy beside him, who continued to stare with concern etched into his brows.
***
The next morning came even though Shuyan wished for the night to lengthen. Things never went his way, so he wasn't too disgruntled. He threw aside the coarse blanket covering him, letting the slightly chilly air hit his face as weak rays of sunlight tried to illuminate the dim room in vain.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering grogginess. Beginning his cultivation had more appeal than staying in bed, so he freshened up quickly and was sitting cross-legged on the floor moments later, a scroll laid out before him.
'Bloodborne Basic Cultivation Technique.'
That was the title of the scroll. A priceless cultivation technique in the mortal world where he came from, but in the sect, it was the basic technique every disciple practiced.
The technique explained how to meditate, breathe, and absorb ambient spiritual energy from the air to convert it into one's own Qi—a process Shuyan had already engraved into his mind. He went through all the content like he did every day, then closed the scroll, letting the instructions settle within him.
"Breathe in—breathe out," Shuyan muttered, then closed his eyes, ready to start his cultivation session.
As soon as he closed his eyes and breathed according to the technique's rhythm, he could feel a cool stream of air enter his lungs, then disperse throughout his body, refreshing him. It was Qi.
This feels good, Shuyan thought, but he didn't let the sensation distract him. He was already used to that pleasure, so he focused on directing the Qi through his meridians and settling it into his dantian.
That was the true purpose of meditation—to gather as much Qi as possible and use it to temper one's body. That was the only way to progress in the Body Refining Stage.
He then commanded the Qi to move through his body along the spiritual channels to every fiber of his muscles—strengthening them almost barely. But he kept persisting, and after a few cycles, he could feel his concentration scatter.
A few minutes later, Shuyan opened his eyes, refreshed, but his brows furrowed. The more he familiarized himself with proper cultivation techniques, the more he realized just how slow his progress truly was, and it all stemmed from one thing—talent.
He stood up and got ready to practice his martial arts—the medium through which cultivators exerted their power in the Body Refining Stage. The technique he had was just one: Three-Step Sword, which was provided by the sect. He wasn't rich enough to buy one on his own, and the sect never gave out techniques for free other than this one.
But this one was enough, since he wouldn't need any advanced ones until he reached Qi Condensation, which would take him who knows how long.
"I hope that day comes soon," he thought as he grabbed the rusty iron sword beside his bed and prepared to practice.
Cultivation speed was determined by talent, and his talent… was at the bottom of the barrel. He possessed the so-called False Spiritual Channels, just slightly better than mortals with zero affinity.
This meant his speed in gathering Qi paled in comparison to those with better spiritual channels—such as True Spiritual Channels, or even the legendary Heavenly ones rumored to have the potential to surpass Nascent Soul.
"There is one Semi-Heavenly Spiritual Channels disciple in our sect, from what I remember," Shuyan thought, his mood dipping as he realized his predicament. But his hands and body continued going through the motions of the Three-Step Sword.
'If I keep up at this pace, I might be expelled in the coming competition.'
But there was nothing he could do—his talent was dragging him down, and it was impossible to change. The only way to accelerate cultivation was through resources like spirit stones and treasures. But spirit stones were nearly useless in the Body Refining Stage, as most of the spiritual energy would dissipate from an unrefined body. They only became truly effective in Qi Condensation.
As for treasures… they were ridiculously expensive.