Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 525 Cultivating Wind Escape
Li Xiangming was very familiar with the name of Qi Ren Tian Zun.

This is one of the three great deities of Taoism, and has been worshipped by the cultivation community for generations.

When Qingyang Daoren first arrived in Pudong, he built a Taoist temple outside the desolate Puyin Mountain. The first thing he did was to sculpt statues of the three Heavenly Venerables, Puji, Qiren, and Yuming, and place them in the main hall for daily worship.

Not to mention Qingyang Daoist, even secular families like the Li family have to worship the Three Heavenly Venerables when commemorating their ancestors.

There is no other reason than that all things in the world originate from the Tao.

Puji Tianzun is actually Chen Zu!
Chen Zu not only proposed the theories of cultivation and spiritual roots, but also put forward the concept of foundation building in the ancient times when there were only Qi cultivators. It can be said that he pioneered the path of Taoism.

Taoism therefore recognized him as the founder of Taoism and honored him as the Universal Salvation Heavenly Venerable.

Qi Ren Tian Zun was the founder of Taoism!

During the medieval period, the cultivation world made great progress in accordance with the ideas of Ancestor Chen. Some exceptionally talented individuals created the Golden Elixir method after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, pushing the power of cultivators to new heights.

However, the cultivation world came to a standstill after that.

At that time, cultivators generally realized the importance of magical power, but no matter how hard they tried, the amount of magical power that the dantian could hold was limited, as if the golden elixir was the end of the path.

Qi Ren Tianzun appeared out of nowhere, not only proposing the hypothesis of immortals and developing Taoism, but also first proposing the concept that "the mortal body is ultimately limited, and returning to the Tao is the first step to getting closer to the Tao," thus creating a path that had never been imagined before.

He will continue his path with the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator!
Even more remarkably, Qi Ren Tianzun perfected several subsequent realms and verified them one by one, ultimately succeeding in ascending to heaven.

After him, Taoism's prestige reached an unprecedented level, and all those who cultivated Taoism considered themselves Taoist practitioners.

Nevertheless, Taoism did not survive forever as Qi Ren Tian Zun had envisioned.

This bloated sect is itself a huge contradiction. Yu Mingtian Zun, as the restorer, established the Taoist court and forcibly extended the life of Taoism by 100,000 years.

However, after Yu Mingtian ascended to heaven, Taoism disintegrated in an instant.

However, although Taoism disappeared, the cultivation world flourished, with tens of thousands of sects rising up, some continuing to identify themselves as Taoist sects, while others established their own independent sects.

Especially in the late ancient period, the traditional four arts of cultivation suddenly expanded to a hundred arts, greatly enriching the methods and resources of the cultivation world. Many cultivators could continue cultivating without joining a sect, and the number of cultivators was a hundred times greater than before.

That said, Qi Ren Tian Zun also has a special identity!
According to research in the cultivation world, the highest level of cultivation in Chen Zu's era was the Foundation Establishment stage. Qi Ren Tianzun, on the other hand, is the first immortal in the cultivation world to be definitively recorded as an ascension!

These are not secrets.

But the source of the alien spiritual root is actually in Qi Ren Tianzun?
Liu Xiong Yu seemed to sense Li Xiangming's shock and gave him a while to process it before continuing, "You should have heard of thunder magic, right?"

"Ah."

Li Xiangming nodded; he had not only heard of it, but he had also seen it!
Back in the Green Cloud Cave, he was nearly killed by Zhao Yue's palm lightning.

Liu Xiong Yu asked again, "Have you ever heard of wind magic or ice magic?"

Li Xiangming thought for a moment and then gently shook his head.

It seems that the cultivation world doesn't have the concepts of wind magic and ice magic.

At least he had never heard of it.

Liu Xiong Yu explained, "This is because, apart from Qi Ren Tian Zun, other cultivators with unique spiritual roots are unwilling to pass on their skills. Nowadays, thunder magic has spread widely in the cultivation world, and many major sects have thunder magic lineages. So when you see a thunder magic cultivator, you don't think about their unique thunder spiritual roots, which is correct. They don't actually have any so-called thunder spiritual roots."

Other spells that differ from the Five Elements are almost never seen in the cultivation world. People are curious about these special abilities, but they lack ways to understand them, so they can only continue to attribute their existence to the once-popular hypothesis of different spiritual roots.

In our era, the so-called "unique spiritual roots" have become acquired spiritual roots, distinct from the innate five-elemental spiritual roots. However, only a very small number of people truly understand their true nature.

Li Xiangming suddenly realized that when he first saw Zhao Yue make a move, he thought she was a lightning magic cultivator, but when he saw Liu Xiong Yu's wind escape technique, he concluded that she was a wind spirit root cultivator.

This was a subconscious judgment, and he himself couldn't explain why.

It turns out that the presence of lightning magic is far greater than that of lightning spiritual root.

Li Xiangming was somewhat excited and stood up to ask, "Could it be that Chief Liu also lacks the Wind Spirit Root?"

"I told you, the wind spirit root does not exist!"

Liu Xiong Yu replied decisively, then took a breath and answered, "If it exists, it should be called Wind Technique. The Su family of Ziyin Cave is the inheritor of Wind Technique, and has passed it down for many years. I can trace it back at most to that Nascent Soul cultivator from the Su family who left the Wuliang Sword Sect. After that, the Su family's Wind Escape technique disappeared for many years until the appearance of True Person Miaoyin."

Although the Myriad Sounds Immortal is skilled in music and often uses her zither to fight, her wind-escape technique is equally terrifying. However, the 'Myriad Sounds Immortal' we encountered in the underground palace couldn't use wind-escape and claimed to be proficient in puppetry, which was full of flaws. However, she should also be a descendant of the Su family, otherwise she wouldn't be stationed at the Purple Yin Cave. We just don't know what her purpose is in impersonating the Myriad Sounds Immortal.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming finally understood why Liu Xiongyu had insisted that Miaoyin Zhenren was an imposter; it turned out that the other party did not possess the Su family's signature Wind Escape technique.

Su Qing doesn't seem to have it either.

It's rather strange that neither of the two descendants of the Su family knows how to use the Wind Escape technique.
Li Xiangming looked somewhat puzzled.

"That's not surprising!"

Liu Xiongyu added, "I'll try to explain in more detail. Spiritual energy has five elements, but magical power does not. This is because no matter what kind of spiritual energy it is, after being tempered by the spiritual aperture, it will become a similar magical energy cluster. The difference lies only in whether it is more abundant or more refined."

But spells also have attributes!
The reason lies in the diversity of spiritual apertures. Most spiritual apertures can only refine spiritual energy into magical power or purify magical power, while a few special spiritual apertures allow magical power to undergo changes. Different changes combined can produce qualitative changes, ultimately releasing astonishingly effective Five Elements spells.

You might wonder, can spiritual apertures only give rise to the Five Elements magic?
In fact, that's pretty much the case.

The influence of a single spiritual aperture on magical power is extremely limited!

What is the purpose of monks practicing spells? Isn't it to kill or injure enemies?

Complex combinations of spiritual apertures make spellcasting lengthy and impractical. Coupled with the limited understanding of spiritual apertures and the fact that Chen Zu's "theory of spiritual roots" divided spiritual energy and spiritual roots into five elements early on, ancient cultivators generally believed that five-element spells were the entirety of magical power.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, even the Five Elements spells themselves are different. You're a water-based cultivator, so you must have sparred with other water-based cultivators of your clan, right?

Li Xiangming nodded in agreement.

He and Li Xiangcheng had practiced the spell "Phantom Waves" together. Li Xiangcheng favored momentum, while he preferred skill. In the end, the two identical spells produced slightly different effects.

Furthermore, the "Surging Waves Splitting Palm" of elite disciples of Green Cloud Cave such as Zhang Min and Fang Renkui is also somewhat different from his.

Liu Xiong Yu shook his head: "This is just because you have different understandings of magic, which leads you to habitually stimulate a certain spiritual aperture more or less when you are channeling magical power."

What if we were to stimulate many completely different spiritual points?

Some people's water magic has extremely low temperatures, the cold alone enough to kill; some people's water magic has the power to suppress enemies with a single drop, while also protecting themselves with the defensive power provided by its density; still others' water magic possesses corrosive properties, capable of melting even magical artifacts. These aren't abilities unique to exotic waters, but rather abilities that cultivators can genuinely cultivate! Essentially, can they still be considered water magic?

Li Xiangming was slightly taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Liu Xiong Yu continued, "The reason why they are so different from the water magic you understand is that they use different combinations of spiritual apertures. Ancient cultivators found it difficult to break through the limitations of their thinking, so in their era, not only were there no other attribute spells, but even the types of five element spells were very few. However, Qi Ren Tian Zun did not follow the usual path. By constantly exploring the mysteries of spiritual apertures and trying various methods, he finally created thunder magic."

The spiritual energy required for lightning magic far surpasses that of ordinary five-element spells, and the same is true for wind magic. The difference lies in the fact that lightning magic, having been passed down through several eras, although scattered in all directions, has generally matured, requiring far fewer spiritual energy points and greatly reducing the difficulty of cultivation. Wind magic, on the other hand, has long been a secretive and isolated art, lacking communication, which has kept its cultivation difficulty stuck in ancient times. Even when individual sects acquire wind magic, they often lose their lineage.

Huanyun Village is a typical example.

As descendants of the Su family, they have preserved the Wind Escape technique, so even if they cannot find the Purple Yin Cave, they still have a chance to establish themselves in the world.

However, until Huanyun Village was wiped out, no one there ever mastered the Wind Escape technique.

"I was originally an undercover agent sent by Mu Ya Zi to Huan Yun Village, but I developed feelings for Su Qing. At the time, Mu Ya Zi was constantly hunting Su Qing down, and she had no choice but to agree to let me try. I cultivated for three whole months and made some progress, thinking that I could finally get rid of Mu Ya Zi. But I didn't expect that Mu Ya Zi had already caught up with us and eventually took Su Qing away." Liu Xiong Yu said, a trace of pain flashing across his face.

He quickly regained his composure, though a hint of melancholy remained in his expression: "I finally found Su Qing, but she... she won't forgive me! Of course, I dare not hope for her forgiveness either. If I could die by her sword, it would be the end of it all."

I never expected you to save me so many times! You are different from a cripple like me; you possess both talent and character, as well as courage. You are destined for greatness. It would be a pity if you were to die in the Purple Shade Cave because of me.

Before I jumped off the cliff, I had already decided to pass on my Wind Release technique to you. But don't be too happy yet. When I said you only had a sliver of a chance to survive, I was not exaggerating. Even those great sects with the heritage of Thunder Release, which value it highly, take nearly a hundred years to produce a successor. This shows how difficult it is to master Thunder Release.

If lightning magic is this difficult, wind magic must be even more so. The wind technique I possess is already considered a relatively mature one, but in the past thousand years, only three people—the Nascent Soul cultivator of the Su clan, True Person Miaoyin, and myself—have truly grasped it. The hardships involved are something you should be able to understand without me having to explain.”

Li Xiangming took a deep breath.

Over the past thousand years, how many cultivators of the Su family have practiced Wind Escape?

There are probably countless of them.

But only a handful of people actually succeed in cultivating it. Will he be the chosen one?

Li Xiangming didn't know that if he didn't learn Wind Escape, he wouldn't be able to leave No Return Cliff, let alone return to the Li family.

Is this what he wants?
no way!

Li Xiangming, with a resolute expression, knelt before Liu Xiong Yu: "Please enlighten me, Chief Liu."
-
Underground palace.

Deep within the magnificent palace, a semi-circular pool lies quietly.

The scorching steam rose up, enveloping the entire hall in a hazy mist, making the graceful figure in the pool appear and disappear like a dream.

Suddenly, a barely perceptible strange sound came from the bronze door.

Su Qing suddenly turned around and saw a small fox with colorful fur quietly appearing through the crack in the door.

At first, it cautiously lowered its body, its ears twitching alertly. But once it saw Su Qing's face clearly, its eyes immediately lit up with joy, and it rushed towards her without hesitation.

However, halfway there, Su Qing waved her arm, and several streams of water condensed into sharp arrows, which shot through the air!

The little fox hastily dodged but was still hit by a water arrow, falling to the ground with a bewildered expression.

It looked at Su Qing again, making sure it hadn't made a mistake, and finally let out a pitiful "woo-woo".

"You shouldn't have come."

Su Qing did not get up to comfort her, but only sighed softly.

Seeing this, the little fox became even more anxious, its ears stood up straight, and its whimpers were drawn out and trembling, as if it were begging for something.

"Gah!"

Just then, the lanterns on the roof of the palace began to flicker violently.

Two enormous crows shrieked in unison and took flight. One of them, unable to contain itself, swooped down and aimed its sharp claws straight for the little fox's throat!

The little fox instantly bristled, bared its teeth and growled, then nimbly leaped away to dodge the attack.

The giant crow continued its relentless attack, circling and chasing after the enemy within the hall, with another crow joining the encirclement. Although the little fox was exceptionally agile, it was ultimately outnumbered and quickly became exhausted, its movements slowing considerably.

It looked at Su Qing one last time, a deep reluctance flashing in its eyes, before transforming into a dazzling beam of light and disappearing behind the bronze door.

Su Qing watched this scene silently. The two giant crows did not give chase, but simply flapped their wings and landed back on the lantern.

They turn their heads from time to time, seemingly aimlessly, but no matter which direction they face, their scarlet eyes are always fixed on the pool.
-
"Cough cough."

A painful coughing sound rang out.

Liu Xiongyu covered his mouth, his fingers filled with blood.

He ignored it, his eyes fixed on the outside of the cave.

A cold wind blew outside, causing the gravel to tremble and Li Xiangming's green robe to flutter in the wind.

After observing for a while, Liu Xiong Yu said in a deep voice, "Although there are only a few spiritual apertures, their variations are endless! Therefore, wind techniques are not all the same. The Su family's wind escape technique was created based on the characteristics of the bone-melting yin wind. No Return Cliff is indeed a deadly place, but it is also a unique training ground for cultivating wind escape techniques. You should observe the changing trajectory of the bone-melting yin wind more."

Li Xiangming listened attentively. While following the method of Wind Escape, he channeled his magical power to stimulate his spiritual apertures, and at the same time, he released his magical power to actively approach the bone-melting Yin Winds around him, letting them devour him.

This ability to multitask was something he honed during his fierce battles against the evil Green Robe.

However, his gains were minimal on both sides.

Not to mention the bone-dissolving yin wind, it kept harassing him. If it weren't for the fact that the power of the Returning Void Talisman was still full, he would have given up long ago.

The training of Wind Release is even slower!
At this moment, Li Xiangming finally understood why cultivators with different spiritual roots were so rare.

Taking Wind Release as an example, although Liu Xiong Yu had already told him which spiritual points to stimulate, there were too many of these spiritual points and the routes through which they interacted.

He tried several times, but each time he gave up halfway through.

It wasn't that he didn't want to persevere, but his mental energy was being depleted too quickly. His vision went black, and what could he do?
According to Liu Xiongyu, this phenomenon is normal.

Because the complexity of Wind Release has reached the limits of the brain, only those with exceptional intelligence can barely remember those countless variations.

And this is just the basics!

Without a sufficiently powerful divine soul, a steadfast Dao heart, and outstanding magical skills, no matter how intelligent a person is, they can only look on with envy at the Wind Escape.

So, does having these four skills mean you've gotten started?
Still a long way to go.

The first step is to transfer magical power to stimulate the spiritual apertures.

Even if Li Xiangming could fully stimulate all the spiritual apertures according to the method description, he still could not successfully perform the Wind Escape, because the degree of stimulation of the spiritual apertures would also produce changes.

In the Five Elements magic, these subtle changes are inconspicuous.

Even if there is a difference in combat strength, it will be very small.

However, the reason why Wind Escape is special is that it is composed of countless subtle changes. To put it simply, quantitative change leads to qualitative change. This requires Li Xiangming to use each spiritual aperture just right.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to raise his magical power to the level required to cast Wind Release.

This raises another issue!
That is, the same spiritual aperture in two different people can have different sizes and depths.

For example, the Wind Release technique mentions that magical power should stay in the "Divine Grace Point" for a longer time. Are these techniques really suitable for everyone?
Liu Xiongyu held a negative attitude.

His Wind Release technique was developed through his own exploration, building upon the work of his predecessors.

Li Xiangming now also relies on the word "enlightenment"!

Fortunately, this is his advantage.

(End of this chapter)