To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Beneath the blooming peach tree, the three sat around raising their cups. The warm sunlight made the glass goblets sparkle, and the aroma of the spirit wine in the cups was rich and mixed with the fragrance of peach blossoms, creating a unique flavor.

Chen Suzhen raised her glass first: "Today, Junior Brother Gu has entered the sect and Junior Brother Meng has broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, further enhancing his magical power. This can be called a double celebration, and we should congratulate them."

"Thank you, senior brother." Gu Fan and Meng Wei raised their glasses in celebration, and after a crisp clinking sound, the three of them drank heartily.

After setting down the glass cup, Chen Suzhen looked at Gu Fan and said solemnly, "Junior Brother will begin his cultivation after entering the sect, and there are some things I need to tell you."

Gu Fan picked up the jade pot, filled it for the two of them, and bowed, saying, "I hope you can give me some guidance, Senior Brother."

Chen Suzhen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Junior Brother, do you know what cultivation is?"

Gu Fan thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "So, it's about absorbing spiritual energy and comprehending the Great Dao in order to achieve longevity?"

"Junior Brother is right," Chen Suzhen praised, and continued, "As the saying goes, eating bear makes you fat, eating frog makes you thin. Ordinary people eat grains and cereals, and over time, they accumulate turbid qi in their bodies. They are also exposed to wind, frost, sun, and rain, and the innate qi born in the womb is gradually depleted. When it is completely exhausted, it is time to die. This is the principle that when qi gathers, one lives, and when qi disperses, one dies."

"If a cultivator wishes to live a long and healthy life, he must abandon the five grains and nourish himself with qi, refining spiritual qi into magical power. Therefore, the first stage of cultivation is called qi cultivation."

"When it comes to consuming qi, the most important thing is how to consume qi and what kind of qi to consume."

Gu Fan respectfully inquired, "I wonder what the intricacies are behind this? Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Chen Suzhen picked up the glass cup, took a sip to moisten her throat, and explained: "The foundation of spiritual energy in the world is nothing more than the seven elements of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Through combination and evolution, they can be transformed into ten thousand kinds of spiritual energy, such as the energy of mountains and rivers, the energy of ice, and the purple energy of the morning glow that Junior Brother collected when he was cultivating his energy."

There are also some secret techniques that require the collection of death energy, turbid energy, and nether energy during cultivation. These belong to the demonic path and should be killed without hesitation if encountered in the future.

The Qi Refining stage involves practicing basic techniques, while higher-level profound techniques are practiced after the Foundation Establishment stage.

Our Lingxiao Sect cultivates the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen, worshipping the Dao Ancestor of Creation. Our sect's techniques primarily utilize the five elements of spiritual energy, while also incorporating the elements of wind and thunder. Furthermore, our basic techniques are divided into three grades—superior, middle, and inferior—based on their quality.

Gu Fan straightened his posture and listened attentively, while Meng Wei, who already knew this knowledge, paid little attention to it and drank wine from his glass cup.

Chen Suzhen turned her gaze to the outside of the courtyard and said meaningfully:

"Low-grade cultivation techniques are the easiest to practice, even the most stubborn and foolish can get started. However, the magical power cultivated is weak and unreliable. Without the assistance of high-grade spiritual roots and elixirs, one will be stuck at the mid-stage of Qi Refining for life. Those with poor spiritual roots will not even be able to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining. That's how the students in the lower academy are. They have been cultivating for many years without making any progress, so they might as well go to the lower academy to enjoy worldly riches."

"Mid-grade cultivation techniques cannot be practiced by anyone without exceptional comprehension. The magical power cultivated is profound. Once one cultivates to the ninth level of perfection, even those with low-grade spiritual roots still have a 10% chance of establishing their foundation. This is the brilliance of our sect's cultivation techniques. Other sects' basic cultivation techniques only offer a 1% chance of establishing one's foundation with low-grade spiritual roots."

Gu Fan's spirits lifted upon hearing this. Possessing the All-Seeing Eye, he was not afraid of being stumped by comprehension difficulties, making him perfectly suited to cultivate the second type of technique. However, he remained silent, waiting for Chen Suzhen to continue.

"As for high-grade cultivation techniques..." Chen Suzhen said, glancing at Meng Wei.

Meng Wei noticed Chen Suzhen's gaze, and laughed out of surprise. He put down his wine cup and said, "So that's why Senior Brother Chen came looking for me. He's using me as a raft to warn Junior Brother Gu."

Chen Suzhen snorted lightly, offering no explanation: "High-grade cultivation techniques are not only more difficult to cultivate than mid-grade techniques, but they also pose immense dangers during the cultivation process, easily damaging the foundation of one's cultivation, thus making the progress extremely slow."

Meng Wei interrupted, unconvinced, "Senior brother, why do you only talk about the disadvantages and not the advantages? If you master a superior cultivation technique, not only will your magical power be far superior to the former, but you will also have a 20% higher chance of winning when you are building your foundation."

Chen Suzhen retorted irritably: "After the age of sixty, the physical body declines and the probability of Foundation Establishment decreases. When you and I went up the mountain at the age of twenty, we cultivated for thirty years and only reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Do you think you can reach the ninth level of perfection in this lifetime?"

First cultivate the "Azure Yang Jade Book," then proceed to cultivate the "Divine Firmament Langhuan Golden Book"—this is indeed the right path, but one must proceed according to one's abilities.

Meng Wei stopped talking, picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing the atmosphere become tense, Gu Fan first filled the cups of his two senior brothers and raised his cup, saying, "Why do you two senior brothers have to do this? Before I went up the mountain, my senior uncle Jingxuan told me, 'The road is long and arduous, so you should have a steadfast heart.' We cultivators not only seek longevity, but also seek to live without regrets."

"Well said!"

Meng Wei praised him, broke the silence first, raised his glass and clinked it with Gu Fan's, then turned to look at Chen Suzhen.

"When breaking through the realm of the Qingyang Jade Book, one needs to refine a trace of Qianyang Thunder Qi. After all these years, haven't I successfully refined it? Perhaps in a few years I will catch up with my senior brother."

"Yes! You'll reach Foundation Establishment next year and advance to the Inner Sect. I'll call you Martial Uncle then, okay?" Chen Suzhen said sarcastically.

Meng Wei chuckled twice, a blush creeping onto his dark face, and said shyly, "That's too embarrassing."

"You!" Chen Suzhen seemed to be choked up, speechless for a moment.

After a moment of silence, Chen Suzhen shook her head, ignoring Meng Wei, and instructed Gu Fan, "Junior Brother can go to Wendao Peak tomorrow to choose a cultivation method. You can make your own choice at that time. Junior Brother's words 'no regrets' are indeed true."

"May I ask, senior brother, how do I get to Wendao Peak?"

Gu Fan traveled by flying magical artifacts all day. Although there was a white jade boat in his storage bag, he had not yet absorbed qi and had no magical power, so he could not control the boat.

We can't possibly travel all the way over mountains and valleys, can we?

Chen Suzhen slapped her forehead: "I almost forgot to tell my junior brother. Among the various items we received at Fengxian Hall today, there is a jade slip containing the 'Hundred Explanations of Lingxiao,' which contains all the details of the sect."

The blue jade bottle contains the Bigu Pill, enough to last for a month. Once my junior brother has mastered Qi cultivation, he will no longer need to eat.

The white jade bottle contains a spirit beast pill. There are flocks of cranes at the foot of the mountain; these cranes love this item and are already sentient. Junior brother, you can rent one of these cranes to take you there.

"If you finish the Bigu Pills and haven't yet grasped the cultivation technique, won't you go hungry?" Gu Fan asked curiously.

Chen Suzhen hadn't expected Gu Fan to ask such a question. After a moment of silence, she pondered and said, "If you can't cultivate Qi even after a month, then go down the mountain and travel three thousand miles east. There is a Taihe Mountain there, and on the mountain is a sect called the Hundred Refinements Sect. Perhaps it would be more suitable for you to cultivate there."

Upon hearing this, Meng Wei burst out laughing, spitting out the wine in his mouth.

Gu Fan blinked, confused, but inexplicably felt that Senior Brother Chen's insults were quite vulgar.

The three chatted and laughed for a while longer, until the new moon rose before they parted ways.

Chen Suzhen sailed away on a willow-leaf boat amidst the clouds. The sky was a pale blue, and the clouds pushed the willow-leaf boat like waves. The evening breeze blew up his clothes and long hair, making him look as if he were crossing the sea.

Meng Wei drank the most and staggered back to his residence.

As soon as Gu Fan returned to the courtyard, he heard Meng Wei's rough and loud voice: "The thunder of breaking mountains tempers the yang energy, the ambition of walking through the void for thirty autumns has not been emptied. Why grieve for white hair without regrets? With perseverance, one can pierce through the rainbow."

Back in his room, Gu Fan took off his clothes and lay down on the soft bed. His mind drifted back to the events of the past few days, as if in a dream. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but he drifted off to sleep peacefully.