My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

This is the direct path to immortality! A princess of the Tang Dynasty has actually come into contact with such a legendary divine method! The two were overjoyed and excited, their hands trembling slightly.

Chang Le was completely taken aback and flattered as she stepped forward, carefully picking up the ancient book.

Little Sizi curiously leaned over and stood on tiptoe to look at the cover of the book.

Finding that there was neither a picture of osmanthus cake nor the aroma of candied hawthorn, she immediately pouted in disappointment, turned around and ran back to Empress Zhangsun's arms to continue eating her snacks.

"Now that you've taken the book, I'll explain the basics of cultivation to you."

Li Chen took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and began to give everyone a basic introduction to cultivation.

"The first step in cultivation is called guiding Qi into the body."

"By absorbing the minute amount of spiritual energy between heaven and earth into the body and storing it in the meridians, there is no protective shield at this time, so it cannot block swords and spears."

"But it can strengthen the body, gradually eliminate all diseases, and give strength far exceeding that of ordinary people."

"It's probably at the level of a top-tier martial arts master. He can easily take on dozens of ordinary people, but he can't fly."

Chang Le listened intently, silently memorizing the information.

"The second step is the Qi Refining Period."

Li Chen held up two fingers.

"It is divided into the initial, intermediate, advanced and great perfection stages. At this stage, the spiritual energy in the dantian becomes gaseous and has a very low endurance, so it can only bless the physical body for a short time."

"It can heal its wounds to a small extent, and it can leap lightly, at most gliding low over the grass for a short distance. Its spiritual sense can extend for several dozen feet. But it is not yet qualified to fly on a sword."

"The third step is the foundation building period."

Li Chen glanced at Li Shimin, whose eyes were shining.

"This is the dividing line between mortals and true cultivators. Spiritual energy condenses into liquid true essence, which can support a true essence shield. One hand has the strength of more than a thousand catties, can fly at low altitude on a sword, and can detect a radius of three miles with divine sense."

"Upon reaching this level, one becomes immune to all diseases, ineffective against mortal poisons, and impervious to swords and blades."

Li Chen abruptly changed the subject, pouring cold water on the situation.

"However, don't be too happy yet. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has only just recovered, and the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao are pressing down hard. So even if you cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage, it will be the castrated version I just mentioned, and its power will be greatly reduced."

"And what's the final step?" Li Shimin asked impatiently.

"Golden Core stage." Li Chen pointed to himself.

"Liquid true essence is compressed and condensed into a golden core, giving rise to its own primordial core essence. Spiritual energy forms a large circulation within the body, eliminating the need to frequently absorb external spiritual energy. However..."

Li Chen sighed.

"Due to the limitations of heaven and earth, my current Golden Core is also a castrated version of a low-level Golden Core."

"The production of primordial essence is too slow. In the early stages of fighting, we still need to rely on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish it."

"Unless the spiritual energy recovers to a certain extent in the future, one can become a true Golden Core expert."

After explaining the realm, Li Chen pointed to the open space in the center of the courtyard.

"Alright, that's all the basic common sense. Chang Le, sit cross-legged, turn to the first page, and try to sense the surrounding airflow according to the meridian diagram on it."

Chang Le followed his instructions and walked to the open space. She straightened her skirt, sat down cross-legged gracefully, and closed her eyes.

Li Chen leaned back in the rocking chair, picked up his teacup again, and gently blew on the floating tea leaves.

"Don't rush. It's always very difficult and slow at the beginning of cultivation. Some people can't even get the hang of it after ten days or half a month."

"But as long as you're willing to work hard and practice step by step, one day you'll be able to..."

Li Chen hadn't finished his polite words.

His voice abruptly stopped.

The air pressure in the courtyard suddenly dropped.

The gentle breeze instantly turned into a gale, and the surrounding air emitted a muffled howling sound. All the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to have gone mad, rapidly swirling and converging around Chang Le as the center.

A transparent cyclone, visible to the naked eye, formed above Chang Le's head.

The vortex grew larger and larger.

The fire started in the backyard of the Qin Prince's mansion and spread wildly outwards.

In less than half an hour, the sparse spiritual energy that had been drifting in the air above most of Chang'an City was forcibly pulled over by this violent suction force, flowing into Chang Le's frail body like a river bursting its banks.

Click click click.

The bones inside Chang Le's body emitted a faint popping sound.

Guide the Qi into the body!

Early stage of Qi Refining!

Mid-stage of Qi Refining!

That terrifying momentum of breakthrough was utterly unstoppable, showing no signs of slowing down at all. It continued to surge all the way to the late stage of Qi Refining before the greedy vortex of spiritual energy slowly dissipated due to the depletion of the surrounding spiritual energy.

"Clatter".

The lid of the teacup in Li Chen's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

He sat stiffly in the chair, dumbfounded, his lips twitching wildly as if he had been electrocuted.

I worked myself to the bone, relying on my spiritual space to barely maintain my cultivation for over three years before finally reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

This girl broke through three realms in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn?!

Has Heaven gone blind?! This cheat is way too obvious! No, it's been on all along.

Chang Le slowly opened her eyes.

A glint of icy blue light flashed in her normally gentle eyes.

She lowered her head, clenched her fists, and felt an unprecedented sense of ease throughout her body, as if she had shed the invisible shackles that had weighed her down for over a decade, and her limbs were filled with a terrifying power capable of shattering even the hardest rocks.

"Sixteenth Brother." Chang Le stood up in surprise and looked at Li Chen, who was frozen in place.

"I feel the energy flowing so fast through my meridians. Does this mean I've succeeded in my cultivation?"

Li Chen wanted to cry but had no tears.

He took a deep breath, his face contorted in a grimace, and nodded dryly.

"Yes... I have succeeded in my cultivation."

"So, what stage is my cultivation at now?" Chang Le asked expectantly.

"Did you just draw in Qi?"

Li Chen clutched his chest, feeling a dull ache in his heart.

"It's not about drawing qi into the body. It's the late stage of qi cultivation."

"what!"

Chang Le exclaimed in surprise and quickly covered her mouth with her fair little hand, her face full of disbelief.

She carefully sensed the flow of spiritual energy within her body, then suddenly frowned, her tone even carrying a hint of regret.

"But sixteenth brother... I feel like I can still improve further, but the cool energy around me has suddenly disappeared, and it's not enough for me to break through."

"And I had a vague feeling that I should stop and consolidate my foundation before continuing to practice."

puff!

Li Chen seemed to hear the sound of his own Dao Heart shattering.

He put down his teacup, utterly dejected, stood up abruptly from the rocking chair, and turned away with a flick of his sleeve.

"Let's go, I'm done playing."

As Li Chen walked into the house, he cursed wildly in his mind.

Chang Le has definitely activated this! And it's the kind of top-tier VIP cheat that grants invincibility and a hundred times the experience! That trashy Soul Space has ruined my youth!

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun sat beside her, witnessing the terrifying spiritual storm surrounding Chang Le from beginning to end.

The two went from initial astonishment to ecstatic joy, their mouths agape wide enough to fit two eggs.

Seeing Li Chen's embarrassed expression, Li Shimin's eyes lit up and he immediately moved closer.

He stood with his hands behind his back, swaggering in front of Li Chen, his smiling face full of sarcasm.

"Oh dear!" Li Shimin deliberately raised his voice, smacking his lips in an extremely lewd tone.

"It's all because our parent, Le, is too talented! He just sat there casually and suddenly skipped several levels!"

Li Shimin stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Let me think about this. Someone seems to have cultivated for over ten years and only barely managed to reach the early stage of the Golden Core realm?"

"Let me think carefully, who exactly is this mediocre talent?"

After saying that, Li Shimin brought his face close to Li Chen's and raised his eyebrows repeatedly in a cheeky manner.

Li Chen's anger surged to the top of his head.

He gritted his teeth and grabbed Li Shimin's sleeve.

With his left palm facing upwards, he formed a mudra, and a blinding purple-blue lightning bolt instantly leaped wildly in his palm, crackling and exploding with terrifying sounds. The aura of destruction pressed directly against Old Li's nose.

"Old Deng."

Li Chen's eyes were red, and he became furious.

"Look at the palm grenade in my hand. I'll give you a chance to reorganize your thoughts."