Cultivation: Starting with Sterilizing My Own Father

After finishing her classes in the afternoon, Wei Zhiying wanted to go to the Sutra Repository to get the cultivation manual, but she and her sister were stopped by Master Ying as soon as they reached the door: "Wei Zhiying, wait a moment. You just reached the first level of Qi Refining yesterday, and you worked hard this morning practicing your body. Xiao En took the wrong book again. I think you should go and get these books now."

Wei Zhiying turned her head curiously and took the books handed to her by Master Ying. They were the Guiyi Yangyuan Jue and the Guiyi Cuiti Shu, the most basic techniques for the Qi Refining stage. They were also the two books that Xu Ruosheng had picked up that morning.

Wei Zhiying immediately clasped her hands and accepted the books with both hands, saying, "This disciple thanks you, Master! This disciple was just about to go find these two books."

But Master Ying did not let Wei Zhiying leave: "Lanyin, you can go back first. Wei Zhiying, you stay for a while."

Wei Zhiying waved to her sister and then followed Master Ying into the Taoli Academy, to Master Ying's private quiet room. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the only sound inside was the rustling of leaves outside.

Master Ying did not explain the reason, but poured a cup of tea: "This is agarwood tea, a 'mind-cultivating drink' that calms the mind. Agarwood is a top-grade fragrance, and when added to tea, its aroma is mild and its taste is elegant. I often drink it before meditation or reading to calm my mind. You should try some too."

"Yes." Wei Zhiying picked up the bowl, took a sip, and put it down. "I wonder what business Master has with me behind alone?"

Master Ying did not answer, but instead took out a dish of preserved plums: "Try this with your heart. If you calm down, you will find that the agarwood tea has no bitterness and leaves a sweet aftertaste in your throat."

Wei Zhiying doesn't like drinking tea, and she couldn't get used to it in her previous life either. She just doesn't like the taste of tea. She doesn't even drink milk tea, so when someone invites her to drink milk tea, she says she only wants lemon water, and the other person thinks she's trying to save him money.

But since it was the teacher who gave the order, Wei Zhiying had no choice but to eat a preserved plum and take a sip of tea. This time, he couldn't hold it in, and the unpleasant taste made his small face scrunch up: "Uh... I'm sorry, teacher, my mouth doesn't seem to welcome your tea."

Master Ying was slightly taken aback, then laughed and put down his teacup: "Then forget it, after all you're still young."

Master Ying, with a gentle face and refined demeanor, looked at the slightly thin five-year-old boy before him and spoke softly: "Wei Zhiying, in my more than ten years of teaching, you are indeed a rare genius. Even though your spiritual root is only of medium grade, it is still a single spiritual root, and your comprehension ability is the best among this group of children. I have some doubts. Although it is said that poor children mature early, your mind is too mature. Yesterday, you reached the first level of Qi Refining in just half a day. Your future is limitless."

Wei Zhiying lowered her head, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up: "Master, you flatter me."

"But that's precisely why you need to calm down even more," Master Ying said earnestly. "Yesterday, Xiao'en frequently used her spiritual power to control your cultivation speed because you understood it too well. Among you ten children, there are naturally fellow disciples with better spiritual roots than you, but you were too impatient. Even back at Yunyin Lodge, you secretly cultivated in private. Xiao'en and I could both see that you were restless and distracted. You must know that cultivation is not just about refining qi, but also about refining the mind. If the mind is not settled, no matter how high your cultivation level is, it's just a castle in the air, and you may fall at any time."

Wei Zhiying pursed her lips, not immediately agreeing as usual, but after a moment of silence, she raised her head and frankly said, "Master, this disciple... really can't calm down."

Before speaking, Wei Zhiying reassured herself that these were not the teachers from her former hometown, and that asking questions directly should not be met with reprimand.

Wei Zhiying actually resisted asking questions. In her previous life, when she was young and hadn't developed her intelligence, the teacher would ask the students which questions needed to be explained when going over the test. But after they answered, the teacher would say that they also needed to explain how they usually listened in class. And so on and so forth. But after that, she became increasingly reluctant to open her mouth and ask questions.

The reason Wei Zhiying spoke up this time was because she knew that making a mistake in cultivation could easily be fatal, as is often said in novels.

The unknown is that being scolded and losing one's life are two different things, so I mustered up the courage to say it, thinking that even if I was scolded, it wouldn't matter.

Wei Zhiying wanted to cultivate quickly, become stronger quickly, and bring his sister a better life as soon as possible. He wanted to stand out from the crowd. In addition, Wei Zhiying himself was reborn with a cheat code, so he naturally didn't want to be inferior to others. Moreover, he could understand quickly. Therefore, this urgency made it impossible for him to be truly calm.

Upon hearing this, Master Ying did not become angry as Wei Zhiying had guessed; instead, he smiled with satisfaction.

He slowly squatted down, looking Wei Zhiying in the eye, his gaze as gentle as the warm spring sun: "Xiao Ying, you don't actually need to apologize for this. It's not your fault. It's human nature. Any beginner with your talent, when they first see hope in cultivation, wouldn't be filled with excitement and want to work hard day and night? But they don't know that if the theory is not sound, the foundation will be unstable, and all the drawbacks will emerge in practice."

"However..." Master Ying changed the subject, "There are indeed a few geniuses in this world who are not good at theory but are exceptionally talented in practice. But such people are extremely rare. Unfortunately, you are not one of them, but fortunately you have extremely high comprehension, so you should take the right path and lay a solid foundation."

Master Ying pushed the snacks towards you: "I know you're worried about your sister. I know you've been sensible since you were little, and you're a very loyal and affectionate child, which Xiao'en and I can both see. But the more that's the case, the more you need to protect yourself and not let those who care about you worry every day. Besides, I've heard that twins are connected on a spiritual level, so if you're in pain, your sister will surely feel it too."

Ying Zhixu gently patted Wei Zhiying's head: "Today's lessons are all over. Did you read the *Qingjing Jing* that I gave you yesterday?"

Wei Zhiying nodded quickly. During her lunch break today, Wei Zhiying took the opportunity to read a few pages.

"I don't expect you to memorize it immediately, I only hope that you can use it to calm your mind and cultivate without distractions. However, you may find the *Qingjing Jing* (Classic of Purity and Tranquility) somewhat dry and boring. I will tell you a *Qingxin Mantra* (Mantra for Purifying the Mind). From now on, you must recite this mantra every time you complete the Small Heavenly Circuit. Although I know you may think this is a waste of time, cultivation is extremely dangerous, no matter what stage you are in, so you must do this." Ying Zhixu said each word carefully: "For you, and for those who love you."

Wei Zhiying was taken aback, then quickly bowed and said, "This disciple thanks Master!"

Master Ying spoke slowly, his tone calm and drawn-out, each word like a clear spring dripping onto the rocks, reaching Wei Zhiying's ears: "A pure heart is like water, water is like a heart; a gentle breeze stirs, ripples do not disturb. Living in seclusion in the empty mountains, free from worldly strife, with no worries in the heart, one remains evergreen for eternity..."

The incantation is short, but its meaning is profound.

Wei Zhiying closed her eyes tightly, listened attentively, and memorized every word. But imagination is beautiful, reality is harsh. After the teacher finished reading, Wei Zhiying only remembered the words "pure heart like water" and "water as pure as the heart." Indeed, not everyone can be like Xiao Hong in "Dream of the Red Chamber," quick-witted and eloquent, successfully promoted by using her set of grandmotherly theories.

However, Wei Zhiying was hesitant to speak, and silently thought to herself: I should hurry back and go to the library to see if there is any content about the "Heart-Cleansing Mantra".

But the next second, Wei Zhiying felt the purifying mantra that the Master had just recited clearly appear in her mind. If she hadn't just been thinking of going to the scripture pavilion to find it, Wei Zhiying would have almost thought that she had memorized this passage from the very beginning.

Wei Zhiying subconsciously raised her hand, but stopped just before touching her head. She looked at Master Ying, whose face remained as gentle as a breeze and whose expression was always smiling, with a puzzled expression: "I knew you wouldn't remember, so I just used my divine sense to directly transmit information into your mind so you could memorize it. Reading with divine sense isn't essentially 'seeing,' but rather directly reading and analyzing information. Ordinary people understand books word by word, but by scanning books with divine sense, especially spiritual objects like jade slips and cultivation manuals that contain information, the knowledge, images, and insights recorded within can be transformed into a warm current, directly flowing into the mind. It's like instantly 'imprinting' the contents of a book into your mind."

Wei Zhiying's smile was practically reaching the sun, her eyes blazing with fervor: "Then, teacher, can I learn? When can I start learning?"

Master Ying thought for a moment and said, "If you're at this level now, you can start learning when you reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

"That's great! Then I won't have to go to school anymore!"

Master Ying's calm demeanor gradually cracked. His fingers unconsciously clenched and then relaxed. He kept reassuring himself that the child was only five years old and it was normal for him to want to take shortcuts. However, children need to be taught the basics from a young age and be trained from the beginning. He had to nip the problem in the bud!

"Wei Zhiying, I feel that given your current situation... you could have some extra lessons."

Wei Zhiying was taken aback: "Huh?"