Chapter Fifty-One: Divided Attention

“Master, what did you just say?”
“Nothing, just recalling some old memories.”
Hearing that Old Qin's voice was noticeably heavier than usual, Gu Xiaopang, though unaware of what had transpired, instinctively felt it must be connected to the ancestral portrait before them.
“Master, although you may have been somewhat handsome in your youth, this is my ancestor's elder sister... Besides, she's been ascended for ten thousand years already. I advise you not to entertain any improper thoughts—it’ll only break your heart, hurt your liver, and damage your kidneys...”
“You brat, with the relationship I had with her, with your ancestor—do I even need to think of ‘improper thoughts’?!”
“What relationship?”
“Does it concern you?”
“It absolutely concerns me!”
“As if it has anything to do with you!”
...
Seeing that Old Qin’s previously oppressive mood had lightened considerably, Gu Xiaopang prepared to withdraw from the secret chamber to begin his cultivation.
“Advancing in cultivation is not always about speed.”
“Though it’s important not to get distracted during cultivation, at this moment, being versatile suits you well.”
“Whether it’s alchemy, artifact forging, array training, or physical refinement, all these will greatly help you compress and refine your true energy.”
...

Perhaps in a good mood, Old Qin, before returning to the stone pendant, gave Gu Xiaopang another round of guidance.
“Truly, having an elder at home is like possessing a treasure.”
It seems I must indeed divide my focus and multitask.
With a plan in mind, Gu Xiaopang continued his alchemy for several days, successfully crafting dozens of low-level, commonly used pills. Now, he was fully confident in his revolving pill condensation technique, and soon departed, heading straight for the Three Peaks Artifact Pavilion.
The Artifact Pavilion was divided into five branches: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Because of this, Gu Xiaopang was kept constantly busy, darting between the branches day after day.
Thus, for several days, one could always catch glimpses of his hurried figure moving among the various divisions.
...
Masters and elders often teach their juniors with phrases like, “Master one art, and all arts follow.”
But, in Gu Xiaopang’s words, that saying only applies to those true masters—those with high cultivation and extensive experience.
For mid- and low-level disciples, himself included, only one saying holds true: “Insiders see the essence, outsiders see the spectacle”—indeed, every field is a mountain unto itself.
...
After several days, Gu Xiaopang could now independently forge countless common and some low-level treasured artifacts. His mastery of the five elemental arts grew ever more proficient, and the Five Elements Ring, once ethereal, now felt increasingly substantial.
News of Gu Xiaopang possessing five elemental spiritual roots and proficiency in all five arts spread like wildfire, once again sparking heated discussion among both inner and outer sect members. Such talent was exceedingly rare in the current cultivation world.
Ignoring the gossip, Gu Xiaopang spent a few more days forging artifacts, then shifted his focus, heading straight for the Six Peaks Physical Cultivation Pavilion—the gathering place for physical cultivators within the sect.
...

As the saying goes, the path of Dao is arduous, the journey is fraught with hardship, and the road of physical cultivation is long...
Spiritual cultivators ascend as immortals; physical cultivators become saints.
Physical cultivators withstand the heavens with their bodies, strike the earth with their strength;
They don’t practice arts, only make their bodies stronger. With each punch and kick carrying terrifying power, they believe in overwhelming all with brute force, breaking ten thousand techniques with a single strike.
Those who succeed in physical refinement gain defenses no weaker than magical treasures, easily crossing realms in battle, their combat prowess awe-inspiring.
But their path is one of exceptional hardship.
For physical cultivators, refining skin, flesh, tendons, veins, bones, organs, blood—every part, inside and out, is subject to cultivation.
...
Gu Xiaopang, who rarely visited gyms in his previous life, now directly requested the elders of the Pavilion to seal his spiritual power, forcing himself to join the ranks of physical cultivators with nothing but flesh and bone.
Each day, he sweated buckets, his body bruised and muscles twitching and knotting...
After more than a month, his suppressed cultivation broke through, propelling him straight into the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Thus began another cycle of cultivation suppression and true energy tempering!
...