Chapter 12: A Year Completed

“Oh, I’ve told you already—you’re more than old enough to draw in and refine spiritual energy directly. There’s no need to waste your time sensing it anymore… Sensing spiritual energy is only for children whose spiritual roots aren’t fully formed, to nurture them. You…” Chen Qingling, faced with Li Ji’an’s earnest request, was clearly impatient.

That is, until she saw the special garlic fried chicken Li Ji’an handed over…

“That’s a minor matter. I’ll teach you as soon as I’ve finished eating.”

After a year together, Li Ji’an had become much more familiar with the brothers Chen Zhaohu and Chen Qingling. Chen Zhaohu had refrained from consuming cultivation resources himself in order to save them for his younger brother, Chen Qingling.

When Chen Qingling was eight, his spiritual test revealed five strands of fire affinity, with hopes of cultivating a mid-grade spiritual root. For this reason, over the years Chen Zhaohu rented a practice ground for him in the United Market. Whenever he grew tired of staying there, he would return occasionally to accompany Chen Zhaohu, but spent most of his time in the market “sensing energy.”

Half a year ago, once the spiritual test confirmed that his potential was nearly exhausted, he formally began true cultivation. Unfortunately, his fire spiritual root only manifested nine strands—just missing the threshold for a true mid-grade spiritual root.

He cultivated the fire attribute method “Blazing Spirit Technique” that Chen Zhaohu had purchased for him, and reached the first layer of Qi Refining last month—making him a genuine cultivator.

“Old Li, you’re already thirty. Why are you still trying to sense energy? After age fifteen it’s pointless—your spiritual roots are set. Even if you sense something special, it’s useless. If you really can’t let it go, you’d be better off buying a technique and starting actual cultivation. Don’t waste any more time,” teased another member of the group, a first-stage body cultivator, swigging his wine.

“Why bother with energy cultivation? Li, your physique is already extraordinary—probably even better than Tiger’s. Body training is enough for you, at least you don’t need to spend so much. The little spirit stones we manage to save, we can’t even spare for a night at the Celestial Pavilion. Life’s too dull!” another teammate, a second-layer Qi Refiner, complained.

In Chen Zhaohu’s hunting party, aside from Chen Zhaohu, Li Ji’an, and two novice body cultivators, the other Qi Refiners were all temporary hires. Most of these temporary cultivators were unaffiliated wanderers, racking their brains to earn enough spirit stones just to stay in the market and continue their cultivation.

Li Ji’an smiled and shook his head. “I’m late to this, but I can teach the next generation. Experience is important. I want to understand it for myself, so when my children or grandchildren come asking, I won’t be clueless.”

This was truly his intention.

The difference was, he was gathering experience for sensing energy for the sake of his next life.

“You people spend your whole lives worrying about the next generation, even when your own hasn’t gone well. Aren’t you tired?”

“If Tiger weren’t sacrificing for that ungrateful brat, with his physique he could have married a houseful of wives—maybe even found one with good spiritual roots. What a pity…”

Chen Qingling, still licking his fingers, rolled his eyes at the third-layer Qi Refiner who called him ungrateful, but didn’t dare talk back.

There was a simple reason for his restraint—now that he had entered Qi Refining, he understood how difficult it was. In his eyes, a third-layer Qi Refiner was already a senior expert, not someone to challenge like a reckless youth.

That night, Li Ji’an finally managed to get the energy sensing method from Chen Qingling, saving himself three spirit stones.

The reason he targeted Chen Qingling was that his energy sensing technique had also been bought with spirit stones by his brother, and was a superior method—much better than what most unaffiliated cultivators in their party had.

“Heaven possesses the Five Elements, which generate and overcome one another. Man too possesses the Five Elements, which complement and balance. Heaven and man correspond; store the energy within…”

After Chen Qingling’s impatient explanation, Li Ji’an returned to his room to contemplate it alone.

“This isn’t difficult at all…”

With five lifetimes of soul power layered within him, this introductory technique was instantly clear. On his fifth attempt, he already sensed a faint resonance between the spiritual energy in the air and his dantian.

“So this is spiritual energy… it truly is exceedingly thin!”

No wonder Chen Qingling said that in this poor land, even sensing energy is pointless—there’s simply nothing to sense.

Li Ji’an tried several times more, confirming that he had fully grasped the method.

The reason he could sense spiritual energy and its resonance with his dantian even in such barren lands was, of course, thanks to the strength of his fivefold soul.

Over the past year, he had also realized the root of his increasing clarity and insight with each return to youth: each time, his soul grew a little stronger, his thoughts more agile, his understanding deeper.

It was all due to his soul!

In this world of cultivation, Qi Refiners absorb spiritual energy, refine it into magical power, and transform their dantian. Body cultivators, similar to the martial disciplines of the Celestial Dynasty, first temper their muscles and bones and refine their vital energies without the need for external aids, but in the later stages require special treasures and medicines to press their bodies to new limits.

No matter the path, the soul is crucial.

Qi Refiners need a strong soul to build their foundation. Many cultivation arts and crafts require it too. When the soul is refined into spiritual sense, perception becomes sharper. If the spiritual sense grows strong enough, it forms divine sense, then the nascent spirit, and eventually the true divine thought… Whether in combat, alchemy, or talisman crafting, it is essential.

Body cultivators require a powerful soul too, especially in the later stages—the stronger the soul, the more impact the body can withstand during tempering. If the body can take it but the soul can’t, the soul will suffer injury.

What’s more, the soul has an even greater effect on the sensitivity and perception of a body cultivator.

As for the rare soul cultivators, who focus solely on their souls and live by it—there’s no need to elaborate.

In this, Li Ji’an held a decisive advantage!

He had compared himself with several early-stage Qi Refiners, and their initial spiritual sense was clearly inferior to his.

“I must find a technique to refine my spiritual sense as soon as possible… With a refined spiritual sense, all five senses will be greatly enhanced.”

“It’s just a pity that soul cultivation methods are so rare. Otherwise, that path might suit me best in this life.”

He finished his practice and rose to his feet, just as the morning glow filled the sky.

A new day had begun.

It also meant that his one-year agreement with Chen Zhaohu had come to an end.

Over the past year, Chen Zhaohu had truly treated him as a good luck charm, insisting that simply having him along was enough. And indeed, as Chen Zhaohu had predicted, their team suffered no casualties that year, and their harvest was better than before.

This only reinforced Chen Zhaohu’s belief that Li Ji’an was a man of great fortune.

What Chen Zhaohu didn’t realize was that it was all thanks to Li Ji’an’s powerful soul, which allowed him to sense danger in advance and quietly guide the party to avoid it.

As for the increased gains, Li Ji’an had aimed for that as well—to accumulate more spirit stones.

Cultivation is no easy road; wealth, companions, law, and land—all are essential!

He opened a secret compartment and took out what remained after a year’s expenses: twenty-four spirit stones and seventy-three taels of spiritual sand.

Then he gathered up a stack of letters at the bottom.

There were eight in total. One was from Zhang Tiezhu, sent three months prior, saying he had smoothly joined a pioneering expedition, and after nearly a year of hard work, had gained the attention and commendation of the Yan family’s steward, finally glimpsing hope for immortality.

One was from Zhu Linxian, sent half a year ago, saying only that she was leaving the United Market to seek her fortune elsewhere—nothing more.

The remaining six were all from Zhao Shuyao.

Nearly every two months, she wrote: from the time she left the settlement, to the market, to her partings with Dong Jiangling and Zhu Linxian, to her failed application at the Elixir Pavilion… She mentioned everything, great and small.

In the first half-year, the letters were filled with persuasion and descriptions of the hope and future to be found in the cultivation market, hoping to stir Li Ji’an’s ambition.

But in the last six months, especially the letter from last month, she no longer urged him to pursue cultivation. Weariness seeped from between the lines.

Dong Jiangling, meanwhile, had not been heard from since.

“Let’s hope these spirit stones are enough for me to gain a foothold in the market!” Li Ji’an took his leave of Chen Zhaohu.

It was time to truly enter the world of cultivation.