Supreme Master - Chapter 42: Cultivation

Translator – Misty

Chapter 42: Cultivation

Later at night…

The stars were resplendent.

Gu Qingfeng, dressed in a simple robe, sat cross-legged on his bed. His hands rested casually on his knees, his eyes slightly closed. He seemed to be in a state of meditation, perhaps cultivating his spirit, or practicing breathing and energy exercises.

Wisps of spiritual energy, like a mist, orderly penetrated his body through every pore. As it circulated through his meridians, it nourished his internal organs and strengthened his muscles, skin, and bones.

In this world, the path of cultivating immortality is divided into four major stages and twelve realms.

Early Cultivator Stage: Acquired, Innate, Foundation Establishment
Daoist Master Stage: True Body, Purple Palace, Golden Core
Dao Venerable Stage: Nascent Spirit, Dao-Heart, Law Manifestation
Earth Immortal Stage: Great Achievement, Return to Origin, Transcending Tribulation

The Acquired realm involves absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth to temper the body.

The Innate realm involves absorbing spiritual energy to open up all the meridians in the body.

Only after all meridians are opened, one can establish the foundation.

There are three thousand great daos, and immortality is one of them.

No matter which dao one cultivates, the first step is always foundation establishment, laying down the roots of the dao, and this is no exception in the path of immortality.

The foundation is the root and the source of the dao.

In the path of immortality, foundation establishment emphasizes the unity of three: the spiritual root, Dantian, and meridians.

Only by connecting the spiritual root with the Dantian and meridians can one lay down the foundation of the path of immortality.

Successful foundation establishment is akin to rebirth. The body becomes stronger, lighter, and impervious to the extremes of heat and cold.

Foundation establishment is the first major hurdle on the path to immortality. Failure means an end to the cultivation journey.

A successful foundation establishment is desirable. However, if one fails, the spiritual root, Dantian, and meridians could be damaged or even completely collapse, making future cultivation extremely difficult.

A hundred years ago, at the end of the Ancient Era, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was sparse. Foundation establishment was extremely difficult and had a very low success rate. Many halted their cultivation journey at this stage, unable to progress further due to failure.

After the great calamity, in the current era began, and all things revived. Although spiritual energy is abundant now, and there are countless cultivation resources, rushing the process can still lead to failure.

Of course, failure in foundation establishment can sometimes lead to anomalies. This happens when the spiritual root, Dantian, and meridians become twisted and entangled during the process, leading to a body that is different from ordinary people. Although such anomalies result in a strong body, the twisted and chaotic nature of the spiritual root, Dantian, and meridians makes further cultivation extremely difficult.

The chance of an anomalous body resulting from failed foundation establishment is very low.

Gu Qingfeng was mistakenly believed to have an anomalous body because his physique differed from ordinary people.

However, his unusual physique was not due to a failed foundation establishment. Firstly, it was because he had tempered his body with the Nine Serenities Ancestral Fire. Secondly, it was due to the Heavenly Dao tribulation.

His dao foundation was destroyed by the Heavenly Dao, and to cultivate again, he must re-establish his foundation.

At this moment, spiritual energy was slowly flowing through his meridians. This energy was autonomously absorbed and transformed from the environment since his arrival at the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect. The energy was not abundant or strong.

Originally, Gu Qingfeng planned to live a leisurely life for a few years before considering other matters, so he did not take cultivation seriously.

Now, having promised Huo De, he contemplated that he should establish his foundation as soon as possible.

Even though he could rely on his physical strength to be fearless against anyone, he heard from Huo De that various special body types and foundations were prevalent nowadays. Gu Qingfeng, not very familiar with these, thought it wise to be cautious, lest he be unexpectedly overpowered by some lesser known talent.

It would be safest to establish his foundation quickly.

Next to Gu Qingfeng lay some white jade bottles and various colorful stones.

The white jade bottles contained excellent elixirs, while the colorful stones were peak-grade spirit stones.

These elixirs and spirit stones were gifts from Huo De. Seeing that Gu Qingfeng had agreed to help, Huo De naturally offered full support, giving him all his treasured cultivation resources.

Gu Qingfeng opened one of the white jade bottles, sniffed its contents, and then swallowed all the elixirs inside in one gulp. He then picked a peak-grade spirit stone and began extracting the spiritual energy within.

If Huo De were here at this moment, he would be utterly astonished.

These elixirs and spirit stones were his treasured possessions collected over many years. The elixirs in the white jade bottle were Fire Accumulating Elixirs, which Huo De could only consume one at a time and take years to digest. However, Gu Qingfeng swallowed more than a dozen of these elixirs at once.

The spirit stones were Star Fire Spirit Stones, containing Star Fire spiritual energy. For someone of Huo De’s cultivation, it would take a year or two to refine, but Gu Qingfeng casually refined one entirely, extracting all the Star Fire spiritual energy within.

Whether it’s elixirs or spirit stones, all cultivation resources must be used progressively. Especially the more potent ones, as indiscriminate consumption or refinement can overwhelm the spiritual root, Dantian, and meridians, possibly leading to collapse. If this triggers a backlash of internal spiritual energy, death is a real possibility.

Of course, for ordinary people, this is the case.

But for Gu Qingfeng, these problems did not exist.

It was not because he lacked a Dantian or spiritual roots, but because his body had been tempered by the Nine Serenities Ancestral Fire. Even though his body had been reduced to a mortal form by the Heavenly Dao, his muscles, skin, bones, internal organs, and blood still contained the essence of the Nine Serenities Ancestral Fire. The Star Fire spiritual energy aside, he could even refine the power of heavenly thunder if he wanted to.

So, he continued to consume the elixirs and refine the spirit stones.

Over the course of the night, more than a hundred Fire Accumulating Elixirs from over ten white jade bottles had been completely consumed, and more than seventy Star Fire Spirit Stones had been refined.

The spiritual energy inside Gu Qingfeng grew more profound.

But it was still not enough!
Far from enough.

Foundation establishment required a massive amount of spiritual energy, especially since his body was extraordinary, the required energy was an unknown quantity.

Relying solely on the absorption of the spiritual energy from heaven and earth, it was uncertain whether he could establish his foundation, even in a hundred years.

The elixirs and spirit stones brought by Huo De were indeed priceless, but only for ordinary people. In Gu Qingfeng’s eyes, they were no different from trash, just barely sufficient.

The night passed without incident.

Until dawn, when the sun began to rise.

Only then did he slowly open his eyes.

Looking at the empty white jade bottles and the depleted spirit stones,

Gu Qingfeng got up from his bed, stretched, and after freshening up, went to look for Huo De, planning to ask for more elixirs and spirit stones. However, after searching around, he did not see Huo De. Just as he was wondering, a voice came to his ears.

“Young Master, what are you looking for?”

It was Wang Dashan, the menial worker of the Hidden Spirit Garden. However, since Gu Qingfeng had been staying in the Hidden Spirit Garden, Wang Dashan had become his personal attendant.

“Where’s Huo De?”

“Elder Huo De went out last night… Didn’t Young Master know?”

“He went out last night?”

Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, thinking carefully, and then remembered that Huo De had mentioned yesterday that he was going to discuss plans with some of his people.

“Is the old man in such a hurry?”

Gu Qingfeng shook his head, sat down in the armchair to bask in the sun, pondering over Huo De’s plan.

It seemed the plan was first to let him pass the Outer Sect examination to become an Outer Sect disciple, then to compete for the position of the Chief Disciple of the Twelve Courtyards of the Outer Sect, and then to pass the Inner Sect examination to become an Inner Sect disciple, and finally to compete for the position of Chief Disciple in the Nine Halls of the Inner Sect.
According to the rules of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect, this approach was both in line with the sect’s regulations and above criticism, increasing his credibility. Then, he could naturally vie for the position of Heir-Apparent Disciple.

“Young Master… this morning, Senior Sister Tan Siru came by and said… said that Daoist Master Fei Xue wants to see you.”

“Daoist Master Fei Xue? Who is that?”

Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment. He didn’t recall knowing someone called Daoist Master Fei Xue.

“Daoist Master Fei Xue is the Overseer of the Outer Sect of the Cloudy Rosy Heaven Sect, an Elder of the Inner Sect, and also a Great Enforcer… And she’s also… Senior Sister Tan Siru’s Master…”

“Tan Siru’s master?” Gu Qingfeng frowned and asked, “What does she want with me?”

“That… Senior Sister Tan Siru didn’t say…”

(End of Chapter)