Chapter 61 Levels In Cultivation

"Good, now let us move on to the cultivation stages that you will come across in qi cultivation. We have already established that qi cultivation is the best approach for you. So, let's discuss the journey you must go through following this path," Liang Tianye said motioning for Duncan to pour some tea for him.

Duncan obliged by pouring a cup of tea for Liang Tianye without any hesitation. He had been thirsting for such knowledge for some time now and if the mere act of pouring tea will give him more information, he will gladly do so without any complaint.

Liang Tianye nodded in satisfaction when Duncan gave him the tea. He seemed to approve of Duncan's mentality at the moment.

"A qi cultivator normally starts by absorbing qi into his body and slowly cultivating it. This stage is called the Qi Gathering realm. This absorbed qi not only strengthens your body but also rids you of any impurities present in it."

"Once you have gathered a certain amount of qi into your body, the qi in your body will undergo a qualitative change. This is the indication that you have stepped into the next level."

"There are nine stages in the Qi Gathering realm or officially known as the Qi Condensation realm. The qi you gather in your body will be in a gaseous state in this realm. When the gathered qi reaches certain quality and your entire body is cleansed of impurities for the first time, the qi will then change into a red gaseous cloud."

"This transformation is the beginning of the next level. The next level is called the Spirit Sea realm. The Spirit Sea realm is where you will expand your qi sea in your dantain."

"Dantain?"

"I forgot that you are completely ignorant about cultivation," Liang Tianye sighed and looked at Duncan with a complicated look on his face. "A dantain is where the qi that you gather in your body will be stored. It is both physical and also illusionary. You can learn about it later in the scripture pavilion. Now, don't interrupt me."

"As I was saying, the color of the qi sea will change from red to orange, to yellow, and so on. It will finally become violet in color. Having a violet qi sea is the peak of this realm. There are seven such transformative stages in this realm."

"When the qi sea's color becomes violet, it will start to become semi-solid. That is the indication that you are ready to step into the next level. For now, let's not discuss those things. It will take you a while to reach this stage."

"If you cultivate diligently and practice hard, it will not be difficult for you to reach such a level within a year or so. Who knows, you might even surprise me by reaching it sooner than I think."

"After leaving here, a servant will take you to register in the sect. You will be provided with sect clothes and the basic things one needs to have to cultivate for a year. Then, you will be taken to the scripture pavilion."

"Normally, new disciples are allowed to choose a cultivation technique from the lowest level there. However, your case is special. You are already past the prime age of starting your cultivation journey. There is a reason that sects usually only accept young ones as disciples. That is the age where you will cultivate at an optimal speed."

"But, that doesn't matter for now. I have chosen a cultivation technique for you that suits your temperament and special state of mind. You are lucky that I spent some time in choosing this as new disciples usually have to muddle through and find the optimal technique for themselves."

"So, don't waste my consideration. Since you already have a cultivation technique, you can choose two martial arts from the lower level of the scripture pavilion. I will give you two weeks to familiarize yourself with those martial arts and your cultivation technique."

"Aren't cultivation techniques the same as martial arts?" Duncan asked in confusion.

"That is a foolish belief that mortals have. How can a cultivation technique and a martial arts technique be the same? A cultivation technique essentially allows you to gather qi in your body. There are various ways in which this can be done. Hence the wide variety of cultivation techniques present."

"Some qi amidst the heaven and earth are special and you need tailored cultivation techniques to cultivate them. On the other hand, a martial art technique will allow you to use that gathered energy in an optimal way. A simple attack and an attack utilizing a martial arts technique are entirely different."

"A martial arts technique will amplify your attack speed, strength, or some other aspects based on what its creator intended for it to do. A cultivator who has cultivation but no martial arts technique is like a paper tiger. He will never be able to showcase the full power of his cultivation."

"That is why both are essential for a cultivator. There are also special techniques and secret techniques that specifically target a certain aspect. You will slowly learn about them in due time. I advise you to spend some time in the scripture pavilion and get to know the various ins and outs of the cultivation world."

"I will," Duncan said seriously.

Already he felt like his head was spinning from the absurd amount of information that Liang Tianye had delivered to him. He had never thought cultivation to be so broad. He had always imagined cultivation to be easy once someone obtained a cultivation technique.

But now, it was clear that cultivation was not that simple. There are various branches and intricacies present in it. And one had to be knowledgeable of all these things to become a true cultivator.

"Good, from now on, you will address me as Master. You are my sixth direct disciple," Liang Tianye spoke seeing that Duncan was taking this seriously.

"Direct disciple?" Duncan asked once more confused.

Liang Tianye raised his eyebrow and looked at Duncan seriously. Duncan felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up when Liang Tianye's eyes fell on him. He nervously swallowed and said.

"Direct disciple, Master?"

"Good," Liang Tianye nodded his head hearing Duncan's words. "Know this, I hate repeating myself. And I absolutely loathe being disrespected. If you want to live long, do not make the mistake of disrespecting me even on accident, ever again."

Duncan nodded hurriedly.

"When someone joins a cultivation sect, they will be graded according to their potential and assigned a rank according to it. There are the servant disciples who have the most inferior talent and potential. Then the mediocre ones, who become the outer disciples. And the good seedlings that become inner disciples."

"Usually when someone joins a sect, they start out as outer disciple, unless they are really talented. This rank is not fixed as you can move up in rank based on your performance and improvement in your cultivation level. After the inner disciples, there are the core disciples, whom the sect has high hopes for and nurtures with care."

"Alongside this, there are disciples who would have worshipped some powerful cultivator as their master and will be acknowledged by them. They are called acknowledged disciples. Then there are disciples who have been taken under the wing by an elder or seniors in the sect. They are called direct disciples."

"Oh, then why am I becoming a direct disciple at the start when I should be enrolled as an outer disciple? Not that I am complaining master, but I am curious to know the reason," Duncan asked Liang Tianye.

His past experiences have made it clear to him that being selected for a specific position was never a good thing. It either meant one will be exploited the most at that position or there was something else going on. So, he wanted to know what was up with him being offered such a lofty position right from the get-go.

"Interesting," Liang Tianye said smiling a little. "Most people would rejoice that they don't have to start from the bottom and leave it at that. Some might even let such a thing go to their head. But, your first response is to ask why you were taken under my wing."

"Ha ha ha… you are indeed different from others. You are not naïve like them. You are cynical. And it is a good quality to have. Always look for the danger if something seems too good to be true. Especially, in the cultivation world."

"However, you don't need to worry much this time around. The reason you were enrolled as my direct disciple is because of what happened during your fight with the demonic beast."

"You being able to battle a demonic beast alone would have seen you granted an inner disciple position in the sect. However, you did something that has been only heard in the old texts. You attained a state that was very much sought after but never truly attained by most people in the world."

"The state you were in while you killed the demonic beast is called "Heart of Killing". It is a very rare and unique phenomenon. Many powerful cultivators have strived to achieve it all their lifetime only to fail in the end."

"That is the reason, I am taking you in as my direct disciple. And, it is also the sect master's wish that I guide you personally. One doesn't cross the sect master and live to tell the tale."

"Heart of Killing?"

*****

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