Chapter 3: On Cultivation

  It's already daylight in the early morning, but due to the big mountain, the sun has not been seen yet.

  Pushi Village, where villagers have already gotten up early and started their new day of labor.

  "Doctor Xu is up early. Oh, Xiao Yu has also followed the doctor up the mountain? That's good, help the doctor more and you'll be able to eat with a clear conscience."

  Jiang Xiaoyu awkwardly rubbed his nose, the villagers here were all straightforward and the other person was right. If he himself was lazy and gluttonous, then eating would indeed be unscrupulous.

  Xu Rou doesn't like to talk much, but with Jiang Xiao Yu, she seems to have a lot to say. Normally, she just quietly works as a doctor and rarely chats with others. However, she always wears a smile, at least not being cold.

  The two left the village and walked towards the mountain in the east.

  Jiang Xiaoyu was not unfamiliar with this road as he had gone up the mountain with Xu Rou before.

  The mountain in the east doesn't have any special name, because it's located in the east, so it's called East Mountain. Although the name is ordinary, this mountain is not ordinary at all, having experienced wind and rain for many years. At the same time, it has also nurtured the people of Pishi Village below for a long time. If there was no East Mountain, life in Pishi Village would be very difficult.

  Today's herb-picking process seems to be a bit different. Usually, Xu Rou would pick the herbs, and if they were in a more dangerous location, Jiang Xiao Yu would volunteer himself, after all, he was a man, how could he let a girl do such things? If he could identify the herbs, he probably wouldn't have let Xu Rou come out, so while picking herbs, he was identifying them one by one, and as a result, when they were together with Xu Rou, there was a lot of conversation.

  Now, Xu Rou continued to walk up the mountain without any intention of stopping. Jiang Xiao Yu followed closely behind her with a basket on his back. Along the way, he encountered some medicinal herbs that he recognized, but Xu Rou didn't seem to want to pick them.

  With doubts in her mind, Jiang Xiaoyu followed behind him, not knowing what was going on in Xu Rou's heart. But since he had let her follow, it meant that she would soon find out what it was that made Xu Rou give up so many herbs.

  This is a very secluded mountain path, if it wasn't for Xu Rou leading the way, Jiang Xiaoyu felt that she would have definitely not found it. The surroundings were all flowers, grass and trees, but this small path seemed to be isolated from its surroundings, without any interference.

  After walking for a while, Xu Rou suddenly stopped in her tracks, and Jiang Xiao Yu hastily followed suit, narrowly avoiding bumping into her.

  This is a small pool of water with white gas bubbles rising from the surface. The pool isn't very large, probably just big enough for four or five people to bathe in.

  In the center of the pond, there was a small piece of land. On this small land, a three-leaf clover grew. Each leaf had strange patterns on it. Because it was a bit far away, Jiang Xiaoyu didn't see these patterns.

  However, the light that continued to move along the texture caught his attention.

  The surrounding mountains were a milky white, and the air was crisp and refreshing. The grass that grew in such a wonderful place must be extraordinary. No wonder Xu Rou ignored those medicinal herbs this time; it turned out there was a divine herb waiting for her!

  The clover was surrounded by deep water, and Xu Rou found it inconvenient to go down. So Jiang Xiaoyu asked: "Do you want me to help you pick it?"

  Xu Rou shook her head and said, "I discovered it three years ago, when it wasn't fully mature yet. I calculated the time, and today it should be fully mature, but unexpectedly it's too early, still need to wait for three more hours."

  "Moreover, it's better if I come personally, because it's different from ordinary herbs, and the method of picking is also very particular. Its name is Green Light Grass, where there is Green Light Grass, there is the existence of green light. If a cultivator obtains it, they can increase their cultivation, while an ordinary person who uses it as medicine can refine it into Life-Extending Pills, which can add ten years to one's lifespan." Xǔ Róu intentionally or unintentionally imparted knowledge to Jiāng Xiǎo Yuè.

  Ten years of life? This grass is truly divine! Jiang Xiaoyu's eyes widened, but he quickly calmed down. The Green Light Grass and the Life Revival Dan were both good, but he only had eleven months left to live. If he couldn't complete his task by then, not even a hundred Life Revival Dans could save his life!

  If it weren't for the promotional system, Jiang Xiaoyu wouldn't have known that there were cultivators in this world who could supposedly fly on swords, travel thousands of miles a day, and move mountains and seas with ease.

  Then how did Xujou know? Could it be that the other party was also a cultivator?

  "Can you, tell me about cultivation?" Jiang Xiaoyu asked with a smile.

  It's not that he wants to pry into her secrets, but rather he wants to know about cultivation.

  Xu Rou naturally understood the other party's meaning, slightly nodding her head, and then said: "What is meant by cultivation is simply cultivating one's energy. Energy is life, life is energy, it can also be said that it is cultivating one's life. Who doesn't want to live forever, who doesn't want to be eternal?"

  "What do you think?" Jiang Xiaoyu blurted out, and then he regretted his stupid move.

  "Unexpectedly, Xu Rou shook her head and replied, 'Long life, eternity, it's just another way of dying. But some people can't see through it, can't understand. So, I don't want to.'"

  She then looked at Jiang Xiaoyu and said, "When I saved you, I checked your body. It seems that there is a very ancient curse in your body. Specifically which era, I can't investigate. But this curse is terrible, I have no way to break it. If not for this curse, with your qualifications, you should be able to go far on the path of cultivation."

  In the end, Xu Rou wanted to say something but stopped herself and didn't tell Jiang Xiao Yu that he only had eleven months left to live. If within those eleven months, there was no way to lift this curse, then the other party would die without a place to rest in peace.

  "This damn promotion system! Jiang Xiaoyu cursed inwardly, what curse did he have? If anything, it was this promotion system that Xu Rou mentioned, the so-called curse must be it!"

  "You're already twenty-four this year, if you were a few years younger, maybe some powerful people would try to get rid of your curse." Xǔ Róu said with a hint of helplessness.

  The golden period for cultivation is from fifteen to thirty years old, and even if Jiang Xiaoyu can cultivate now, he will have at most six years of golden period left. In the eyes of some powerful cultivators, he has no value anymore, and they won't go to great lengths, or even harm their own foundation, to help him.

  Jiang Xiaoyu smiled and didn't say much. There was no way to cultivate, because he could only increase his cultivation through the benefits obtained from promotion, not that there was no way at all. This point, he naturally also didn't tell Xu Rou, this was his second big secret, couldn't be said out loud.

  "Can you tell me about the division of strength among cultivators?" Jiang Xiaoyu asked.

  As soon as he came to this world, he was curious about everything, especially the cultivation aspect. There were also some reasons because of his own promotion system. To promote points, cultivators must reach a corresponding realm. Moreover, it's always good to know more, and he himself is very curious about cultivation.

  I didn't ask before because I didn't know who to ask. When I asked the villagers, they just said it was a fairy and didn't know anything else.

  But today he found that people who understand cultivation seem to be around him. Looking at the other person's appearance, there is no intention of avoiding. So, he plucked up his courage and asked for advice with a thick face.

  In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators are mysterious and some people may not even meet one in their lifetime. That's why there are many legends circulating, but to Xu Rou, so-called cultivators were just stronger people, that's all.

  "The division of strength is better described as a boundary. On the path of cultivation, I know of roughly five boundaries." Xu Rou corrected Jiang Xiaoyu's point of view and continued: "The first boundary is the initial sensation. It can be understood as the breath of heaven and earth, or the spiritual energy. The human body corresponds to heaven and earth, and there are some acupoints that can accommodate spiritual energy. After sensing the breath of heaven and earth, one discovers which acupoints are sensitive to spiritual energy, and by opening them up, one can absorb spiritual energy."

  "It has been said in ancient texts that if the body is like a stream and a pool, it can gather to form an ocean. By opening up the 36 apertures within the body, one can receive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and thus enter another realm - the Sea of Energy. In a strict sense, only when you reach this stage can you truly be considered a cultivator."

  Jiang Xiaoyu nodded slightly, seeming to understand yet not quite understanding, then he asked doubtfully: "According to what you're saying, isn't spiritual energy everywhere?"

  Xu Rou smiled and shook her head, amused by Jiang Xiao Yu's words, responding: "The air is not spiritual energy. Only in some special places does spiritual energy exist, where there are signs of the heavens and earth breathing."

  It wasn't until then that Jiang Xiaoyu finally understood. Only in places where heaven and earth had breathed would spiritual energy exist.

  Xu Rou continued from the Qi Hai, continuing to say: "Thirty-six holes and crevices, accepting the spiritual energy, gathering in the body into an ocean. At this time, it is possible to use all kinds of magical powers, traveling thousands of miles a day, driving objects through the air is nothing. When the Qi Hai rises with clouds and mist, drifting down into the Dan Tian, that is cloud ascension. Once you enter the realm of cloud ascension, you can ride the clouds and drive the fog, traveling ten thousand miles a day."

  "Why can't the dantian hold spiritual energy?" Jiang Xiaoyu asked her own question.

  Xu Rou looked at Jiang Xiao Yu, who was just like her former self, raising all sorts of doubts about her teacher. The teacher patiently answered each one, only now the roles had been reversed.

  "The acupoints are more solid than the dantian, and they are also more sensitive to the spiritual energy. If you use the dantian to directly absorb the spiritual energy, it will cause your body to explode and die. Only by refining the spiritual energy through the acupoints, which is like clouds and fog, can it be absorbed into the dantian." Xǔ Róu said with a smile.

  Jiang Xiaoyu smiled awkwardly, messing around for half a day, those damn xuanhuan (fantasy) novels are all deceiving! Causing herself to make a big fool of herself, asking such an idiotic question!

  In short, the dantian can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but it needs a transition to do so. It cannot be introduced directly in the form of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, and must be transformed into soft clouds and mist before it can be absorbed.

  "The fourth realm, the dragon transformation. When the cloud and mist in the dantian are refined to a certain degree, they can transform into a divine dragon, coiled within the dantian. The divine dragon is originally the darling of heaven and earth, once it reaches the realm of dragon transformation, it will help you refine the dantian, making it unshakeable. At that time, the breath exhaled by the divine dragon is also the breath of heaven and earth, with spiritual energy flowing endlessly, never declining! When one reaches the level of dragon transformation, they are a great cultivator."

  "The fifth realm is the Divine Bridge." As he said this, Xu Rou let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. "Whether it's Cloud Ascension or Dragon Transformation, in the end, one will still die. Even the cultivators of that level can't surpass a hundred years of age. Legend has it that on the other shore, there is a perfect world where all living beings are immortal and do not die. To reach the other shore from this sea of suffering, one must build the Divine Bridge. This is the origin of this realm!"

  "Divine Dragon Bridge, with clouds and mist as the sea, reaching the other shore! As long as you step into this realm, you will have a lifespan of 500 years. Moreover, those who cultivate the Divine Bridge Realm to a high level can live for thousands of years!"