Chapter Ten: The First Practice of the Technique

The moon hung like a silver platter in the sky, stars scattered across the heavens, the chirping of insects and the calls of birds weaving together a tranquil song in the cool, gentle breeze of early autumn.

Yang Yan lay on his back atop a massive boulder in the woods behind the mountain, arms folded behind his head, chewing idly on a blade of grass. He let its bitter taste spread in his mouth, the moonlight pouring down like molten silver, illuminating his handsome yet still youthful face with an indescribable serenity and peace.

It had been more than ten days since he overheard his father and the elders of the clan in the discussion hall. During this time, he had never once mentioned his cultivation to his father. He spent his days resting in his room, sometimes playing with the ever-boisterous little Ziling, and rarely went out. Fortunately, his father and the clan members were busy with preparations for the “Great Martial Gathering of the Clans,” and as the third young master, he had always been nearly invisible within the Zhang family. Thus, no one paid attention to his unusual behavior.

When night fell and all was quiet, Yang Yan would slip away from the Zhang estate to the rear mountain, where he began his cultivation in secret.

The spiritual energy on the mountain was particularly dense, and after more than ten days of adjustment, Yang Yan had gradually become proficient at absorbing and refining this energy. By now, his strength could barely be considered that of a first-level cultivator in the Spirit Sensing Realm.

In truth, the initial stage of drawing spiritual energy into the body required gathering it within the “spirit hub” to be refined and then channeled throughout the body, nurturing and strengthening the internal organs, meridians, and vital points. The Body Tempering Realm focused on the muscles and bones, but the deeper organs and meridians within remained fragile.

For this reason, most cultivators did not rush to enhance their power after stepping into the Spirit Sensing Realm. Instead, they used the spiritual energy to nourish every part of their body, ensuring a solid foundation for future cultivation.

Once this step was complete, the most crucial choice awaited every cultivator.

The choice of a cultivation method.

The importance of a cultivation method was self-evident; as one's skill grew, the difference between high and low-level methods became even more pronounced. For all who had just entered the Spirit Sensing Realm, a high-level cultivation method was their greatest guarantee on the path to power.

That was why so many cultivators fought to join ancient sects or established clans: because of their profound heritage and superior cultivation methods.

Naturally, when faced with a choice between the “Nine Nether Lunar Art” and the Zhang family’s highest-level “Yellow Grade Method,” Yang Yan had no trouble deciding. What troubled him, however, was the difficulty of cultivating the former.

The Nine Nether Lunar Art was not obscure or complicated; rather, it was surprisingly concise. It required using the five elemental energies to strike five great acupoints within the body, forcibly opening five additional “spirit hubs” of different elemental attributes apart from the body’s innate one, each to store a specific type of spiritual energy.

It sounded simple, but anyone who claimed to possess six spirit hubs would be considered mad. Yang Yan was no exception.

Only because of his previous encounter in that mysterious space—and the fact that he’d broken the “cannot cultivate” curse—did he not dismiss the cultivation method as nonsense.

“A real man must not be so hesitant. Am I truly that useless?”

After a long moment, Yang Yan suddenly sat up, as if making a firm decision. The hesitation and confusion on his face vanished, replaced by resolve and determination.

Closing his eyes, he sat cross-legged atop the boulder. The spirit hub in his lower abdomen began to spin slowly, like a windmill, and the air around him seemed drawn in, converging silently from all directions.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was a blend of the five elements. Cultivators always chose the element that matched their innate spiritual attribute to absorb and refine. The first spirit hub Yang Yan intended to open was “water,” so he focused on sensing and absorbing the water-element energy in the world around him.

As the energy entered his spirit hub and was refined, it gradually became a faint, misty thread of spiritual power.

Holding his breath and concentrating, Yang Yan carefully guided this thread downward, toward the “sea of qi.”

The spirit hub was located at the navel, while the “sea of qi” lay about a finger’s breadth below it. The first step of cultivating the Nine Nether Lunar Art was to open a “water” spirit hub at the sea of qi.

Once this was accomplished, the next step was to open a “wood” spirit hub at the Tian Shu point on the right side of the abdomen, then a “fire” spirit hub at the Zhong Wan point in the center, an “earth” spirit hub at the Tian Shu point on the left, and finally, a “metal” spirit hub at the Yin Tang point between the eyebrows.

Thus, with all five elements in place, the original abdominal spirit hub would serve as the nexus, linking the six spirit hubs together. Among peers of the same level, such a cultivator would be unparalleled.

For now, Yang Yan was cautiously attempting the first step.

There were many meridians connecting the abdominal spirit hub to the sea of qi, and the Nine Nether Lunar Art specified the shortest route—though also the most fragile meridian.

Yang Yan carefully directed the slender thread of spiritual energy along this particular path toward the sea of qi.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the energy entered the meridian, his body tensed, and an intense, needling pain flared in his lower abdomen. The meridian itself twisted and writhed like an earthworm under the agony.

In no time, Yang Yan was drenched in sweat, his features contorted with pain, his expression strange and almost ferocious.

Amid the burning pain in his meridian, there was a piercing chill as well, one he recognized—it was the same coldness from the frigid pill he’d taken before.

As it turned out, the cold pill within him had not disappeared after that day. For reasons unknown, it had fused with his spirit hub, so its bone-chilling energy now mingled with the spiritual power entering his body.

Yang Yan had no idea whether this would prove a blessing or a curse.

But now was not the time to ponder such questions. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to endure, steadily guiding the thin thread of energy through his meridian.

The pain grew more intense, radiating from his lower abdomen. Curled atop the boulder, Yang Yan’s body arched like a shrimp, sweat soaking through most of his tunic.

Whenever he reached his limit, memories of his father’s disappointed face and the scornful, disdainful gazes of his clansmen flashed through his mind.

“Ah!” Yang Yan threw his head back and screamed, his voice hoarse with pain, anger, and resentment—

But above all, with defiance.

He refused to remain a worthless outcast in others’ eyes.

He refused to let his father suffer the elders’ contempt because of him.

He refused to live an ordinary, mediocre, and fleeting life like the countless others on this continent.

With that desperate cry, the gossamer thread of spiritual energy finally broke through the meridian and entered the sea of qi.