Chapter 17: An Attempt at Cultivation

After withdrawing her hand, Su Xiaoyu gazed helplessly into the Diorama Box.

She had wanted to test her Spiritual Root silently, but she hadn’t anticipated such an astonishing result. The rich light had nearly shot into the sky, clearly alarming the people of the Qixi Festival Sect.

She looked into the Diorama Box and saw individuals emerging from the pavilion one after another.

The original thirty-six members of the Qixi Festival Sect were accustomed to strange events, but the sixteen newcomers wore expressions of utter shock, obviously frightened by what had just happened.

“At least my Spiritual Root isn’t bad,” Su Xiaoyu muttered.

As a dignified Heavenly Maiden, going to test her Spiritual Root would seem a bit odd. Fortunately, the Full Spiritual Root 100% Affinity was enough to suppress any questions. The Qixi Festival Sect members would simply think the Heavenly Maiden was acting on a whim, and the 100% Affinity result was more than enough to save face for her.

Su Xiaoyu glanced at her Faith Value.

After her previous upgrade to Vision Range, her Faith Value had dropped to 36. Before she tested her Spiritual Root, it was at 43 points. Faith Value didn’t just increase when she manifested her divinity; it also grew whenever someone held her in their thoughts with respect and reverence.

After testing her Spiritual Root, the Faith Value had climbed again, reaching 95 points.

Soon, she’d likely be able to upgrade her Vision Range again. But she felt no need to rush. One zhang of internal vision within the Diorama Box wasn’t a huge upgrade anyway. She could save up more Faith Value first, then upgrade when she had a larger stockpile.

That way, if something else requiring Faith Value came up, she wouldn’t be left empty-handed.

After pulling her gaze away from the Diorama Box, Su Xiaoyu took a deep breath.

Now, she could try cultivating.

How many people in this country hadn’t dreamed of riding the wind on a flying sword, cultivating to become an immortal?

Humans never lacked imagination. The problem was that these fantasies could only ever exist in imagination. Expressing them in writing, film, or games was already the ultimate realization. Making them real was practically impossible.

But for Su Xiaoyu, a possibility had just appeared.

‘That reminds me, as someone with 100% Affinity for all Spiritual Roots, which cultivation technique should I start with?’

Su Xiaoyu sank into thought again.

Different people had different Spiritual Root affinities. For instance, someone with 18% Metal Spiritual Root and the other four elemental roots below 15% should cultivate the technique that best highlights their Metal Root: the Gold Spear Heart Method.

If someone’s Wood Spiritual Root was dominant, they could cultivate the Greenwood Heart Method.

There were also the Flowing Water Heart Method, the Blazing Fire Heart Method, and the Yellow Earth Heart Method.

The disciples of the Qixi Festival Sect chose one of these five techniques based on their Spiritual Roots.

Of course, these weren’t the only techniques available for early-stage cultivators. Larger and more powerful sects likely possessed even better techniques for those in the Qi Refining stage.

Still, the techniques at the Qixi Festival Sect weren’t bad. The sect was built on mutual aid, and since most of its members were in the Qi Refining stage, they freely shared techniques among themselves. Because these were merely Qi Refining-level techniques, they were relatively cheap to acquire. Obtaining high-quality ones was perfectly feasible.

But what should she choose for herself? Just pick one at random?

Su Xiaoyu thought it over. Even if other people in the cultivation world didn’t have 100% affinity for all elements, it probably wasn’t unusual for someone to have similar affinities for two Spiritual Roots. In such cases, they’d just choose one as their path forward.

For her, it simply meant she had more paths to take.

So, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—which direction was best?

As she pondered, Su Xiaoyu’s gaze drifted downward, settling on her legs.

Looking at her legs, the answer in her heart almost called out on its own.

What was most important to her right now? Without a doubt, it was finding a way to stand up again. Everything she did had to be done with the premise of healing her legs.

That left only one path she could take.

Of the five elements, Wood was most clearly aligned with healing.

Su Xiaoyu knew all five cultivation techniques of the Qixi Festival Sect, and the method for the Greenwood Heart Method immediately surfaced in her mind.

“First, I need to perceive Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, right?”

Su Xiaoyu thought to herself. She wheeled her chair to the bedside, then climbed onto the bed. Using her hands, she crossed her legs into a meditative posture.

In the cultivation world, posture during cultivation was important. Sitting cross-legged with the five centers facing upward was said to be the most suitable position.

Once settled, Su Xiaoyu closed her eyes and began applying the contents of the Greenwood Heart Method, trying to sense the spiritual energy.

According to the technique, a special, intangible spiritual energy existed everywhere between heaven and earth. Once sensed, one could try to absorb it into the body and circulate it through its meridians. During this circulation, the energy would gradually integrate into the body, transforming into Spiritual Power.

This stage was called Qi Refining.

The more Spiritual Power one possessed, the higher their level of Qi Refining, from the 1st Layer to the 10th Layer.

Upon reaching the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, the Spiritual Power accumulated within the body would be sufficient to attempt Foundation Establishment, pushing oneself to the next level.

Of course, that was still far off for Su Xiaoyu. First, she had to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Su Xiaoyu concentrated wholly on sensing the spiritual energy. It was an incredibly tedious process. Many beginners in cultivation struggled to calm their minds and required the help of elders or special medicines to enter a meditative state before they could take this first step.

But there was no one who could help Su Xiaoyu. She could only rely on herself.

After an unknown number of hours, she finally sensed it—Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!

Within her bedroom, a faint, strange air current lingered, drifting aimlessly without any pattern.

This was Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!

The moment she perceived it, Su Xiaoyu immediately utilized the methods in the Greenwood Heart Method to begin absorbing it. She attempted to draw the stray energy closer, guiding it to enter through the space between her eyebrows and circulate through her body’s meridians.

As the spiritual energy flowed within her, Su Xiaoyu’s fatigue rapidly dissipated. She had successfully replaced sleep with cultivation.

Without realizing it, the entire night had passed.

When the chirping of birds drifted in through the window, Su Xiaoyu snapped back from her trance-like state.

“It’s morning already?”

She turned her head to look out the window. A sliver of dawn’s white belly was rising in the sky, and a cool breeze blew gently above the city.