shī wàng de tàn xī chuán lái ， yí gè xiàng mào píng fán de shào nián ， mǎn liǎn mù rán de biǎo qíng ， yòu shī bài le ， zhè yǐ jīng shì sān gè yuè lái de dì sì shí jiǔ cì chōng guān shī bài ， jí biàn lín xuān xīn zhì jiān rèn ， cǐ shí yě bèi jǔ sàng hé jué wàng bāo wéi 。
失望的叹息传来，一个相貌平凡的少年，满脸木然的表情，又失败了，这已经是三个月来的第四十九次冲关失败，即便林轩心智坚韧，此时也被沮丧和绝望包围。
A disappointed sigh echoed. A plain-looking youth, his face expressionless, had failed again. This was the forty-ninth consecutive failure in three months. Even though Lin Xuan's mind was resilient, he was now surrounded by disappointment and despair.
shào nián de zuǐ jiǎo biān liú lù chū yī sī kǔ sè de xiào róng ， yáo tóu kàn le kàn zì jǐ de shǒu ， nán dào zì jǐ de zī zhì zhēn zhè me chà ma ？
少年的嘴角边流露出一丝苦涩的笑容，摇头看了看自己的手，难道自己的资质真这么差吗？
A bitter smile played on the corner of his mouth as he shook his head, looking at his hands. Was his talent really that poor?
lín xuān jǐn jǐn wò jǐn le quán tou ， zhǐ jiǎ yǐ jīng shēn shēn de zhā rù le ròu zhōng ， kě tā fǎng fú yì diǎn yě bù jué dé téng 。
林轩紧紧握紧了拳头，指甲已经深深的扎入了肉中，可他仿佛一点也不觉得疼。
Lin Xuan tightly clenched his fist; his nails had already sunk deeply into his flesh, but it didn't seem to bother him much.
lín xuān jīn nián shí qī suì ， bài rù piāo yún gǔ mén xià yǐ jīng sān nián 。
林轩今年十七岁，拜入飘云谷门下已经三年。
This year marked Lin Xuan's seventeenth birthday. He had been a disciple of the Drifting Cloud Valley for three years now.
piāo yún gǔ ， shì xiū zhēn jiè de yí gè xiǎo mén pài ， yōng yǒu dì zǐ jìn qiān ， ér lín xuān jiù shì dī jiē dì zǐ zhōng de yī yuán 。
飘云谷，是修真界的一个小门派，拥有弟子近千，而林轩就是低阶弟子中的一员。
The Drifting Cloud Valley was a small sect in the cultivation world with nearly a thousand disciples. Lin Xuan was one of the lower-ranking disciples.
sān nián shí jiān ， yǔ tā tóng qī rù mén de shī xiōng shī dì men zǎo yǐ mài rù le líng dòng zhōng qī ， yǒu jǐ wèi zī zhì chū zhòng de shèn zhì yǐ jīng jìn rù le dì wǔ céng de hòu qī ， kě tā què yī rán zài dì yī céng pái huái 。
三年时间，与他同期入门的师兄师弟们早已迈入了灵动中期，有几位资质出众的甚至已经进入了第五层的后期，可他却依然在第一层徘徊。
In just three years, his fellow juniors and seniors had already advanced to the middle stage of Spirit Flexibility. Several exceptionally talented ones had even entered the fifth layer's late stage. However, he still lingered at the first layer.
jìn zhǎn rú cǐ zhī màn ， bú shì lín xuān bù gòu nǔ lì ， qià qià xiāng fǎn ， tā de nǔ lì zài dī jiē dì zǐ zhōng shǒu qū yī zhǐ ， bié rén jiāng gōng fǎ liàn xí yī biàn ， tā jiù liàn sān biàn ， bié rén dǎ zuò yī xiǎo shí ， tā jiù sān xiǎo shí ， kě zhè yàng de xīn kǔ fù chū ， shōu huò què shǎo dé kě lián ， yuǎn yuǎn bèi dà jiā pāo zài le hòu miàn ， lín xuān xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le cuò bài gǎn 。
进展如此之慢，不是林轩不够努力，恰恰相反，他的努力在低阶弟子中首屈一指，别人将功法练习一遍，他就练三遍，别人打坐一小时，他就三小时，可这样的辛苦付出，收获却少得可怜，远远被大家抛在了后面，林轩心中充满了挫败感。
His progress was so slow that it wasn't due to a lack of effort on Lin Xuan’s part; in fact, his efforts were among the best in the lower-ranking disciples. While others practiced a technique once, he did three times. When they meditated for an hour, he would meditate for three hours. Yet, such hard work yielded little fruit and left him far behind his peers. Lin Xuan felt a profound sense of failure.
xiū zhēn gòng fēn wéi líng dòng 、 zhù jī 、 níng dān 、 yuán yīng 、 lí hé 、 dòng xuán 、 fēn shén ， dù jié bā gè jiē duàn ， měi gè jiē duàn yòu fēn wéi qī céng ， dì yī èr céng wèi qián qī ， sān sì céng wèi zhōng qī ， wǔ liù céng wèi hòu qī ， dì qī céng zé bèi chēng wéi dà yuán mǎn ， zhǐ yào tū pò píng jǐng jiù kě yǐ jìn rù xià yí gè jiē duàn 。
修真共分为灵动、筑基、凝丹、元婴、离合、洞玄、分神，渡劫八个阶段，每个阶段又分为七层，第一二层为前期，三四层为中期，五六层为后期，第七层则被称为大圆满，只要突破瓶颈就可以进入下一个阶段。
Cultivation was divided into eight stages: Spirit Flexibility, Foundation Establishment, Essence Condensation, Core Formation, Separation, Profound Void, Mind Splitting, and Transcendence. Each stage had seven layers—early (first two), middle (third to fourth), late (fifth to sixth), with the seventh layer being called Great Perfection. One needed to break through a bottleneck to advance to the next stage.
suī shuō xiān dào jiān nán ， bù guò yě shì yóu qiǎn rù shēn ， bǐ rú shuō líng dòng qī qián liǎng céng de gōng fǎ ， dōu jǐn jǐn shǔ yú rù mén ， dì yī céng zī zhì hǎo de liǎng yuè jí kě liàn chéng ， zī zhì chà yì diǎn ， sān dào wǔ gè yuè yě néng gǎo dìng ， kě xī ， zhè dōu shì zhǐ de shì yǒu líng gēn de rén 。
虽说仙道艰难，不过也是由浅入深，比如说灵动期前两层的功法，都仅仅属于入门，第一层资质好的两月即可练成，资质差一点，三到五个月也能搞定，可惜，这都是指的是有灵根的人。
While ascending to the heavens was difficult, it started from simple foundations. For instance, techniques in the early stages of Spirit Flexibility were merely introductory. Talented individuals could master them within two months, while those with slightly poorer talent might take three to five months. However, these descriptions applied only to those blessed with a spirit root.
líng gēn ， shì xiū zhēn jiè de yī zhǒng jiào fǎ ， jù tǐ shì zhǐ shén me dōng xī ， shù wàn nián lái yě méi yǒu què qiè de miáo shù ， zhǐ zhī dào yōng yǒu líng gēn ， zài xiū liàn de sù dù shàng yào yuǎn yuǎn kuài yú méi yǒu líng gēn de pǔ tōng rén ， yě jiù shì shuō ， cóng lǐ lùn shàng jiǎng ， pǔ tōng zī zhì dì fán rén yě bú shì bù néng xiū zhēn ， zhǐ shì shì bèi gōng bàn …… bù ， yīng gāi shì fù chū shí bèi de nǔ lì ， yě bù jí rén jiā yí bàn de shōu huò 。
灵根，是修真界的一种叫法，具体是指什么东西，数万年来也没有确切的描述，只知道拥有灵根，在修炼的速度上要远远快于没有灵根的普通人，也就是说，从理论上讲，普通资质的凡人也不是不能修真，只是事倍功半……不，应该是付出十倍的努力，也不及人家一半的收获。
A spirit root was a term used in the cultivation world. Its exact nature remained undefined over thousands of years, but it was known that possessing one significantly accelerated one's cultivation compared to ordinary people without a spirit root. In theory, even an ordinary person could cultivate, though they would have to work twice as hard and still fall short.
jiǎn dān de shuō ， jiù shì chī lì bù tǎo hǎo le 。
简单的说，就是吃力不讨好了。
In summary, it was a laborious endeavor with little reward.
ér hěn bù xìng ， lín xuān jiù shì yí gè méi yǒu líng gēn de pǔ tōng rén 。
而很不幸，林轩就是一个没有灵根的普通人。
Unfortunately, Lin Xuan was such an ordinary person without a spirit root.
yuán běn xiàng tā zhè yàng méi yǒu líng gēn de píng fán zhī rén ， jiù suàn xiǎng yào tà shàng xiū xiān zhī lù ， yě bú huì yǒu mén pài yuàn yì shōu lù ， bù guò lín xuān de qíng kuàng bǐ jiào tè shū ， sān nián qián ， tā yīn wèi jī yuán qiǎo hé ， jiù le piāo yún gǔ yī wèi zhòng shāng zhǎng lǎo ， duì fāng gǎn jī ， jiāng tā yǐn jiàn rù mén ， chéng wéi piāo yún gǔ zhè xiū zhēn xiǎo mén pài de yī yuán 。
原本像他这样没有灵根的平凡之人，就算想要踏上修仙之路，也不会有门派愿意收录，不过林轩的情况比较特殊，三年前，他因为机缘巧合，救了飘云谷一位重伤长老，对方感激，将他引荐入门，成为飘云谷这修真小门派的一员。
---
sān zài hán shǔ ， lín xuān xiū xíng cóng lái yě bù céng xiè dài guò ， dōng liàn sān jiǔ ， xià liàn sān fú ， fù chū de hàn shuǐ bǐ bié rén duō dé duō ， kě jí biàn shì zhè yàng ， hái shì yuǎn yuǎn bèi tóng mén pāo zài hòu miàn le 。
三载寒暑，林轩修行从来也不曾懈怠过，冬练三九，夏练三伏，付出的汗水比别人多得多，可即便是这样，还是远远被同门抛在后面了。
Originally, someone like him, lacking a spirit root, wouldn't be considered worthy of entering the cultivation path. However, Lin Xuan's situation was special. Three years ago, he had saved a severely injured elder from the Drifting Cloud Valley due to good fortune. The elder, grateful for his rescue, recommended him to join the sect and become part of this small cultivation school.
zhuī qiú xiān dào ， zī zhì gèng wéi zhòng yào ， guāng * nǔ lì ， hěn nán mí bǔ ！
追求仙道，资质更为重要，光*努力，很难弥补！
Over three years, Lin Xuan never slacked in his training, enduring harsh winters and summers. He poured more sweat than others, but even so, he was still left far behind by his fellow disciples.
jiù xiàng zuì jìn chōng guān ， lín xuān gǎn jué zì jǐ de gōng lì yǐ jīng dào le dì yī céng de dǐng diǎn ， jù lí líng dòng qī dì èr céng jiù chà nà me yì diǎn ， kě zhè xiē wēi de chā jù ， què xiàng yī tiáo jù dà de hóng gōu ， rèn píng lín xuān rú hé nǔ lì ， yě wú fǎ kuà yuè guò qù 。
就像最近冲关，林轩感觉自己的功力已经到了第一层的顶点，距离灵动期第二层就差那么一点，可这些微的差距，却像一条巨大的鸿沟，任凭林轩如何努力，也无法跨越过去。
Cultivating for immortality relied heavily on one's talent; mere effort couldn't make up the difference!
liáng jiǔ ， lín xuān sōng kāi le jǐn wò de quán tou ， chū le kǒu qì ， fǎng fú yào jiāng xīn zhōng de yù mèn gǎn chū qù ， chóng xīn pán xī zuò xià ， shī zhǎn nèi shì zhī fǎ ……
良久，林轩松开了紧握的拳头，出了口气，仿佛要将心中的郁闷赶出去，重新盘膝坐下，施展内视之法……
Recently, Lin Xuan felt that his strength had reached the peak of the first layer, just a hair away from entering the second stage. However, this tiny gap seemed like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bridge it.
nèi shì shù ， shì xiū zhēn jiè de yī zhǒng xiǎo fǎ shù ， kě yǐ chá kàn zì jǐ tǐ nèi dān tián jí jīng mài lǐ líng lì de yùn xíng qíng kuàng ， shǔ yú xiū liàn shí cái huì yòng dào de yī zhǒng fǔ zhù xìng fǎ shù 。
内视术，是修真界的一种小法术，可以查看自己体内丹田及经脉里灵力的运行情况，属于修炼时才会用到的一种辅助性法术。
After a long while, Lin Xuan released his clenched fist and let out a breath, as if to expel his frustration. He resettled himself in a meditative posture and began the Inner Vision technique...
zhǐ jiàn dān tián zhī zhōng yī piàn xū wú ， wéi yī cún zài de ， jiù shì yī sī sī dàn qīng sè qì tǐ ， zhè jiù shì chuán shuō zhōng de líng lì 。
只见丹田之中一片虚无，唯一存在的，就是一丝丝淡青色气体，这就是传说中的灵力。
Inner Vision was a minor cultivation technique used by cultivators to observe the flow of essence qi within their body's dantian and meridians. It was an auxiliary skill used during practice.
dàn qì tǐ bù duō ， shí fēn xī bó ， zhè shì yóu yú lín xuān gōng lì bǐ jiào dī 。
但气体不多，十分稀薄，这是由于林轩功力比较低。
Inside his dantian, there was nothing but faint greenish gas—this was the so-called essence qi.
suǒ wèi xiū zhēn ， yě jiù shì nì tiān ér xíng ， ér xiǎng yào nì tiān ， jiù yào yǒu mò dà shén tōng ， zhè qí zhōng yào jīng guò zhǒng zhǒng jiān kǔ mó lì ， cái néng jià yù wǔ xíng ， xī shōu tiān dì líng qì ， liàn huà ， zuì hòu wèi jǐ suǒ yòng 。
所谓修真，也就是逆天而行，而想要逆天，就要有莫大神通，这其中要经过种种艰苦磨砺，才能驾驭五行，吸收天地灵气，炼化，最后为己所用。
But it was scarce and thin due to Lin Xuan’s low cultivation level.
zhè yī sī sī líng lì ， shì lín xuān sān nián lái xiū liàn suǒ de ， dāng rán yǔ tóng mén xiāng bǐ ， yào shǎo dé duō ， yīn wèi méi yǒu líng gēn ， tā de xiū xíng zhī lù yào yuǎn bǐ tóng mén jiān kǔ 。
这一丝丝灵力，是林轩三年来修炼所得，当然与同门相比，要少得多，因为没有灵根，他的修行之路要远比同门艰苦。
Cultivation meant going against nature, and to do that required immense power. One had to endure countless hardships to master the Five Elements, absorb heavenly essence qi, refine it, and finally make use of it.
zài shén shí de zuò yòng xià ， nà yī sī sī de líng lì kāi shǐ jù jí ， chán rào zài yì qǐ ， yuán běn měi yī sī líng lì ， dōu zhǐ yǒu tóu fà sī cū xì ， bù guò suí zhe shí jiān de tuī yí ， què huì jí chéng le dà yuē xiǎo mǔ zhǐ cū de yī dào líng lì 。
在神识的作用下，那一丝丝的灵力开始聚集，缠绕在一起，原本每一丝灵力，都只有头发丝粗细，不过随着时间的推移，却汇集成了大约小拇指粗的一道灵力。
These wisps of essence qi were what Lin Xuan had cultivated over three years. Of course, compared to his peers, he had much less because he lacked a spirit root; thus, his path was far more arduous than theirs.
lín xuān tóu shàng mào chū méng méng bái qì ， hún shēn bèi hàn shuǐ jìn shī ， jǐn jǐn shì yí gè jù jí líng lì de guò chéng ， jiù ràng tā jié jìn le quán lì ， pǔ tōng rén xiū zhēn ， guǒ rán bù bù jīng jí 。
林轩头上冒出蒙蒙白气，浑身被汗水浸湿，仅仅是一个聚集灵力的过程，就让他竭尽了全力，普通人修真，果然步步荆棘。
Under the influence of his divine consciousness, these wisps began to gather and entwine. Initially as thin as strands of hair, they eventually coalesced into a stream about the thickness of a thumb.
hū xī cū zhòng le yī xiē ， bù guò lín xuān liǎn sè sī háo bù biàn ， sān nián lái ， tā zǎo jiù xí guàn 。
呼吸粗重了一些，不过林轩脸色丝毫不变，三年来，他早就习惯。
A faint white mist rose from Lin Xuan's head as he was drenched in sweat. Simply gathering essence qi required him to exert himself fully; ordinary people truly faced every step with thorns.
líng lì huì jí hǎo yǐ hòu ， lín xuān de biǎo qíng méi yǒu sī háo fàng sōng ， tā xiǎo xīn de fàng chū shén shí ， àn zhào shī mén suǒ chuán shòu de xīn fǎ ， kòng zhì zhe líng lì liú chū le dān tián ， jìn rù dào jīng mài zhī zhōng 。
灵力汇集好以后，林轩的表情没有丝毫放松，他小心的放出神识，按照师门所传授的心法，控制着灵力流出了丹田，进入到经脉之中。
His breathing grew heavier, but his expression remained unchanged. He had long been accustomed to this over the past three years.
duì yú xiū zhēn zhě ér yán ， dān tián shì chǔ cún líng lì de gēn běn ， qí jīng bā mài yě shì hěn zhòng yào de suǒ zài ， dāng líng lì zài qí jīng bā mài zhōng cóng tóu dào jiǎo yùn zhuàn yī quān ， jiù bèi chēng wéi yí gè zhōu tiān 。
对于修真者而言，丹田是储存灵力的根本，奇经八脉也是很重要的所在，当灵力在奇经八脉中从头到脚运转一圈，就被称为一个周天。
---
ér měi zuò yī cì zhè yàng de xún huán ， líng lì jiù huì zēng qiáng yì diǎn ， suī rán wēi hū qí wēi ， dàn jī shǎo chéng duō ， měi tiān zuò jǐ cì zhè yàng de xún huán ， líng lì yě huì zhú jiàn chéng zhǎng qǐ lái 。
而每做一次这样的循环，灵力就会增强一点，虽然微乎其微，但积少成多，每天做几次这样的循环，灵力也会逐渐成长起来。
After gathering the essence qi, Lin Xuan's face showed no signs of relaxation as he carefully released his divine consciousness and controlled the flow of essence qi out of his dantian into his meridians according to the techniques taught by his sect.
dāng rán ， xiū zhēn jiè gōng fǎ wàn qiān ， měi yí gè mén pài zuò dà zhōu tiān xún huán de lù jìng dōu bù xiāng tóng ， xiào guǒ yě yǒu hěn dà chā bié 。
当然，修真界功法万千，每一个门派做大周天循环的路径都不相同，效果也有很大差别。
For cultivators, the dantian was where essence qi was stored. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians were also crucial. When essence qi circulated from head to toe through these meridians, it completed a full cycle known as one 'Great Heavenly Circle.'
dà zhōu tiān ， suī rán shì měi yī wèi xiū zhēn zhě de bì xiū kè ， rán ér què bìng bù xiàng wài jiè xiǎng xiàng de nà me róng yì ， shèn zhì kě yǐ shuō hěn nán 。
大周天，虽然是每一位修真者的必修课，然而却并不像外界想象的那么容易，甚至可以说很难。
Each such cycle strengthened the essence qi slightly, though minimally. Over time and repeated cycles daily, the essence qi would gradually grow stronger.
líng lì liú dòng de lù xiàn bù xū yào cāo xīn ， shī mén xīn fǎ zhōng yǐ jīng shuō dé hěn qīng chǔ ， zhǐ yào zhào zuò jiù kě yǐ le ， rán ér liú dòng de sù dù què xū yào zì jǐ mō suǒ ， yuán yīn wú tā ， měi yí gè rén jīng mài de qíng kuàng gè bù xiāng tóng 。
灵力流动的路线不需要操心，师门心法中已经说得很清楚，只要照做就可以了，然而流动的速度却需要自己摸索，原因无他，每一个人经脉的情况各不相同。
Of course, there were countless cultivation techniques in the world, each sect having its own path for completing a Great Heavenly Circle with varying effects.
yǒu de rén jīng mài qiáng jiàn ， chéng shòu lì qiáng ， bù jǐn kě yǐ róng nà gèng duō de líng lì ， ér qiě liú kuài yī xiē yě méi yǒu wèn tí ， yǒu de rén jīng mài jiào ruò ， qíng kuàng zé wán quán xiāng fǎn ， yì bān shuō lái ， líng gēn yuè hǎo ， jīng mài yě jiù yuè qiáng jiàn ， fǎn zhī yì rán 。
有的人经脉强健，承受力强，不仅可以容纳更多的灵力，而且流快一些也没有问题，有的人经脉较弱，情况则完全相反，一般说来，灵根越好，经脉也就越强健，反之亦然。
The Great Heavenly Circle was a mandatory part of every cultivator's training. However, it wasn't as easy as outsiders imagined; in fact, it could be quite difficult.
lín xuān zhǐ shì pǔ tōng rén ， lián líng gēn yě méi yǒu ， suǒ yǐ tā zuò dà zhōu tiān xún huán xū yào fù chū gèng duō de jīng lì ， xiāo hào gèng duō de shí jiān 。
林轩只是普通人，连灵根也没有，所以他做大周天循环需要付出更多的精力，消耗更多的时间。
The route essence qi flowed didn't need to be worried about; the technique clearly outlined this. The speed, however, required personal experimentation because everyone’s meridians were different.
měi yī bù ， dōu bì xū xiǎo xīn yì yì ， rú guǒ sù dù kuài le ， bù jǐn bù néng shùn lì wán chéng xún huán ， fǎn ér huì sǔn shāng jīng mài 。
每一步，都必须小心翼翼，如果速度快了，不仅不能顺利完成循环，反而会损伤经脉。
Some had strong and robust meridians that could handle more essence qi and faster flow rates without issue. Others had weaker meridians, which was the opposite. Generally speaking, those with a better spirit root had stronger meridians, while the reverse was true for Lin Xuan, an ordinary person without even a spirit root.
Thus, he needed to invest more effort and time to complete the Great Heavenly Circle. Every step required careful attention; if the speed was too fast, not only would it fail to complete the cycle but could also damage his meridians.
"Sigh!"
A disappointed sigh echoed. A plain-looking youth, his face expressionless, had failed again. This was the forty-ninth consecutive failure in three months. Even though Lin Xuan's mind was resilient, he was now surrounded by disappointment and despair.
A bitter smile played on the corner of his mouth as he shook his head, looking at his hands. Was his talent really that poor?
Lin Xuan tightly clenched his fist; his nails had already sunk deeply into his flesh, but it didn't seem to bother him much.
This year marked Lin Xuan's seventeenth birthday. He had been a disciple of the Drifting Cloud Valley for three years now.
The Drifting Cloud Valley was a small sect in the cultivation world with nearly a thousand disciples. Lin Xuan was one of the lower-ranking disciples.
In just three years, his fellow juniors and seniors had already advanced to the middle stage of Spirit Flexibility. Several exceptionally talented ones had even entered the fifth layer's late stage. However, he still lingered at the first layer.
His progress was so slow that it wasn't due to a lack of effort on Lin Xuan’s part; in fact, his efforts were among the best in the lower-ranking disciples. While others practiced a technique once, he did three times. When they meditated for an hour, he would meditate for three hours. Yet, such hard work yielded little fruit and left him far behind his peers. Lin Xuan felt a profound sense of failure.
Cultivation was divided into eight stages: Spirit Flexibility, Foundation Establishment, Essence Condensation, Core Formation, Separation, Profound Void, Mind Splitting, and Transcendence. Each stage had seven layers—early (first two), middle (third to fourth), late (fifth to sixth), with the seventh layer being called Great Perfection. One needed to break through a bottleneck to advance to the next stage.
While ascending to the heavens was difficult, it started from simple foundations. For instance, techniques in the early stages of Spirit Flexibility were merely introductory. Talented individuals could master them within two months, while those with slightly poorer talent might take three to five months. However, these descriptions applied only to those blessed with a spirit root.
A spirit root was a term used in the cultivation world. Its exact nature remained undefined over thousands of years, but it was known that possessing one significantly accelerated one's cultivation compared to ordinary people without a spirit root. In theory, even an ordinary person could cultivate, though they would have to work twice as hard and still fall short.
In summary, it was a laborious endeavor with little reward.
Unfortunately, Lin Xuan was such an ordinary person without a spirit root.
---
Originally, someone like him, lacking a spirit root, wouldn't be considered worthy of entering the cultivation path. However, Lin Xuan's situation was special. Three years ago, he had saved a severely injured elder from the Drifting Cloud Valley due to good fortune. The elder, grateful for his rescue, recommended him to join the sect and become part of this small cultivation school.
Over three years, Lin Xuan never slacked in his training, enduring harsh winters and summers. He poured more sweat than others, but even so, he was still left far behind by his fellow disciples.
Cultivating for immortality relied heavily on one's talent; mere effort couldn't make up the difference!
Recently, Lin Xuan felt that his strength had reached the peak of the first layer, just a hair away from entering the second stage. However, this tiny gap seemed like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bridge it.
After a long while, Lin Xuan released his clenched fist and let out a breath, as if to expel his frustration. He resettled himself in a meditative posture and began the Inner Vision technique...
Inner Vision was a minor cultivation technique used by cultivators to observe the flow of essence qi within their body's dantian and meridians. It was an auxiliary skill used during practice.
Inside his dantian, there was nothing but faint greenish gas—this was the so-called essence qi.
But it was scarce and thin due to Lin Xuan’s low cultivation level.
Cultivation meant going against nature, and to do that required immense power. One had to endure countless hardships to master the Five Elements, absorb heavenly essence qi, refine it, and finally make use of it.
These wisps of essence qi were what Lin Xuan had cultivated over three years. Of course, compared to his peers, he had much less because he lacked a spirit root; thus, his path was far more arduous than theirs.
Under the influence of his divine consciousness, these wisps began to gather and entwine. Initially as thin as strands of hair, they eventually coalesced into a stream about the thickness of a thumb.
A faint white mist rose from Lin Xuan's head as he was drenched in sweat. Simply gathering essence qi required him to exert himself fully; ordinary people truly faced every step with thorns.
His breathing grew heavier, but his expression remained unchanged. He had long been accustomed to this over the past three years.
---
After gathering the essence qi, Lin Xuan's face showed no signs of relaxation as he carefully released his divine consciousness and controlled the flow of essence qi out of his dantian into his meridians according to the techniques taught by his sect.
For cultivators, the dantian was where essence qi was stored. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians were also crucial. When essence qi circulated from head to toe through these meridians, it completed a full cycle known as one 'Great Heavenly Circle.'
Each such cycle strengthened the essence qi slightly, though minimally. Over time and repeated cycles daily, the essence qi would gradually grow stronger.
Of course, there were countless cultivation techniques in the world, each sect having its own path for completing a Great Heavenly Circle with varying effects.
The Great Heavenly Circle was a mandatory part of every cultivator's training. However, it wasn't as easy as outsiders imagined; in fact, it could be quite difficult.
The route essence qi flowed didn't need to be worried about; the technique clearly outlined this. The speed, however, required personal experimentation because everyone’s meridians were different.
Some had strong and robust meridians that could handle more essence qi and faster flow rates without issue. Others had weaker meridians, which was the opposite. Generally speaking, those with a better spirit root had stronger meridians, while the reverse was true for Lin Xuan, an ordinary person without even a spirit root.
Thus, he needed to invest more effort and time to complete the Great Heavenly Circle. Every step required careful attention; if the speed was too fast, not only would it fail to complete the cycle but could also damage his meridians.