Chapter 66: Spirit Platform

Jiang Jian paused to think.

He swiped the screen and dialed the real-time communication.

Beep.

The next second, the call connected.

“Jiang Jian, junior, are you getting used to life at the academy?”

Gu Qi’s tone was gentle.

Jiang Jian said: “Just starting to get familiar.”

“That’s good.”

Gu Qi smiled. “If you have any questions about your cultivation, feel free to ask me.”

Jiang Jian asked: “Over the past two days, I’ve felt restless during cultivation, but I can’t find the cause.”

Gu Qi fell silent for a moment, then asked directly: “Do you often train in the academy’s cultivation room?”

Jiang Jian nodded. “Yes.”

Gu Qi sighed. “If you stay there too long, you grow accustomed to rapid cultivation. When you leave, how can you possibly calm your mind?”

Jiang Jian frowned. “But I can still enter a cultivation state when I’m in my dormitory.”

“It’s not as simple as you think.”

Gu Qi shook his head. “Even if your will is as unyielding as iron, your acupoints and meridians don’t care.”

“Take the Shenque acupoint, for example.”

“It’s accustomed to a constant flow of Qi within the meridians, transforming and circulating.”

“Suddenly move it outside, where Qi is thin—it transforms slower than a turtle, barely enough to fill a tooth gap. Naturally, it refuses to move.”

“Even if you force yourself to cultivate with ironclad willpower.”

“Your acupoints and meridians are part of your body. When they’re uncomfortable, they’ll inevitably affect your mental state.”

“That’s why you feel restless and inexplicably agitated.”

Hearing this,

Jiang Jian pondered, then asked: “So how do you fix this?”

Gu Qi said: “Two solutions.”

“First, you must train only within the cultivation room area.”

“When you’re outside, don’t cultivate. Do something else.”

“The cultivation residence I’m pursuing is a higher-grade cultivation room.”

“Besides,”

Gu Qi smiled faintly.

“The progress you make outside is practically nonexistent.”

“I’ve been cultivating for less than three years.”

“I never cultivate unless I’m inside the cultivation room.”

“Yet I still reached the Surge Spring realm.”

Here,

Gu Qi’s tone carried pride.

Cultivation is extremely difficult.

The Surge Spring realm is a level most people never glimpse in their entire lives.

In fact, most people

don’t even dare to dream of it.

Yet Gu Qi achieved it in under three years.

Jiang Jian fell silent briefly, then asked: “What’s the second solution?”

Gu Qi said: “The second solution is to conquer your own body with an unimaginable will.”

Jiang Jian’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Conquer my own body?”

Gu Qi nodded. “Yes. Ordinary people simply can’t do this.”

“When you’re hungry, you eat.”

“When you’re thirsty, you drink.”

“In short,”

“you use your will to suppress your body’s instincts.”

“At that point,”

“your blood, your bones, your meridians, your acupoints—all will submit to your consciousness.”

“Minor cultivation obstacles will then be effortlessly overcome.”

Here,

Gu Qi shifted topic to something else.

“Jiang Jian, junior, in a month, the Two-Fu Dao Debate begins.”

“At that time, I’ll use the opportunity to compete for the position of Chief Student at Linjiang Academy.”

“Have you considered joining my faction?”

Jiang Jian asked: “I’ve heard of the Chief Student position—one per divine-gifted university, representing its honor. But what exactly is the Two-Fu Dao Debate?”

Gu Qi nodded. “The previous cohort has graduated; the Chief Student position is vacant. I intend to claim it.”

His wording was confident.

After all, Linjiang Academy’s third-year students number nearly a thousand.

Yet there are barely any who’ve reached Surge Spring.

Gu Qi himself possesses the rare Level 4 “Art” talent.

Fewer than one hand’s worth of students even have a chance to challenge him for Chief Student.

“The Two-Fu Dao Debate is important.”

Gu Qi continued.

“As the name suggests,”

“it’s the academic exchange between Linjiang Prefecture and Hanjiang Prefecture.”

“All divine-gifted universities across both prefectures participate.”

“Since it’s called a Dao Debate, there must be a ranking.”

“There are scholarly debates and martial contests.”

“Seventeen divine-gifted universities from Linjiang Prefecture will take part.”

“In contrast,”

“twenty divine-gifted universities from Hanjiang Prefecture will join.”

Gu Qi swiped his finger, sending over a file.

“First-years won’t learn about this until later. I’m giving it to you early—don’t leak it.”

A notification chimed—new message received.

Jiang Jian opened his identity device and accessed the message.

Inside were all the rules of the Two-Fu Dao Debate.

Every detail, clearly laid out.

“Jiang Jian, junior, have you decided?”

Gu Qi asked.

Jiang Jian nodded slightly. “I’ll need to consult you further on cultivation matters.”

Gu Qi smiled. “With you on my side, the first-year section is already secured.”

The real-time call ended.

Jiang Jian shut off his identity device, pondering Gu Qi’s words.

Gu Qi’s analysis did align partially with his own situation.

But Jiang Jian knew:

Every cultivator’s path is different.

As for Gu Qi’s words,

don’t dismiss them entirely.

But don’t accept them wholly either.

“You don’t cultivate outside.”

“Yet you reached Surge Spring.”

“You must have lived in the cultivation room day and night.”

Jiang Jian shook his head.

After this period of cultivation,

Jiang Jian had gained a profound understanding of its difficulty.

Reaching Surge Spring in under three years

requires more than just talent.

Greater still are the needs: willpower, resilience, patience, insight, vast quantities of Alliance Coins, enormous academic credits, countless cultivation resources, expensive arrays, and various buffs.

All of these are indispensable.

Gu Qi must not be underestimated.

“But.”

“Conquer your own body.”

“There’s some truth to that—it’s given me some insight.”

Jiang Jian returned to his bedroom, sat quietly, and gently closed his eyes.

From deep within, he carefully sensed his own body.

The circulation of blood, the flow of Qi, the expansion and contraction of meridians.

Every subtlest change was captured by Jiang Jian.

“Shenque Point.”

Qi flowed through Shenque, forming its own cycle.

Jiang Jian perceived it clearly.

Due to the scarcity of Qi, the increase with each cycle was minuscule.

Almost imperceptible.

The spiritual essence of Shenque refused to stir at all.

Practicing this way was inefficient.

Even if he forced himself with willpower, compelling his meridians and acupoints to operate at high intensity,

the result was only mental agitation and chaotic thoughts.

His cultivation speed would only slow further.

“Conquer your own body.”

“It cannot be achieved overnight.”

Jiang Jian reached out unconsciously and found a pill box on the bed.

It was a fresh box of “Calming Nutritional Tablets.”

Jiang Jian held the box, silent for several seconds.

Then he suddenly released his grip.

His restless mind grew noticeably calmer.

“My illness isn’t cured yet.”

“I want to restore my soul.”

“No matter what.”

“I will reach that realm.”

“Lingtai.”

Thinking of this,

Jiang Jian’s face grew pale.

An indescribable, terrible will surged from within his heart.

(End of Chapter)