Chapter 38: Insights on Cultivating Spells

"Oh, isn't this Su Jin? You've come to pick up a spell? Surely you haven't broken through to the second layer of Qi Refining? Haha, cultivation doesn't depend on age—I, this old man, must address you as Daoist friend now too."

The little old man Su Chengtian was an old cultivator in charge of the library.

Although he didn't look very energetic, his hands and feet were extremely nimble.

Su Jin had seen with her own eyes how he tidied up the books that had been rummaged through—the speed at which he sorted the bookcases was simply jaw-dropping.

"Grandfather Chengtian, I really did break through to the second layer of Qi Refining. See, Instructor Liu told me to come pick up a spell."

"Then which spell are you planning to take?" Su Chengtian asked again.

"Grandfather Chengtian, I plan to take the two spell books—Binding Art and Extracting Wood Essence Qi." Su Jin said.

"Since you've broken through to the second layer of Qi Refining, you may take one or two spell books.

Looks like you plan to take both at once. That's fine too." Su Chengtian said with a smile: "Wait a moment, I'll go get them for you."

Su Chengtian quickly handed the two thin spell books to Su Jin. "In the fifth section of the first floor, there are cultivation insights for these two spells. If you want to reference how other seniors of the Su family comprehended and cultivated these two spells, you can go find them yourself and take them back to read."

"That's wonderful." Su Jin beamed at once. "I'll go find them right now. Huh? Grandfather Chengtian, why is it that when we cultivate spells we have cultivation insights to read? But when we cultivate the basic Qi Refining Cultivation Technique, there are none—we can only figure it out on our own?"

"That's because the basic Cultivation Technique is vast and profound. Almost every person has a somewhat different understanding of the technique. You're still young, and basically can't tell whether someone else's insights and experiences are actually useful to you.

If you blindly follow other people's insights and experiences to cultivate, it's very easy to go wrong.

What if you suffer qi deviation?

It's not as if the clan school hasn't had such bizarre incidents before.

Later on, the clan school stopped providing cultivation insights related to the basic Cultivation Technique for you all to read.

When you cultivate the basic Qi Refining Cultivation Technique and run into trouble or have questions, go ask the instructors.

The instructors' understanding of the basic Cultivation Technique has long been tempered and refined, and has reached a certain established form.

What they teach you will definitely prioritize your safety." Su Chengtian explained to Su Jin.

Su Jin: So someone actually cultivated themselves into a mishap! Does that mean reading other people's cultivation insights is that dangerous?

"Then do I still need to read other people's insights on cultivating spells?" Su Jin asked nervously.

"Reading other people's insights on cultivating spells is perfectly fine. Because compared to the basic Qi Refining Cultivation Technique, spells are far too simple. Reading other people's cultivation insights can keep you from taking too many detours and speed up your progress in cultivating spells. Before you, several students have already come to collect spells. They each took one or two spell books.

But I didn't tell any of them that there were spell insights here to read." Su Chengtian said mysteriously.

Su Jin immediately let out an "Ah." She thought: I'm done for—doesn't that make me the first little white mouse to cultivate spells by reading insights?

That's right—the term "little white mouse" was something Mother had taught her.

She also said that little white mice were ordinary small animals that the shamans of the Wu clan used for experiments in ancient times, and because they were bred in great numbers, they became very well known.

"How about it? I'm good to you, aren't I?" Su Chengtian said with a smile.

Su Jin nodded stiffly.

Fine, she'd go look for them herself. She couldn't let down Grandfather Chengtian's good intentions.

Besides, what if reading them really was useful?

If it really was useful, then being a little white mouse was being a little white mouse.

Su Jin, with the spell books tucked under one arm, went off to find cultivation insights for the same spells.

Surprisingly, the seniors who had cultivated these same spells had indeed written quite a few cultivation insight books.

Su Jin flipped through them one by one quickly.

Ordinary insights and experiences—she read them once and remembered them. Out of so many insights, only five were picked out by her to take away. Among them, three were for Binding Art and two for Extracting Wood Essence Qi. The insight books were even thinner than the spell books, each one only a mere few pages.

When Su Jin carried them back to the Third Classroom, Su Wuji had already woken from his epiphany. He had indeed managed to enter the door of the Great Expansion Spirit Refining Art.

The guy was probably in too good a mood—his mouth was split wide open, grinning a bit foolishly.

"Huh? Su Jin, you brought back so many spell books? Since when does the clan school let us take so many spell books at once? Did they change the rules starting with you?" Su Wuji said.

"It's not like the rules changed starting with me. I only brought back two spell books—the rest are insights and experiences from seniors who cultivated these two spells." Su Jin said. "There are many similar spell cultivation insights in the fifth section of the first floor. Do you want to go find a few to read too?"

"Can I take a look at the cultivation insight books you brought back first?" Su Wuji said, immediately interested.

"Then go ahead and look." Su Jin pushed the pile of books on the table toward him.

Su Wuji, without standing on ceremony with her, directly looked through all seven books, including the spell books. After reading for a while, he said, "I should go find a few cultivation insights to read too. I find these cultivation insights are actually quite useful."

"Then go ahead." Su Jin first packed up all the spell books.

She was ready to begin cultivating.

The formation plate was set in place, and the three cultivations proceeded in parallel.

The spiritual energy in the Second Classroom was actually twice as abundant as that in the First Classroom.

The spiritual energy inside the Third Classroom was again twice as abundant as that inside the Second Classroom.

So the spiritual energy inside the Third Classroom was a full four times that of the First Classroom.

Such abundant spiritual energy, and only she and Su Wuji were using it.

So this time, Su Jin's cultivation was not interrupted at all by insufficient spiritual energy—she cultivated all the way until her meridians reached their limit.

Su Jin stopped cultivating and immediately began disassembling the formation plate.

"Su Jin, hurry up and pack. Instructor Liu wants us to return to the First Classroom before school lets out. Time's almost up." Su Wuji said.

"Okay." Su Jin quickly packed her things and, together with Su Wuji who was already prepared, hung on their little satchels, picked up their little baskets, and headed to the First Classroom.

The two of them were the last students to arrive.

When Instructor Liu saw the two of them, he gestured with his eyes for them to quickly take their seats.

"School's about to let out, so I won't waste words. Pang Xingchen of the Water Class, although he broke through to the first layer of Qi Refining, did so because he took a forbidden drug. Therefore, he has been expelled.

Starting tomorrow, he won't be coming anymore.

You students, all of you remember this for me—during your time studying at the clan school, you absolutely may not use forbidden drugs.

The moment you're found using forbidden drugs, you'll be expelled immediately. Understood?"

"Understood." the students answered in unison.

"Dismissed." Liu Shi said coldly. "The students who have already broken through to the first layer of Qi Condensation, remain."