Chapter 18: Beginning Cultivation

Immediately they arrived at the part both food lovers cherish most (eating!), a shared hobby of the two; even when Ye Yun and Li Yan are busy, they instinctively meet during meal times, and this tacit understanding is all thanks to their common foodie hearts—plainly put, they're gluttonous, I can't go on, they're just greedy!!

Staring at the assorted delicacies before them, the two ate as if they hadn't had a meal in days, devouring the dry rice at lightning speed, and they are not picky—whatever is placed on the table they take in whole, leaving no dish untouched, as if the dishes had committed a crime and they were the righteous ones punishing them.

During this period the chefs of the Sun family manor were exhausted; simply cooking for these two little deities kept them fully occupied each day.

But pleasant moments are always brief; after the meal Ye Yun whisked Li Yan through the air to an empty clearing, intending to begin Li Yan's first cultivation there. The reason they forgo the spiritual Qi array is that the Qi is too dense, unsuitable for human cultivators, as excessive inhalation can cause a body to explode and die—an unacceptable risk. So, to be safe, they choose a place where the spiritual Qi is thinner for cultivation.

Once Li Yan has some foundation, she'll be allowed to cultivate within the spiritual Qi array—after all, it's for her benefit. Even Liu Cheng experienced slight discomfort on his first day cultivating inside the array, so it's better to adapt outside for now.

Then Ye Yun had Li Yan sit cross‑legged, first letting her sense the fluctuations of spiritual power. Most ordinary people cannot cultivate because they cannot perceive the ripples of spiritual Qi; after all, spiritual Qi is the key to cultivation. True to her top‑grade talent, Li Yan, through her own effort, sensed the Qi in just half an hour. Though the amount was small, feeling it at all is a good sign.

After another half hour, she finally sensed a large influx of spiritual Qi and proceeded to the next step.

"What I'm teaching you now is a mantra; you must concentrate your mind and truly grasp the meaning behind these words."

"Sit cross‑legged, calm the heart; relax and be natural. Lips and teeth lightly together, breath slow and steady, hands firm, eyes level, gather the divine light, reach the heavenly heart. Enter the mud ball, descend to the Qi cavity, lingering as if existent, use it without haste. Dantian Qi warms, kidneys like simmering broth, Qi flows through the vessels, refining oneself completes the cultivation."

These verses are the self‑refining mantra that the Great Way of Heaven and Earth imparted to Ye Yun during his early cultivation. As for the literal meaning of "refine oneself"—to re‑forge one's body—do not underestimate these few lines; they are a crucial factor in cultivation, capable of reshaping one's muscles and bones, effecting a complete transformation.

Before long, Li Yan entered a selfless state, earnestly contemplating Ye Yun's words, while on the other side Ye Yun was not idle; he too sat cross‑legged, continuing his study of the Dao of Heaven. Since first encountering the Great Way of Heaven and Earth, Ye Yun has been deeply fascinated by the heavenly Dao embodied in the Way.

This Way is the cosmic law birthed by Heaven and Earth; within the Way, Heaven and Earth circulate their cycles autonomously. Thus, even without cultivation, the Way's power grows, for it is the law of this world, the enforcer created by the world itself.

Yet after all this study, Ye Yun has only grasped the surface of the heavenly Dao. What surprises him is that the more he learns, the more insignificant he feels; before the boundless heavens, everyone is tiny. Ye Yun is also curious about the Way's true might, having never witnessed it unleashed—damn this curiosity of his.

Although Ye Yun has lived for thousands of years, the longer he lives the more he senses his own weakness in this world. He can feel that the Way, in this dream, suppressed him merely by sheer force, without using a single strand of magical power.

This makes Ye Yun even more uneasy; the Way, whose power is beyond description for him, can be suppressed by a realm‑master from another world—or at least not be provoked lightly. How mighty must that being be, that a mere wave of its hand could erase him?

To face such a formidable being—requiring me to confront it—when even the Way, the Three Purities, and the realm‑masters of our little tri‑realm have no ordinary chance of victory… forget it, I'm too lazy to think about it.

The more he dwelled on it, the more uneasy he became; at that moment Ye Yun noticed his little orange cat had followed him, quietly lying on his leg, watching him.

"You also think this matter is serious, don't you? I feel it isn't as simple as I imagined, but I won't be afraid nor have any more reservations, for this is my duty—my existence is to safeguard the realm from interference and invasion by other worlds."

"I sense this incident could be grave, even threatening the survival of the little tri‑realm. As for why the Way does not intervene, perhaps it is to prevent an even worse outcome; a power like the Way can easily annihilate an entire small world. If another cultivator of comparable stature were to clash with the Way, the surrounding realms would suffer, spawning endless slaughter."

The little orange cat has followed Ye Yun for a thousand years, so it naturally understands his thoughts and offers these words to comfort him. In truth, the cat does not wish Ye Yun to intervene, having been by his side for a millennium; the bond between man and cat is beyond words, and the cat senses the seriousness of the matter and does not want Ye Yun to be harmed.

But Ye Yun is not wrong; his existence is to keep the realm free from invasion and persecution—that is his responsibility—so the orange cat can only stand by him through thick and thin.

Ye Yun stroked the orange cat, his face full of indulgence, while Li Yan beside him experienced a sudden insight; a faint golden radiance seemed to emanate from her body, as if a ray of sunlight shone from within—exquisitely beautiful.

Seeing this made Ye Yun's heart blossom with joy; he could now prepare for tomorrow's cultivation, for the most pressing task is to boost Li Yan's strength. As for Liu Cheng, with a spiritual Qi array at his side, cultivation speed should pose no problem.