Chapter 40: Wood Dantian

Normally, these five-element cultivators enhance their cultivation by absorbing spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, making it nearly impossible for them to break through to the fourth level in their entire lives.

At best, they reach the third level of Qi Condensation, also known as the early stage of Qi Condensation.

Yet this fellow He Pingsheng somehow reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation at just seventeen years old—how could anyone not be astonished?

Of course, He Pingsheng had long prepared an explanation for his own cultivation.

“Brother, don’t be surprised!” He Pingsheng said calmly, “I possess three elemental roots—Metal, Wood, and Fire—and have a natural talent for alchemy, so I usually cultivate by consuming pills!”

“It’s not at all as you imagined!”

“Oh!” The senior brother took a deep breath and nodded, “There is indeed such a possibility…”

“Wait…” The female cultivator suddenly turned to He Pingsheng and asked, “You just said you’re skilled in alchemy?”

He Pingsheng replied, “Yes!”

This wasn’t boasting.

Currently, his success rate in refining the Qi-Condensation Pill is around thirty percent—a rate that’s terrifying even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, let alone Qi Condensation ones.

“Then…” the woman asked again, “Brother, what’s your approximate success rate in alchemy?”

He Pingsheng said, “About one out of every four batches of herbs turns into pills.”

“Whoa…” The woman gasped in shock, “One out of four batches? As far as I know, ten sets of ingredients for Qi-Condensation Pills cost seven spirit stones; if you manage to refine three batches from ten sets, that’s thirty-six pills total—sell each at two spirit stones, and that’s over seventy spirit stones!”

“Seven spirit stones turned into over seventy—your ability to earn is terrifying; no wonder you can cultivate up to the fifth level by swallowing pills!”

“But!” the woman added, “Swallowing pills inevitably accumulates pill toxins—remember to expel the toxins from your body in time!”

“Yes!” He Pingsheng replied with sincere gratitude, “Thank you, Sister!”

“Go now!” the woman waved her hand, “The results will be announced in a month, posted in the Outer Sect Hall—don’t forget to come check!”

Then she fixed her gaze on He Pingsheng and said, “You must come, because I’ve heard some Senior Uncles and Aunts are looking for disciples skilled in alchemy.”

“Yes!” He Pingsheng bowed respectfully and left.

After leaving the first floor, He Pingsheng went to the second floor, as usual, purchasing some daily necessities and browsing around.

He had intended to buy some defensive treasures, but after looking for a long time, he found nothing suitable and gave up.

Back in his small courtyard, he resumed alchemy.

This time, he refined the Abstention Pill.

With his spiritual sense improved, his alchemy success rate had also increased slightly—now around one-third.

He tossed all ten batches—four successful and six failed—into the Treasure Basin at once, and overnight they were doubled and strengthened.

He ended up with two hundred and forty top-grade Abstention Pills.

The quality of Abstention Pills varies, and so does their effect.

Lower-grade Abstention Pills allow one to go a month without food, but top-grade ones let you go half a year without eating after consuming just one.

In other words, the Abstention Pills in He Pingsheng’s possession would last him one hundred and twenty years.

It’s that absurd.

Fortunately, Abstention Pills have no fragrance and can be stored in ordinary porcelain bottles.

For the following days, He Pingsheng didn’t sit in meditation to cultivate; instead, he began practicing the spells from the later sections of the True Fire Scripture.

There are only two fire-element spells: Fire Crow Spell and Fire Shield Spell.

He Pingsheng had already mastered the Fire Crow Spell—it’s an offensive spell.

The Fire Shield Spell, however, is a defensive spell.

Once mastered, it allows one to condense fire spiritual energy into a shield for defense, though its exact defensive power remains unknown.

Still, having it is better than not having it.

So He Pingsheng began practicing the Fire Shield Spell.

Learning spells isn’t difficult; after more than twenty days, He Pingsheng successfully mastered the Fire Shield Spell.

“Open…”

With a soft command, fire spiritual energy gathered from his fingertip and instantly formed a circular shield.

The shield was small, only two feet in diameter.

It could cover He Pingsheng’s upper body.

That was sufficient.

Since the shield was controlled in hand, like a physical object, it could be moved at will.

When an opponent attacked, blocking with the Fire Shield Spell was not difficult.

The actual defensive capability of this Fire Shield Spell remained unknown, since unlike the Fire Crow Spell, it couldn’t be tested easily.

“I’ll have to test it in actual combat!”

He Pingsheng took a deep breath and sat cross-legged.

He was thinking about another matter: the Inner Sect.

What if, just in case, he succeeded in the Inner Sect selection—what then?

Would he continue as before, rapidly advancing a level every few months?

That would be ridiculous.

Under the eyes of the Ancestors, if you cultivated that fast, you’d be dragged out for thorough examination without a doubt.

A cultivator’s advancement depends on two things.

First: elemental roots!

Second: cultivation techniques!

Poor elemental roots mean even the most powerful technique won’t help.

But if you cultivate by swallowing pills, you can bypass elemental roots—yet even pill-based cultivation has varying speeds.

That depends on the cultivation technique.

For example, even if He Pingsheng consumed top-grade Qi-Condensation Pills, if he practiced the Basic Breathing Method instead of the True Fire Scripture, his progress would be much slower.

So even if you told others you advanced quickly by swallowing pills, no one would believe you.

What to do?

There’s no solution!

It’s a dead end.

The only way to break this deadlock is to slow down.

But slowing down seems counterproductive, doesn’t it?

No problem!

There’s still a remedy!

He Pingsheng waved his hand and picked up another book: The Evergreen Qi Circulation Scripture.

Since I can’t further cultivate my fire-element dantian, I’ll cultivate my wood-element dantian instead.

In the cultivation world, elemental roots correspond to dantians—one root, one dantian.

For instance, He Pingsheng has five elemental roots, so he possesses five dantians: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

This isn’t unusual; most people, due to limited energy, cultivate only one dantian—but throughout history, many cultivators have practiced two or even three dantians.

He Pingsheng decided to give it a try.

Because cultivating two or multiple dantians has a major advantage: greater spiritual energy reserves.

Imagine, both are at Qi Condensation Level Five, but others have only one dantian storing spiritual energy, while you have two.

Wouldn’t you have a decisive advantage in battle?

Let’s try it!

He Pingsheng immediately sat down and began studying the Evergreen Qi Circulation Scripture.

After two hours, he finished reading the overview and the first few levels, and began cultivation.

Step One: Guide Qi into the body.

This isn’t difficult; once you’ve done it once for any element, it becomes easier.

So, within just a few breaths, He Pingsheng channeled a thread of wood-element spiritual energy through his root into his meridians!

Step Two: Circulate Qi through one full cycle.

This was somewhat difficult.

It took He Pingsheng about a full day to complete one cycle.

The Qi surged into the dantian.

The wood-element dantian successfully connected with the meridians.