Aunt Hong was quite excited, grabbing Wang Mu's sleeve and leading him outside her house.
A Cultivator is indeed a Cultivator, waking up after being unconscious for just one night.
"To see me?" Wang Mu was taken aback.
"Nonsense. You're the one who found her, so you're the one who saved her." Aunt Hong glared at Wang Mu. "I've heard that Cultivators value fate greatly. Hurry up, no more dawdling."
Wang Mu entered Aunt Hong's house.
Aunt Hong was a widow. Her husband had died more than ten years ago, said to have been fatally wounded in a battle with a Fierce Beast while defending the village. She had a little girl around six or seven years old. She was an excellent cook and also skilled at farming. She was usually responsible for the village's meals, cooking for many of the hardworking villagers.
Standing outside the house, he knocked on the door. A breeze blew by, and the door opened automatically.
The woman from the previous night was now sitting cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed, seemingly resting. As the door opened, she opened her eyes slightly. She sized Wang Mu up, her gaze, like morning stars, lingering on him for a few seconds.
"Come in."
As she gently parted her jade-like lips, Wang Mu felt her voice was like heavenly music, carrying a coolness reminiscent of early snow mixed with a hint of crispness.
Wang Mu looked into her eyes, his heart suddenly alert. In that instant, he felt as if he had been scanned by something.
"Your name is Wang Mu?" the woman asked.
Wang Mu nodded.
"I thank you for last night." Her voice remained unchanged as she continued, "I don't like owing others. What do you want?"
"I want to cultivate," Wang Mu stated bluntly.
This was in line with his current persona. After all, in this world, everyone wants to become an Immortal...
The woman paused, seemingly unsurprised. She looked at Wang Mu intently for a few moments, then shook her head slightly. "You have no Spirit Root; the path of Cultivation is extremely hard. Even a Low-level Sect wouldn't recruit a mortal without a Spirit Root."
"Extremely hard? Does that mean it's not impossible?" Wang Mu remained composed.
The woman gave a slight nod and continued, "Without a Spirit Root, one can consume Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to condense a Pseudo Spiritual Root, but such treasures are exceedingly rare. Alternatively, a Cultivator could transfer a Spirit Root using a grafting method. This method is harmful and ethically questionable; even if successful, the achievements are quite limited. Or, through sheer willpower, one could train arduously for a hundred years and use the body to enter the Dao. This method is even harder."
The three methods the woman listed all seemed very difficult. Wang Mu contemplated thoughtfully.
"What does the last method mean?" Wang Mu asked.
The woman looked at him and continued, "Ordinary Cultivators mostly rely on their Spirit Root as a foundation, supplemented by Cultivation Techniques, to automatically attract the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth. Entering the Dao through the body means tempering oneself into a crucible, forcibly absorbing the Spiritual Energy of the world like a vortex. This method typically becomes more difficult the further one progresses, and the tribulations faced are many times harder than those of a normal Cultivator. If one can enter the Dao through the body, a Sect might consider taking them in."
Wang Mu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How difficult is this?"
"Within the last three hundred years, no one has succeeded," the woman said lightly.
Wang Mu was speechless.
"I would like to try."
Upon hearing this, the woman showed no surprise. Many mortals in the world chose this path.
"Then I shall impart to you a set of Body Refining Techniques called the Hundred Refinement Body Technique. It has one hundred layers. If you can cultivate it to the one hundredth layer, you can step into the Qi Refining Realm, which means you've truly embarked on the path of Cultivation."
The woman flicked her finger. A golden light leaped from her fingertip and, in an instant, merged into the space between Wang Mu's eyebrows. The next moment, Wang Mu found his memory expanded with an obscure and difficult-to-understand Nameless Technique. Strange humanoid figures swam in his consciousness, like an arcane scripture.
It felt incredibly powerful...
After pondering for a moment, Wang Mu asked, "What is the highest layer someone has cultivated this technique to?"
"Sixty Layers."
"How long did it take?"
"One hundred and twenty years."
Wang Mu was speechless again.
"Reaching that level, even if you cannot step into the Qi Refining Realm, will allow you to live free of illness and calamity for well over a hundred years."
That was indeed not bad. For Wang Mu, who possessed the Cultivation System, living longer meant more Action Points. The development time in the game was only a little over thirty years, which was actually very short.
After thanking her, Wang Mu quickly left the room. Upon returning to his wooden hut, he immediately sensed his status.
[Current Action Points: 0]
[Cultivation: Chopping (1), Hundred Refinement Body Technique (X)]
[Travel: -]
It's already on the panel. Wang Mu let out a breath. The 'X' probably meant the Cultivation conditions weren't met... In gaming terms, it likely meant some Attributes hadn't reached the required level yet. It seemed that even if he were given a genuine Cultivation Method, he wouldn't be able to practice it.
"After this past month, I feel like Chopping trees has increased my strength... I wonder what fishing, hunting, Mining... what can these improve?" Without an attribute panel, Wang Mu could still feel his own improvements. Now that he had a Cultivation Technique, he just had to wait to cultivate later. As for whether he could cultivate to the one hundredth layer... well, with Action Points, Wang Mu felt it shouldn't be a huge problem, as long as he had time.
"Yan Qingwu's personality doesn't seem to have changed much... She's clear about gratitude and grudges, repaying kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance."
"A thousand years... I wonder what Realm she's in?"
At this thought, Wang Mu seemed to recall something. He looked out the window. "The tribulation clouds over Gu Yun Mountain are gradually dissipating... Damn, she couldn't possibly be the Immortal who was undergoing Crossing Tribulation, could she? According to Aunt Hong's description, those tribulation clouds had appeared a long time ago. They were there even before I arrived. If that's the case... Undergoing Crossing Tribulation for several months... What kind of power would that require?" Wang Mu felt his scalp tingle. Even in the game, Yan Qingwu's Martial Arts Talent was top-tier. With the world advancing, powerhouses like her should become even stronger.
Speaking of which, Wang Mu felt this world was both strange and familiar. He wasn't sure how it had turned into an Immortal World... Thinking too much about it was pointless...
Yan Qingwu did not stay in the village for long. Because on the very next day, two Disciples from an Immortal Sect arrived via Sword Control, landing outside the village to ask about Yan Qingwu.
That was the first time Wang Mu had seen a Cultivator. It was just as he had imagined. Riding the Wind and Sword—how incredibly carefree...
Although she stayed for only one day, the entire Anle Village still gathered to bid farewell to this rarely seen Fairy.
However... just as she was about to leave, this Fairy didn't leave directly but instead approached the statue of Dongfang Mu.
Everyone assumed this Fairy was about to pay respects to the Ancient Sage. However...
"A thousand years..." The woman's brow twitched, and her eyes seemed to be brewing something. An aura as vast as the heavens suddenly emanated from her. The many villagers didn't dare to breathe too loudly. Even the two Immortal Sect Disciples behind them were as silent as cicadas in winter.
She suddenly slammed her palm onto the statue's base. The next moment, a crack instantly appeared on the base, looking as if it were about to shatter. Fortunately, she quickly withdrew her hand, merely letting out a cold snort before flying into the sky with the two Immortal Sect Disciples...
Seeing this, Wang Mu, who was standing in the crowd behind, felt a cold sweat break out...