Chapter 74: Cultivation [1]

After resolving to sleep more regularly, so that he can fight with bad dreams (???) more often, Yu Xuan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and began his morning routine.

After all, he was still a mortal.

Then he took a warm bath, the hot water practically washing away lingering fatigue. Then, slipping into his new sect robes, he approached the mirror.

Polished, youthful skin. Lustrous black hair. Deep, entrancing eyes that shimmered like obsidian under starlight.

"I am... really handsome," he muttered, unable to resist admiring his reflection for a few moments longer than necessary.

With his confidence refreshed and space ring secured, Yu Xuan stepped out of his residence.

The peak was silent and peaceful, touched only by the occasional breeze and the soft rustling of distant trees.

The clouds drifted leisurely below the mountain’s summit, and golden sunlight poured down in beams through the branches above.

The grass had a gentle shimmer, reacting to his presence as though acknowledging his existence.

Butterflies flitted through the air, wings sparkling with motes of qi, while distant spirit birds sang in high-pitched trills that echoed through the landscape.

He passed by small waterfalls tumbling off cliffsides, their waters glowing faintly blue.



Crystalline lotus ponds lined the pathways, and fishes of various color leapt playfully from the surface before diving back into the stillness.

Trees here weren’t simple — they bloomed with radiant petals, some of which shimmered like glass, others with veins of silver or gold.

After nearly twenty minutes of wandering through this otherworldly realm, Yu Xuan stopped under a tall tree unlike any he’d ever seen.

Its towering trunk seemed carved from jade, and its wide canopy stretched like an umbrella across the sky. Its leaves resembled single lotus petals — five colors in total: red, brown, silver, blue, and green.

"A Five Elemental Tree?" he whispered. The leaves corresponded clearly — Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.

He stepped closer, brushed away a patch of grass at its base, and sat down cross-legged under its shade.

"Hmmm..." he hummed, a low, steady sound as he relaxed.

It was finally time.

Time to cultivate.

Time to begin the journey of immortality.

Now, all that remained was to remove the seal.

At the age of ten, shortly after his Awakening, his mother had sealed his ability to cultivate — not out of malice, but to ensure he didn’t accidentally trigger a premature breakthrough.

His awakening might’ve looked ordinary, but his talent... was anything but.

From his space ring, he retrieved a small, glossy red pill — a "candy" created by his mother.

She had initially refused to create such a thing, insisting that a mere mental command was enough to unseal his cultivation path.

But faced with Yu Xuan’s exaggerated teary eyes, her resistance crumbled.

"Just this once," she had said.

Holding the pill in his palm, Yu Xuan looked at it thoughtfully, then smiled.

He swallowed it without hesitation.

Immediately, he felt a subtle, internal click, like shackles breaking.

A restriction in his body lifted, and a tidal wave of sensitivity flooded him.

He could feel it now — spiritual energy.

Not faintly.

Not abstractly.

Clearly, as though it was the air itself.



And without even needing to focus, he could sense the ambient spiritual energy drifting gently through the Five Elemental Tree, circling the land, waiting to be drawn in.

"I really have final boss-level talent..." he muttered, then under the right cultivation environment, not some old closed cave, his cultivation journey officially began.

***

The first thing Yu Xuan did before cultivating was organize his knowledge.

There were now two cultivation techniques at his disposal now: one gifted by his master, and the other, unnamed, granted by the system itself.

He chose to follow through with an experiment he’d been planning for some time.

’System, incorporate the cultivation technique given by my master into the unnamed technique I received from you.’

[Ding! Incorporating "???" Cultivation Technique and "The Way of Everything" Cultivation Technique...]

[Do you wish to proceed? A backup copy of the original will be stored in the system space.]

[Yes | No]

As usual, the system’s functionality was efficient — except when it decided to be broken on its own terms.

Yu Xuan mentally responded, ’Yes.’

[Checking compatibility...]

[Techniques compatible.]

[Merging in progress... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

[Merge successful.]

[Transferring knowledge...]

[Transfer complete.]

Yu Xuan felt the technique his master had passed on fade from his conscious memory.

In its place, an entirely new method bloomed within his mind — one refined and optimized, crafted from the wisdom of a peak master and the impossible adaptability of the system’s foundation.

A single breath later, the technique settled into him like it had always belonged.

His path forward was now clear.

It was finally time to begin cultivation in earnest.

Yu Xuan accessed the first stage of his cultivation technique — only to find that the rest were still locked.

’Probably due to my current realm,’ he thought, unconcerned.



A stream of knowledge surged into his mind: detailed instructions on how to draw spiritual energy from the air, guiding it through his lungs and into synchronization with his body.

This foundational breathing method method had a name, "Primordial Breath."

’The name alone feels powerful,’ he mused.

Pushing aside all distractions, Yu Xuan composed himself and settled into a cultivation posture.

The classic cross legged one.

Though excitement pulsed within him, he kept his emotions in check, maintaining a calm, focused mind.

During his training with his father, he’d learned the basics of breath control — how to steady one’s breathing, align it with bodily rhythms, and even quiet the mind.

But compared to that, Primordial Breath was leagues more advanced.

This wasn’t just about breathing — it was about harmony between mind, breath, body, and the energy of the world itself.

Yu Xuan exhaled slowly.

Then, following the mental blueprint etched by the technique, he began his first true breath as a cultivator.

[A/N: This is my first time writing about cultivation, really, if there are any mistakes in the future, please forgive me for that.]