Immortal Path Space

Chapter 25: Foundation of Cultivation

As the sun set, Wang Hong gathered a few individuals at the city gate. Walking together, the three reported their findings to Wang Hong.

Qingxu Immortal City was vast, with gates in the east, west, south, and north. They entered through the east gate, and it would take three days to walk from the east to the west gate. Today, they only explored a small area.

The city wasn't solely inhabited by immortals; there were also many ordinary people, mostly descendants of immortal families. Outsiders like them were rare. After all, for ordinary people, passing through the Qingxu Mountain Range was extremely difficult, and most probably ended up as meals for some ferocious beasts along the way.

Ordinary people in the city could assist immortals with various tasks, work in shops, or take care of medicinal gardens and spirit fields. They could earn about half a Spirit Stone per month.

Spirit Stone was the universal currency in the city; gold and silver had no value here. Everything, from daily necessities to accommodation, required Spirit Stones. Even the city's ordinary residents used Spirit Stones. If one only bought mundane items, half a Spirit Stone could buy a considerable amount.

Wang Hong took out a Spirit Stone from his pocket, examining it carefully. He didn't dare show it too much in the city after obtaining it.

Seeing the Spirit Stone in Wang Hong's hand, the three were captivated. It was clear that generals were different; they had just entered the city and already acquired such a rare item as a Spirit Stone.

Wang Hong tossed the Spirit Stone to the three for a closer look. They marveled at the item; in the mortal realm, this would be considered a priceless gem, of inestimable value.

After walking for over ten miles, they reached a small hill with several tents. A small group of people with long spears patrolled the surroundings.

Upon seeing Wang Hong, they all saluted. Wang Hong waved his hand, signaling them to bring a few squad leaders to his tent for a meeting.

This was their temporary camp. Since the situation was unclear, Wang Hong led a small group to explore the city first.

In a spacious tent, Wang Hong sat in the center, with ten people standing below.

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"Zhao Ning, share the information you gathered in the city today with everyone," Wang Hong instructed.

One of the three who entered the city today stepped forward and detailed the information they had gathered.

After everyone absorbed the information, Wang Hong spoke, "We've faced countless hardships and dangers to reach the Immortal City, sacrificing many of our comrades on the way. Now that we've finally arrived, I want to ask again: will you continue to follow me, or do you wish to forge your own path?"

The group hurriedly replied, "We pledge to follow the general to the death."

Wang Hong raised his hand to stop them, "No need to answer now. I am no longer a general of the empire. Just arriving in the Immortal City, I am not much stronger than any of you. Opportunities are equal for everyone, and perhaps you can make a name for yourself here and create your own destiny. I hope you consider this carefully; it is a matter that will shape your entire life. If you choose to leave, I won't stop you. But once you decide to follow me, there must be no second thoughts."

"Go and pass on my words to all the soldiers. Ponder it well today, and give me your answer tomorrow."

As the varied expressions of the people left, Wang Hong took out a book titled "Foundations of Cultivation" and began to study it earnestly.

As it turned out, what ordinary people perceived as immortals were more accurately called Immortal Cultivators. True immortals were still a far cry from them.

Immortal Cultivators achieved immortality through cultivation, gradually separating truth from falsehood and transcending the mortal realm. So, Immortal Cultivators were also known as cultivators.

Cultivation progressed from the shallow to the profound, divided into several major realms: Qi Cultivation, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation. There were reportedly many more realms beyond, details of which were unknown to ordinary people.

Each major realm was further divided into ten sub-realms, from the first to the tenth layer. For example, the first to third layers of the Qi Cultivation stage were the early stages, the fourth to sixth layers were the mid-stages, the seventh to ninth layers were the late stages, and the tenth layer was the perfection, also known as the peak of Qi Cultivation.

The lifespan of those in the Qi Cultivation stage is similar to that of ordinary people, living up to a maximum of one hundred and twenty years. In the Foundation Building stage, one can have a lifespan of two hundred and forty years; in the Golden Core stage, five hundred years; in the Nascent Soul stage, one thousand years; and in the Soul Transformation stage, two thousand years.

Of course, the mentioned lifespans are the maximum limits. The body cannot reach a perfect state, and engaging in combat inevitably leads to injuries, leaving some hidden wounds. Even certain drugs or cultivation techniques that unlock potential can affect the length of one's life.

Immortal Cultivators rely on absorbing Spirit Qi from heaven and earth to cultivate, using this Spirit Qi to nourish their primordial spirit, making it continuously stronger.

The divine sense produced during the Qi Cultivation stage is an external manifestation of the strength of the primordial spirit.

It is said that after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the primordial spirit can directly leave the body. Without the constraints of the physical body, one can teleport and travel tens of thousands of miles in a day.

Wang Hong speculated that each time he entered the ethereal state in Space, it should be his primordial spirit.

To absorb Spirit Qi between heaven and earth, Immortal Cultivators must possess Spiritual Roots. Spiritual Roots act as a bridge between the primordial spirit and the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth; the primordial spirit must pass through the Spiritual Roots to absorb external spiritual energy.

However, most people lack Spiritual Roots and cannot cultivate. Even for those with Spiritual Roots, the quality varies. Most people have mediocre Spiritual Roots (or five Spiritual Roots).

After reading about Spiritual Roots, Wang Hong finally understood his own Spiritual Roots attribute, feeling a bitter smile.

On the day at Qing Yang Academy, the disc used by the Immortal Cultivator from the Taihao Sword Sect to measure Spiritual Roots was likely a tool for this purpose.

When Wang Hong measured himself, he emitted four kinds of light: blue, red, yellow, and black. This meant that Wang Hong had Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Spiritual Roots, similar to mediocre Spiritual Roots.

Belonging to someone with extremely poor cultivation aptitude, without special opportunities, he would likely linger in the Qi Cultivation stage for his entire life. No sect would be willing to take in such a disciple and waste resources on them.

In contrast, his younger brother Wang Yi was sought after by all sects. With the most exceptional Single Element Spiritual Root, he could directly cultivate to the Golden Core stage without any bottlenecks.

The "Foundations of Cultivation" also covered many topics, such as Spirit Herbs, spiritual mines, geography, and more. Wang Hong delved into Space for an entire night and only covered a small portion.

After a whole night of contemplation, the next morning, people started coming to bid farewell to Wang Hong. There were soldiers, temporary squad leaders, and squad leaders.

Wang Hong didn't blame them; after all, the temptations before them were too great. He bid them farewell with kind words and provided them with some supplies.

These people had followed him in battles for many years, contributing their blood and sweat. He couldn't treat them unfairly.

By the time the sun set, only forty-five people remained from his original seventy-plus troops.

"Is there anyone else who wants to leave? You still have a choice now."

Silence filled the air below, only the sound of everyone's breathing could be heard. After a moment of quiet, Wang Hong spoke again, "Good! Good! Good! Since you, my brothers, trust me and are willing to follow me, Wang Hong, I will not mistreat any of you!"

"We pledge to follow the general to the death!"

Wang Hong divided the remaining people into five small teams, each led by a team leader, with eight soldiers, totaling nine members.

He instructed them to continue with their daily Battle Formation Drills led by the team leaders. They could also hunt some ferocious beasts in the vicinity to familiarize themselves with formations and solve their food problems. Wang Hong pondered what other tasks he could give them; people couldn't be idle for too long, or their minds would wander.

For now, they could only stay stationed here, and with this many people, accommodations alone would cost a significant amount of Spirit Stones.

Wang Hong returned to his tent and entered Space.

"Ah! Where are my Spirit Stones?" Wang Hong's cry echoed in Space. He had casually tossed the Spirit Stone he obtained today into Space, and now, not a trace of the Spirit Stone could be found.

"It's so strange. I clearly placed the Spirit Stone in this location. How could it all disappear?"

Wang Hong turned the soil in that area and rechecked Space, but he couldn't find a single trace of the Spirit Stone.

"Could this Space consume Spirit Stones? I'll try bringing in a few more tomorrow."

Currently, Medicinal Herbs in Space had a minimum age of nearly two hundred years. There were also many Medicinal Herbs with ages ranging from decades to over a hundred years.

Due to the inconvenience in the military, a considerable amount of Spirit Grain in Space remained untouched. These could be exchanged for Spirit Stones, but it had to be done gradually.

After all, wealth can stir up desires, and Wang Hong couldn't afford to attract too much attention at the moment.

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