Chapter Five: Accepting the Mission

The path of cultivation is divided into nine realms: "Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Spiritual Manifestation, Noble Rank, Laws, Nirvana, Saint, Sacred Emperor, and Great Sovereign." The first step, Qi Refining, is the process of absorbing spiritual energy into the body, changing one's constitution, and shedding the mortal shell. To achieve this, one needs a Qi Refining Manual as a key; the better the manual, the greater the benefits during the Qi Refining stage.

Yet many believe Qi Refining is merely a transitional phase, thinking only Foundation Establishment marks the true beginning. It is only upon reaching Foundation Establishment that regret sets in.

Shen Qingyun, once a Great Sovereign, naturally possessed abundant treasures. His Qi Refining Manual must have been of the highest quality, but all these resources were hidden within a mountain, inaccessible without first reaching the Qi Refining stage to unlock the protective formation.

Thus, Shen Qingyun had no choice but to rely on his former knowledge, continually perfecting each stage of Qi Refining as he progressed.

The first step was to sense the presence of spiritual energy—a force omnipresent yet elusive.

For others, this step may be arduous, but for Shen Qingyun, it was trivial. In just one night, he advanced to the first stage of Qi Refining and stabilized himself at its peak.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, inwardly inspecting the sparse cluster of energy within his dantian, and could not help but smile wryly: "So this is the result of cultivating with an inferior Qi Refining Manual."

Raising his gaze to the two low-grade spirit stones on the table, he pondered briefly before lifting his hand. A surge of suction appeared in his palm, and the spirit stones rolled toward him, landing in his grasp.

Projecting spiritual energy outside the body—this was the hallmark of entering the Qi Refining stage.

Feeling the emptiness within his dantian, Shen Qingyun's lips curled in bitter amusement; his meager spiritual energy was depleted after a single external release. Without hesitation, he began to absorb the energy from the two spirit stones, which climbed up his arm and seeped through his pores.

After replenishing his dantian, Shen Qingyun paused briefly before recommencing his absorption. The spiritual energy within his dantian transformed into a small snake, slithering through his abdomen, growing larger as he drew in more energy. Soon, he sensed a barrier, but instead of forcing his way through, he chose to compress the energy. The thumb-thick snake writhed wildly as space grew ever tighter, until, with a pop, it exploded into countless threads of spiritual energy.

Shen Qingyun did not stop there. He continued to compress the threads, which fused together until they could no longer be compressed.

At this point, his cultivation level dropped to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, yet his expression showed no disappointment. Instead, a faint smile lingered.

"The quality of my spiritual energy is at least eight times what it was before! At this rate, perhaps I can achieve the legendary perfect Foundation Establishment!" With a gentle smile, he wondered what scenery awaited at the fabled perfect Dao Foundation.

He looked down at the spirit stone in his hand, now completely dull—a useless piece of scrap. The other stone, too, had dimmed considerably compared to before.

"Absorbing the rest should bring me to the late stage," he decided, and sat cross-legged once more, drawing in the remaining energy.

The quarters for outer disciples of Azure Cloud Sect were all together. At dawn, the newcomers gathered in groups, forming bonds as fellow disciples from various regions. Their conversations centered most on the unusual disciple Shen Qingyun. Some had already discovered the house where he stayed, but oddly, not once had they glimpsed this figure spoken of in whispers throughout the day.

"Strange, could the news be mistaken?"

A cluster of disciples in blue robes discussed the eccentric Shen Qingyun. All the new recruits had acquainted themselves with one another, yet not a single one had seen Shen Qingyun.

"It’s not a mistake. Someone saw him cultivating in his room!"

"Cultivating?" a blue-robed disciple asked, incredulous, as if hearing something preposterous. "You mean he’s actually cultivating?"

The other disciple nodded, prompting another to scoff, "Impossible. He’s probably just practicing sitting meditation, preparing to sleep through the coming lecture. If he doesn’t understand, he can always nap while cross-legged!"

This explanation won widespread approval. After all, they knew how difficult cultivation was; some spent the entire night trying to sense spiritual energy, only to fall asleep, while others persisted all night.

Without exception, all failed.

Thus, the claim that Shen Qingyun was cultivating found no believers.

Their interest soon shifted to the upcoming lecture five days after entry, where the steward would teach and answer questions in the Hall of Enlightenment.

Another day passed, and dawn arrived. Shen Qingyun sat cross-legged on his bed like a meditating monk, the spirit stone in his hand long since faded into a useless husk, yet he did not cease his cultivation.

After a cycle of regulated breathing, Shen Qingyun opened his eyes, his visage showing no fatigue from two days without sleep—indeed, he seemed invigorated.

"It is indeed faster with the aid of spirit stones. Absorbing ambient spiritual energy bit by bit is far too slow," he muttered, dissatisfaction etched in his brow.

Yet it was not a matter of talent; the spiritual energy in the outer sect was as thin as outside, hardly worthy of complaint. The true core of the sect lay within the inner gates, where the energy was abundant.

"I should check the Task Hall for any missions that allow me to leave. And retrieve my belongings while I’m at it!"

Unable to tolerate such slow progress, Shen Qingyun resolved to visit the Task Hall after absorbing the spirit stone’s energy, now stabilized at the late stage of Qi Refining. A night’s breathing had brought no advancement—perhaps a minuscule improvement, but so slight it was undetectable.

The Task Hall was a frequent destination for outer disciples of a certain tenure. By this stage, they understood the importance of the inner sect and began to cultivate desperately—but where to find resources? Only by completing missions in the Task Hall could they earn them.

Shen Qingyun, clad in his blue robe, stood out conspicuously as he entered the Task Hall.

The most common sight in the Task Hall was disciples in blue-white robes, while those in blue-grey were rare.

Thus, Shen Qingyun’s arrival drew many gazes.

He surveyed the vast hall, noting four reception counters and eight task boards.

Each counter was adorned with cloth in white, yellow, black, or red—a clear indication of task difficulty. White was the simplest, with the least rewards. Yellow offered slightly more, black signified some danger, and red often meant a mission from which one might not return.

Shen Qingyun first glanced at the white task board.

"White task: Sister Zhao of the Pill Pavilion needs her cave cleaned. Reward: one Qi-boosting pill and one sect point."

"White task: Open up new spiritual fields. Reward: three superior Qi-boosting pills, two sect points."

Such laborious chores were abundant—tedious, low-paying tasks. For instance, opening new fields could take several days, yielding only three superior Qi-boosting pills.

Ten superior Qi-boosting pills equaled one low-grade spirit stone.

So Shen Qingyun merely glanced over them before moving to the yellow task board. As expected, yellow tasks were more challenging, with several requiring disciples to leave the sect.

"Yellow task: Travel to Withered Mountain to collect ten stalks of Withered Grass. Reward: one low-grade spirit stone, ten sect points."

Shen Qingyun skimmed the tasks, then approached the yellow reception counter.

"Senior brother, I wish to accept a task!"