The Difficult Road to Level 1

At the stroke of the third quarter of the Mao hour—5:45 AM—Lin Shao finally opened his eyes from his cross-legged meditation.

Ever since he received the Nine Songs technique from Mu Li, he had practiced fitfully for a total of about 230 hours. Adding the four hours from this morning, he had reached a cumulative 234 hours of cultivation.

After roughly ten days of dedicated effort, Lin Shao had finally, successfully, converted the primordial energy of heaven and earth into a single drop of Nine Songs True Qi.

“This efficiency is just too damn low!”

Since his conversation with the woman in green, Lin Shao had become much more serious about his cultivation. He hoped to reach Level 6 as soon as possible so he could get his hands on the Dao-Void Yin-Yang Fruit and restore Mu Li’s sight.

The path of cultivation is generally easy to enter but increasingly difficult to master. Therefore, his plan was to sprint to Level 4 to get through the “early game,” then use his accumulated wealth to purchase pills, spirit stones, and other auxiliary tools to boost himself to Level 6 at maximum speed.

Doing this risked an unstable foundation that might prevent him from ever becoming a true powerhouse, but Lin Shao had no intention of becoming a world-shaking figure anyway, so he didn’t care about the long-term consequences.

However, the reality was stark: it had taken him nearly ten cumulative days of cultivation just to condense one drop of True Qi. To officially step into Level 1, he needed to condense hundreds, if not thousands, of drops until they merged into a “spiritual liquid” to wash his soul.

At this rate, he’d be a senior citizen before he even finished the first step!

Lin Shao pulled on his boots and headed downstairs. Mu Li was sitting upright at the desk, brush in hand, practicing calligraphy. The fat parrot was lying near her feet in a “death-defying” pose—belly up, fast asleep, with a trail of drool leaking onto the floor.

The bird is so spiritual; if I stewed it and ate it, would my cultivation efficiency improve?

Pushing aside his stray thoughts, Lin Shao walked over to Mu Li. He watched her write neatly on the rice paper; her handwriting was natural and elegant. They say handwriting reflects a person’s character, and looking at Mu Li’s script, one could see a lack of agitation, as if her blindness hadn’t caused even a ripple in her heart.

Finishing a line of text, Mu Li put away her brush and asked, “How was it?”

Knowing she was asking about his progress, Lin Shao didn’t hide anything. He told her truthfully about his abysmal efficiency, venting a bit of his internal frustration.

“Don’t worry, take it slow,” Mu Li comforted him. “I don’t know the exact rank of the Nine Songs technique, but based on your description, the purity of the True Qi it converts is exceptionally high. That is a very good thing. Regardless of whether you continue with it or switch techniques later, it will be of great help.”

“Techniques with such high purity are always difficult at the start. However, once you pass the entry stage, your cultivation speed will be several times faster than those using low-purity methods. It’s quite normal for a high-purity technique to take a year or two just to get through the door.”

Lin Shao gave a bitter smile. “But at this rate, it might take me ten years. This purity is a bit too high.”

Mu Li explained, “You can’t look at it that way. This place isn’t particularly dense with primordial energy. Condensing True Qi here is naturally inefficient. When we get the chance, we can find a ‘Blessed Land’ or a grotto-heaven; practicing there could drastically reduce the entry time.”

“Similarly, you can consume large quantities of medicinal pills to simulate an environment rich in energy. As long as you choose high-quality pills without impurities or side effects, your foundation won’t become unstable.”

Hearing Mu Li’s explanation, Lin Shao felt a wave of clarity. He lightly smacked his forehead, thinking that these tropes appeared in almost every web novel he’d ever read—how had he managed to forget them all?

Curiously, he asked, “Mu Li, how long did it take you to reach Level 1 back then?”

Mu Li replied, “The first time I reached Level 1, it took… three months, I believe.”

The first time? That meant Mu Li had switched techniques later on. He asked again, “After you switched techniques, how long did it take to reach Level 1?”

“A very short time. Once you switch, it’s easier to reach levels you’ve previously attained.” Mu Li shook her head. “Knowing these things won’t help you much right now. You should focus on honest cultivation.”

“There is a state called ‘Stillness’ (Ru Jing). Once you enter it, your focus narrows entirely onto your cultivation, greatly increasing speed. Furthermore, in that state, your body enters a mysterious condition where you can go days without food or sleep, even before you’ve officially entered the levels. Practice more and try to master Stillness as soon as possible.”

“You sound just like a little teacher,” Lin Shao teased. He pulled over a chair and sat beside her, leaning his head on his arms. “If I go into ‘Stillness’ for three days, that means I won’t see you for three days. That feels like a huge loss.”

“Glittering tongue,” Mu Li said, her face calm and devoid of emotion.

Just as Lin Shao was about to say something more to try and make her flustered, footsteps sounded at the door. Two guests walked in.

Leading the way was a girl of about sixteen, wearing a white robe patterned with auspicious clouds. She had a short sword at her waist, black hair, and ink-colored eyes. Her features were well-defined and beautiful—though not on the level of Mu Li or Di Yao—but her expression was expressionless, cold as frost. She radiated an aura that seemed to push people a thousand miles away.

Following behind her was a slightly older male. He had somewhat messy hair and was quite tall, over 1.8 meters. He wasn’t overly bulky, but he had lean muscle, giving him an athletic appearance. His face wasn’t exactly handsome, but it wasn’t ugly either; he was the type of ordinary person who would vanish the moment he stepped into a crowd.

His clothes were far from luxurious—a simple cloth outfit that made him look like a handyman from a manor. His aura matched his outfit: approachable and easy to talk to, the exact opposite of the icy girl in front of him.

The two clearly knew each other. Since stepping inside, the man had been speaking softly, though it was unclear if the girl was listening. She was busy browsing the plants, gems, and curiosities on the shop’s shelves. Eventually, her eyes settled on the prominent red jade pendant, and she stared at it unblinkingly.

The man looked at the jade with her for a moment, then wandered around the shop. Finding nothing of interest, he began studying the strange plants Lin Shao had grown in old pots and pans.

Lin Shao didn’t disturb them. Before transmigrating, he always preferred browsing shops alone; if a clerk or owner approached to chat, he found it uncomfortable.

He nudged Mu Li with his elbow and whispered, “Two guests, a man and a woman. The girl is quite pretty.”

Mu Li didn’t react much to the “pretty” comment. She sat up straight, turning her gauze-covered eyes toward the front. After a moment, she leaned toward Lin Shao and whispered in his ear:

“These two come from the same sect. However, the girl is an inner disciple while the man is an outer disciple. She comes from a noble background, while he comes from poverty. Their past fates are intertwined.”

Lin Shao knew her “professional habit” was kicking in; she was reading their Past Aspects.

“Can’t you use more professional terms? Like ‘facial physiognomy,’ or ‘the dual-fire extreme Yang formation,’ or ‘the winding path leading to Yin softness’…” He remembered that back in the day, Mu Li’s readings sounded much more archaic and mystical.

Mu Li lowered her voice further and said flatly, “I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”

Lin Shao went quiet. After a moment, seeing Mu Li still observing them intently, he couldn’t help but ask: “You aren’t reading their Future Aspects, are you? Stop right now! Aren’t you afraid of another Heavenly Punishment?”

Mu Li said fearlessly, “Don’t worry, this isn’t a problem.” A moment later, she let out a soft, “Huh?”

Lin Shao was worried, but seeing her lack of concern, he assumed these two people’s futures didn’t involve grand secrets of heaven. Still, hearing her surprised “Huh?” made him curious. He wanted to know what she had seen.