I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 167 Third Stage of the Sentence Realm
The wind howled, the sky and earth were vast, and the landscape unfolded beneath my feet like a painting.

The Minjiang River, with its mirror-like blue waves, meanders eastward, dotted with white sails; further north, the plains stretch for miles, the winter snow gradually melting, revealing patches of green.

Wen Shan and Cheng Bei sat upright and leaned back, respectively, as if the dangers they had just faced had been blown away by the gentle breeze.

Xue Xiang was in a good mood and chatted with the two of them. Then, a thought crossed his mind and he said, "Although the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment realms are separated by a thin line, they are actually worlds apart."

Now that you two have achieved the Core Formation stage, could you perhaps offer me some guidance?

On his path of cultivation, he has always lacked a good teacher.

Although he recruited a group of Core Formation cultivators in Wenxu Blessed Land, he himself played the role of a master.

They can only gain some benefits through so-called cultivation experiences, and dare not ask anyone for advice at all.

Now that we have two powerful Core Formation experts here, we can learn a lot from them.

Wenshan spoke quickly, "The difference between Foundation Building and Qi Refining is comprehensive."

The essence of Qi cultivation is to draw spiritual energy into the body, cleanse the marrow and strengthen the physical body in all aspects.

Using the analogy of making a ceramic jar, this step is like shaping the embryo.

Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, the embryo is formed and ready to be filled with water.

After you cultivate your immortal foundation, your spiritual energy will transform into droplets of water. Young Master, you should be able to see wisps of water within your unparalleled foundation; that is your spiritual energy.

"That's completely nonsensical. Comparing it to a pottery jar, what's the point of comparing them?"

Cheng Bei scoffed, "Foundation Building is a more comprehensive improvement than Qi Refining."

The physical body, the five senses and six consciousnesses—I won't go into those.

The greatest improvement lies in the use of spiritual power.

The reason why a single-color spiritual root is considered superior is because it is relevant to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Because of the single-color spiritual root, foundation building is easy.

As for what constitutes a superior foundation after the formation of an immortal foundation, that is another matter entirely.

For example, young master, your unparalleled Dao foundation, with its five-colored lotus, means that you can control the full power of the five elements.

Moreover, you can control each of the five elements to its fullest extent, which is a remarkable advantage.

"That's getting off topic. That's getting off topic."

While Cheng Bei was catching his breath, Wen Shan interrupted, "Young Master asked about Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, not about the difference between him and other Foundation Establishment experts."

Young Master has already cultivated to the point of unparalleled mastery; is there any possibility for others to compare themselves to him?

Let me continue from what Lao Cheng said, starting with the application of spiritual power.

The Qi Refining Realm's control over the Five Elements is very weak; so-called miraculous techniques are only good enough to ignite a tiny flame.

After cultivating the foundation of the Dao, one's control over the power of the five elements becomes much stronger.

There are numerous Five Elements techniques, such as Fireball and Frost, which are just the most basic operations.

The young master is a Confucian scholar, an official, and a newly appointed county student.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the academy should provide basic immortal techniques training.

"What can we expect from the academy?"

Cheng Beidao said, "With the two of us here, guiding basic immortal techniques is no difficult task."

Are you trying to slack off?

The two immediately started arguing.

Xue Xiang smiled without saying a word, knowing perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

The argument between the two was partly a struggle for the right to speak, and partly a performance.

The struggle for the right to speak is about who is the most important person under one's command, because the foundation laid determines the future.

These two appeared to lack wisdom in front of Wu Meng. In reality, no one who can cultivate to the Core Formation stage is a fool.

The performance was merely a show for themselves, a way of showing that the two of them were not in cahoots, and reassuring him, the leader.

After the two exchanged a few words, Wenshan continued, "After you have built an unparalleled foundation, young master, you will need to continue to draw spiritual energy into your body."

Once a certain level is reached, the spatial points within the Dao Foundation Lotus will be illuminated.

There are a total of nine spatial points, which are the light spots of the Qi Refining Realm.

Once the nine spatial points are lit, the lotus flower closes, and preparations can begin for Core Formation.

Xue Xiang nodded. "So, besides cultivating basic immortal techniques, my most urgent task is to continue refining spirit stones?"

Wenshan nodded, while Cheng Bei shook his head.

Wen Shan glared at Cheng Bei, who said, "Others are like this, but the fact that you, young master, were able to cultivate an unparalleled Dao foundation shows that you are a person favored by heaven."

How could we possibly take the usual path?

I will devise a plan for you, young master:
First, it draws spiritual energy into the body, but not spirit stones, but demon cores.

Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the demand for spiritual energy increases.

The human body has a limit to its ability to absorb spiritual energy within a certain timeframe.

If one were to use spirit stones to guide spiritual energy into the body, even with an unlimited number of spirit stones, it would probably take one or two years to reach the first level of Foundation Establishment (the first, second, and third levels are the early stages).

To outsiders, this speed is already quite impressive.

But young master started too late. He can't afford to waste ten years just to reach the threshold of the Core Formation Realm.
What I mean is, obtain demon cores as soon as possible. The spiritual power in these things is far more abundant and pure than that in spirit stones.

Xue Xiang was stunned.

He certainly knew about demon cores.

The so-called demons are neither raw demons nor cooked demons.

The term "raw demons" refers to uncivilized monsters that inhabit the northern border and feed on humans.

Unlike Ling Xueyi, who lives in human territory and has assimilated into civilization, these are two different concepts.

Even a familiar demon like Ling Xueyi wouldn't consider a new demon as one of her own.

Currently, the chaos in the north is a result of the central government's expansion of territory there, which is also aimed at conquering the demon races.

Demon cores, as a pure energy source, can be used for cultivation and are also excellent materials for refining weapons and talismans.

The immense power of the Mountain and River Eight Scenery Formation used by Xue Xiang was naturally beyond what he could achieve with just over ten spirit stones.

Inside, it contains the terrifying power of a demon core.

But demon cores are extremely rare and highly consumable; he had never even seen one at an auction.

Cheng Bei's suggestion was undoubtedly a subtle reminder that there were many opportunities in the North.

"Secondly? He's putting on an act as if he's very organized."

Wenshan was very dissatisfied that Cheng Bei had stolen his thunder.

Cheng Beidao said, "Naturally, it's the cultivation of literary energy."

When you were building your foundation, I saw you refine a large number of demonic crystal cores.

At this moment, his literary talent must also be exceptionally refined.

"I have reached the realm of verse, and have generated a sapling of literary spirit."

Xue Xiang explained.

He had no reason to hide anything from these two people.

The two were stunned.

"What? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Xue Xiang stared blankly at the two of them.

Wen Shan was stunned for a long time before asking, "In the path of literary talent, does the young master not have a master to pass on his knowledge to?"

Xue Xiang was stunned. "I really don't have a master to pass on my knowledge to. What have you two noticed?"

He cultivated his skills entirely on his own, relying on his own unorthodox methods; he didn't have any dedicated teachers.

Wenshan said, “The realm of sentences is the realm of literary spirit; the treasure tree of literary spirit is the embodiment of the richness of literary spirit.”

The two are not the same.

It's only natural that the young master refined so many crystal cores, resulting in a rapid advancement in his literary skills and the cultivation of the Literary Qi Treasure Tree.

However, to say that it has reached the realm of the sentence is probably not entirely true.

Xue Xiang was embarrassed.

His knowledge of literary cultivation was instilled in him by Xie Haiya.

After Xie Haiya was transferred, he was stuck at the third level of the Word Realm for a long time.

Of course, this lag is not entirely due to a lack of cultivation knowledge.

More importantly, his cultivation level was stuck at the Qi Refining stage.

Upon breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm, he immediately refined the demonic crystal core, and his literary energy indeed surged again, eventually forming a sapling of the Literary Energy Treasure Tree.

One after another, his heartstrings loosened, and Xue Xiang felt that he had reached the point of enlightenment.

During the two days he spent indulging in revelry with Princess Yong, he also tried reciting classic texts in his spare time. Although it stirred his literary spirit, it didn't have the power he had expected.

In retrospect, the problem lay in my own misunderstanding.

He solemnly bowed to the two men, saying, "Please give me your guidance."

Cheng Bei waved his hands repeatedly, "Young master, you flatter me. If I knew, how could I dare to keep it to myself?"

"Yes, we are both quite knowledgeable, but we really don't know much about the art of literature."

If you wish to acquire knowledge about cultivating literary energy, it is actually quite simple.

Find a trading company; they have a wide range of businesses, and this kind of business cooperation is a piece of cake for them.

Upon hearing "Da Shang Hang," Xue Xiang immediately thought of Fei Yu Shang Hang, where he had pledged a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual milk and was waiting for it to be released.

Currently, he still has Wen Xiang's and Huang Feng's storage rings that he can use.

Surely the stock inside must be worth at least six or seven thousand spirit stones?
Immediately, he headed straight for Demon Cloud City.

The magic carpet was fast enough that Xue Xiang could see the towering Cloud Tower just as dusk was falling.

Along the way, Cheng Bei taught Xue Xiang the secrets of disguise and gave him a bottle of mysterious potion.

When Xue Xiang entered Moyun City, he had already transformed into a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.

Wenshan and Chengbei also changed their makeup.

When Xue Xiang and his two companions entered Feiyu Trading Company, the manager was collecting accounts. Upon seeing them enter, he bowed and said, "Gentlemen, we are closed for today. Please come again tomorrow."

Xue Xiang showed the VIP token of Feiyu Trading Company, and the manager of the inner hall's eyes lit up. "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will ask the head manager to come here."

Before long, an old man slowly approached. He was tall and slender, wearing a dark blue robe with flying feather and gold patterns embroidered on his chest.

The old man introduced himself as surnamed Guo, and said he was the head manager of the inner hall.

Xue Xiang stated his purpose directly, and Manager Guo then invited the three of them into a private room to talk.

After Xue Xiang presented the mortgage certificate, Manager Guo quickly calculated the accounts: six thousand spirit stones in principal and ten percent interest, totaling six thousand six hundred spirit stones.

Xue Xiang took out two storage rings. "I don't have any others, only these. Shopkeeper, please open them so I can check them."

Manager Guo's eyes lit up. "No problem."

He then took out a yellow seal and wrapped it around the two storage rings. "The yellow seal can prevent thoughts from penetrating. As long as thoughts penetrate, the yellow seal will break."

Breaking the inner restrictions does not require mental effort.

Therefore, please rest assured, we will not take any of the treasures inside without permission.

After saying that, he handed over a brush and asked Xue to write on the seal of the yellow seal to prove its tightness.

Half an incense stick later, Manager Guo returned with two storage rings. He handed the yellow seal to Xue Xiang to monitor them. Xue Xiang then tore open the seal and inserted the rings with a thought.

Xue Xiang was secretly delighted, as the two of them had quite a few good items in their storage rings.

Wen Xiang's storage ring contained more than three thousand spirit stones, a number of talismans, and other miscellaneous items.

Huang Feng's storage ring contained few spirit stones, but a great many pills and precious medicines. What pleased Xue Xiang the most was that there were more than a dozen Youth Preservation Pills in the guy's storage ring.

Xue Xiang counted out all the spirit stones and some less frequently used resources, which totaled 6,600, and then exchanged them for the ten-thousand-year-old spirit milk.

Then, Xue Xiang said that he needed to find an expert who was proficient in cultivating literary energy to impart knowledge and answer questions.

Manager Guo quoted a price of twenty spirit stones per hour, with a minimum order of three hours.

Xue Xiang did not haggle; top-tier knowledge naturally deserves a top-tier price.

Manager Guo then invited Xue Xiang and his party to rest in the elegant room.

Two hours later, Xue Xiang waited in a secret room for a young man dressed in a Taoist robe.

He introduced himself as Xu Yifan, and said he worked at the Canglan Academy, which reassured Xue Xiang considerably.

A platform can, to some extent, prove capability, even if it's only partial capability.

The two then began talks, and upon testing him, Xu Yifan indeed found out he had the goods.

He answered all of Xue's questions.

"...The context of a sentence is the context of a sentence, and the literary talent tree is the literary talent tree..."

The realm of a sentence is a state of being; the treasure tree of literary spirit is the result of literary spirit being abundant to a certain degree...

...The two are certainly related; a rich and varied literary style naturally provides a solid foundation for transcending the limitations of a single sentence...

Actually, your current state is indeed just one step away from reaching the realm of perfect understanding...

...The context is also of the third level...

Casting sentences... Melting sentences... Heartfelt sentences...

The so-called "casting of sentences" refers to the literary and artistic traditions that can be established at the Canglan Academy, where there is a stele for the literary and artistic traditions. Scholars can pay a price to open the literary and artistic starry sky and thus inherit the literary lineage and the way of heaven.

Think what you think, choose what you choose, and with the words you think and choose, attract the literary tradition and the way of heaven, and use the spirit of literature to forge the words you choose, and imprint them in the literary palace.

When these sentences become as solid as mountains, then the formation of a sentence will be complete...

The so-called "melting sentence" means melting away the cast sentence, and the meaning of the literary lineage condensed in the cast sentence will then dissipate into the literary palace.

At that time, the literary energy would possess the complete will of the literary lineage and the heavenly way, and would be better able to receive the meaning of the literary lineage and the heavenly way...

The so-called "heartfelt words" are those that follow one's heart's desires without overstepping the bounds, allowing one to express one's thoughts freely and reveal them through words.

Only then will the literary talent manifest itself, killing from the heart...

Of course, even if you've mastered the third level of the Sentence Realm, you can't say you're invincible.

Ultimately, the master leads you through the door, but the rest is up to you to cultivate yourself.

There are many people whose talent is so poor that even at the third level of the Jujutsu Realm, they can't defeat a Core Formation cultivator...

The first and second levels of sentence structure are not without power. Do you still remember the characters for celestial phenomena and nature such as earth, water, fire, wind, and thunder?

Even if you cultivate to the third level of the Word Realm, you still can't write these words, but at the Sentence Realm, you can try.

Of course, this depends on the quality of your sentence construction...

Xu Yifan spoke eloquently, and Xue Xiang listened with rapt attention.

Three hours passed in a flash. Xue Xiang was still not satisfied and wanted to extend the time, but Xu Yifan was too busy and had already been contacted by another client, so he had to leave.

Xue Xiang secretly calculated Xu Yifan's fee schedule; judging by his income, it was simply terrifying.

Indeed, knowledge can always be exchanged for money.

When Xue Xiang left the Flying Feather Merchant Guild, it was already the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) the next day.

He had invited Manager Guo to continue ordering Xu Yifan's services tomorrow.

In mid-air, snow began to fall again, fluttering and swirling.

Do either of you have relatives?

Xue Xiang suddenly felt homesick and, putting himself in others' shoes, asked about Wen Shan and Cheng Bei.

The two were stunned.

Wenshan said, “I have a daughter who got married long ago and I haven’t seen her for more than 20 years.”

“My home is in Youliang Prefecture, and I haven’t been back for thirty years.”

Cheng Bei replied.

"Let's find some time to go back and visit them."

Xue Xiang smiled.

The two were taken aback.

It wasn't about whether they could go home or not, but rather that Xue Xiang seemed willing to let them leave.

"You two don't need to follow me closely. If I need to contact you, I will do so via cloud messages. Once you see the message in the report, please return immediately."

Xue Xiang rubbed his hands together. "In short, I have no intention of taking your lives, nor do I intend to take your resources."

"I will not break the agreed-upon ten-year promise."

Wenshan and Chengbei stood there stunned for a long time.

Suddenly, the two men knelt down before Xue Xiang, saying, "Young master, we will never forget your great kindness."

After saying this, the two figures transformed into rainbows and disappeared.

Xue Xiang slept soundly that night and met with Xu Yifan again the next day.

This time, he booked a full-day package, and the other party also paid the full-day price of one hundred spirit stones per day.

This time, Xue Xiang not only asked about knowledge related to literary energy, but also about cultivation knowledge, including the difficult points he encountered in reading classics and various notes.

Xu Yifan was like a walking encyclopedia; there was almost nothing he didn't know, and what was even more remarkable was his ability to integrate and apply his knowledge.

After chatting with Xu Yifan for a whole day, Xue Xiang had compiled two large notebooks full of notes.

He finally returned to Yong'an City on the morning of the third day.

He didn't rush home; instead, he went to the Canaan County Academy of Literature and returned the monastic register.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he announced his name, the middle-aged scholar who had taken his talisman and ring widened his eyes and said, "You are Xue Xiang? Wasn't it rumored that you perished in the Demonic Land? Go home quickly, no, hurry, run away!"

(End of this chapter)