Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

Under a large locust tree stood several teenagers and an old man.

The old man earnestly instructed, "Once this is over, do exactly what the immortal master says. Don't be willful or act on your own, understand?"

"Understood, Master Qin."

A dark-skinned, skinny boy grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "You've said it hundreds of times, I almost know it by heart!"

"Chen Yu, you unruly brat!"

Master Qin trembled his beard several times in anger, but ultimately remained silent.

Among the group of teenagers, there was a man of medium build and ordinary appearance who watched the farce unfold without joining in. His name was Lu Qian.

Lu Qian has been in this world for over a decade. He lives in a village near the Canghai Sect, where he often sees immortals flying around. It's impossible not to yearn for it.

From childhood, Lu Qian grew up listening to stories of the Canghai Sect. The main characters in these stories were mostly outer disciples, with a few being inner disciples. They were all templates for how they would travel, discover the cave dwellings of their predecessors, and thus greatly improve their cultivation.

Right now, as long as his spiritual root can be detected, people will continue to tell his story.

"You people are all descendants of cultivators from the Canghai Sect, and you all appear to be intelligent, so the chances of you having spiritual roots are very high."

Master Qin started rambling again, "However, there are different kinds of spiritual roots. Only three spiritual roots can be considered true spiritual roots, four spiritual roots can be considered pseudo spiritual roots, and five spiritual roots mean there is no hope for the path of cultivation."

Chen Yu suddenly said, "Maybe we have earth-based spiritual roots, other-type spiritual roots, or heaven-based spiritual roots!"

The only girl among them, Wu Ling'er, dressed in a white dress and with delicate features, spoke up, "Earthly spiritual roots are one in a thousand miles, and extraordinary spiritual roots are even rarer. Heavenly spiritual roots are only encountered once every few decades. How could it be our turn?"

Chen Yu gave an awkward smile, "Anything is uncertain."

At this moment, the last one, a quiet and seemingly honest young man named Shi Daqiang, spoke up, "We've arrived!"

Lu Qian had already seen the bustling crowd ahead, a dense mass of people, but they made little noise, all quietly waiting for something. Even the usually unruly Chen Yu had quieted down.

A small dot in the sky drew closer and closer, eliciting gasps of surprise. It turned out to be a flying boat, which at first looked no bigger than a sesame seed, then quickly became the size of a sweet potato, and finally landed on the ground, revealing that it was even larger than the largest ancestral hall in the village.

Several cultivators flew out from the bow of the ship, each dressed in luxurious robes and possessing extraordinary bearing. The leader, with a handsome face and a cold expression, slowly landed on the ground. His clear voice resounded throughout the area, "I am Jiang Qi, an inner disciple of the Canghai Sect. I am here on a sect mission to guide the nascent immortal seedlings. I ask for your cooperation!"

Jiang Qi waved his hand, and a stone flew out, slowly growing larger until it was about the height of a person and the size of a table. "This is a spirit-testing stone. Line up and put your hands on it. Take turns, don't waste time."

Several other cultivators followed suit, taking out their spirit-testing stones as well. Soon, someone stepped forward, placed their hand on the stone, and it emitted a five-colored light.

"Five spiritual roots? Not up to standard. Next one!"

The boy, who had been diagnosed with five spiritual roots, was on the verge of tears, but quickly moved aside.

"Three spiritual roots, you can join my Canghai Sect!" A young girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"This four spiritual roots can be used for menial tasks. You can stay if you want, or leave if you don't." A boy clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but ultimately chose to stay.

Suddenly, a gasp came from the crowd. The spirit-testing stone emitted golden and red light, and a boy whose clothes were patched all over stood there blankly, looking around nervously, thinking that he had caused trouble.

Jiang Qi was startled, then overjoyed. A smile finally appeared on his expressionless face. "You actually have both metal and fire spiritual roots! That's quite rare. If you come behind me, an elder might take notice of you. We can even become fellow disciples in the future."

The patched-up boy immediately went from worried to happy and quickly ran behind Jiang Qi.

Before long, it was Lu Qian's turn. He placed his hand on the spirit-testing stone and felt a cool sensation. The spirit-testing stone emitted three kinds of light: green, yellow, and red.

The cultivator behind the spirit-testing stone was taken aback for a moment. "Wood, fire, and earth are the three spiritual roots. Whether it's for spiritual plants or alchemy, they are all very suitable."

Lu Qian cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"

"It's not about giving guidance; you'll understand once you get the hang of it."

When the cultivator saw Lu Qian speak up, he said a few more words, "Refining pills is quite costly and not so easy. My name is Zhao Qi. You can find me after you enter the sect."

Lu Qian responded but didn't say anything more. He walked over to the three spiritual roots and stood there, as he had something more important to confirm.

At this moment, his spirit seemed to connect to a space, in which his body manifested. His clothes and the scars on his skin were exactly the same as in reality. Even when he squatted down and pulled a blade of grass, another blade of grass manifested in the space, with the same veins on its leaves.

"This is somewhat like a legendary talent, a mental world, where reality manifests in the spiritual space, allowing for endless trial and error."

In Lu Qian's previous life, martial arts were prevalent. Top fighters would watch videos of their opponents and engage in countless battles with them in their mental world to ultimately find the optimal way to win.

The most elite among them possess a spiritual world that can almost simulate everything in reality, hence it is called the world of the mind, one mind, one world.

The crowd for spirit testing was getting shorter and shorter, and this round of guiding immortal seedlings was about to end. Lu Qian hurriedly went to say goodbye to Master Qin.

"You and Wu Ling'er are both excellent. With three spiritual roots, you can at least enter the sect. Although Shi Daqiang has four spiritual roots, he should have some talent in body refinement. He should be able to become an outer disciple without any problem."

Master Qin looked at Chen Yu, whose eyes were red, and sighed, "It's a pity for you. With four spiritual roots, you have no chance of making a name for yourself in the Canghai Sect. You might as well go back to the village and farm. Maybe you'll live longer."

Chen Yu stubbornly shook his head, "Even if I have to do menial tasks, I will still pursue the path of immortality. Even with a ruined spiritual root, there is still a possibility of becoming an immortal. I refuse to believe I can't do it!"

A burst of laughter erupted from someone. "Even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots wouldn't dare claim immortality, yet you, with only four Spiritual Roots, dare to talk about it so casually. Truly, ignorance is bliss!"

Chen Yu, his eyes red, clenched his fists and glared fiercely at the speaker. "Who are you? What I say is none of your business!"

"My name is Li Yikui, a mere immortal seedling with three spiritual roots. There is indeed no enmity between us, but I simply cannot tolerate your arrogant words."

Li Yikui had delicate features, wore a brocade robe, and held a folding fan in his hand, occasionally fanning himself. He could certainly be described as a refined gentleman. "If you feel offended, you may come to me at any time!"

He folded his folding fan with a whoosh, cupped his hands and smiled. Wu Ling'er, who was watching from the side, was stunned. Her face turned red and she quickly lowered her head.

In the countryside, most boys are catching fish and digging in the mud. How could there be a handsome young man like Li Yikui?

Wu Ling'er's heart started pounding after just a few more glances.

Chen Yu wasn't particularly angry at first, but seeing Wu Ling'er's behavior, his jealousy and resentment erupted, and he roared, "How dare you look down on us brothers! One day, you'll regret it!"

Before he finished speaking, Lu Qian quietly moved a few steps to the side, while Shi Daqiang simply turned his head away, preferring not to see him.

Lu Qian knew that Chen Yu usually loved to show off and had feelings for the demure Wu Ling'er, so it was understandable that he was furious at this moment. But what did this have to do with Lu Qian?

Even if they come from the same village, if they're not familiar with each other, they're not familiar with each other, and it's really unwise to make enemies over such a small matter.

"Young Master Li merely thinks you're wrong; he doesn't mean to belittle us. You should apologize to him immediately!"

When Wu Ling'er saw Li Yikui looking at her, she became even more shy and turned to play peacemaker, saying, "We're all from the same batch of immortal seedlings, and we've developed a bond as classmates since entering the sect. Why not turn hostility into friendship and get along well!"

"I don't need you to plead for me!"

Chen Yu was already jealous of Wu Ling'er's special treatment of Li Yikui. Seeing Wu Ling'er speaking to Li Yikui, coupled with the fact that she had entered the sect with four spiritual roots and was now doing menial tasks, he was already unable to control his emotions and stormed off in a huff.

"This child... is so immature."

Master Qin had no more to say. He, an old man, couldn't interfere in the affairs of immortal masters. "I'll go back and give you the good news. See you again someday!"

Looking at Master Qin's retreating figure, Lu Qian didn't feel any attachment. When he transmigrated, his parents were already gone, and his older brother and sister-in-law treated him like a beast of burden. It was only after he demonstrated his intelligence and talent and received Master Qin's strong recommendation that his life began to improve.

"Why don't you gentlemen come with me? That way we can look out for each other."

Li Yikui stepped forward with a smile. He was mainly speaking to Lu Qian and Wu Ling'er, who both had three spiritual roots. "It's not easy to get by in the Canghai Sect. My elder brother has been in the outer sect for some time now, so perhaps he can help out."

Wu Ling'er readily agreed, "Thank you very much, Young Master Li!"

Lu Qian politely declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Li, but I'm used to being alone."

He walked directly toward the airship, with Shi Daqiang following behind without saying a word.

"It seems this gentleman has some misunderstanding about me."

Li Yikui watched Lu Qian's retreating figure with a smile on her face, displaying extraordinary poise.

Wu Ling'er shook her head, "That's just his personality. He likes to be alone. We don't need to worry about him."

Lu Qian didn't really not want to form a group, but he felt that this Young Master Li was a bit unreliable. He had just squeezed Chen Yu out, and then he came to win them over.

Either Li Yikui is incredibly carefree, or he doesn't care about Lu Qian and the others' feelings.

Besides, he's just an outer sect elder brother, and he's probably already struggling to take care of himself. Taking care of his brother Li Yikui is one thing, but how can he take care of others?

That's just something you can tell a child.