Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

"For cultivators, cultivation level is still more important. Although I have some body refining cultivation, I was considered to have awakened relatively early in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but it is incomparable to the late-stage of Qi Refining."

Lu Qian felt a mix of emotions.

He then looked around and found that it was dark and seemed to be still underground, with only some candles on the walls providing light.

Almost no one was chatting here; it was completely quiet. When only a few people remained unconscious, the others didn't want to wait any longer and grabbed those people, pulling them outside.

Lu Qian naturally followed suit.

Mu Xue stood next to Lu Qian, looking around with great interest.

Mu Dong, Lei Yunxing, and the others walked at the very front, greeting each other from time to time, as if they were all very familiar with each other.

Unlike Lu Qian, they all grew up in the Holy Land and, whether by choice or by force, made many acquaintances. Now that they've come to this unfamiliar place, it's natural for them to make contact with others.

The passageway here isn't narrow, but it's definitely not spacious either; it's only wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side.

After walking a short distance, they encountered people dressed completely differently from them who were guarding the area. In some corners, there were also meditating cultivators whose auras were unfathomable, and they were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

These alien warriors looked somewhat different from the people of the East Sea Immortal Cultivation World, but the difference wasn't particularly significant. However, most of them wore clothes made of animal hides that barely covered their chests and thighs. Their skin was bronze, making them look similar to people from primitive tribes, and they exuded a fierce and dangerous aura.

Even when someone walks by, he remains unmoved, his gaze unwavering.

Lu Qian couldn't help but wonder, "Could these people be Dao soldiers trained by the Holy Land?"

The so-called Dao soldiers are soldiers trained using special methods. They do not need to cultivate and may not even have much intelligence. After undergoing a complex refining process, they can possess great power.

A single Dao soldier may not be very strong, but when combined with specially crafted array flags, they can unleash tremendous power.

Refining Dao soldiers not only requires recruiting talented individuals but also consumes a large amount of resources. Furthermore, Dao soldiers do not have a very long lifespan, and many may be lost in a major battle. Only powerful sects can afford to maintain them.

For a holy land, the teleportation array is of paramount importance, so it's not surprising that it's guarded by Dao soldiers.

As long as the teleportation array can be protected, the Holy Land can provide immediate support no matter what happens here. Conversely, if the teleportation array is lost, contact with this place will be lost immediately.

Every now and then, Lu Qian could see a few insects crawling on the ground, all of them poisonous creatures like scorpions, centipedes, and spiders. He wanted to ask why no one was cleaning them up, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

If he can see it, others can naturally see it too. As for why they don't clean it up, it's probably because they've already cleaned it up and found it's useless.

The climate here is very hot and humid, and poisonous insects are everywhere. The poisonous insects that could enter human settlements have been cleared out; they are all common poisonous insects.

Once you leave human settlements, the poisonous insects in the wild are truly terrifying; even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can easily be caught off guard and drown.

"If this place were truly that good, it wouldn't have been occupied by evil cultivators; it would have been packed with righteous cultivators long ago!"

The Western Continent is usually a refuge for evil cultivators who can't make a living here. It's only when a holy land suddenly realizes that this place is rich in resources that they want to come and explore it.

Under normal circumstances, no cultivator would voluntarily come this way.

Although Lu Qian was somewhat unaccustomed to it, he maintained a good mindset. He could hear exclamations from the crowd from time to time, and everyone looked quite upset.

Mu Xue was the same; she frowned the whole way, dodging insects from time to time.

Even though I had prepared myself mentally before coming, I found that it was even worse than I had imagined.

However, the training missions meant that no one was truly frightened.

Lu Qian found it somewhat amusing that these ruthless disciples of the Holy Land all had such ugly expressions after arriving in the Western Continent.

Most of them do not regard the monks outside the holy land as human beings, but when they see the ground full of insects, they feel a strong sense of unease.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, he could vaguely see light ahead. Lu Qian felt a little uncomfortable, but fortunately it was only for a moment, and he quickly followed the crowd.

Welcome to the Black Abyss Forest!

When everyone emerged from underground, a gentle voice suddenly rang out. Only then did they realize that there was a person wearing a blue cloud-patterned Taoist robe above them.

He looked like a young man with a handsome face, but his weathered eyes and long, drooping white eyebrows gave him an aged appearance.

Although it was clearly a person standing there, their body swayed slightly, much like the clouds floating in the sky, as if they had become one with the environment.

The most paradoxical thing is that even though he has already spoken and looks like a person, people still subconsciously treat him as any ordinary object, without feeling any sense of incongruity.

Lu Qian glanced at it once and then lowered his head, not daring to look any longer, because in his field of vision, it was simply a glowing humanoid energy body, emitting energy fluctuations that made people's hearts palpitate.

"It's...it's a Nascent Soul True Monarch!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd, but quickly subsided, as if everyone realized their lapse in composure and hurriedly shut up.

Lu Qian was also slightly surprised, "It's actually a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

There are also Nascent Soul cultivators in the Holy Land, and quite a few of them, but they are not something that Qi Refining disciples can see often.

At least for this period of time, the most common people Lu Qian saw in the Holy Land were Foundation Establishment cultivators, who were practically the lowest-level executors. They were almost everywhere, and most of them came from affiliated forces.

Secondly, there are the Golden Core Elders, who are not easy to meet; they usually come and go in a hurry.

If a disciple of the Holy Land wants to see a Golden Core elder, they must first pay a visit and obtain permission before they can meet with him.

As for the Nascent Soul True Monarch... Lu Qian could say he had never seen him, or perhaps he had seen him but didn't know it.

In short, even in the Holy Land, a Nascent Soul cultivator is definitely considered a high-level individual.

The goal of most disciples of the Holy Land is to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch, but even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots may not be able to achieve it.

It's fair to say that among the dozens of people who came, perhaps not even one would become a Nascent Soul True Monarch. The person above them was the lifelong dream of most people, so it's natural that they would be surprised.

Some people even bowed deeply and didn't straighten up for a long time.

Of course, some people showed composure and didn't seem to care at all.

Especially people like Lin Guihai and Lei Yunxing, although their expressions were somewhat solemn, they were not extremely respectful. This was because they had a certain degree of confidence in themselves and believed that they could also cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, or even higher. Naturally, they did not have much awe and were thinking that they could replace him.

Xiong Kaishan, on the other hand, had his head almost touching the ground, as if afraid that the Nascent Soul True Monarch above him would think he was disrespectful. He did a very good job of putting on a show.

Lu Qian lowered his head to show respect, as did Mu Dong and Mu Xue beside him. Most of them were like that, as disciples of the Holy Land, they still had some pride in their hearts.

Even if they encounter a Nascent Soul cultivator, they won't feel that they can't catch up to him, but rather that they might be able to do the same.

"My name is Qiyun. I will be stationed here most of the time. If you have any new discoveries or useful information, you can tell me, depending on their importance. If they prove useful, you will be rewarded with corresponding merits."

The Qiyun True Lord, with his two long white eyebrows, was very gentle. Even if some people were not respectful enough, he didn't care at all. This was because he had also come from this stage, and because he had seen too many similar things in his long life, so he no longer cared.

"The area around the Black Abyss Forest is teeming with evil cultivators and demonic creatures. If you want to gain merit in battle, then go out and wipe them out..."

Qiyun Zhenjun only briefly explained the reward mechanism before flying away. He probably only came to let the disciples of the Holy Land get acquainted with him. The specific tasks will definitely be left to the instructors to arrange.

Not long after, Jin Changgeng walked over, his face visibly tired, but he still mustered his spirits and said, "From now on, you will be the first batch of trainees in the Western Continent branch. However, this title is not very useful. What you should really do is seize every opportunity to hone yourselves and become stronger!"

"The system of merit points has long been known throughout the Holy Land, so you should be somewhat prepared. In the early stages of Qi Refining, whether it's a demonic beast, an evil cultivator, or even a corpse refiner, defeating one earns one merit point. In the middle stages of Qi Refining, it's ten merit points, in the late stages, it's one hundred merit points, and in the Foundation Establishment stage, it's five hundred merit points. Special poisonous insects will be calculated based on the situation."

"This is a long-term mission, and the surrounding area is almost teeming with demonic beasts. As long as you are willing to fight, even if your cultivation level is not high, it is easy to gain battle merits. Of course, it will also be very dangerous. You will have to decide for yourselves."

Jin Changgeng spoke for a long time, mostly reminding them to be aware of the dangers around them and to act within their capabilities. Finally, he gave each of them a jade slip containing a map of the surrounding area, information about the surrounding environment, and items that could be exchanged for battle merits.

As for their cave dwellings, they were all arranged in the underground area, with spirit-gathering arrays set up inside. However, the space was relatively small, at least not comparable to the vast space of the Holy Land. It was more like a dormitory.

There was nothing that could be done about it; they were exploring new lands, in other words, on the front lines of the battlefield, so naturally they couldn't be picky about the conditions.

However, the resources that can be exchanged for battle merits are quite abundant. Even things that are not listed here, as long as you are willing to use your battle merits to exchange for them, the people here will also find a way to collect them.

In short, war merits serve as the currency here, and their purchasing power is quite strong.

Even the century-old stalactite that Lu Qian longed for could be exchanged here, but it would cost a thousand battle merits.

As for the Spirit Stone, it requires 5,000 battle merits to successfully exchange for it, which is equivalent to the battle merits gained from killing 50 late-stage Qi Refining cultivators or 10 Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, it can only be exchanged once.

Without a doubt, for ordinary Qi Refining disciples, exchanging for Spirit Nourishing Stones is almost impossible.