Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

"Alright, you pass. You don't need to practice with me anymore."

The young Taoist was clearly not satisfied with Lu Qian's modesty. He said irritably and walked into the building next to him. "You can call me Chu Liu."

"Sixth Senior Brother Chu."

Lu Qian remained polite, "May I accept the mission now?"

"Of course you can, you've already proven yourself."

Chu Liu had no intention of making things difficult for him any further. With a wave of his hand, he took out a thick book.

Lu Qian was taken aback. "Is the spell that powerful enough to perfect really that big?"

Then, Chu Liu took out a thin booklet from the thick book and handed it to Lu Qian, "Take a look! You can choose any one, but I advise you to be realistic about your abilities."

Lu Qian took it and examined the booklet one by one. He found that most of the rewards for perfecting spells were between one hundred and three hundred contribution points, but some spells had been altered, presumably to prove they wouldn't work. He immediately asked, "The prerequisite for perfecting a spell is that the sample spell's direction is correct. What if the given direction is completely wrong?"

Chu Liu had anticipated his question, or perhaps he had been asked it many times before, and quickly replied, "As long as you can prove it's wrong and point out the error, you'll pass."

Lu Qian flipped through the booklet and quickly found a spell that needed improvement. He asked, "I remember there was a talisman that could unleash palm lightning, but here it's been modified into a spell that can be used even in the early stages of Qi Refining. Will it really work?"

The power of lightning magic is too domineering, as if it has its own will, unruly and difficult to control, and extremely susceptible to interference from other elemental energies, making it easy to lose control.

Forcing someone without a lightning spiritual root to learn lightning techniques could easily result in harming themselves before harming others. Therefore, most cultivators only begin to explore lightning techniques after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage or even the Golden Core stage.

However, although lightning magic is difficult to learn, the same effect can be achieved with spirit talismans. For example, the first-tier spirit talisman Palm Lightning and the second-tier spirit talisman Nine Heavens Raging Lightning can both release lightning.

However, the booklet describes a spell called Palm Thunder created based on the concept of a first-tier spirit talisman, and claims that cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining can learn it, which seems a bit far-fetched.

Lightning magic is extremely destructive and difficult to control. If a cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining were to forcibly use it, it would probably explode on their own hands before they could even use it.

"You really have no experience. Although it's difficult to learn lightning techniques without a lightning spiritual root, there are still people who can do it. Even those in the early stages of Qi Refining can do it. Otherwise, how could they be called geniuses?"

In response to Lu Qian's questioning, Chu Liu reacted with a fiery temper, "Besides, since we already have an idea, how do we know it won't work if we don't try? Just admit your incompetence, don't blame Lu Buping!"

Lu Qian was helpless. He had only asked a few questions, so why was the reaction so strong, as if he had knocked over the other party's rice bowl?

However, since Chu Liu had already said that someone could do it, Lu Qian naturally had no reason to back down and immediately said, "I choose the Palm Lightning!"

"I didn't realize you were such a strong-willed person."

Chu Liu revealed a playful smile, took out a jade slip and handed it to Lu Qian, "As long as you can perfect the spell, you will get two hundred contribution points. If you hurt your hand, I won't pay for your medical expenses."

Lu Qian didn't say anything more. He took the jade slip. He planned to do nothing for a while and focus all his energy on perfecting the Palm Thunder. As long as he could complete this order, he would get two hundred contribution points. If he wanted to earn that many contribution points by chopping wood, he would have to work continuously for more than a month.

"Indeed, mental labor pays well, but it's also very difficult."

Without the Heart World, Lu Qian wouldn't have taken on this mission, but with this condition, he naturally had to make the most of his strengths.

After returning to his residence, Lu Qian took a Bigu Pill, first placing the Thunder Jade Slip in his palm on his forehead, then immersing his mind in his inner world to begin practicing magic.

"Although there are the most basic methods of circulating qi, many of them are just guesses, merely providing a line of thought. If someone were to actually practice according to those lines of thought, they might accidentally get blown to pieces by their own hand."

Lu Qian tried to unleash a palm thunderbolt, but with a "poof," several skulls exploded from his palm, tearing his skin and causing blood to flow rapidly.

"It really hurts, and the worst part is that I haven't even completed one full cycle of Qi circulation."

He had already tested this kind of pain before, and without changing his expression, he returned to normal, tried to activate the palm thunder again, and then failed time and time again.

"Without a lightning spiritual root, lightning is too difficult to control. This spell is already very complex, and it is even more difficult to control, so it is even more difficult than before."

After a while, Lu Qian stopped. He didn't know how many times he had experimented, maybe hundreds of times. Watching his palm explode each time was not a pleasant experience.

"If only I had divine sense, I could control my true energy very precisely. But generally only those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage have divine sense, so there's no need to learn Palm Thunder."

Palm Lightning is, after all, a low-level spell, and it's somewhat useless for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator wants to learn a second-level lightning spell, they will still encounter the same difficulties, but it's still easier than learning Palm Lightning through Qi Refining.

"Focus on practicing the breathing techniques first."

Lu Qian didn't think for too long and just went for it. With each explosion of his palm, his proficiency with the palm thunder technique improved with each strike.

To successfully unleash a spell, there are often two difficulties. One is the method of circulating qi, which requires dividing true qi into many streams and sending them up at different speeds to different meridians. This not only tests proficiency but also control.

Another challenge, of course, is speed. If you want to use it in battle, you should ideally be able to use it instantly with a thought, turning it into an instinct, to be considered qualified.

The complex energy flow path of the Palm Lightning is one aspect, but the most important thing is that it is difficult to control. Without a lightning spiritual root to restrain the power of lightning, it would be impossible to master it by simply practicing hard again and again. Even ten thousand hands wouldn't be enough to explode it.

For three whole days, Lu Qian didn't even leave the house once, except for taking the Bigu Pill in between. This was the longest time he had ever spent learning magic using the Mind World, and he still couldn't see any sign of success. Sometimes he even thought about giving up, but in the end he persevered.

The main reason is that the 200 contribution points are too tempting, and being able to learn the Palm Thunder skill is also beneficial to him, as it is still very useful in the Qi Refining stage.

You can learn new spells for free and earn contribution points. If you miss this opportunity, you probably won't have another chance like this.

Of course, only Lu Qian could think this way. If others did this, they would be no different from lab rats and would hardly have a good ending.

He didn't neglect the Xuanjing Technique either. When Lu Qian felt tired along the way, he would first take Qi and Blood Pills to practice the Xuanjing Technique, and then rest for a while to recover his energy.

Lu Qian felt that his strength had increased a lot. In fact, the abundant energy brought by the Xuanjing Technique alone saved him a lot of time. It is very convenient for a cultivator to have a strong physical body.