The Long Journey to Immortality

"This looks like the mark of a genius," Han Lu sighed wistfully.

Ordinary people only possess the five senses, while those with cultivation talents seem to possess an organ that mortals do not have, allowing them to perceive spiritual energy from their environment, thus possessing a sixth sense—the sense of energy.

The sensitivity of one's Qi perception determines the speed at which a cultivator can absorb spiritual energy during cultivation.

Feng Bailu was once less skilled in this aspect than the average cultivator. This is why, despite his exceptional comprehension, he only reached the first level of Qi Refining around the same time as Yuan Xin, even though he understood the cultivation manual and mastered it early on.

If Feng Bailu had nearsightedness in the past, then Han Lu now possesses the ability to see a thousand miles, making her far more sensitive to spiritual energy than ordinary cultivators.

Even before she had officially begun her cultivation, the changes in her body delighted Han Lu.

Take a deep breath and calm yourself.

Han Lu sat on the Dharma seat, enduring the low temperature rising from below, recalling the cultivation formulas she had memorized the day before while reading the "Great Zhou Heavenly Water Condensation Technique" and the location of the first acupoint needed to be opened to open the first spiritual meridian.

In simple terms, the cultivation of the Qi Refining stage involves drawing Qi into the body, using spiritual Qi to open up acupoints and spiritual meridians, and transforming spiritual Qi into spiritual power stored in the spiritual meridians within the body.

The most difficult part of the entire Qi Refining stage is how to open the first acupoint of the first spiritual meridian.

After all, cultivators who are still just mortals do not have any spiritual power in their bodies. It is naturally more difficult to open up acupoints by using external spiritual energy than to use the spiritual energy in their own acupoints and meridians later.

Unblocking acupoints is like opening a locked door.

You can use brute force to break open the door and let spiritual energy into the world behind it.

This method opens up acupoints extremely quickly, but it also reduces the acupoints' original ability to store spiritual energy by less than one-tenth, greatly diminishing the benefits of opening acupoints for increasing a cultivator's magical power.

Only a small number of older or impatient Qi Refining cultivators would use this move with the assistance of higher-level cultivators.

Under normal circumstances, cultivators would use the water mill method to manipulate spiritual energy to seep into the acupoints through the cracks in the main door, acting as an inside agent.

After accumulating enough internal support through repeated practice, one can then work together from the inside out, trying to gently open the door and unlock the acupoints.

Some people use clever tricks to try and crack the lock on the door.

This method is smarter, but also more complex. The speed at which the acupoints are opened using this method depends on the cultivator's talent and a bit of luck.

Each of the three methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Logically speaking, given Han Lu's comprehension, her current excellent Qi perception, and her outstanding spiritual root conditions, choosing the third method would be the wisest choice.

However, Han Lu's personality and the spiritual energy of the Mysterious Female Pearl that entered the various acupoints when she used the "Mysterious Female Reincarnation" secret technique made her decide to try to open the acupoints using the second, more reliable method in her first cultivation session.

"With the spiritual energy of the Mysterious Pearl working in tandem with the acupoints, opening the first acupoint shouldn't be too difficult, right? Maybe five days? Or three days?"

Han Lu only remembered that when she was still Feng Bailu, it took her half a month to open the first acupoint. Not to mention that the first acupoint to be opened this time is the Lingtai acupoint, which is recognized in the cultivation world as extremely difficult to open.

Therefore, Han Lu gave a relatively conservative prediction on this point.

Once the Lingtai acupoint is opened, the five senses, including the sense of Qi, will become much more acute, which will greatly benefit future cultivation.

The "Great Circulation Water Condensation Technique" begins with this acupoint, which shows its emphasis on this point.

After regulating her breathing and entering a meditative state, Han Lu silently recited the incantation from the cultivation manual, slightly opened her mouth, and inhaled the spiritual energy that was invisible to ordinary people.

The "Water Condensation Technique" was activated, liquefying the abundant spiritual energy in Han Lu's mouth into spiritual liquid, which flowed down her esophagus and into her stomach.

Compared to spiritual energy, the liquefied spiritual liquid is more easily absorbed by the mortal body, becoming an aid in Han Lu's breakthrough of her first acupoint.

Without acupoints and spiritual veins as containers, these external spiritual energies cannot stay in Han Lu's body for long.

Half of this liquid spiritual energy escaped from Han Lu's skin pores after entering her body.

The other half, guided by Han Lu's consciousness, moved slowly within her body, eventually arriving near the Lingtai acupoint to await orders.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

A large amount of spiritual energy flowed in and out of Han Lu's body.

The spiritual energy, transformed from seven drops of spiritual liquid, was manipulated by Han Lu and brought to the outside of the Lingtai acupoint, where a fierce battle to attack the Lingtai acupoint was about to break out.

[Author's Note] Please do not imitate. Voting is welcome. (Feels like it'll be getting around 3000 views before going on sale again, another slow and steady build-up.)

Chapter Seventeen: The Difference Between Genius and Mediocrity (Revised)

Han Lu has an excellent sense of spiritual energy, which is reflected not only in her ability to perceive spiritual energy, but also in her ability to manipulate spiritual energy with a mortal body.

The spiritual energy gathered near her acupoint was like a well-trained army, and with the cultivation experience of Xiaoyaozi and Feng Bailu, it was as easy for her to control as if it were her own arms.

Sensing the spiritual energy within her body flowing according to her will, Han Lu compared it to the helpless situation when Feng Bailu broke through his first acupoint back then, and felt that Feng Bailu was a complete fool back then.

"The word 'stupid' is somewhat inappropriate; it should be 'mediocre'."

"After all, I used to be able to sense spiritual energy, unlike ordinary mortals who were blocked at the first hurdle of cultivation."

By condensing the spiritual energy outside the Lingtai acupoint into a ball as much as possible, Han Lu also used a method learned from the Zhengyi Sect to imbue this external spiritual energy with her own aura to aid in cultivation.

In a short while, five clusters of spiritual energy of roughly the same size formed and settled outside the Lingtai acupoint.

This is already the limit of the amount of spiritual energy she can control within her body as a mortal.

When Han Lu felt a slight throbbing in her temples, and felt somewhat unable to control the spiritual energy...

These clusters of spiritual energy, controlled by Han Lu, launched their first attack on the Lingtai acupoint under her command.

At this moment, Han Lu, who held five orbs of spiritual energy in her hands, was full of confidence.

After all, she possessed the combined experience of Xiaoyaozi and Feng Bailu in opening up acupoints nearly three hundred times, making her far more experienced than an ordinary person cultivating for the first time.

Know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.

Know what you should do and what you shouldn't do.

She controlled a wisp of spiritual energy and forced it toward the Lingtai acupoint.

The spiritual energy that had just been gathered together was once again broken down into smaller parts, attempting to seep through the cracks in the door and penetrate into the acupoints.

Just as the external spiritual energy had begun to penetrate her acupoints, and Han Lu was preparing for a protracted battle, an unexpected event occurred.

The previously lifeless acupoints suddenly produced a reaction that Han Lu had never seen before.

Without any magical power and temporarily unable to see inside her body, Han Lu had no idea what was happening inside her.

She only felt a slight swelling and pain in the acupoint, as if a force was trying to break through and burst out.

"Could it be the spiritual energy of the Mysterious Female Pearl?" Han Lu guessed.

Whether it's good or bad is unknown, and Han Lu has no experience to draw upon from Xiaoyaozi's memories.

"Let it run its course for now. If it turns out to be a bad thing, then we'll stop the cultivation." Han Lu secretly made a somewhat risky decision.

Han Lu, who considered herself a seasoned cultivator, unexpectedly entered an unknown area, and she could only let things unfold as they would.

One wisp of spiritual energy after another was manipulated by Han Lu, gently seeping into the acupoints as an ordinary Qi cultivator would when opening them.

The acupoints were surging with hidden currents, and the pain did not subside at all; on the contrary, it tended to intensify.

The spiritual energy that Han Lu had channeled into her acupoints vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

She wasn't in a hurry. Feng Bailu had cultivated for a full ten days before sensing the changes in his acupoints when he injected the 370th cluster of spiritual energy, thus finding a breakthrough and opening up the first acupoint.

It's too early to rush things now.

The pain, which became increasingly intense, paled in comparison to the pain experienced during the rebirth of the Mysterious Woman.

Having teetered between life and death several times, Han Lu didn't take this minor pain to heart at all.

With the spiritual energy cluster near the Lingtai acupoint completely depleted, Han Lu once again recited the Qi Condensation Incantation from the "Great Zhou Tian Condensing Water Technique," sending streams of spiritual energy to the front lines.

These two actions were repeated for about the third time. When the fifteenth burst of spiritual energy was sent to the closed Lingtai acupoint, Han Lu finally felt a slight resonance between the spiritual energy inside and outside the acupoint.

"That's it?"

Han Lu was somewhat surprised, but soon, something shocking happened.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The spiritual energy acting as an inside agent within the acupoint was like a pebble thrown into a lake, completely activating the already restless spiritual energy of the Mysterious Female Pearl within the acupoint.

The spiritual energy of the Mysterious Pearl, which had resided within the acupoint for several days, knew far more about the situation within the acupoint than these outsiders.

In just a few breaths, Han Lu, with her eyes closed, felt as if a bright moon had appeared at her acupoint on her philtrum.

"That's it?" Although she was in a meditative state and didn't know how long this cultivation session had lasted, Han Lu was still somewhat incredulous that she had successfully opened her first acupoint in just one session.

Immersed in the joy of her breakthrough, Han Lu did not become complacent. She continued to practice her cultivation technique to consolidate her victory.

With each breath, a large amount of spiritual energy flows in and out of the newly opened acupoints, keeping the channels unobstructed.

After an unknown amount of time, Han Lu felt that she had practiced enough before she focused her spiritual sense into her Lingtai acupoint to observe and savor the fruits of this cultivation.

A Qi Refining cultivator's divine sense can only roam within the acupoints and spiritual meridians that have been opened and established. A Foundation Establishment cultivator, on the other hand, can only move freely within their own body.

Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above are able to project their divine sense outwards.

In just one training session, Han Lu completed the leap from mortal to cultivator.

She could clearly sense that her acupoints were instinctively and slowly absorbing spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy absorbed into the acupoints circulates and transforms in a small cycle after entering the Lingtai acupoint.

The immigrants became new residents, and their spiritual energy was transformed into spiritual power stored in their acupoints, waiting for Han Lu to command and utilize it.

Not only that, after opening the Lingtai acupoint, Han Lu's already excellent sense of Qi became even more acute.

Unfortunately, compared to his already excellent sense of energy, these slight improvements are not very noticeable.

Feeling the movement of Qi in her Lingtai acupoint, Han Lu was extremely familiar with this feeling, yet it was also somewhat unfamiliar, as she had stayed in the Qi Refining stage for fourteen years.

Opening her eyes and looking at the rising sun outside the window, Han Lu sighed.

"Is this what it feels like to be a genius?"

Possessing cultivation talent dozens of times greater than before, coupled with Xiaoyaozi's nearly six hundred years of cultivation experience and the foreshadowing planted in the acupoints by the Xuanpin Pearl, it is not surprising that Han Lu achieved success in one night by opening her first acupoint.

Having grown accustomed to her mediocrity, Han Lu was simply finding it difficult to adjust to her genius.

Having achieved her breakthrough, Han Lu temporarily lost interest in continuing her cultivation.

Compared to opening acupoints, opening spiritual veins is a large-scale project that requires gradual effort.

Opening up the spiritual veins connecting the acupoints is not too difficult, but it takes a lot of time.

This matter cannot be rushed.

When putting away the Dharma seat, Han Lu paid special attention to the condition of the spirit stones on it.