“Tai Xuan Scripture Qi Condensation Scroll.” Ji Die murmured,
Fortunately, his mother had taught him to read when he was young, so he could recognize what was written on it.
Soon, he finished flipping through the booklet, his heart pounding.
This was indeed a method of Cultivation,
It recorded the Cultivation method for the first Realm of cultivation—the Qi Training Stage!
According to the records, as long as one assumed a specific posture (sitting cross-legged) and combined it with specific breathing, one could absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into their body.
And when the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi accumulated to a certain extent within the body, transforming into an ocean, achieving the magnificent sight of a Qi Sea, one could Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment!
Ji Die did not know what Foundation Establishment was.
He only knew that after becoming an Immortal, no one would be able to oppress him again!
What Yang Yuanwai, all of them were nonsense!
He wanted to reclaim the land his parents left behind!
With an excited heart, Ji Die sat cross-legged on the bed, attempting to Cultivate according to the Cultivation method described in the 'Tai Xuan Scripture Qi Condensation Scroll'.
A day passed quietly, and it was evening in the blink of an eye.
Ji Die finally felt a warm current appear in his body, resting in the area above his lower abdomen.
It was very faint, like a candle in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
“Is this Spiritual Qi…?” Ji Die felt his Cultivation results, very excited, got out of bed to get something to eat, then continued to sit on the bed and Cultivate.
According to the booklet's records, the Qi Training Stage has nine layers in total.
His current amount of Spiritual Qi was still some distance from Qi Training Stage - First Level.
Ji Die was not in a hurry either.
Soon, a night passed, and Ji Die was surprised to find that he was not sleepy at all; instead, he was full of energy.
The Spiritual Qi in his body had grown more than double compared to last night, roughly the thickness of three strands of hair!
He was one step closer to Qi Training Stage - First Level!
Moreover, he also discovered that holding the white stone could make his Cultivation speed faster.
He did not know that this white stone was called a Spirit Stone, and it contained Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which was why it could increase Cultivation speed.
But this also made Ji Die feel as if he had been injected with a stimulant. For the next few days, he did not leave his house, holding the Spirit Stone every day, cultivating diligently according to the records in the 'Tai Xuan Scripture Qi Condensation Scroll', forgetting to eat and sleep.
By the fourth day,
The warm current in his lower abdomen had almost reached the thickness of a finger.
Ji Die, who was in the midst of Cultivation, suddenly heard a rumble from within his body. He felt warm and very comfortable all over, and he grew a little taller. His eyes became more radiant.
“I should have reached the Qi Training Stage - First Level recorded in the ‘Tai Xuan Scripture’ now. This stone is truly a good thing; my Cultivation speed has almost doubled.” Ji Die happily opened his eyes. Having just broken through his cultivation, he was not in a hurry to continue Cultivating.
He excitedly looked at the stone in his hand, which had lost its Spiritual Qi and turned into powder.
“It’s a pity that after these few days of Cultivation, five of these stones have already been consumed.
And there are only eleven of these stones in total; once they are used up, there's no way to replenish them…”
Shaking his head, Ji Die was not too worried about this matter. After all, he could still Cultivate without the stones.
He took out a herb from the bag and observed it in his hand.
This herb was entirely purple, over a foot tall, with three round leaves.
“These herbs are different from ordinary ones; they should be used by cultivators. I wonder if their quality can be improved.” Ji Die was curious in his heart. He summoned the copper furnace and placed the purple herb inside.
Under his expectant gaze, a burst of emerald green light was released from within the furnace, followed by a faint, refreshing fragrance that filled the entire room!
“It smells so good! I wonder if I can eat it!” Ji Die's eyes lit up. He noticed that the herb he had just placed in the copper furnace had grown an additional leaf, and its medicinal fragrance had become even more intense.
It made him feel a strong urge to eat it!
However, Ji Die still suppressed the urge.
He did not know the effects of these herbs, so he dared not eat them indiscriminately.
After putting away both the herb and the copper furnace, Ji Die stopped Cultivating and looked at the shoes he had bought for Ping Ping.
He wondered what this little girl had been doing these past two days; she hadn't come to find him.
Ji Die shook his head, stepped out, and walked towards her house.
“You little brat, you’ve learned to steal! Who taught you?!” At this moment, in a courtyard, a middle-aged man with a stern face held a wooden stick.
In front of him, Li Pingping timidly held out her palm, “No one taught me. I just saw Brother Ji was too pitiful, so I gave him the thing. Dad, just hit me!”
Seeing her voluntarily accepting punishment, Father Li was at a loss whether to hit her or not and felt a huge headache.
He had only just discovered today that the ginseng he had placed in the cabinet was missing. Upon asking, he found out that his daughter had given it to that Ji family boy.
Just then, he saw Ji Die outside the courtyard.
“Get lost.” Father Li looked displeased.
He didn't dislike the young man, but he didn't want to get involved with him either.
It was already hard enough for him to raise Li Pingping alone; he didn't want another burden.
“Uncle Li, a few days ago, Ping Ping gave me the ginseng. I sold it, and here are ten copper coins. I originally planned to have her give them to you, but she hasn’t come to find me these past two days, so I delivered them myself.” Ji Die quickly took out ten copper coins and placed them on the table.
“And this, it’s a gift I bought for Ping Ping.”
“Thank you, Brother Ji.” Ping Ping took the red embroidered shoes with a beaming smile.
“Go try them on quickly. I just estimated your foot size when I bought them.” Ji Die smiled and ruffled her hair.
“If they don’t fit, I’ll take them back and exchange them.”
“Okay.” Li Pingping excitedly ran into the house, hugging the shoes. She had only worn straw sandals, and now she could finally wear cloth shoes.
“Wait, put the shoes down,” Li Yi tried to call out to his daughter but it was too late.
Children are innocent and don't think much, but he knew Ji Die's situation. Where did he suddenly get so much money? This kid didn't do anything bad, did he?
“Don’t worry, Uncle Li, this money is clean. I found some savings left by my parents.” Ji Die knew his worries and recited the prepared speech he had in mind.
“So that’s it. Don’t spend this money carelessly. Take it back; you might need it later.” Li Yi sighed. That ginseng couldn’t have sold for that much money, let alone with a pair of shoes.
“It’s fine, I still have more.” Ji Die waved his hand and bid farewell, departing.
He naturally knew the little girl's foot size, so he wasn't too worried about them not fitting.
Over the next few days, life returned to its usual calm. Ji Die continued to Cultivate and eat as usual. The six Spirit Stones on him quickly dwindled,
But his cultivation was just shy of breaking through to Qi Cultivation Second Layer.
Until this day, Li Pingping pushed open the door, her face pale, and threw herself into his arms.
“Brother Ji, Papa, Papa was taken away by bad people…”
Ji Die looked at her sobbing and picked her up, comforting her, “Ping Ping, it’s okay, tell me slowly, what happened?”
Just then, two burly men in tight-fitting clothes appeared outside the door, sneering, “Here’s one, come with us!”
“These are the people who took Papa away.” Li Pingping shrunk further into his embrace.