Chapter 54: Ten Breaths

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor:

Shen Lian silently watched Mo Wuji place the Basics of Cultivation by the side, and explained, “Cultivation has three realms: the Mortal Realm, Earth Realm, and Heaven Realm. Each realm is separated into three stages, each stage separated into another nine levels.

The Channel Opening Stage is the first stage of the Mortal Realm. The second stage of the Mortal Realm is the Spirit Building Stage, and the third stage is the Transcending Mortality Stage. Beyond the Transcending Mortality Stage is the Earth Realm.

The Earth Stage’s first stage is the Yuan Dan Stage; the second stage is the True Lake Stage; and the third stage is the Nihility God Stage…”

Seeing that Shen Lian could no longer carry on, Mo Wuji anxiously asked, “What about the three stages of the Heaven Realm?”

“Heaven Realm? Legend has it that experts from Quasi-Heaven Sects have crossed into the Heaven Realm. However those people do not show themselves, and most of them remain at the first stage. So the three stages of the Heaven Realm are completely unimportant to us. Knowing them serves no purpose,” Shen Lian said while sighing.

In the past hundreds and thousands of years, how many experts within the five empires actually managed to cross into the Heaven Realm?

Mo Wuji also knew that Shen Lian was not spouting nonsense. The Heaven Realm was indeed too far out of his reach. Thinking of what Shen Lian just said, he asked with a tinge of uncertainty, “You previously mentioned that cultivating to the 10th level of the Channel Opening Stage was not a waste of time, but what does all that you just said have to do with the 10th level of Channel Opening that we were talking about before?”

Shen Lian replied, “Because at the ninth level of Transcending Mortality, many people will try everything to go beyond the Mortal Realm, and take a step into the Yuan Dan Stage, the first stage of the Earth Realm.”

“Isn’t that very normal?” Mo Wuji was really puzzled. Even if he did reach the ninth level of the Transcending Mortality Stage, he would also try all that he could to get into the Earth Realm.

“Yes it’s normal, but very few people are aware that there is one more stage after the nine levels of Transcending Mortality” Shen Lian said.

“What stage is it?” Mo Wuji wanted to know.

A tinge of desire appeared in Shen Lian’s eyes, “It is called the Extreme Mortal Stage, and it is the 10th level of the Transcending Mortality Stage. Even though there aren’t many who know about this 10th level, but there are still some who do. But there has never been someone who could really force their way into the 10th level of Transcending Mortality. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they simply couldn’t. In order to force your way into the Extreme Mortal Stage, you must cultivate to the 10th level for the first of the three stages of the Mortal Realm, first for the Channel Opening Stage. After that you would have to cultivate until the 10th level of the Spirit Building Stage too. Only then would you have even the slightest chance of stepping into the 10th level of the Transcending Mortality Stage, the Extreme Mortal Stage.”

At this point Shen Lian took a quick look at Mo Wuji, before continuing slowly, “In reality, simply cultivating to the 10th level of the Transcending Mortality Stage is nearly impossible, what more of doing that for all three stages of the Mortal Realm? Wouldn’t you think that going for the 10th level of the Transcending Mortality Stage is just a waste of time and effort?”

“Then how would it benefit anyone to step into the Extreme Mortal Stage?” Mo Wuji knew that there would be countless benefits to the Extreme Mortal Stage after listening to Shen Lian’s explanation, but he did not know any of them. Even if it were something out of his reach, he also wanted to know what it was.

Shen Lian replied, “Firstly, cultivators that enter the Extreme Mortal Stage would have a brighter future. Secondly, they would be stronger than others at the same level of cultivation. Normally, for those in the Mortal Realm, even if they are at the peak of the ninth level of the Transcending Mortality Stage, or halfway into the Yuan Dan Stage, their strength is still greatly inferior to those really in the Yuan Dan Stage. But for those in the Extreme Mortal Stage, they can actually go beyond their current stage and barely be able to fight against experts in the Yuan Dan Stage. This is the greatest difference.”

Even though Shen Lian said many things, Mo Wuji did not hear about any of them before. But he knew that Shen Lian’s level of wisdom was sufficient for him to ask her to be his master.

“Senior Shen, I know nothing about cultivating. Please guide me.” Mo Wuji stood up and bowed respectfully.

Shen Lian took a sip of tea and said, “I can see that. I’ll explain the distribution of spirit channels in the body and how to absorb spiritual energy. For the rest, I am unable to teach them to you. You’ll have to learn them by yourself.”

“Thank you senior.”

This was precisely what Mo Wuji lacked. He had no idea how to start cultivating. On the other hand, Shen Lian did not selfishly withhold anything from him, and taught Mo Wiji how to utilise the opened spirit channels to circulate and then absorb spiritual energy. She also taught him how to do a minor circulation and a major circulation, even telling Mo Wuji how to synchronise his mind and the opened spirit channels to absorb spiritual energy. Not able to memorise everything on the spot, Mo Wuji even took out pen and paper to record all of it down.

The teaching and learning went on for a good half day. Shen Lian’s mouth was parched and she stood up to say, “I need to rest now. Sigh, staying in a room with you isn’t easy.”

“Thank you Senior Shen, I will never forget your kindness of teaching me today.” Mo Wuji humbly replied. What Shen Lian had taught him today was definitely not something that he could normally learn elsewhere. Even if he became a basic disciple, it would still be difficult for him to learn so many useful things.

“Forget it, I don’t want to take you in as my disciple anyway.” Shen Lian walked into the room on the right after she finished speaking. She used almost a day’s time to just enter this apartment and a room within it.

Mo Wuji chuckled sneakily, saying to himself that he did not intend to ask her to be his master

When Shen Lian reached to the room’s door, she suddenly stopped and turned around, asking, “That’s right, how’s your spirit roots? How many spirit channels did you open before opening your spirit?”

Mo Wuji paused slightly. What spirit roots did he have? If he said that he did not have spirit roots, and never opened half a spirit channel, who knew whether Shen Lian, who spoke until she her mouth went dry, would pounce on him and strangle him.

“Well, my spirit roots are only average, and I’m not very comfortable to disclose how many spirit channels I have opened. In all, my talent and quality definitely is a far cry from Senior Shen Lian.” Mo Wuji sheepishly replied with an awkward laugh.

Shen Lian calmly spoke, “I naturally know that you talent is beneath mine. I only want to remind you that even for those with supreme spiritual roots who are absorbing spiritual energy for the first time, they require around a day before they can sense the spiritual energy. For spiritually sensitive people, sensing spiritual energy within two hours is not impossible. People with high quality spiritual roots require three to five days before sensing spiritual energy. People with intermediate quality spiritual roots need around 10 days, while those with low quality ones require a month or even years.”

Completing her last sentence, Shen Lian pushed the door open and entered her room. The last sentence seemed to be targeted towards Mo Wuji. He laughed and grabbed his technique manual, swiftly entering the room on the left. He did not have spiritual roots at all, who cares if he would take a few months to sense spiritual energy, he already had the method and manual, what was left was to attempt it. What he learnt from Shen Lian was too much, so he decided to use the two months here to try it out non-stop.

…

Back in the room, Mo Wuji immediately began to follow the method that Shen Lian had taught him to absorb spiritual energy, and start the round the body circulation. Aware that those with the worst spirit roots would require at least a month to sense spiritual energy, Mo Wuji was completely calm. He did not have spirit roots, and it had not even been half a day yet. It would be unusual if he could actually sense spiritual energy. Cultivation was originally an orderly process with slow improvement, so why the rush?

Taking in a deep breath, Mo Wuji closed his eyes and began to sense the spiritual energy of the heaven and earth. In that moment his heart was calm, without even the slightest bit of anxiety. Nonsense, even those with Supreme Spiritual Roots would need a day to sense spiritual energy, what good would it be if he was riled up.

Not even at his 10th breath, Mo Wuji could feel a cool airflow through the first of his opened meridians, then after half a minor circulation it entered his second meridian.

Mo Wuji got a shock and opened his eyes. The airflow disappeared. This was only half a minor circulation, and Mo Wuji could feel that his whole body was significantly lighter.

This was too simple right? Could this be cultivation? But he clearly did not have spiritual roots.

Mo Wuji exploded in happiness after being stunned for a moment. As long as he could cultivate, who cared if he had spiritual roots. The next instant, Mo Wuji immediately pulled out and opened up the Basics of Cultivation, cleared his mind, and furiously started the circulation process.

(TL Note: we changed hierarchy of cultivation to Realm -> Stage -> Level for better clarity)