INTRODUCTION

  To cultivate is to transform the self, reach from the material to spiritual, from mortal to immortal. Not all are destined for this greatness, for the opportunity to embark on this journey to the top, and those who are, find they do not know where to begin. This book of mine, I wrote to guide those who may be confused, misinformed or just seeking validation of their path. These words that follow are the distilled knowledge of our ancestors who tread upon this path of cultivation, all without anyone to guide them.

  To understand cultivation, one must first understand the nature of the world that we live in. To the ordinary mortal, the world they look at is purely physical, affected by the Laws of Earth and Heaven. But there exists an energy, a sort of connector between the physical world and the spiritual plane. We call this Qi. Qi exists everywhere, affecting everything in the world. And those that can look at and breathe in this Qi are called cultivators.

  But what makes cultivators different from mortals? When a person is born, they have a chance of possessing something known as meridians. These can be thought of as another set of veins that exist in the body. But what makes meridians different, is that they exist both in the physical and spiritual realm. Think of them as the veins that make up our soul. These meridians help the regular mortal interact with the Qi around them, breathe it and immerse themselves.

  While the meridians are half physical, the network they form in the body and soul is of great import. All the meridians in a body intersect at a point slightly above the navel called the dantian. This dantian exists purely in the spiritual, and can be thought of as the heart of the soul. Cultivators take in Qi through their meridians, and store it in the dantian, and can use the stored Qi to do extraordinary things.

  It has been found that there are only ten meridians that exist in a cultivator's body, and it is impossible for someone to be born with more than this number. Each of these meridians has the attributes for one of the elements that encompass the world. When Qi travels through these meridians, it is transformed into the attribute that the meridian is. It can also draw in Qi faster when cultivating in an area that is rich in its respective element. More about the attributes can be found in the chapter on meridians (pg35).

  Once a cultivator becomes situated with their meridians, it is time to start cultivating. The first realm of cultivation that all cultivators must pass through is called Qi Condensation. This realm is divided into three stages. They are called Meridian Enforcement, Dantian Opening and Solidification. One must pass through all three before they are ready to take the step towards the next stage. More on the stages of Qi Condensation can be found on its chapter.

  QI CONDENSATION AND ITS STAGES

  The three stages of Qi Condensation are the first step of any cultivators journey. They must be passed through sequentially, and any faults in the previous stage's completion can lead to significant troubles in future cultivation stages.

  The first step is called Meridian Enforcement. It is very self-explanatory, but also said to be the most important part of Qi Condensation. Meridians are like veins, and thus they too are weak, and can collapse when stressed too much. If they are not reinforced, the amount of Qi that later stages require would lead to them bursting. Thus, reinforcing them is of utmost importance. One can do this by slowly taking in Qi from the surroundings, getting their meridians used to the feeling of Qi lining through them, and eventually lining the meridians with Qi. This then helps them handle the flow of Qi more easily.

  The next step, also called the second stage of Qi Cultivation is called Dantian Opening. Once the meridians have been reinforced, our spiritual pathways are ready to handle more Qi flowing through them. Till this stage, the dantian had been acting as an auxiliary component, just letting the Qi pass through it. In this stage, one must construct porous membranes at the point each of the meridians connect to the dantian. This will allow the Qi to pass into the dantian, but it will be up to the cultivator whether to let it out. The capacity of each dantian is different, and the bigger the capacity, the more time one spends on this stage. But it also helps form a better foundation, so it is not as bad as some may think.

  The final stage of Qi Condensation is called Solidification. In this stage, the cultivator must use the Qi they have gathered, and solidify it to form a base or a platform. Why this platform must be formed will be explained in the next book, but it is extremely important that it be to the cultivator's satisfaction. This platform can be modelled after anything the cultivator fancies, but they must remember that their path in the vast Dao is set once the base is formed, unless one disperses their cultivation and begins anew. One can start to use cultivation arts from this point onward to aid the formation of their base.

  For more on cultivation arts, and the next stages of cultivation, refer to the next book in this series.

  Yu Feng tore his eyes away from the pages of Cultivation Basics with a sigh and stretched his back until it popped. Sitting on a chair for hours at once was not something he was inclined to do, but seeing that he did not have any other task, he had gotten to reading the book Senior Brother Shi had given him.

  It was interesting, to say the least. Yu Feng was by no means an intellectual, but he felt that he had largely managed to understand the books contents. His father had taught him how to read and write, preparing him to take over the family ledgers, so he did not have the difficulties many others in his village would have had. Yet his unfamiliarity with the academic terms used in the book had him stumbling multiple times.

  But if he was understanding the writings correctly, then he had a long way ahead of him. The process of reinforcing the meridians on the chapter dedicated to them sounded excruciating. And he had to do that for ten of them. Dantian Opening was a matter he did not think of looking towards yet.

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  Shutting the book close, he noticed the shadows flickering inside the room by the dying sun, and lit the lamp on the desk, casting a warm light. He thought of the invitation Shen Yao had extended to him for dinner, and supposed he should start making his way there soon.

  Looking over his sect uniform, he debated whether to wear it or not. Shen Yao had been wearing one, but it was while he was on duty. He lifted an armpit and sniffed it, grimacing slightly. Shrugging of his casual clothes, he donned the sect uniform, its skirt hanging loosely around his ankles, and the shirt almost barely tight on his torso, accentuating his build.

  Exiting his new place of residence, he started making his way up the mountain path, admiring the view of the sect as he went along. The valley was largely dark, and wasn't high up enough yet to see all the clearings. But he could spy the port in the distance, flickering light merrily shining upon the flying ships moored there. In the center of the valley stood the giant pagoda Yu Feng had seen from the ship. There were no lights on it, but it seemed to almost exude a staticky blue aura, like there was lightning dancing on its features. It was largely made of white wood, but was accentuated by material that glowed blue and purple.

  Eventually, he came to a large outcropping that was set a bit aside the main path, a building in set on it. It was well-lit and seemed to have an air of hospitality that Yu Feng had only associated with Granny Feng's small restaurant back in the village.

  Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the door, stood for a second, then pushed them inwards. Immediately, he was hit with a blast of noise that the door had been muffling till then. Hundreds of kids around his age sat on tables in the large building, the aroma of food thickening the air.

  A few glanced towards his direction when he entered, but went back to eating immediately, chatting with their companions. Though a few did keep their eyes trained on him. He looked around with an almost nonchalant expression that was completely at odds with his inner feelings, looking for a place to sit where he would not make a fool of himself, when a voice called out to him.

  "Yu Feng, over here."

  Glancing to his right, he saw Shen Yao sitting with a group of people, waving him over. His companions were looking at him with slight interest, while the crowd around him had devolved into hushed whispers.

  Warding off his nervousness, he made his way to their table before stopping and offering a small bow to the group. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Yu Feng."

  "Sit down, sit down," Shen Yao smiled, drawing over a chair for him. "I had been wondering where you were, and whether to send someone to fetch you."

  "Thank you for looking out for me. I was just caught up in a bit of reading, and did not notice the time pass."

  Shen Yao smiled in understanding, looking very much like the image of the helpful guide. Yet, Yu Feng thought there was something slimy about the way he looked at him.

  "Aren't you going to introduce us, Shen Yao?" a boy from the group asked as Yu Feng sat down.

  Talking to the group at large, Shen Yao presented Yu Feng. "Everyone, this is Yu Feng. He is a new recruit who has just arrived to the sect today, so please make him feel welcome. Yu Feng, these are my merry band of companions."

  They all nodded at him as he gave them a small greeting. "New recruit, at this point in the year? Why didn't you join the exams that took place last month?" the man who had asked for his introduction enquired. He had a slightly weedy look to him, with brown hair that trailed to his shoulders.

  Yu Feng hesitated. He did not know how much to say, especially considering the how Shen Yao had talked about True Disciples. He did not want to implicate Li Qian if he somehow messed up. In the end, he decided on omitting details instead of lying.

  "To say the truth, I did not know I could cultivate before this," he started. "Only when a few cultivators had come to my place of residence for a task did I come to know that I had the potential. They were the ones who brought me here."

  "That is interesting. Where do you come from that the news of the sect exams did not reach you? And who brought you here?" his interrogation continued.

  But before Yu Feng could answer, Shen Yao jumped into the conversation. "That would be Senior Brother Shi. The one who tested us. Remember?"

  The group nodded in understanding, their attention diverted from Yu Feng. Shen Yao slightly reprimanded them, "You have been interrogating the poor soul, but you have not yet provided your names."

  The brown haired man laughed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. "My apologies," he said to Yu Feng. "I am named Gong Wei, of the Gong Clan."

  "I am Cao Zhi," a slightly pudgy, raven haired girl went next. One by one, the rest of the table introduced themselves to Yu Feng, even those who had not been part of the initial conversation. Someone brought him rice, grilled meat and broth, and soon he was swept up in the chatter around him. They all seemed very nice and friendly, even to an unknown quantity like him. He supposed Li Qian might have been slightly paranoid when he had warned him about the competitiveness of the sect.

  As everyone was mingling and having a good time, Yu Feng noticed another person out of the corner of his eye. He was sitting alone at the far end of the dining hall, and there was no one around his general vicinity, as if he was isolating himself on purpose. He had dark, curly hair, and he was looking at the food with his slightly amber eyes as if it had personally wronged him.

  Nudging Shen Yao, he asked, "Who is that?"

  Looking over to see where Yu Feng was pointing slightly, Shen Yao's gaze grew chilly. Yu Feng may have imagined it at that instant, but it seemed like his pupils had become slits, like that of a snake.

  "Oh, him!" Shen Yao spat with venom. His outburst drew the attention of the group, and they all collectively looked over at where he was looking. The temperature in the immediate surroundings seemed like it dropped suddenly, with how hostile their gaze had become.

  "That, Yu Feng, is what we call scum of the earth. His name is Xian Chen, but we prefer to call him Toad," Gong Wei said.

  "You see Yu Feng," Shen Yao said loudly, making sure his voice carried across the room, "Someone thought that they could reach above their station and inconvenience others. Xian Chen had the gall to claim that he was engaged to the True Disciple Ling Qi, and continue spouting that nonsense even as she was tested and showed incredible talent. It was only her master's mercy that his life was spared and he was allowed to cultivate. I would suggest not associating with his type, as it would only sully you."

  The disciples all around him hooted in laughter, pointing and mocking Xian Chen in the corner. There were a few others dispersed throughout the hall that were not participating, but neither did they seem inclined to stop the show.

  Xian Chen glowered in anger, before getting out of his chair with a large scraping sound, leaving the hall with his food unfinished. As he was leaving, Yu Feng caught him clutching an amulet around his neck tightly, muttering to himself in anger all the while.

  Once he was gone, the hall grew a little quieter, everyone returning to their own conversations. Turning to Yu Feng, Shen Yao said, "Really Yu Feng, it would be better if you did not go around him. He would only cause harm to you. He is slightly crazy, always muttering to himself."

  Yu Feng thought back to Xian Chen's face, and felt like he had to disagree with Shen Yao there.

  He seemed rather alone, was his thought. But he shrugged, and went back to interacting with his new peers. They were there before him, so he guessed it would be alright to listen to their words.