Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 30 Absorbing Moonlighti

Chapter 33: Chapter 30 Absorbing Moonlighti

The second realm is about becoming one with nature. After achieving this realm, one can drawqi from nature; being nourished by the natural energies of the heavens and earth rejuvenates the spirit and soul, leading to immeasurable longevity. Moreover, it also enhances one’s affinity with plants, allowing for a better understanding of nature.

No wonder this Cultivation Technique has been classified as a Life-Nurturing Technique, which is entirely different in concept from those techniques that result in a body as clear as crystal or imbue one with the mighty strength of a dragon upon completion.

Those techniques are fundamentally for combat, whereas the Everlasting Spring Technique is solely for comprehending nature and getting closer to it.

Purely a Life-Nurturing Technique.

It’s probably more suitable for those who enjoy a pastoral life and live without competition with the world.

It’s just that there are too few in this world who don’t seek fame and wealth.

So, it’s normal that it’s not well-liked.

Furthermore, since it’s an incomplete manual, it’s even riskier for others to invest in.

The first realm seems to belong to the Mortal Realm, while the second realm already pertains to a true Cultivator.

The first realm involves understanding the way of nature, allowing the body to mimic nature, nurturing the qi and blood, strengthening the physique, and completing the initial transformation of the body. Its purpose is to fortify the flesh and blood, preparing for the cultivation of the second realm.

After understanding this technique, Qin Niu felt an unusual joy in his heart.

The vast majority of low-level Cultivation Techniques are only capable of enhancing and strengthening the body.

Even at their peak, they are still stuck struggling in the Mortal Realm.

This technique allows one to step into the threshold of a Cultivator through the second realm, which is an incredible opportunity for a poor village kid like him who lacks a powerful family and other options.

It gives him a real chance to become a Cultivator and to touch upon the threshold of immortality.

That’s hundreds, thousands of times better than the common peasants who live and die like the grass and trees in a single autumn.

He didn’t rush into cultivation but instead repeatedly studied the first realm of the technique.

The cultivation method of the Everlasting Spring Technique is indeed a bit odd.

Other techniques either involve consuming nourishing foods or toughening the body rapidly to gain strength, or they involve breathing in the spiritual qi of the heavens and earth, unblocking meridians, and invigorating the blood and qi.

But the initial cultivation of rhe Everlasting Spring Technique actually requires one to comprehend nature, to feel the breath of the grass and trees, to sense their growth… Isn’t that nonsense?

If that’s all it rakes to succeed in cultivation, then every farmer would be a master.

They deal with plants every day, either planting crops or weeding.

All day long they study how to make rhe crops grow better, trying to increase yields.

Even a low-level fanner like Qin Niu can easily know how long it takes for a seed of sorghum to germinate, when rhe cotyledons will break through the soil, and when the male flowers will grow… But none of this helps with cultivation.

He had gone over rhe first part of the cultivation method in the Everlasting Spring Technique three times and was still utterly confused.

Spending five Silver Money on a cultivation manual he could nor practice made him feel as uncomfortable as if his heart was being scratched by a cat.

Although the methods of immortality were right before his eyes, he couldn’t grasp them.

By that time, the sorghum and bear meat in the pot were thoroughly cooked.

He took them out and savored the meal.

Life was truly comfortable with meat to eat.

That bear’s carcass was enough for him to eat for two months.

While eating, he couldn’t help but mull over the cultivation method of the Everlasting Spring Technique again.

To comprehend nature, one shouldn’t sit inside a house.

One should sit in a natural environment.

“I remember rhe book mentioned that before practicing, it’s best to burn incense, take a bath, and wear loose and comfortable clothes.”

An image of rhe mute girl from the Talisman shop appeared in his mind.

She was wearing a loose hemp garment, barefoot… Could it be that she did this for rhe sake of cultivation as well?

That’s indeed a possibility.

Talisman Masters belong to a niche profession that not only requires a profound foundation in drawing skills but also a deep understanding of the way of heaven and earth.

It’s said that each Talisman is painstakingly drawn by them as a crystallization of their efforts.

Some Talisman Masters may even faint from the excessive depletion of their essence while creating a single Talisman. Without Life-Extending Methods, the life span of a Talisman Master is usually quite short; they typically reach their limit by their forties or so.

After finishing his meal, Qin Niu bathed and changed his clothes.

Because he was poor, he only had two sets of coarse clothes patched all over.

Next time he made some money, he would have to buy two sets of hemp clothes to bring back. He thought to himself quietly.

He came to the backyard, where there was only a thatched shed for storing firewood, and the rest of the place was open to the sky.

He found a stone slab beside the well and laid it on the ground. Then, following the posture described in the Everlasting Spring Technique, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and carefully felt everything around him.

Apart from the “chirping and cooing” of insects and the cool breeze of rhe night, he could not perceive anything useful.

Time passed by, and he tried sitting in meditation facing different directions, but still, he found nothing.

With no foundation in any cultivation technique and no mentor to guide him, fumbling on his own was like a difficulty level of hell.

He tossed and turned until midnight and still made no progress.

He was pretty tired as well.

He planned to head to the mountains early tomorrow to try meditating there.

The environment in the mountains would surely be pure nature, which should be more conducive to cultivation.

Opening his eyes, the moonlight shone brightly on the ground and the dirt walls of the backyard.

His gaze fixed on a green sprout emerging from beneath a stone slab at rhe edge of the well.

Under the moonlight, it seemed especially tender and green.

This was a young grass just beginning to grow.

At this moment, it was stretching out its leaves, bathing in the moonlight, joyfully growing.

Plants needed photosynthesis to grow.

Besides sunlight aiding their growth, moonlight could be useful for them as well.

Sunlight was more overbearing and intense, while moonlight was softer and more nourishing.

They were like a father and a mother, nurturing the growth of plants.

Qin Niu stared blankly at the young grass as if he had come to an understanding, but couldn’t quite grasp the crux of it.

He calmed down and thought rationally.

The grass, the moonlight, the growth…

That’s right, the grass enjoyed basking in the moonlight because it made it feel comfortable and allowed it to grow quickly.

Qin Niu had an epiphany and closed his eyes again, letting the moonlight shine on him just like the grass.

“I am a blade of grass, 1 am that very blade of grass…”

He told himself this.

He made an effort to feel the changes brought by the moonlight shining upon him.

But he couldn’t discern any changes.

After all, he was not the grass.

However, he didn’t give up. Having finally had a glimmer of understanding, he was determined to hold on to it. He tried to breathe in a rhythm, according to the breathing methods of the cultivation technique, with his eyes closed and concentrated.

As time went on, Qin Niu seemed to feel something unusual.

With every inhalation, it was as if a trace of cool energy entered his body from his head, face, palms, and other places exposed to the moonlight.

It was very faint, and if he didn’t focus and keep his heart calm, he wouldn’t even notice they were there.

He was secretly delighted.

But the moment he felt happy, his calm mindset broke, and the cool energy he had just felt vanished.

It seemed he was still not calm and composed enough, his Dao heart not firm enough.

This was normal since this was his first day trying to practice a cultivation technique.

He didn’t get discouraged but readjusted his state, breathing rhythmically, remaining inwardly calm.

With the experience of one successful attempt, it took him only about fifteen minutes to feel that cool energy again a filament as fine as silk, slipping into his body from each part that moonlight could reach.

Without any formal instruction or a base in cultivation, having such a profound realization on his first attempt ar cultivation would likely make those elders from sects scramble to take him in if they knew.

Because on the path of cultivation, while persistence and willpower are important, insight and talent are even more crucial..