"Cultivation technique teaches you how to use your spiritual roots to draw spìritual energy. This technique is The Phoenix Nine Reversal Refining Qi Art."
"It is a technique that has been passed on for so long in my family that its history has been long forgotten but without a doubt this technique is a wonderful but peculiar technique."
"It requires the practitioner to cultivate to the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, only to then restart the cycle and recultivate to the peak once more."
"This process repeats for a total of nine cycles. With every completed cycle, the cultivator's spiritual energy capacity expands exponentially. By the time a cultivator reaches the peak of the ninth cycle, they will possess a reservoir of spiritual energy far vaster than even some practitioners in the Foundation Establishment Realm."
"However, a technique this formidable carries heavy burdens," she continued, her voice heavy with anxiety. "Without a sufficiently strong body to contain such condensed power, cultivation will inevitably stall at the ninth layer of the third cycle."
"I managed one cycle, almost two, but my body failed. And once the second cycle begins, there is no turning back; you must complete the technique to continue your cultivation journey. Attempting to switch techniques mid-way is a path to ruin, as it will leave your foundation weak."
"So why do I need this technique? Why take such risks? Are there no other techniques? And what is Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm?" asked Tian Shen Ji.
"Of course there are other techniques my dear. The Xiao Tian village has at the very least one or two if not moreBut the more you cultivate the harder it becomes to advance to higher realms."
"Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm are the first two realms of Immortal cultivation."
"If you were really lucky to be born with only three spiritual roots, you could possibly reach the Foundation Establishment Realm with enough effort."
"But for higher realms, effort alone is no longer enough; you would require all the advantages and opportunities that you can get your hands on. This technique is probably one of your biggest opportunities that you can get in your life."
She paused."I am aware that letting you cultivate this technique is very risky, but I see those who throw away such opportunities, only to be driven mad with regret later. I don't wish that for you, my son."
"Cultivation is complex, but also simple: the more solid the previous realm is, the easier it is to break through to the next."
"So how do I strengthen my body to fully cultivate your technique, Mother?"
This time Tian Xin spoke up, his hand resting on the turtle scroll. "This art is the Eight Hidden Inner Turtle Breaths, an ancestral martial art technique passed down through our family for generations. One of the emphasis of this technique is both great defense and endurance."
"I believe that you can continue past the third cycle with its help, but you would probably stop at the ninth layer of the fifth cycle at most. You would eventually need to find a method to drastically strengthen your body, likely a body cultivation art, but you would need to join a sect or a cultivation family for that."
"Sect? Cultivation family? what are those?" asked Tian Shen Ji
"You're too young to need to know. We will tell you when you are ready. For now, know that we have given you all we have, Shen Ji," Shu Yan whispered.
"But you must know the full truth of the path we set you. Advancing to Foundation Establishment would probably be impossible without the assistance of rare heavenly treasures and immense natural talent and that is not even taking in consideration the effort needed"
So, simply put, Shen Ji thought, I can walk the easy path with less to gain or the harder path with the possibility of getting nothing or hopes of getting more. In his opinion, this was one of the easiest choices he had ever made.
He doubted those two had taken the easy way, so how could he take the easy way. He wanted to catch up; he wanted to surpass them.
Tian Xin looked at his wife and son. He knew that cultivating this technique could be a closed road, but not cultivating it will definitely be one. So he could only pray that they hadn't made a mistake by placing their son on a razor's edge.
In the weeks that followed, Tian Shen Ji intensely practiced his mother's secret cultivation technique and his father's martial arts.
His soul, decades of experience, ensured his motor control and comprehension were years beyond his peers, but every time he remembered the Inmensurable strength of the Epoch Giants and the terrifying power of the Netherworld, he knew this simple strength was akin to a child's toy.
But this is the start, he calculated. The true power, the one that can fight Epoch Giants, will come one day.
Shu Yan, noticing his swift progress, offered a weak smile. Her face, usually pale with sickness, was now intensely focused. While Tian Xin taught simple force and open ethics, Shu Yan handled the secret lessons.
"Your father is the best man I know," she said, her voice growing grave. "He believes that if you can help, you must help. It is a beautiful ideal that has kept him, and me, alive." She hesitated, and Tian Shen Ji sensed a deep, unexpected bitterness in her tone.
"But the world is far crueler than you can imagine. People see kindness and take it for granted. They use it. They believe they deserve it and that you are foolish for giving it freely."
She looked straight into his dark eyes. Her grip tightened, urging him close. "Your father's way is noble, but simple kindness is a luxury that some people can't afford. You are unique, Shen Ji. You have started on the path of immortal cultivation, and being kind on this path will make you an easy target."
She pulled him into a quiet hug. "You will become strong. When you do, help, but not for free. Ask for something in return. It does not have to be much. But it must be something."
Tian Shen Ji absorbed the lessons like dry earth taking water. He became a respectful, kind boy, ready to help... as long as he factored in the cost.