The sun rose, casting its light upon the world.
As the morning sun shone on the mountain, Zhao Li's eyes flickered before opening completely. He found himself lying on the grass in the back mountain. Thinking about last night, he shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly:
"Zhao Li, Zhao Li, why are you getting all sentimental? You've lived two lives, adding up to over thirty years, and you actually cried. Good job."
Zhao Li stared at the sun for a long time, then got up and walked to the nearby pool. He scooped up two handfuls of water and splashed it on his face. Looking at his reflection in the water, he thought silently, "Zhao Li, goodbye... Perhaps I can do something..."
Zhao Li wiped his face and straightened his clothes. He was about to head down the mountain and go home, but then he remembered the cultivation technique he had gotten from his father yesterday. It was a good opportunity to study it.
With that thought, Zhao Li took the scroll out of his storage ring.
"Hmm, Blazing Fire Technique. Father said this is a Fire Attribute Mysterious Tier, Middle Grade Cultivation Technique. I remember when I was reading novels, cultivation techniques were divided into Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow tiers, and each tier was further divided into High, Middle, and Low grades. Xiao Huohuo's family's highest technique was Mysterious Tier, Middle Grade. His grandfather should have also cultivated that one and reached the Dou King stage. From what I can infer from the novel, the Cloud Mist Sect's highest level technique should be Mysterious Tier, High Grade. They shouldn't have Earth Tier Cultivation Techniques, and it seems they can reach the Dou Emperor realm."
Unrolling the scroll, Zhao Li looked at the cultivation technique and pondered:
"It's a shame that over the years, grandfather and the others always treated me like a child, and many things they said were ambiguous."
Zhao Li looked at the cultivation technique, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding. After a long while, he lay sprawled on the ground, letting out a long sigh. He casually put the scroll away.
After reading the cultivation technique, Zhao Li found that there wasn't much essential difference compared to the Yellow Tier Cultivation Techniques he had seen before:
"If you view the process of cultivation as a machine's production process, then Dou Qi is like natural energy, and the cultivation technique is the converter. The better the cultivation technique, the higher the absorption and conversion rate of the world's energy, making it easier to convert into energy the machine can use. And the use of Dou Qi through Dou Techniques is the machine's output power, the process of converting fuel into external work. There might be some discrepancies, but it's roughly that kind of process."
"No wonder Dou Disciple is the first true step in cultivation; only a Dou Disciple can cultivate a cultivation technique. This Dou Qi Cyclone is like the core engine of the machine. Without a core, the machine can't work either."
Zhao Li sighed, but then he remembered what his father had said when he asked for some cultivation techniques.
"Cultivation in this world seems more like a pure process of absorbing Dou Qi and taming it for one's own use, and cultivation techniques are methods that have been explored and summarized since ancient times. Based on the rough descriptions of the effects of Heaven Tier Cultivation Techniques in the novel, the factors that differentiate cultivation technique grades are nothing more than two: one is the ability to absorb Dou Qi, and the other is the ability to tame and convert Dou Qi. Based on the information I currently have, this should be the case."
Zhao Li recalled the descriptions of cultivation techniques in the novel, comparing them to the information in the cultivation technique he was looking at, and the ambiguous words he had received from his elders. He had some guesses.
"A single piece of evidence isn't enough. I'll look for more cultivation techniques in the future to see if this is true."
After all, it was just his guess based on the content written in the novel. Zhao Li didn't make a definitive conclusion about cultivation techniques just yet.
"Hmm, speaking of which, it seems I haven't cultivated since breaking through to Dou Disciple. I'll try cultivating first."
Perhaps it was a farewell to his past life, but Zhao Li's attitude towards cultivation had changed slightly. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, assuming the Five Hearts Towards Heaven posture, and began to cultivate.
As soon as Zhao Li focused his mind and entered the cultivation state, he felt his perspective change. It was as if he had left his body and become an observer, able to clearly see everything within himself. Zhao Li understood this was the "internal sight" ability of a Dou Disciple.
Immediately, Zhao Li instinctively used the cultivation method he had researched over the past few years while studying Dou Qi cultivation, a method he was already proficient in. This time, Zhao Li clearly "saw" that as the Dou Qi circulated through his meridians, the Dou Qi from various parts of his body was swept up and gathered into the meridians, then flowing towards his dantian.
Finally, after passing through the Dou Qi Cyclone, this wisp of Dou Qi became even finer and also more pure. At the same time, Zhao Li felt that controlling this wisp of Dou Qi was easier. Afterward, he repeated the process of circulating the great cycle just now.
After circulating several more great cycles, Zhao Li ended his cultivation.
Zhao Li reviewed the cultivation process he had just gone through. After personally "seeing" the changes in the Dou Qi within his body, Zhao Li had some new insights, but also many doubts.
"During the cultivation process just now, my cyclone seemed to only serve the purpose of refining Dou Qi. It didn't actively absorb Dou Qi. I guess it's because I haven't cultivated a cultivation technique and haven't found a way to make the cyclone actively absorb Dou Qi. But using my previous cultivation method, I can still 'see' obvious changes in the Dou Qi, and the Dou Qi gathered from various parts of my body seems easier for me to control."
"In a natural state, everyone has more or less Dou Qi in their body. Being able to sense the Dou Qi within the body and gradually use it is the cultivation of the Dou Qi Stage."
"But this Dou Qi is because people are in this environment, and it permeates and remains in the body due to the difference in Dou Qi concentration. Normally, as one gains control over more and more Dou Qi, the difference in Dou Qi concentration with the external environment becomes smaller and smaller, making cultivation more difficult."
Zhao Li thought of the Ancient Clans who had separately created Pocket Worlds, and how sects were often established in Cave Heaven and Blessed Lands. Perhaps it was due to the environment. And the disciples of large clans and sects generally having higher realms and finding it easier to cultivate should be influenced by the external environment.
"It seems that the influence of the environment is quite significant during initial cultivation. Perhaps this is the origin of the High, Middle, and Low grades of the Dou Qi Stage. No wonder classmate Xiao Yan remained at the third stage after his rank dropped in the novel. Perhaps the Dou Qi concentration in his environment was at the third stage level."
Zhao Li unconsciously recalled the things he had seen and heard over the years and slowly summarized:
"Whether it's the Dou Qi Veil at the Dou Master stage, the Dou Qi Armor at the Great Dou Master stage, or the Agile Transformation at the Dou Spirit stage, they are all standards for the degree of mastery over one's own Dou Qi. If one doesn't have sufficient mastery over Dou Qi, let alone condensing a veil, it might just dissipate into the air as soon as it's released externally, causing one's realm to regress instead of advancing."
"As for the characteristics of the Dou King and Dou Emperor levels, it's probably about interacting with external Dou Qi using one's own Dou Qi as a medium, thereby gaining control over external energy within a small range, and treating this ability as 'Momentum'. Dou Kings and Dou Emperors flying with Dou Qi Wings might be this ability. If it were just condensing Dou Qi wings, with the agility of a Dou Spirit's mastery over Dou Qi, they could also do it, but Dou Spirits don't understand 'Momentum'. Even if they condense wings, they are just decoration."
Whenever he asked about these things before, his grandfather and the others would always smile and give a few perfunctory answers, even saying not to aim too high. Zhao Li didn't know much.
"The book said that Dou Sect experts can initially control space and walk on air. This should be the mastery of energy within a certain range around them. Hmm, the word 'Domain' might be fitting. As for the mastery of space, it's more like a gift from the world. Most people know that it happens but not why, gradually exploring and stepping into the Dou Venerate and Dou Sheng realms."
Zhao Li recalled the iconic abilities of each realm described in the book and thought a great deal.
When he read the novel before, Zhao Li found it strange, as if the realm was a key. As long as one reached the corresponding realm, they could all master some identical abilities.
"After countless years of development, the cultivation system of the Dou Qi Continent has indeed reached its peak. With the efforts of countless people, a path to the mountaintop has been built. It's very impressive. However, just because it has always been this way, does that make it good?"
Zhao Li couldn't help but have a crazy idea.
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