The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 7: The Difficulty of Cultivation

Han Li slowly guided the energy flow within his meridians back to his Dantian. This was the seventh major cycle he had completed today, and he knew his body had reached its limit. If he attempted another cycle, his meridians would most likely rupture again, and he would once more experience that unbearable agony. Just the thought of the excruciating pain of his meridians tearing apart sent a cold sweat down his back, despite his usual boldness.

It had been over half a year since Han Li joined the sect, and the formal assessment for registered disciples had concluded more than two months ago. Only a small portion of the registered disciples were able to officially join the Inner Sect, while the majority failed to pass the assessment and had to leave the mountain to become Outer Sect disciples.

Most of these failed youths were assigned to the Treasure Hall or the Swift Bird Hall. Among them, the more outstanding ones might receive further training and possibly be recruited into the better-treated Outer Blade Hall. Of course, the most prestigious Outer Sect hall was the Four Seas Hall, but it only accepted renowned figures from the Martial Forest. Without a couple of impressive skills, there was no hope of joining, let alone for these inexperienced youths.

Whenever Han Li thought about the assessment content that the other registered disciples had faced two months ago, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine. They had to run a lap around the Rainbow Cloud Mountain range, which spanned over ten miles, then engage in team combat in a sparsely populated forest, and finally withstand a certain number of attacks from the highly skilled Senior Brothers. All these tests made Han Li feel a bit of schadenfreude.

Han Li and Zhang Tie had not participated in these terrifying tests. As Doctor Mo had said, they were only tested on their progress in cultivating the chant. However, this hurdle was not as easy to pass as Han Li had initially thought. Even now, Han Li remembered the details of that cultivation period vividly.

According to Doctor Mo, this unnamed chant was divided into several layers, and Han Li and Zhang Tie had only received the first layer’s cultivation method. As long as they could achieve some success in the first layer within six months, Doctor Mo would consider them to have passed and they would become his formal disciples, enjoying the same benefits as other Inner Sect disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

After learning about the difference in treatment between Inner Sect and Outer Sect disciples, Han Li completely abandoned the idea of muddling through the six months and becoming an Outer Sect disciple to return home. For him at that time, nothing else mattered as much as being able to receive more silver from the Seven Mysteries Sect and having it sent back home. He had suffered too much from poverty in his family and knew that every extra bit of silver he could send would improve the lives of his parents and siblings.

After receiving the chant from Doctor Mo, Han Li secluded himself in his room and began cultivating day and night, dedicating all his available time to it. Since Doctor Mo had not provided any guidance on cultivation, Han Li had to figure it out on his own, referencing the methods other youths used to practice the Seven Mysteries Sect’s basic Internal Skill, the "Righteous Yang Force," to understand his own cultivation path.After three months of arduous cultivation using this method, Han Li was shocked to discover that his progress in practicing this chant was alarmingly slow. Despite exerting immense effort, he could only generate a faint, cool stream of energy within his body. This energy was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible, and he could barely detect it without careful introspection.

This must be what the instructors referred to as internal True Qi, Han Li naturally assumed.

However, he had heard from other children who practiced the "Zhengyang Force" of the Seven Mysteries Sect that the True Qi they generated was a distinctly warm and noticeable flow. In contrast, the energy he produced was cool, and the effects of its circulation were far inferior.

While other children, after utilizing their "Zhengyang Force" True Qi, could already punch through a tree as thick as a bowl and leap over ten feet high, Han Li found that after circulating his peculiar True Qi, there was almost no significant change compared to before. The only difference was that his spirit seemed more vigorous, and his appetite had improved since coming up the mountain. But what use was that? Watching the other children who had come up the mountain with him display their Divine Might, Han Li grew increasingly disheartened.

This unexpected discovery nearly made Han Li give up on the efforts he had made over the past few months. He believed his Aptitude was too poor, and it was impossible for him to pass Doctor Mo's assessment in the remaining time. He even began to prepare for the possibility of leaving the mountain.

One day, by chance, Han Li learned from Zhang Tie, who had been practicing alongside him, that Zhang Tie had not experienced any changes in his body since starting the chant. There was no effect at all, and he had not generated even a trace of True Qi like Han Li had.

This accidental revelation restored some of the confidence Han Li had lost, and in the remaining days, he resumed his previous arduous cultivation.

No, he worked even harder, even more frantically.

Han Li now spent every moment in seated meditation. At night, he even began to maintain his cultivation posture while sleeping, hoping to gain even the slightest bit of progress. Of course, this frenzied approach only lasted a few days before it was abandoned. The reason was that he was sleep-deprived and unable to maintain his daytime cultivation efficiency.

What puzzled Han Li was that since Doctor Mo had taught the chant to the two of them, he had paid them no attention. He never inquired about their progress or the problems they encountered in their cultivation, as if he had completely forgotten their existence.

Every day, Doctor Mo would immerse himself in a book with a black cover bearing three characters, as if the book truly contained a beauty like Yan Ruyu or a house of gold. At first, Han Li and Zhang Tie even thought that Doctor Mo had given up on being a healer and was instead studying hard to become a scholar. Later, after they learned to read, they recognized the three characters as "The Scripture of Longevity," a book that discussed how to cultivate the body and mind to prolong life.

At that moment, the two of them finally realized that Doctor Mo was not aiming to become a scholar but rather to live as long as a turtle in the river, surviving for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

(End of Chapter)