The Qi spirit was not static. It flowed like water and always headed toward the area with a lower Qi potential. On very rare occasions, the Qi would pool together, forming what the cultivators would call a Numinous Abode. Wherever there was sea, there would be a desert; some places hopelessly lacked Qi.

After having followed the path for a few miles, Chen Fan finally stopped.

“This is it. I think I will have to brave the depths of the Yunwu Mountain if I want to find an even better spot.” He looked around and found out he was in a patch of willow trees. Despite it being a hot summer evening, he felt the cool breezes against his bare skin, and it was quite comfortable.

Chen Fan found a big gnarly willow tree, and sat cross-legged, facing the Yanhui Lake.

Nestled beside the developed urban spaces, Yangui Lake, the “Lake of Returning Swallows” was the largest lake in Chu Zhou City. Many residential houses, commercial buildings, and hotels were built around the Lake. Thanks to the abundance of water provided by the lake, Chu Zhou City, a city in the northern part of the province, also had a bit of southern charm.

Sitting under the willow tree, Chen Fan let the breeze comb through his hair as he relished the refreshing cool air from the lake.

The cultivation progression was divided into eight stages: Qi Refinement, Connate Spirit, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Returning, Dao Reunion, and Tribulation. Within each stage were sub-levels. The first stage, for example, consisted of three sublevels: Foundation Establishment, Ethereal Enlightenment, and Divine Sea.

As the name suggests, the first sub-level was about building a solid foundation from which all the other cultivation stages were developed upon. Once completed, the cultivator would have immense strength, speed, and agility. It was a transitional period when the cultivator reaches beyond the limits of the human body. The cultivation should also have the ability to gather some degree of arcane force to use minor spells.

The next two sub-levels were usually combined together and were called the Immortal Enlightenment phase. Once the cultivator had completed both levels, he or she could use even more powerful spells and arts. They could call upon the natural elements such as dirt to turn it into golems who would fight to the death. In the eyes of an ordinary human, these cultivators were no different than a god, although they were technically not gods by a long chalk.

After the cultivator had breached the first stage, he or she would enter the stage called connate, during which one could ride on the back of the wind to wherever he wanted to and live more than five hundred years. However, even with those magical powers, they were still far from being immortals.

“It’s too early for me to think about Connate. I should start by focusing on the Foundation Establishment for now.”

“What kind of art should I use to rebuild my foundation?” Chen Fan asked himself.

“The reason why my cultivation had failed during the tribulation was not only the mental demons but also my weak foundation.” Chen Fan nodded as he reflected on his past cultivation.

.

“Ignoring all the pretenses and excuses, my downfall was in my inability to complete each stage to perfection. This time I need to learn my lesson and build each and every stage as firmly as possible.” The thought of his slip up during the most critical moment of his cultivation made Chen Fan heave a sigh of regret.

Nonetheless, there were still many things that Chen Fan should feel grateful for. For one, he was miraculously given another chance to start all over again.

The Foundation Establishment stage was the first stage of the cultivation; it was arguably the most important one as well. In order to not repeat his mistake, Chen Fan was resolved to take his time and perfect this stage.

“I have collected all kinds of secret arts and magical spells in the past five hundred years. In my collection, the arts of building the foundation alone amounted to thirteen thousand three hundred and six different pieces. In the last iteration of my life, I have used the art of Foundation Establishment from the True Martial celestial sect. It was simple and straightforward; however, I need something more powerful to achieve perfection.”

He had formulated a plan and decided on the art in his mind ever since he was in Auntie Tang’s car.

“I will use the Grand Dao Sect’s Art of Void Mortal Refinement!”

The Sect of the Grand Dao was one of the most prominent sects in the realm of cultivation. Although the sect had never sired any heroic grandmasters, they were extolled for their unique art of Foundation Establishment.

Once it was mastered, the art would help the cultivator to harness much more power than those who used other arts.

“Inclusiveness was not only the key in mastering this art, but it was also important for me to cultivate with such limited Qi resources. The Qi on earth is drying up, and I need to scrape any useful resources that I could find, including any medicinal herbs, numinous treasures and even unsavory elements such as the malice Qi and death Qi. There would be no art more suitable than the Art of Void Mortal Refinement given the circumstances.”

The so-called Malice Qi, Yin Qi or Death Qi were not that much different than the bread and butter of cultivation: Spirit Qi. They were all an extension of the universe itself, a reflection of one or two of its countless facets.

That being said, the spirit Qi was much readily available on a planet, and it was easier to be bend into whatever shapes or forms the cultivator desired. The other forms of Qi required specific dharma arts to be harnessed. Without the aid of some very special arts, an ordinary cultivator wouldn’t be able to harness all forms of Qi until they had reached the Golden Core stage.

However, with the special ability of the Void Mortal Refinement art, Chen Fan should be able to harness Qi from all sources from the very beginning.

The word “void” in its name referred to the vast universe. The boundless space contained an unimaginable amount of Qi from various sources, all of which could be harnessed using this unique art. whether it is the Qi inside the core of a star or the Qi of demonic origin deep underground; the art could handle them all.

The motto of the Grand Dao sect also reflected their all-encompassing spirit well, “I am nothing and everything.”

“What a shame. Despite their great ambition of uniting all forms of Qi into one, the task was ultimately proven to be too much for the sect members with mediocre talents.”

Chen Fan shook his head and heaved a sigh. However ambitious the Grand Dao sect was, the advanced level cultivation required specialization instead of diversification. The True Martial celestial sect was able to rise to the top rank of all sects thanks to its dedication to only one or two arts.

Chen Fan gathered himself and started the Void Mortal Refinement.

The art was not only useful in harnessing Qi but was also effective in straightening one’s flesh. It was a good way to improve both internal and external prowess.

As he gradually progressed with the cultivation, his body seemed to become a black hole that sucked various Qi and energies into him. The air around Chen Fan was soon devoid of any life, so much so that even the breezy wind became stifled.

He was so engrossed in his cultivation that he nearly forgot the passage of time. The moon rose and fell, and before he knew it, it was a brand new day.

As the sun rose above the placid lake, Chen Fan suddenly opened his mouth as a white light streamed out from it. The light shot up a few dozen meters into the air, piercing the morning air as a sharp knife would to a fish belly. The strange white light didn’t disappear until it had hovered above Chen Fan for another few minutes

Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes when his cultivation was finally done. If anyone had been paying attention to him, they would find the boy’s eyes shone like a pair of light bulbs. Slowly, the light in Chen Fan eyes dimmed.

“What an amazing art! Although this is the first time I attempted to cultivate, I am already well into the first sub-level. At this rate, I should be able to reach the Ethereal Enlightenment within six months!” Chen Fan exclaimed in his mind.

The fast rate of progress in an environment so deprived of qi had surprised him. Although he was convinced that it had something to do with his past life’s cultivation experience, he wagered that the unique art had helped too.

Chen Fan picked himself up and shook his body, and the energy within his system made a continuous popping sound like popping popcorns.

He closed his fingers and felt his body was bursting with energy.

He turned around and punched the willow tree behind him. The old willow tree trembled as countless willow leaves fell to the ground.

Chen Fan removed his fist from the tree, and he saw that his punch had left a three-inch deep impression on the willow tree bark.

This willow tree had lived over hundreds of years, and the age had turned it’s bark extremely hard. If such a punch landed on a mortal, there would be a hole wherever it landed.

This was the result from his first day of cultivation; it wouldn’t be long before he would be able to sever the tree trunk with one blow. Moreover, he did not use any arcane forces in that punch but relied only on the power of his body.

Thus it was, the art of Void Mortal Refinement not only improved his energy but also significantly elevated his strength. He was already half as strong as a superman after only one night of cultivation.

However, Chen Fan shook his head in disappointment. Compared to the power that he used to wield, the strength in this punch was pathetic.

“I have a long way to go.” He sighed. He looked up and noticed the nascent sun shining above the surface of the lake. He realized that he had been sitting there for a whole night. To his surprise, he was not at all tired.

Although he didn’t succumb to exhaustion, he felt hunger was claiming him. He patted his belly and decided that it was time to eat.

As soon as he was out of the willow trees, he saw three people walking toward him.

There was a woman in a white exercise suit walking beside an elderly man in a traditional Chinese suit. Trailing behind the two was a young man with a fit body and pair of sharp eyes.

The girl of the group pulled her hair in a ponytail; her beautiful face held a cold and distant expression. She had a pair of perky bosom and a tall body. She was as attractive as Jiang Churan if not more thanks to her well-defined features.

Chen Fan was still immersed in the joy of his achievement, and therefore, he didn’t think too much of this encounter. He passed the three strangers without even sparing them a glance.

However, three stranger had definitely noticed him.