Volume 5 Chapter 18

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 5 Chapter 18: The Joy of Teaching a Student

On the day Bai Yu fainted, Xu Qingfan had been pondering Bai Yu’s situation, discovering that even though both were descendants of families with ancient Mythical Beast bloodlines, Bai Yu’s condition differed greatly from that of the Feng family.

According to Xu Qingfan’s knowledge, when Feng family descendants activate the power in their blood, their entire body is engulfed in fierce flames, which is the external manifestation of their power. Once they fully master their bloodline power, the flames on their bodies transform into the shape of a Flame Phoenix, which they control. As their skills deepen, the power of the transformed flame phoenix becomes stronger. Eventually, they develop the first of the Feng family’s three secret techniques, the "Flame Phoenix."

However, when Xu Qingfan observed Bai Yu, after activating his bloodline power, it did not manifest outwardly like the Feng family descendants. Instead, it merged within Bai Yu’s body, giving him transformation-like abilities, with many features of the ancient beast Qiongqi, and greatly enhancing both offense and defense.

This proves that even though both are descendants of Mythical Beast families, due to different bloodlines, their cultivation methods and resulting abilities are vastly different.

Although he understood this, Xu Qingfan found it even more troublesome.

If the cultivation methods of the various Mythical Beast families were similar enough, Xu Qingfan could teach Bai Yu some things based on his understanding of the Feng family’s methods. But if their methods were greatly different, Xu Qingfan could only guide Bai Yu in general directions with his superior knowledge of the current realm, leaving the details for Bai Yu to figure out on his own.

"What Bai Yu will ultimately become depends on his destiny and effort. There isn’t much I can do. I feel I’m not worthy to be his mentor."

After Xu Qingfan left Bai Yu’s room, he couldn’t help but shake his head. He then wandered back to his own room to search for information about "Qiongqi" and the "Qiongqi Family", hoping to find something that might help Bai Yu in the future.

However, the myth of the ancient beast Qiongqi has been lost to time, leaving only vague information of questionable authenticity. The "Qiongqi Family", though once prominent, remains shrouded in mystery. Outsiders have no knowledge of the Bai family’s magical abilities or their ways of cultivation, so Xu Qingfan didn’t hold much hope of discovering anything. Moreover, since taking Bai Yu as his disciple, Xu Qingfan had gone through the available materials countless times without finding anything new. Looking again now was merely a formality.

To be honest, among his three disciples, it was impossible for Xu Qingfan to treat them all equally. Emotions naturally lead to biases when making choices, and true fairness can never be achieved. Bai Yu was not like Ting’er, who was Xu Qingfan’s last living relative, nor like Zhang Ningmei, who shared a similar character with him. As a result, Xu Qingfan often unintentionally overlooked Bai Yu.

Nevertheless, Bai Yu was part of Liu Huaxiang’s last wishes and Xu Qingfan’s promise to Bai Lianye, and Bai Yu’s aptitude was excellent. Xu Qingfan genuinely wished for Bai Yu to have a bright future.

※※※※

A day later, Xu Qingfan began formally teaching Bai Yu and Zhang Ningmei the art of immortal cultivation. Although Zhang Ningmei wasn’t ready to start practicing, listening to Xu Qingfan’s teachings would greatly benefit her future progress. Xu Qingfan trusted her self-discipline to avoid secretly practicing, something he couldn’t confidently say for Bai Yu.

Sitting on the grass in the courtyard, Xu Qingfan explained the basics of cultivation to Zhang Ningmei and Bai Yu, including his own insights and hopes for their future paths. Around them, the trees rustled in the gentle breeze under a clear sky.

Bai Yu and Zhang Ningmei listened thoughtfully, occasionally asking questions when Xu Qingfan paused. He answered each query with care, creating a harmonious learning environment that Xu Qingfan found pleasing.

Meanwhile, Ting’er sat quietly with Little Green, watching Xu Qingfan’s teachings in silence. She would soon attempt her first Core Formation, yet her face showed no sign of tension, only a hint of confusion. Xu Qingfan suggested she calm her mind before the Core Formation, but her expression left even him unsure of her thoughts.

This was Xu Qingfan’s first formal sermon to his two disciples. By the time everything concluded, the whole day had already passed.

Xu Qingfan sent Zhang Ningmei back to her room to reflect on what she had learned, while he took Bai Yu to his room, personally safeguarding Bai Yu during his first practice session.

Bai Yu sat cross-legged on the bed under Xu Qingfan’s guidance, with eyes gently closed and palms facing upward, an unusually solemn expression on his face. He then began to absorb the Heavenly Spirit Qi suitable for his cultivation at a slow pace, following the cultivation method taught by Xu Qingfan.

This marked Bai Yu’s first official day of cultivating immortality. However, after the morning’s test, Xu Qingfan was surprised to discover that unlike most cultivators in the world, Bai Yu’s body could absorb two completely different types of Spirit Qi: Golden Spirit Qi and Earth Spirit Qi.

The vast majority of cultivators in the world can only absorb one type of Spirit Qi. It is only after reaching the Condensed Core Stage that they can use the principle of five-element transformation to perform other types of spells.

However, in the cultivation world, there is a very small number of cultivators who can absorb two or more types of Spirit Qi. Yet, in such cases, due to the mutual interference and restraint among different types of Spirit Qi, most of these individuals make no significant progress in their entire life. Only a very few, like those who can absorb wood-type and fire-type Spirit Qi and find the right balance, can perform wind-type spells.

Bai Yu’s situation was quite different. Xu Qingfan discovered that after teaching Bai Yu the basic cultivation methods for the gold and earth elements, Bai Yu could not only quickly absorb both types of Spirit Qi but also managed to prevent any interference between them once absorbed. This meant that Bai Yu could fully wield both gold and earth elemental spells in the future.

While Bai Yu absorbed the Earth and Metal Spirit Qi, Xu Qingfan’s Divine Sense detected that Bai Yu could retain about seventy to eighty percent of the Spirit Qi he absorbed. Although this was not on par with geniuses like Feng Qingtian, Ting’er, or Jin Qinghan, it was still considered quite rare in the cultivation world.

"Bai Yu, with his Qiongqi bloodline, is indeed extraordinary. He can wield both gold and earth Spirit Qi simultaneously. I wonder if all Bai family members are like this. He also has excellent aptitude. Even without a specialized cultivation method, as long as his mindset remains steadfast, he could reach the Condensed Core Stage with time. However, his ultimate achievements will truly depend on his own insights and fortune."

Xu Qingfan looked at Bai Yu, who was meditating with an unusually solemn expression on his face, and silently meditated in his heart.

This time, Bai Yu meditated for over an entire day, and only when the Spirit Qi within him was saturated did he slowly open his eyes. A flash of green flickered in his eyes, suggesting that with the influx of Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi, the "Qiongqi" bloodline within him was more completely activated. Even though it was just a single session of meditation, he had fully reached the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage.

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and asked, "How do you feel?"

Bai Yu stood up from the bed, first bowing to Xu Qingfan to express his gratitude for his teachings before answering Xu Qingfan’s question.

"It’s alright. It feels like the Spirit Qi slowly enters my body and then gradually accumulates inside. It’s quite interesting."

After pausing for a moment, Bai Yu added, "At least it’s more interesting than before when I used to sit and try to sense the power in my blood without feeling anything."

Hearing Bai Yu’s response, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but laugh.

But seeing Bai Yu’s relaxed expression, Xu Qingfan’s face quickly turned serious again, asking, "Do you think cultivating immortality is easy? Just one session of meditation and you’ve reached the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage, almost touching the middle stage?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan ask this, Bai Yu was about to nod, but seeing Xu Qingfan’s serious expression, he seemed afraid to nod and be scolded. Instead, he reluctantly shook his head, his face showing a bit of grievance.

Seeing Bai Yu’s childlike expression, Xu Qingfan almost couldn’t help but laugh. But his face became even more solemn as he slowly said, "In the various realms of the cultivation world, the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage is the most basic and easiest to achieve. Once you reach the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage, you are essentially considered a cultivator. Achieving the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage in just one day shows you have quite a talent."

Hearing Xu Qingfan say this, Bai Yu couldn’t help but show a proud expression.

But Bai Yu didn’t feel smug for long, as Xu Qingfan continued, "Your elder martial sister Ting’er is even more gifted than you. She reached the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage in just one night. However, it took her over ten days to reach the middle stage of the Qi Refining Stage. From the late stage of the Qi Refining Stage to the Inedia Stage, it took her five full years. Now, more than sixty years have passed, and your elder martial sister Ting’er has only reached the late stage of the Lingji Stage."

On hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Bai Yu was stunned. First, he hadn’t expected Ting’er to have much better aptitude than him, and second, he hadn’t realized the later stages were so difficult to break through. It shattered his earlier thought of breaking through a stage each day and teaching Xu Qingfan to cultivate immortality after a year.

"A cultivator goes against the heavens; it is not as easy as you imagine. Our cultivation is like climbing a mountain; at first, the slope is gentle, and it’s easy to climb over. But the further you go, the steeper it gets, requiring ten to a hundred times more effort to achieve the same success as before."

Seeing the thoughtful look in Bai Yu’s eyes, Xu Qingfan nodded in satisfaction, but when he saw hesitation in Bai Yu’s eyes, he continued, "Like climbing a mountain, reaching the realm of Longevity, or Unity of Sky and Earth, is like reaching the peak of the mountain in our hearts. If you are hesitant and lack confidence, your hands and feet will become weak. How can you conquer the steep peak? Only by firmly believing in yourself and making cultivation a part of daily life, with a calm heart, neither fearful nor obsessed, can you succeed. And when you one day truly reach or come close to the peak, you will see the beauty of the world from where you stand."

Xu Qingfan’s tone was gentle and slow without any blame. At this moment, Bai Yu was just beginning his path of cultivation. While he shouldn’t look down on immortality, he also shouldn’t lose faith after seeing its hardships. So, Xu Qingfan’s words were carefully thought out, first knocking some sense into him and then encouraging him, all with good intentions.

This was only for Bai Yu. As for Zhang Ningmei and Ting’er, one had a calm and steady nature, the other had a determined and diligent mindset, so they didn’t need Xu Qingfan to say these things.

"Perhaps I do have some talent in teaching after all."

Seeing the confusion in Bai Yu’s eyes turn to thought and finally to clarity, Xu Qingfan felt a sense of pride. Watching his student mature under his guidance was indeed a fulfilling experience.

As soon as Bai Yu’s eyes cleared, he suddenly asked Xu Qingfan, "Master, where have you climbed to in the mountains now?"

"Me?" Xu Qingfan was momentarily startled, then smiled and said, "I think I haven’t even reached halfway up the mountain."

After reminding Bai Yu to train diligently and always remember to steady his mind and skills, Xu Qingfan casually walked out of Bai Yu’s room. Just as he entered his own room, he was suddenly taken aback.

He suddenly noticed Zhang Ningmei quietly leaving her room and silently heading towards Ting’er’s room.