Qi Refining Level 1

The next morning.

Gu Fan woke up early, before the sun had even risen.

My body is full of energy after the cleansing and rejuvenation process. Although I slept for a short time last night, I don't feel sleepy at all.

The courtyard gate was wide open. Under the peach tree, Gu Fan sat cross-legged on a futon, waiting for the sunrise.

As the first wisp of purple appeared on the horizon, Gu Fan calmed his mind and began to circulate the Qi of the "Morning Glow Purple Qi Gong," a barely perceptible breath entering through his mouth and nose.

The purple energy flowed slowly along the Qi circulation diagram, and after circulating through the meridians, it was refined into pure magical power that fell into the dantian and was swirled by the vortex.

Gu Fan was overjoyed at his first successful Qi cultivation, but he did not become complacent. Instead, he continued to wait for the sun to rise.

A moment later, as the sun rose above the sea of ​​clouds, just as yin retreated and yang rose, Gu Fan focused intently on the red sun and began to circulate the "Yin-Yang Fire Separation Technique".

As soon as the fire elemental energy entered his mouth and nose, Gu Fan felt a warmth. As the energy increased, it turned into a burning sensation, like drinking a mouthful of strong liquor, which burned his lungs and internal organs.

After the spiritual energy entered his body, Gu Fan closed his eyes tightly and carefully guided the spiritual energy, starting from his heart meridian and flowing through his spleen, lungs, kidneys, and liver in the order of the five elements generating each other, circulating throughout his body before converging into his dantian.

When the two strands of magical power merged into one place, the difference in their techniques immediately became apparent. The magical power refined through the Yin-Yang Fire Separation Technique became even more powerful and refined.

Once the two streams of magical power merged, Gu Fan followed the instructions of the cultivation method, circulating the magical power throughout his body until it was completely assimilated into one place. Only then did he stop circulating the power and exhale a long breath.

When practicing two cultivation methods simultaneously, the nature of the refined magical power will differ. Therefore, it is necessary to divide them according to the hierarchy of ruler and subject, with one method as the ruler and the other as the subject. At the same time, the attributes of the two cultivation methods must not be mutually exclusive.

"Morning Glow Purple Qi Gong" is not limited by attribute and can be paired with any attribute of the skill, which is why it has become the most widely used auxiliary skill.

If the two cultivation techniques have conflicting attributes, let alone the merging of magical power, it would be good if the Qi Sea didn't explode when the magical power clashed!

Gu Fan felt the magical power in his dantian meridians and smiled slightly.

Only after possessing magical power can one formally step into the gate of cultivation and be called a cultivator.

To refine qi in a single day—such speed would be astonishing if word got out, especially considering that Gu Fan comprehended more than one technique, making his methods even more extraordinary.

It takes about half a month for an ordinary Lingxi Peak disciple to successfully cultivate Qi for the first time, while those who progress slowly may take more than twenty days. The fact that the Bigu Pills distributed can last for a month is not without basis.

Even for disciples of noble families, with the guidance of their masters, saving the time spent comprehending Daoist texts, it still takes about seven days to truly cultivate Qi. Those with Earth-grade spiritual roots can shorten it to three days, while only those with Heaven-grade spiritual roots can absorb Qi in just one day.

As for the legendary divine bodies that feed on qi from birth, that's a different story.

With magical power, one can cast spells.

Gu Fan took out the jade slip containing rudimentary spells and began learning his first spell—the Art of Object Manipulation.

The Daoist scripture of the Art of Manipulating Objects unfolded in his sea of ​​consciousness. Gu Fan skillfully activated his Myriad Manifestations Dharma Eye, and the Daoist scripture soared and leaped to form a picture.

Unlike the Qi circulation diagrams formed by combining cultivation techniques and Daoist texts, the images formed by combining spells and Daoist texts consist of lines that do not form a cycle.

After studying the lines for a moment, Gu Fan concluded that these lines were the flow routes of magical power. By using divine sense to mobilize magical power and release it along the lines, it would become a spell.

Thinking of this, Gu Fan took out another jade slip containing the Dragon Fire Technique.

Upon examining it with the All-Seeing Eye, several times more lines appeared compared to the Object Manipulation Technique.

"As expected, the more difficult the spell, the more difficult it is to control the magic power."

Gu Fan muttered to himself, put away the jade slip, and began practicing the art of controlling objects.

......

Beneath the peach tree, on the stone table, a small gray sword lay quietly.

Gu Fan pointed and whispered, "Rise!"

The small sword wobbled as it rose into the air, then began to circle around Gu Fan.

Gu Fan was beaming with excitement, like a child who had just received a new toy. He was having a great time, maneuvering his flying sword up and down, leaping and bounding, and even flying up to a peach tree, cutting off a branch and letting the petals fall on his head.

At first, Gu Fan was not very skilled at using the Art of Manipulation, and it took him a long time to prepare before he could release it.

Releasing spells is different from refining spiritual energy. Refining spiritual energy is not about speed, but because it is dangerous, one must be very careful. However, when releasing spells, if one is a step too slow, one might be hit by someone else's spell.

Gu Fan repeatedly used the Art of Manipulation several times until he had exhausted most of his magical power before stopping.

A rudimentary spell like the Art of Manipulating Objects can be cast several times as soon as one begins practicing Qi cultivation. However, the Fireball Technique requires two casts before one's mana is depleted, and the Dragonfire Technique cannot be cast even once.

If Gu Fan were practicing a different kind of martial art, he might not even be able to use the Fireball Technique at this moment.

For the next few days, Gu Fan stayed indoors.

Every morning and evening, they would gather and refine Qi, then practice spells in turn until their magical power was exhausted.

He didn't spend the rest of his time idle; instead, he held the jade slip and studied the true meaning of the Daoist text within.

If we compare comprehending cultivation techniques to exam questions, Gu Fan can directly answer them through the All-Seeing Eye, but he knows nothing about the process and principles involved.

The so-called cultivation is not only about refining spiritual energy, but also about comprehending the true meaning of the Tao.

Learning magic techniques only leads to rigid casting; comprehending the true meaning of the Dao allows for endless variations and even innovation.

This is why it's better to fight with one's cultivation level than with supernatural powers.

With the answer in hand, Gu Fan deduced the true meaning of the Dao, and was already much faster than others.

Time flies like an arrow; more than twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Meng Wei walked to the vermilion gate and saw that peach blossoms had fallen all over the ground, and the branches and leaves of the tall peach tree had become sparse.

In the courtyard, Gu Fan was manipulating the small gray sword, which flew up and down, almost turning into a streak of light.

"Junior brother has not been a student for more than a month, yet he has not only successfully cultivated his Qi, but also mastered the art of manipulating objects so skillfully. I was worried for nothing," Meng Wei praised generously.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Gu Fan summoned his flying sword, which landed in his palm. He then bowed and said, "Senior Brother Meng, you flatter me."

The two sat down under the peach tree, where a tea set was laid out on the stone table.

Gu Fan flicked his finger, and a spark flew into the carved silver kettle, quickly boiling the water. After pouring the water and brewing tea, a fragrant aroma filled the air, and the two chatted about recent events.

"What brings you here, Senior Brother Meng?"

Meng Wei shook his head and said, "Nothing's wrong. I just noticed that my junior brother hadn't come looking for me for several days, and I was worried that something might have gone wrong with his Qi cultivation, so I came to check on him."

At this point, Meng Wei pointed to the flame under the silver pot: "Seeing how skillfully you control the fire, Junior Brother, you are truly worrying unnecessarily."

"No, I was planning to go find my senior brother tomorrow, but who would have thought he would come first."

Gu Fan offered a toast with tea instead of wine. After his parents passed away, Meng Wei was one of the few people who still cared about him.

The two then talked about cultivation, with Meng Wei doing most of the talking while Gu Fan listened attentively. He nodded repeatedly with delight as he heard some tips on controlling magic.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Senior Brother Chen is doing these days?"

Half an hour later, Gu Fan asked about Chen Suzhen's recent situation.

Meng Wei's expression was strange, his eyes showing envy, admiration, and a hint of oddness.

"Well, he's gone from Foundation Establishment to Inner Sect. Next time we meet, I'll have to call him 'Uncle-Master'!"