"Hahaha, which little rascals have come to my Restricted Grounds?"
Elder Yu appeared at that moment, looking at the three children with a chuckle.
"Grandpa Yu!"
As soon as they saw him, Yang Xiaohu and Yang Mingrui called out.
Beside them, Yang Yueqing hastily pulled them back and reminded them, "You must call him Ancestor!"
"Oh, right! Xiaohu pays respects to Ancestor Yu."
"Mingrui pays respects to Ancestor Yu."
"Hahaha, you are all good children. In these Restricted Grounds, this old man doesn't care much for titles. Calling me Ancestor, Grandpa, or even Old Man is fine. But there is one thing that cannot be treated lightly."
Elder Yu paused briefly before continuing, "When it comes to your future cultivation, there must not be the slightest carelessness. You must be diligent and hardworking. Do not disappoint the Family Head's painstaking efforts!"
"Yes! We will remember!"
Yang Yueqing cupped her hands in response.
Elder Yu nodded, then together with Yang Guanfeng, led the three children into the Restricted Grounds' ancestral hall.
Yang Guanfeng recounted the history of the Yang family and the foundational knowledge of cultivation to the three children.
Rows of ancestral tablets were laid out here.
It was only upon arriving here that Chen Yang learned the Yang family's ancestors indeed included true cultivators.
Unfortunately, with no worthy successors, the family had gradually declined over time.
'The Spirit Communion realm-the pinnacle of the lower three realms. That is quite a formidable cultivation level!'
Chen Yang had by now come to understand the cultivation realms of this world.
They were divided into nine realms in total.
The lower three realms were Qi Gathering, Condensed Origin, and Spirit Communion.
The middle three realms were True Intent, Profound Grotto, and Void Treading.
The upper three realms were Heaven Connecting, Tribulation Transcendence, and Ascension.
Each realm was further split into twelve minor levels, with three levels forming a stage, categorized as Initial, Mid, Late, and Perfection stages.
In the Zhuhu Wangchao where the Yang family resided, the nation's ultimate guardian was a cultivator of the True Intent realm.
Thus, for a single family, producing a Spirit Communion cultivator was enough to establish them as a powerful clan dominating an entire region within the dynasty.
By the same token, cultivation items like spiritual treasures, pills, formations, and talismans followed the exact same classification system.
Take Chen Yang, for instance: Elder Yu had mentioned he was currently a spiritual treasure at the Initial stage of Qi Gathering, not far from the Mid stage.
This aligned perfectly with Chen Yang's internal inspection. The spiritual power within the small white space inside his body was already two-thirds full. Once it was filled, he would be able to undergo his next evolution.
After they paid their respects to the ancestors, they finally arrived at the main event of the day.
Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu led the three children into a detached three-story pavilion.
In the center of the room on the top floor, a platform about one and a half meters high had been erected, seemingly meant to hold something.
Surrounding the platform were three meditation cushions, with three copies of the same cultivation technique manual laid out before them.
"From now on, the three of you will cultivate within this pavilion. Strive to condense your Qi Mansions as soon as possible and step into the ranks of Qi Gathering."
Upon hearing that they could finally cultivate, the three children excitedly stepped forward to their respective cushions, picking up the manual to read.
Before long, however, troubled expressions appeared on all their faces.
They simply could not understand a single word.
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing their brow-furrowed, adorable expressions, both Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu burst into hearty laughter.
"The three of you are truly impatient. It is good to have such drive, but you must remember this during your future cultivation: never rush for quick results."
"Indeed, haste makes waste. The path of cultivation is long and arduous; it demands steady, gradual progress."
Yang Yueqing nodded in sudden realization upon hearing this. The other two children followed suit, though they were clearly still completely lost.
"There is one more thing. Since the three of you have entered the Restricted Grounds and obtained a cultivation method, your paths diverge from mortals from this day forth. Your past names shall no longer be used."
As Yang Guanfeng spoke, he drew Chen Yang from his sleeve and placed him upon the central platform.
He pointed at Chen Yang and said, "This object is named the Qi-Gathering Stone. It is a spiritual treasure that Ancestor Yu and I acquired while exploring the outside world, possessing the ability to gather spiritual Qi. It will be your greatest reliance on your path of cultivation ahead."
"We shall take the character 'Ling' from its name and bestow it upon you. Henceforth, you shall be known as Yang Linghu, Yang Lingqing, and Yang Lingrui. Do you understand?"
While Linghu and Lingrui were still dazed, Lingqing nudged them with her elbow.
"Yang Lingqing thanks the Ancestor for bestowing my name!"
The other two children quickly followed suit, thanking Yang Guanfeng for bestowing their names.
"Good."
Yang Guanfeng nodded with satisfaction and looked at Elder Yu. "Elder Yu, I shall leave the rest to you."
"Rest assured, Family Head."
The dense spiritual Qi gathered by the Qi-Gathering Stone had an upper limit. If Yang Guanfeng remained here to cultivate as well, the total amount available to the children would decrease, disrupting the overall spiritual environment.
Thus, after some deliberation, both men decided to leave the entire space to the three children.
Yang Guanfeng turned and left, while Elder Yu ushered the three children onto their meditation cushions.
He first introduced the foundational concepts of cultivation and had the three repeat them.
None of the children were foolish, and they quickly committed the knowledge to memory.
Afterward, Elder Yu instructed them to open their technique manuals and began his reading and detailed explanation.
"This technique is known as the Nether-Spirit Dao-Seeking Scripture. It is cultivated through entering stillness and meditating, drawing the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to convert into one's own use. It is an orthodox Condensed Origin-tier cultivation method..."
"The prologue is what you must study right now; it is the introductory path to this technique..."
"To condense a Qi Mansion, you must first guide Qi into your body and clear your Qi Channels..."
"The limbs, the chest and abdomen, and the crown of the head-there are twelve Qi Nodes in total. Once all of them are forced open and illuminated by spiritual Qi, a spiritual Qi vortex will form within your Dantian..."
"The very first step you must take now is to enter a state of stillness and meditation. This is the foundation of everything..."
"Very well. Do exactly as I say. Sit cross-legged with your backs straight, place your hands on your knees, empty your minds, and perceive the Nether-Spirit..."
The three children obediently set aside their manuals, took their postures, and began attempting to enter stillness.
Chen Yang lay on the platform, listening to Elder Yu's explanation from beginning to end.
'This cultivation method is truly profound and mysterious,' he thought to himself. 'Even I found parts of it completely confounding. I'll have to ponder it thoroughly. It seems a cultivator's path is truly no simple matter.'
Fortunately, he had known how to breathe and absorb Qi ever since his birth as a stone, so he never had to worry about cultivation methods.
He only wondered whether there were specific cultivation techniques meant for artifacts as well.
While lost in thought, Chen Yang suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual Qi.
'Oh? This kid is that fast?'
Chen Yang's gaze fell upon Yang Lingrui, the youngest of the three.
This child truly lived up to being the most talented one whom Elder Yu had discovered.
Coupled with his pure, innocent heart, he had achieved a state of absolute stillness, completely detached from external distractions, in just the time it took for a single stick of incense to burn.
Elder Yu was also quite astonished.
He knew the child possessed excellent talent, but he had not expected him to be this remarkable!
Overjoyed, he quickly extended his hand over Chen Yang, circulating his spiritual power to activate the stone's Qi-gathering effect.
'Ooh~ Using someone else's spiritual power feels absolutely marvelous~'
Drawing upon Elder Yu's power, Chen Yang began gathering Qi while simultaneously conducting his own breathing and absorption.
Normally, gathering Qi on his own would consume his own spiritual power, but relying on a human cultivator completely bypassed that step. He only needed to focus on absorbing Qi peacefully.
About a quarter of an hour later, Chen Yang noticed that the Qi Node at the end of Yang Lingrui's left arm began to loosen.
Within a few breaths, that Qi Node was completely forced open, and the spiritual Qi gathered inside the pavilion immediately surged toward it.
Deep within his stillness, Yang Lingrui felt his body shudder slightly as a warm sensation spread from the tip of his left finger.
'Entering stillness within a single stick of incense, and guiding Qi within a quarter of an hour... This child possesses the potential to reach Condensed Origin!'
Elder Yu felt an immense sense of gratification. That the Yang family could produce such a promising seedling brought genuine joy to the very depths of his heart.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VEbJMEhuB
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