“It’s an entry-level cultivation method—gentle yet without attribute requirements, with basic body strengthening effects. Many common martial artists practice it as well. Even among cultivators, many choose it as their foundational technique.”
She listened attentively to every word: “Can I practice it too?” With such universal applicability, it must work for ordinary people as well. And what were ordinary people? The 9,999 out of 10,000 who could not become cultivators—they were ordinary people!
“You can.” Just as her face showed a hint of joy, Mo Ti Zhun immediately poured cold water on her excitement, “But practicing it alone won’t enable you to truly cultivate.”
She was indeed disappointed: “Why not?”
“Your constitution, like most mortals, doesn’t attract spiritual energy. Even if you practice the ‘Path to Immortality,’ you still won’t be able to draw heavenly and earthly spiritual energy into your body to form your inner core. Cultivators use it to build a foundation, but they must choose other suitable techniques afterward.” Mo Ti Zhun patiently explained these basics to her. “Do you understand the importance of the inner core? Without it, spiritual energy has nowhere to settle—it returns to where it came from, unable to be stored, tamed, or nurtured in your body, and thus cannot be used by you.”
In other words, an ordinary person’s body was like a bamboo basket—no matter how hard one worked to draw water, it would always be in vain.
Mo Ti Zhun quite appreciated her look of despair, though she probably never knew what it meant to give up: “Then, there must be some differences between Emperor Hao Li’s unique copy and the popular version of ‘Path to Immortality,’ right?” Otherwise, why would the emperor spend forty-nine years supplementing it?
“Of course there are.” Mo Ti Zhun’s answer surprised her. “Emperor Hao Li wrote ‘Mortal’s Path to Immortality,’ which was then gradually promoted to the world. Since most people in the world are ordinary, the words ‘Mortal’s’ were removed.”
“Does the common ‘Path to Immortality’ contain the same content as the one in the Smoke Sea Tower?” If so, Emperor Hao Li’s unique copy in the Smoke Sea Tower would serve merely as a memento.
“No, there are significant modifications.” Mo Ti Zhun shook his head. “This unique scroll was written throughout Emperor Hao Li’s ascension to the throne, over a thousand years ago. Since then, heavenly and earthly spiritual energy has undergone levels of decline, becoming as thin as it is now. Cultivators discovered that Emperor Hao Li’s version was no longer suitable for the present—many of its mantras were impossible to practice in the spiritual energy-deficient reality, hindering ordinary people’s study. Therefore, four hundred years after the birth of the ‘Path to Immortality,’ the Hao Li Kingdom officially organized specialists to extensively revise it, removing parts unsuitable for ordinary people. This is the version that remains widely circulated today.”
“So this is the unmodified original?” Feng Miao Jun pondered deeply. “But that’s not right either. Emperor Hao Li personally wrote the word ‘supplement’ on the title page, meaning he also made changes based on his predecessors. Then where is the very first version?”
“Unknown—it has never appeared in any records, not even that monster in the Smoke Sea Tower knows.” Mo Ti Zhun shrugged straightforwardly. “It’s not important anyway, so much time has passed—just consider it a writing error.”
Just when she thought she had found a way forward, it was immediately blocked. Her current mood could no longer be described as mere disappointment. Mo Ti Zhun, however, was somewhat curious: “Which page have you practiced up to?” Each page represented one posture.
Absorbed in her own frustration, she answered casually: “Page five.”
“Mastered them all?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Mo Ti Zhun nodded, but inwardly made a slight sound of surprise. He had also seen and remembered that unique scroll—to have practiced up to the fifth posture in just a few days, the young girl’s talent and diligence were commendable. Most importantly, the fifth posture had been deleted from later versions, indicating it wasn’t suitable for ordinary people to practice.
Could Feng Miao Jun master it because her body’s flexibility exceeded that of ordinary people?
With such a mindset and intelligence, it was truly a pity she couldn’t cultivate. Mo Ti Zhun sighed inwardly, not believing she could continue much further. The later parts of “Path to Immortality” would only become increasingly difficult—without the support of spiritual energy in the body, they would be impossible to complete.
Feng Miao Jun, however, was somewhat bewildered.
She believed there must be an original version of “Path to Immortality.” But had Emperor Hao Li spent nearly half a century making a technique that ordinary people could originally practice more difficult?
This result, she refused to accept.
Of course, what she most refused to accept was the fact that she still couldn’t cultivate.
After five days of hard work, now knowing the truth, should she continue practicing?
Reality was indeed a hundred times crueler than fairy tales. Groping alone in the darkness like this, when would she ever find the way?
She slowly adjusted her mindset while asking Mo Ti Zhun: “By the way, is the cargo we unloaded in Yao Kingdom still safe?”
“News just arrived today.” Mo Ti Zhun flashed a lazy smile. “Everything remains the same.”
Although she seemed to have hit dead ends in both finding a way to break the curse and seeking a cultivation path, Feng Miao Jun had nothing else to do recently. She might as well continue visiting the Smoke Sea Tower to browse through books and pass the time.
In her previous life, her time had been cut short, and she hadn’t experienced life’s beauties—all she had learned were lessons from experience.
Patience and accumulation would always be rewarded—this was one of the insights she had gained early on. Now she had access to the Smoke Sea Tower, which others couldn’t even approach, with thousands of books at her disposal. Just half a month ago, Young Master Wei Yan had been convinced she would never qualify to set foot in the Smoke Sea Tower—yes, she could read his eyes back then.
Wasn’t this a victory she had fought for herself?
Looking back, a curse that could deceive even Yun Ya—how could it be easily removed? Even if she eventually found the answer in the Smoke Sea Tower, it would likely be a prolonged battle, and she should be better mentally prepared.
As for “Path to Immortality,” Feng Miao Jun hadn’t given up. Although Mo Ti Zhun seemed to define it as chicken ribs (of little value), what he considered insignificant might be treasured by others. Even if “Path to Immortality” couldn’t lead her toward the path of cultivation, its body-strengthening effect was undeniable. If she could train to become agile and quick in response, she would have the ability to protect herself. After all, the vast majority of people in this world were ordinary—surpassing ninety percent of them would already be a tremendous victory.
Hmm, self-hypnosis and the Ah Q spirit complete, it was time for her to read books.
The sun rose twice, and the literary gathering was held in the middle of the An Luo River.
When the An Luo River flowed to the northern suburbs of Jin Capital, its surface suddenly widened, with mist perpetually lingering. Various islands were scattered across the river, the most famous being Double Fish Island, shaped like the Tai Chi fish symbol with a head and tail connected, containing an inner lake in the middle. The water was crystalline blue, distinctly different from the outer river, creating a spectacular sight.