9: Embrace the primordial unity and let your spirit roam beyond the heavens!

He slowly closed his eyes and began his first attempt at breathing and intake, following the methods described in the book.

The methods of the Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art were not complex; the core lay in "Guarding the Origin and Focusing on One, Spirit Wandering Beyond the Heavens," emptying one's mind to sense and harmonize with the omnipresent Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

This first step was called "Sensing the Source of the Law."

For Mortal children who had never encountered Cultivation before, this was the most difficult hurdle.

Spiritual Qi was ethereal and intangible, neither visible nor touchable. Many people spent months or even years unable to capture that so-called "qi sensation," eventually giving up on the path to immortality in despair.

Gu Changsheng eliminated all stray thoughts, his mind sinking into a state of absolute clarity.

His consciousness transformed into an invisible tentacle, cautiously reaching out from his body and merging into the surrounding air.

The Spiritual Qi in Courtyard Jia-1 was already dense, and combined with his body having been refined through the marrow cleansing grass, his affinity for Spiritual Qi far exceeded that of ordinary people.

In just a dozen or so breaths...

Gu Changsheng felt a tiny, faint light appear within his empty, silent world of perception.

Those points of light were multi-colored, drifting leisurely in the darkness like fireflies on a summer night. They circled his consciousness affectionately, emitting a warm and comfortable aura.

This was Spiritual Qi.

He had succeeded.

In his very first intake, he had successfully sensed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!

The annotations of the Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art stated clearly that ordinary Disciples would take anywhere from three days to three months to achieve this sensation.

Yet he had only used less than fifteen minutes.

There was no wild joy in Gu Changsheng's heart, only a cold clarity. This was entirely thanks to that "risk-free" marrow cleansing grass. If not for his Golden Finger, he would likely be like the other new Disciples, still struggling blindly in the dark.

Intelligence was his true Foundation.

He suppressed all stray thoughts and continued to operate the Cultivation Technique, guiding those light-like points of Spiritual Qi to slowly permeate his body.

This was an extremely slow process.

The moment the Spiritual Qi points touched his skin, they turned into wisps of cool airflow, drilling through his pores and circulating once through his Meridians. Ultimately, most of it dissipated, with only an insignificant trace remaining to nourish his entire body.

At the Hour of the Rabbit on the second day, a sliver of fish-belly white just began to appear on the horizon.

Gu Changsheng opened his eyes right on time, and that familiar faint golden text had already quietly surfaced in his mind.

【daily intelligence refreshed】

【Intelligence 1: The spring eye beneath the well in Courtyard Jia-1 is the tip of a miniature Spiritual Vein. Every day during the Hour of the Tiger, a wisp of 'Water Origin Qi' overflows for fifteen minutes. This Qi can help Cultivators enter the sensing state faster and significantly improve intake efficiency. Risk Assessment: None.】

【Intelligence 2: In the Outer Sect Disciple cafeteria, one pot of today's Spiritual Rice porridge has suffered severe Spiritual Qi loss due to excessive heat; it is located on the far left. Avoidance Suggestion: Choose the pot in the middle.】

【Intelligence 3: New Disciple Zhang Hu, jealous of your priority in choosing the Jia-grade courtyard, intends to find an Opportunity to provoke you. This person is simple-minded and easily enraged. Avoidance Suggestion: Ignore him for now.】

Gu Changsheng's breathing stalled for a moment when he saw the first piece of intelligence.

The tip of a miniature Spiritual Vein!

Water Origin Qi!

His heart began to pound uncontrollably.

This wasn't just Courtyard Jia-1; this was clearly a Cultivation cheat with its own built-in accelerator!

He instantly understood the underlying logic.

Senior Brother Chen Yuan, who taught the arts, had let him choose the Jia-grade courtyard first not out of mere politeness, but as a form of resource allocation toward high-Aptitude Disciples!

It was a hidden preferential treatment given by the Sect to Geniuses, tucked away beneath the surface rules.

The irony was that, aside from the Sect's upper echelons and a few involved parties, the vast majority of Outer Sect Disciples likely had no idea.

Perhaps someone living here would feel the Spiritual Qi was denser than elsewhere, but they would never imagine that the greatest Opportunity was hidden beneath that ordinary well in the courtyard, appearing for only fifteen minutes at a specific time.

Without the daily intelligence, even he would have only treated this as a slightly denser ordinary courtyard, missing out on this massive Opportunity for nothing.

Information was the root of everything.

Gu Changsheng suppressed the wild joy in his heart and firmly memorized the three pieces of intelligence.

As for that fellow named Zhang Hu, he didn't even bother to spare him half a thought.

Just an ant trying to bark at an elephant; as long as he didn't actively come seeking death, Gu Changsheng couldn't even be bothered to step on him.

On the road to immortality, such minor characters didn't even have the qualifications to become his stepping stones.

Gu Changsheng spent that day without any incidents.

During the day, he continued to diligently Cultivate the Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art, consolidating that hard-won "qi sensation."

When it was time to eat, he went to the cafeteria, precisely avoided the pot with the lost Spiritual Qi, and served himself a full bowl of the most potent porridge.

After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to continue Cultivating.

His extreme self-discipline kept his state of mind as calm as an ancient well.

Night descended once more.

When the watch drum struck three times, signifying the arrival of the Hour of the Tiger...

Gu Changsheng silently pushed open his door and came to the side of the well in the courtyard.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, his entire being merging into the deep night.

Time passed minute by minute.

Suddenly, an extremely subtle sense of coolness spread from the mouth of the well.

It was an aura purer than well water and crisper than the night breeze, carrying a rich Water-element spiritual charm.

Water Origin Qi!

Gu Changsheng dared not be negligent and immediately began operating the Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art.

The moment the first wisp of Water Origin Qi was drawn in by his intake and touched his body...

Boom!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind!

The faint, elusive "qi sensation" from the daytime, which required exhausting effort to capture, became incomparably clear and majestic at this moment!

If the daytime Spiritual Qi was a thin mist, then the Water Origin Qi at this moment was a surging river!

Countless cool wisps of Spiritual Qi scrambled to drill into his body, traveling along his Meridians, making his entire body feel comfortable as if every pore were breathing joyfully.

He didn't even need to guide it deliberately; his body's instincts were greedily absorbing this extremely pure energy.

It was too fast!

This Cultivation speed was simply inconceivable!

Just fifteen minutes of Cultivation had an effect ten times stronger than his diligent efforts throughout the entire day!

He finally understood why the gap between Geniuses and ordinary Disciples in immortal Sects was so despairingly large.

Having better resources meant having a faster Cultivation speed, which in turn led to obtaining even more resources.

It was a positive cycle, and also a ruthless wheel that completely left mediocre talents behind.

The fifteen minutes passed in a flash.

As the last wisp of Water Origin Qi dissipated into the air, Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes.

The night remained the same, and all was silent.

But he clearly felt that there was something extra inside his body.

He immediately performed internal inspection on himself.

At the position of his lower Dantian, a wisp of airflow, thinner than a strand of hair and emitting a faint water-blue glow, was quietly suspended there.

Though it was weak, it truly existed, distinctly different from his own Origin Qi.

Spiritual Qi!

This was the first wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi he had refined!

He had succeeded in "Sensing the Source of the Law"!

From a Mortal to successfully refining his first wisp of Spiritual Qi, he had only taken one day and one night!

Gu Changsheng forcibly suppressed the agitation in his heart and began to calculate calmly.

At this rate, to condense eighty-one wisps of Spiritual Qi and step into the first layer of the Fetal Breathing Realm, he would need half a month at most!

Half a month to reach the first layer of the Fetal Breathing Realm!

According to the records in the Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art, the fastest record for a Genius among Outer Sect Disciples to complete this step was one month!

Ordinary Disciples needed three months, or even half a year!

This speed could no longer be described as merely that of a Genius.