Unparalleled Rival! 8: Cultivation (Patreon)

8: Cultivation

Both quickly left the main hall, and Xu Yinxing led Tian Lang to her personal residence, where the maid servants welcomed them once again.

However, this time, Xu Yinxing couldn't help but have a strange expression upon seeing them. She dismissed the maid servants even faster than the first time, leaving several of them confused, though they still obeyed and quickly left them alone.

Meanwhile, Tian Lang wondered where he could get a couple of Maids. Was there a website to order them or something like that? As someone who had been part of a normal family in his previous life and an orphan in this one, he had no idea how such things were done. Maybe he needed to place an ad? He was a bit wealthy now, so he could afford to pay a salary...

"We're here," Xu Yinxing said, bringing Tian Lang back to reality, though he hadn't really been too distracted. They had arrived inside the residence, where there was a large courtyard with a rather beautiful lake—a dreamlike landscape adorned with various types of plants that emitted their own Qi, clearly not ordinary flora.

The entire atmosphere was rich in energy, and Tian Lang could feel it.

In fact, ever since he set foot in this world, he could sense a change in the quality of the natural Qi surrounding him. He couldn't pinpoint the exact difference, but somehow he understood that there was something different, like breathing fresh forest air after living for years in a city polluted with toxic gases.

Well, in this place, it was simply more noticeable than before, and his body felt it.

Soon, both were seated across from each other by the lake, watching as the sky darkened and the moon began to rise. In fact, the planet's moon was much closer than a satellite of its type should be, making the view quite strange yet fascinating for Tian Lang.

"Tell me, my young apprentice, what does a cultivator cultivate?" his master suddenly asked, causing Tian Lang to blink in confusion. What does a cultivator cultivate?

He hadn't really thought much about it, so he gave the first answer that came to mind.

"Their power."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yinxing nodded with her eyes closed but also shook her head.

"While it's not a bad answer, it's not entirely correct either. Let me clarify it for you—a true cultivator cultivates themselves: mind, body, and spirit," she said while pointing to herself with her finger.

'Cultivating oneself?' He didn't know why, but he felt that his master's words held a deeper meaning than he initially thought.

"It might be a bit complicated for you to understand right now, but you must remember this, as it is the most important foundation a cultivator should have." Hearing her words and seeing the seriousness in her expression, Tian Lang nodded firmly.

"I'll make sure to always keep it in mind, Master," he said, and he wasn't lying. Cultivation... it wasn't something that was deeply explained in the novel; after all, it focused more on adventures than on technical details. Many of the exact details were either omitted or summarized, so Tian Lang really didn't know much about how it was done, apart from a few scattered details that weren't particularly useful to him at this moment.

"Very well, I can see you're serious, so I won't have to beat you until you remember," Xu Yinxing said, and for some reason, Tian Lang felt that was a threat.

Xu Yinxing then waved her hand, and with a silver flash, two thick, ancient books appeared floating in the air in front of Tian Lang.

"Earlier, you mentioned that you didn't have a cultivation method. Originally, as a student without a master or peak, you would have had to go to the academy's scripture hall to obtain one. But now that you're my student and belong to the Silver Moon Peak, that's unnecessary," she explained, making the two books float a little closer to him.

Tian Lang looked at their covers with curiosity, reading the title on each of them with bright eyes.

"Immortal Art of the Silver Aura, Secret Scripture of the Incandescent Dragon."

"Master, do I have to choose one of them?" Although judging by the title might be a bit childish, Tian Lang felt slightly biased toward the second one.

After all, dragons were pretty cool.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. Under normal circumstances, it would be best to choose the one most compatible with him, regardless of the title. But since both came from Xu Yinxing, he felt there shouldn't be any real difference in the quality of either method.

"No, you're going to practice both," Xu Yinxing's words caused Tian Lang's excitement to freeze for a moment.

"Uh, Master, I might not have heard correctly—did you say practice both?" In response to his doubt, she smiled and began to explain.

"The Immortal Art of the Silver Aura is the central cultivation method of the Silver Moon Peak. It cultivates the spirit and is predominantly of Yin nature. On the other hand, the Secret Scripture of the Incandescent Dragon is a cultivation method focused on cultivating the body, and its nature is predominantly Yang," Xu Yinxing explained.

As he listened, Tian Lang understood. While he didn't know much about cultivation, he was familiar with some concepts thanks to reading many novels in his previous life.

"Harmony," he whispered, and his master nodded with a smile.

"I told you before, a cultivator cultivates themselves—mind, body, and spirit. Many go astray by thinking they must choose only one, but that's a grave mistake that only harms them in the long run."

"I understand. Thank you for your teaching, Master. Although, to be honest, I thought martial artists only used their bodies," he couldn't help but express his doubt.

"It's a common assumption, and it's not entirely wrong, but that's not how we do things at Silver Moon Peak." Well, that made more sense as to why it was the strongest peak—their cultivators weren't just simple martial artists but true dual cultivators.

Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask another question.

"What about the mind?" Mind, body, and spirit—that's what Xu Yinxing had mentioned. The two cultivation methods she presented covered the body and spirit, but what about the mind?

"Well, that's a bit more complicated," Xu Yinxing said, rubbing her chin as she thought about how to explain it.

"Cultivating the mind... is something that each person must do in their own way. The comprehension of the Dao, after all, depends on the experiences and life events we encounter along our path. There's no guide for it other than simply living."

Well, that was simple yet more complicated at the same time.

"But Enough talk, it's time to begin." With a thought from Xu Yinxing, the two books transformed into two streams of energy in different colors—one silver and the other resembling fire. Before Tian Lang could react, they both shot through the air at great speed, striking his forehead. Like a flood, new memories and knowledge flowed through him.

Automatically, his eyes closed as his consciousness sank inward. Xu Yinxing manipulated the Qi, causing Tian Lang's body to move on its own, settling into a meditative posture—his back straight, gaze forward, legs crossed, and hands resting on his thighs.

"let's see if you can do it..." Xu Yinxing murmured with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty, waiting to see how Tian Lang would perform.

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Inside Tian Lang's Mind

Tian Lang stumbled. His eyes opened only to find himself in a vast, dark space. Then he felt something change.

Two spectral figures emerged from the darkness. One was a crescent moon, radiating a frosty silver aura. The other was a massive dragon, four-legged with two wings, with lines of fire between its scales that released an indescribable aura the color of flames.

The energy of both figures clashed for a moment, causing turmoil, but in the next instant, as if forming a stable current, they began to swirl around each other. The dragon ascended into the air, circling the moon, which illuminated its scales with its light. The colossal beast, thousands of meters long, then landed on the moon's surface and lay down comfortably.

Heat and cold merged into one, giving Tian Lang an indescribable sense of comfort.

The vision then faded, and Tian Lang began to process the information about both techniques and Automatically, he started performing the initial exercises of both, guided entirely by instinct.

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Outside.

Xu Yinxing opened her eyes as she sensed how the stellar Qi surrounding Silver Moon Peak was suddenly drawn to Tian Lang's body at great speed. It wasn't just the Qi from Silver Moon Peak; the Qi from beyond also began to be affected.

"Something like this... It seems he's finished absorbing the information from both methods. It was faster than I expected, and judging by the amount of stellar Qi he's attracting, his spiritual root must be a celestial spirit... Well, it's the least I could expect from my disciple," she thought proudly, even though Tian Lang's talent had nothing to do with herself.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the other great cultivators in the academy, but they were not alarmed. Everyone knew that Tian Lang possessed a special-grade spiritual root, and they had already anticipated that a phenomenon like this might occur. However, they were still delighted and surprised to learn that he had a celestial spirit, not just an earth one.

Having another monstrous genius, whether in the academy or among humanity, was always something to celebrate.

Xu Yinxing, who had been observing Tian Lang, waved her hand, activating hidden spiritual arrays. The density of stellar Qi across the entire Silver Moon Peak increased dozens of times instantly, and the speed at which the Qi gathered around Tian Lang also accelerated.

Then she extended her hand, and two objects appeared floating above her palm.

One was a fragment of silver rock that emitted a white light with faint blue undertones. A cold, penetrating wind threatened to escape, held back only by Xu Yinxing's Qi. On the other side was a drop of crimson blood, about the size of a palm, surrounded by a fierce, flame-like Qi, its power also contained by Xu Yinxing.

The woman looked at the two objects with deep thoughts. If any other cultivator were in the same place, they would have trembled with bloodshot eyes at the sight of such celestial treasures, instantly filled with greed.

But the beautiful silver-haired woman had not a trace of avarice in her eyes. Instead, she gazed at Tian Lang, waiting patiently.

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Back with Tian Lang

Deep within his being, a previously hidden space lit up. Within it, a root made of energy, glowing with golden colors, was present, exuding an aura of nobility and dignity.

Tian Lang looked at it, knowing that this was his spiritual root and the space where his Dantian was located.

"So it wasn't just a temporary improvement. Good to know," he thought. Once he reached this place, he knew that his talent had truly changed and wasn't just a temporary effect caused by "it." He wasn't sure why this was the case, but he assumed it had something to do with his reincarnation? Possession? He didn't know exactly what to call it.

But with that concern out of the way, he decided to focus on what was truly important.

Begin cultivating, he looked at his Dantian, which remained empty and dry, a sign that he had not yet taken the true step to becoming a cultivator.

Then he looked at his spiritual roots, which were quite active, generating large amounts of Qi while he felt the Qi from the outside world colliding with his body, attracted by his spiritual roots but unable to reach them.

"What a waste," Before, he hadn't understood it—why was his Dantian still empty if his spiritual roots were producing their own Qi?

Now he understood, just as he also realized why cultivation methods were necessary.

Heavenly shackles.

That's what they were called, whether in the Immortal Art of the Silver Aura or the Secret Scripture of the Incandescent Dragon, and probably how they were referred to by cultivators in general.

Barriers imposed by the heavens on all conscious forms of life.

Following the instructions given in both methods, Tian Lang began to control the Qi that his spiritual roots were generating, preventing it from leaking uncontrollably.

Normally, when a mortal awakens their spiritual roots but does not have a cultivation method, the Qi generated by these roots disperses throughout their body automatically, slowly enhancing every aspect of it.

This improves their health, gives them more strength, extends their lifespan, and helps combat any illness or ailment more effectively. The better one's spiritual roots, the greater and more evident this effect would be.

You might think this was something great, but as Tian Lang had said before, it was just a waste.

Simple crumbs of something much greater.

Tian Lang focused and thought about the two cultivation methods his master had given him. Both could be used individually, but it was obvious to him that his master wanted him to employ them simultaneously.

A bit challenging but not impossible.

At least from his perspective, after digesting the information from both and thinking about it for a moment, he felt he could do it—he could execute both methods at the same time.

He took a deep breath and divided his concentration. On one side, he controlled half of the stellar Qi that his spiritual root was generating, and using the guidance of the Immortal Art of the Silver Aura, he began transforming it within his spirit into Silver Aura Qi.

At the same time, he controlled the other half of the Qi following the guidance of the Secret Scripture of the Incandescent Dragon, making it circulate throughout his body, flooding every part of himself and causing it to ignite as it transformed into Incandescent Dragon Qi.

Tian Lang gritted his teeth as he felt his spirit freezing and his body burning, icy cold and searing heat clashing inside and outside him, causing an indescribable pain to begin engulfing him.

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Outside, Xu Yinxing watched with bright eyes as Tian Lang's body exuded steam while his veins became visible, glowing as if molten magma was traveling through them instead of blood. Contradictorily, each breath Tian Lang exhaled sent out bursts of cold air, creating white mist around him.

Xu Yinxing swallowed nervously, preparing to intervene at any moment.

Although she was the one who gave him both cultivation methods, she also knew that being able to execute both at the same time might be impossible. Her grandfather had failed, and she herself had failed when she tried after all.

The only recorded success dated back millions of years to an ancient and almost forgotten era, and since then, no other cultivator had been able to do it.

Even so, the Xu Clan had not given up on the possibility, and it was almost a tradition for the clan leader to pass on both methods at least once in their lifetime.

Her grandfather and father had created Silver Moon Peak to pass down the Immortal Art of the Silver Aura because, of the two methods, it was the safer one and the one that could bring the most benefits to humanity. On the other hand, the Secret Scripture of the Incandescent Dragon had been stored away and replaced by other body cultivation methods that could still work in conjunction with the Immortal Art of the Silver Aura, although without achieving true harmony.

Xu Yinxing, who was the clan leader in this era, had been quite excited to have her first disciple and had decided to let him try his luck without thinking too much, but now she was beginning to regret it a little.

Sure, Tian Lang had great talent, but many others with equal talent had tried before and failed.

Of course, Tian Lang's life wasn't in danger. The Xu Clan had long ago learned how to deal with the backlash from failing to execute both techniques simultaneously. At most, Tian Lang would suffer some injuries that would leave him bedridden for a few days, but that was all. Xu Yinxing possessed high-grade celestial treasures that could heal him and make him as good as new in an instant.

The real issue was his mind. Failing like this at the beginning of his cultivation path could create self-doubt, potentially affecting his future performance.

"He should be fine, right? He passed the trials successfully, so this is just a minor setback," Xu Yinxing told herself to relax while keeping a close eye on Tian Lang.

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The pain was intense, increasing with each passing moment.

Even so, Tian Lang didn’t stop executing both methods simultaneously, concentrating fully on them. If he got distracted even for a moment, he might lose control and fail.

He needed to continue until he reached harmony, until he made the two types of energy coexist at the same time without rejecting each other.

Like the vision he had seen at the beginning.

But it was difficult. With each passing moment, he could feel his control slipping, his spirit and body beginning to reach their limit.

"Just a little more," he thought through gritted teeth.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could feel that he was about to collapse.

"No, no! Just a little more!" His blood boiled, and his bones creaked. His spiritual roots shone brightly, generating more and more Qi, but soon they reached their limit.

He was going to fail.

This realization filled him with a soul-crushing sense of helplessness. How?! How could he fail now? Right at the beginning of everything? On the first step?!

He didn’t want it, he refused to let it happen. He had to keep trying, he wanted to keep trying, even if his body broke, even if his spirit shattered.

"I can still do it," as he saw his spiritual roots, his body, and even his mind reaching their limit. One more thought came to him.

He still had a chance.

He still had his own ace up his sleeve.

With great effort, a part of him searched—searched for something within, something that could help him, something that could push beyond his limits.

And as if sensing his desire, something hidden and dormant within him trembled slightly.

His spiritual root, which had been glowing gold, suddenly and momentarily took on a dark hue resembling the void of space. Then, in the next instant, stars and galaxies became visible within it, illuminating everything with the colors of the universe.

This transformation lasted only a fraction of a second, but that fraction of a second was exactly what Tian Lang needed.

Suddenly, the Silver Aura Qi and the Incandescent Dragon Qi collided, but instead of exploding or repelling each other, they wrapped around one another, beginning to merge into one.

"Now!" Tian Lang exerted all the control he could muster and directed all his energy toward the first heavenly shackle.

Like a roaring dragon, the stream of Qi surged against an invisible barrier that separated his spiritual roots from his Dantian, despite occupying the same space. For any other cultivator, an unmatched resistance would have been encountered—a resistance imposed by the heavens.

But for Tian Lang, that resistance was like thin, wet paper. The moment his Qi struck it, the barrier shattered into pieces.

Then it happened—his previously dry Dantian was suddenly flooded with energy, and the Qi rushed in, transforming into an extremely dense gas.

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Outside.

Xu Yinxing, who had been on alert, suddenly opened her eyes and mouth in absolute astonishment. She felt a change in Tian Lang's aura for a fraction of a second, but that feeling was immediately overshadowed when fierce flames rose simultaneously with icy winds. Both energies merged and then sank into Tian Lang.

"He—He did it?!" she whispered in disbelief as she watched the surrounding Qi, which had been accumulating, begin to be forcefully sucked in by Tian Lang. She could feel something breaking, like the sound of an unknown metal shattering—the first heavenly shackle had been destroyed.

His aura exploded, surrounding Tian Lang. The image of a dragon coiled around his body, and a crescent moon appeared above his head. The illusion intensified, giving way to a transformation.

Xu Yinxing watched numbly as a dome of energy surrounded Tian Lang's body, enclosing him within.

This was the sign that a mortal was transcending and becoming a cultivator—a metamorphosis.

She could feel her student entering the first realm of cultivation, Stellar Qi Condensation.

But it didn't stop there. Like an avalanche, barrier after barrier was shattered.

First level, second level, third level... His aura continued to grow until it reached the twelfth level of the Stellar Qi Condensation realm, halting just one step away from the thirteenth level.

Tian Lang, on his part, was euphoric. He could feel his spirit and body being transformed, but he didn’t allow himself to get lost in the sensation and continued executing both cultivation methods.

He absorbed, refined, and condensed the external Qi, adding it to his Dantian and converting it into his own stellar Qi, which he then used to nourish his spiritual roots and body.

This was how cultivators advanced—they accumulated their strength, experiences, and skills to break the heavenly shackles and take another step on the path toward eternity.

But it had to be done carefully. Although he knew he could push further, Tian Lang chose not to advance and instead focused on stabilizing the Qi within him.

His Dantian and spiritual roots were not yet ready; he needed to cultivate them carefully before continuing, or he could harm himself.

After some time, the energy dome surrounding him began to fade, and the agitation in the surrounding Qi also calmed.

Tian Lang slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to take on a different form for an instant before returning to normal.

"Looks like everything went well. I almost thought I wasn’t going to make it for a second there, haha," he laughed, feeling the changes in his body with joy.

But when he received no response, he stopped and looked at Xu Yinxing, who seemed to have a face of stone—in fact, her entire demeanor was like a static statue.

"Uh, is everything okay, Master?"

Xu Yinxing blinked, returning to her senses. She looked at Tian Lang, speechless, and could only swallow her astonishment and nod, not daring to open her mouth for fear of stammering.

It was then that Tian Lang noticed the two objects floating in the air, feeling an intense attraction to them.

Noting his curiosity, Xu Yinxing composed herself as best she could and cleared her throat. After all, she was still the master here.

"This is a fragment of a Celestial Moon, and this is a genuine drop of Dragon Blood. They are celestial treasures I obtained some time ago. Your cultivation is still low, so you can't use them yet, but when the time comes, I'll help you refine them." She had actually taken them out as a precaution to control the situation if Tian Lang had failed, but since he had succeeded unexpectedly, she had to adjust her words.

Tian Lang nodded, though he felt there was something more, but he chose to ignore it for now.

Xu Yinxing waved her hand, making both celestial treasures return to her ring, and looked Tian Lang up and down, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, well, as expected of this lady's disciple, you’ve advanced to the twelfth level of the Stellar Qi Condensation realm. But don’t get too full of yourself, brat. You’re still just an insect who hasn’t learned to defend yourself yet."

Hearing this, Tian Lang nodded. Although he felt quite strong at the moment, the reality was that he had no combat methods or battle skills to use. Of course, the two manuals his master had given him contained some basic techniques for using Stellar Qi that he could train, but they were mostly focused on cultivation rather than battle.

He knew how to throw a punch, but recalling the descriptions of battles he had read in the original novel, he knew that wouldn’t be enough.

"Of course, Master. I still have much to learn from you," he said, making Xu Yinxing smile.

"I can see your enthusiasm, but for now, it’s best if you rest. Overloading yourself is not good," she said, and suddenly several of the maids who had left returned.

"Take Lang to the third residence at the summit, prepare everything he needs, and attend to him carefully," she said seriously, causing the maids to nod at her orders.

For his part, Tian Lang raised an eyebrow at the new nickname but said nothing. After all, she was his master, and if she wanted to give him a nickname, it was fine as long as it wasn’t something ridiculous.

Xu Yinxing prepared to say goodbye, but at that moment, she remembered something, and her face flushed. She looked at Tian Lang with a stern expression and spoke, using a Qi technique to ensure her voice reached only him.

"Don't do anything stupid to them or I'll kick your ass."

Tian Lang blinked in confusion. Do something stupid to them?? What did that mean? But seeing the flush on his master's face and her clear anger, he decided not to ask.

“Return tomorrow morning, you will start your first martial arts classes first thing in the morning,” Xu Yinxing finally said as she watched him leave.

Tian Lang nodded and left with the maids in good spirits.

Once he was gone, Xu Yinxing sighed with her shoulders dropping slightly, then her body started to tremble before she burst into cheers, jumping in the air.

She had been holding it in, but once she was alone, she couldn’t help but jump with her fist held high.

“He did it! He actually did it!” How much time had passed? How many generations? The Xu Clan had spent hundreds of thousands of years searching for someone who could achieve what their first great patriarch had done millions of years ago.

Failure after failure, year after year, that hope seemed to die a little more until even her grandfather had given up.

But now, she! Xu Yinxing had succeeded; she had found the perfect heir!

Suddenly, her smile froze…

In all the excitement, she had forgotten something…

It had been stipulated a long time ago that when a Xu Clan member perfectly used and cultivated both methods simultaneously, they would automatically become the head of the Xu Clan…

Over time, this rule had changed slightly, more precisely when the Xu Clan realized that the chances of finding an heir among their official members were too low.

So, a new term was added to the rule: if someone outside the Xu Clan succeeded, they must be integrated into the main branch of the Xu Clan at any cost and then made the new head of the Xu Clan.

And as the current clan head, it was her duty to make this happen, no matter what…

“Uh… I might have a problem.”

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Note:

It was tough, but I managed to rewrite everything I remember. I don’t know if it’s in the same way or with the same quality, but at least I kept things in line. It helps that I already had some notes on how the cultivation system would work; I just needed to put it into a coherent explanation, which, of course, wasn’t easy, but I think it’s understandable.

Remember to comment, give suggestions, and if there are any errors, don’t hesitate to point them out; I’ll correct them as quickly as I can.

And if anyone is curious, here are the basic cultivation realms. Totally original and not at all similar to those in other stories -wink- -wink-

1: Stellar Qi condensation.

2: Establishment of the void.

3: Star Sea Formation.

4: Cosmic Soul Realm.

5: Realm of celestial transformation.

6: Amalgamation of the void.

7: Realm of Stellar Ascension

These are just the basic realms; there are higher ones, but discussing them now isn’t necessary.

And if anyone is wondering, Xu Yinxing is above these 7 realms.

Next update: ??

(I’m between “Still Defiant” and “Supersoldier”; I suppose the chapter I finish first will be the one that comes out.)