After returning from the Sutra Pavilion, Zhen Liang followed his father back to their residence. The sun had barely crossed the rooftops, but Liang's thoughts were already racing.
As soon as he greeted his mother, he dashed straight into his room without another word.
Inside, he quickly pulled out the cultivation technique he had selected and made a handwritten copy of it, ensuring every character was precisely recorded. Once that was done, he carefully peeled back the aged pages of the old, charred book—the one that had drawn his attention the moment he entered the Sutra Pavilion.
Beneath the brittle surface, he found what he'd hoped for: nine thin silk sheets hidden between the scorched pages. Each one was the size of an adult's palm, perfectly preserved.
But to his confusion, every single one of them was blank.
He examined them under the light, stretching one gently between his fingers. No marks. No symbols. No inscriptions. He scratched at the fabric lightly—nothing. He even tried to tear the edge of one, but the silk remained perfectly intact.
"They're definitely something special," Liang murmured.
Thinking quickly, he pricked his finger with a needle and let a single drop of blood fall onto the first silk sheet.
As soon as the blood touched the fabric, it vanished.
Then, slowly, tiny red characters began to emerge on both sides of the silk, as though drawn out from the blood itself.
Liang's eyes lit up.
The language was old—but not unfamiliar. He had studied many ancient texts during his time in the clan's library, often guided by the elderly librarian. Slowly, he began to read.
The first page described a cultivation technique known as the Nine Turn True Qi Cultivation Technique.
Excitement surged through him.
He quickly repeated the process with the other eight silk pages, carefully drawing out the blood-inscribed texts and laying them out in order. For the next three hours, he worked tirelessly to decipher the writing.
Finally, when he understood the entire technique, he leapt to his feet and shouted with joy, laughter spilling from his lips.
"This is incredible!"
The Nine Turn True Qi Cultivation Technique was unlike any he had seen. It guided cultivation all the way to the Peak Foundation Building Realm and, most importantly, it offered astonishing benefits: a 90% success rate to break through into the Foundation Building stage, and a 70% chance to advance to the Golden Core Realm.
There was a drawback—it progressed slower than conventional techniques. But in return, it granted qi that was far purer and denser than that of average cultivators. That alone made it an invaluable treasure.
Liang's hands trembled slightly as he reread the structure.
Four of the nine silk pages detailed the Qi Condensation Realm, another four covered the Foundation Building Realm, and the final page recorded the pill recipes for two specialized pills: the Qi Sealing Pill and the Foundation Sealing Pill, both of which played essential roles in mastering the technique.
Without wasting time, Liang created another clean copy of the entire content and then carefully stitched the original silk pages into a thin silk booklet using spirit-thread. He placed it inside a hidden compartment beneath the wooden floorboards of his room—his secret spot.
That night, he slept with a satisfied heart.
The next morning, Zhen Liang woke up earlier than usual.
He went outside, found a quiet patch of grass, and sat cross-legged to begin his cultivation. According to the instructions in the technique, the first session required absorbing the first rays of the morning sun into the body while guiding qi through the meridians.
As golden light touched his skin, he practiced the breathing patterns, visualizing the flow of spiritual energy as the booklet described.
"Liang!" his mother called. "Breakfast!"
He quickly returned inside, washed up, and joined his mother at the table.
After a few bites, he took out the copied recipe page for the Qi Sealing Pill and handed it over.
"Mom, can you refine this for me?" he asked, chewing on spirit grain dumplings.
Lady Wen took the page and read it slowly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recognized the structure and rarity of the formula. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she quickly returned to her calm expression.
She returned the page to him without a word.
Then, in a firmer tone, she asked, "Where did you get this cultivation technique?"
Liang explained everything—how he found the manual at the Sutra Pavilion, discovered the silk pages hidden inside, and used his blood to unlock them. He even brought out the silk booklet to show her.
Lady Wen's gaze turned serious.
"Listen to me carefully," she said. "You must never reveal this technique to anyone. Not even your father."
Liang blinked. "Not even father? Or my brother and sister?"
His mother smiled, but there was a weight behind her words.
"This cultivation method is indeed powerful, but it's also very selective. Only those with single-element spirit roots or Heavenly Spirit Roots can even attempt to cultivate it. In our entire family, only you possess a pure elemental root—lightning. Even then, it will be challenging. But since fate placed this book in your hands, perhaps it was meant for you."
Liang nodded quietly. He understood.
As they finished their meal, Lady Wen stood and wiped her hands.
"You always wanted to learn alchemy, didn't you?"
Liang's eyes sparkled. "Yes!"
She smiled.
"Then come with me this evening. I'll bring you into my alchemy room and begin teaching you. Let's start with this Qi Sealing Pill."
Later that day, after a short rest, Zhen Liang stepped into the practice courtyard with his spear in hand. The Black Spear Ten Moves technique required full-body motion—making it perfect to accompany his new cultivation path, which emphasized straining the muscles and nerves to draw out inner strength.
He trained steadily, his movements growing more fluid and precise with every repetition. The spear spun and struck, swiped and thrust, gliding through the air with confidence.
By late afternoon, he set the spear down and transitioned into the next phase of his training: spiritual cultivation.
Sitting quietly beneath the same pine tree as always, he practiced the Spirit Calming Technique. His breathing slowed, his heartbeat softened, and his mind began to clear. The technique expanded his spiritual sense and suppressed unnecessary emotion, creating the mental clarity needed to stabilize the qi inside his body.
As the evening approached, Liang rose from his spot, stretched, and wandered off toward the clan library.
"Time to visit Grandpa Lin," he said to himself with a grin.
Back in his usual corner, he picked a scroll on beast ecology and immersed himself in its contents.