Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Chapter 171: Chapter 111: Foundation Establishment Flying Shuttle, Cultivating Divine Thought

”You were both classmates, and you’re both from Anping. This must be fate.”

From the front, piloting the Flying Shuttle, Zhang Cheng spoke without turning his head. ”The foundation you get from the Daoist School is countless times better than what those on a Self-Taught Path have. The situation is complicated now. When you get back to the Department, you two must support each other.”

Then, Zhang Cheng’s tone shifted, growing a few shades more serious:

”Anping County isn’t as peaceful as when you left home. Why do you think the Evil Suppression Department is in such a hurry to consolidate and recruit? It’s because strange incidents have been happening frequently of late.”

”Especially around the Sanmu River. Fishing boats have been disappearing there recently. Rumor has it a Great Demon is stirring at the bottom of the river, and it’s thrown everyone into a panic. The case is extremely tricky, and the case files are piling up.”

Hearing the words ”Sanmu River,” Hu Hao’s expression changed slightly. That was where his hometown was, so naturally, he was more concerned.

Chu Bai, on the other hand, nodded thoughtfully, silently committing this information to memory.

The Flying Shuttle sped onward, crossing mountain after mountain, having already flown over several counties.

The idle chatter gradually ceased. Zhang Cheng focused on piloting the Dharma Artifact, and Hu Hao closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing this, Chu Bai took the Jade Scroll containing the Guardian Scripture from his robes, pressed it to the spot between his eyebrows, and once again attempted to comprehend it.

This secret Divine Soul Technique from the Daoist School was quite profound and obscure. Although he had studied it in the meditation chamber for the past two days, he had been unable to make any headway, as if trying to see through a pane of frosted glass.

’To guard the One is to guard the fire of the heart, illuminating the five skandhas...’

Chu Bai focused his mind and calmed his Qi. As the Heart Method Mantra circulated, his consciousness gradually sank into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

This time, perhaps because he was high in the sky and his state of mind was more open, or perhaps because his accumulated efforts of the past few days had finally reached a critical point.

Suddenly—

A subtle yet sharp, stabbing pain shot through the depths of his mind, like being pricked by a red-hot needle.

But the pain came and went in a flash, followed by an indescribably cool sensation. It was as if a formless hand had swept the dust from his once-chaotic Sea of Consciousness, leaving it clear and bright.

The feeling was like a nearsighted person suddenly putting on a pair of perfectly prescribed glasses.

Joy bloomed in Chu Bai’s heart. Suppressing the lingering trace of pain, he guided this nascent power through a full Circulation within his body.

He had reached the Beginner level of the Guardian Scripture!

When he opened his eyes again, the world before him had changed dramatically.

Hu Hao, who had previously just been an ordinary classmate in his eyes, was now enveloped in a faint, aquamarine mist. The mist was slightly impure, a sign of the external manifestation of the Spiritual Power from his Water Element Technique.

And Zhang Cheng, up ahead, was even more astonishing. He seemed like a blazing, dark-red flame, his vitality like a rainbow, wreathed in Evil Qi. In Chu Bai’s perception, the condensed Spiritual Power unique to the Foundation Establishment Stage felt like a solid piece of red-hot iron, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.

This was the difference between Divine Thought and the naked eye!

Even without using the Spiritual Eye Technique, relying solely on this newly awakened perception of his Divine Thought, he could instantly see through Low-Tier Cultivators, even discerning the attribute and strength of their Spiritual Power at a glance.

This was why a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator could look upon a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator as easily as reading the lines on their own palm. From a higher-dimensional perspective, nothing could be hidden.

With a thought, Chu Bai called up his panel.

In a corner of the skills column, a new line of text had quietly appeared:

[Guardian Scripture: Beginner (1/100)]

Divine Thought born, perceiving the flow of Qi.

Chu Bai tried to extend that invisible Perception Power outward but found it extremely difficult.

His nascent Divine Thought only extended about ten feet before it seemed to hit an invisible wall of air and began to dissipate and become unstable.

’A radius of about ten feet...’

Chu Bai silently estimated that this range was just enough to cover the size of the Flying Shuttle.

It was obviously far from sufficient for scouting enemies or searching for them at a distance; he could see farther with his naked eye.

But he wasn’t discouraged.

After all, he had only just reached the Beginner stage of the Guardian Scripture. Cultivating the path of the Divine Soul was inherently difficult; to be able to form a nascent Divine Thought at his Realm was already a blessing from the heavens.

As his proficiency increased, this perception range would surely grow exponentially.

Besides, the use of Divine Thought wasn’t just for external projection, but also for Microscopic Introspection.

Chu Bai withdrew his focus and sank his Perception Power into his Dantian Qi Sea.

This time, the Five Elements Spiritual Power, which had previously only circulated by instinct, presented itself in his mind’s eye with unprecedented clarity.

Within his Dantian, the Five-Colored Spirit Clusters slowly revolved, generating and overcoming one another in what appeared to be a perfect, closed loop.

But under the almost microscopic insight of his Divine Thought, Chu Bai keenly detected a slight disharmony within it.

’The Water and Earth Qi are slightly duller in color, and their circulation is a bit sluggish...’

Chu Bai understood.

This wasn’t because there was a problem with his cultivation, but due to a difference in the quality of the Spiritual Qi itself.

The three streams of Original Spiritual Energy—Metal, Wood, and Fire—were ones he had painstakingly selected from the Spirit Pavilion at the Daoist School. Their quality was extremely high, even carrying a trace of the essence of their Innate Attribute.

The Water and Earth Qi, on the other hand, which he had incorporated when first constructing the cycle, were a grade lower in quality than the other three, despite being pure Spiritual Qi.

It was like a wooden bucket with staves of unequal length; although it could hold water, the entire Five Elements Cycle wasn’t performing at its theoretical maximum potential.

’No matter. The Little Five Elements Cycle is already formed, and my foundation is solid. This slight difference in strength doesn’t have a major impact for now. In the future, I can just find some High-Tier Water and Earth Spiritual Objects to slowly replace and supplement them.’

Having decided on a course of action, Chu Bai did not feel anxious. He closed his eyes once more, taking advantage of the flight to circulate the Guardian Scripture again and solidify his new Divine Soul power.

After an unknown amount of time, the whistling wind in his ears gradually quieted, and the vibrations of the Flying Shuttle beneath him smoothed out.

”Hold tight. We’ve arrived at Anping County.”

Zhang Cheng’s voice rang out.

Chu Bai opened his eyes and looked down.

The clouds below parted, and the familiar silhouette of a city gradually came into view.

Its black walls coiled across the plains like a resting dragon. Inside, Marketplaces crisscrossed, crowds of people bustled like threads in a tapestry, and curling wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air, carrying the long-missed, worldly scent of the Red Dust.

After a year, he saw Anping again.

An indescribable feeling of nostalgia washed over Chu Bai.

Once upon a time, he had been just a scholar from a humble background, carrying his book box, studying hard at the Cyan Cloud Academy. He would leave at dawn and return home through the imposing city gates at dusk.

Back then, Anping County had seemed so large in his eyes, so vast he felt he could never walk to its end.

This time last year, he had won first place in the County Examination. Amidst the cheers of the entire city, he had left in high spirits, riding in the Daoist School’s stylish Demon Horse Carriage. At that time, he felt the road ahead was wide open and only wanted to see the world outside.

And today...

Chu Bai stood thousands of feet high in the air, his hands clasped behind his back, a Foundation Establishment Dharma Artifact beneath his feet, looking down upon the city he once had to look up to.

His perspective had changed, his state of mind had changed, and even this once-magnificent city now seemed somewhat small in his eyes.

’I’m back.’

Chu Bai murmured softly, his voice scattering in the wind.

The Flying Shuttle turned into a streak of light, not heading for the normal city gates, but descending directly toward the city center.

Zhang Cheng put away the Dharma Artifact and turned to them with a smile. ”Alright, it’s been a long journey, and you must both be tired. You’re both locals who have been away from home for a long time. Your families must be eagerly awaiting you.

”I won’t keep you at the Department headquarters today. Go home first, let your families know you’re safe, and fulfill your filial duties.”

He paused, then added: ”As for the paperwork for your official appointments, there are still some documents to process. I’ll get it all sorted out for you in the next two days. In three days, come back to the Department to report. That’s when you’ll officially receive your waist tablets and uniforms, and we’ll hold a proper welcome for you.”

This was a considerate gesture toward his subordinates, giving them plenty of time for their homecoming.

”Thank you for your consideration, sir!”

Chu Bai and Hu Hao exchanged a look and bowed in unison to express their thanks.

”Go on,” Zhang Cheng said with a wave of his hand.

The two took their leave.

Standing on the main street, Hu Hao took a deep breath of the familiar air of his hometown, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face. ”Junior Brother Chu, I’ll head home first then. My old mother is probably worried sick. Let’s meet again in three days!”

”Take care, Senior Brother Hu. See you in three days.”