The weakness brought on by the intense pain had not yet fully dissipated. Chen Ping lay sprawled on the soaked bedding, gasping for air.

The faint sensation of Qi in his Dantian was his only comfort, yet it also served as a stark reminder of the peril he had just endured.

“Unless absolutely necessary… never swallow it whole again…”

He whispered hoarsely to himself, his voice dry and raspy.

That pain, which had penetrated to the very marrow and nearly torn his soul apart, was seared into his memory like a brand.

In that final moment, if not for the sheer obsession with revenge that had shattered the agony, he had no doubt he would have died from the pain alone.

Drawing Qi into the Body was merely the first step, the threshold to stepping onto The Immortal Path.

The next step was cultivating to the 1st Level of Qi Condensation.

The Evergreen Art recorded it clearly:

[To reach the 1st Level of Qi Condensation, one must accumulate Qi in the Dantian, strengthening it until it is sufficient to force open the first three foundational Spirit Nodes within the body.]

[These three Spirit Nodes surround the Dantian, like sluice gates on a canal.]

[Only by opening them can the path for Qi Circulation Cycles be expanded, allowing for the accommodation and movement of more Heaven and Earth Qi.]

[While increasing Cultivation speed, this also greatly improves the Cultivator’s physical constitution.]

This was the difference between Immortal Cultivation techniques and mortal martial arts.

Not only could they provide Cultivators with Qi to perform Arts, but they could also use Qi to improve their physical constitution, becoming beings impervious to blades and spears, untouched by water and fire.

Chen Ping had once heard a rumor.

A Cultivator was severely injured and hid in a cave to heal. He was discovered by a gang of Mortals.

The people in the gang grew greedy upon seeing the Cultivator. They swarmed out en masse, taking their finest swords and blades, intending to finish off the Cultivator’s life.

In the end, they surrounded the Cultivator and hacked away with all their might for a full day and night. Their blades were chipped and dulled from striking him, yet it had no effect whatsoever.

Apart from damaging the Cultivator’s clothing, his body suffered not a single scratch.

The outcome was naturally brutal.

Once the Cultivator recovered a sliver of Qi, he unhesitatingly slaughtered every single person in that gang.

He didn’t even spare any living creature within their camp.

This was the difference between Cultivators and Mortals.

It was also why Mortals yearned to become Cultivators.

Between them, one could hardly even call them the same species anymore; it was more like the difference between humans and ants.

Chen Ping gathered his focus. Enduring the aches in his body, he once again circulated the Evergreen Art.

The world before his eyes instantly transformed.

It was no longer a dim stone room. Countless minuscule points of light floated in the air, multicolored like fine stardust, drifting slowly.

White, cyan, crimson, yellow, black… interwoven and mixed together, filling the entire space.

This was Qi.

The essence of Heaven and Earth, visible only when a Cultivation technique was being circulated.

What one saw with ordinary eyes on normal days was merely common air.

He attempted his first complete Circulation Cycle.

His consciousness sank into his Dantian. Gingerly, he guided that wisp of faint energy.

Leaving the Dantian, that wisp of energy moved like a newborn snake. Following the Meridian path designated by the Evergreen Art, it crawled upward slowly and clumsily.

As this spiritual energy moved through his Meridians, the floating points of light around him seemed drawn toward him. They began to converge upon him like iron filings pulled by a magnet.

Points of light of different colors continuously entered his body.

However, an anomaly abruptly occurred.

These light points entering his body did not merge with that wisp of energy he was guiding as expected. Instead, upon entering his Meridians, they collided with each other and annihilated in an instant.

A crimson spark collided with a cyan droplet. With a soft hiss, both vanished simultaneously, leaving only a trace of scorching heat behind.

A white-golden gleam pierced into yellow earth dust; both scattered into nothingness.

Black watery vapor tangled with crimson sparks; another faint crackle…

Qi light points of different attributes clashed violently within his narrow Meridian space like incompatible enemies meeting face-to-face. They canceled each other out upon contact until nothing remained.

Only an extremely few light points whose attributes were compatible, or whose conflict wasn’t strong, managed to avoid collision by chance. They were slowly absorbed onto that wisp of circulating spiritual energy he controlled—making it grow imperceptibly stronger by just a hair’s breadth.

Chen Ping’s forehead instantly broke out in cold sweat; beads rolled down along his temples.

Completing one Circulation Cycle took quite some time; he felt mentally exhausted as guiding the spiritual energy became sluggish and difficult.

And worse yet—the result made his heart sink straight down into despair.

After expending so much effort completing one cycle, the wisp inside his Dantian showed almost no noticeable growth.

The Dantian’s spiritual energy remained pitifully weak.

Comparing this Cultivation speed against himself, Chen Ping estimated roughly how long it would take.

At this rate, to accumulate enough spiritual power required for breaking through the first Spirit Node… would probably require… years?!

So this was what a Five Elements Waste Spirit Root meant?

Chen Ping let out a bitter laugh inwardly.

He knew it would be difficult—but he never imagined it would be this difficult.

A Five Elements Waste Spirit Root could absorb any attribute’s spiritual power—but precisely because of this, the absorbed energies fought among themselves inside the body, making the efficiency despairingly low.

Previously hearing other Cultivators mention this term, he already had psychological preparation. But truly experiencing such hardship firsthand made him understand what that single word “difficult” actually meant.

The Immortal Path indeed proved ten thousand times more rugged than imagined.

Wiping the sweat off his face, Chen Ping’s gaze did not waver.

Hardship was expected—but he couldn’t stop here just because of it.

He took off the small gray cloth bag tied at his waist.

From the bag, he retrieved a tiny white porcelain vial; the vial felt cool against his touch.

Pulling out the stopper released a faint medicinal fragrance wafting out. Inside lay one brownish-yellow pill the size of a longan fruit with a smooth surface—the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

This was part of the annual stipend given to Registered Disciples each year.

Chen Ping didn’t know exactly how much improvement the Marrow Cleansing Pill could bring about specifically.

But he knew this was currently the only external aid available right now—and also the only resource he possessed.

Hope it works!

Without hesitation, he poured the pill into his mouth, swallowing it directly down his throat.

The pill carried a slightly bitter medicinal taste as it slid down into his stomach.

Several breaths later, a warm current rose up from his abdomen.

This warmth wasn’t violent, unlike the Cold Star Grass’s tearing scalding heat; it was more like a gentle warm spring spreading slowly and steadily throughout his limbs and bones.

Wherever the warmth passed through, the skin underneath the Meridians grew slightly hot.

It wasn’t a burning sensation, but a penetrating heat radiating from the inside outward, as if baking the impurities deposited along the inner walls of his Meridians.

Chen Ping immediately sat cross-legged, fully operating the Evergreen Art, guiding this gentle medicinal efficacy along the technique’s circulation throughout his body cycles.

Time passed bit by bit.

The medicinal efficacy continued exerting its effect. He felt his body temperature rising, his skin starting to flush red like he had soaked a long time in warm water.

Fine beads of sweat constantly seeped out from the surface of his skin.

But this time, the sweat wasn’t clear and bright. Instead, it carried a turbid hue.

Gradually, those turbid sweat fluids turned sticky. Their color deepened, turning blackish-brown.

An indescribable stench mixing fishy and rotten odors began permeating the narrow stone room.

Blackish-brown sticky liquid continuously oozed out from his pores, which stretched open more and more, covering his skin surface. It was greasy, sticky, and emitted a nauseating smell.

This Marrow Cleansing Pill was exerting its effect, forcibly squeezing out the accumulated impurities and toxins deep within his body hindering Cultivation.

Chen Ping endured the bodily discomfort and intense stench, his mind fully immersed in operating the technique and guiding the medicinal efficacy.

He could clearly feel that as the sticky filth was expelled from his body, he seemed to be shedding invisible shackles.

Originally, when circulating spiritual energy, there had been a faint sense of sluggishness and friction within his Meridians. Now, that was lessening.

The medicinal efficacy was gentle and persistent, cooperating with the technique’s Circulation Cycles repeatedly flushing through his Meridians.

As the medicinal efficacy diminished, the expelled filth gradually decreased. The color shifted from dense black to deep brown, finally turning light gray.

The burning sensation in Chen Ping’s body also began slowly receding, replaced by a sense of thorough clarity.