Studying the [Nine Shedding Method], Wu Tian felt like a Heavenly treasure had fallen on his head.

This cultivation method is so profound!

There existed countless methods in the world. Some were meant for cultivation, others for alchemy, artifact refining or even arrays and formations.

A method would guide one to the method's limits. For the [Nine Shedding Method], it was meant for anyone to go from nothing to the Mortal Realm's peak.

If I can become a ninth layer Mortal Realm expert, even the Clan Head would have to look at me with respect.

How many ninth layer Mortal Realm experts were there in the Wu Clan? None. There was only the Clan Head, Wu Fu, who had surpassed it and reached the Warrior Realm.

Looking at the burning eyes of Wu Tian, Guizou shook his head.

The Mortal Realm is pathetic, why are you excited? The Martial Dao is quite vast, even I took a long time to attain its summit.

"Kid, why do you look like a dead fish? Start cultivating! I don't have much energy left, so I'll go sleep. Once you are a cultivator, infuse your Qi inside the pendant."

Watching Guizou leave, Wu Tian felt quite perplexed.

I don't even know his name...

Feeling cheated, Wu Tian wanted to cultivate, but found a glaring issue.

I can't move!

Wu Tian wanted to cry, but he had already used up all of his tears last time. With nothing better to do, he began to study the method more meticulously. Maybe he would find a way to cultivate like this?

It was his only chance at turning his life around, he would not give it up so easily.

The next day, Wu Tian was starting to understand the method's teachings. It was indeed powerful. The method in and of itself was quite logical, but required to not follow the Mortal Realm's way of cultivation like usual.

The Mortal Realm was divided into nine layers. Each layer represented a part of the body, for example the skin or muscles. Normally, one would expel impurities from their bodies for these specific demands. If the layer required impurities to be removed from the skin, this is what they would focus on while practicing the method, as their method would most likely ask them to.

There were two ways to do so.

One was easier but also less efficient, it was to manually do so with physical movement. For example, very specific stretching. It was the external method.

For the second one, it demanded the use of Qi to expel them. This way was much harder as not everyone could feel Qi this easily, let alone manipulate and use it properly.

There existed also a way in the middle, that acted from the outside and influenced both external and internal. This way was much more expensive and not necessary, so it did not count as a normal way of doing things.

This was the use of external help. Such as pills concocted by alchemists, medicinal baths or even artifacts and arrays. All of these were extremely difficult to find in the Mortal Land, especially when poor.

In the end, Wu Tian had not much of a choice. Stretching was clearly out of the question, he could barely breathe, and if he could not even move, how would he request external assistance? Therefore, there was only one way.

He would need Qi.

Qi was everywhere, even when its concentration was mediocre. Without Qi, only mortality would remain.

Now aware of what to do, Wu Tian ignored himself being thrown away by the world, having to endure his body's wastes and their odor staying on him. Luckily, he was often starving, so he did not need the bathroom too much. But the smell and humiliation was still a knife plunged into his mind, making it hazy and confused.

Stabilizing his mind and unstable feelings while feeling Qi... a true nightmare.

He would spend two days like this, until Guizou remembered this point and came out of the pendant.

"My bad kid, I forgot about this, here, feel this!" Sending a gust of Qi into Wu Tian, Guizou turned back and entered the pendant once again.

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Not willing to miss this chance, the bloodshot eyes of Wu Tian opened wide before closing tightly.

Feel it, I must feel it!

Spending a few hours, he finally saw a glimmer of hope, making him smile slightly for the first time.

Is that... that's it! So that's how it is!

Opening his eyes wide, he felt the world change. Not much of a visual difference, but Wu Tian could definitely feel the power all around him.

Absorb it!

Having experienced the Qi inside his body already, the problem came from the outside. How to draw Qi in?

Luckily however, Qi was not only a powerful energy, but resided in a different plane. It was not influenced by physics. So, even when it faced a wall, it would just go through. In this case, Wu Tian felt his body to already be filled with atmospheric Qi.

Laughing crazily, Wu Tian did not waste time, circulating it while following Guizou's footsteps.

Time passed, and two more days later, the crazy and haggard Wu Tian appeared ecstatic.

Coming out of his body, a pungent black goo.

Mortal Realm!

I did it! Hahaha! I did it! I did it! I did it!

"I did it!"

Flopping around like a fish out of water, Wu Tian looked insane. But since he was alone in this unknown place, he did not care.

Injuring himself once again from his erratic movements, Wu Tian's crazed expression did not flinch.

"Master! Master! I did it! I'm a cultivator!!"

A white, ethereal figure emerging from the pendant, Guizou was currently picking his ear.

"Hmm~? Aiz, look at you, how did you end up... oh." Remembering that the young man was abandoned and half-crippled, it was not too surprising. Guizou felt fortunate to not have a sense of smell anymore.

"Kid, that's just the skin layer, don't stop!"

Waking up from his rampaging emotions, Wu Tian's eyes regained some clarity.

"Yes! I must continue! I did it! I did it! I must continue!"

Frowning, Guizou cursed his bad luck.

I might need a Mind Cleansing Pill...

How unlucky was he? This promising youth was already crazy.

Let's just hope it fixes itself by then.

Reentering the pendant, Guizou left the convulsing young man to his fated design.

A week later, Wu Tian's body expulsed another bunch of black goo, staying on him. But even after becoming a second layer Mortal Realm expert, he looked nothing like it. His body was covered in disgusting black goo, feces, piss, blood and tears while his body itself was a bunch of bones covered in skin.

But with his newfound cultivation, he could now live longer and endure harsher tribulations.

His mind had already begun to fade, his body a mindless puppet cultivating forever.

Guizou was also a bit perplexed.

How come no one came here? He was not in a dungeon or a cell. He was not underground or hidden inside a dense forest, but he was still alone.

Guizou could move around a bit, and see what Wu Tian could not. The room was open to the outside. It was not even a room, just a tiled resting area surrounded by pillars with a roof giving way to a green plain.

But, no one ever came here.

Unless something big happened, it was clearly intentional!

If this kid can breakthrough just a few more times... These injuries would heal much faster and he would live much longer.

Cultivation affected not only lifespan, but also recovery and resilience.

Usually, ordinary mortals lived for thirty to sixty years on average. A first layer Mortal Realm expert on the other hand could easily live for seventy.

As for a Mortal Realm expert at the peak, living for a century would not be too demanding.

When it came to recovery, it was similar. Wu Tian would need years to heal of his injuries. But since he started cultivating, and even became a second layer expert, it would only take him a year and a half.

It may seem insignificant, especially in his current predicament, but still showed the insane advantage of cultivation.

If this kid can attain the fifth layer, he would survive long enough to heal from it. At least to the point where moving around would not be impossible.

It was now a race against time. Would Wu Tian cultivate fast enough to heal faster and move around, or would he die from starvation and dehydration? If he was less fortunate, dying from asphyxiation or infections would also be possible.

Two weeks later, Guizou had no choice.

"Alright, I'll help you a bit, but this is not my fate, so don't expect too much." Waving his hand, Guizou used his spiritual energy to gather Qi and fill Wu Tian's body. This way, he would have more resources to work with for a short period of time. But even Guizou could not do so often, his spiritual energy was limited and he could barely recover it with the Mortal Land's Qi.

How troublesome!

"Kid, if you kill this old master, prepare to live the rest of your life with a ghost on your tail!" Gritting his teeth, Guizou gathered Qi once again. It was the fifth time this month.

Tenacious! What kind of kid is this? I guess the guy who beat him up each time was a blessing in disguise.

Three months later. In a random place in the Wu Clan's territory, open to the fresh air and beautiful scenery, a black cocoon.

One would see two holes near the top. These holes had been made when Wu Tian needed to breathe, exhaling from his nostril as much as possible to move the still malleable black goo away.

As for his lungs, not only was it not important, but after moving a bit, he could still force it to give him space. It was not much, but still appreciated.

As for the temperature, Wu Tian felt like he was in Hell.

Even being beaten like a dog felt much better. Here, for three months, he could not move, barely breathe and only smell disgusting, gut wrenching odors. He would be humiliated continuously and starve. His throat was dry, as if he had eaten sand and his eyes were empty.

He could barely move. Until a week ago.

After breaking through again and again, he was now a fifth layer Mortal Realm expert.

If it was not for Guizou's help with Qi, he would still be scratching his brain to figure it out. It was also why the Wu Clan hailed anyone at the Mortal Realm as experts.

Why would Wu Xun be stuck at the second layer then? He was young, but had cultivated for a few years already. However, without Qi, what could he do? The clan's medicinal baths took a long time to show their effects.

Suddenly, a crack formed on the cocoon's surface. The cocoon was shiny and dry, so it was quite visible. From the cracks, a gut wrenching, nose splitting smell escaped.

After two hours, the crack expanded even more.

And by the second day...

The cocoon opened.