The ice blades cut painfully into Li Bai's skin, and the cold sweat on his forehead quickly froze. Enduring pain that would be unbearable for most, Li Bai continued his cultivation efforts.

Points of light danced in the sky—these were spiritual energy particles. Typically invisible to cultivators, they could only be perceived when the spiritual energy reached a certain purity. Li Bai's task was to absorb these particles into his body, for such pure spiritual energy was easier to refine into power.

Because they were visible, absorption wasn't difficult, provided he could endure the pain of being pierced by ice blades. One by one, the spiritual energy particles were absorbed into his body. Following the sect's mental techniques, Li Bai gathered them into his dantian, forming a cluster of spiritual energy.

The next step was to refine this energy. The cluster spun continuously within his dantian, its size diminishing but its color growing more intense. Finally, it transformed into a strand of spiritual power, dispersing throughout his dantian. Li Bai had reached his limit of endurance and quickly ran out of the illusion’s range.

He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, too exhausted to even move a finger.

...

This process repeated for several hours, until it was dark, and Li Bai made his way toward the exit of the Heart Refining Path.

"Did you hear? That rootless disciple has been training in the Heart Refining Path."

"Yes, Uncle Ma saw it with his own eyes."

"Hmph, what good is perseverance? An ordinary person is doomed to achieve nothing on the path of immortality. A waste will always be a waste!"

...

On his way back, Li Bai overheard discussions about himself. Though they spotted him, the disciples continued their ridicule with mocking tones. Li Bai frowned but didn’t get angry; it would achieve nothing. In the cultivation world, respect was earned only through strength. Instead of resenting these words unnecessarily, he preferred to rest and resume his practice.

Back at his dwelling, Li Bai opened a drawer and took out sheets filled with cultivation methods. One concerned the Telekinesis technique, a basic yet crucial spell in the cultivation realm, essential for using magical tools. Although treasures were still far beyond Li Bai's reach, he could practice this spell.

This technique involved using one's true essence to focus their spiritual mind, attaching their consciousness to an object to make it move.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Li Bai spent the entire afternoon practicing repeatedly. While he had tried before and failed, his recent training on the Heart Refining Path had strengthened his spiritual power, motivating him to try again.

Hours passed as he kept his focus on a cup in front of him, eyes growing sore and head dizzy. After a brief rest, he continued...

Finally, persistence paid off. The cup shifted slightly. Though it was a minor movement, it was real. Without stopping, Li Bai continued to practice the Telekinesis technique, working late into the night before finally resting.

The next day, Li Bai returned to the Heart Refining Path.

Shrouded in thick fog and haunted by shadows, this time the illusion was of the underworld, with countless ghosts swooping toward Li Bai. Yet the young man remained unfazed.

These harsh training sessions not only enhanced his strength but also made Li Bai's mind more resilient and mature. His endurance increased significantly. Initially, he could endure the terrifying illusions for only a few minutes. Now, though he was venturing deeper and facing more frightening illusions, he could endure them for an hour.

Ghosts and all sorts of horrifying scenes flooded his mind, bringing waves of negative emotions that could drive one to despair. Yet Li Bai gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and worked hard to absorb spiritual energy for cultivation.

...

Emerging from the illusion's influence, Li Bai sat cross-legged on the ground, refining the absorbed spiritual energy and performing the Great Cycle.

Circulating through his meridians and eventually returning to the dantian, Li Bai completed nine cycles. While the circulation of spiritual power could slowly enhance growth, it also imposed a tremendous burden on the body. Typically, other disciples would perform three cycles, but Li Bai set his own standard at nine.

This was close to the human body's limit. The first three cycles were manageable, but by the fourth and fifth, his meridians felt sore and swollen. By the seventh and eighth cycles, it felt like being sliced by knives. As for the ninth cycle, it was pure agony—a hellish pain. Beads of sweat covered Li Bai’s forehead, and his body shook uncontrollably from the pain, but he steadfastly persevered. Hours later, he finally achieved his goal.

After completing the Great Cycle practice, Li Bai re-entered the illusion.

In this cycle, he tirelessly trained on the Heart Refining Path, enduring pain that usually only Foundation Establishment cultivators could bear, using his unwavering determination to withstand it.

Li Bai sat cross-legged in meditation, resembling an old monk in deep contemplation. In his dantian, a pale blue sphere twisted and transformed, formed by gathered spiritual energy.

Strands of spiritual power continuously flowed into the sphere. After a month of training on the Heart Refining Path, Li Bai felt a significant increase in his cultivation level and again attempted to break through to the second level of the Spirit Movement stage.

For a cultivator, each level of advancement represented a profound transformation of spiritual energy. Li Bai was at a critical juncture.

Just a little more!

Expanding his consciousness throughout his dantian, he diligently searched for any remaining spiritual energy, injecting it into the sphere. Li Bai felt like a sponge wrung dry, yet trying to squeeze out even a drop more.

Sizzle...

The sphere of spiritual energy changed again, lightning flickering across its surface. Spiritual energy began to leak as the sphere neared collapse.

Li Bai didn't give up, striving to maintain it, but he was at his limit. With a light pop, the blue sphere burst, the gathered energy dispersing, reverting to strands as fine as hair, evenly distributed throughout his dantian.