Chapter 10: Explaining The Cultivation path
Before Mu Feng could respond, Huo Yu eagerly spoke up, "This is Brother Mu Feng! We met him outside the village, and he helped me a lot. He even got hurt because of it."
Upon hearing this, Baiji quickly glanced at Mu Feng’s arm and noticed the claw marks. Her face turned pale with concern, and she urged Huo Gen to take Mu Feng to get his wound properly bandaged.
Though Mu Feng’s wound had already been treated simply and had healed somewhat, Huo Gen, out of caution, still led him toward another wooden house.
"Come on, let’s go find Village Chief Mutong. He’ll help you clean and bandage your wound," Huo Gen said.
Mutong was the only person in the village with any medical knowledge and also served as the village chief of Wuyou. For any ailment, big or small, the villagers would come to him for treatment.
As they approached the house, they saw Huo Niu sitting on a small stool outside, cleaning the gallbladder of the snake. When he saw Mu Feng and Huo Gen approaching, he called out cheerfully, "Uncle Huo Gen, you're here too!"
Huo Gen ruffled Huo Niu’s hair fondly and then called out toward the wooden house, “Uncle Mutong!” His tone carried a deep respect, which was only natural—Mutong was highly regarded by everyone in the village, having treated almost every villager, including Huo Gen.
A rocking chair at the entrance of the house was still gently swaying, suggesting that the elder named Mutong had likely just been resting there moments ago.
Mu Feng peered into the house and saw an elderly man carefully handling various herbs and preparing a medicinal formula. This must be the Mutong Huo Gen had spoken of.
Not wanting to disturb him, Huo Gen and Mu Feng waited outside, making small talk. During their conversation, Mu Feng learned much about the village, which was called Wuyou, meaning "worry-free." The names of the villagers were all derived from medicinal herbs. For example, Huo Yu’s name came from a herb used to stop bleeding, while Huo Gen's name came from the root of a plant called the Fire Vine Tree, which had bright red roots resembling flames. Other villagers had names like Xie Grass, Banyan, Hibiscus, and Tian Kui.
Mu Feng also learned more about the village’s relationships. Huo Yu and Huo Niu were the youngest children in the village, though they weren’t blood-related siblings—they had just grown accustomed to calling each other brother and sister. The woman they had met earlier, Baiji, was Huo Yu’s mother. Surprisingly, Huo Niu wasn’t originally from the village—he had been found as a baby abandoned at the village entrance by Mutong.
"It's been so long since we’ve had a new face in the village," Mutong remarked as he emerged from the house, his hunched figure conveying a sense of age.
"Yes, Uncle Mutong, please help bandage him up quickly," Huo Gen replied.
“Bandage what? The wound’s already healing! Just clean it and apply some herbs, and it’ll be fully healed in two or three days,” Mutong said after examining Mu Feng’s arm. “Ah, the recovery of young people is truly remarkable.”
Mu Feng was momentarily stunned. He checked his arm and realized that the wound had indeed healed significantly. Though the injury hadn’t been serious, it should have taken at least seven or eight days to heal. Could the reconstruction of his Seven Souls have enhanced his recovery rate? he wondered to himself.
“Impressive recovery!” Huo Gen said, slapping Mu Feng on the shoulder with a grin.
“Take a rest here for now. I’m going to take care of today’s hunt, and tonight we’ll have a feast,” Huo Gen said cheerfully before heading off.
After Huo Gen left, Huo Niu leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Brother Mu Feng, do you know any cultivation methods? Could you teach me?”
Mu Feng wasn’t surprised by the question. It was common for villages isolated from the world to be unfamiliar with the ways of cultivation. However, Mu Feng didn’t answer Huo Niu right away. Instead, he glanced at Mutong, who was busy drying herbs nearby, to gauge his reaction.
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Though Mutong seemed not to have heard the conversation, Mu Feng caught a faint smile on his face, which Mu Feng took as silent approval.
Turning back to Huo Niu, Mu Feng asked, “You don’t even know what cultivation is, so why do you want to learn?”
“I’ve heard the village elders talk about it. If I learn how to cultivate, I’ll become stronger. Then I can protect Xiao Yu, like today,” Huo Niu responded earnestly.
Hearing this, Mu Feng felt a wave of nostalgia. Huo Niu reminded him of his younger self, back when his desire to protect others had driven his pursuit of strength. It was for this reason that Mu Feng decided to take Huo Niu’s request seriously.
After cleaning his wound, Mu Feng found an open space and began teaching.
“Huo Niu, do you know what the Three Souls and Seven Souls are?” Mu Feng asked.
“The Three Souls are the Original Soul, Earth Soul, and Heavenly Soul. The Seven Souls are Heavenly Charge, Wisdom, Qi, Strength, Central Soul, Essence, and Spirit,” Huo Niu answered, counting on his fingers. While he didn’t know much about cultivation, these basic terms had been mentioned by Mutong before.
“Do you know where each Soul is located in the Original Soul and what aspects of cultivation they correspond to?” Mu Feng asked, adopting a patient, teacher-like manner.
Huo Niu shook his head.
“To begin cultivating, the first step is awakening the Original Soul. Unless someone is born with an awakened soul or gains insight into it through practice, most ordinary people’s Original Souls will naturally awaken at age eighteen, when the soul matures,” Mu Feng explained.
Looking at the boy in front of him, Mu Feng couldn’t help but see himself three years ago. But unlike Huo Niu, Mu Feng had already attained considerable strength by that time.
“What’s the Original Soul?” Huo Niu asked curiously.
Mu Feng smiled gently and explained, “Simply put, your Original Soul is a reflection of yourself. When you close your eyes and quiet your mind, it’s the image of yourself that appears in your mind.”
Huo Niu listened intently.
“I’ll be eighteen the day after tomorrow! That’s great! Then I can start cultivating,” Huo Niu exclaimed, jumping up in excitement.
Mu Feng chuckled and continued, “Now, let’s talk about the Seven Souls and their roles within the Original Soul.” Using a branch, he drew diagrams in the dirt to help Huo Niu understand.
“The Heavenly Charge Soul is located at the crown of the head and determines the strength of your soul and the solidity of the Three Souls.
“The Wisdom Soul is in the forehead and relates to spiritual awareness. The stronger your spiritual awareness, the better you can resist enchantments.
“The Qi Soul is in the throat and governs spiritual energy, including soul energy.
“The Strength Soul is in the heart. Strength isn’t just about physical power—it also controls how well you manage that strength.
“The Central Soul is located just above the navel, beneath the chest. It relates to vitality, including healing and overall life force.
“The Essence Soul is located just below the navel. It governs one’s temperament, and those with strong Essence Souls often have great capacity for insight.
“Lastly, the Spirit Soul is at the base of the spine and controls coordination. The stronger the Spirit Soul, the easier it is to master martial techniques.”
As Mu Feng spoke, a sudden insight flashed through his mind. Of course! Each Soul plays a different role in cultivation, and though my Seven Souls are stabilized by formations, they must still relate to the soul, energy, temperament, and vitality!
Recalling the insights he had gained during his comprehension of the Heavenly Charge Formation, Mu Feng felt even more confident in the direction he needed to take to understand the remaining formations.
Huo Niu listened carefully, his eyes reflecting deep thought as Mu Feng continued his teachings.
“The Seven Souls are present from birth, but for most people, they remain dormant. Only after the Original Soul awakens can spiritual energy flow through the Souls. Once all Seven Souls are fully connected, your journey in soul cultivation truly begins,” Mu Feng concluded.
“And what happens after the Seven Souls are fully connected?” Huo Niu asked, eagerly absorbing everything Mu Feng was teaching him.
“After the Seven Souls are connected, you will focus on stabilizing them. Then, you’ll reach the Spirit Gathering stage. Following that comes the Energy Channel stage, where you will open up the energy pathways in your body to handle greater amounts of spiritual energy. Afterward, the Core Condensation stage will allow you to gather and refine all that energy into a central core,” Mu Feng explained, drawing from his own cultivation experience.
Mu Feng knew that Huo Niu, who had not yet awakened his Original Soul at nearly eighteen, would face difficulties. But he didn’t want to crush the boy's hope.
“Cultivation is vast and complex. For now, focus on reaching the First Soul stage. Once you’ve reached the Spirit Gathering stage, we’ll talk about the next steps,” Mu Feng said with a smile, hoping to keep Huo Niu motivated.
“First Soul stage, Spirit Gathering stage, Energy Channel stage, and Core Condensation stage…” Huo Niu repeated, his eyes full of determination as he memorized Mu Feng's words, treating them like a precious guide.
After a while, Huo Niu looked up and asked, “Brother Mu Feng, what stage are you at now?”
Mu Feng chuckled awkwardly. “Well, I’ve had some setbacks, so I’m currently only at the First Soul stage.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Huo Niu exclaimed, his voice filled with admiration, as if being at the First Soul stage was an incredible achievement. If he had known what Mu Feng's previous level was, he might have fainted from shock.
Time flew by as Mu Feng taught Huo Niu, who listened with full concentration. Before they knew it, evening had arrived.
At the village square, a large fire pit had been set up, surrounded by various cuts of meat. The villagers had all gathered, talking and laughing as they prepared for the feast.
“Come on over, it’s time to eat!” Huo Gen called out to Mu Feng.
Gathering around the fire to eat roasted meat was a nightly tradition in the village. The villagers would gather under the stars, share food, and enjoy each other’s company.
“Brother Mu Feng, here! This worm meat is delicious,” Huo Yu said happily, handing him a leg of meat. Her face was flushed from the firelight, making her look even more cheerful.
“Eat as much as you want. Tomorrow we’ll go hunting again,” Huo Gen shouted to Mu Feng, his tone as bold and hearty as ever.
Hearing the word “hunting” piqued Mu Feng’s interest. He had seen Huo Gen’s archery skills firsthand and was eager to watch him again. As a formation master, Mu Feng didn’t have the physical strength of a martial artist, but he wondered if using a bow might help make up for that weakness.
The flames from the fire rose high, filling the area with warmth. Mu Feng enjoyed the food and the lively atmosphere. For the first time in a long while, he felt truly content. The thought of staying in Wuyou Village and living out his days in peace crossed his mind. The village truly lived up to its name—it was a place where one could forget all worries.