The new method shared three fundamental premises with the [Third Ascendancy Path]. They were basic truths in the teachings of the Heavenly Treasure Sect.

First was the Law of Spirit: Every physical entity, living and nonliving, contained a spirit.

Second was the Law of Lifeforms: Every spirit contained the potential to coalesce and form the spark of life.

Third was the Law of Nature: The energy of the world was naturally drawn to spirits and could be operated by them to different degrees according to their structure and strength.

Humans had weak spirits, but through the so-called spark of life, they could attract and operate spiritual energy.

The [Third Ascendancy Path] described a method for attracting spiritual energy and reforming the spirit, but it was too profound for the limited comprehension abilities of the Mountain Paths Master.

The way of the mountain was far simpler.

The mountain sat with a dispersed spirit and a solid, immovable intent. It had mass and gravity. Spiritual energy naturally was drawn to it. The accumulation was slow, but steady, with the capability to turn a small hill into a towering summit that touched the sky.

By operating spiritual energy like a mountain, the world would treat the cultivator like a mountain, and they would gain these qualities for themself.

The text continued to describe a few of the points of insight that the Mountain Paths Master had been enlightened on, before describing the body of the [Mountain Sitting Technique] in a broad summary.

Of course, while most of the technique had come from the Mountain Paths Master’s enlightenment, it had also been improved upon and refined over many centuries by generations of elders and sect masters.

The technique was broken into two realms: Body Refinement and Spirit Refinement.

Body Refinement was the process of absorbing spiritual energy and operating it with the intent of a mountain. Slowly, over time, the body would change, until it was steady and immovable.

Spirit Refinement was the process of developing the spirituality of a mountain within the cultivator. At first, true essence would be birthed, and then grown and then condensed, before it began to naturally accumulate spiritual energy from the world, growing steadily without any additional effort from the cultivator.

The Body Refinement Realm had seven stages, modeled off of the structure of the Initial Stage of the [Third Ascendency Path].

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Stage One: Instincts Of A Mountain

Using a visualization diagram and special breathing method, the cultivator began to feel the spiritual energy around them and nudge it, as a mountain would naturally do. At this stage, the lifespan of the cultivator was generally improved by a decade.

Stage Two: Tempering Skin

The cultivator drew the spiritual energy close enough to their body that the skin could begin to absorb it and become tougher and sturdier. Lifespan was improved by another decade.

Stage Three: Tempering Muscle

Once the skin had absorbed spiritual energy to the point of saturation, the cultivator drew the spiritual energy deeper into their body, where it began to strengthen the muscle. Lifespan was improved by another decade.

Stage Four: Tempering Viscera

Once the muscle had absorbed spiritual energy to the point of saturation, the cultivator drew the spiritual energy deeper still, into the viscera. This stage was particularly delicate, requiring much greater understanding and control than the first three stages, but it also fortified the weakest point in the body and improved the lifespan by two decades.

Stage Five: Tempering Bone

Once the viscera had absorbed spiritual energy to the point of saturation, the cultivator drew the spiritual energy into the bone. Again, the level of control required to penetrate the bone was much greater than the Fourth Stage, but the benefits were immense. Along with an improved ability to heal from serious wounds, lifespan was improved by fifty years.

Stage Six: Tempering Marrow

Once the bones had absorbed spiritual energy to the point of saturation, the cultivator drew the spiritual energy deeper still into the bone marrow. The spirituality of blood was improved along with adding another fifty years of lifespan.

Stage Seven: One With The Mountain

The spirituality of the blood was improved and condensed until it carried the intent of a mountain, adding ten years of lifespan.

The Spirit Refinement Realm diverged entirely from the Realms of the [Third Ascendency Path]. It had three unique stages.

Stage One: Essence Birthing

The mountain intent was transformed into true essence, fundamentally changing the nature of the cultivator. From this rebirth came the addition of more than a century of lifespan.

Stage Two: Mountain Formation

The true essence was condensed and grown through the absorption of spiritual energy. At the extreme, more than two centuries of lifespan could be added.

Stage Three: Blessing Of The Heavens

Once the true essence was condensed sufficiently, the world would naturally begin to accept it, treating the cultivator as if they were a mountain and spiritual energy would naturally be drawn into the true essence, growing it further.

As the amount of true essence was grown, the cultivator would be forced to condense it again to allow for more room for spiritual energy accumulation, but there was no theoretical limit to the amount of growth. Once the heavens had accepted the cultivator as a mountain, their true essence would continue to improve and accumulate until the conclusion of their natural lifespan.

Because there were no limits, the amount of improvement to the lifespan was unknown.