It is said that the supreme masters standing at the pinnacle of all races possess incredible powers: they can move mountains, shift seas, shape land, and summon storms. With a single sword strike from a thousand miles away, they can repel entire armies, embodying an almost god-like might. Even the lowest-ranked spiritual practitioners, having cultivated their spiritual arts, wield extraordinary powers far beyond ordinary understanding.

Ding Sheng, however, had led a life at the bottom, knowing little about cultivation due to his low status and limited access to knowledge. From what he vaguely recalled, the path of spiritual practitioners is divided into stages: Spiritual Apprentice, Spiritual Adept, Spiritual Master, Great Spiritual Master, and finally, Innate Spiritual Sect. Beyond the Innate level, his knowledge grew hazy.

In general, the first step in cultivation is to temper the physical body to its utmost limits. Once the body is honed to its peak, the practitioner can begin to practice spiritual arts, activating a “seed of spiritual energy” within the dantian. This process creates an invisible flow of qi, which then permeates the meridians and refines the body's acupuncture points.

Unfortunately, Ding Sheng did not have access to spiritual arts manuals and had no idea how to awaken his own seed of qi. This was his greatest obstacle.

Luckily, he had finally found a solution.

...

One day passed quickly.

By the time Ding Sheng performed his ten thousandth and one sword stroke by the Washing Sword Pool, the sun had nearly touched the horizon in the distance. Seemingly unaffected by fatigue, Ding Sheng made his way back to the Wenjian Sect along the mountain path. The grandeur and serene beauty of the main entrance, however, was a luxury not yet accessible to him.

After reaching the slums, Ding Sheng didn't head straight home. Instead, he pulled on a worn-out cloak he'd prepared in advance to cover his face before walking toward a designated area in the depths of the slum.

The figures along the path grew sparser, with jagged rocks standing ominously on either side, lending an eerie stillness to the atmosphere. Now and then, he would hear footsteps, and the few people he passed, with faces hidden, moved quickly and furtively.

Finally, as the sun set behind the mountains, darkness fully enveloped the area. Ding Sheng wound through the rocky paths, taking several turns past towering rock formations before arriving at an open patch of grass.

Encircled by strange rock formations, the clearing was dimly lit by torches crackling on stone walls, casting a faint glow over the unusual place. People sat at makeshift stalls or crouched nearby, haggling noisily as if it were a bustling marketplace.

In reality, it was just that—a marketplace.

This was an underground black market in the slums, where one could find almost anything they might need, including spiritual tools, elixirs, and various manuals on spiritual arts. Most items, however, were of low grade, with counterfeits rampant. Occasionally, rare treasures would appear, but it took a discerning eye to pick them out from the heap of useless fakes.

Only those with strength should dare to do business here.

For there were no rules—only strength dictated outcomes. If one lacked power and was robbed of their goods, they could only blame their bad luck. No one would come to their aid.

The black market wasn't particularly large. The people mingling here were mainly low-level beings with little real power. Truly powerful practitioners would never stoop to such a place.

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Ding Sheng found an unclaimed spot, pulled a clean cloth from his sleeve, spread it on the ground, and placed a three-star herb—the “Dragon Heart Grass”—on top, signaling that it was for sale.

Dragon Heart Grass, a three-star herb, was relatively rare in this market and gave off a faint red glow in the twilight, quickly catching the attention of onlookers.

"Huh? Someone's actually selling Dragon Heart Grass? This three-star herb is excellent for nourishing and strengthening the body. It’s been ages since anything like this has appeared in the black market—generally, these herbs are extremely rare. He must be crazy to sell it!"

"Just one, huh? Heh, probably stumbled upon it by accident and thinks he can make a quick profit."

"Must be some fool who got lucky but has no real power. Coming to a black market like this—he’s not afraid of getting robbed?"

The words were loud and unrestrained. Greedy eyes fixated on the faintly glowing Dragon Heart Grass, their owners assessing Ding Sheng’s strength.

Soon, one person couldn't hold back.

"Kid, how much do you want for it?"

A brawny man, towering over two meters tall, stomped over. His messy hair and thick, brutish face exuded ill intentions, his unmasked face betraying his confidence in his own strength.

"A thousand taels of silver," Ding Sheng stated quietly.

"A thousand taels? A thousand for a lousy herb? Here, I’ll give you thirty—it’s a bargain!” With that, the brute tossed down a few coins and reached his giant hand toward the Dragon Heart Grass.

Swoosh—!

A flash of red light shot out from Ding Sheng’s hand, cutting through the air in an instant.

The brute’s face turned ashen, his outstretched hand freezing a mere centimeter from the herb, no longer daring to advance. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

A gust of wind passed by, scattering the man's wild hair to reveal a bald patch on his head. Those observing the exchange gasped in awe.

Anyone knowledgeable could see that, in that fleeting moment, Ding Sheng’s sword had cut through all of the brute’s hair with terrifying speed and precision, without leaving a scratch on his scalp. Such swordsmanship was astounding.

The crowd fell silent, awestruck by Ding Sheng's skill, their earlier greed quickly subsiding.

A single Dragon Heart Grass was precious, but it wasn't worth provoking a swordsman of such obvious expertise.

“Take your silver and leave!” Ding Sheng sat cross-legged on the grass, placing his rusted sword across his knees, his tone icy.

“Y-yes… Forgive me, great master. I didn’t know…” the brute stammered, hastily picking up his coins and retreating in disgrace.

Those nearby were used to such scenes and quickly returned to their bargaining.

Soon, other people came to inquire about the price. Ding Sheng, however, remained firm at a thousand taels. This was a fair price, and within half an hour, he made a sale, pocketing the silver.

After counting up his earnings, including the gold and silver he’d previously acquired from Zhao Ming and Song Yue, Ding Sheng found he had over sixteen hundred taels of silver.

In the past, this would have been an enormous sum, yet here…

Ding Sheng packed up his stall and wandered past other vendors, quickly realizing his money wasn’t as substantial as he had thought.

Ten minutes later, he stopped at a stall selling low-level spiritual arts manuals. A handwritten copy of a basic mind technique manual, titled Qi Guiding Technique, caught his eye.

As Ding Sheng studied the manual in his hands, a glimmer of hope stirred within him. This manual was the foundational technique for low-level spiritual practitioners. Though only a fragment circulating in the black market, it might be the key to his breakthrough. Word had it that practitioners of the Qi Guiding Technique could gradually sense the world’s spiritual energy, eventually activating the latent seed of qi within them. By this process, the practitioner could strengthen their meridians and refine acupuncture points, laying the groundwork for further cultivation.

To him, it was not just the key to becoming a Spiritual Adept but also his lifeline to escape the life at the bottom and truly embark on the path of cultivation.

However, he remained wary, knowing that black-market goods are often dubious. Spiritual practice manuals are dangerous if misused—one misstep could lead to deviation, causing severe damage to the meridians or even ruining one's potential.

He flipped through a few pages, finding the handwriting rough yet the instructions surprisingly clear. It appeared to contain basic steps for channeling qi. With a sharp gaze and steely resolve, Ding Sheng decided to take the risk, thinking, If this technique works, it will be my first step toward channeling qi and advancing to become a Spiritual Adept!