Mingwei didn’t immediately cultivate.

One of the habits back from their old world, was proper planning. One has to mentally understand and conceptualise the layer before any construction begins. It’s like an architect must first plan, before the layer is then built. 

It’s especially true, since in the old world, each of the layers are independent and free moving. There are many ways to do it, of course, and it also depends on many factors. Some, with a naturally ‘denser’ Qi, are able to ‘float’ the compressed Qi rings into large pieces. 

Some build their layers by first building one big ring, and add additional rings to eventually for a sheet. Again, building each layer is subjective, as each person’s core has a different push-pull strength, so the speed in which the layer and core spins changes. So, planning is key. 

Finding what works best for oneself is also important, in the process of building. 

It’s possible to gather the Qi, and leave the actual building later, but cultivation is a continuous process, and interference to the cultivation process is quite like leaving a construction site abandoned or mothballed. Sure, it may be possible to continue the construction, but there usually will be damage or areas where things need to be done all over again. The weather may batter the construction site and destroy some structures that are not fully reinforced. 

It is this challenge that makes elder’s or ancestors leaving their secluded cultivation costly. It’s akin to building something halfway, and stopping. 

Again. Planning. If he were to cultivate, this would be a one month to two month process. 

Reality was that planning is important, whichever concept one used. For the wheel-and-spokes approach of the new world, it is equally important, because the pillars are key. How, where, and the structure of pillars are all extremely relevant on whether the layer that is built, actually holds together. 

Each layer increased power by leaps and bounds. It increases the size of the Qi storage, acts like armor, and amplifies the power released via Qi. 

That said, it is possible to compartmentalise the growth. Like building a house, it’s possible to build the rooms one by one, and as a whole, would then complete the entire layer. 

So, he went back and spoke to Elder Qing. 

“Huh. You want to read about cultivation... concepts?” 

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Are there such books?” 

“Uh... books where they just go at length describing the process of building the layers?” Elder Qing looked really puzzled, but she nodded. “There are, but I think most of such descriptions are embedded within various different scrolls and books, and not all in one place. I recall a few books containing passages on such matters.”

“If the books are restricted, I will not require the entire book, but just those sections. Could you help me?” 

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” Elder Qing walked with Mingwei to the library, and she was helpful. She spoke briefly with the librarian, who was the old lady he saw a few days back, and easily found a few. “These are the 8 excerpts, from various cultivation manuals and books.”

He bowed. “Thank you.”

They were not full books, so it didn’t take long for Mingwei to read all of them within a few days.

During this time, Yu Huadao came. “Hey. You haven’t started cultivating? Everyone else has started.”

“Ah, I’m still... studying.” Mingwei nodded. “What did you get, by the way?”

Yu Huadao paused. “Huh?”

“I mean, which elder did you choose, and what cultivation resources did you receive?”

“Ah! I chose Elder Ke, of course. We all received a Qi-weapon!” 

“I see.” Mingwei nodded. A Qi weapon, of course. Essentially it’s a weapon that can be soul-bound to a person, essentially acting like an extension of oneself. A suitable choice for a combat-aligned disciple. A Qi weapon also has the effect of boosting Qi gathering slightly, though not as much as a formation. 

But Mingwei wouldn’t want to soul-bind a weapon, at least, not yet. The number of soul-bound items increases with the layers, and the first item he wanted to soul-bind would probably be a Qi-cauldron, or a Qi Runic Carving Knife or a Rune Inscription Brush. 

“So you’ve started cultivating?”

“Yes. Everyone received the Longbow Junior Bow Method.” 

“Alright. May you have a smooth cultivation.” Mingwei nodded, and went back to reading the excerpts for the third time. 

Yu Huadao, of course, noticed his roommate’s focus shifting back to his papers, so he went back to his side of the room and began to cultivate. 

Mingwei sat, and thought about the pages.

Essentially, the concepts written in those manuals are not dissimilar to those of his old world, only, well, because of the use of static strong pillars, it used the concept of building a tall building far more liberally. 

Back home, it’s not unusual to describe the layers as onions, and ships floating on the sea, and or ring-shaped waves. Here, the writers write in more tangible concepts of houses and wheels. Very similar to what his mother told him. 

It was important to be balanced when building outward, because the core is essentially a spinning object floating in his soul.  So, if the shape of the pillars was not balanced, the natural spin of the core will break the pillars apart. In the old world, each layer wasn’t connected, so the spin didn’t interfere with the higher layer’s construction. 

The advantage of the new method is that the additional pillars, once built, even if incomplete,  add some incremental strength to the cultivator. More Qi, more toughness. In their old world, that is also true, but the effects were a little different. Again, to use a construction term, it’s like the old world builds and pre-fabricates new rooms offsite, and only once the rooms are installed, those new rooms are added to the cultivator’s strength. 

He took a deep breath, and looked at the formation Elder Qing gave. They were inscribed with lesser runes, and because the materials are of a higher quality, it’s able to gather on average 150 Qi a day. 

Combined with his Longbow Junior Defense Style which gathered 45 Qi a day, that leads to a total of 195 Qi a day. 

He already gathered about 400 Qi, and so, after a brief mental calculation, he reckoned he could get there within 50 days. 

Time to start to break through to 2-star.