To He Song, who now possessed eternal life, nothing was more important than safety.
The path Lin Cong followed was not suitable for him.
Rather than risking his life in the outside world, He Song preferred to cultivate steadily within the market.
The spiritual energy concentration within the market far surpassed that of the outside world. Cultivating here was significantly faster than in the wilderness.
This was precisely why rogue cultivators desired to enter the market, despite the exorbitant housing costs.
Spiritual energy has never been free.
Shaking his head, He Song dismissed any thoughts of venturing out on risky endeavors.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
After preparing a meal for himself, he began meditating to restore his energy.
Having just spent half an hour casting the Spirit Rain Technique, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
Fortunately, the market's dense spiritual energy allowed for quick recovery. Even so, it took him two full quarters of an hour to completely replenish his spiritual energy.
Next came cultivation.
In the early stages of Qi Refinement, all one needed to do was methodically absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to increase their own reserves.
Once reaching a certain threshold, one could naturally break through to the next level.
For instance, advancing from the first to the second level of Qi Refinement required consistent practice, with no bottlenecks to overcome.
However, bottlenecks did appear when attempting to transition from early Qi Refinement to the mid-stage or from mid-stage to late-stage.
Many cultivators found themselves stuck at the early stage for decades without any progress.
Others, trapped in the mid-stage, struggled fruitlessly to break through to the late stage.
For example, Meng Guan, a manager in the Spirit Herb Pavilion, had been stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refinement for years. Unable to reach the seventh level, he was assigned to the pavilion as a minor manager.
Such bottlenecks were a reflection of a cultivator's innate aptitude.
In this world, only those with spiritual roots could attract spiritual energy into their bodies and become cultivators.
But spiritual roots varied in quality.
The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—defined these roots.
Five-element root: Known as a false spiritual root, it was the worst type of aptitude.
Four-element root: Lacking one of the five elements, it offered significantly better aptitude.
Three-element root: A relatively fast cultivation speed, making these individuals the backbone of clans and sects.
Dual-element root (Earth Spiritual Root): Even faster cultivation, these individuals were prized by clans and sects as valuable disciples.
Single-element root (Heaven Spiritual Root): Possessing only one type of root, their cultivation in that element's techniques was extraordinarily fast. They were regarded as heavenly prodigies, fiercely contested by sects and noble clans.
Beyond these, there were also mutated spiritual roots, which ordinary people had little chance of encountering.
Typically, one cultivated techniques corresponding to their spiritual roots.
For example, He Song had four spiritual roots: metal, wood, fire, and earth. With a four-element root, his aptitude was considered decent.
Thus, cultivating an earth-based technique like Thick Earth Technique posed no difficulty for him.
However, if someone handed He Song a water-based technique, he would be unable to cultivate it despite his four-element root.
The reason was simple—he lacked a water spiritual root.
Even among the same type of spiritual root, differences existed.
Spiritual affinity plays a critical role in cultivation.
The higher the affinity with a particular type of spiritual energy, the faster one's cultivation progresses.
Take He Song as an example: while he possessed four-element roots (metal, wood, fire, and earth), tests revealed that his spiritual affinity with the earth element was the highest.
As a result, cultivating earth-element techniques allowed him to progress more quickly.
In contrast, if he attempted to cultivate techniques associated with metal, wood, or fire, his cultivation speed would slow significantly.
This highlights why selecting the most suitable cultivation technique is critical for overcoming bottlenecks.
If a cultivator cannot find or obtain a technique that aligns with their spiritual roots and affinities, they may be doomed to struggle indefinitely, tormented by bottlenecks that leave them stagnating for years or decades.
At this thought, He Song couldn't help but sigh again at his good fortune.
His predecessor seemed to have remarkable luck:
With earth as his highest affinity root.
Living within the territory of the Vast Earth Sect.
Easily purchasing Thick Earth Technique, a foundational manual capable of cultivating up to the ninth level of Qi Refinement, for just one spirit stone.
Thanks to this fortuitous combination, He Song was free from immediate worries about his cultivation technique.
Following the cultivation path outlined by Thick Earth Technique, He Song quickly immersed himself in meditation.
Streams of spiritual energy gradually flowed into his body, transforming into his own spiritual energy.
Over time, his reserves grew stronger.
In the blink of an eye, an entire day and night passed.
When hunger finally compelled him to stop, He Song opened his eyes, feeling satisfied with the progress he made during this single session.
Calculating internally, He Song estimated it would take him about two years to break through from the first level of Qi Refinement to the second.
Two years to advance a single level might seem slow to some, but in truth, it was considered a relatively fast pace.
His earth-element spiritual affinity gave him an advantage, allowing him to cultivate slightly faster than most four-element root cultivators.
While his speed lagged behind three-element root cultivators, it made him stand out among his peers.
Moreover, residing in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, where spiritual energy was abundant, further accelerated his progress.
In areas with sparse spiritual energy, it would likely take far longer.
"Not bad," He Song thought, rising from his seat. "Two years to break through to the second level of Qi Refinement. This pace is much faster than most four-element root cultivators."
Feeling satisfied with his progress, he prepared a meal.
As a mere first level Qi Refinement cultivator, He Song still required food and drink, unlike higher-level cultivators who could rely on spiritual energy alone.
While Fasting Pills could eliminate the need for food, they were prohibitively expensive for someone in his position.
A single bottle of ten pills cost two spirit stones.
Each pill lasted only ten days.
For now, ordinary rice was the more practical choice, despite the inconvenience of cooking.
After all, He Song only had a little over thirty spirit stones to his name.
After eating, He Song returned to the spirit farmland he managed.
Casting the Spirit Rain Technique for another half an hour, he inspected the seedlings and found nothing amiss.
Satisfied, he returned to the market.
Today marked an important date:
On the first day of every month, all cultivators renting accommodations in the market had to pay their dues at the Spirit Builder Pavilion.
The rent was fixed at ten spirit stones per month, with no exceptions.
Failure to pay rent was met with swift consequences.
Tenants unable to produce the required amount were immediately evicted, forced to fend for themselves in the spiritual-energy-deprived wilderness outside the market.
For many, this was an unthinkable fate.
As He Song made his way to the Spirit Builder Pavilion, someone called out to him.
"Fellow Daoist, you seem unfamiliar. Are you newly employed within the market?"