It was by far the most complicated technique he had ever come in contact with, even harder than the heart sutra. It took him almost a month to understand it enough to reach the level of Initial Understanding.
Cultivation manuals/techniques also possessed different levels of mastery, but they were different from secret techniques.
While the most basic cultivation techniques didn't have divisions, the ones suitable for the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm and onwards had.
The mastery levels were divided into Initial Understanding, Natural Handling, and Complete Mastery.
Reaching the first level of mastery meant one could use the cultivation technique safely, although inefficiently. The second level meant one reached a comprehensive ability to use the technique without many flaws. The third level meant one had thoroughly understood the true intent of the technique.
He thought for a while and said to the void, "Master, can I first reach the next level of mastery before beginning my cultivation?"
After a short moment of silence, Li Ming's voice sounded in his ears, "You sure are stubborn! But you would take too long to reach it, won't it be better to just master the technique further as you also cultivate?"
"How did you know I called for you, master?" Yujin asked instead.
"The formation of your cave abode alerted me when you spoke," Li Ming explained, "Or do you think I'm so full of free time that I would be spying on you non-stop?"
'I'm quite sure of it,' Yujin thought in his heart, 'Otherwise, how would you be able to answer my question if the formation just alerted you?
'Are you that curious about my cultivation and so-called fortuitous encounter? I can't help but worry about your motives, master.'
"If I cultivate the cultivation technique to the second level of mastery before I start my cultivation, I might be able to avoid critical mistakes when shaping my foundation," Yujin said what was in his mind.
"Your worry is unnecessary since this cultivation technique is as mild and stable as it could be, it completes the transformation of the five elements in itself and thus can solve flaws by itself, without leaving sequelae."
"So amazing?" Yujin was surprised, "I guess the expenditure on resources must be ridiculously high if people don't cultivate it, then."
"Just think a little more, boy," Li Ming snorted, "Only those with spirit roots with the five basic elements can cultivate it. And the sect usually treats such people as talentless and useless.
"Reality is harsher than you could possibly imagine... No, you actually know it, right?"
Yujin was silent for a moment and then sighed, "You are right, master."
"But as a sign of good faith towards you, and because I still sense some reluctance in your heart, I will let you do as you please in this case, I want to test your comprehension a little more by the way."
"Thank you, master," Yujin bowed to the void and heard no more.
'Even if she isn't spying on me every second and minute, she must have cast some sort of spell to transmit information of what I do to her...' he thought in his heart and didn't know what he could do.
The reason he was trying to avoid breaking through at all costs wasn't simply to avoid Li Ming's potential hazard, but also the greed of other people of the sect.
Even if Li Ming was harmless to him, other people might get curious about how someone with a trash spirit root like him was able to rise so quickly.
Yujin returned to his state of practice after using the heart sutra for a while, his mind was again as calm as an old well without ripples.
After just a few weeks, he began to sense his mind getting violently sharper than before, his comprehension capacity was reaching a new level. He didn't know what was causing it until something happened.
From the depths of his mind, he felt a slow and low chant, it was as if a little bird was singing. Suddenly, his mind became a wide white space with his figure in the center.
Just ahead, a broken altar was slowly crumbling and turning into dust. He didn't know what it meant, but when the altar thoroughly became dust and disappeared, his mind returned to normal.
Yujin examined himself and felt nothing different, only that his mind felt lighter and sharper than before. He began to practice the cultivation technique and many difficult points suddenly became clear to him, it was as if he become more intelligent.
'What was that?' he asked himself, 'Did it disappear completely? Was it the thing enhancing my comprehension capacity?'
He had many questions and guesses, but no sure answer. He used the heart sutra to calm himself and resume his goal.
After a single week, he reached the Natural Handling level of mastery, he even wondered if he could quickly reach the level of complete mastery in just another month.
He didn't even bother to call for his master, he was almost sure she noticed his progress already. He just continues to try and advance his mastery further.
However, he soon noticed he was unable to go further. After a few hours of practice, he felt no kind of new understanding.
"Fool, how can you reach complete mastery if you didn't even try the technique out of your mind simulations?" Li Ming's voice sounded in his ears, "You need first to do some practice in real life, otherwise it will be impossible for you to advance further."
"Disciple greets master!" Yujin bowed to the void, "I was being too stupid and eager for success that I didn't think about it."
"It's good that you noticed your mistake. Now, what are you going to do? Are you going to tell another excuse to not cultivate?"
Yujin coughed and said, "Of course not, I will keep my word."
"Hmph! You just tried to break your word, little bastard," Li Ming snorted and stopped talking to him.
Yujin felt some sweat on his back and understood he was being too reckless and probably offended his master by breaking his word.
After a few hours, a cracking sound exited Yujin's body. A vortex of spiritual qi formed around him as his spirit root greedily absorbed and refined it into true qi.
As he circulated the Five Elemental Abyssal Lotus Cultivation Technique, his true qi began to show signs of losing the wind and lightning elements, while the other five got stronger than before. However, the elements in his spirit root remained intact.
His Dantian and meridians began to expand rapidly until they were two times the size of before, and then their growth slowed down. They slowly grew to be three times the size from before and then stopped.
At the same time, the true qi pond that engulfed his spirit root turned into a five-colored lotus, with his spirit root inside it. Although the true qi forming that lotus was liquid, the lotus form seemed solid.
When his breakthrough ended and his cultivation stabilized, it was many days later. He then began to adapt and wait for his body to go through the transformation too.
It took a few days until his body was thoroughly refined and strengthened by his more powerful true qi.
When everything was over, he began to examine the growth of his strength and the changes overall.
The breakthrough from the middle stage to the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm brought him a crazy increase in his power overall, he felt he could beat three to four of him before he advanced. It was the second major breakthrough of a cultivator.
He had three times more true qi than before, and it was three times purer and denser as well. His body's physical prowess increased about three times overall, and he was filled with strength.
It took him two days to completely adapt to his new strength to avoid accidents.
He felt a little lost that he couldn't use wind and lightning techniques until he managed to adapt his cultivation technique, but he had no secret technique for those elements anyway.
Now that he finally stepped on the seventh layer and the cultivation technique was established on his Dantian, Yujin felt a great urge to practice the technique to complete mastery.
But when he thought about his master, he controlled his urge and left his cave abode.
He first went to see Long Xue, but the little girl was in seclusion. He could only return and go see his master.
"Instead of coming to me directly, you actually went to see the little girl, so you hold me with such low regard?" Li Ming asked him ill-humouredly.
"I'm sorry for being rude, master," he kneeled on one leg and said, "I was wrong."
"I hate this kind of insincere apology," Li Ming cast him a dangerous glance, "At least say something to me before exiting seclusion, okay? Otherwise your master will seem disregarded by her own disciple."
Yujin was surprised but knew she regarded etiquette with great importance, so he nodded obediently.
"Although I can somehow sense it from here, let me examine you," she said and gestured for him to get close to her, who was sitting on her throne-like chair nonchalantly.
Yujin approached and had his arm grabbed by her.
After a few seconds, Li Ming freed his arm and said, "Your progress is scary enough, your true qi is unbelievably strong for someone of your realm. Even someone at the middle stage of the foundation establishment might be inferior depending on his/her foundation."
"Thanks for your praise, master," Yujin said politely.
"Although I'm curious about how you did it, I can sense your concern quite easily, you still fear me," Li Ming said with a playful smile, "So I will never urge you to tell me. No, I forbid you from telling this to me, this way you don't need to fear misinterpreting anything."
Yujin's heart was a bit moved after hearing her and he said, "Thanks for being magnanimous, master. This disciple was being unfilial by not trusting you until now."
"Heh," Li Ming grinned playfully and said, "Remember what I said before? I will be giving a choice now.
"About your combat style. What do you want? What do think is more suitable for you? Although I'm your master, I'm not your owner, so you need to choose as well."
"Master, I want to try different weapons," Yujin said, "I was once almost killed by a swordsman, it taught me how useful and lethal a weapon can be."
Li Ming nodded and waved her hand slightly and many different weapons appeared on the ground close to them. A long straight sword, a single-edge sword, a saber, a spear, a halberd, a war hammer, a set of bow and arrows, a pair of knuckles, a pair of daggers, a great sword, a battle axe, and a set of hidden weapons. Every kind of weapon had a book with them that taught the basics of using them.
Yujin was speechless with the large variety of weapons and looked at her blankly.
"You can take them and try them one by one. You can use the Link from before now that you advanced to the seventh layer, so no need to worry about the lack of sparring partners."
Yujin took everything and put them on his space ring, and said, "Thank you, master. How can I use the Link?"
"It was already unlocked by me, so just put a drop of your blood on it and you will be registered on the network," Li Ming explained and waved her hand, "Go out, I'm tired. If you have doubt, come find me later."
Yujin strongly doubted that she was tired, but obeyed regardless.
He returned to his cave abode and did as his master said, dropping his blood on the crystal orb, the Link.
After a while, he felt a wondrous connection between himself and the orb, and then he felt his consciousness being sucked into it.