"You must be wondering what realm of cultivation I belong to?"
Xie Xuanyi said with a smile, directly piercing Deng Baiyi's thoughts.
Deng Baiyi blushed slightly.
"To be able to sense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and 'use' it signifies the Qi Refining Realm, which is known as the most basic and simplest first realm."
Xie Xuanyi explained, "The practitioners of the first realm, the Qi Refining Masters, can create talismans and carve array patterns for combat, but they can't store Primordial Energy within their bodies. This is fatal because in a real battle, the enemy won't give you time to draw talismans or inscribe array patterns. The confrontations between Qi Refining Masters are somewhat akin to rich people showing off their wealth; whoever has more treasures or more powerful relics can take the initiative in the fight."
Deng Baiyi held her breath and listened attentively.
"The Qi Refining Realm is the realm of sensing the flow of 'Primordial Energy' in all things."
With patience, Xie Xuanyi continued, "The process by which cultivators sense Primordial Energy is like a newborn opening its eyes for the first time. Some with excellent talent won't take long before they can draw in the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth into their bodies. At this point, they enter the second realm."
"The second realm?"
"Different sects have different methods of cultivation, and the Taoists call this so-called second realm 'Foundation Establishment'."
Xie Xuanyi smiled and said, "Different factions have their own names for each realm. The path of the Sword Palace differs from that of the Taoists, so this second realm is known, in the Sword Palace, as the 'Divine Sense Realm.' For Demon Cultivators and Buddhist Body Refiners, there are yet other names. You don't need to remember all these confusing terms; just know that practitioners of this realm can store Primordial Energy inside their bodies. The demon spirits I slaughtered earlier were all beings of the second realm."
Deng Baiyi nodded vigorously, indicating she had remembered.
Curious, she asked, "You just said that people with good talent can enter the second realm quickly. What about those with poor talent?"
"Ten years, twenty years, or even a lifetime."
Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "Those with poor talent may end up remaining Qi Refining Masters for their entire lives."
Deng Baiyi was stunned.
"Cultivation is an act against fate. Any realm can be a chasm."
Xie Xuanyi spoke indifferently, "Those with talent might only need a year, a month, or even a few days to step into the second realm. The world is that unfair, and besides, cultivation itself is inherently unfair."
Deng Baiyi found herself speechless for a moment.
Indeed.
Cultivation is inherently unfair.
For the vast majority of ordinary people, becoming a Qi Refining Master is like a rare fortune to ascend to the heavens.
Deng Baiyi let out a long sigh, "Those geniuses just need seven days to enter the second realm?"
"Seven days is actually quite long."
Xie Xuanyi shook his head and said, "Some top-level geniuses, from sensing Primordial Energy to absorbing it, need only one day..."
Deng Baiyi was once again shaken, this time utterly at a loss for words.
Silence fell in the carriage for a brief moment.
Xie Xuanyi folded his arms and closed his eyes to rest, giving Deng Baiyi ample time to digest the information.
After a short while, Deng Baiyi spoke up, "You just mentioned the second realm... What comes after that?"
Xie Xuanyi opened his eyes and said slowly, "The third realm is called 'Qi Control'. Different cultivation factions refine different types of 'Qi'. The 'Qi Control' of the Taoists manipulates 'Primordial Energy', while the 'Qi Control' of the Sword Palace manipulates 'Sword Qi'. Those who have reached this realm can be considered to have truly made significant progress. Practitioners of the Qi-controlling Realm usually condense a Lifebound Artifact, and Sword Cultivators at this stage can perform Sword Control flight, though they can't sustain it for very long. If they wish, Qi Control practitioners can even establish their own small, obscure sects in deserted and uninhabited wilds, though they are considered rather inconsequential."
Deng Baiyi's eyes lit up, "That Heavy Mist Daoist from before?"
"Correct, he was at the Qi-controlling Realm."
Xie Xuanyi smiled somewhat mockingly, "This realm essentially blocks ninety percent of cultivators. Beyond that... lie the backbone of the major sects and the young prodigies."
"I see... Then your realm must be very high, far above the Qi Control, right..."
Deng Baiyi remarked offhandedly.
As soon as she said this, there was a subtle change in Xie Xuanyi's expression.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then hesitated.
Poor Deng Baiyi, engrossed in the discussion, didn't notice and continued to focus eagerly, ready to listen.
However, after waiting for some time, Xie Xuanyi didn't speak again.
He seemed to have thought of something and fell silent.
After holding back for quite a while, Deng Baiyi finally couldn't resist breaking the silence, "What about after that? After the Qi Control Realm?"
"Beyond that..."
Coming back to his senses, Xie Xuanyi asked with a smile, "Does the realm beyond that matter to you?"
Deng Baiyi was taken aback, "???"
With that one sentence, she was left speechless.
"Just focus on your Qi Refinement; don't think about all these distractions. When the time comes, you'll naturally understand."
Xie Xuanyi waved his hand, disinterested.
Before he had set out on this journey, he had already taught Deng Baiyi the most basic and simplest cultivation methods.
In the Qi Refining Realm, perceiving the Primordial Energy is actually not difficult.
All the major martial arts sects have their breathing techniques, but at the end of the day, the principles are all the same.
Rest quietly and gather your spirit; let the breath sink to your dantian.
Any cultivator who should feel the Primordial Energy can do so with any breathing technique, it is only a matter of time.
Soon, the carriage was once again enveloped in tranquility.
Deng Baiyi sighed, repressed her curiosity, and stopped "bothering" Xie Xuanyi. Instead, she closed her eyes to cultivate and tried hard to feel the "Primordial Energy" that exists between heaven and earth.
On the other side, Jiang Huang turned over and adopted a new sleeping position.
In the carriage, only Xie Xuanyi remained awake, alone with his eyes open.
He leaned against the window with one hand lifting the curtain, watching the scene behind him silently, like a wooden figure, lost in thought.
The darkness shattered, and mountains upon mountains were swallowed by the mist, as daylight, like a tide, followed behind them.
No one knew.
At this moment, Xie Xuanyi's eyes held a trace of confusion and a sense of loss.
Back in the days at Da Sui Sword Palace, countless disciples wanted to hear him give lectures, to teach the insights of the Sword Dao.
In the four realms of Da Chu, countless cultivators sought to bow before him, wishing to become his disciples.
Cultivation matters had never troubled him.
But this time.
Xie Xuanyi was "troubled" by himself.
After plunging into the North Sea and being resurrected from death... he lost all his cultivation.
In the strictest sense, he is now just an ordinary Qi Refining Master, and although he can still manipulate the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi based on the memories of his "previous life," his own body is completely empty.
He had lost everything he once possessed.
Xie Xuanyi thought for a long time and realized that he truly had nothing left.
Even the Lifebound Flying Sword he treasured the most had been lost.
"Really, aside from this life, nothing is left, huh..."
He chuckled and shook his head, his words laced with a hint of self-deprecation.
Autumn leaves fell from the trees, drifting past overhead.
The hooves of the horses trod through, crushing the mud in the puddles as well as the countless big red maple leaves fallen at the end of autumn—
Xie Xuanyi watched the countless broken reflections in the puddle, suddenly reached out his palm.
The myriad pieces of shattered reflections, after the horse hooves had moved on, restored tranquility, reflecting a sky clear as a wash.
Xie Xuanyi slowly loosened his palm.
In his hand lay a complete fallen maple leaf.
Xie Xuanyi gazed at the leaf that was dead but not yet withered, his eyes unusually calm.
Deng Baiyi, who had been sitting silently and cultivating diligently, suddenly furrowed her brow.
Following the methods taught by Xie Xuanyi earlier, she adjusted her breathing... and then she slowly began to feel the real side of this world. She felt as though each breath she took contained a faintly fragrant and sweet aura. After hundreds of breaths, this sensation gradually intensified. It was as if she had opened another pair of eyes and "saw" the breath, like smoke and fog, filling the space around her.
This must be the so-called "Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi".
Deng Baiyi had no time to feel joy.
Within the farthest limits she could sense, countless strands of Primordial Qi were agitated like boiling water, converging toward a single target...
The next moment, a very soft voice sounded in the carriage.
"Tss!"
Jiang Huang, lost in deep sleep, wrinkled his nose, smelling a familiar scent.
Deng Baiyi opened her eyes in confusion and saw a very faint flame ignited in the palm of Xie Xuanyi's hand.
And there was a maple leaf, lying in the fire, silently burning.
She looked blankly at the young man in white, somewhat puzzled.
Xie Xuanyi gently grasped the flame, extinguishing it, then spread his palm, where a maple leaf miraculously remained in a complete outline shape, and even faint sparks were kindling.
Xie Xuanyi's voice was very soft as he spoke.
"What do you think..."
"This withered leaf, now only a bit of ember left, can it still cause a blaze?"