"I don't know. Father, please enlighten me," Ji Ning said respectfully.
In truth, he had already learned a lot from the books he had read. But as a four-year-old child, there was no need to be too monstrous.
"I'll explain so you can understand," Ji Yichuan said coldly. "First, let's talk about the seven major realms on this path of cultivation."
"The first level is the 'Postnatal Stage,' with a lifespan of one hundred years."
"The second level is the 'Innate Stage,' with a lifespan of two hundred years."
"The third level is the 'Purple Mansion Stage.' Those who reach this stage are known as 'Purple Mansion cultivators,' with a lifespan of five hundred years."
"The fourth level is the 'Manifestation Stage,' where one can be called a 'Manifestation True Person,' with a lifespan of eight hundred years."
"The fifth level is the 'Nascent Soul Stage,' where one can be called a 'Nascent Soul Daoist.'"
"The sixth level is the 'Void Return Stage,' where one can be called a 'Land Immortal' or 'Earth Immortal.' At the late stage of Void Return, one must face the test of the heavenly tribulation. If you fail, your body and soul are destroyed. If you're lucky and your nascent soul escapes and survives, you become a 'Loose Immortal.' Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals are usually comparable in strength."
"The seventh level is the 'Heavenly Immortal Stage,' where one truly transcends the Three Realms and is no longer within the Five Elements!"
After Ji Yichuan finished speaking, he looked at Ji Ning, expecting to see a shocked expression. However, Ji Ning just listened intently, his ears perked up, seriously absorbing every word.
"You said you want to cultivate immortality, so I'm letting you know how difficult it is," Ji Yichuan said in a deep voice. "The first hurdle in cultivation is passing from the Postnatal Stage to the Innate Stage!"
"What is the Innate Stage? Only beings born from heaven and earth can be considered innate beings. In the distant God and Demon era, some gods and demons were born from the universe itself, naturally possessing great powers. Others, through reincarnation into the Six Paths of Samsara, become 'Heavenly Beings' or 'Asuras' in the heavenly realm. These heavenly beings and Asuras are also innate beings, naturally born with rapid cultivation abilities. Only innate beings can cultivate immortality!"
"Mortals can't cultivate immortality, but heaven always leaves a sliver of hope. Therefore, some virtuous predecessors created cultivation methods that allow mortals to train their bodies to resemble innate beings, thus granting them a chance at immortal cultivation."
"However, for mortals to become innate beings is to go against the will of heaven. Achieving this is a one-in-a-million chance! Now tell me, is it difficult?"
Ji Ning listened.
Innate beings? If it weren't for the upheaval in the underworld, I probably would have reincarnated into the heavenly realm as a heavenly being, becoming an innate being. But now I'm a mortal... indeed, transitioning from a mortal to an innate being is an extremely arduous path.
"The second major hurdle in cultivation is going from the Innate Stage to the Purple Mansion Stage!"
"You must open your Purple Mansion to truly embark on the path of immortal cultivation. Opening the Purple Mansion is like laying the foundation for building a house, like clearing fields to grow crops. The Purple Mansion is the source of cultivation, the foundation of the Dao! Only by truly opening the Purple Mansion within your body can you start on the path of immortal cultivation and have the qualifications to be called a Purple Mansion cultivator! For an innate being to open the Purple Mansion, perhaps only one in a thousand succeeds. Now tell me, is it difficult?"
Ji Ning nodded.
Yes, it's very difficult.
He continued to listen carefully. The books in the Ji Clan's Western Mansion library only described the difficulties of these first two hurdles. There wasn't much about what followed.
"Once you open the Purple Mansion and become an immortal cultivator, you will possess tremendous power."
"But to cultivate immortality is to go against the Dao of Heaven. From the moment you step onto the path of immortality, that is, from the moment you open the Purple Mansion, you will face a test every three hundred years, with a major tribulation every nine hundred years. There's a saying: 'Minor disasters come every three centuries, major tribulations every nine centuries. Disasters can be avoided, but tribulations are hard to escape!' These tests will continue for as long as you walk the path of cultivation... unless you become a Heavenly Immortal. Otherwise, the 'Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations' will be an eternal obstacle for every cultivator."
Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations?
Disasters every three centuries, tribulations every nine centuries, disasters are avoidable, but tribulations are inescapable?
Ji Ning was indeed shocked. Unless one became a Heavenly Immortal, tribulations would strike every three hundred years.
...
The thick candle, as thick as an arm, burned with a crackling sound, echoing in the hall.
Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow both looked at their son. At this moment, Ji Ning's face was full of shock. Seeing their son's stunned expression, Ji Yichuan finally nodded slightly, pleased to have made an impression on the little one.
"Why are you telling our son so much? He's still so young," Yuchi Snow said disapprovingly.
"Mother," Ji Ning raised his head and grinned, "I'm fine."
Ji Yichuan looked at him in surprise.
"Father," Ji Ning smiled, "The difficulties from mortal to innate and from innate to Purple Mansion are already unimaginable. The Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations are far too distant for me to even consider."
"Hmm," Ji Yichuan nodded, "Your mindset is good. You're right; you don't need to think about becoming a Purple Mansion cultivator now. That's too far away. In the vast lands of Mount Yan, including the Ji Clan and other great powers and countless tribes, the strongest are Purple Mansion cultivators. The path of cultivation is so difficult that even in the infinite breadth of the Xia Dynasty, there hasn't been a Heavenly Immortal in millions of years."
Ji Ning nodded lightly.
Even the Underworld's Cui Fu-jun had told him that the *Nuwa Diagram* merely increased his chances, and that achieving the rank of Heavenly Immortal would still involve numerous hardships. That was when he was a heavenly being and a candidate for a celestial soldier. One could only imagine how difficult it was to become a Heavenly Immortal. To transcend the Three Realms and be outside the Five Elements was not something just anyone could do.
"You still want to cultivate immortality?" Ji Yichuan looked at Ji Ning.
"I do," Ji Ning nodded.
Ji Yichuan nodded slightly. If his son had been scared off by mere dangers, he would have been disappointed. What he didn't know was that Ji Ning would never be intimidated by such things. Everything has risks. Even walking could result in being hit by a falling rock, and eating could result in choking. The path to immortality was such a wondrous journey that it would be strange if there were no dangers.
"However..." Ji Yichuan frowned, "You're too young, and the cultivation methods are very complex. If I teach you profound techniques now and you make a mistake, you could harm your body. And ordinary immortal techniques are not worth it..."
"Father," Ji Ning said, "I want to learn the Divine Demon Body Refining Technique!"
"Oh? You know about body refining?" Ji Yichuan was quite surprised, and Yuchi Snow, standing beside him, smiled. "Our son has clearly read many books; he even knows that cultivation is divided into two types."
On the path of cultivation, there were two main branches.
One was energy cultivation! Ninety-nine percent of cultivators on the path followed this branch. They could use all kinds of mystical treasures, craft complex puppets, control numerous poisonous creatures and demonic beasts, create formations, and even practice evil methods. In short, it was an extremely vast and mysterious avenue.
The other was body refining.
It is said that at the beginning of the Three Realms, many divine beings and demons were born from the cosmos. These beings were naturally strong, with powerful bodies! The most powerful of all was the 'Pangu' who split the heavens and the earth, a primordial god and demon, renowned for his immense physical strength. Inspired by these divine bodies, virtuous predecessors developed body refining techniques, allowing cultivators to attain divine-like bodies. Immortal abilities such as indestructibility, immense strength, manifesting massive forms, having three heads and six arms, regeneration from a single drop of blood, and even immortality all stem from the Divine Demon Body Refining school.
In the same stage of cultivation, body refiners are said to completely overpower energy cultivators!
"Body refining is a hundred times more difficult than energy cultivation," Ji Yichuan said solemnly. "To have the strength of a divine being is a defiance of the natural order. It is extremely difficult."
"Father, I want to start with body refining and switch to energy cultivation later. After all, both can be cultivated simultaneously. When the time comes, I will focus on the path where I have the most talent. Besides, aren't you worried that I'm too young and might harm my meridians by practicing energy cultivation? The Divine Demon Body Refining technique doesn't carry that risk."
Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow exchanged glances.
It seemed their son had thought it through