Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 50: First Cultivation Lesson

Six long weeks passed before Anji was finally given the green light to learn cultivation. Although Zhao Mingfeng and Bai Dajin could teach Anji the basics, Yan Ping was determined to let nobody near her precious student.

"You will learn cultivation from me daily. Do not remove your soul bracelet unless I allow you to do so. We will start with the theory you’ve learned from the Doctrine of the Mean. Before you start, let’s revise the safety measures."

Yan Ping and Anji began their first lesson by borrowing the secluded hut with soundproofing barriers. It was nothing like Anji thought it would be. According to her older sister, Ruiting learned the basics of cultivation in a meditation hall with the help of herbal incense to sense the flow of qi. Most students will be given access to the sect’s cultivation chambers for one year to increase their cultivation core level by gathering the dense spiritual energy that naturally exists.

Despite the minor disappointment, Anji took her first lesson very seriously. Her shifu wanted her to reach the Strengthened Core stage. It was one stage below her third brother’s cultivation level. However, with Bai Dajin training her brother at the back of the mountain daily, he would most likely achieve the Solid Core this year. Anji had a lot to catch up with her siblings.

"Don’t worry about making quick progress," Yan Ping flicked her student’s forehead gently, sensing Anji’s anxiety. "A solid foundation is more important than a quick ascension. Your broken pathways were only patched up. Did you think you could achieve a miracle overnight?"

Ashamed, Anji bowed her head in repentance. In her excitement, she lost sight of what was truly important. No wonder Yan Ping insisted on having her first lesson in this isolated hut.

"Anji was wrong," she bowed her head humbly. "I’ll follow shifu’s lesson plan."

Not faulting the young child for her enthusiasm, Yan Ping reminded Anji about the safety protocols she had created.

"If you sense the weakening of valve or seal in your meridians while meditating, what must you do?"

Perking up at the question, Anji answered quickly to redeem herself.

"Cease meditating immediately, wear the soul bracelet and eat one qi suppression pill. Then, immediately seek help from shifu, my father or a cultivator with a Heavenly Core cultivation base or above."

Correct. That was the most important thing to remember during an emergency.

"If your pathway that I repaired shatters during circulation, what should you do?"

Although that was unlikely to happen with Yan Ping’s skill, Anji recalled what she had to do quickly.

"Tear the protective talisman and cease any qi circulation in that meridian. Focus on closing the main meridian valve and find shifu immediately."

Good. Anji’s memory was excellent, and Yan Ping swelled with pride. Having someone like Anji as her personal pupil was her lifetime’s blessing. The Mystical Qilin Sect would thrive with Anji as her successor.

"Last question," Yan Ping asked seriously. "What should you do if you encounter a qi deviation?"

This could happen to anyone learning cultivation, and Anji was not exempted from such a scary ordeal. There are various reasons for qi deviation, with improper techniques being the main cause. With her shifu personally guiding every stage of Anji’s foundation, it was very unlikely that would happen. However, the seals in Anji’s body were unique. Nobody had ever cultivated in this manner. Hence, there was a real possibility that the qi Anji gathered in her body would grow awry at any time.

"Calm the mind and stabilise the chaotic energy while chanting the heart sutra," Anji replied.

On the days when Yan Ping had to rest and recover her spiritual energy, Anji was given parts of the heart sutra to memorise as part of her homework. The heart sutra was a meditative chant that helped regulate the flow of energy while putting the mind into a trance. Yan Ping chanted it to break into the next level, and Anji seriously memorised it.

Confident in Anji’s ability to handle any mishaps, Yan Ping started the first lesson. Ordinarily, pupils were told to learn how to sense energy flow by enhancing their sensory sensitivity. However, Anji already knew what energy felt like. She was highly accustomed to Yan Ping’s qi during treatment. Moreover, the child once saw energy in its purest forms as colours when spirited away. Her Heavenly Eyes could also discern the different types of energy purity. There was no need to teach her the conventional way.

"Take this," Yan Ping passed Anji an old bronze mirror. "Tell me what you see using your Heavenly Eyes."

Curious, Anji activated her Heavenly Eyes and looked at her reflection in the old mirror. She only expected to see her golden eyes staring back at her. However, there was a faint flickering aura that surrounded the mirror. Anji did not know what that was as it was too faint to have any colour. Yet, it seemed alive as it coated the small bronze mirror.

"There’s something alive around the mirror," Anji frowned. "It doesn’t have a colour but is constantly moving as if protecting it."

Even after using her astral body and mind’s eye, Yan Ping could not see it. Anji was still more proficient than she was at using soul arts. However, she did not need to use soul arts in their first cultivation lesson.

"This old mirror contains some yin energy," Yan Ping explained. "You usually find antique items imbued with small amounts of yin energy. Do you know why old objects can sometimes contain yin energy?"

Although Anji learned about the different types of elements and energy from books, she did not know why they existed in different forms. She only knew that yin energy represented things like the night and cold. Female cultivators find it easier to cultivate energy using yin sources like the cold spring and during winters. On the other hand, male cultivators find it easier to increase their cultivation during the day and in the summer. They often use hot springs to increase their cultivation efficiency as they contain more yang energy.

"Anji doesn’t know."

Chuckling, Yan Ping wondered if her young student would be spooked to learn about that mirror’s history.

"That old bronze mirror once belonged to a concubine of a rich merchant. It was said that she carried this small bronze mirror everywhere she went to ensure that she always looked the prettiest in the manor. However, she grew obsessed over her appearance and, even when she passed on, demanded that she be buried with her bronze mirror so she could look her best when reuniting with her husband at the Styx River."

Alarmed that she was holding onto someone’s precious memento, Anji quickly tried to return the mirror. The owner of this precious bronze mirror must be missing it! The fact that she had it now must mean that the grave robbers had gotten their hands on it to sell for quick money.

"Don’t worry," Yan Ping chuckled after hearing Anji’s protest. "The mirror was never buried with the concubine. It was sold to pay for her divorce fee. However, the origin of yin energy comes from strong negative emotions. The owner of these emotions does not have to be alive, and yin energy will remain indefinitely with the object unless someone exorcises it."

Exorcising was a different type of skill that Yan Ping decided to skip for now. Apart from fighting and exorcising, there were many things a cultivator could do. It wasn’t uncommon to see cultivators travelling by sword surfing. Some cultivators choose to grow spiritual herbs or tame and breed spiritual beasts. There were many different types of cultivators and jobs out there. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Your task is to find a way to absorb that yin energy into your body and convert it into something useful."

Anji looked at the bronze mirror and frowned. "Would that count as exorcism if I remove the yin energy from the mirror?"

In a way, Anji wasn’t wrong. However, proper exorcism isn’t merely removing the energy attached to an object or dead person. It was helping the deceased resolve their grudges and pass on peacefully into their new life.

"It doesn’t count as exorcism because the lady’s obsession remains. You would have only removed the power source of the item but not the grudge involved. Although you can forcefully subdue weaker curses and grudges like this, it will not work on stronger ones. That’s a lesson for after you officially come to my sect."

Intrigued, Anji filed that information away. Looking at the bronze mirror in her hand, she wondered if she could absorb any energy at all.