The afternoon sun bathed the schoolyard in warmth, casting a lazy, soothing light. Chen An wasn't the only one sprawled on the grass—several small groups were scattered across the field.
Suddenly, some of them seemed to notice something and turned their eyes his way. Chen An felt the sunlight over him blocked by a looming shadow.
"What's your deal? Ignoring me again!"
It was a girl's soft, slightly spoiled voice. Chen An raised a brow. "Don't you have anything better to do? This is the third time today."
"I didn't come looking for you!" Lin Jingqiu denied flatly and then plopped down beside him. "I was just out for some sun and happened to see you."
Chen An frowned. "Then why aren't you using the time to cultivate? I've heard of 'a clumsy bird flies early,' but never 'a clumsy bird needs to sunbathe.'"
She quickly cut him off. "Wait a minute, who are you calling clumsy? I'll say it again—I'm a genius!"
With a little huff, she muttered, "I would be cultivating if I could. Otherwise, I'd already be up on Mount Qingcheng."
Chen An turned to look at her. "Why can't you?"
"I'm missing the most crucial introductory cultivation method."
Leaning back with her hands in the grass, she looked up at the sky and murmured casually, "I came to Qingshi a year ago. My family had arranged for me to join Mount Qingcheng."
"But it turns out that everyone's cultivation realms just sort of... appeared. No one really knows the proper method for drawing Qi into the body."
Then she smiled. "But it's okay. I heard the top sects are working with the government to develop a method for Qi induction. Once we finish the college entrance exams, they'll screen for those with spiritual potential and teach it to them all at once."
"After that, everyone will enter a special Cultivation University founded by the government."
She glanced at Chen An, chuckling at his dazed expression. "What's the matter? Never heard of anything like that before?"
Chen An nodded. "You're pretty up to date."
"Of course!" Lin Jingqiu clearly had a lot to say now that she'd found someone to talk to. "They even said they'd ensure fairness, putting everyone on the same starting line."
Chen An shook his head. "Not realistic."
She smirked. "Obviously not. Take me, for instance."
"Even if I haven't stepped into Qi Refinement because I don't have the right technique, my master taught me breath control methods that build a solid foundation. Once we start, I'll definitely be ahead of the others."
She sighed. "Too bad the sect forbids passing the technique to outsiders."
Chen An chuckled.
From her sigh, he could tell she wasn't allowed to teach him. But if they were just talking about breathing methods, he knew dozens of the highest-tier ones. Why would he care?
He thought of something and asked, "So how do they determine if someone has cultivation potential? Just by looking?"
"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "Mount Qingcheng has spiritual stones passed down through generations. If you hold one, it senses your aptitude. It's not precise, but it works."
Chen An understood.
This world was still in the primitive stages of cultivation. Using spiritual stones to test aptitude was something cultivators did in the ancient times of his ninth life.
If the stone glowed, it meant you had spiritual roots and could cultivate. The brighter the glow, the better your talent.
But in his time, there were already techniques that could assess bone structure and aptitude with a glance. Like Lin Jingqiu in front of him—he only needed one look to tell her talent was decent.
She'd probably reach Core Formation, though the thin spiritual energy on this planet meant he had to lower expectations. Still, that wasn't absolute. Talent could be altered through many methods.
"You seem pretty confident in me. What if I don't have potential?"
She waved it off with a grin. "I already said—you have no idea what saving me means. Even if you don't have aptitude, I'll sneak you in through the backdoor."
"As long as your mindset's right, there's always a way."
The girl's smile glowed in the sunlight. Chen An stared quietly for a moment before looking away. "Do you want to cultivate?"
She gave him a look. "What kind of question is that? I'm literally just waiting for the cultivation method."
"Do you want one now?"
"Of course I…" She almost answered instinctively, but then stopped herself and squinted at him. "Are you messing with me? The government and all those sect masters have been researching this for ages. What, you think you've figured it out?"
"Let me be blunt—you've only known about cultivation for, what, a day?"
She meant it teasingly, but when she saw his calm expression, her heart wavered. "You're not serious… are you?"
Lin Jingqiu's eyes grew anxious. She didn't think he had a real method, but there was a chance…
She'd heard from her senior sister that some people had found unorthodox ways to cultivate—ancient scrolls, market trinkets, strange tombs.
Most were evil techniques that relied on devouring flesh and blood. At first, just animals, but later... entire groups, even other cultivators.
Brutal and twisted.
Such methods ended in madness or violent death. She was afraid Chen An might have stumbled onto one of those paths and thought it was some kind of miracle.
Chen An noticed her concern and smiled. "Want to try it? All-natural, zero side effects."
"All-natural… zero side effects?"
She never heard someone describe a cultivation method like that.
Chen An nodded. "Want to give it a shot?"
She hesitated, then clenched her teeth. Worst case, she'd stop if it felt wrong. It's not like she'd lose anything. "Fine. Let's try it."
She raised her chin and met his clear, dark eyes. "What do I need to do?"
Still lying there, Chen An stretched lazily. "Just meditate like normal."
Though confused, Lin Jingqiu followed his instructions. She sat cross-legged on the field and began meditating. Her posture looked a bit odd, but no one bothered her.
One minute... ten minutes... an hour passed. The class bell rang.
She slowly opened her eyes—only to find that the boy was nowhere in sight. Her heart sank. She examined herself carefully. No effect—absolutely no effect.
"Chen An!!" She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth in frustration.