Lin Donglai spent the entire night carefully studying the method of opening a Blessed Field within the Inner Landscape during the Qi Refinement stage.
This method was neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy. It required refining Innate Qi, then using that Innate Qi to fuse with the Five Elements Essence, then using that Five Elements Essence to link with the five internal organs and achieve a Five Elements cycle. Only then could it carry the Dao Seed spiritual root and forge the Inner Landscape Blessed Field.
The Innate Qi was clearly explained as the innate fetal breathing of an infant—the very fetal breath used at the Fetal Breath stage to draw qi into the body.
Fire Essence Qi was actually solar fire qi, and could simply be gathered by facing the sunlight.
Earth Essence Qi was actually the qi of the earth.
Water Essence Qi could be gathered from large lakes, great rivers, and the like.
Metal Essence Qi required metal ores—at least several hundred catties as a minimum—which was the most inconvenient of all.
Wood Essence Qi was simply the vitality of vegetation.
The craving that the Dao Seed had transmitted earlier encompassed basically everything except the metal ores.
If one had spirit stones, purchasing these Five Elements Essences shouldn't be difficult, since many spells and the crafting of magical implements required them.
Only the innate fetal breath had to be obtained through Refining Essence into Qi. In other words, Lin Donglai needed to continue converting spiritual marrow bone, continue condensing essence blood, and needed to eat large amounts of spiritual meals to replenish his nutrition.
Otherwise, if the innate fetal breath was insufficient, the area of the Inner Landscape Blessed Field would naturally not be large.
However, although this Jianmu Dao Seed had only just sprouted, with only a single bud pushing up out of the soil, it wouldn't need much field to carry it. The early stage shouldn't require many resources.
As for the Five Elements Essences, one only needed to cultivate a Five Elements cultivation method, and the Dao Seed would grow Five Elements roots, converting them on its own from the void's primal qi. It was just like how Lin Donglai had previously cultivated the Peiyuan Breathing Technique and the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance.
Cultivating a method grew roots.
The roots were responsible for providing nourishment.
But for the trunk to grow tall, it depended on the Dao conduct of the Dao Seed's master. According to the inheritance's description, Lin Donglai wasn't clear on what exactly Dao conduct was, and could only roughly classify it as related to cultivation realm.
As for branches and the many leaves, they could be used to carry spells.
Lin Donglai currently only had a vague concept of all this, but he could indeed prepare to cultivate the fetal breath.
The Qi Drawing Art, the most basic method of drawing spiritual qi into the body and converting it into spiritual power, should also count as a cultivation method. Presumably it would stimulate the Dao Seed to grow relevant rootlets, which would then automatically help Lin Donglai cultivate.
So reaching the first layer of Qi Refinement and becoming an outer sect disciple was already a sure thing—basically nothing to worry about.
He only needed to, after reaching Qi Refinement, continue cultivating the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance without stopping, and choose one body cultivation method and one Five Elements cycle method.
By relying on the body cultivation method to condense plenty of essence blood, then converting that essence blood into innate fetal breath, that would suffice.
By relying on the Five Elements method to stimulate the growth of rootlets, the Dao Seed would gather the Five Elements Essences from the void on its own.
The only thing that needed consideration was how to earn spirit stones. Only by earning spirit stones could he sustain the cultivation needs of body cultivation, as well as the Five Elements Essences needed for the initial Blessed Field. After all, gathering qi on his own was too slow. Moreover, the nutrients within the Dao Seed were limited after all; without the Blessed Field's nourishment, it would be difficult for it to keep growing, and its support for Lin Donglai would grow weaker and weaker.
"At the very least, I still have a year and a half of freedom. First I'll get the Blessed Field established, plant the Dao Seed, and study the cultivation methods and farming techniques well. In the future, my own Blessed Field will also be able to grow spiritual herbs."
Jianmu was the emperor of all trees, hailed as the "Azure Emperor," able to command the growth of vegetation. Spiritual herbs planted within the Blessed Field would grow better and faster, and could even feed their vegetative vitality back to Jianmu.
Jianmu could even consume its own origin to enlighten spiritual plants into Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Roots.
Another ten days passed. During this period, Lin Donglai had been nursing his body back to health. After all, he had lost too much essence blood, and even though he had eaten the Peiyuan Ginseng Stewed Chicken in advance, he still felt rather weak.
He could only eat more free spiritual food at the canteen, making up for quality with quantity to nourish himself. He also went to the Outer Sect Merit Hall to find a job pulling weeds and catching insects in the medicine fields of Tengshe Peak. It paid half a spirit stone a day, and working seven consecutive days earned four spirit stones—just enough to repay Ding Zhen.
Ding Zhen's spiritual root aptitude was about the same as his own, and at Xianmiao Peak, not a single person with low-grade Five Spiritual Roots had yet cultivated the fetal breath and completed drawing qi into the body. Lin Donglai didn't want to be the first—finishing before the second Hundred-Day Assessment would be just fine.
During these ten days, Lin Donglai also didn't dare continue cultivating the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance. He had too many spiritual marrow bones in his body, which increased consumption.
Even though after the Dao Seed sprouted, the method-enhancing effect had grown stronger, and breathing continuously through all twelve two-hour periods with the Peiyuan Breathing Technique drew enough spiritual pneuma from the void to sustain cultivation, many other nutrients could not be conjured from nothing and still needed to be taken in from the outside.
According to the Compendium of Cultivation, only after reaching Foundation Establishment could one initially achieve immortality through breathing qi alone, going into extended seclusion without eating.
But truly abandoning the desires of the palate required reaching the Purple Mansion stage.
That day, Lin Donglai was barefoot, carrying a hoe, leveling the ground in his own Xianmiao courtyard, planning to try planting some semi-spiritual herbs or unranked spiritual herbs to get some practice.
Then he heard Ding Zhen's anxious voice: "Donglai! Zhong Xuan has drawn qi into his body! He's also low-grade Five Spiritual Roots!"
Lin Donglai wasn't surprised and only asked, "How many drops of essence blood are you short before you can start Refining Essence into Qi and cultivate the fetal breath?"
"I've condensed nine drops of essence blood, but the Marrow-Nourishing Pills are getting less and less effective. I've only converted two spiritual marrow bones, and the rate of generating essence blood is too slow. The spiritual food at the canteen isn't anything special either, and I don't have your appetite."
Lin Donglai said, "How many spirit stones do you have right now?"
"Eight left." Ding Zhen had also gone out to do some jobs, but buying the Marrow-Nourishing Pills had consumed a great deal.
"At Steward Peng the canteen spirit chef's place, ask him to make a Peiyuan Ginseng Stewed Chicken. It's a spiritual meal that only inner sect disciples can afford, the best for nourishing vital qi. It costs twelve spirit stones. After you eat it and practice the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance, you'll definitely be able to nurture a third spiritual marrow bone. That way, you'll certainly complete drawing qi into your body before the Hundred-Day Assessment."
"Donglai, how do you know about this method?"
"Steward Ma told me a while back when I was felling trees in Danmu Forest," Lin Donglai said. "It's just that I don't know if you're willing to gamble—after all, twelve spirit stones is no small sum."
"I'm willing! As long as there's hope!"
Lin Donglai nodded. "Actually, I've already condensed enough essence blood. Tonight I'll attempt Refining Essence into Qi and drawing qi into my body. There's still a month before the second Hundred-Day Assessment, so I can definitely complete it and become a first-layer Qi Refinement cultivator."
"As for the spirit stones, once I become an outer sect disciple, I'll receive a stipend of two spirit stones, which I can lend you. As for the other two, can you borrow them? Taking on new tasks now would probably waste a few more days."
"Borrow two from Zhong Xuan," Ding Zhen said through gritted teeth. "I'll definitely succeed!"
Lin Donglai patted his shoulder. "Good. That's the spirit."
The two of them had come out of the same town and had supported each other along the way. Lin Donglai just sighed slightly—even though his own aptitude was slightly worse, he had the Dao Seed supporting him. If Ding Zhen had no fortuitous encounter, then, just as Li Yunze had said, he might find it difficult to break through to mid-stage Qi Refinement in his entire life.