Chapter Four: The Teacher's Advice (Part Two)

“When you’ve reached this level, it’s up to you to decide.” His father said no more about Zhao Li’s choice. “Still, I suggest you try what your teacher recommended. It might be beneficial. A solid foundation is never a bad thing. At most, you’ll be half a year late in practicing the first-level technique; it won’t hold you back.”

“Alright, Dad!” Zhao Li glanced at his mother, seeing no objection, and readily agreed.

In general, aside from necessary exchanges like this, his parents seldom interfered in Zhao Li’s affairs. For one, their jobs kept them busy; for another, Zhao Li behaved admirably—excelled in his studies, stayed out of trouble, and inspired confidence.

That evening, Zhao Li embarked on his own unfettered cultivation. The sense of unburdened freedom in his heart made him feel almost ecstatic.

He completed nine cycles of cultivation in less than an hour. When he emerged from meditation, his whole body felt refreshed, with not a trace of fatigue. No longer worried about being discovered, Zhao Li indulged himself and completed another nine cycles.

Previously, he would practice only once a day, less than an hour each time. He’d deliberately skip two days each week to avoid standing out too much. Even so, his progress was on par with the others in his class. From what he knew, characters like Johnny practiced three hours every day.

With the second year of high school finished, a holiday followed, then the third year would begin. During this break, Johnny had boasted repeatedly about the effects of his first-level cultivation technique, despite having only just begun. He couldn’t resist showing off in front of Zhao Li.

“Hey, Zhao Li, why haven’t you started your cultivation yet?” Learning of Zhao Li’s decision, Johnny kept his comments brief. “What’s the point of practicing Body-Strengthening Technique over and over? You know, the first-level technique increases your vital energy at least twice as fast. That feeling is just…” Johnny’s expression turned ambiguous and lecherous, making Zhao Li shudder.

Compared to basic methods, the first-level technique far surpassed the Body-Strengthening Technique, both in effect and in the sense of progress. Nevertheless, it was still foundational, and everyone understood this. The guidance teachers’ patient advice was not wasted; at least nobody was tempted to skip ahead in their practice.

All the other students had begun first-level cultivation, leaving Zhao Li alone in continuing the Body-Strengthening Technique. An ordinary person might have succumbed to the temptation and joined Johnny and the others, but Zhao Li did not. Even with the simple Body-Strengthening Technique, Zhao Li’s vital energy grew no slower than those practicing first-level methods. Moreover, it had the advantage of never leading to inner deviation.

During the holiday, Zhao Li’s cultivation replaced sleep. He knew others did the same; under the pretense of being minors for more than a decade, they now enjoyed a relaxed vacation and access to advanced techniques. Not cultivating would be absurd. The masters were even more devoted, and Zhao Li’s parents rarely slept either. Even after returning home each day, they only briefly ate, rested, and attended to hygiene before substituting cultivation for sleep.

Both were seventh-level masters, but had been unable to break through for nearly ten years. The higher the level, the harder the breakthrough. Still, they were a cut above the average sixth-level practitioners. Their broader experience led them to endorse spending more time on foundational work.

Zhao Li was particularly cautious. After consulting countless cultivation experiences online, he discovered that many, like his instructor, deliberately extended their foundational training. The longest example involved nearly a decade spent laying the foundation, with a dedicated essay detailing the insights gained.

Zhao Li studied this article closely several times. It pointed out that prolonged foundational training yielded significant benefits in practicing first and second-level techniques, markedly boosting both progress and the quality of vital energy. However, by the time one reached third-level techniques, these effects gradually diminished and, after a while, leveled out compared to those who hadn’t spent extra time on foundation.

In other words, the method worked but only up to the third-level. Truthfully, among ordinary practitioners, reaching third-level took no more than two years. The benefits were real, but not enough to convince most people. Furthermore, the time spent on foundations, if redirected to first and second-level practice, would only cost about half a year more—not enough to justify widespread adoption.

But for Zhao Li, persisting with the Body-Strengthening Technique had at least one advantage: it concealed the true speed of his progress. As for advanced techniques, once he joined the military and learned formal methods, he’d have a legitimate reason for his rapid advancement. This was one reason he resisted his classmates’ temptations for so long.

Throughout the entire month-long holiday, Zhao Li practiced the Body-Strengthening Technique relentlessly, pausing only for meals and necessary activities. The intensity of his cultivation that month could easily equal others’ three or four months of toil.

Yet what nagged at Zhao Li was the requirement to stop after nine cycles each time. In the relentless holiday training, this limit proved frustrating. In his spare time, Zhao Li pondered how to break through this constraint. After all, the Body-Strengthening Technique was a foundational method; even a slight deviation wouldn’t cause major problems.

According to Zhao Li’s research, many had tried to do just this, but most failed. The Body-Strengthening Technique had been studied by dozens of masters over decades—safe and reliable, with no side effects. Everyone wanted to increase the number of cycles to lay a stronger foundation, but no one had managed to break this limit.

Previously, Zhao Li had voluntarily stopped after nine cycles, but upon learning this fact, he tried several times to push further. Yet each time, when the ninth cycle ended, his body instinctively reacted, forcing him to halt. Despite his attempts, it caused no harm to his body or cultivation.

With this conclusion, Zhao Li became even more uninhibited, cultivating almost day and night during the holiday. Beyond limited rest, he spent nearly the entire day inside his soundproofed room, never emerging.

After two weeks of continuous practice, something unusual happened. Zhao Li suddenly awoke from his cultivation, shocked to realize that he had just entered a state of chaos during his practice. This unconscious, instinctive mode of cultivation astounded him.