The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#290 - In the field of hope

After realizing that mystic force cultivation might share the same bug as inner force cultivation, Lu Jing had been consciously trying to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

His original plan was to stay as far away as possible from anything related to mystic force, and so far, this approach had been quite effective.

However, after being forced into Mirror Lake Valley by Wu Han and threatened by Guo Shouhuai with attending mystic force classes, Lu Jing also understood something.

That is, sometimes it wasn't that he could avoid things related to mystic force just because he wanted to.

Especially as the students of the academy completed their Foundation Establishment on a large scale, he would become as dazzling as a golden beetle in the soil, a firefly in the night, the only flamingo in a flock of chickens. At that time, everything around him would probably be related to mystic force.

In fact, this trend already existed. Lu Jing could run into several students discussing cultivation issues even when he went to the cafeteria to buy food.

This enthusiasm for cultivation was certainly commendable, but it also brought a lot of trouble to Lu Jing.

If he didn't leave, there was a risk of being infected by mystic force. If he did leave, he had already paid for his food, and hadn't received it yet. Moreover, Lu Jing's hearing was also excellent.

Even if he kept a distance, he could still clearly hear what the others were saying, with cultivation terms such as "Mystic Pass" and "Establishing the Cauldron" drilling into his ears, making Lu Jing feel like he was being pricked by needles, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Therefore, he gradually realized that his previous defense plan seemed somewhat inappropriate, as it was too passive. He had only heard of catching thieves for a thousand days, not guarding against thieves for a thousand days.

Therefore, in recent days, Lu Jing had also been considering whether to slightly change his plan. Obviously, taking precautions was a more reliable approach.

It was rare that the trouble in his Dantian had seen a glimmer of dawn, and he had found a new solution. Lu Jing didn't want his mystic force to have any problems at this juncture.

And this was the first time Lu Jing had taken the initiative to inquire about matters related to mystic force cultivation.

Xia Huai felt that this was a positive sign. It was likely that Lu Jing had gained something in Mirror Lake Valley, regained his confidence, and was starting to lay the foundation for his future cultivation in advance. Therefore, she couldn't help but feel refreshed and carefully recalled what Professor Zheng had said in the lecture before saying.

"That's right, Foundation Establishment can be said to be the most important step in cultivation, and all cultivators yearn to reach the legendary Perfect Foundation Establishment, but no one has ever truly achieved it in thousands of years, not even the predecessor who founded the Directorate of Celestial Observations was one step away."

"Well, don't underestimate this last step. Countless talented and brilliant people have been unable to cross this small gap."

Xia Huai had only said halfway when she saw that Lu Jing didn't seem to be as fascinated or inspired as the students in the lecture hall. Instead, he shook his head and said, "I don't care about Perfect Foundation Establishment or anything. I just want to know what to do to ruin my Dao Foundation."

Xia Huai immediately realized that she had gone off-topic. She originally wanted to add fuel to Lu Jing's cultivation path with Perfect Foundation Establishment, but she had overlooked Lu Jing's current situation.

With his aptitude, being able to cultivate would already be a blessing. As for things like Perfect Foundation Establishment, they were destined to be out of his reach. Mentioning it at this time would not only fail to arouse his yearning for Perfect Foundation Establishment, but would likely backfire, causing him to feel a sense of loss and experience frustration again.

After figuring this out, Xia Huai couldn't help but regret why she had mentioned Perfect Foundation Establishment. She quickly continued, "There are many taboos in mystic force cultivation, but the impact of taboos on each other is also different."

"Violating some taboos may slow down your cultivation, shake your foundation, or even damage your cultivation, such as having distracting thoughts when refining mystic force, failing to concentrate on the void."

"For example, failing to expel the turbid Qi from the aperture before establishing the cauldron, or the Yin and Yang Divine Fire being weak and strong, making it impossible to truly sit in purity during Qi refinement."

"In addition, although cultivation requires diligence, you must not be too hasty, otherwise you will soon encounter bottlenecks and find it difficult to make progress."

Lu Jing was somewhat disappointed. Although the taboos Xia Huai mentioned could hinder cultivation to some extent, they were far from being a permanent solution.

Moreover, they all sounded like mistakes in cultivation. In other words, you had to cultivate first and then make mistakes, which was useless to Lu Jing. What he needed was a process that would allow him to avoid cultivation from beginning to end before it even started.

As decisive as the Sunflower Manual and the Evil-Exorcising Swordplay, a single cut would eliminate any possibility of growth, so that he could rest assured.

Of course, he definitely couldn't say that directly, so Lu Jing had to ask in another way.

"Um... what you said is too far away for me. Are there any things that need to be paid attention to in the early stages of cultivation, preferably on the first day? Like the kind of... if you're not careful, you might be in eternal doom."

"Yes, there is," Xia Huai nodded without hesitation.

The girl's words rekindled hope in Lu Jing's heart.

"Teach me how to do it, oh no, teach me what not to do."

"If we're talking about the beginning of cultivation, the greatest danger lies in the Niwan Palace. It is the spirit of the whole body, the cave of a hundred gods, and also the place to establish the cauldron, refine and store mystic force. If there is a problem with the Niwan Palace, cultivation cannot begin or continue, and even life will be threatened."

When Lu Jing heard the first half of the sentence, his eyes lit up. Wasn't this what he had been searching for? However, after he heard the second half, he couldn't help but worry.

Ending his cultivation path was something he had always dreamed of, but if it would endanger his life, then this matter would be meaningless. He couldn't put himself in danger now in order to prevent possible dangers in the future.

However, in any case, Xia Huai's words pointed out a direction for him.

Lu Jing planned to take some time to study the Niwan Palace next, to see if there was any way to solve his cultivation troubles without endangering his life.