The three little white foxes, Little Sarah, Little Susan, Little Faith, and William Grant chatted happily together, calling out “big brother” this and “big brother” that every day, their intimacy even closer than real siblings. The foxes’ innocence and naivety left a deep impression on William Grant’s heart.

“There are plenty of books in the Great Chan Monastery. We only brought out a small portion. That’s what my parents told me, but they were captured on the way here from Central Province.”

When Little Susan mentioned his parents, he was very sad.

“From Central Province to Yujing, it’s a journey of a thousand miles. For a whole den of foxes to migrate, the dangers along the way are far from trivial—especially for Little Sarah, Little Susan, and Little Faith, who are pure white foxes. Their fur is completely unblemished, and even just their pelts are worth a fortune.”

Of course, William Grant understood this well.

Pure white fox pelts fetch extremely high prices on the market.

“Heaven bestowed foxes with luxurious fur, but didn’t give them the means to protect themselves. Sigh. Fortunately, Little Sarah, Little Susan, and Little Faith at least have some way to defend themselves. Unlike me, who is too weak to even truss a chicken. I really need to practice martial arts. For the spirit to leave the body and reach the level of manipulating objects, it’s definitely not something that can be achieved overnight. According to the Daoist scriptures, if a cultivator’s foundation is shallow, or if they lack advanced methods to temper the spirit, they may never reach the stage of manipulating objects in their entire life.”

Over these three days, William Grant had studied the classics thoroughly and had come to understand quite a bit about the supernatural matters that scholars “beyond the six directions” neither confirm nor deny.

There are ten levels to cultivating the spirit: focusing the mind, leaving the body, roaming at night, roaming by day, manipulating objects, manifesting form, possession, seizing bodies, tribulation by lightning, and the yang spirit. William Grant had grasped some of the basics.

He could now focus his mind and leave his body, but this was only the initial stage of cultivation—not even enough to be considered entry-level.

After the spirit leaves the body, the next step is to wander far from the physical form.

It’s like a person leaving a boat to swim in the water, gradually becoming familiar with the water.

Night roaming also has many limitations. At first, it can only be done on pitch-black, windless nights. Only as the spirit grows stronger can one gradually wander under the moonlight and night breeze.

After wandering at night comes roaming by day.

But roaming by day is much more dangerous than at night.

Sunlight is fierce, and ordinary spirits cannot withstand its baptism—they perish upon exposure.

To leave the body and wander during the day is like swimming in the sea when a storm is coming.

This is also why, in broad daylight, ghosts and evil spirits are rarely seen.

When a spirit can wander during the day and is unafraid of sunlight, it has reached a certain level of strength.

Once strong enough to roam by day, the spirit grows further and can manipulate objects. At this stage, a cultivator can control a sword to attack, like shooting an arrow or a bolt. With this, one can protect oneself.

Before reaching this stage, a cultivator must rely on fists and feet for self-defense.

Moreover, the stronger the body, the longer the spirit can remain outside it. For someone like William Grant, if the spirit is out for too long, the body will gradually weaken. If it’s out for a day or two, the body could die of thirst or hunger, or at the very least, fall seriously ill.

After three days of reading Daoist scriptures, William Grant had come to understand the art of immortality up to the level of manipulating objects. As for the later stages—manifesting form, possession, seizing bodies, tribulation by lightning, and the yang spirit—there were no records in the Daoist texts.

However, the texts did mention that many cultivators never reach the stage where their spirit can manipulate objects in their entire lives.

“There are a few basic muscle exercises in the ‘Martial Canon.’ I should find time to practice them. If I can strengthen my body, my spirit will be able to stay out longer.”

William Grant made up his mind to start practicing martial arts. The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on martial prowess and governed by civil administration. With literary talent, one could become an official; with martial skill, one could be granted a title. Both were essential for William Grant to win honor for his mother.

Moreover, cultivating immortality and martial arts are closely related. After three days of reading Daoist scriptures, William Grant realized that the hand gestures and movements before the spirit leaves the body are not useless—they are actually complex exercises for strengthening the body and breathing techniques.

In the marquis’s residence, he had no opportunity to practice martial arts. Now, at last, he had the chance.

Although practicing martial arts is not easy, William Grant did not intend to learn advanced techniques—he just wanted to strengthen his body, taking it one step at a time.

William Grant knew he was still young and had plenty of time.

“Take the imperial exams, earn a degree, achieve military merit, and be granted a title. These are all things to be accomplished step by step. In any case, I must first make myself strong and change this state of being too weak to truss a chicken.”

……

The first heavy snowfall of the sixtieth year of the Great Qian Dynasty finally arrived in grand fashion.

The snow was immense, blanketing the sky and earth with goose feathers and cotton, falling in clumps and sheets.

In the western hills of Yujing City, the “white fur wind” was blowing, and the weather was bitterly cold.

Yet in such weather, the deep mountains, ancient forests, and secluded valleys had a unique tranquility—perfect for reading, writing, and scholarly pursuits.

Outside, the cold was so intense that water would freeze instantly, but inside the stone chamber where the foxes lived in the secluded valley, it was warm and cozy.

This was thanks to several large copper braziers burning with charcoal.

A cotton curtain also hung at the entrance of the stone chamber to block the cold wind.