On his first day after joining Qingyang Sect, Henry Carter spent the entire time in repeated, tireless attempts, not even knowing how many times he had failed, or whether he had ever succeeded at all. It wasn’t until he awoke the next day to the sounds of birds and insects that he realized he had unknowingly fallen asleep. He could only smile wryly to himself—cultivation truly was no easy task!

Unable to reach the state described in the Qi Refining manual—“focus the mind and calm the spirit, be open and humble”—he naturally couldn’t sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through the breathing techniques. Helpless, he could only get up and go about his chores, planning to try again at night.

And so, Henry Carter quietly began his life in the immortal sect. During the day, he had to clean the vast Changming Hall. Though called a hall, it actually consisted of four wings and nineteen rooms, as well as the main hall’s statues, the side hall’s scripture library, and more. Each day he swept, cleaned, and even repaired the roof tiles. After a day’s work, his back ached and he was utterly exhausted.

But what he looked forward to most was the cultivation at night.

Although the Qi Refining method was extremely difficult at first, he persisted.

For the first few days, he couldn’t control his mind or sense the presence of spiritual energy, nor did he take the Qi Refining pills distributed by the sect to strengthen his body, because he had once heard Mr. Brooks say that the essence of cultivation lay in comprehending heaven and earth, meditating, and refining qi.

As for pills, no matter how good, they were ultimately just an aid. He didn’t want to rely on them at the very start of his cultivation journey.

So he made up his mind: he would not take any pills until he had cultivated his first strand of spiritual energy!

With this determination, Henry Carter spent seven or eight days in meditation and breathing exercises. Even though he couldn’t meet the requirements set out in the Qi Refining manual at first, he kept at it. Finally, on the ninth night, he unintentionally entered a most mysterious state—he seemed to disappear, merging with heaven and earth, like plankton in the vast ocean...

At that moment, still habitually following the breathing method from the Qi Refining manual, he unconsciously seemed to create something from nothing. Vaguely, it felt as if some elusive force from between heaven and earth entered his body. Though the mountain air was cold at dawn, he felt a warmth moving through him like a small snake, making him forget the chill around him.

That night, Henry Carter sat in meditation until morning. When his mind returned, he opened his eyes to a room full of sunlight!

“I... I’ve cultivated my first strand of spiritual energy?”

When he realized the change in his body, Henry Carter could hardly believe it.

“Have I finally set foot on the path of cultivation?”

He hurriedly followed the manual’s instructions to look inward, sensing the faintest wisp of spiritual energy within him, and immediately broke into a satisfied smile.

He smiled with true contentment!

Chapter Six: In the Midst of Fate

In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed, and Henry Carter’s life in Qingyang Sect had settled into a routine.

By now, he was completely immersed in his own world of cultivation.

During the day, he performed his assigned chores; at night, he cultivated diligently. In his spare time, he carefully read the books given to him by Mr. Brooks, making up for the other areas of cultivation knowledge he had neglected while focusing on the Dao Yuan True Explanation.

Gradually, not only did his cultivation steadily improve day by day, but his understanding of cultivation also deepened with each passing day.

Because of this, though life in the immortal sect was hard and monotonous, he felt an unusual sense of fulfillment...

“Haha, Junior Brother Carter is here again?”

“How is your cultivation progressing lately?”

In the dining hall, Henry Carter walked by with a scroll in his arms, and those who saw him greeted him with a smile.

Over the past month, Henry Carter had gradually become acquainted with the other servant disciples he often saw in the sect.

By now, the story of how he had once topped the Jiazi rankings but lost his place because of the Dao Yuan True Explanation had spread throughout the sect. The attitudes of the other servants toward him were naturally complicated. At first, seeing how diligently he cultivated every day, never even eating without reading, many mocked him. But after more than a month, though some still looked down on his diligence, those voices had lessened.

For those who worked hard, these servant disciples at least showed a bit more respect.

“Hey, Junior Brother Carter, long time no see—your cultivation has improved again?”

As soon as he heard this voice, Henry Carter felt a headache coming on. It could only be Steward Reed.

After more than a month in the sect, everything had gone smoothly for Henry Carter, except for Steward Reed, who was a real headache. He would often come to Henry Carter’s small room and chat for hours on end. Only then did Henry Carter realize that Steward Reed’s long-windedness was famous in the sect—other servants all avoided him, and only a newcomer like himself was willing to listen...

Fortunately, years of diligent study had taught Henry Carter a unique skill: he could appear to converse with Steward Reed, nodding and responding at the right moments, while inwardly pondering the scriptures and contemplating the path of cultivation, so his time was not truly wasted.