Chapter 28: A True Genius

“Swoosh…”

The sound of flowing water rose once more.

This time, Fang Cun felt it seriously, meticulously sensing every tiny change within his body.

He concentrated on the warm flow radiating from his forehead, sensing how it surged into his limbs, bones, and all the meridian pathways. It intertwined and fused with his Internal Breath, strengthening it completely. His expression slowly shifted. His jaw slackened slightly, his gaze grew vacant, and uncontrollable joy, though he tried hard to suppress it, spread across his face…

“So that’s how it is!”

Fang Cun, realizing this change, felt stunned by disbelief and exploding with delight.

“The limit of Innate Qi is unbreakable!”

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep using Merit to strengthen it…”

“The converted Merit can’t directly boost Innate Qi, but it scatters throughout, merging with my flesh and blood to augment my Internal Breath. Which means, Innate Qi reached its peak unchanged, but my Acquired Qi can still be transformed!”

“…”

This discovery excited Fang Cun far more than seeing Innate Qi transform.

Innate Qi was the human foundation.

But Acquired Qi represented true cultivation levels!

Every Qi Refiner relied on Innate Qi to draw spiritual energy from the world. By breathing techniques, they brought it inside, turning it into Internal Breath—also known as Magical Power, or Acquired Qi. With this Acquired Qi, they could cast spells, enhance their speed and reflexes, and after it reached a pure state, refine their physical bodies to enter the Treasured Body Realm beyond ordinary humans!

Many methods existed to improve Acquired Qi.

Breathing techniques were one. Others included scholarly study, consuming elixirs, or receiving power transferred from experts. Depending on the method and cultivation environment, the quality of Acquired Qi varied, falling into several distinct grades.

Widely known, Acquired Qi gained through scholarly enlightenment was the purest and noblest, closest to Innate Qi itself.

Qi refined through one’s own efforts via breathing ranked second—most stable and solid.

Third was relying on others transferring their power. Quickest to gain, but always impure and chaotic.

Lowest was consuming elixirs to forcibly boost Internal Breath. However potent the gain, it always came with a critical flaw: unstable foundations, like castles in the sky.

These rankings weren’t absolute. Scholarly cultivators also practiced breathing techniques or used pills, while recipients of transferred power might also have cultivated some Internal Breath themselves through study and breathing.

But the nature of cultivation came with one certain truth:

No one’s Internal Breath could surpass Innate Qi in purity.

Acquired Qi could only grow thicker and deeper, accumulating endlessly. Its purity would never match Innate Qi’s.

Yet what about him now…?

Fang Cun delightedly sensed shifts within his Internal Breath, joy surging through his core.

Every time Merit converted part of his Innate Qi, it scattered and melted into his Internal Breath. In a way, his training process could happen entirely by earning Merit. Crucially, this meant he was using his Innate Qi to cultivate! So whether others relied on scholarship, breathing, transfers, or pills… whose Internal Breath could ever surpass the purity of his?

“…”

Taking two deep breaths, Fang Cun forced composure. Seriously planning, as he uncovered this wonderful Merit use, he exchanged another five hundred Merit into cultivation strength. Using one thousand eight hundred Merit in all, his cultivation leapt out of the early stage of Refining Breath, entering the mid-stage—a marked advance!

He already decided: He didn’t know if limitless Innate Qi conversion was possible now, but he wouldn’t try. First, too much scattered Innate Qi wouldn’t stabilize and would just waste. Second, soaring power too fast would draw prying eyes.

He held himself back early on. Without certainty, only one hundred Merit would be converted daily from then on. Steady effort meant growth that stayed swift but inconspicuous.

Thus, he naturally skipped routine breathing cultivation daily.

To him now, breathing brought Internal Breath that mixed his Magical Power, making it less pure. Others breathed to grow stronger; it weakened him. He couldn’t stop entirely—his power needed purity for its full potential. Yet flawless purity screamed abnormality. Honestly, he even considered washing away his old Internal Breath with Innate Qi, preserving only that converted Innate Qi purity. That would grant him power exactly matching Innate Qi. But then, others might dub him a freak. Standing out like that wasn’t wise.

He set himself as a genius, not a monster.

Hence Fang Cun decided not to cleanse his power at all. Instead, he’d intermittently conduct breathing exercises—just to muddy his Magical Power’s purity. The finer details? He’d handle them gradually.

……

During the next two days, Fang Cun remained outdoors as usual, wandering the Academy grounds. He just stopped targeting Young Master Shen. Some speculated Fairy Meng persuaded him to quit, privately calling Fang Cun “finally sensible.” Fang Cun ignored the gossip, focusing entirely on cultivation. After all, his progress was too rapid—he needed time to settle. Power wasn’t everything once gained. It required mastery through understanding.

Like the Art of Object Manipulation!

Among the core skills for Qi Refiners, the Art of Object Manipulation could be practiced and unleashed in the mid-stage of Refining Breath. Having put his rapid advancement on hold to avoid attention, Fang Cun had spare time now. He studied his energy deeply while holding the “Scripture of Arts”, beginning his textual studies.

The “Scripture of Arts, one of the Nine Classics, dealt with this art. It required early and persistent dedication. Simple in name, its applications held profound mysteries. Basic sections covered summoning objects, Flying Swords, hovering in air, even the highest art: barriers. Though rooted in the same Art, the techniques differed vastly. The simplest might call a breeze to lift dresses. The highest might—never mind, no need to elaborate!

Even with ancestral memories granting superior self-study from previous life experience and Elder Fang hiring tutors for the Nine Classics—Fang Cun found studying the “Scripture of Arts” frustratingly slow. He knew every character, grasped the general meaning, but translating into practice felt like scaling sheer cliffs with barely any headway.

“A teacher truly is needed after all…” Fang Cun sighed inwardly. Pure self-study? Who knew how long it would take. Books skipped complex points—phrases that masters could instantly clarify—taking days to ponder solo. Even “aha!” moments might be misunderstandings.

It didn’t help that Instructors disliked him. None offered guidance. Master Lan Shuang wasn’t even his Academy Instructor anyway; his earlier advice on cultivation was kindness enough. Studying the entire “Scripture of Arts”, too varied and intricate to grasp within days, meant constant seeking would turn Fang Cun into—effectively—a direct disciple… Thankfully, at this moment, White Xiang Academy issued its learning notice:

Elder Zhong Yue, one of the Academy’s four Elder Mentors, would preach the Dao beneath Green Pine Cliff.

Academy teachings varied. Instructors like Yuanzhi oversaw training halls, holding daily lessons while answering student doubts. Such teachers formed the Academy’s foundation.

The four Elder Mentors did not teach halls regularly; guiding their direct pupils mostly, or advising the Academy’s most outstanding seeds. Average Disciples only saw them when they preached publicly—monthly or bimonthly—seeking answers only then.

As for the Academy Dean, managing the whole Academy? Teaching happened scarcely…unless a favored, direct Disciple.

Meng Zhixue, Fairy Meng, the Dean’s sole direct pupil, was the one student he guided personally.

Right now Fang Cun was packed with questions and had no Instructor to ask. This sermon was utterly necessary. Fairy Meng had earlier mentioned she hoped Fang Cun would attend it when discussing Shen Shiming. He didn’t know her thoughts, but didn’t bother.

What if Fairy Meng was Academy’s top genius?

Having mastered cultivating through Merit, all so-called geniuses and Immortal Seedlings had but one outcome before Fang Cun!

Call him Daddy! That was the end of it!