Junior Apprentice Yun Sheng, have more Disciples been sent up the mountain?
Yun Sheng hadn't even turned around when he heard an old man ask.
Senior Brother Yun Qing, indeed Yun Family Master sent a Junior Brother up the mountain. Yun Sheng, quickly greet Senior Brother Yun Qing and Senior Brother Yun Ming.
Yun Fan turned around and replied, then instructed Yun Sheng to bow.
Yun Sheng, mimicking the bowing method Yun Hanqing had once taught him, cupped his fists and bowed slightly towards the two old men.
New Disciple Yun Sheng greets both Senior Brothers.
Dispense with the formalities. We will see each other often from now on, so there's no need to be so formal.
Yun Sheng, since Junior Apprentice Yun Fan has already tested you, it's now time for your formal initiation ceremony.
Before you enter, I must tell you that our Yun Family is indeed a large Family in the Mortal world, but at the same time, we are also a Cultivation Family.
What you are about to enter is the gate of a Cultivation Family. Once you enter this gate, all your grievances, loves, and hatreds with the Mortal world will be severed, and you will wholeheartedly pursue the Dao.
Yun Qing began with a long lecture on principles.
Yun Sheng hadn't expected that he would actually join a Cultivation Family.
Immortals, he had heard the elders in his village boast about them.
Flying through the sky, burrowing into the earth, moving mountains, filling seas, turning stone into gold—these were the basic abilities of an Immortal.
Could he also do that in the future? The more Yun Sheng thought about it, the more his mind wandered.
Yun Sheng, are you willing to join the Yun Family and Cultivate?
Yun Qing, seeing Yun Sheng somewhat distracted, asked.
Yun Sheng was certainly willing and nodded heavily.
Very well, first, prostrate yourself before our Yun Family's founding Old Ancestor, then follow me in reciting the oath, and you will officially be considered a Disciple of the Yun Family.
Yun Sheng stepped forward a few paces to the offering table, knelt down directly, and kowtowed three times with resounding thuds.
Afterward, he stood up and followed Yun Qing in reciting several Divine Soul oaths.
The content of the oath could be summarized as: a Yun Family Disciple puts the Yun Family's interests first, must never betray the Yun Family at any time, or else be reduced to ashes and never be reincarnated.
After the oath was sworn, the four of them sat on a row of chairs.
Junior Apprentice Yun Sheng, now that you have joined the Yun Family, I will explain the general situation of the Yun Family to you.
Yun Qing began to explain seriously, and Yun Sheng listened attentively.
Soon after, he understood the general situation of the Yun Family.
It turned out that the Yun Family was established two hundred and fifty years ago, with Yunlan Mountain as its center, and an area of a thousand li around it was the Yun Family's sphere of influence.
Yunlan Mountain was located within a valley about twenty li in size.
At the bottom of the mountain was a small Spiritual Vein. The Yun Family's Old Ancestor used this mountain as the center and set up a misty Formation around the valley to conceal it and prevent Mortals from approaching.
Yunlan Mountain covered an area of about ten li and was five hundred zhang tall.
Inside the valley were the medicinal gardens and spiritual fields cultivated by the Yun Family.
The mountain was the Cultivation place for various Disciples.
Currently, the Yun Family had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over a hundred Qi Refinement Disciples.
Junior Apprentice Yun Sheng, I must specifically state that if you Cultivate on Yunlan Mountain and do not achieve Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty, you will be expelled from Yunlan Mountain.
You will be assigned to the Yun Family Estate, or to a medicinal herb gathering team, or a mining team, and end the rest of your life in one of these places.
Therefore, I hope you can Cultivate diligently on Yunlan Mountain and strive to enter the Foundation Establishment Stage as soon as possible.
Yun Qing warned.
Yun Sheng didn't know what the Foundation Establishment Stage was, but by calculating the proportion, he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Out of a hundred people, only three were at Foundation Establishment; this proportion was terrifyingly low.
Seeing Yun Sheng awestruck, Yun Qing was very satisfied.
Junior Apprentice Yun Ming, take Junior Apprentice Yun Sheng to Yunlan Mountain, settle him in, and explain some of the mountain's rules to him.
The other old man stood up and motioned for Yun Sheng to follow him.
After the two left the main hall, Yun Qing asked Yun Fan again.
What Aptitude?
Three Spiritual Roots, medium Aptitude.
So, it's very likely he can Cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage!
Yun Qing said happily.
At least the probability is higher than for you and me, but if there are no Medicinal Pills to assist, it will still be somewhat difficult.
Yun Dan thought for a moment and said.
I hope he succeeds!
Yun Qing said with some dejection.
As a small Cultivation Family, Medicinal Pills were not readily available to the Yun Family; they were extremely rare.
Over the years, several Disciples with three Spiritual Roots had entered Yunlan Mountain, but all of them were stuck in the Qi Refinement Stage and couldn't Breakthrough due to a lack of Medicinal Pill support.
Finally, when they grew too old, they could only reluctantly leave Yunlan Mountain.
Outside the hall, Yun Ming led Yun Sheng along the main road beside the hall towards Yunlan Mountain, which was in the center of the valley.
And the main hall seemed to be situated right at the mouth of the valley.
Senior Brother, after I enter the mountain, do I also have to look after spiritual fields or medicinal gardens like them?
Yun Sheng, looking at the many Disciples busy in the valley, asked Yun Ming.
These are tasks taken from the General Affairs Hall to look after spiritual fields or medicinal gardens. Generally, there's a reward of one Spirit Stone per year, and many Disciples are eager to do them!
Yun Ming explained.
What is a Spirit Stone then?
Yun Sheng felt as if he had entered a brand new world, filled with curiosity about everything.
Spirit Stones are formed in this Cultivation world where in some places, the Spiritual Qi is too dense, doesn't dissipate, and gradually sinks deep underground, forming Spiritual Veins.
Due to the accumulation of Spiritual Qi in a Spiritual Vein, Spirit Stones are born.
Generally, a Spiritual Vein less than thirty zhang deep is called a miniature Spiritual Vein, which can only produce low-grade Spirit Stones.
Below two hundred zhang is a small Spiritual Vein, which also can only produce low-grade Spirit Stones.
Between two hundred zhang and three thousand zhang is considered a medium Spiritual Vein, which produces both low-grade and medium-grade Spirit Stones.
And above three thousand zhang is a large Spiritual Vein, where the Spirit Stones produced are mainly medium-grade, with a small portion of high-grade spirit stones.
If Spirit Stones in a large Spiritual Vein remain unmined for too long, it's highly possible for Top-Grade Spirit Stones to be born, but these are generally legendary.
Low-grade and medium-grade Spirit Stones circulate widely on the market; one medium-grade can be exchanged for one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.
high-grade spirit stones are rarely circulated on the market, and even if they do appear, their exchange price is astonishingly high; generally, one high-grade can be exchanged for five hundred medium-grade Spirit Stones.
And people would still scramble to exchange for them.
As for Top-Grade Spirit Stones, it's unlikely anyone would take them out for exchange, as that item is far too precious.
So, is it based on the amount of Spiritual Qi contained within the Spirit Stone that these types of Spirit Stones are differentiated?
Yun Sheng thought for a moment before asking.
Yes, it's based on the amount of Spiritual Qi contained within them.
Spirit Stones are the common currency of the Cultivation world. They can be used to set up Formations, or by absorbing them, one can quickly replenish missing Spiritual Qi within the body.
The higher the grade of the Spirit Stone, the faster it replenishes Spiritual Qi.
Sometimes, Spirit Stones can even be used to aid Cultivation and help Breakthrough Bottlenecks, but this method requires not only a large quantity of Spirit Stones but also very high-grade ones.
This is a low-grade Spirit Stone; you can take a look.
Seeing Yun Sheng's interest, Yun Ming took out an egg-sized, grayish-white stone from his 懷.
Yun Sheng took it with both hands and immediately felt a cool sensation upon touching it.
So this was Spiritual Qi; he had a direct sensation of it.
After playing with it for a while, Yun Sheng quickly returned it, worried that it would be awkward if he absorbed the Spiritual Qi inside.
Then Senior Brother, what is this Foundation Establishment all about?
Yun Sheng then turned to another topic.
Foundation Establishment is just one stage in a Cultivator's Cultivation.
For example, you have just brought Qi into your body and entered the first level of Qi Refinement.
The Qi Refinement Stage has a total of ten levels. Among them, the third, sixth, and ninth levels will each have a small Bottleneck. After Breaking through, you can enter the next level.
And after reaching Great Perfection at the tenth level, you can attempt to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage.