The most important possession a cultivator could ever have was their legacy. Not their treasures, not their weapons—but their techniques. A true cultivation legacy was more than ink on parchment or energy diagrams on jade slips; it was the accumulated wisdom of countless lifetimes. It was blood, sweat, failure, sacrifice, and perseverance passed down from one generation to the next.
Cultivation techniques didn't simply fall from the sky or emerge fully formed from the minds of geniuses. No—throughout the vast span of time, across endless dynasties and sect eras, cultivators had painstakingly experimented with methods to refine their energy, strengthen their bodies, awaken their souls, and glimpse the path to immortality. Some paid with their lives to learn what worked and what didn't. Others secluded themselves in isolated mountain peaks for decades, even centuries, to create and refine a single technique. The results of those sacrifices were what became known as cultivation manuals.
Each technique that survived the test of time became a priceless treasure—proof that it worked, that it produced results, and that it could elevate the weak into the powerful, the mortal into the divine. With each passing generation, these manuals were polished further, honed like blades until only the most refined methods remained. As a result, manuals weren't just scrolls—they were sacred heirlooms, often guarded more fiercely than spiritual weapons or ancient treasures.
Clans and sects treated these manuals as divine secrets, passed down only to those deemed worthy. Even the copies of original techniques—mere fragments, shadows of the true legacy—were guarded with utmost caution. Only a privileged few were allowed to even see them, let alone cultivate from them.
In the Gold Sky Kingdom, a land isolated from the central cultivation realms and cut off from abundant spiritual veins, the situation was even more dire. Nearly every cultivator, no matter their background or status, began their journey with the basic Qi Gathering manual. It was a crude, simplistic method that taught only the most fundamental way of absorbing ambient energy from the heavens and the earth into one's dantian. Its sole purpose was to allow the practitioner to slowly, painstakingly expand their energy core. There were no refined energy circulation paths, no elemental attunement, and certainly no martial skills or movement techniques within it.
The truly powerful techniques—the ones that could accelerate cultivation, unlock hidden potential, or harmonize with a person's elemental affinity—were the privilege of legacy families or elite sects. Noble families, ancient clans, and ruling houses held the better versions, many attuned to specific elements like fire, water, wood, lightning, or wind. But even those paled in comparison to what the great sects possessed.
At the center of Gold Sky Kingdom's cultivation world stood the Divine Martial House, a prestigious institution where the kingdom's best and brightest sought to prove themselves. But the Divine Martial House wasn't the true prize. It was only the gate, the true prize was the opportunity to enter the sect behind them.
The Divine Martial House was infamous for its rigorous selection process. Talent alone was not enough. One needed discipline, determination, combat prowess, and the potential to rise above the average. Only those who passed its tests could even dream of setting foot in the true sect.
And yet, even among those who never made it to the inner sanctum of the sect, entering the Martial House was still a tremendous honor. Why? Because it offered access to cultivation techniques and martial skills that simply didn't exist outside its walls. It concentrated the kingdom's finest talents under one roof. Those not chosen by the sect often found themselves courted by major clans, elite academies, and even the Imperial Court. A single year in the Martial House could change the fate of a cultivator's entire bloodline.
Behind the Martial House stood its true patron: the Divine Avatar Sect, a grade-3 sect recognized by cultivation societies far beyond the borders of Gold Sky.
To understand what this "grade" meant, one first had to understand the cultivation realms that formed the long, arduous road toward immortality:
Qi Gathering – the foundational step of all cultivators, where spiritual energy is absorbed and stored in the dantian.
Foundation Establishment – when one consolidates their spiritual base, forming a solid foundation for future breakthroughs.
Gold Core – where a core of pure energy forms within the dantian, marking the transition into a true cultivator of power.
Nascent Soul – the stage where a spirit soul is born, enabling spiritual projection and soul-based attacks.
Life Awakening – where one touches the deeper truths of existence and begins to transcend mortality.
Celestial Immortal Realm – a realm touched by divine law, where cultivators shed their mortal shells and begin the path of true ascension.
A kingdom or sect was graded by the highest realm its cultivators could reach. If a realm could only produce Qi Gathering cultivators, it was Grade 1. If it had Foundation Establishment cultivators, Grade 2, and so on. Grade 6—or the rare Divine Grade—meant the presence of at least one true immortal.
The Gold Sky Kingdom, for all its aspirations, was still Grade 2. No one had ever reached the Gold Core Realm within its borders. Every noble family, academy, and sect vied to be the first, hoping to rise above the rest. But with poor resources, limited technique legacies, and sparse spiritual energy in the region, this dream remained painfully out of reach for the vast majority.
In this context, possessing a complete cultivation manual was a monumental advantage.
A true, complete manual consisted of three essential parts:
1. Energy Gathering and Circulation Method – the core technique that taught how to absorb and rotate energy effectively.
2. Movement Techniques – specialized ways of moving the body in combat or evasion, often harmonized with one's elemental alignment or energy rhythm.
3. Martial Skills – offensive and defensive techniques designed for battle, including weapon arts, fist techniques, energy projections, and more.
4. Pills and elixir created specifically for the technique.
Most people, even the moderately privileged, were lucky to receive just the first component. Movement techniques and martial skills were often added manually from other sources and were rarely a perfect match. This lack of synchronization often led to stagnation, energy backlash, or worse—crippling inner deviation.
In such a barren environment, where even the most basic spiritual pills were rare, a manual like the [Nine Tribulations Wolf Demon Codex] was beyond valuable. It was legendary.
It wasn't just complete—it was perfectly synchronized. Every movement technique, every martial skill, every alchemical formula was aligned with the cultivation path it laid out. The Codex even included advanced alchemy instructions—detailing how to craft pills, brew elixirs, and refine medicinal pastes that enhanced the body, soul, and spirit.
The Codex diverged from traditional energy cultivation. Instead of focusing solely on the dantian, it emphasized the body—treating it as a divine vessel, a temple to be forged through trials and tribulations. Using spiritual energy, the cultivator would stimulate and temper the physical body from the outside in, layer by meticulous layer.
This process began with Life Essence cultivation—the art of transforming ordinary spiritual energy into True Essence, a denser, purer form that could refine the body.
Once converted, this True Essence had to be carefully guided into each part of the body. The stages were clear, and each marked a profound transformation:
Skin Refinement Stage – hardened the outermost layer of the body, granting defense against blades, claws, and blunt force.
Flesh Refinement Stage – strengthened muscles and tendons, increasing speed, flexibility, and explosive power.
Organ Refinement Stage – enhanced internal resilience, vitality, and the ability to process energy more efficiently.
Muscle Reinforcement Stage – pushed physical strength to superhuman levels, enabling feats like stone-crushing punches or hundred-meter leaps.
Bone Refinement Stage – tempered the skeletal structure, granting near-invulnerability to internal fractures or bone-related injuries.
Marrow Refinement Stage – refined the very core of the body, increasing blood essence, recovery speed, and preparing the body for its final transformation into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
It was a grueling path. But for those who walked it, each stage offered real, tangible power—power earned not through pills or shortcuts, but through discipline, pain, and sheer will.
Lin Tian's first challenge was to refine his skin with spiritual energy. Once he succeeded, he would officially be recognized as a body cultivator.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he focused on the spiritual energy within his dantian. Although his cultivation path wasn't centered on dantian refinement, the dantian would still grow alongside his body. It might not be his main asset, but it would still play a crucial role.
Circulating the energy through his body according to the [Nine Tribulations Wolf Demon Codex], he began to feel a tingling sensation on every inch of his skin. The feeling intensified with each passing second, signaling that the refinement was working.
After what felt like hours, he finally opened his eyes, completely exhausted.
He had done it—he had reached the Skin Refinement Stage, the first level of body cultivation.
Now, he stood at the starting point of both paths: spiritual and physical cultivation.
Completely drained, having used all the energy he'd gathered since opening his dantian, Lin Tian glanced out the window. It was already late. Rest was the wisest choice now.
Tomorrow, he would look for ways to accelerate his cultivation, because based on his current talent and the ambient spiritual energy in the area, it would take at least half a year or a couple of months just to reach the second stage—Flesh Refinement. it was one of the disadvantages of his low talent.
The amount of energy Lin Tian could absorb at any given moment was limited. This was one of the primary factors in his decision to cultivate the Nine Tribulations Wolf Demon Codex. Within this forbidden technique, each tribulation conquered not only refined the body—it expanded the vessel, increased physical resilience, and most importantly… elevated talent itself.
It was a hidden truth few in the cultivation world truly understood: talent was not fixed. It could be forged, tempered, transformed. Every tribulation he survived would push his natural potential beyond what he had been born with. What others received from birthright or spirit root tests, he could earn with blood.
If the noble families knew that this beast cultivator's manual could raise one's innate talent through sheer perseverance, they would have paid any price to acquire a copy. Some might have razed cities, others sacrificed heirs. But such knowledge was lost, buried under fear and ignorance—forgotten, perhaps intentionally.
Still pondering the days ahead, his mind tracing plans like footsteps on unfamiliar paths, Lin Tian eventually drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
---
By the time he woke, the sun was already high in the sky. Golden light streamed through the window, bathing the room in warmth.
He stretched with a slow groan, arching his back and extending his limbs. A satisfying crack of joints, a ripple of strength beneath the skin—he sat up on the edge of the bed, his eyes drawn to his own arms.
Even at the very first stage of body cultivation—Skin Refinement—he could already sense the changes.
The shift wasn't dramatic, not yet. Unlike the leaps of power that came in later stages, this was subtle: his skin tougher, his grip firmer, his body more resilient than a normal mortal's. Still far from invincible, but a noticeable step above the average man. His strength wasn't overwhelming, but it was there—steady, growing.
He clenched a fist and exhaled. The feeling was addictive.
One of the advantages of the Codex was its completeness. It didn't just provide techniques to refine the body—it also detailed the crafting of elixirs, tonics, and pills that could accelerate the process. Recipes, alchemical instructions, even preparation methods for spiritual plants were all included.
The problem? He had no idea what resources were available to him in this life… not yet.
The best way to fix that was simple: explore the city. See what he could find. Learn what the common folk and cultivators had access to.
He dressed quickly, adjusted his robes, and stepped out into the bustling street.
It was already mid-morning. The sun hung high, and the city was alive with motion. Merchants called out from wooden stalls, carts rumbled down stone-paved roads, and the smells of fresh produce, spices, and roasted meats lingered in the air. Men hauled baskets of newly harvested vegetables, women bargained over the price of eggs, and hawkers waved to passing travelers with hopeful smiles.
Following the faint echoes of memory from this life, Lin Tian made his way toward a small plaza in the city's merchant district—a place where cultivators often traded spiritual herbs and rare materials.
The moment he stepped into the plaza, the atmosphere changed.
Where before he'd sensed only the dull, passive energy of mortals, now he could feel it—the presence of cultivators. Faint auras pulsed from various directions, like sparks hidden beneath a veil of incense.
Most of the stall vendors were weak—barely at the first or second level of Qi Gathering Realm. But scattered among them, he saw something more dangerous: guards. Silent, watchful figures posted near corners and entrances, each one with a sharp gaze and stronger cultivation.
He narrowed his eyes.
Some of them were at the fourth level of Qi Gathering—the first real threshold where spiritual power began to manifest externally. Clearly, security here was taken seriously.
With steady steps, Lin Tian approached the nearest stall. A simple wooden stand draped in woven cloth, displaying a modest selection of spiritual plants laid out in small bundles. Each plant had a small placard handwritten in ink, denoting its name and basic properties.
One read: "Purple Grass – Improves Circulation."
The descriptions were vague, borderline useless for a true alchemist, but still offered some clues. They helped identify which plants were used for low-grade elixirs, and which had value to be used in alchemy to produce pills.
He studied the collection silently, committing the layout and labels to memory.
The vendor, a middle-aged man with sun-darkened skin and a skeptical glare, glanced at him briefly. After a second's pause, he seemed to judge Lin Tian as just another idle onlooker. With a quiet huff of disinterest, he turned his gaze back to the crowd, scanning for real customers.
Lin Tian ignored the slight. He wasn't here to buy—not yet. He was here to learn.
Lin Tian continued his slow walk through the plaza, his eyes scanning stall after stall. The deeper he looked, the more certain he became: the quality of resources available to the public was disappointingly low. Basic spiritual herbs, poorly stored; raw materials that were either stale or improperly processed.
For the average cultivator, these goods might have sufficed. But for someone like Lin Tian—someone walking the path of body refinement and tribulation—they were barely passable.
It only confirmed what he had already suspected.
The truly valuable resources—the rare herbs, the potent elixirs, the refined ingredients—were most likely locked away within the Divine Leaf Martial House. After all, while a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Gathering might be considered impressive by commoners, it wasn't nearly enough to guard high-tier cultivation resources. No, those would be stored behind sect gates, under strict control and watchful eyes.
Still, it was good to confirm.
As he prepared to leave the plaza, his attention was drawn to a more refined establishment nestled among the colorful tents and open-air vendors. A permanent shop, marked by a wooden sign carved in graceful calligraphy:
"Qi Pavilion."
Unlike the dusty stalls outside, the moment Lin Tian stepped inside, he felt the difference.
The lighting was soft, the floors polished, and the air subtly scented with spiritual incense. Wooden shelves lined the walls, each carefully arranged with small boxes, jars, and vials. Colorful pills rested in glass containers, and delicate scrolls marked recipes or descriptions. The quality of both presentation and product was leagues beyond what he'd seen in the square.
Before he could take more than a few steps, a young woman with neatly tied hair and a practiced smile approached him.
"Welcome, young master. Is there anything I may help you find today?" she asked warmly.
Lin Tian took a moment to glance around the shelves before turning to her, his voice calm. "I was wondering if, by any chance, you have something called Flesh Mushrooms in stock?"
The girl's eyes lit up slightly, impressed he even knew the name. "Of course, young master, although our supply is limited. They're rather rare in this region."
That made Lin Tian pause. In his past life, Flesh Mushrooms—a peculiar species of fungi whose leathery skin resembled animal flesh—were commonplace. They grew easily, required little care, and were often found near shadowy hills or forested damp soil. Their value in body cultivation was well-known, especially during the early refinement stages.
If they were scarce here, it meant either they didn't grow naturally in this area, or they were ignored due to lack of demand. Either way, it was useful information.
"And what price are we talking about?" Lin Tian asked, his tone even.
"Ten mushrooms for one gold coin, young master."
"And how many do you have in stock?"
"One hundred units."
Lin Tian reached into his pocket and quietly counted his coin pouch. When he'd first checked his belongings after arriving, he'd found a small stash of one hundred gold coins. Not an enormous fortune—but enough to begin.
Spending ten coins at once—a tenth of his funds—might have seemed unwise to others, but to Lin Tian, the purchase was essential. These mushrooms would significantly enhance his early-stage body refinement.
"Perfect," he nodded. "I'll take them all."
The shop girl's smile widened—genuine this time. It wasn't the largest transaction the shop would make today, but it was still significant enough to earn her a decent commission.
As she turned to prepare the items, Lin Tian's gaze wandered to a nearby shelf filled with small, delicately labeled vials.
He pointed toward it. "Those elixirs—are they intended for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Gathering?"
This time, the girl leaned in slightly, clearly eager. "Yes, young master. That shelf holds our entry-level elixirs. The most popular one is the 'Low Qi Condensation Elixir.' It enhances spiritual energy absorption for a short period, making it ideal for newer cultivators." She smiled brightly. "Each unit is 100 gold coins."
Lin Tian's brows lifted ever so slightly. One hundred coins… for a single elixir meant to aid in the lowest level of cultivation?
He didn't let the shock show on his face, but inwardly, he was stunned. Even in his past life, resources for Qi cultivation had been expensive—but this was absurd. Especially considering he couldn't afford even one of them.
"Would you like to buy some?" the girl asked hopefully.
Lin Tian shook his head. "Not for now," he said, expression neutral. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "Do you carry 'Deep Purple Candles'?"
The shift in the air was palpable.
The girl froze for a half-second. Deep Purple Candles were… insect repellents. Household items, used in kitchens and farmlands. They were so cheap that even commoners kept them on hand.
To ask for such a mundane thing—especially here—was borderline insulting.
Still smiling, the girl responded with a polite tone, but Lin Tian could hear the contempt beneath the surface.
"I'm sorry, young master. We specialize in high-quality goods for cultivators. For household items, perhaps try one of the general stores nearby."
Lin Tian smiled faintly. "Of course. No problem. I'll just take the Flesh Mushrooms then."
The girl nodded and handed over the small pouch containing the mushrooms, accepting his payment with a courteous bow. With the transaction complete, Lin Tian left the shop and returned to the plaza.
He didn't stop at the fancy stalls anymore.
He visited the small shops, the humble vendors, the back corners of the market that others overlooked. He purchased basic herbs in bulk, low-grade spiritual plants, and of course—a few packs of Deep Purple Candles.
By the time he returned to his room, the sun had begun to dip low in the sky.
But Lin Tian's expression was calm, focused.
He had what he needed.
And soon, the refinement would begin.