The Young Eagle Pavilion was an imposing structure. The Spirit Training Hall alone occupied several thousand square meters, serving as the practice grounds for disciples in the Spirit Stirring Realm. At this moment, dozens of shadowy figures stood scattered throughout the spacious hall.

It was still early. The Foundation Establishment cultivator responsible for teaching techniques had not yet arrived, so the disciples gathered in small groups of twos and threes, discussing matters of interest.

Lin Xuan quietly made his way to a less crowded corner and sat down cross-legged, planning to cultivate a bit more while he had the time. Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.

“Hehe, if it isn’t Junior Brother Lin?”

“I heard you went into secluded cultivation recently. Still haven’t broken through to the second layer, have you?”

The mocking voices carried ridicule. Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly, but his expression betrayed nothing. In the eyes of mortals, cultivators possessed an immortal bearing and mystical techniques, like deities untouched by worldly concerns. But this was merely surface appearance.

The Cultivation World was even more cruel than the mortal realm, even more realistic, and far more mercenary.

The difference was that here, they didn’t speak of money—instead, strength formed the foundation of power and influence.

Whoever had the highest realm, the best magical treasures, the most ​stolen content​medicinal pills—they were the boss. Whatever they said became truth.

In three years’ time, though Lin Xuan had trained harder than anyone else, his lack of spiritual roots had left him far behind his fellow disciples. This had earned him countless cold stares.

“Hmph, just a mortal without spiritual roots. No matter how hard he tries, he can never compare to us. Rather than staying in the sect and embarrassing himself, he should sensibly return to the mortal world.”

“Exactly. Three years, and still can’t break through to the second layer of Spirit Stirring. Complete waste.”

…

Facing the mockery of his senior brothers, Lin Xuan didn’t even blink. His expression remained unchanged. They were just a few bored fools. He cast them a cold glance and walked to the other side.

He wasn’t angry—not out of weakness or fear, but because these shallow individuals simply weren’t worth it. Lin Xuan wouldn’t let a few verbal barbs affect his state of mind.

He sat down cross-legged and began absorbing spiritual energy. About half an hour passed this way until the sound of a bell rang out. The disciples who had been chatting casually immediately fell silent and lined up in formation. Lin Xuan joined the back of the formation.

A middle-aged man entered. From his appearance, he looked about forty years old, though he was certainly older. As cultivators advanced in realm, their lifespan extended and aging gradually slowed.

“Master!”

The disciples bowed respectfully. According to Drifting Cloud Valley’s rules, they had to address each instructor who taught them techniques with this title.

“My name is Zhang Yu. I will teach you the mysteries of the Spiritual Energy Shield.”

The Spiritual Energy Shield—as its name implied—meant spreading spiritual power over the body’s surface to form a protective barrier. It was the most basic defensive technique for cultivators.

The disciples immediately grew excited, whispering among themselves.

Apart from Lin Xuan, who was an ordinary person, the disciples with spiritual roots had mostly cultivated their techniques to the third or fourth layer after three years of training. Having entered the middle stage of Spirit Stirring, they could now learn some simple minor techniques.

“What’s all this noise? Silence!” Seeing the chaos below, Zhang Yu’s expression darkened.

Seeing the instructor angry, the disciples immediately fell quiet.

Next, Zhang Yu began explaining in detail how to circulate spiritual power and the critical points requiring attention. Lin Xuan listened very carefully. In truth, his current cultivation level was insufficient to wield the Spiritual Energy Shield, but by clearly memorizing the cultivation method now, he could practice it slowly later when his cultivation base was sufficient.

“Alright, practice on your own.” After explaining once, Zhang Yu left the Young Eagle Pavilion. Whether they could successfully learn ​unauthorized copy​it now depended on each disciple’s comprehension.

Lin Xuan also departed. He first returned to his dwelling—a crude little wooden hut. High-ranking cultivators all had their own cave mansions, but low-rank disciples like him had very basic living conditions.

Inside the room were only a table, a chair, and a wooden bed. Lin Xuan opened the table’s drawer and took out paper and brush, recording the Spiritual Energy Shield cultivation method he had heard today.

This had been his habit for three years. Because he lacked spiritual roots and his cultivation speed couldn’t keep pace with his fellow disciples, every time an instructor taught a technique, Lin Xuan would record what he heard. Many things he couldn’t cultivate now, he saved for future study. By writing them on paper, he wouldn’t forget.

After finishing his transcription, Lin Xuan carefully stored away the notebook filled with techniques, then headed once more to the Mind Tempering Path behind the mountain. He walked down the passage to the location where he had cultivated two days before.

The spiritual energy grew increasingly abundant. Lin Xuan stopped. This was the place. He couldn’t go any further forward. The deeper into the Mind Tempering Path one ventured, the more terrifying the illusions became.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. What appeared before his eyes was a vast white world—a thousand miles sealed in ice, ten thousand miles of drifting snow, howling cold winds.

In moments, snow buried his ankles. His entire body instantly felt frozen solid. Lin Xuan’s heart tightened. Did the illusions randomly change? Last time he had endured the agony of being burned alive; this time it had become endless bitter cold.

After a moment’s silence, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged expressionlessly in the snow and began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Soon his body froze solid. Icicles formed on Lin Xuan’s hair, but he remained ​unauthorized copy​motionless in the snow. He persisted for over twenty minutes before running out of the illusion to rest briefly. He moved his body, and once slightly recovered, immediately threw himself back into cultivation.

…

The cold wind howled furiously. Snowflakes condensed into countless sharp ice blades that flew toward Lin Xuan, yet the youth remained seated like a boulder.

Two days later, Lin Xuan stood up expressionlessly. He hesitated briefly, then continued deeper into the Mind Tempering Path. The spiritual energy purity here wasn’t sufficient. To break through the bottleneck, he needed even more refined spiritual energy. He resolutely walked toward an even more terrifying illusion…