The Uncanny Cultivation Method

Chapter 3 

The unorthodox path diverges greatly from the orthodox.

Orthodox cultivation follows the mainstream practice of absorbing heaven and earth's spiritual energy to advance. In contrast, unorthodox methods vary wildly—some gather worldly fortune, some harness feng shui energies, others refine human "medicines," and some absorb exotic spiritual forces.

The Spirit-Building Fetus-Exchange Mystic Method focused on divine souls and the utilization of faith offerings.

A jade slip lay spread on the table. Though midnight approached, Changmeng studied by candlelight, sleepless.

Each character inscribed within the slip imprinted itself upon his mind, gradually forming intricate mental diagrams. Yet, the more he read, the more disturbed he became—this method was clearly not ordinary.

Its opening passage declared:

"Gather spirit to become immortal. Immortal mysteries transcend form and substance, shifting with intent. Divine consciousness suspends beyond heaven, will permeates creation. Mortals see not their forms, hear not their names, grasp not their truths—yet dare impose assumptions upon their beings."

What nonsense!

Was this level of cryptic prose standard in cultivation manuals? Or was this particular method unique in its obscurity?

Still, beneath the convoluted language, the core ambition was clear—this method directly pursued true immortality.

As he read further, he realized the prologue mattered little. What truly counted was the methodology itself.

Though fragmented, the sections covering Qi Refining up to Golden Core remained largely intact. However, due to the nature of jade slips, Changmeng could only access the Qi Refining portion. The more advanced realms were locked, requiring his cultivation to progress before he could view them.

This practice was common among cultivation masters—spreading their techniques while restricting advanced knowledge until disciples reached the appropriate stage.

It explained Baiyun Daoist's motives. By ensuring Changmeng reached Qi Refining first, the Daoist could later explore and interpret the method alongside him.

"At the Qi Refining stage, after awakening spiritual light, bind the golden body to form the Life Spirit Embryo… The embryo then cultivates autonomously, nourishing the practitioner."

An automatic cultivation method?

Even at a glance, this raised alarms. The idea of creating a Life Spirit Embryo to cultivate on one's behalf was revolutionary. It promised efficiency—allowing one to focus on other pursuits while the embryo refined itself. Moreover, if executed properly, dual cultivation with the embryo could exponentially accelerate progress.

Yet, every advantage carried a price.

The practitioner's life force would become inextricably linked to the embryo. More importantly, the embryo required faith offerings to sustain itself. Without enough worship, cultivation would destabilize, necessitating additional methods to maintain progress.

This meant Changmeng's time at Baiyun Temple would be brief. Once he sensed spiritual energy and awakened his spiritual light, he would need to descend the mountain to gather faith.

More concerning, however, were the side effects—physical mutations termed Divine Manifestations.

Faith energy, while powerful, was inherently toxic to most non-devotional cultivators. The Spirit-Building Method deliberately amplified these mutations, extracting supernatural abilities from controlled deification.

"Essentially god-making," Changmeng realized. "Design a deity image matching the desired powers, spread corresponding legends, then let mortal worship shape both the embryo and myself."

The Qi Refining chapter provided sample deity templates:

Three-Headed Six-Armed Embryo

Third Eye Divine Light Embryo

Treasure Fortune Embryo

True Dragon Embryo

Yet none of these appealed to him. Why should he rely on preset forms? Why not draw inspiration from his past life's mythology?

Most faith cultivators used standardized templates. Those who attempted custom designs often failed, devolving into monstrous spirits. However, Changmeng possessed knowledge of fully realized god archetypes from his previous world—Pangu, Nüwa, Fuxi...

"Pangu it is," he decided. "Li Changmeng, the one who splits heaven and earth, manifests myriad forms, and brings salvation to suffering souls."

Well, perhaps he should scale it down a bit for Qi Refining.

Yes—a humanoid creator deity, powerful but without excessive mutations. The perfect blueprint.

With his divine concept settled, only two steps remained: awakening his spiritual energy and forming the embryo.

Blowing out the flickering candle, Changmeng collapsed onto his bed. Spiritual sensing would require a fresh, focused mind.

His eight-year-old body had reached its limit.

Sleep claimed him instantly.