Realms of Spiritual cultivation

Scene 1 – Six Months of Progress

Six months had passed since Li Feng began his structured training.

During the day, he strengthened his body. His exercises had evolved beyond simple push-ups and squats. Now, he practiced balance, flexibility, and explosive movement—training his body to react as quickly as his mind.

At night, he meditated.

His experiments with spiritual cultivation had yielded promising results. Using the meditation method Old Lin had given him as a foundation, he had refined his approach, shaping it into something more suited to his needs.

The results were undeniable.

His perception had sharpened. He could hear subtle changes in the wind, sense the emotions of those around him with greater clarity, and even predict movements based on microexpressions.

But his true breakthrough came when he began to grasp the realms of spiritual cultivation.

Scene 2 – The Cost of Cultivation

Li Feng had learned something important over these months—cultivation was expensive.

The basic cultivation method used by commoners wasn't a secret, but it wasn't free either. Copies of the "Basic Soul Power Refinement Method" could be purchased from traveling merchants or in larger towns for around ten silver coins.

For a noble or a wealthy merchant, this was nothing.

For a farmer in Willow Shade Village, it was half a year's worth of savings.

This was why most villagers never even attempted cultivation. Even if a child had innate soul power, they couldn't afford the method to train it.

And even if they did manage to scrape together the money, the method itself was crude. It only provided the bare minimum framework for absorbing soul power, with no guidance on refining it efficiently.

No wonder commoners never stood a chance against nobles who had access to better resources.

But even if someone obtained the method, there was still another cost—the medicinal bath.

Most cultivation techniques recommended using herbal baths to strengthen the body, purify impurities, and make absorption of soul power more efficient.

But a single medicinal bath required ingredients that cost at least twenty silver coins for the cheapest herbs. A full month's worth of baths could cost a gold coin—an impossible price for most farmers.

Without medicinal baths, cultivating was far slower and more painful. The body would resist the influx of soul power, leading to internal injuries over time.

This was why nobles and academy-trained soul masters advanced so quickly. They had access to high-quality herbal baths and elixirs that refined their bodies from the start.

Li Feng clenched his fists.

The entire system was designed to keep commoners weak.

His spiritual cultivation method might be the key. Unlike the traditional soul power methods, spiritual meditation didn't require expensive herbs or external resources—just discipline and practice.

If he could refine it and make it accessible, it might give commoners an alternative path to strength.

But first, he had to reach the next realm himself.

Scene 3 – Understanding the Realms of Spiritual Cultivation

Through trial and error, Li Feng had identified the first three realms of spiritual cultivation:

1. The Ripple Realm

This was the starting point, where the spiritual sea was weak, like a still pond. When one meditated, the mind would ripple, responding to external influences.

Most people lived their entire lives in this state—reacting to emotions, instincts, and soul power fluctuations without control.

Before he started training, he had been stuck in this realm. His thoughts were scattered, easily influenced by fatigue and emotions.

2. The Flowing Realm

After months of practice, Li Feng had broken past the Ripple Realm and entered the Flowing Realm.

Here, the spiritual sea was no longer stagnant. It moved like a steady current, no longer disrupted by every minor disturbance.

His mind was sharper, his thoughts more structured. When he meditated, distractions faded faster, and his spiritual sense could extend beyond his physical body for brief moments.

This was where he currently stood.

But he had already glimpsed the next realm.

3. The Still Lake Realm

In this realm, the spiritual sea would become vast, deep, and undisturbed. No external influence could shake the cultivator's focus.

Theoretically, this was the foundation needed to resist powerful mental attacks—just like how Tang San's Purple Demon Eye had allowed him to withstand a ten-thousand-year soul beast's soul shock.

Li Feng suspected that this was where true soul masters began to stand apart from ordinary cultivators. With a mind as calm as a still lake, one could process thoughts faster, react to danger more efficiently, and wield spiritual power with precision.

But breaking through wouldn't be easy.

He had trained his mind for six months, yet he had only scratched the surface.

Still, his goal remained clear—before awakening his martial soul, he had to reach the Still Lake Realm.

If his theory was correct, then cultivating his spiritual sea before awakening would give him a stronger foundation than any other soul master.

But there was still much to learn.

Scene 4 – The Truth About Innate Soul Power

Li Feng had also begun to question one of the fundamental beliefs of soul masters—the concept of innate soul power.

Spirit Hall's awakening ceremonies measured how much soul power a child was born with. A rating of one to ten determined their starting talent.

But what about those with zero innate soul power?

Conventional wisdom said they could never cultivate. But after six months of experimenting with his own body, Li Feng had reached a different conclusion.

Innate soul power wasn't actually zero—it just existed in minuscule amounts.

The awakening ceremony's purpose wasn't to determine whether someone had soul power, but rather, to measure how fast they could cultivate.

A rating of zero simply meant the soul power was so faint that normal methods couldn't detect or cultivate it effectively.

But what if there was another way?

His spiritual cultivation experiments had already shown results. His soul power wasn't increasing in the traditional sense, but he could feel an unseen energy strengthening his mind.

What if people with zero innate soul power weren't actually talentless?

What if they just needed a different method to awaken their potential?

This thought excited him. If he was right, then everything Spirit Hall and the noble clans believed about cultivation was flawed.

It meant that anyone—no matter their background—could become strong.

He just had to prove it.

Scene 5 – Contemplating the Future

Li Feng sat beneath a willow tree, gazing at the moonlit sky.

His thoughts drifted to the future.

Would others be able to follow this path? Could ordinary people, even those without innate soul power, train their spiritual sea to unlock new possibilities?

He didn't have the answers yet, but he would find them.

For now, he would keep pushing forward.

Tomorrow, he would meditate again.

Tomorrow, he would inch closer to the Still Lake Realm.

And one day… he would shatter the limits of this world.