Chapter 109.1 : Relieving Worries and Solving Troubles (Part 1)
Hearing this, Chu Ge nodded.
The path of cultivation, after passing through the initial stage of tempering the physical body, moves on to drawing spiritual energy into the body.
Once the spiritual power within has accumulated to a sufficient level, one may attempt to condense a spirit seed.
When the spirit seed is formed, one enters the Second Heaven.
Cultivators at this realm already possess fairly abundant spiritual power and can begin to use it in combat.
Moreover, the spirit seed has the ability to autonomously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and convert it into the cultivator's own power.
There is no longer any need, as in the First Heaven, to bitterly breathe in and out the spiritual energy of the world day after day, calculating every wisp of power with extreme care, for fear that careless use might hinder one's cultivation.
Cultivation in the Second Heaven is closely tied to the spirit seed itself.
By continuously nurturing and tempering the spirit seed, it grows stronger.
During this process of growth, the speed at which it absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as the efficiency with which it converts that energy into spiritual power, will increase along with the number of refinements.
Each completed cycle of refinement is called one "turn" of the spirit seed.
Progress in this realm may be fast or slow, depending on the individual.
After nine rounds of nurturing and refinement, the spirit seed can break through to the next realm.
One turn is early stage, three turns middle stage, six turns late stage, and nine turns marks the perfection of the Second Heaven, at which point one may attempt to advance.
However, a spirit seed with only nine turns can only be considered low-grade.
Eighteen turns make it mid-grade.
Thirty-six turns elevate it to high-grade.
Yet not everyone can achieve a high-grade spirit seed.
This is limited by one's innate aptitude and by available resources.
The speed of nurturing and refining a spirit seed is not constant—the more refinements completed, the slower the process becomes.
For those with average aptitude, after refining the spirit seed a few rounds, progress becomes difficult. They must rely on slow, painstaking effort, tempering it day and night without rest.
Those with exceptional aptitude, on the other hand, can refine their spirit seeds ten or twenty rounds without feeling it overly burdensome.
Thus, most ordinary independent cultivators choose to break through once they reach nine turns.
It is not that they do not desire a higher-grade spirit seed. Rather, first, their aptitude limits them; and second, they simply do not possess the resources to invest further.
For a cultivator of humble background and average aptitude, demanding that they pour vast resources into achieving a mid-grade or even high-grade spirit seed is truly unreasonable.
Among ordinary cultivators, those who can reach eighteen turns and achieve a mid-grade spirit seed are already exceedingly rare.
As for thirty-six turns, such individuals can truly be called dragons among men.
Beyond these common low, mid, and high grades, there also exist spirit seed types that transcend these classifications altogether.
Without exception, only those of extraordinary talent can even hope to touch such a level.
For an ordinary cultivator, being able to steadily complete nine turns of the spirit seed is already a remarkable achievement.
The anomalous spirit seeds condensed by the Lu sisters were formed through a combination of their own constitutions and the spiritual materials Chu Ge had previously given them.
Their effectiveness far surpassed that of even high-grade spirit seeds.
Even among heaven's chosen who possess King Bodies, condensing an anomalous spirit seed is by no means easy.
Though they had borrowed the power of external resources, completing the condensation of an anomalous spirit seed in such a short time was more than enough to prove that the two sisters' aptitudes were anything but ordinary.
"Just making full use of things, that's all. The main reason is still the exceptional talent of you two junior sisters—otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to condense anomalous spirit seeds."
Chu Ge smiled faintly, not attributing the sisters' achievements solely to himself.
"To celebrate the breakthrough in cultivation of you two junior sisters, this senior brother also has a small gift for you."
At these words, the emotions of both sisters were instantly stirred.
Joy and curiosity surged uncontrollably in their hearts.
Lu Tingni couldn't help but move closer to Chu Ge. Very naturally, she hooked one of his arms and pulled it into her embrace.
"Senior Brother, what kind of gift is it?"
As she spoke, she even began to shake the arm she was holding against her chest.
A warm, soft, delicate sensation traveled up his arm, causing Chu Ge's heart to sway involuntarily.