Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

In the courtyard of the schoolhouse,

the children each held their books, eager for Mr. Xiao to sign them as a keepsake.

Naturally, Xiao Mochi couldn't refuse and signed his name one after another.

Each child bid farewell to Mr. Xiao, and the scene was filled with melancholy.

"Mr. Xiao, it's time to enter the palace and meet the Emperor,"

Eunuch Wei urged after the time it took for an incense stick to burn, his face showing some difficulty.

Xiao Mochi turned to his young students and bowed deeply. The students returned the gesture in kind.

Straightening up with a smile, Xiao Mochi turned and walked away.

Even after their teacher left, many of the students lingered, eager to have their classmates sign their books too.

Xu Ming couldn't help but feel as though he was witnessing the very first class yearbook.

Even the most feared and authoritative figure in the school—the "class bully" Xu Ming—found himself approached by a few blushing young girls who shyly asked for his signature.

"Xu Ming! Just you wait! One day, I'll beat you!"

Xiong Haizhi and his two companions stormed over, hands on their hips, and declared to Xu Ming.

Xu Ming simply smiled, "Alright, I'll be waiting."

"Hmph!" Xiong Haizhi and his companions snorted before stomping away, clearly upset.

"They say Xiong Haizhi, Li San, and Wu Wei are joining the army next year," Xu Pangda, standing beside Xu Ming, remarked.

"Next year? But they'll only be eight years old!" Qin Qingwan, counting her delicate fingers, exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes," Xu Pangda nodded. "I heard from my mother that eight is the best age to begin martial training. Children can enter the barracks to strengthen their bodies, and as sons of military officials, it's even more expected. My mother says that in Wu Nation, we can go to war at fourteen."

"..." Xu Ming watched the backs of Xiong Haizhi and his friends, momentarily silent.

The Wu Dynasty, a nation built on martial prowess, had risen to become one of the Ten Great Human Dynasties in just 250 years—not without reason.

"Let's go home."

The three of them left the schoolhouse.

Outside the courtyard, Cai Die was already waiting for them.

When they reached the gates of the Xu family estate and Qin Qingwan was about to follow Xu Ming to Xiaochun Courtyard to play, Cai Die spoke up.

"Miss, Madam and the National Preceptor are waiting for you inside. You should head back first."

"Oh… alright."

Though she looked a little disappointed, Qin Qingwan obediently followed Caidi back.

She wasn't surprised that her National Preceptor master had come to visit since he did so once or twice every month.

"Mother, Master!"

Qin Qingwan cheerfully called out as she entered the courtyard.

"Qingwan…"

Madam Qin wiped the corner of her eye before turning around, her gaze soft and red-rimmed as she looked at her daughter.

"Qingwan, come here. Your mother and the National Preceptor have something to tell you."

Meanwhile, in Xiaochun Courtyard, Chen Suya was busy in the kitchen preparing a meal, while Xu Ming practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard.

[Sword Qi +3, Sword Intent +3]

[Sword Qi +3, Sword Intent +3]

Each time Xu Ming performed a stance, he gained attribute points.

As his Sword Qi and Sword Intent gradually increased, Xu Ming felt the peachwood sword becoming even more natural in his grip—a subtle, almost mystical sensation.

He even felt as though he could hear the peachwood sword's "voice."

A gust of wind blew, and a leaf floated down, drifting perfectly in front of Xu Ming.

Feeling something stir within him, Xu Ming lightly slashed with the peachwood sword.

The sword didn't touch the leaf, yet the leaf split cleanly into two halves.

"This is Sword Qi?" Xu Ming muttered in astonishment.

Compared to the tens of thousands of points of Haoran Qi he had accumulated over the past year—still utterly useless—this newfound ability felt far more tangible.

Despite having only a few dozen points of Sword Qi, its effects were already this impressive.

Xu Ming couldn't even imagine what it would be like if his Sword Qi and Sword Intent reached tens of thousands of points.

After lunch, his mother went to her room for a nap, while Xu Ming continued practicing the Bingyang Sword Technique. Meanwhile, the Tianxuan Goose lay curled up in its nest, asleep.

Xu Ming didn't know if the goose had simply given up on life or what. For the past month, it had been sleeping at least seven to eight hours every day—which translated to fourteen or sixteen hours total. Aside from eating, all it did was sleep. It seemed perpetually lethargic and looked utterly exhausted.

[T/N: The Author might have miscalculated it.]

At first, Xu Ming thought it was sick and had asked Sister Chunyan to invite a veterinarian to take a look.

However, even the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong. In the end, Qin Qingwan, deeply concerned, asked her National Preceptor master to diagnose the goose.

The National Preceptor simply smiled faintly and said, "It's fine. No need to worry about it."

After that, Xu Ming stopped paying attention to it.

Just as Xu Ming finally completed an entire run of the Bingyang Sword Technique, he suddenly felt his entire body tremble.

It was as though a warm current flowed through his meridians, an unbelievably blissful sensation—like the world's greatest masseur giving him a full-body spa, but a hundred times more comfortable!

When the warm current passed through, Xu Ming snapped back to his senses, only to realize his body was drenched in sweat. His body felt noticeably lighter, and his dantian emitted a soothing warmth.

"What just happened?"

Xu Ming closed his eyes and examined his dantian, where he saw a tiny sapling glowing faintly with soft light.

[You have stepped into the Qi Gathering Realm.]

The moment the words appeared in Xu Ming's mind, he froze.

"Qi Gathering Realm? Did I… finally set foot on the path of cultivation?"

[T/N: Qi Entry=Qi Gathering Realm.]

Xu Ming decided to test the power of the Qi Gathering Realm.

He walked over to the Tianxuan Goose's nest, plucked two of its feathers, and placed them two meters away. He swung his sword, but the feathers remained untouched.

Adjusting the distance, Xu Ming continued testing. Finally, when the sword tip was half a meter away, the sword's Sword Qi managed to slice through the goose feathers.

As for his strength, Xu Ming didn't feel any noticeable increase. His speed didn't seem to improve much either. "That's odd," Xu Ming muttered, rubbing his chin.

His Sword Qi had clearly improved. Even in the Qi Gathering Realm, shouldn't there be some increase in strength and speed?

Xu Ming guessed that it might have something to do with the Bingyang Sword Technique. The technique could channel spiritual energy, so stepping into the Qi Gathering Realm probably boosted his spiritual energy, indirectly enhancing the sword technique's power.

However, Xu Ming hadn't learned any other spells or techniques to apply spiritual energy to himself directly.

"I need to find some simple techniques to learn…" Xu Ming thought to himself.

As for the Heavenly Mystic Manual? Xu Ming had spent over a year trying to memorize it and still couldn't retain a single word. It was as if the manual had some mysterious ability that made him forget it immediately after reading.

Now the problem was, how could he find some basic spells to learn?

"Brother Ming!"

Just as Xu Ming was racking his brain, Qin Qingwan came running into the courtyard.

She stood in front of Xu Ming, her eyes red and swollen, her nose flushed, as though she had just cried her heart out.

"What's wrong?" Xu Ming asked, gently holding Qin Qingwan's small hand.

"Brother Ming…" Qin Qingwan's voice trembled as she looked at him, her nose twitching.

"Let's elope together!"