For a time, there was no reaction, but Lei Dong was not discouraged. He simply continued to take deep breaths to clear the clutter from his mind, and gradually, the entire person seemed to merge with the jade slip. The information within the slip then presented itself to Lei Dong’s mind in orderly succession. The jade slip not only recorded the uses of the items in this beginner’s box but also listed a series of detailed Sect Rules.

Perhaps others might casually disregard those rules, but Lei Dong read them word for word, as if intending to engrave them into his memory.

After a long while, Lei Dong released the jade slip, feeling utterly exhausted. Reading the information within was a significant drain on his spiritual energy, especially since his cultivation had not yet begun. However, the harvest was not insignificant; apart from the rules, Lei Dong now understood the purpose of the objects before him. For instance, the black uniform was, in a sense, a magical artifact; when worn, it naturally offered protection against dust and grime. Furthermore, it possessed some defensive capabilities, capable of warding off attacks from ordinary swords used by common folk.

Such clothing, in the world of mortals, would be considered a treasure. But here, only new disciples like Lei Dong, who were utterly destitute, would use it.

Next was a belt, neither gold nor jade, but exquisitely crafted. According to the jade slip, this was a storage belt, containing a space of about one cubic meter. However, it was the most rudimentary, extremely low-grade storage belt, only capable of holding small odds and ends.

Additionally, there was a small sword, dark green and dagger-like, an ink-black waist pendant, and a small bottle of pills. Looking first at the waist pendant, it was finely made, featuring ferocious relief carvings, with the characters Yin Sha Sect inscribed upon it. The primary function of this pendant was identity verification. Throughout the entire range of the Yin Sha Sect, there were many restricted areas accessible only to disciples of specific ranks. The restrictions would test the access permissions of any entering disciple’s pendant and check if it matched their own spiritual sense. If even one detail was mismatched, the restriction would immediately activate, causing considerable distress.

What truly captivated Lei Dong, however, was the small, dark green sword. On the martial arts arena, Lei Dong had long coveted the incredibly potent, sinister, and ruthless Ethereal Fire Sword he witnessed others using. It was slightly regrettable, though, that this entry-level small sword was merely an ordinary Low-Grade magical artifact. Its power was nowhere comparable to the Ethereal Fire Swords wielded by the seniors he had seen on the stage.

From the jade slip, he also learned that there were several avenues to obtain better magical artifacts and items. The most primitive method was self-refinement. But self-refinement demanded an immense amount of time spent mastering too many related skills, thus delaying actual cultivation. Most people opted for trade to acquire what they desired. Moreover, one could complete various Sect missions to earn a certain amount of Sect Contribution Points, which could then be used to exchange for desired magical artifacts and elixirs from the Sect. Naturally, more difficult tasks yielded higher contributions. Better artifacts and elixirs naturally required a greater number of contribution points for redemption. This was also an incentive mechanism adopted by the Yin Sha Sect, encouraging disciples to actively serve the sect and continuously strengthen themselves.

Finally, the bottle contained ten Minor Yuan Nurturing Pills, used to consolidate the foundation, nurture the vital essence, and cultivate true Qi. According to the jade slip, as long as one's aptitude wasn't exceptionally poor or pathologically lazy, these ten Minor Yuan Nurturing Pills, combined with one year’s time, were sufficient for a newly admitted disciple to reach the first layer of the Qi Refining stage.

Aside from the items listed above, the jade slip concluded with a cultivation technique titled "The Introductory Chapter of the Profound Yin Heart Method," spanning roughly ten thousand characters, its content obscure and difficult to fathom. Fortunately, it also included a three-dimensional cultivation animation. In it, a completely nude, seated male figure was shown absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into pure internal essence, which then ceaselessly traversed the meridians within the body, ultimately forming a grand circulation. With this perpetually looping animation, the entire cultivation process suddenly became vividly clear.

The Introductory Chapter of the Profound Yin Heart Method draws the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, cleansing the marrow and strengthening the physique. Upon mastering this technique, one can unblock the Ren and Du meridians, forming an inexhaustible, endlessly circulating source of power within the body. The physique thereby transitions from Post-Heaven to Pre-Heaven, solidly laying the foundation for stepping onto the path of immortality in the future. Upon crossing into the Pre-Heaven state, this stage is known as the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, one must not underestimate the process from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment; countless cultivators spend their entire lives failing to complete this path smoothly. Only by entering the Foundation Establishment stage can one truly be called an immortal cultivator, with lifespan subsequently surging to one hundred and fifty years.

Having obtained the Introductory Chapter of the Profound Yin Heart Method, Lei Dong did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he spent three days committing the entire text to memory, ensuring every sentence was firmly lodged in his mind. Yet, despite constantly pondering the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, what he could truly comprehend was still less than one-tenth of its entirety. Fortunately, the current level of understanding did not hinder him from tentatively exploring the cultivation of the first layer of the technique.

After a good night's sleep, and after finishing his meal the next day, he bathed, burned incense, and adjusted his state to its peak. Only then did he sit cross-legged in the cultivation chamber, beginning to attempt cultivation according to the Profound Yin Heart Sutra and the animation.

According to the technique, the first to the twelfth layers of the Qi Refining stage correspond to the twelve major acupoints of the human body. Each opened major acupoint signifies a layer advancement in the technique, continuing until the peak of the Qi Refining stage, after which one must assault the thirteenth acupoint. Success in this final breakthrough leads to the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, even the tallest tower begins with a single brick; to open the first acupoint, one must first accumulate a certain degree of true Qi.

The entire area where the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave is located sits atop a massive spiritual vein. Cultivating on a spiritual vein typically doubles the efficiency. Breathing technique cultivation is an extremely monotonous affair. Each time absorbing Qi, one must draw the surrounding air deeply into the lungs, then hold their breath, using visualization to guide the Qi down toward the Dantian. Subsequently, a faint wisp of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is retained in the Dantian, while the turbid air is expelled. This is a profound and mystical method, yet it remains the indispensable path for the vast majority of cultivators.

Even when cultivating on this relatively excellent spiritual vein, the spiritual energy contained within each breath and exhalation was incredibly minute. It was like panning for gold in sand; one had to expend massive effort washing away countless grains of sediment just to occasionally uncover that small, dazzling spark of brilliance.

After several hours of breathing exercises, Lei Dong still couldn't perceive the mystical sense of Qi described by the technique, causing his mood to become somewhat restless. His crossed legs had gone numb and had to be shifted over a dozen times. Moreover, his vital energy, spirit, and essence felt extremely depleted. Perseverance is certainly a virtue, but Lei Dong, having transmigrated, understood deeper truths: cultivation is not something that can be rushed; haste makes waste.

He heavily exhaled a lungful of stale air, stood up, and took a bath. The subsequent time was spent lying down, reflecting on the gains and losses of his cultivation efforts that day, or perhaps perusing strange anecdotes and records.

Waking up the next day, whether it was an illusion or not, his spirit felt more invigorated than usual. Once again, he bathed and burned incense, letting his concentration settle, striving to eliminate all distracting thoughts. However, after several hours, it seemed he had achieved nothing again, and mounting restlessness prevented him from focusing. Lei Dong immediately gave up and resumed his process of relaxation and contemplation.

This routine continued for half a month. Sitting cross-legged in the cultivation chamber, Lei Dong’s eyes were tightly shut, his expression serene. Each breath was long and steady. His consciousness seemed to have settled entirely into the process of breathing exercises. In his mind, he visualized the breath just drawn into his lungs seemingly descending towards the Dantian through his chest and lungs, following his will in an extremely slow manner.

The Dantian, originally an acupoint, is also an excellent vessel within the human body. Once this breath settled into the Dantian, the entire area seemed to swell up instantly.