Chapter 457: What is Body Cultivation
With the written exam completed, what follows is an interview involving a test of attributes.
The interview will be conducted by a group of instructors who require teaching assistants for supplementary education, so the number of instructors during the interview can vary significantly, ranging from a few to dozens.
Facing the pressure of extraordinary mentors head-on is quite daunting, not to mention encountering a dozen or more at once.
The purpose of the interview is, naturally, to find students suitable to become teaching assistants.
In principle, this interview adheres to a dual selection process for both teaching assistants and mentors, but in reality, this is rarely achievable. If it were, there would likely be other transactional exchanges involved, unless the candidate is exceptional enough to warrant competition among mentors, but that would then turn into a “war” between them.
Well, capable individuals are sought after wherever they go. If one only seeks to become a teaching assistant for the benefits it brings, they would likely encounter obstacles everywhere.
After the written exam, I went to see Sister Bai.
Of course, my visit to Sister Bai wasn’t solely about seeing her; I also wanted to learn about body techniques and body cultivation.
In fact, the first three years of the Witch Academy’s teaching cover body techniques, but it’s clear that this less popular subject isn’t taught in the first year.
Moreover, Sister Bai has explicitly stated that body techniques and body cultivation are not the same.
Body cultivation is a complete extraordinary system akin to that of a spellcaster, while body techniques are akin to a spell used by spellcasters, being a branch of that system.
By the next day, the written exam results were released, and there were no perfect scores, which was no surprise to me because this is my level.
Based on my speculation, it should be the open-ended questions in the later part that caused point deductions. Unless the answers are flawless and provide constructive proposals, full marks are rarely awarded.
After all, I still lack considerable knowledge and can’t answer such questions perfectly. Whenever the topics fall outside my experience or established knowledge system, I am left in a daze. Fortunately, this time’s written exam didn’t include any outrageous open-ended questions.
At this moment, in the body cultivation room.
The body cultivation room is different from the profit-driven body technique training centers I had encountered before; its primary purpose is for educational use, and its nature is quite different.
I originally thought that this body cultivation room would be filled with muscular women passionately practicing body techniques, but upon arrival, I discovered that it was not designed that way from the beginning.
Compared to the athletic style of the body technique centers I previously visited, this place felt more like a retreat, with limited open space and mostly enclosed areas that are isolated from disturbances.
Now, Sister Bai casually led me into an unoccupied body cultivation room. As we walked down the corridor, I noticed that the body cultivation rooms are very close to each other, and I felt the spaciousness within each room; the interior space is definitely larger than it appears from the outside.
So, it seems the Witch Academy does enjoy employing spatial extraordinary methods, but setting aside aspects like technique and consumption, this method is indeed convenient.
“Xiao Han, take this card. With it, you can freely use the body cultivation rooms here.”
“Huh?” I took the card from Sister Bai; it’s the instructor’s permission card. “But Sister Bai, doesn’t that mean…”
“This card is redundant for extraordinary witches. It’s just a formality. My presence here is more useful than this card, so don’t worry about it, just use it,” Bai Yu explained, her tone assuring me to use it freely.
“Okay, then I shall respectfully follow your command!” I put the permission card away, and before entering this body cultivation room, my gaze glanced at other closed body cultivation rooms.
From the usage rate of the body cultivation rooms in this corridor, it was clear that there are not many people here.
Upon entering the body cultivation room, the space was just as large as I had anticipated.
“Just take good care of what I gave you.” At this moment, Sister Bai quickly walked to the center of the entire body cultivation room, which resembled a massive enclosed fighting arena.
“Xiao Han, didn’t you ask me yesterday what body cultivation is?”
“Yes.” I nodded repeatedly. After the written exam yesterday, I sought out Sister Bai to gain a deeper understanding of body techniques and body cultivation. With Sister Bai present, it saved me the trouble of searching the library myself.
“Actually, even before I graduated and left the main world, I was curious about what body cultivation really is. Is it just simple body technique practice? Physical exercise? Internal organ cultivation? Fascia training? Five senses cultivation?”
“These are all aspects, but none of them are entirely accurate.” At this point, Bai Yu let out a slight sigh, “If these define body cultivation, then that view is too narrow. After I stepped out of the main world and witnessed the myriad beings in the void, I learned that humans, witches, elves, and demons are merely a part of the void’s creatures. Some races have bodies that could be compared to mountains from birth; their physical qualities might be our endpoints that we could never reach in a lifetime.”
“However, body cultivation is a universally recognized extraordinary power system for practice and advancement among the myriad beings of the void. But considering the different constructions of bodies across races, according to our established perception of body cultivation, it should be a complete joke.”
“But in reality, it is entirely different. Xiao Han, do you think physical strength is important in body cultivation?”
“Um… it should be quite important…”
“That’s half correct. The feeling of strength is merely an external manifestation of body cultivation in its early stages; it reflects the most superficial awareness and use of one’s own body. Body techniques only assist a person in understanding body cultivation and using their physical form.”
Speaking of which, Sister Bai suddenly changed her tone, “But body techniques should never be idolized or turned into a belief tied to a person’s will. Practicing body techniques should not lead to deifying it as a belief; it should be a temporary tool rather than becoming an individual’s determination to embark on the path of body cultivation.”
“Huh? What does this mean?” I asked curiously, unsure why Sister Bai suddenly issued this warning when I hadn’t even practiced any body techniques.
“Oh, my apologies… It was just something I felt based on what I encountered outside the main world.” Bai Yu realized her abruptness and hurriedly explained, “I encountered a group of practitioners of body techniques outside the main world. Not just one, but many. They deified their own body techniques and believed that the skills and movements used to develop physical strength contain the principles of heaven and earth, providing them with the power to explain everything. This allowed them to take shortcuts in the early stages, but once they reached a certain realm, they made no progress in body cultivation, essentially cutting off their own path.”
“Uh… there are people like that?”
“Yes, there are quite a few. One of the main reasons for this phenomenon lies in the concept of realms within the body cultivation system. Because those individuals belong to isolated worlds where much is discovered independently, countless interpretations of body cultivation realms emerge. They treat those interpretations as unwavering paths, yet among those, some are correct, and some are barely usable.”
“In truth, this kind of imaginative exploration is completely fine for interpreting the essence of the extraordinary because how one interprets the extraordinary will correspond to the understanding and concept systems of that extraordinary. However, body cultivation itself is a pathway exploring the extraordinary; it does not allow for such freedom. Assuming things without due consideration will lead to irreparable damage.”
“Remember, body techniques are merely a stage-specific tool for progressing along the road of body cultivation. They provide life with the impetus to explore forward and the strength to break through obstacles.”
“I know this, just like one cannot be blinded by power when exploring the extraordinary.” I quickly spoke up.
“That’s roughly the meaning.” Sister Bai nodded, indicating it’s close enough.
“So what exactly is body cultivation? Since the disparity in power among races is absolute, how is it that so many races recognize this power system?” I continued to inquire, despite Sister Bai having shared a lot with me, I still hadn’t arrived at a clear, comprehensible answer. All I had was a relatively vague concept and framework.
“Then let me ask you in return, what exactly is the extraordinary path of spellcasters? What constitutes the framework and foundation of this extraordinary system?”
“Uh… mental power?” I tentatively replied.
After all, mental power is absolutely critical; otherwise, the Witch Academy wouldn’t emphasize teaching the Witch Meditation Method to enhance and refine mental power. It’s not just about having students’ mental power sufficient to wield magic.
“To be more precise, it’s mental power perception. Mental power and… mental power perception form the most crucial foundation for spellcasters. Any spells, such as divine arts or magic, are based on this foundation, and perception means observation. If you can observe it, you can interfere; if you can interfere, you can master it; if you can master it, you can control it.”
“Perception is the only means of exploring the extraordinary. Regardless of what it is, the first instinct of life towards the external world is perception; body cultivation is the same. What is the perception in body cultivation? The most direct form is the five senses. Life forms of the void all rely upon these five types of perception. That is, innate perception does not exceed these five; it can only be fewer, and generally speaking, seldom more.”
“The most fundamental body cultivation is also called body sensation perception cultivation. Regardless of race or the innate number of senses, the preparation phase for body cultivation begins with cultivating the five senses.”
“We witches, humans, and many other races—most of the life forms in the void—are innately equipped with all five senses. The emergence and spread of the body cultivation system have fostered natural selection, meaning that the vast majority of races in the void are predominantly complete with all five senses.”
“It can be said that to this day, races with fewer than five senses are mostly unrelated to body cultivation; they are more focused on other extraordinary systems and do not need to endure the natural selection imposed by the body cultivation system.”
“So, returning to the earlier question, what is body cultivation? If a spellcaster utilizes mental power, which is external to the body, as perception, then body cultivation is the ultimate development of one’s own five senses perception, comparable to a mental power system that resembles a bug, leveraging five senses perception to observe, interfere, master, and control the extraordinary! This is the essence of body cultivation, not merely physical power, and certainly not Qi strength. These are merely methods grasped in the stages of body cultivation, products attached to body cultivation.”
Sister Bai here explained the nature of body cultivation in a way that was easy for me to grasp.
This indeed provided me with substantial inspiration. These are pieces of knowledge I hadn’t previously understood, and these concepts are equally so.
They are profoundly complex, and they are certainly unfriendly to anyone embarking on the path of body cultivation. Yet extraordinary concepts—explaining the magic cultivation process—are not simpler than Sister Bai’s explanation of body cultivation.
However, regardless of how complicated the explanations may be, it all needs to return to one fundamental matter: “What exactly should be done.”
Previously, Sister Bai had me use the body refinement ring coupled with the corresponding ritual dance to enhance my physical qualities. The essence of this is to strengthen my physical qualities; only when the foundation is strong will everything else become simpler.
To cultivate the perception of the body, understanding and controlling it is essential.
Thus, to embark on the path of body cultivation, one must use body techniques, relying on the actual practice of body techniques to train the body, control limbs, perceive oneself, activate thinking, and understand the essence. This is achieved indirectly through physical actions, allowing one’s instinct to understand every application of the body, reaching a pleasant control and mastery of it.
Because of this, some individuals can also step into the realm of body cultivation through sheer training. It’s not that their minds remember, but rather their bodies do. However, this approach is destined not to be long-lasting.
My advantage in self-awakened body cultivation has been evident from the start—my understanding of the essence of life and the experience of every function in my body, enhanced by numerous opportunities and coincidences, with external causations like the Grand Wisdom Enlightenment Spell and the unity of knowledge and action driving all this to happen.
This has shaped an irreplaceable self-awakened body cultivation.
I am already a treasure trove with wide-open gates; my superficial applications are simply the limits that others can reach.
But now, using Sister Bai’s words, I am currently utilizing this self-awakened body cultivation in such a crude manner that it feels like a waste.
To that… I also feel quite embarrassed, but I indeed do not have the energy to focus too much on body cultivation…
Moreover… I am still a new student!
I have never felt that being a new student could be such a useful excuse.
“Then… after I embark on the path of body cultivation, what should I do? Should I also practice a body technique?”
“Practicing body techniques is essential. Body techniques cover many aspects—offensive, defensive, speed-oriented, etc. They play a significant role in enhancing your current level of ability. You may not need strength, but you can’t be without it, understand? You are always living in a complex society; even in an academy with less competition, the weight of power still needs to be acknowledged.”
“I understand, I understand! So… does Sister Bai have any recommendations?” I curiously asked, as it felt great to have Sister Bai, so I wouldn’t mind skipping the detours.
“I do have some recommendations, but there’s no rush. Let’s discuss some other practices of body cultivation first. The path of body cultivation is far from being a monotonous endeavor limited to body techniques. There are many other aspects, such as daily five senses training, using potions and medicinal baths to refine the body, nurturing internal organs and bodily systems, as well as theoretical explanations of the body’s organ structures, among others.”
“That… is there really that much?”
“Of course! A complete set of body cultivation systems is no less than the meditation, spell practice, mastery of spell techniques, rune literature, ritual deconstruction, and spell composition involved in magic cultivation.”
“Furthermore, body cultivation is relatively niche within the Witch Academy, so there’s quite a bit to learn. Typically, there are many students studying magic cultivation, providing a degree of mutual enhancement and support, along with a complete framework and disassembly process, making it seem simpler. However, a powerful spellcaster would delve into these as well, so theoretically, there’s no superiority between body cultivation and magic cultivation.”
“So, it seems… that makes sense, but I feel like my time isn’t sufficient…”
“Just plan your time wisely. Reasonable time management doesn’t mean to use every second to the fullest; rather, it’s about knowing when to make sacrifices. Xiao Han, don’t make your life overly burdensome, okay?”
“…Alright.”
