Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 94: Handbook: Cultivation Methods

Chapter 94: Handbook: Cultivation Methods

Jun Wu Xiao was contemplating the content he would write in the book, and first, he wanted to think of a name. He thought:

"What should I name this book? Something simple and easy to understand, but it must be to the point. Let’s call it ’Cultivation Methods’. As for the content, what should I write about? Though the things I’ve experienced over the years are few, they are not without their highlights. But there’s a problem: there’s actually very little to write about cultivation. Sigh, I’ll just write about the essentials. Calling it a book might be an exaggeration. Calling it a handbook is more appropriate due to the limited content."

Xia Ni saw Jun Wu Xiao deep in thought for a long time and asked:

"What are you thinking about?"

Jun Wu Xiao was pulled out of his thoughts by the question. He said:

"I’m thinking about a name for the book. Do you think ’Cultivation Methods’ is a good name?"

Xia Ni saw no issue with the name and found it aligned with the content’s focus, so he said:

"It’s fine, no problem. But what are you planning to write in it?"

Jun Wu Xiao didn’t ponder much and said:

"If it’s simply about the methods of cultivation or my insights, I think a small handbook will suffice. Honestly, there isn’t much to write about cultivation methods. I’m not trying to write a long book, I just want to give a brief guide to help others start their cultivation journey."

Xia Ni didn’t oppose Jun Wu Xiao’s idea of making a handbook. He said:

"A handbook is better, it saves a lot of costs. So, quickly write it so I can have it edited to look more presentable before publishing it for everyone to read."

"Alright, then I’ll write it right here. Do you have a quill pen?" Jun Wu Xiao asked.

Xia Ni handed over some paper and a quill pen to Jun Wu Xiao. With the necessary materials in hand, he quickly got to work. Matching his strength, his hand moved rapidly.

With the content already in his mind, he finished writing several pages in less than a minute. His handwriting was not hard to read, as he was once an excellent student and a genius in the town.

"Done." Jun Wu Xiao said.

Xia Ni took the pages and read them a bit. Finding no issue with the content, he said:

"Alright, I’ll have it published. As for how many will actually become cultivators, we’ll let nature take its course. But do you think I should provide benefits for the cultivators? Like supporting their families or something similar?"

Jun Wu Xiao was momentarily taken aback by this, as he had never paid attention to such matters since his family had all passed away. His sworn brother had run away from home so he probably wouldn’t care about this issue either, and the rest are also orphans.

"Why should we support their families?" Jun Wu Xiao asked curiously.

"Because I think in some cases, if the person is the breadwinner of the family but chooses to become a cultivator, it will put a lot of pressure on the remaining family members." Xia Ni explained.

Jun Wu Xiao pondered for a moment, this issue was indeed a bit tricky. After a while, he said:

"It’s possible, but we shouldn’t give too many benefits. Something like partial tax exemptions could be good, or perhaps a small living allowance. But it shouldn’t be too high because we don’t want people becoming cultivators for these mundane benefits. Such people won’t get far on this path. We need high-level combat strength, not a bunch of early-stage body refinement cultivators."

Xia Ni nodded, understanding this well. If the benefits were too great, cultivation would become a high-income job. Cultivators concerned with such matters would never achieve high-level combat strength. Humanity needed at least peak-stage body refiners, otherwise, they would be truly useless.

"I understand that, but we still need to meet with the officials to determine the exact benefits to support their families. As for the cultivators themselves, just enough rice to keep them full should be sufficient, right?" Xia Ni said.

When Jun Wu Xiao heard about rice, it reminded him of past events, and he laughed out loud.

Xia Ni, puzzled, asked:

"Is something funny? Why are you suddenly laughing?"

Jun Wu Xiao, seeing Xia Ni’s confusion, explained:

"You might not know, but I once fought Chu Wu when we first met. The reason was that Chu Wu led his troops through a village, scaring the villagers away. At that time, I had just finished cultivating and went out to buy rice but couldn’t find anyone selling it. So I fought with him, even though at that time I could still live by eating leaves. That time, it was because I played stupidly that it ended in a draw, but thanks to that, I got to know him."

"Ha ha ha, I knew you and Chu Wu had fought before. Moreover, I was quite surprised that he was an ordinary person at that time but was able to fight evenly with you in the middle stage of body refinement. But this reason for fighting is so ridiculous, you seemed quite childish then, right?" Xia Ni laughed heartily as he spoke.

Jun Wu Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, and he responded in a very serious tone:

"What’s wrong with being a childish person? I was only eleven when I started cultivating. Over a long period, I didn’t interact much with society, so I was a bit rash. But thanks to that, I gained my first friend and later met all of you. Moreover, if he hadn’t met me, Chu Wu would have died in old age long ago. He was already fifty when we met."

Xia Ni nodded. Though he was teasing, he acknowledged that Jun Wu Xiao had a point. Without Jun Wu Xiao, Chu Wu might never have become a cultivator.

Perhaps later, Chu Wu could have met Sheng Yuan, but by then, his lifespan might not have been sufficient to start cultivating.

"Alright, go wherever you want now. There’s nothing left for you to do here." Xia Ni said.

"Okay, I’ll take a stroll around the capital. I want to see the progress humanity has made in the nearly eleven years after the disaster." Jun Wu Xiao said.

He then leisurely walked outside to enjoy the scenery. Although some people might recognize him now, it is quite hard. As long as he didn’t display his power, he looked just like an elderly man with a missing arm.