The Spirit Stream Sect was built around three primary cultivation techniques, and every disciple had to choose one upon entering the Inner Sect. The choices were: the Spirit Enhancement Art, which focused on raw power and explosive strength; the Beast Form Transformation, which allowed cultivators to channel the essence of spiritual beasts; and the Undying Live Forever Technique, which was considered the sect's most difficult and dangerous path.

Bai Xiaochun chose the Undying Live Forever Technique immediately, for the simple reason that it had 'Live Forever' in the name.

'Are you sure?' his advisor asked. 'That technique has crippled more disciples than it's helped. It requires you to cultivate while your body is in a state of half-death — suspended between living and dying. One mistake and you don't come back.'

'But if I don't make a mistake...'

'Then you live forever. Yes. Or at least significantly longer than normal cultivators.'

The technique's first stage required him to find a place of abundant spiritual energy, enter a meditative trance so deep his heartbeat slowed to once per minute, and guide the energy through his meridians in a pattern that would gradually transform his mortal flesh into something less mortal. It was, according to the ancient manual, extremely painful.

The manual did not adequately convey the concept of 'extremely.'

Bai Xiaochun spent his first attempt lying on the floor of his meditation chamber, every nerve ending burning as if he'd been dipped in molten glass. He couldn't scream — his lungs had stopped working around the twenty-second heartbeat. All he could do was endure, and hope, and silently promise himself that if he survived this, he would never complain about Elder Sun's training sessions again.

He survived. Barely. And when he opened his eyes, the world looked different — sharper, more vivid, as if someone had cleaned a layer of grime off his perception.