"Many thanks, senior brother." Ji An received the jade slip of the Withering-Bloom Formula, bowed in thanks, and was about to turn and leave.
"Junior brother, wait."
The senior in charge of reception called him back and said sternly:
"The sect strictly forbids disciples from privately trading jade slips, and absolutely forbids selling cultivation techniques outside the sect. The rules are written plainly.
If discovered, depending on the severity, the lightest punishment is being sent to the mines for three years. The worst is being reduced to a mining slave condemned to spend the rest of your life in dark pits without sunlight.
Do you understand this?"
The Golden Spirit Sect was famous for its weapon refining and controlled more than a dozen kinds of mineral veins.
It was said that most disciples who violated sect rules were punished by being sent to the mine.
The spiritual qi in those mines was tainted with heavy, turbid Qi and Yin Sha from deep underground, violent, chaotic, and completely unsuitable for cultivation. Thus, mining assignments were considered an extremely severe punishment.
At this point, it is worth mentioning the two main cultivation paths.
One was called the Path of the Law. Such cultivators absorbed heaven-and-earth spiritual qi, refined it into mana stored in their dantian, and relied mainly on spells and magical tools for combat.
The other was called the Path of the Body. These cultivators used spiritual qi to temper their physique, wash and refine their marrow, and even refined spiritual materials directly into their flesh, forging indestructible bodies.
In a sense, the body of a body cultivator was itself a kind of living magical weapon.
Over countless millennia of development, however, the distinction between the two had blurred.
Law cultivators often practiced body-forging methods to improve their physical defenses. Body cultivators, in turn, frequently learned spells and wielded magical artifacts to enhance their attack and defense. The difference was more a matter of emphasis than of exclusivity.
Body cultivators also had a stronger resistance to turbid Qi and Yin Sha. For them, harsh environments could even temper their training. Thus, most mining labor fell to body cultivators.
In the Golden Spirit Sect, roughly eighty percent of disciples were law cultivators. The strongest body cultivator in the sect was only at the early Origin Ascension Realm, making it, in truth, a sect dominated by law cultivators.
"I have carefully read the sect rules," Ji An replied mildly. "They are always kept in my heart. I would never dare to overstep them in the slightest."
Of course not, he was only a first-layer Qi Refining disciple with middling aptitude and no background. On what basis would he dare break sect law?
And truthfully, he wouldn't.
The senior nodded slightly. Seeing Ji An was a new disciple; his earlier words had been nothing more than a routine admonishment.
He waved his hand. "Very well, junior brother may go."
Ji An walked out of the Affairs Hall and sat cross-legged on his worn blanket, falling into deep thought.
He had no intention of mingling with the other disciples around him. He decided he would wait until after his three-year probation period before building his network.
There was a reason he had chosen the Withering-Bloom Formula. The stone tortoise had already accumulated quite a bit of Xun Qi, which could be refined directly into progress with the spell.
But there was also another very important reason: the Withering-Bloom Formula could draw out the vitality of plants to condense Wood Essence Pearls.
These Wood Essence Pearls could later be dissolved back into vigorous Wood-element spiritual qi to nourish spirit herbs. The sect purchased them long-term to accelerate the aging and potency of medicinal herbs.
However, this required reaching the third layer or higher of the Withering-Bloom Formula. At the first and second layers, the spell could only extract some sap infused with Wood-element Qi.
The spiritual qi within the sap dispersed quickly, so it had to be used right away. Spirit farmers would dilute the collected sap with water and pour it back into the fields.
Xun, of the Five Elements, corresponded to Wood. It represented wind and symbolized the vigorous growth of all things at the turn of spring and summer.
But Ji An harbored a trace of unease for within the Eight Trigrams, Zhen also belonged to Wood.
If mastering the Withering-Bloom Formula required refining two different kinds of spirit essence, things would become troublesome.
Zhen stood for thunder, signifying shock and awakening, and also the force of growth and renewal. Yet so far, the stone tortoise had not absorbed even a wisp of Zhen Qi.
By now, the last rays of the setting sun had vanished. The heavens resembled a dark curtain studded with glittering stars.
Ji An emptied his mind and began circulating his technique, drawing in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, refining it into mana.
He was not alone; disciples all around him entered meditation as well.
For ordinary disciples without family backing, none could guarantee they would reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining within three years. None dared slack off.
When his refining efficiency began to decline, Ji An withdrew from cultivation. He picked up the jade slip of the Withering-Bloom Formula, pressed it to his forehead, and studied the incantations and principles in earnest.
The night passed without incident.
At the first stirrings of dawn, Ji An woke to find several disciples already cultivating.
Damn… even here, it's cutthroat competition.
He exhaled deeply, unwilling to fall behind, and began circulating the Clear Source Sutra again.
Without the aid of pills, Qi Refining disciples could only cultivate for a limited span each day. No one dared waste the chance.
As the sun rose, more new disciples arrived, one after another riding paper talisman birds, their robes billowing like immortals, stirring envy in the hearts of onlookers.
The crowd in the courtyard grew. Ji An swallowed back his jealousy and edged closer to the circle of fellow disciples from Green Pine Dao Academy.
He glanced around. Several were still absent; only fourteen were present now.
"Senior Brother Chu," Ji An asked, "I think it's almost time. The uncle who's giving the lecture should arrive soon. Why haven't Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Zhao shown up?"
A hint of envy flickered in Chu He's eyes as he smiled.
"Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Zhao both have elders in their families who remain in the sect. They can seek guidance anytime.
This lecture is just on fundamentals, nothing too deep. They don't need to come."
Everyone wore envious expressions. In just a few short years, those two would likely leave them far behind.
After a while, the duty senior led them into a side hall.
Above the main gate hung a plaque with three bold characters in black ink: Hall of the Dao.
"Quiet! I'll make this brief."
The speaker looked only in his twenties, but his bearing was authoritative, as though he was long accustomed to giving orders.
"Today, Uncle Qin Yan will be lecturing. During the session, no one may speak out of turn.
If you have questions, wait until after the lecture. Uncle Qin himself will set aside time to answer them."
"Back when Uncle Qin first entered the sect, no one had high hopes for him. Yet he carved out his path step by step.
His experience is extremely valuable for most of you. Treasure this opportunity."
"One final note, Uncle Qin only advanced to Foundation Establishment at the age of fifty-four. Today, he stands at one hundred fifty-two years old and has reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, at perfection."
The disciples gasped in unison.
They had heard that of the sect's two Golden Core Patriarchs, one was wandering abroad while the other remained in seclusion, indifferent to worldly matters. The day-to-day affairs of the sect were handled by Origin Ascension cultivators.
If Uncle Qin could take even one more step forward, he would become an Origin Ascension True Person, an undisputed figure among the upper echelons.
Half a quarter-hour later, the clear cry of a crane echoed. A lean cultivator with white brows and snow-white hair strode in and ascended the dais at the front.
Though his hair was like frost, his skin glowed with inner radiance, and his eyes were deep and restrained, like an ancient, fathomless pool.
"Welcome, Uncle Qin, to the Hall of the Dao to preach the law," the duty senior intoned respectfully.
"Welcome, Uncle Qin, to the Hall of the Dao to preach the law!" the disciples echoed in unison, bowing deeply.
Another crane's cry rang out as a red-crowned celestial crane strutted inside, head held high, and settled by the cultivator's side.
The old man placed a fist-sized jade bell on the table before him, lifted a small mallet, and tapped it lightly.
Ding! A resonant chime spread across the hall.
"You may rise," the old man said calmly. "This seat is Qin Yan."