Lu Qinghe had not expected such a thing to exist.
He asked, “May I ask, Senior Brother – where can one find this Spirit Water?”
Huang Gai smiled faintly and produced a small green bottle.
“As it happens, I have a bottle right here. If Junior Brother needs it, I can part with it.”
Lu Qinghe eyed the green bottle in Huang Gai’s hand. He was curious whether Spirit Water truly worked as miraculously as claimed, but he knew nothing in this world came free.
“Senior Brother wouldn’t offer Spirit Water to Junior Brother without reason, surely?”
Huang Gai nodded. “Correct. This Spirit Water is exceedingly precious. Junior Brother would need to pay one Spirit Stone.”
One Spirit Stone. Lu Qinghe abandoned the thought at once. He did have exactly one Spirit Stone, but there was no sense spending it on something whose effects remained unproven.
Besides, the Spirit Field’s spiritual energy was already exhausted. Even if the Spirit Water truly worked, it would be nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst – he would need a staggering number of Spirit Stones to keep buying it.
Lu Qinghe let regret show on his face. “I truly need such Spirit Water, but I cannot produce a single Spirit Stone right now. Once I come into some, I will certainly seek Senior Brother out.”
Huang Gai’s brow creased. He had not expected Lu Qinghe to be unable to produce even one stone.
But the boy did not seem to be lying. His expression was full of genuine disappointment. It appeared this deal would not go through.
Huang Gai, too, relied on methods like this to earn Spirit Stones for his own cultivation resources.
Confirming that Lu Qinghe had nothing to offer, Huang Gai did not linger. “Forgive the intrusion, Junior Brother. My Spirit Field lies about five li from yours. If you ever have need, come find me there.”
“When I have Spirit Stones,” Lu Qinghe assured him, “I will certainly come.”
Huang Gai nodded, turned, and left – perhaps heading off to find the owner of the next Spirit Field.
Watching his retreating figure, Lu Qinghe let out a quiet breath of relief. Not someone sent by the Affairs Hall.
Still, he resolved to be more careful with his cultivation from now on. There were five other Spirit Fields not far from his own.
All he wanted was for no further trouble to appear before he submitted his Spirit Rice.
Once the submission was done, he would put as much distance between himself and the Affairs Hall as possible. Even if Zhou Tong had heaven-defying abilities, finding one person among thousands of menial disciples would be no easy feat.
Lu Qinghe had also considered leaving the Taixuan Sect entirely to seek cultivation resources outside.
But leaving the sect required one of two things. The first was the ten-year period – every disciple who entered the sect was granted one chance to return home after a decade.
The second was to become an Outer Sect Disciple. Once promoted, one could report to the sect and depart freely.
At the same time, another thought burned in the back of his mind: he needed to obtain a combat technique. A cultivator without techniques could never bring a true immortal practitioner’s strength to bear. New chapters come out on g.com first.
For Menial Disciples of the Taixuan Sect, there were two paths to obtaining techniques. One was to spend Merit Points at the Techniques Hall. The other was to purchase them outright with Spirit Stones.
The second month, Lu Qinghe donned a different appearance and appeared once more in the menial disciples’ exchange area.
This time he took the risk of bringing out a hundred jin of Spirit Rice. Anything less would make it nearly impossible to trade for cultivation techniques.
A hundred jin of Spirit Rice.
The reaction was immediate – a stir rippled through the gathered menial disciples.
A hundred jin, at market price, was worth ten Spirit Stones. For menial disciples, that was wealth beyond imagining.
Lu Qinghe wrote down what he sought: two cultivation techniques.
A cultivator at Qi Condensation second layer stepped forward and saluted. “Greetings, Senior Brother.”
No display of strength was needed. Anyone who could produce a hundred jin of Spirit Rice had to be at least Qi Condensation third layer.
Lu Qinghe gave a slight nod. “Does Junior Brother have techniques to trade for Spirit Rice?”
The second-layer cultivator asked in return, “What attribute of technique does Senior Brother require?”
Techniques carried elemental attributes. Only cultivators possessing the corresponding Spiritual Root could practice them.
“Any of the five elemental attributes will do,” Lu Qinghe replied.
He possessed Five Spiritual Roots. Any technique aligned with the five elements – or without attribute entirely – was open to him.
His words made the second-layer cultivator’s face light up. The man hurriedly produced a jade slip. “Junior Brother happens to have a Fireball Technique here. Might I exchange it for fifty jin of Senior Brother’s Spirit Rice?”
Lu Qinghe did not hesitate. “Done.”
“But I need to verify it first.”
The cultivator handed over the jade slip. “Please, Senior Brother.”
Lu Qinghe swept his spiritual sense across it and confirmed – a genuine introductory Fireball Technique.
He tucked the jade slip away and measured out fifty jin of Spirit Rice for the man.
The cultivator cupped his hands, gratitude plain on his face. “Many thanks, Senior Brother.”
With Spirit Rice to fuel his cultivation and four-element Spiritual Roots for talent, he was confident he could reach Qi Condensation third layer within two years – placing himself at the very peak of the menial disciple hierarchy.
More importantly, reaching the third layer would allow him to accept assignments from Outer Sect Disciples, giving him a real chance at breaking through to the fourth layer.
He gathered up the Spirit Rice, cast a wary glance at the surrounding crowd, and vanished into the sea of bodies. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Techniques were easier to come by than Spirit Stones – especially for second-layer cultivators who had spent more than ten years in the sect. Their accumulated Merit Points were enough to redeem at least one technique from the Techniques Hall.
The moment that man disappeared, another cultivator stepped forward. “Senior Brother, I have an earth-attribute technique here. I’d like to exchange it for fifty jin of Spirit Rice.”
Lu Qinghe extended a hand. “Let me see it.”
The cultivator respectfully offered the jade slip. Lu Qinghe examined it – genuine.
He handed over the remaining fifty jin. “We have a deal.”
The man’s face broke into open delight. “Many thanks, Senior Brother!”
With both techniques in hand, Lu Qinghe wasted no time. He left quickly, taking several winding detours before finally returning to his Spirit Field hut.
Back in the hut, he could barely contain himself. He pulled out both jade slips and began studying them at once.
Techniques were divided into four major grades – Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow – with Heaven being the strongest and Yellow the weakest. Each grade was further split into upper, middle, and lower ranks.
The Fireball Technique was a Yellow-grade, lower-rank technique. It was a favorite among low-level cultivators: a ranged attack that kept enemies at a distance while delivering respectable power.
The other was also Yellow-grade, lower-rank: the Earth Wall Technique. Upon activation, it raised a wall of earth to block incoming attacks – a purely defensive technique.
Lu Qinghe decided to start with the Fireball Technique. He held the jade slip and pored over it again and again. After a full day, he was certain he had grasped the method.
He began circulating spiritual power according to the technique’s release pattern.
“Fireball Technique!”
But mastering a technique was never so simple – even the lowest-ranked ones demanded more than understanding alone.
His first attempt failed.
He refused to be discouraged. A man who had persisted through eight months of Drawing Qi into Body without giving up would not falter here.
Lu Qinghe adjusted, corrected, and tried again. And again.
A full half-month passed.
At last, a small ball of flame condensed above his palm.
He stared at it – that tiny, flickering fireball sitting in his hand – and could not hold back a burst of laughter. “Hahaha! I did it! I’ve finally mastered a technique. Now – now I can truly call myself a cultivator!”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the little fireball sputtered and died.
His spiritual power could sustain the Fireball Technique twice at most.