Wizards in the world of cultivation

Chapter 5 Flowing Cloud Mountains
The twin clones have now reached the peak of Qi Refining, and are only one Foundation Establishment Pill away from the Foundation Establishment realm.

Although the Void Heaven Sect is the largest sect in Qingzhou, it is not so extravagant as to give every disciple who has reached the Qi Refining stage a free Foundation Establishment Pill.

Within the Void Heaven Sect, disciples with Heavenly Spiritual Roots (i.e., those with a single or unique Spiritual Root) receive special privileges and more resources.

Although the Twin Avatars have two spiritual roots, when they first enter the sect, they can enter the spiritual veins to cultivate earlier than ordinary disciples. In addition, they have fewer miscellaneous tasks to complete. However, their monthly benefits are still the same as those of ordinary disciples.

Therefore, Foundation Establishment Pills need to be exchanged using the sect's merit points. Exchanging them with merit points is half the price compared to outside shops, which can be considered a benefit of the sect.

Furthermore, the half-price Foundation Establishment Pill can only be redeemed once. If you fail to establish your foundation, you will not receive the previous discount if you want to redeem it again.

Moreover, before exchanging them, one must undergo a test by the sect to confirm that one has already taken the Foundation Establishment Pill and failed to establish the foundation.

This is also a rule set up to prevent people from reselling Foundation Building Pills.

After all, Foundation Establishment Pills are quite expensive in shops outside, and they are often in short supply; selling just one can bring in huge profits.

"I'm still short of half of the good deeds I need," Su You thought to himself.

There are still 10,000 merit points short, which is equivalent to more than 10,000 spirit stones.

However, within the sect, spirit stones cannot be exchanged for merit points, but merit points among fellow disciples can be traded; this is an open secret.

With a large number of disciples in the Void Heaven Sect, there are always some who don't need merit points. Moreover, the various resources and materials exchanged within the sect cannot be sold outside. Therefore, directly exchanging spirit stones within the sect is undoubtedly the most disadvantageous option.

This led to private transactions, with the exchange rate being half again as high as that of the sect. The exchange rate between merit points and spirit stones was 1 to 1.5, meaning 10,000 merit points would equal 15,000 spirit stones.

For those who urgently need certain resources from the sect, this undoubtedly saves a lot of time.

However, such merit trading is also limited. There is a limit to the amount that can be traded for each realm. The limit for the Qi Refining stage is 10,000 merits, and the limit for the Foundation Establishment stage is 100,000 merits.

This is also to prevent some precious resources from being easily exchanged. Some precious cultivation resources cannot be bought with simple spirit stones, and are even more rare and hard to come by.

Therefore, if you want to earn merit points, you still have to rely on sect missions.

Sect missions vary in difficulty. Simple ones don't earn much merit, while difficult ones carry risks. Although the risks are insignificant to him, he still has to consider the losses after his death. The magical artifacts he carries are a great fortune.

If you can collect 15,000 spirit stones to exchange for 10,000 merit points, you can then exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Regardless, the twin clones' strength should definitely be prioritized for improvement, especially since they have already reached a bottleneck and only need one Foundation Establishment Pill to achieve a breakthrough.

At that time, those with Foundation Establishment cultivation will receive better treatment and higher authority within the Void Heaven Sect.

In a sect's Dharma Transmission Hall, ordinary inner disciples can only view the scriptures on the first two floors, but after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, they can enter the third floor to borrow scriptures.

As for the level of wizardry, since they cannot concoct spiritual energy potions, they can only accumulate it through meditation.

Perhaps we could find some pills to enhance the soul, but these pills are even rarer than Foundation Establishment Pills, and they are rarely seen on the market. Once they do appear, they are snapped up immediately.

After all, the enhancement of the soul also means the increase of divine consciousness.

As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger," a greater range of divine sense observation allows for more freedom of movement in battle, whether attacking or fleeing.

Now that Su You's magic source organs have been reconstructed, he can use witchcraft normally. In terms of strength, based on the scenes of Foundation Establishment experts in his memory, the difference between the two is not that great.

However, it's hard to say in actual combat.

Currently, Su You still has too few instantaneous spells that he has fully mastered.

Although the original school's inherited memories left him with a large number of witchcraft techniques that could be learned at the apprentice level.

However, like magic, witchcraft also requires diligent practice to master.

Moreover, some of the witchcraft in it is old-fashioned witchcraft that had long been eliminated in Su You's era of witchcraft, so we need to extract the essence and discard the dross.

Now Su You only needs to practice two types of witchcraft: one is protective witchcraft, and the other is concealment witchcraft.

As for attacks...

As the saying goes, "one trick is all you need to conquer the world." Against cultivators or demonic beasts below the Foundation Establishment stage, mental attack magic is sufficient.

"Gukala, Duras... Shield!"

A circular, invisible force field appeared around Su You.

The essence of witchcraft lies in the unique effects produced by resonating with special syllables, primarily using spiritual power, with magic as a guide and energy.

"It takes more than ten seconds of incantation to cast this spell. In a battle, I don't know how many times I would have died." Su You shook his head in dissatisfaction.

However, there is no other way but to keep practicing, compressing syllables, and finally being able to use witchcraft without chanting incantations.

This is a gradual process.

"Let's test its power!"

With a thought, Su You summoned a dazzling fireball in the hands of his twin clones.

This is one of the most commonly used spells by Qi Refining stage cultivators: Fireball.

Fireball is powerful yet consumes little spiritual energy, which is why it is so popular. Moreover, the more spiritual energy is injected, the stronger it becomes, making it a versatile low-level spell.

The fireball spell in the twin clones' hands contained about one percent of their spiritual power, roughly equivalent to an attack at the early stage of Qi Refining.

However, before the experiment, precautions should be taken. The twin clones took out a high-grade defensive magic artifact from their storage bags and handed it over.

With the protection of this superior defensive artifact, there is no fear of fireballs breaking through the shield and landing on the body.

boom!
This fireball, following Su You's will, rapidly attacked him.

Just a foot away from his body, it seemed as if it was blocked by some invisible barrier.

The force field shield formed by the shield spell blocked the fireball from the early stage of Qi Refining without even causing a ripple.

boom! boom! boom!
Fireballs came one after another, their power gradually increasing.

Finally, when the fireball spell reached its peak power, the force field of the shield spell was successfully breached.

"Not bad, not bad. With this shield field, my ability to survive has been greatly enhanced." Su You nodded in satisfaction.

However, the shield spell also has obvious drawbacks, namely that it is too slow to cast. If the enemy attacks in an instant, it is difficult to defend against.

After thinking it over, Su You decided to keep the high-grade defensive magic artifact. With this artifact, he could at least have more time to cast spells.

The strength of the original body has improved by leaps and bounds compared to when it first transmigrated.

In the time that followed, Su You focused on two things at once, working with his twin clones to study the information conveyed to him by the Pearl of Inheritance.

This not only contains the inheritance of witchcraft, but also various secret techniques of mental power. In the past, Su You would only encounter these techniques but never had the opportunity to practice them. Now, however, he can study and research them carefully.

Besides these, there are also the crafting traditions of various witchcraft artifacts, the refining traditions of magic potions, basic knowledge of witchcraft arrays, information on the inheritance of hundreds of witchcraft arrays, encyclopedic information on various materials, encyclopedic information on various monsters and beasts, and so on.

Such a vast amount of knowledge is certainly impossible to digest in a short period of time.

Su You plans to spend a year in the Void Heaven Immortal City studying systematically so that he can gain a basic understanding of the knowledge within the wizarding tradition.

Otherwise, there are many things that Su You might not recognize, even if they were placed in front of him.

Having only done a cursory inspection of the Void Heaven Immortal City, he couldn't find anything suitable based on his limited knowledge.

For example, the white stone crystal needed to refine magic energy crystals doesn't seem to be a material in the cultivation world, but there are several substitutes in the inheritance. If he had digested these inheritances before, he might have already found substitutes.

Furthermore, the tradition of potions also includes the science of potion creation. Those potions were created by wizards of the past based on the properties of materials. The cultivation world may not have the same potions, but...

If Su You mastered the science of potion creation, he could also create potions suitable for the cultivation world based on their properties.

Of course……

These are still quite far off. It requires a vast amount of knowledge and a thorough understanding of the physical properties of numerous drugs in order to create new agents.

For the rest of the time, Su You stayed in the cave, eagerly absorbing all kinds of knowledge.

This was something he had longed for but could never obtain before. Such a vast amount of free knowledge would be the envy of countless apprentices in the wizarding world.

The twin clones, on the other hand, stayed in their cave to study and occasionally went to shops outside to find the materials they needed.

……

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Su You absorbed all the information within the inheritance, but it was only a preliminary absorption. There was a lot of knowledge that he could not use, such as refining magic potions, crafting witch artifacts, and setting up witch arrays. These all required constant practice.

As for the use of witchcraft, Su You is making great progress, especially in protective and concealment spells, which he is now very adept at.

In addition, he has now mastered many secret techniques of mental power, and is more proficient in using mental power than before, including how to conceal mental power when exploring externally, and how to make less noise and make more power when attacking.

These can all be enhanced with the help of secret techniques.

These secret techniques of mental power, in the previous life, could only be obtained by wizard apprentices who had signed strict power contracts with the Wizard Tower.

Having digested most of the inherited information, Su You had no intention of staying in the Void Heaven Immortal City any longer.

The main issue was that the number of spirit stones on the twin clones was dwindling day by day. He even sold most of his belongings, keeping only a top-grade magic weapon flying sword and a high-grade defensive magic weapon. Although Su You had focused his main efforts on comprehending the inheritance during this year, he would occasionally buy some pills to enhance his spiritual power in the late stage of Qi Refining.

The paths of wizardry and immortal cultivation must be walked together, so one cannot neglect the cultivation of Qi. The Qi Refining Realm is only the lowest level in the world of immortal cultivation, just like an apprentice in the wizarding world. Only by advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm can one have a voice in the world of immortal cultivation.

"It's been over a year, so they must have missed the sect's mission." Su You estimated the time.

As an inner disciple of the Liushan Sect, although there are no tedious chores, there is still a mandatory task every year.

If he fails to complete the task, he will not receive his salary next year. If he fails to complete the task for three consecutive years, he may lose his position as an inner disciple.

Su You maintained an indifferent attitude towards his status as an inner disciple of the Flowing Sand Sect.

The only identity he's currently interested in is that of the Blood Abyss Organization. It seems to have some unique resources that even the Void Heaven Sect might not have, and the missions there are very easy to earn spirit stones from. He might want to consider it.

Moreover, Su You guessed that such an organization probably had core members infiltrated into various sects, and was definitely involved in a conspiracy.

As long as you are within the organization and seize the initiative in advance, you can gain more benefits amidst the chaos.

After all, he is currently very short of spirit stones, especially since his twin clones are at the Qi Refining Perfection stage. If he can gather enough spirit stones to exchange for merit points, he can exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect to begin his foundation establishment.

After a moment's thought, Su You decided to return to Liushan Sect to develop his career. After all, one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket, and developing in different areas might offer more opportunities.

Moreover, Xue Yuan's identity only has a purpose within the Liushan Sect. Furthermore, the Liushan Sect is backed by the Liuyun Mountain Range and is not lacking in resources such as demonic beasts and spiritual objects.

The only advantage of keeping the Void Heaven Immortal City is that it's right next to the twin clones, so if they perish, they can be resurrected in time.

However, with the airship business so developed now, if one is resurrected in the Void Heaven Immortal City after falling, one can choose to take an airship back to the market of the Flowing Mountain Sect, so as not to waste time.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su You took a storage bag from his twin clones. Inside were resources he had purchased in the Void Heaven Immortal City, and several different types of talismans, including defensive and concealment talismans.
There is also a high-quality defensive artifact for self-defense, which will allow me to use witchcraft more freely.

The other item is a ferry ticket to Ryuzanbo City.

The Liushan Sect is located on the edge of Qingzhou. If one were to fly there in a flying artifact, it would not only be fraught with danger, but would also take at least a month. If one were to take a flying boat, safety would be beyond doubt, and the speed would be much faster, taking only five days to reach the enemy.

……

Five days later.

Liuyun Mountain Range, Stream.

Su You did not take the flying boat directly to the final destination, Liushanfang City, but disembarked when passing through the Liuyun Mountains.

The owner of the airship is free to choose where to leave, and will not stop him. As long as he chooses to leave on his own, he will not worry about safety.

The reason he left before reaching the destination was naturally because Su You had stored the sect's tokens, clothes, and other belongings in another storage bag, hidden in the Liuyun Mountains.

After all, when doing Blood Abyss quests, it's impossible to carry these things with you; they wouldn't be of any use anyway.

Fortunately, Su You used a fake appearance when riding the flying boat, and his cultivation level was also concealed, so he was not afraid of being recognized.

"Great! We encountered quite a few rogue cultivators in the Flowing Cloud Mountains, but finally we've met a Tribulation Cultivator." Su You said with a smile.

He's currently short of spirit stones, so it's perfect that someone's offering them to him.

Although Su You wasn't exactly a good person, he didn't have a habit of killing people without reason. As for these treacherous cultivators who came to his doorstep, he wouldn't hesitate to take them down.

One is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and the other is at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Although the two approached cautiously, Su You's powerful mental strength had already detected their movements.

"Am I being too low-key?" Su You stroked his chin.

Now that his Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation is hidden at Qi Refining Level 6, and he's in this desolate place, he's clearly a suitable prey.

For rogue cultivators, in the wilderness, they could become mortal cultivators at any time, especially if they encounter someone much weaker than themselves.

The two men acted swiftly and decisively, making little noise as two sword lights suddenly attacked.

Su You remained completely calm. After regaining his magic power, he was able to use witchcraft normally again.

The aura of the superior defensive artifact instantly enveloped his body, and then he chanted a spell to cast a protective spell, adding a force field shield to himself.

Then two streams of spiritual energy swept over, arriving before the opponent's magic sword could even touch Su You, and both of their souls were already shattered and perished.

They carefully searched their bodies and then took stock of what they had found in their storage bags.

"As expected, there's not much to gain from being a rogue cultivator."

The two of them only had two magical artifacts in total, one high-grade and one mid-grade. Using a mid-grade artifact in the late stage of Qi Refining is indeed quite poor.

As for spirit stones, there were only a dozen or so.

This is normal. Generally, rogue cultivators without skills, once they have spirit stones, will either buy magic tools and talismans to enhance their strength, or buy pills to improve their cultivation level. They certainly won't keep too many spirit stones on them.

Other miscellaneous items could probably sell for dozens of spirit stones.

Including the two magical artifacts, they can probably be sold for around three or four hundred spirit stones.

This is quite a gain.

In addition, Su You looked at the two corpses with great interest.

He was very curious about the concept of spiritual roots in the world of cultivation.

Is this spiritual root a physical entity or an ethereal one? If it is a physical entity, is it possible to extract other parts so that multiple spiritual roots can be converted into a single spiritual root?

If it is an ethereal entity, what form does it take, and why does it require a spiritual root to sense spiritual energy?

These questions had been troubling Su You for a long time, and he couldn't possibly dissect his own body.

There are two bodies available now, although they are dead, and the experimental environment and equipment are very rudimentary.

But that's the nature of a wizard's faith; they can always have a thirst for knowledge.

With two bodies in tow, Su You found a cave, set up a simple witchcraft array at the entrance for warning and concealment, and then began his experiment.

Lacking suitable surgical instruments, Su You used the flying sword he had just acquired as a tool.

They dissected the brains of two people and painstakingly excavated the internal organs.

The brain structure of a monk doesn't seem to be much different from that of a normal person, except that the brainstem is slightly more developed.

Su You did not find the existence of the spiritual root in his brain, which clearly meant it was not a physical entity.

If spiritual roots were truly as simple as Su You thought, cultivators with only one spiritual root wouldn't be the object of fierce competition among various sects.

Having dissected their brains, Su You didn't spare their bodies either, dissecting them as well.

Compared to normal people, cultivators have thicker and more robust meridians, and many of these meridians are interconnected.

As for the location of the dantian and qi sea, it does not have a physical form, unlike the magical organs of wizards which actually form organs within the body.

After undergoing a rudimentary surgery, although many of Su You's doubts remained unresolved, he gained a much deeper understanding of cultivators.

Fireball!
After completing the experiment, Su You burned the two materials, then carefully washed his hands and used witchcraft to remove the smell of blood from his body.

Su You was very grateful for the contributions of these two cultivators, so he left their ashes and gave them a proper burial in the cave, and erected a monument in their honor.

In a certain month of a certain year, a monument was erected here for those who sacrificed their lives for the experiment.

Perhaps one day in the future, when Su You's experiment makes a breakthrough, he will remember these two 'pioneers' who brought the initial data to the experiment.

but……

Since entering the Liuyun Mountain Range, Su You has seen many different kinds of rogue cultivators entering the range. Could it be that during the year he was away, something unexpected happened in the Liuyun Mountain Range?
However, he has no way to ask anyone now, so he can only wait until he retrieves his hidden storage bag and returns to the sect to inquire further.

After walking a while longer, Su You found the place where he had hidden his storage bag.

This contains the sect-related clothing tokens he left behind, as well as the core disciple tokens of Blood Abyss.

After retrieving his belongings, he changed his clothes and restored his appearance and cultivation. He then returned directly to his sect. He was unaware of what was happening in the Flowing Cloud Mountains and would not venture in rashly.

If someone dies inside, it would be a loss of thousands of spirit stones.

The high-grade defensive magic weapon and talisman I'm wearing, along with this haul, are worth about a thousand spirit stones.

If you're going on an adventure, you can go empty-handed. After all, with the wizard's level of cultivation, your strength won't be too bad. It's best to gain something, and even if you perish, you won't lose too much.

After leaving the Liuyun Mountains, they flew west for over a hundred kilometers and then saw the Liushan Sect.

This is a small mountain range consisting of only a few dozen peaks, and the Liushan Sect is located within it.

"The difference between a third-rate sect and a first-rate sect is truly vast," Su You couldn't help but shake his head.

The sheer number of spiritual veins alone creates a huge gap, not to mention other underlying resources.

(End of this chapter)