Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

The next day.

No one knew what had happened in the cabin. The next day, Chen Yao was still the same as usual, and only those who knew her well could see the change in her.

As the spirit boat flew along, the newly initiated disciples gradually calmed down from their novelty and excitement.

Disciples from the same clan gathered together, while those from the mortal realm formed their own regional groups. Therefore, it was natural for Wang Xuan and Chen Yao to travel together daily.

Several days later, the spirit boat landed.

The disciples descended and, under the guidance of the Foundation Establishment stewards, found their respective courtyards and received their initiation resources.

"These are spirit stones?"

Playing with the irregular crystal that was half a finger's length long, Wang Xuan couldn't tell the difference between it and crystal with the naked eye.

Beside him, Chen Yao didn't even glance at them, simply placing them into the storage bag provided by the sect.

"These resources are indeed much better than those of independent cultivators, but they're simply not enough for me to master the basic cultivation technique... If it weren't for safety concerns and the resources of the lower academy, I wouldn't need to stay at the Nanhua Sect at all."

"Well... never mind, let's just do it this way."

With a slight thought in mind, Chen Yao secretly made a plan, a smile flashing across her face, while Wang Xuan was counting the distributed books one by one.

Introduction to Immortality, Overview of the State of Chen, Detailed Explanation of Qi Refining...

"A General History of Nanhua", "The Rules and Regulations of the Sects", "The Feng Shui of the World"...

The content is complex, including history, rules and regulations, annotations of special terms in cultivation techniques, an overview of the various arts of immortality, and interspersed with astronomy, geography, and power divisions.

Of course, there was also some ideological education, promoting loyalty to the sect and respect for teachers... but overall, it was quite comprehensive, fully demonstrating what a sect is.

Even though he only had a superficial understanding of the real world of cultivation, Wang Xuan could still tell.

What is a system? This is a system.

What is perfection? This is perfection.

It's no joke that immortal sects can overwhelmingly outperform independent cultivators.

After returning all the supplies to his assigned courtyard, Wang Xuan only carried a copy of the [Basic Qi Induction Technique] and the three spirit stones he had been given.

On the first day of joining the sect, a disciple who had been assigned a task by the General Affairs Hall came to explain the introductory techniques to the new disciples.

The Dao of Immortality is vast and complex, containing numerous terms, metaphors, allusions, and imagery. Even if an ordinary person obtains the cultivation manual, they will not be able to understand what it is all about.

Fortunately, the Nanhua Sect had anticipated this. Although the cultivation methods chosen by the disciples after formally beginning their practice would inevitably differ, the guiding cultivation method for formally entering the first level of Qi Refining in the cultivation world, the Basic Qi Guiding Technique, was still common.

Based on this, and with a three-month time limit, the disciples can lay the foundation for the path to immortality and no longer be 'illiterate' in the cultivation version.

What if I can't learn it within three months?

This is why, even though the inner and outer gates have already been divided, they are still kept in the lower courtyard and listed as "A" and "B".

After all, qualifications are qualifications, and people are people.

If someone is truly hopeless and incapable of succeeding, the Nanhua Sect will not force them to become successful simply because of their aptitude.

……

"The lecture hall... is here."

After many twists and turns, they followed the other outer disciples who were also going to listen to the sutra.

Not long after, Wang Xuan found hundreds of prayer cushions placed on the ground by a pond near a bamboo grove.

One-third of the seats were already occupied, and the front rows were almost completely taken.

It's obvious that "King of Rolls" can be found everywhere.

Although Wang Xuan had arrived early enough, there were still people who arrived even earlier than him.

Just as he was about to find a seat, a voice suddenly came from behind Wang Xuan.

"Ahem... Junior brother, you're also a disciple who joined this year, right?"

"Um?"

Wang Xuan stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

A young man in his early twenties with pointed lips, dressed in the same style of outer sect disciple robe, greeted him from afar.

Wang Xuan returned the greeting with clasped hands and asked politely.

"Indeed, what advice do you have for me, Senior Brother?"

"I dare not presume to teach you, but seeing your dignified bearing and heroic spirit, I know you must be a person of outstanding talent who aspires to the path of immortality, so I have come to befriend you."

Stepping forward, the sharp-mouthed youth appeared sincere.

"After all, the path of cultivation... if you're slow at one step, you'll be slow at every step... even the seats for listening to this small lecture are fiercely contested."

Seeing my junior brother reminds me of my past self... Alas, it's too late for regrets now.

He sighed deeply, his emotions sincere and heartfelt, but Wang Xuan merely smiled and remained unmoved.

"What you say is true, senior brother. However, the path to immortality is not something that can be achieved overnight."

"If you have time tomorrow, just come a little earlier, junior brother."

"As for making friends... We are fellow disciples, so how can we talk about making friends?"

"this……"

Speechless for a moment, the words he was about to say were stuck in his throat.

The sharp-mouthed youth was slightly taken aback, not expecting Wang Xuan to act unpredictably.

In previous years, he would have stopped pursuing the matter at this point.

Just thinking about his impending departure from the lower temple, and the near insurmountable divide between the inner and outer monasteries within the main temple, he still tried one last time to salvage the situation:

"Junior brother is right; it was senior brother who spoke too much."

"However, my senior brother has one more thing to say—"

"The so-called path to immortality is indeed about longevity, but before the Great Dao is achieved, wealth, methods, companions, and land are all indispensable."

"Without resources, how can one enter the country? Therefore, if you want to obtain these things, you must demonstrate your value."

"For example, in the path of immortality, some people need three months to begin cultivation, some only need two months, and some don't even need a month. The time saved allows them to get ahead of others."

"A lead at the outset means the sect values ​​you, allocates resources... and ultimately you stay ahead. Do you agree, Junior Brother?"

"What you say makes sense, Senior Brother," Wang Xuan said noncommittally, seeing that he was persistent, and stopped beating around the bush: "So what you mean, Senior Brother, is..."

"That's right."

Seeing that they had finally gotten to the point, the sharp-tongued young man couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

"In order to help our new junior disciples to cultivate as quickly as possible, we elders are willing to spend some time to personally guide them on the interpretation of some techniques and the basics of entering the path."

"The disciples in the lecture hall are facing everyone, and are destined not to be able to take care of everyone."

"Therefore, with the guidance of those of us who have been through it all, Junior Brother will naturally be able to get ahead of others and enter the inner sect much sooner!"

"Of course, in return, Junior Brother should also contribute a little spirit stone... We don't charge much, just half a stone will do."

His words were sincere, reasonable, and well-founded, making him convincing.

Even though Wang Xuan knew there was probably something fishy going on, he couldn't find the problem for the time being.

Paying for courses is an age-old practice. It's an essential skill for top students, so there's nothing surprising about it, especially since the other party's fees are indeed not high.

The sect gave each new disciple three spirit stones, half a stone being only one-sixth of the total… But despite saying that, Wang Xuan still intended to refuse.

"I am deeply grateful for your kind offer, senior brother." Changing the subject, Wang Xuan said with a smile, "However, regarding this tutoring..."

"Just push him."

Just as he was about to refuse, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside Wang Xuan.

Turning around, I saw Chen Yao, who had also changed into the robes of an outer disciple, walking in from outside the hall.

Compared to before, she seems more confident... well, the way she looks at me is still the same.

With a slight twitch of his lips, Wang Xuan felt, though he had no evidence, that Chen Yao was looking at his future subordinate, since they weren't from the same sect.

"What are you saying, junior sister? Are you perhaps jealous that your fellow disciples are cultivating faster than you?"

As if a sore spot had been touched, Li Xiang spoke vehemently.

"That's true. There are only so many spots for advancing to the inner sect. If others fall behind, then Junior Sister will improve... But it's only fair competition among fellow disciples. Junior Sister's actions are probably a bit excessive."

Every word was piercing to the heart, showing no mercy.

If other teenagers of the same age heard this, they would inevitably have some doubts.

However, Wang Xuan would not do that, and Chen Yao completely ignored him.

Without stopping, the girl's figure brushed past him.

"His lectures... what he said is certainly true."

"But what effect it will have depends on whether you're willing to replenish your spirit stones later."

"Adding a little bit... will make the effect slightly better and give you hope... But in the end, although you are indeed faster than others in getting started, once you officially start cultivating, others can easily catch up with your speed using spirit stones, and even surpass you by a lot."

"I'll say this as long as we're from the same hometown. Believe it or not, it's up to you. But if you're cheated, there's no one to seek justice for you."

"That's how the lower house is after all... If you don't steal or rob, you deserve to be cheated."

"..."

"Thank you for reminding me, junior sister."

Speechless for a moment, Wang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.

Sure enough, just as he thought, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Even if he didn't know that the cultivation world now knew how to use "sunk costs" to scam people, he still wouldn't agree to it.

Moreover, it must be said that while the inner disciples in the lower academy of Nanhua are perhaps more strictly managed, the outer disciples, unsurprisingly, value the strength of the strong and use it to select the winners.

But then again, what's with Chen Yao's experienced tone?

There are more and more suspicious things about my fellow villager and junior sister.

"Ahem... Senior brother."

"In that case, if there's nothing else, junior brother, I'll take my leave now."

Wang Xuan bowed respectfully, his expression calm as he looked at Li Xiang's unpleasant face.

Nanhua Sect is a righteous sect after all. No matter how much the lower academy encourages competition among outer disciples, there will never be any violent conflict.

So he turned and left, and Wang Xuan caught up with Chen Yao in a few quick steps.

"Junior Sister Chen, wait for me—"

"We can exchange ideas during the lecture later; two heads are better than one."

With a smile, and seeing that Chen Yao did not refuse, Wang Xuan found a seat next to her without any embarrassment.

His intuition told him that this 'fellow villager' whose personality had suddenly changed was not so simple... But it didn't matter, this was obviously a good thing for Wang Xuan.

Having attained the fruits of the Tao, one's future is naturally bright; however, to avoid perishing halfway through the journey, one must act with utmost prudence.

So here's the question: how can a cultivator, who is always looking for stability and has only average talent, still have his cultivation level rise so rapidly?

"That's naturally because I have made many friends and have countless acquaintances... and they are all exceptional talents."

Silently making his plans, Wang Xuan gave himself a mental pat on the back.

He sat next to Chen Yao, listening to her lecture and asking her questions.

In a short time, even if it was only a few days, the [Basic Qi Induction Technique], which he had previously regarded as a heavenly book, gradually became much clearer.

……

Since that day, there has been no sign of anyone causing trouble.

The sharp-mouthed youth seemed to know that violence was forbidden in the Lower House, so he did nothing.

Listening quietly to the lectures and studying the basic Qi-inducing techniques, a month passed quickly.

After finishing all his classes that day, Wang Xuan returned to the quiet room in the courtyard.

Thanks to his fellow townsman, he finally succeeded in sensing the spiritual energy today, entered the Qi Refining Gate, and went to the Lower Courtyard Scripture Pavilion to select a cultivation technique that directly leads to Foundation Establishment.

Once he masters the basics of the cultivation technique, he will be a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining.

"【Three Lights Refining Qi Method】...a cultivation method without a specific attribute bias, which allows one to choose the power of the sun, moon, and stars to aid in cultivation based on one's own spiritual root."

"It's nothing special, except that it can speed up cultivation a little, and it doesn't have any other special features."

The jade slip has been read, and the legal decree prohibiting its dissemination has been signed.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the quiet room… Wang Xuan knew. The moment to witness a miracle was about to begin.