You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

Tianlan City.

At the corner of a small street in the city, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old was surrounded by layers of people.

The young man was dressed simply and cleanly; he was none other than Qi Fei, who had transmigrated several years ago.

He addressed his audience, saying, "...That Lin Daiyu is a celestial fiend. Seeing the tree demon so arrogant, she sneered: 'Let me show you my power!'"

"Her use of that skill has brought out another formidable figure behind that tree demon!"

"As the saying goes: Lin Daiyu encounters a demon in the mountains who displays his supernatural powers; the Black Mountain Demon, upon seeing Daiyu, is doomed for life. To find out what happens next, please read the next chapter!"

"One more, one more!" Several listeners, still wanting more, clamored for him to continue.

They were already used to hearing stories of swordsmen slaying demons and monsters, so when they heard Qi Fei's bizarre, fantastical, and dramatic tales, they found them incredibly captivating.

But Qi Fei had already received the money before he started speaking, so he refused to "work overtime" no matter what!

After he traveled through time and saw cultivators flying in the sky, realizing that this was a world of cultivation, he secretly made up his mind.

Finally, one day, he too would fly in the sky and see a different view.

Three years ago, he embarked on the path of cultivation. If he were to work overtime now, wouldn't he be just like a corporate slave in his previous life?

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" He pushed through the crowd, walked through the streets shrouded in a light mist, and headed home with practiced ease.

As soon as Qi Fei arrived at his doorstep, he saw a person standing there.

The person standing there was a middle-aged man, thin, with a sallow complexion and somewhat handsome features. He wore a faded blue cloth robe and held a dark banner in his hand.

The banner pole was about the thickness of a thumb, and the banner surface was made of some kind of material, dark and non-reflective, with some faint dark patterns embroidered on it. When the wind blew, the patterns seemed to come alive and wriggle slightly.

Upon seeing Qi Fei, he immediately stood with the banner on his back and recited aloud: "The Mysterious Shadow is the supreme ruler, the banner commands, I wholeheartedly follow the divine path alone. All phenomena are illusions, I uphold righteousness, the banner of the underworld unfurls to settle the netherworld."

Qi Fei: "..."

Where the hell did this show-off come from?

Before Qi Fei could speak, the man said, "I am Zhu Yixin. Where is the master of this place?"

"That is me!" Qi Fei said frankly.

Zhu Yixin was taken aback. She looked him up and down a few times, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. She then asked, "Your spirit is complete and your eyes are full of spiritual light. Your aura is refined. You are indeed a cultivator like us..."

"Are your elders, like...your mother, still alive?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei looked Zhu Yixin up and down and casually replied, "My mother? She's probably dead."

He had been in this world for several years, but had never met any relatives or fellow cultivators.

Unexpectedly, the first person he met who was practicing cultivation was an acquaintance of his mother.

"Huh? How could this be?" Zhu Yixin's sallow face showed a hint of astonishment.

He took a half step forward, carefully examining Qi Fei, and muttered to himself, "Impossible, impossible..."

"Your mother was a saintess of our religion, how could she die so easily?"

Qi Fei was stunned, thinking he had misheard: "Huh? The Holy Maiden? I'll teach her?"

Zhu Yixin slowly nodded: "Didn't the Holy Maiden tell you? We are the Shadow God Cult, and she is the Holy Maiden of the cult!"

"The Shadow God Cult? The Holy Maiden?"

Qi Fei had no idea that his adoptive mother had such a background.

What the hell is going on here?

My mother is a saint?

Zhu Yixin said, "Since your mother isn't here, did she still entrust that thing to you?"

Qi Fei asked warily, "What is it?"

"The Shadow God Technique! And..." Zhu Yixin didn't finish his sentence, instead saying, "You are also a cultivator among us, so you must also practice the Shadow God Technique!"

Qi Fei took a half step back: "You're eyeing the 'Shadow God Technique'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yixin said with a hint of pride, "I am a protector of the Shadow God Cult, and your mother and I are old acquaintances."

"Now that the Shadow God Cult is in disarray, my mother and I made an agreement. I was willing to exchange my copy of the 'Shadow God Technique' for hers, so that we could borrow and verify each other's knowledge."

"We agreed to meet here several years ago."

As he spoke, he took out something from his pocket, something that resembled neither leather nor silk, to show his sincerity.

Qi Fei recognized it at a glance. The thing was the size of a handkerchief and unfolded like a cloak, and it was made of the same material as the page of "Shadow God Technique" that he had sewn into his clothes.

"Since you are her son, I certainly wouldn't stoop to taking you away. If you're interested, you can exchange with me as proof," he said arrogantly.

Qi Fei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Isn't the Shadow God Technique the same?"

Three years ago, although he embarked on his cultivation journey, he had many doubts in his heart.

What is the world of cultivation like? What are cultivators like?

How do they classify realms?

What are the different sects/schools?

He knew nothing about any of these things.

Cultivation knows no time; it can take decades or even centuries. He has only been cultivating for three years, which is probably considered a minor figure in the cultivation world.

Therefore, he dared not wander off. In his spare time from telling stories, he got to know some people passing through from other places, but he had never heard of any immortal sect recruiting disciples.

Now, he has finally met a spiritual practitioner, and he has many questions in his heart that he wants answered first.

Is this person trustworthy?

He was a cultivator, so he didn't act immediately, and besides, he was an old friend of my mother's...

Let's just believe it for now!

Qi Fei opened the courtyard gate and invited the person inside.

He was simply too curious about another person practicing spiritual cultivation!

Zhu Yixin entered Qi Fei's courtyard and saw that the courtyard, which was originally quite exquisite, had now become rather simple.

The flower trellis in the courtyard had a style reminiscent of the Shadow God Cult, and he knew he hadn't come to the wrong place.

He felt somewhat reassured and answered Qi Fei's question: "The Shadow God Technique is the supreme path within the Divine Sect, which is difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. Only the successive sect leaders and holy maidens have been able to comprehend it."

"However, hundreds of years ago, the cult leader and the saintess disagreed on the interpretation of the Shadow God Technique, and even fought each other."

"Later, the leader passed on his understanding to our lineage of protectors. Now, the understanding of the Shadow God Technique within the Divine Cult is divided into several schools."

"Only by collecting all of the Shadow God Techniques can one glimpse the full picture of the Shadow God Techniques and greatly promote the divine religion."

"Otherwise, relying solely on a single text for reckless cultivation is a step into the abyss. At best, one will go mad; at worst, one will suffer a qi deviation and die from a body explosion."

Qi Fei was stunned.

No, can practicing cultivation techniques really lead to madness, demonic possession, or even death from body explosion?

Nobody told him that!

But... he glanced down at the "Shadow God Technique" he had sewn onto his clothes. Wasn't this a rather simple technique?

It's obvious at a glance.

Zhu Yixin raised the "Shadow God Technique" in his hand and said, "If you have the Holy Maiden's 'Shadow God Technique,' I will exchange copies with you, which will also fulfill the agreement from back then."

Qi Fei had memorized the "Shadow God Technique" perfectly and was no longer afraid of Zhu Yixin's tricks.

He took out his own copy of "Shadow God Technique" from his clothes, and the two exchanged copies smoothly, each flipping through it.