A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

Having already obtained the sword, Chen Chuan was in no hurry to leave.

Although we now possess this essential item, having a sword naturally necessitates having the sword technique as well.

He specialized in talismans and alchemy, but knew nothing about swordsmanship.

He thought to himself that he still needed to find a suitable sword technique for Xiao'er.

My gaze swept over the various stalls, and most of the sword techniques sold were beginner-level first and second-tier techniques, nothing special.

I visited seven or eight shops in a row, but found nothing.

Suddenly, he caught sight of several broken jade slips piled up in front of an old bookstore, one of which seemed to faintly exude sword intent.

Chen Chuan quickly stepped forward, bent down and picked it up; it was indeed sword energy!

"What is the price of this jade slip?"

The stall owner glanced at the jade slip and said loudly, "This item was originally a sixth-order sword technique called 'Gengjin Zhantian Jue', but unfortunately only half of it remains. I'll sell it as a third-order one. Take it for three thousand first-order spirit stones."

A sixth-order sword technique? Chen Chuan was shocked.

In this world, cultivation techniques are divided into nine levels, with the first to third levels being relatively easy for ordinary cultivators to obtain.

Going further up depends on opportunity.

Even Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to fully grasp the sixth-order sword technique.

Although only half of it remains, its exquisite nature is incomparable to that of ordinary third-tier works.

Half of the sixth-order sword technique is more than enough for Xiao'er to practice her Qi cultivation.

It's not too late for him to seek other exquisite sword techniques after his cultivation has improved.

After some haggling, the deal was struck at 2,800 first-tier spirit stones, which is equivalent to 28 second-tier spirit stones.

This trip to the market cost me eighty-seven second-tier spirit stones. Although it stung a bit, I got a good sword and half of a sixth-tier sword manual, so it was still worth it.

After finishing his swordplay, Chen Chuan returned to the temple.

When we arrived at Songjian Temple, the sun had already begun to set behind the mountain ridge.

The villagers are delivering the last cartload of rice to the granary.

Shu'er rode on Qingjiao's back, her little face flushed red from the sun, but her enthusiasm remained undiminished. She was directing several villagers to gather up the scattered straw.

Seeing Chen Chuan return, she waved from afar: "Master! Today's harvest is 30% more than last year!"

Chen Chuan nodded with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang Huai'an, and then saw off the villagers.

After dinner, the candlelight flickered.

Chen Chuan summoned Xiao Jin to the main room and took out the black-sheathed longsword and the broken jade slip from his storage bag.

"This sword is something I found for you today, a companion for your spiritual practice."

Chen Chuan placed the sword horizontally on the table.

"Your embryonic breathing is now stable. Once you break through to the Qi Refining stage, you can practice with fellow practitioners."

"This sword technique is the first half of the sixth-level 'Gengjin Heaven-Slaying Technique'. Although it is only half, it is more than enough for your Qi cultivation."

Over the past two years, Chen Chuan has taught him all the basic spells and essential techniques for using talismans.

What Xiao Jin lacks now is precisely this sword technique.

Xiao Jin took the black-sheathed longsword with both hands, drew it out an inch, and was overjoyed.

"Thank you, Master."

Chen Chuan waved his hand: "I will also teach you the sword technique first. You can study it first, but if you want to unleash its power, you will have to wait until you have cultivated your Qi."

Xiao Jin left the hospital with his sword in hand and returned to his room.

He sat cross-legged on the couch, calmed his mind and held his breath, placed the jade slip between his eyebrows, and focused his attention to probe it.

In an instant, his consciousness surged.

He felt as if he were in a vast, open world, with only a blurry figure standing in front of him.

The phantom stood holding a sword, its form indistinct.

Suddenly, the phantom moved!

He begins by pointing the sword diagonally at the ground.

He took a step, his figure flashing out like the wind.

The sword light suddenly appeared, like a silver dragon emerging from the sea. With a single strike, golden energy surged through the heavens and earth, overwhelming everything and even tearing a crack in the void.

Xiao Jin stared intently at every movement of the illusory figure.

Once, twice, three times...

He didn't know how long he stood in his sea of ​​consciousness until he had engraved every movement of the phantom into his mind before he withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, the moon was already high in the sky.

Xiao Jin slowly walked into the courtyard and drew his long sword.

Take a deep breath and begin the movement according to the first move memorized in your mind.

The sword's edge pointed diagonally at the ground, and his figure slightly lowered.

He took a step forward, and his sword was drawn!

The cold light reflected the moon, the sword's gleam was like a ribbon, and it made a sound as it cut through the air.

Shu'er leaned on the windowsill, watching intently, and muttered softly, "Junior brother's performance is so beautiful..."

She sighed inwardly again.

"I wish I could cultivate like this too..."

……

Two days later, Chen Chuan changed into a simple Taoist robe and went down the mountain to Qingxi Town to handle matters related to accepting disciples.

Shu'er had also been clamoring to go, but Chen Chuan shut her up with the words, "There's no one in the temple to look after Qingjiao," and she pouted and stayed at Songjian Temple.

On the grain drying ground in Qingxi Town, a high platform has been erected, and banners are waving.

Wang Huai'an, leading his servants, bustled about, and when he saw Chen Chuan arrive, he quickly went to greet him.

"Immortal Master, there are more than 5,000 children from the five towns who arrived four days ago."

Chen Chuan nodded, stepped onto the stage, and took his seat.

His gaze swept over the dark mass of people below the stage. The method of selecting disciples was no different from last time. He gathered qi at his fingertips and guided the qi to explore the root.

On the first day, more than four thousand children passed away, and none of them possessed spiritual roots.

The next day, nothing was found.

On the third day, they still found nothing.

By the afternoon of the fourth day, as the sun began to set, Chen Chuan was feeling somewhat weary. Suddenly, when his spiritual energy brushed against the crown of a six-year-old boy's head, his fingertips trembled slightly.

Wang Huai'an reacted quickly, glancing at Chen Chuan's eyes before immediately ordering someone to pull the child up to the high platform.

The boy was dressed in a brocade robe, with a handsome face and a scholarly air about him.

Upon closer examination, the boy's body shimmered with azure and aquamarine light.

Suddenly.

Within Chen Chuan's sea of ​​consciousness, the book "The Book of Preaching," which had been dormant for two years, suddenly opened, and on the third page, several lines of large, dark characters were written.

Name: Shen Mo

[Spiritual Roots: Wood and Water Dual Spiritual Roots]

My Destiny Brush: Qiankun Brush

[He was born to Shen Yizhou, the headmaster of the Great Zhou Academy, and a courtesan. To conceal their relationship, Shen Yizhou presented him as his legitimate son and raised him at the academy. Outsiders only knew him as the headmaster's son, unaware that his birth mother was actually a prostitute.]

Although the dual spiritual roots of water and wood are not as good as Xiao Jin's single spiritual root, the two spiritual roots complement each other, and the natal element is also quite compatible, which means that the talent for cultivation is relatively high.

Suppressing his joy, Chen Chuan asked telepathically, "Young friend, would you be willing to cultivate with me?"

The boy turned around and glanced at a middle-aged man in a scholar's robe below the stage, who nodded excitedly.

The boy turned around and respectfully bowed to Chen Chuan: "Disciple Shen Mo greets Master."

Every move he made was calm and composed, not at all like a six-year-old child.

Chen Chuan led him to his side, and was about to speak when he suddenly felt a fluctuation of spiritual energy.

He followed the trail and saw a raggedly dressed child timidly peeking out from the back of the line.

Wang Huai'an also pulled him onto the stage.

The child was about eleven or twelve years old, with dark skin, and was clearly from a farming family.

The spiritual energy swept over it, and its body emitted a mixture of earthy yellow, aquamarine, and turquoise light, which, though varied, was still quite stable.

There was no activity in the Book of Ecclesiastes this time.

Three spiritual roots…

Chen Chuan hesitated for a moment, then beckoned the child forward and asked, "What's your name?"

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, my name is... my name is Shi Niu," the child said nervously.

Chen Chuan felt a pang of regret—his three spiritual roots were mediocre, but it would be a shame to simply abandon them.

He pondered for a moment, then turned to Wang Huai'an and said, "Village Chief, I intend to keep him by your side as a messenger. In the future, if there are any important matters in the twelve towns, he will be sent up the mountain to deliver the message. What do you think?"

Wang Huai'an nodded repeatedly: "Immortal Master, please make the arrangements."

Chen Chuan then said to Shi Niu, "Although you cannot become my disciple, I will pass on to you a method of embryonic breathing and energy cultivation. You can study and practice it on your own. In the future, you can run errands and deliver messages for me, which will make you half a disciple of me."

Upon hearing this, the stone ox knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!"

Chen Chuan helped him up, wrote down the "Qingyuan Yanglun Jing" from memory, handed it to Shi Niu, and instructed Wang Huai'an to take good care of him.

Then, pulling Shen Mo along, she conjured a yellow talisman at her fingertips.

"This is the [Apprenticeship Contract]. If you sign this contract and enter my sect, you will become a direct disciple of this sect. This sect will protect your Dao heart and help you cultivate. If you disobey the sect and fall into evil ways, the contract will backfire, ruining your cultivation and making it impossible for you to move an inch. This contract will protect you from being misled by evil spirits and will also ensure that you do not forget the kindness and righteousness of the sect."

Shen Mo replied in a childish voice, "I'm willing."

He then allowed the talisman to seep into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Chen Chuan took his small hand and said with a faint smile, "From now on, your Daoist name will be [Qingxuan]."

"Come, say goodbye to your father, and then come back to the temple with me!"