There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

"You've... mastered it?!"

Jiang Shiqing stared blankly at Lu Yang, her voice filled with disbelief.

Young Master Ming only started learning Water Dao- Cultivation Method today; even the most basic "Water Gathering Instruction" and "Dew Drawing Instruction" were given to him by her!

Only a few hours have passed?!

Not only has the young master gained a profound understanding of the two Yellow Grade Water Dao Cultivation Method, but he has even mastered the basics of an Earth Grade Supreme Quality Water Dao Cultivation Method?

This speed of comprehension completely exceeded Jiang Shiqing's understanding!

However, the shock on Jiang Shiqing's face quickly turned into excitement.

She hugged Lu Yang, tilted her head back, and looked up at him with eyes full of admiration. "Young Master is truly amazing!"

Lu Yang smiled and gently stroked her long, black hair that draped over her shoulders. The hair was smooth and slightly cool, and the touch was wonderful as it slid through his fingers.

He said softly, "You can start reading the True Explanation of the Azure Waves now, and I'll teach you slowly afterwards."

Lu Yang hadn't forgotten that Jiang Shiqing's quest to Beauty Cultivation a confidante was to introduce the True Explanation of the Azure Waves.

Upon completion, you can also gain some Universal Experience.

Feeling great!

Jiang Shiqing looked at Lu Yang with lingering affection and asked softly, "Won't this affect your cultivation, young master?"

Lu Yang chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair, "Don't worry, it won't happen."

Jiang Shiqing breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "That's good."

Lu Yang looked up at the skylight; it was already getting dark.

The sky framed by the skylight gradually transitioned from light gray to deep blue, with a faint trace of orange afterglow remaining in the far west.

"First, skim through 'True Explanation of the Azure Waves'. After you've finished reading it, I'll explain it to you." Lu Yang handed her the book.

Jiang Shiqing obediently accepted the dark blue manual. "Yes, young master!"

She sat down in the chair, opened the first page, and quickly became engrossed in it.

Seeing that she was watching intently, Lu Yang left the cave abode.

It was already getting dark outside.

The mist lingered, slowly swirling through the mountains, its gray and blue hues tinged with the twilight.

Lu Yang began his run along the mountain path.

As he ran, he passed another cave abode not far from the mountaintop.

The stone door was tightly closed, but a sliver of warm yellow light shone through the crack, and fluctuations of Spiritual Qi emanated from within.

Clearly, this was the cave abode that Lin Ying and Qin Nanyue had chosen.

Lu Yang glanced at the panel.

Lin Ying is refining pills.

As for Qin Nanyue, she was mostly cultivating.

Lu Yang didn't disturb them and continued running down the mountain without stopping.

Under the same night sky, deep within the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

The private cave abode of the sect leader True Lord Qi Yunshu, is located deep within the mountains of the sect.

The entrance to the cave abode is hidden behind a natural cliff. Without a token to guide the way, even if an outsider flies by, they will not notice anything.

Beyond the stone gate lies a hidden paradise.

The reception room was circular, with a dome three zhang high. The four walls were inlaid with warm golden spirit ore, making the entire hall bright but not dazzling.

In the center of the hall stood a huge round table of celadon jade, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the shimmering light flowing from the dome.

At this moment, four people were gathered in the reception room.

Seated in the main seat was a middle-aged man wearing a gold and white Daoist robe.

He had a handsome face and an air of authority that came with long-standing power, but at this moment his long, slender fingers were tapping the table impatiently, making a series of dull tapping sounds.

It was none other than Qi Yunshu, the True Lord of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

To his left sat a female cultivator dressed in a gold and red robe.

She looked to be only around thirty years old, with cascading black hair casually tied back with a crimson gold hairpin, a few stray strands falling beside her ears, making her cold and beautiful face even more exquisite.

She wore a long, gold-red robe embroidered with intricate phoenix feather patterns, the sleeves of which were short, revealing a section of her fair wrist.

This is the Supreme Elder Su Jinxuan.

To Qi Yunshu's right sat an elderly man dressed in a pure white robe, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom.

His hair and beard were all white, and his face was full of wrinkles, but his deep brown eyes were warm and bright, as if they could see into the depths of people's hearts at a glance.

The white robe was embroidered with only a few minimal silver cloud patterns, and had no other decorations, which instead highlighted a sense of simplicity and authenticity.

This is the Supreme Elder Lin Xuanchen.

Facing Lin Xuanchen was a burly man with a completely different aura.

He wore the simplest gray linen clothes, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and blond hair cascading over his shoulders. Sitting there, he resembled a silent iron tower.

Supreme Elder Han Qianshan.

Apart from a few Supreme Elders who were traveling or away on important business, all the Nascent Soul True Lord of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect were here.

The air in the reception room was somewhat heavy.

Qi Yunshu frowned, tapped the table with her finger, and said with a headache, "We've been discussing this for so long, what's the final decision?"

The other three people looked at each other, their expressions varying.

They had been in the reception room for several hours.

In the morning, after Elder Mo Xianyun of the Affairs Hall finished processing the sect token for Jiang Shiqing, she immediately reported the changes in Spiritual Qi on the nameless mountain peak in Lu Yang to Qi Yunshu.

Qi Yunshu couldn't even believe it when she first heard it.

Without affecting the Spirit Veins or forcibly drawing away the surrounding Spiritual Qi, how could the Spiritual Qi concentration in an area be increased tenfold out of thin air?!

What kind of incredible skill is this?!

He had never heard of such a thing in his hundreds of years of life.

Only after Mo Xianyun repeatedly assured him did he finally have to believe her.

Therefore, Qi Yunshu immediately summoned all three Supreme Elders who were originally in seclusion within the sect.

They first thoroughly examined the condition of the Spirit Vein.

The four of them breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that the Spirit Vein had not been forcibly drained of its Spiritual Qi.

Then, they were both surprised and delighted, and their spirits were incredibly high.

After all, the Spiritual Qi concentration of Lu Yang's mountain peak increased tenfold out of thin air without affecting the Spirit Veins, which was of great significance!

Their first thought was:

Lu Yang is currently only causing the Spiritual Qi concentration to fluctuate within a single mountain peak. Could he then increase the Spiritual Qi concentration in other areas as well?

If Lu Yang could help improve the Spiritual Qi of the entire Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, then their cultivation environment would be comparable to that of those immortal Golden Rainbow Sword Sects Immortal Sect Holy Lands!

That's Supreme-Grade Spirit Vein cultivation environment!

Even though all four were Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, they couldn't help but feel excited.

At their level of cultivation, the demand for Spiritual Qi increases dramatically with each step forward.

With its High-Grade Spirit Veins, the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect is already considered one of the top cultivation treasures in the Qin Province cultivation Immortal Realm.

However, for Nascent Soul Cultivators like them, although the Spiritual Qi of High-Grade Spirit Vein can support normal cultivation, it is definitely not as beneficial as that of Nascent Soul Cultivator Supreme-Grade Spirit Vein!

If the Spiritual Qi concentration of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect truly reaches the level of Supreme-Grade Spirit Vein, they might even have a chance to take another step forward before their lifespan runs out.

Even if one cannot break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, reaching the Peak Nascent Soul is still an immense blessing!

However, as Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, they naturally understood a most basic principle.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

It's unrealistic to expect Lu Yang to help increase the Spiritual Qi concentration of the entire Golden Rainbow Sword Sect just because they casually mentioned it.

Does anyone know what price needs to be paid to increase the concentration of Spiritual Qi?

If Lu Yang had an ordinary background, they might not have been able to suppress their own greed and force Lu Yang to help them.

The problem is that Lu Yang's identity is mysterious and prestigious.

Even powerful True Lord at the Peak Nascent Soul are just servants; the power behind such figures is far beyond what the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect can match.

Forcing them? That's suicide!

They didn't even dare to test the waters!

So they've been discussing how to ask Lu Yang for help until now.

Because everyone has different ideas, no one can convince anyone else.

After a long silence, Su Jinxuan spoke first, her voice gentle yet with a hint of assertiveness. "I still hold the same opinion. Although Young Master Lu is nominally a disciple of our Golden Rainbow Sword Sect and doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards the sect, his feelings for our sect aren't very deep either. I think we should take it step by step, first deepening our relationship. Once we have a foundation of affection, we can then naturally ask him for help, and everything will fall into place."

Han Qianshan crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair with his broad shoulders, and spoke in a deep, powerful voice. "As the sect leader has said, Young Master Lu's attitude towards our sect is quite friendly. If we offer him enough incentives, perhaps he'll be willing to help right now?"

Su Jinxuan glanced at Han Qianshan, a slight sneer on her lips, and said coldly, "Then what bargaining chips do you think you can offer? Increasing the Spiritual Qi concentration tenfold out of thin air is nothing short of a miracle! You and I both know that even those legendary Immortal Sect Holy Lands probably couldn't do that! What bargaining chips does our small Golden Rainbow Sword Sect have to impress Young Master Lu?"

Han Qianshan frowned, his face showing displeasure, and said, "You haven't even asked, how do you know that Young Master Lu is unwilling?"

Su Jinxuan's expression also turned cold, and her speech quickened. "If we can't even offer a decent bargaining chip, asking rashly will only humiliate us! It might even make Young Master Lu think we're trying to take advantage of him. Once we affect Young Master Lu's attitude towards the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, wouldn't it be even more difficult to ask him for help later?!"

Han Qianshan's lips twitched, as if he was about to retort again.

Qi Yunshu and Lin Xuanchen exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep sense of helplessness in each other's eyes.

The two are close in age and are the most outstanding geniuses of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect in the past five hundred years.

However, the two had a strained relationship due to their rivalry when they were young.

They start arguing as soon as they get together.

Lin Xuanchen sighed, his voice aged yet calm, and tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, you two are both hundreds of years old, what's there to argue about?"

Su Jinxuan and Han Qianshan's expressions softened slightly when they heard Lin Xuanchen speak.

Lin Xuanchen is the most senior member of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, having lived for nearly a thousand years.

Of course, his cultivation level was also the strongest in the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, reaching the Peak Nascent Soul, making him a pillar of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

Since Lin Xuanchen had spoken, the two naturally had to give him face.

Qi Yunshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Lin Xuanchen, her tone respectful. "Grandmaster Uncle, what are your thoughts?"