Choosing Sorcery

Qi Haozhi's feelings were complicated, but mostly filled with anger and shame.

He had started cultivating the day he entered the Carefree Sect, and it was only a few days ago that he broke through to the first level of Qi Condensation. Yet, this Ugly Girl, who couldn't even recognize big words, was at the same cultivation level as him!

Doesn't this mean that the Ugly Girl's cultivation speed is even faster than his own?

No, that's impossible!

Xu Chunniang frowned. Why was this person so annoying, like a fly?

Just the first level of Qi Condensation, couldn't she break through?

How would these people know how much time and effort she had poured into cultivation!

"Move aside, you're blocking my view of the sorcery I want to choose!"

Xu Chunniang said expressionlessly.

Qi Haozhi didn't move. Instead, he stared intently at Xu Chunniang. "I know, you must have been cultivating with Spirit Stones, right?"

Xu Chunniang found him inexplicable. What business was it of his whether she used Spirit Stones or not?

However, there was nothing to deny. She crossed her arms and looked at Qi Haozhi sideways.

"So what if I did? Even if I've been using Spirit Stones since the day I first attempted Qi Introduction, it's none of your business, right?"

Upon hearing her "explanation," a look of realization flashed across Qi Haozhi's face.

No wonder her cultivation speed was faster; it turned out she had been using Spirit Stones all along.

He quickly figured out why the Ugly Girl would directly use Spirit Stones for cultivation.

It must be because her assigned dormitory was too poor, with Spiritual Qi so thin that cultivation was impossible, forcing her to use Spirit Stones.

After finding the reason, Qi Haozhi's expression relaxed.

So what if the Ugly Girl had six more Spirit Stones than him? It was just six Spirit Stones, but she was assigned to a dormitory where cultivation was impossible. When her Spirit Stones ran out, she would just have to cry!

As expected, she was just a commoner who couldn't amount to anything, short-sighted!

With this thought, Qi Haozhi's mood improved rapidly. He couldn't even be bothered to look at Xu Chunniang again. He even felt his previous actions were somewhat laughable, getting nervous over a mere commoner.

He lifted his chin and left with the sorcery he had chosen.

Seeing Qi Haozhi's inexplicably proud expression, Xu Chunniang, though puzzled, couldn't be bothered to care. She continued to choose sorcery on her own.

She looked at this book, then touched that one. She wanted them all!

However, after more than two months in the immortal sect, Xu Chunniang was no longer the ignorant village girl she used to be. Naturally, she knew the principle of "one who grasps too much, loses all."

More importantly, new disciples were only allowed to choose two sorceries for free.

She muttered to herself, "I have Three-Element Spiritual Roots of water, wood, and earth, so it's best to choose sorcery of these three attributes.

When they tested my Spiritual Roots earlier, they said my water Spiritual Root was the best, with a purity of sixty. My wood Spiritual Root was second best, with a purity of only forty-five, and my earth Spiritual Root was the worst, with a purity of only thirty-five.

Looking at it this way, the most suitable for me should be water-attribute sorcery, then wood-attribute, and finally earth-attribute.

Since I can only choose two, I'll pick one water-attribute and one wood-attribute!"

Xu Chunniang's gaze fell on a book titled "Water Arrow Technique." Just as she was about to take it, she paused.

The Water Arrow Technique was clearly an offensive sorcery. After learning it, she would have a certain degree of self-preservation ability.

However, before her cultivation reached the fourth level of Qi Condensation, as long as she didn't fight with others, the Water Arrow Technique would be almost useless.

The protection period for new disciples was only three years. After three years, regardless of her cultivation level, she would have to pay Contribution Points to the sect.

One point per month, a total of twelve points per year. Coupled with the expense of six Spirit Stones for Grain Abstinence Pills annually, even if she didn't use Spirit Stones for cultivation, she would have to earn enough Contribution Points and Spirit Stones each year.

One Contribution Point could be exchanged for one Spirit Stone, but one Spirit Stone could not buy one Contribution Point.

There were ways to get Spirit Stones, but Contribution Points had to be earned through tasks or commissions, without exception for any disciple.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't worry so much, but Xu Chunniang was different. She had offended Steward Zhang. If Steward Zhang deliberately made things difficult for her, she might not be able to earn enough Contribution Points.

Xu Chunniang's gaze moved past the "Water Arrow Technique" and landed on "Spiritual Rain Technique."

Her Spiritual Roots were water, wood, and earth, which were very suitable for developing in the direction of Spiritual Plants.

The Spiritual Rain Technique was also a single water-attribute sorcery, but it was a purely auxiliary sorcery and an essential introductory sorcery for "Spiritual Plants" among the hundred arts of cultivation.

As for the function of the "Spiritual Rain Technique," it was used to water Spiritual Plants.

Having made up her mind, Xu Chunniang reluctantly gave up the powerful "Water Arrow Technique" and chose the "Spiritual Rain Technique" instead.

For the second sorcery, Xu Chunniang thought, might as well go all the way, and chose the wood-attribute "Spring Growth Technique."

The "Spring Growth Technique" was also an essential introductory sorcery for the "Spiritual Plants" major. Since she had decided to develop in the direction of Spiritual Plants, she naturally couldn't do without the "Spring Growth Technique" that could accelerate plant growth.

The steward responsible for copying the sorcery in the Merit Pavilion was a female cultivator. Seeing that she had been choosing for a long time and finally picked the Spiritual Rain Technique and the Spring Growth Technique, she didn't say anything.

The female steward quickly finished copying and handed her two jade slips, saying sternly, "Remember, any sorcery of the Carefree Sect must not be divulged!"

Xu Chunniang nodded. She had memorized the sect rules. She knew that secretly divulging the sect's sorcery was a serious crime, punishable by the revocation of cultivation and expulsion from the immortal mountain.

As for why they didn't kill disciples who privately passed on sorcery, Xu Chunniang thought it was for deterrence.

After all, turning someone who had embarked on the path of immortality back into a mortal would be more painful than killing them.

After receiving the jade slip, Xu Chunniang left the Merit Pavilion and headed towards the dormitories. She passed by the Lecture Hall on the way, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not go in.

While the lectures given by the Martial Uncles at the Lecture Hall were good, her priority right now was to improve her cultivation, as cultivation was the foundation of everything.

Moreover, the sorcery taught by the Martial Uncles were advanced techniques typically learned in the mid to late stages of Qi Condensation. Basic auxiliary sorceries like the "Spiritual Rain Technique" and "Spring Growth Technique" would likely not even be mentioned.

As the sun dipped towards the west, Xu Chunniang reached the foot of the mountain where the dormitories were located. However, she didn't choose to ascend the mountain, instead continuing south.

Although she had only stayed outside the dormitory for a brief moment last time, she had already felt that the spiritual Qi at the summit could be described as barren.

Now that she had a better place to cultivate and reside, she naturally wouldn't consider living in that dilapidated, shaky shack.

She walked south for half an hour and finally reached the cave before dark.

Seeing that the pile of weeds she used to conceal the cave entrance showed no signs of being disturbed, Xu Chunniang was quite satisfied.

The only thing that displeased her was that every time she entered from the outside, she inevitably fell into the water pool...

Fortunately, the disciple robes issued by the Carefree Sect, in addition to being dustproof and cold-resistant, also had decent waterproofing. She climbed ashore, dripping wet, but her clothes remained dry.

After her hair dried, Xu Chunniang began to cultivate as usual. Without the assistance of Spirit Stones, her cultivation speed noticeably slowed down.

Now that Xu Chunniang wasn't as desperate as when she was trapped, she was naturally reluctant to directly use Spirit Stones for cultivation. Although her cultivation speed had slowed, there was no other way.

Today is the Lantern Festival, so I've added an extra chapter. Little cuties, be happy!!