He put down the letter and remained silent for a long while.
To be fair, he disagreed with Mo Buxiu's view. He had rated Demon Cultivators far too highly, barely stopping short of belittling Dao Cultivators, Demonic Cultivators, and Buddhist Cultivators as utterly worthless.
His cultivation and breadth of knowledge were inferior to Mo Buxiu's, so Lu Bei had no way to refute him from that angle. His point of entry was somewhat opportunistic.
The game needed balance.
If Demon Cultivators were truly as Mo Buxiu had claimed, with potential far surpassing the other three paths, they would definitely be nerfed.
The more Lu Bei thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Each version had its own god-tier class. Demon Cultivators only had overwhelming potential for now. Once the closed beta and Open Beta ended, the programmers would alter fate when the servers officially opened, and Demon Cultivators would be nerfed to within an inch of their lives.
He burned the letter containing the important information, then turned his attention to the other things inside the Qiankun Bag: a bottle of pills, two Cultivation Manuals, and three sealed bronze boxes.
The pills were in a porcelain bottle with no label. Lu Bei had no idea what they were for, so he did not open it rashly.
One of the two Cultivation Manuals was titled 'Great Wilderness Monster Cultivation Record,' while the other was titled 'Array Dao Primer.' He gave them a try. The former could not be practiced because his level was too low, while the latter required 300 Skill Points.
"It's clearly just a primer, a running account like a table of contents, yet it costs me 300 Skill Points. That's way too expensive..."
Lu Bei cried foul, then immediately threw down 300 Skill Points.
Array Dao Primer Lv1 (0/3000)
He did not rush to add experience and level up the new cultivation art. Instead, he held back a card and opened the three bronze boxes in succession. The first two could not be opened. When he opened the last one, he obtained a secret letter and a map.
The map depicted the trends of the mountains and rivers, with written annotations pointing out the entrance to the ruins.
Lu Bei had seen this map some time ago. It had been in Zhu Bo's hands. Not only that, he had even entered the ruins once.
When he opened the secret letter, Mo Buxiu's handwriting came into view.
Disciple, I am greatly heartened that you were able to detect the anomaly in the deep well and obtain the Qiankun Bag. However, this also shows that I failed to personally guide you in cultivation, which is truly a regret.
Let me guess. The person who led you onto the path of cultivation must have been your senior sister, Bai Jin.
As for the Lingxiao Sword Sect, your master and your sect master senior brother have some old misunderstandings between us. There is no point dwelling on old accounts, so you need not inquire about them. Your Senior Sister Bai will not tell you either.
Lu Bei: "..."
No, Senior Sister Bai was a gossip. She had practically told him everything.
Do not become arrogant and complacent over a little talent. The Cultivation World is vast, and powerful experts are as numerous as the clouds. Take the four formations I left behind, for example. You must have spent quite some effort making your way through them.
Lu Bei: "..."
Enough already. Stop showing off. You have not guessed a single thing correctly.
In the Qiankun Bag, I left you a bottle of 'Three-Revolutions Origin Nurturing Pill.' It can consolidate your foundation and increase your cultivation realm. Decide for yourself what to do with it.
"Holy crap, it's an Experience Pill!"
Lu Bei lowered his voice and stared at the porcelain bottle, swallowing repeatedly.
Peiyuan Pills were known as Experience Pills among players. After consumption, they directly increased Main Profession experience. They were further divided into Three-Revolutions Origin Nurturing Pills, Six-Revolutions Origin Nurturing Pills, and Nine Revolutions Peiyuan Pills. Their prices remained sky-high, making them hard currency among players.
There are also two secret arts. The 'Great Wilderness Monster Cultivation Record' is the foundation upon which our Feather Transformation Sect was established. It is extraordinarily profound and may not be passed on to anyone but Inner Disciples. The 'Array Dao Primer' was personally compiled by me after gathering the strengths of many schools. Pondering it thoroughly will surely benefit you greatly.
The requirements for practicing the Great Wilderness Monster Cultivation Record are extremely harsh. One must begin at the realm of Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. This is a cultivation art that requires persistent effort over time. Even now, I dare not claim to have cultivated it to great accomplishment. With your current cultivation, where breaking through the four formations was already exceedingly difficult, trying to comprehend this secret art would be no different from trying to read a heavenly book. Do not rush.
Once you truly reach Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, you will discover that practicing the 'Great Wilderness Monster Cultivation Record' requires the pure Bloodline Source of the Demon Race. I cannot help you with this; you must seek it out yourself.
Do not complain. Cultivation ought to rely on ceaseless self-improvement. To you, your master is merely a guide.
Lu Bei: "..."
Skipping the map and looking back at the rest, Lu Bei found this master, Mo Buxiu, truly honest and generous. He had nothing more to say—he just wanted to drag him out and praise him.
The other two bronze boxes also contain maps. Within them are the inheritances I left for you. Do not force them open if you cannot. That only means your strength is insufficient. Wait until you can open them before investigating. You need not be anxious either. What is yours will ultimately be yours, and others cannot take it away. My arrangements are ingenious, and I have determined that no one else will see through them.
Lu Bei: "..."
I told you not to say anything, but you just had to. Look what happened—the grandeur keeps crumbling.
Remember to register with the Ascension Gate Sect and learn more about formations. Do not think exploring ruins is harmless. Entering tombs is a very dishonorable thing.
Although it is indeed very dishonorable, cultivating immortality is simply like this. On the surface, the Kyushu World is rich in spiritual energy, but in truth, it has endured a tremendous catastrophe. The Immortal Gate's inheritances have suffered a break in transmission. If you want to obtain complete cultivation arts, relying on the experiences of your predecessors is an indispensable shortcut.
Take Sanqing Peak, where we are, and the other eight peaks of Nine Bamboo Mountain. Every peak has spiritual energy, yet this one stands apart from all the rest. When I first arrived here, I sensed traces of a dwelling left behind by an expert of an earlier generation. While exploring it cautiously, I established the Feather Transformation Sect to throw others off the scent. I gained a great deal, and my cultivation advanced another step.
I have also included another map. It was arranged by your master in my early years and differs from this underground palace. I left a little surprise for you there.
Remember this well: the ruins on the map are a trial I prepared for you. Without the cultivation realm of Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, do not set foot there lightly, or you will lose your life.
And do not think of asking your Senior Sister Bai for help. You may trust her, but you cannot trust her completely. The same applies to all other cultivators. Though a man may have no intention of harming a tiger, the tiger may harbor a heart bent on harming him. Keep your wits about you in all matters. In this worldly Cultivation World driven by desire, kindness is not a virtue worthy of praise.
After reading the lengthy letter, Lu Bei drew a deep breath, put away the Experience Pill, and stuffed the Qiankun Bag containing his entire fortune and life into his clothes.
Right against his skin.
He had found himself a good master. For a long time to come—even after reaching level 40—he would not need to worry about his primary cultivation art.
With the addition of a bottle of Experience Pills, he no longer had to agonize over an uneven distribution. He could put all the experience he had earned during this period into the 'Demon Slaying Scripture' and the 'Fetal Breath Qi Replenishing Art.'
By then, his Main Profession level would have risen without leaving his cultivation-art skills behind. With his basic attributes multiplied through added points, his attack and defense would soar in tandem.
Just thinking about it was perfect.
But first, he had to claim the quest experience.
[You completed the quest Secret of the Feather Transformation Sect] [You completed the Main Quest: Unravel the Mystery, obtaining 30,000 experience] [You completed the Side Quest: Defeat the Mudman Formation, obtaining... [...
The 140,000 experience from this quest, added to the 40,000 experience he had gained earlier from defeating Ding Lei, Du Jinglan, and Pang Miaosong, brought the total accumulated experience to another 180,000, raising his reserves to 900,000 experience.
Lu Bei discovered something that saddened him deeply: defeating the likes of Feng Si and Ding Lei granted experience, but beating minor thugs, Emei Sect disciples, and other supporting characters did not.
The NPC template had restrictions. Beating up weaklings could only let him show off; it could not bring him any experience benefits. His happiness was cut in half.
Once his level exceeded his opponent's by too much, defeating or killing them would no longer grant experience. He could not kill chickens his way to becoming the Sword God of Shilipo. His happiness was cut in half again.
Happiness reset to zero. Negative emotions were breeding.
Rumble—!!
Just as Lu Bei removed the Sect Master's Seal, the mechanism overhead opened. Soil came crashing down, while the dim yellow light filtered through the tree canopy in mottled patches. He leaped out and discovered that he was in the woods behind the mountain, less than a hundred meters from the little foxes' den.
"It's time to expand again..."
Lu Bei gazed at the cave entrance and muttered to himself, counting on his fingers. "An alchemy room, a blacksmith shop, a storefront, an underground-palace dungeon... This expansion is probably going to cost a fortune... Damn it, I was too focused on maintaining my persona back then. What a blunder!"
He regretted repaying the IOU to Ding Lei so early. If he had held on to it for another ten days or half a month, he could have used it directly to offset the construction costs.
"I was careless this time. I'll chalk it up to paying the stupidity tax. I guarantee I won't make the same mistake next time!" Lu Bei shook his head repeatedly.
It was not that he valued money too much. The NPC template differed far too greatly from the player template. His quests did not offer direct monetary rewards, while he had to earn money himself for his daily expenses and the cost of raising the Fox Spirits.
The importance of money to a cultivator went without saying. Economic strength determined the superstructure. Pills, artifacts, formations, cultivation arts—everything cost money. Without money, what immortality could he cultivate? He would have to build the roads first and worry about the rest later.
Lu Bei jumped into the cave and activated the mechanism to seal the passage behind the mountain. When he passed the four formations, he replaced the Spirit Crystals in the formation cores one by one, then finally left the underground palace through the well.
What a great place. With this underground palace alone, any player guide to Novice Village would surely have to reserve a place for Sanqing Peak.
"What? What did you write?"
In the backyard, Lu Bei had just climbed out of the well when he saw Hu Jiao scampering over, chattering incessantly. She raised a paw and scrawled several lines of dog-scratch writing on the ground.
There was even a picture.
Image
"There's a big brother called Sword-Stabbing-the-Heavens who crashed into the gate... Let me guess. You mean a senior brother from the Lingxiao Sword Sect came calling, right?"
"Squeak."
"Wait, what does this sun mean? What did he do to you?"
"Squeak squeak."
"Oh, he arrived at noon."
Lu Bei tilted his head toward the sky. Exploring the underground palace had taken him half a day. It was already sunset and would soon be dark. He asked, "Where is he? Did he leave?"
"Squeak."
"He went into the woods to drink water... Got it. He's waiting for me in the deep pool behind the mountain. He's got quite a lot of patience, waiting this long!"
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
Seeing that Lu Bei understood everything at a glance, Hu Jiao beamed and spun around him. The four little foxes spotted them from far away, lined up, and ran over to circle around Lu Bei as well.
Because they were dizzy, they soon staggered to a stop.
Lu Bei left a bottle of Qi Ling Pills for the little foxes to eat as snacks, then walked alone toward the deep pool behind the mountain. Before long, he saw that senior brother who had crashed into the gate, Sword-Stabbing-the-Heavens.
"Damn it! This is going too far!!"
The man in black angrily smashed his fishing rod and kicked over the little folding stool beneath him. Still unsatisfied, he formed a sword sign and summoned a dazzling sword wheel from the sky. Then...
He met Lu Bei's eyes and froze awkwardly in place.
"Caught nothing?"
"Not completely. I caught a snake."
"..." x2
Before you continue