Cultivation Method Choice

"Mm, that made sense."

Lan Chang'an smiled, not disputing Li Ergou.

For Li Ergou, who came from a farming household, marrying a wife and having children meant winning at life. Cultivation might only be incidental.

Lan Chang'an, on the other hand, valued the Mu Family's Spiritual Vein Dao Field and had no interest whatsoever in marrying and having children.

In his previous life, he had come from a cultivation clan and cultivated to Peak Core Formation. He had wives and concubines as numerous as clouds, and countless descendants.

"Young Friend Lu, you may consider it. The Cultivation World of Liang Kingdom is not peaceful these days. As an orthodox cultivation family, our Mu Family's reputation and credibility are well known."

The Mu Family Head did not press the matter and turned to the other youths.

Lan Chang'an did not reach a conclusion. He first wanted to learn about the Mu Family's circumstances.

The well-informed Young Marquis Lin Yi was the person Lan Chang'an sought out for answers.

Lin Yi did not refuse. After pondering briefly, he said, "I seem to have heard of the Jade Moon Lake Mu Family..."

"Don't rush. I'll ask around for you."

Leaving those words behind, Lin Yi went into the crowd to inquire with members of cultivation families.

"Brother Lu, why is the Young Marquis so easy to talk to now?"

Li Ergou muttered.

Previously, Lin Yi had relied on his status and superior cultivation. He had not been enthusiastic toward the two of them and had even shown some contempt.

Lan Chang'an smiled. Lin Yi was adapting to his role as a cultivator.

They had all been eliminated by the sect and now stood at the bottom of the Cultivation World.

Once Lan Chang'an and Li Ergou joined a cultivation family, their future prospects would at least be better than those of bottom-tier Rogue Cultivators.

Making a good connection was always better than offending someone.

A short while later, Lin Yi hurried back and said seriously:

"I asked around. The Jade Moon Lake Mu Family is a respectable cultivation family with no bad reputation."

"A few years ago, that family fought the Zheng Family over the ownership rights to Spiritual Ore and lost nearly half of its young and able cultivators. Moreover, the Mu Family has had very few newborn Spiritual Root bearers these past two years and urgently needs fresh blood!"

After hearing this, Lan Chang'an understood.

Other than possessing Spiritual Roots, Immortal Seedlings like them who had been eliminated held little value.

Since the Mu Family Head had personally come forth to recruit them publicly at the foot of Golden Cloud Valley, he would not stoop to anything vile.

"It is said that the Mu Family's only Foundation Establishment Realm Old Ancestor suffered grave injuries in a battle of spells several years ago. He likely will not live another ten years."

Lin Yi suddenly lowered his voice.

The implication was that the Mu Family's future prospects were not optimistic.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Lin."

Lan Chang'an did not mind.

If not for such special circumstances, how could outsiders like them have the chance to enter a cultivation family?

As for how long the Mu Family Old Ancestor would live, and how the Mu Family's future would unfold—

What did it have to do with me!

The Mu Family was only a temporary stop in Lan Chang'an's cultivation. If he truly encountered troublesome danger, he would decisively run.

"Young Friend Lu, have you considered it?"

Dressed in a green scholar's robe, the refined and fair-skinned Mu Family Head looked toward Lan Chang'an and Li Ergou as they returned.

"The two of us agree to join the Mu Family. However, this junior has one small request."

Lan Chang'an cupped his hands.

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"This junior is wholeheartedly devoted to the immortal path. During the initial stages of cultivation, I do not wish to indulge in female beauty. I hope Senior Mu can grant me ten years' leeway. After ten years, this junior will consider marrying and having children."

"Ten years?"

The Mu Family Head snorted coldly, as though muffled thunder had boomed through the empty air.

Li Ergou staggered, his face turning deathly pale. He was so frightened that he could not utter a single word.

Qi Refining Eighth Layer held absolute crushing superiority over Qi Refining First Layer.

Lan Chang'an struggled to steady himself, feigning a frightened expression.

Yet he did not withdraw his request.

"Your will is not bad."

After a moment of silence, the Mu Family Head gave a faint assessment and finally yielded:

"Our Mu Family does not raise idlers. At most, I can give you five years!"

"Five years... fine!"

Lan Chang'an looked as though he had agreed reluctantly.

In truth, he had never expected to delay it for ten years. He had merely left room to haggle.

Five years met his expectations.

"Five years from now, if you violate the agreement, you must repay three times the cultivation resources our Mu Family provided."

The Mu Family Head spoke meaningfully.

He was no fool. How could he let a junior freeload on the family's resources and run away years later?

He had been willing to make concessions only because Lan Chang'an possessed a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root.

An hour later.

The Mu Family Head selected ten youths with Spiritual Roots, including Lan Chang'an and Li Ergou.

They were all youths with no background.

"Very well. From now on, you are outer-surname disciples of the Mu Family. Follow me back to Jade Moon Lake."

The Mu Family Head led the ten youths down the mountain.

Besides the family head, Mu Maode—

Four Mu Family cultivators at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage accompanied them, their cultivation ranging from Qi Refining Fourth Layer to Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

After leaving Golden Cloud Valley—

The Mu Family group did not fly, but rode ordinary mortal steeds.

These steeds obeyed the command of the leading Spirit Colt, so even Li Ergou, who did not know how to ride, had no trouble.

"Brother Lu, why aren't these immortal masters taking us flying back to the family grounds?"

Li Ergou was somewhat disappointed.

When they had gone to Golden Cloud Valley for the examination, they had ridden an immortal sect Flying Boat.

"Mm... perhaps the immortal masters want to temper our bodies and wills along the journey."

Lan Chang'an said with a profound expression.

Though he knew the reason, as a novice with no background who had just stepped onto the immortal path, he absolutely could not act like some know-it-all.

After all, cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm had limited mana. They could only fly with the aid of magical artifacts, making them unsuitable for long-distance flight.

Besides, their flying speed was nothing impressive—slower than an ordinary car on Earth.

Let alone while carrying a group of burdens.

As for a Flying Boat? It was rather valuable. Given the Mu Family's circumstances, they might not be able to produce one, or perhaps would not use one lightly.

By comparison, traveling on horseback was more practical.

It conserved mana.

If they exhausted too much mana on a long flight and enemies took advantage of the opening, that would make a grand joke.

"Tempering our bodies and wills? It must be so! Brother Lu, you understand so much."

Li Ergou suddenly understood and believed it completely.

Their conversation could not escape the notice of the Mu Family members leading the way ahead.

The Mu Family Head remained silent. The four Mu Family cultivators wore strange expressions, the corners of their mouths twitching faintly.

Night fell.

The Mu Family party rested in the wilderness.

Hunting, building campfires, feeding the horses... the four Mu Family cultivators ordered the youths to work.

"They are not even willing to spare Bigu Pills?"

Lan Chang'an stared at the wild boar and rabbits roasting over the campfire, unable to help falling into thought.

The Jade Moon Lake Mu Family's financial state might be worse than he had imagined.

"May I ask, Family Head, how long it will take to return to the family grounds?"

One youth asked.

"The horses you ride carry a trace of Spirit Colt bloodline. It will only take three months to reach the family."

The Mu Family Head sat cross-legged before a separate campfire, while several Mu Family disciples stood guard around him.

Three months?

The youths with Spiritual Roots looked at one another.

Among them, several who were sitting cross-legged and cultivating wore ugly expressions.

Until they reached the Mu Family, they would remain in the mortal world's "spirit-poor land," where cultivation progress would be painfully slow.

That did not even account for the time spent traveling and resting.

In other words, the two or three months on the road would amount to cultivation nearly going to waste!

"Yunfei, distribute some Spirit Stones to each of them."

After hesitating slightly, the Mu Family Head called over a handsome and extraordinary Mu Family youth at Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

"Distribute Spirit Stones?"

Joy stirred in Lan Chang'an's heart. It seemed he had misjudged the Mu Family Head.

Soon, the ten youths with Spiritual Roots received their allotted Spirit Stones.

They were called Spirit Stones...

Lan Chang'an looked at the small handful of crystalline grains in his palm, which emitted faint spiritual energy fluctuations. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

This was Spiritual Sand.

In the Cultivation World, it was a unit of currency smaller than Spirit Stones.

Whether Spirit Stones or Spiritual Sand, both were mined from spirit stone mines.

One standard Low-Grade Spirit Stone equaled fifty taels of Spiritual Sand.

"Mm, roughly twenty taels of Spiritual Sand—not even half a Spirit Stone."

Lan Chang'an weighed it in his hand and fell into thought once more.

Forget it!

He should not expect so much.

What he valued was the Mu Family's Spiritual Vein, a place to cultivate.

He could find a way to earn Spirit Stones later.

"We have Spirit Stones! Thank you, Family Head..."

Those youths who had just stepped onto the immortal path beamed with delight.

Spiritual Sand could also provide spiritual energy for cultivation.

"As long as you sincerely join the Mu Family and bear more descendants, there will be greater rewards in the future."

The Mu Family Head looked generous.

As he watched the Spiritual Sand being distributed, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Having received Spiritual Sand, the youths who possessed cultivation methods began cultivating one after another, absorbing the pure spiritual energy within the Spiritual Sand.

"The first layer of the Open Source Scripture, only just begun?"

Lan Chang'an examined the state of the mana within his body.

He was the young gang leader of the Raging River Gang. Because he had befriended a down-and-out Rogue Cultivator Daoist, he had stepped onto the immortal path.

The Open Source Scripture was an introductory cultivation method he had obtained from that man at great cost.

This method had no elemental attribute, but its strength lay in allowing one to smoothly convert to other cultivation methods.

Having undergone two lives of cultivation reincarnation, Lan Chang'an naturally would not cultivate such a commonplace method.

He closed his eyes and recalled the cultivation methods he had accumulated after reaching the peak of the Golden Core Realm in his previous life.

"The Nine Burning Heaven Arts, a high-tier fire-element cultivation method. It cultivated nine layers of blazing flame to burn away all things; its divine abilities and combat strength were quite outstanding among those of the same realm..."

"The Wind Nether Scripture, a Demonic Path cultivation method. Its methods were bizarre, its escape speed first-rate, and its ability to preserve one's life was considerable..."

"No, my goal in this life is the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Lan Chang'an quickly shook his head and rejected several powerful high-tier cultivation methods.

In his previous life, he had deeply experienced the meaning of "beneath the Nascent Soul Realm, all are ants."

The difficulty of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm was such that, even with his memories of Peak Core Formation, he had little confidence in cultivating anew in this life.

After all, in his Second Life, he had possessed a High-Grade Spiritual Root and been born into a cultivation family. His starting point had been far higher than in this life.

After a long while, he finally made his decision:

"It seems I can only choose that ancient cultivation method..."