Cherish Life, Stay Away From Divination Arts

Divination Arts?

Li Xiuchang knew that Divination Arts was one of the hundred arts of cultivation, but he didn't understand the specifics.

As for the information he'd read in cultivation novels in his past life, whether true or false, there was no need to mention it and make a fool of himself.

Zhang Wanzhi didn't expect a new disciple like Li Xiuchang to know much and took the initiative to explain:

"Divination Arts is the most difficult art to get started with among the hundred arts of cultivation. Whether one can learn it doesn't depend on talent or effort, but solely on fate. Junior Brother Gui is a Divination Master.

"Divination Arts can scry the heavenly secrets and predict fortune and misfortune, but it has a fatal flaw... it shortens one's lifespan!

"Heavenly secrets should not be revealed. When scrying secrets that are too high-level or too deeply involved, one's lifespan will be consumed. If the scryed heavenly secrets are leaked to others, even more lifespan will be lost.

"Therefore, the first lesson in learning Divination Arts is to learn to be cautious in speech and action. Don't scry what you shouldn't, and don't speak what you shouldn't. It's just a pity that Junior Brother Gui..."

Hearing this, Li Xiuchang understood.

"Senior Brother Gui leaked too many heavenly secrets, thus shortening his lifespan?"

Zhang Wanzhi nodded. "Junior Brother Gui has a strong thirst for knowledge and enjoys sharing with others, so... his lifespan is almost gone."

Li Xiuchang was speechless for a long time.

He had never heard of such a bizarre method of suicide.

Strong curiosity and a big mouth.

The two major taboos for a Divination Master, and that Senior Brother Gui had committed both.

A Divination Master with a big mouth was no different from committing suicide.

"So Senior Brother Gui doesn't talk to anyone anymore?" Li Xiuchang vaguely guessed why Senior Brother Gui had ignored him.

"He's practicing the Buddhist precept of silence, he can't speak."

As expected... To make a big-mouthed person control their tongue, the best method is to sew their mouth shut.

Zhang Wanzhi changed the subject. "He started practicing this precept of silence twenty years ago, but in these twenty years, I still watched him grow old day by day.

"Just keeping his mouth shut is useless. He couldn't stop himself from constantly scrying things he shouldn't, and he was always pondering methods of writing and drawing to leak heavenly secrets to others. Only in the last two years, as he was nearing death, did he become a bit more settled."

Speaking of this, Zhang Wanzhi's tone carried a hint of disappointment, no longer as calm as before.

Li Xiuchang didn't know what to say. Senior Brother Gui's deeds had refreshed his understanding of the word "courting death."

At the same time, he secretly resolved never to learn Divination Arts!

He wasn't the protagonist of those "longevity flow" novels; his lifespan was too short to mess around with.

After all, it's hard for someone with the ability to predict the future to resist using it, and after knowing too many secrets, it's hard to guarantee absolute discretion.

Li Xiuchang didn't want to "question Senior Brother Gui, understand Senior Brother Gui, become Senior Brother Gui."

While they were chatting, the Flying Boat had already landed at the entrance of the Reception Area.

Disciples nearby saw Zhang Wanzhi and greeted him enthusiastically.

Li Xiuchang had already sensed Zhang Wanzhi's considerable prestige among the Outer Sect disciples at the entrance of the Eastern Geng District, and now he was even more certain of this guess.

"Junior Brother Li, you go take your test first. I'll come back to pick you up here after I'm done with my business," Zhang Wanzhi said, putting away the Flying Boat and switching to a Flying Sword before flying away.

Flying Swords were faster than Flying Boats, but Flying Boats had the advantage of slightly larger space and could carry more people, while Flying Swords were more suitable for solo flight.

Li Xiuchang entered the Reception Area and emerged twenty minutes later, beaming.

While the memory was still fresh, he got a perfect score on the sect rules exam!

Passing the sect rules exam would earn one ten low-grade Spirit Stones, serving as initial funds for cultivation.

And since Li Xiuchang got a perfect score, he received an additional reward of ten Spirit Stones, for a total of twenty low-grade Spirit Stones.

He had essentially won at the starting line.

Outer Sect disciples like him could receive ten low-grade Spirit Stones from the sect each month. As their cultivation improved or they began learning cultivation arts, their benefits would also increase.

These were all benefits provided by the Immortal Dust Sect to its disciples free of charge. Relying solely on these Spirit Stones would definitely not be enough to sustain daily cultivation, so Outer Sect disciples had to find ways to earn Spirit Stones themselves.

After passing the sect rules exam, Li Xiuchang could collect cultivation techniques and begin his training.

Fortunately, the Library Pavilion where basic cultivation techniques were distributed was not far from the Reception Area, and Li Xiuchang walked there in a few minutes.

The old man guarding the Library Pavilion took Li Xiuchang's identity token and the sect rules exam completion certificate, then pointed to a transparent glass barrel next to him, which contained a milky white liquid.

"Drip a drop of body fluid into it to test your physique attributes."

Li Xiuchang inquired, "Senior, do you have any sharp tools here?"

The old man frowned. "What do you want to do?"

"Naturally, to prick my fingertip and drip blood."

"Prick your finger, aren't you afraid of pain? Body fluid isn't just blood."

Li Xiuchang looked at the milky white liquid in the glass barrel. Could it be...

This is not appropriate, is it?

He showed a hesitant expression on his face.

Just then, the old man continued, "A drop of your sweat, a drop of your tears, either will do! If you really have nothing, you can spit some saliva, or… cough, never mind the urine."

Hearing this, Li Xiuchang breathed a sigh of relief and dripped a drop of sweat from his forehead into the bucket.

The milky white liquid in the bucket absorbed Li Xiuchang's sweat and gradually began to change color.

In a short while, the liquid in the bucket was dyed with distinct red and green colors.

It was clearly visible through the transparent glass bucket, with the red liquid occupying about two-thirds and the rest being green liquid.

The old man glanced at it and said, "You have a dual fire and wood elemental constitution, with fire as the primary element. It's suitable for cultivating fire-attribute techniques, or dual-attribute cultivation. Of course, if you insist on cultivating wood-attribute techniques, that's also an option."

Li Xiuchang had read the basic cultivation knowledge in the Beginner's Guide and was not completely ignorant of cultivation.

With his constitution, cultivating fire-attribute techniques would be the fastest and most suitable for him.

Although dual-attribute techniques were powerful, they would slow down cultivation speed, which was not ideal for his low-grade Spiritual Aperture.

As for wood-attribute techniques, they would be the slowest for Li Xiuchang to cultivate, so he wouldn't even consider them.

While he was contemplating, the liquid in the glass bucket had already returned to its pure white color.

Next, Li Xiuchang went to the fire-attribute technique section to choose a cultivation method.

The Library Pavilion stored techniques for the Qi Refining stage, intended for newly initiated disciples.

New disciples lacked spiritual sense and magic power, and couldn't read jade slips, so all techniques were in paper books.

Fire Element Skill, True Fire Art, Great Sun True Skill, Nine Yang Sky Burning Art, Purgatory Essence Tempering Skill...

Li Xiuchang's gaze swept over the names of techniques, some ordinary, some incredibly impressive. He casually picked up a few books and flipped through their descriptions.

Qi Refining stage techniques were all more or less the same. Those with greater power often had slower cultivation speeds, while those with faster cultivation speeds achieved it by sacrificing power.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Li Xiuchang had always intended to follow the path of Prudent Cultivation, avoiding conflict and fights, so he naturally leaned towards choosing techniques with faster cultivation speeds.

"What technique is this?"

Li Xiuchang's gaze paused slightly, and he reached out to take a technique from the upper shelf.

"Fire Starting Skill? The name of this technique is truly... unconventional."