Senior Sister Is Right

Ninety-nine percent of the cultivators in the immortal cultivation world were in the Qi Refining stage. As a result, cultivators had grown used to dividing it into fine gradations, from the first to the ninth layer. The realms beyond it were divided into only three minor stages: early, middle, and late.

Ask Dao Sect was different. For its disciples, Qi Refining was merely the threshold to get in. Why bother dividing a threshold into levels?

Ask Dao Sect had only the Qi Refining stage, with no minor levels.

"Does everyone else draw qi into their bodies this way too?"

Lu Yang was curious. If everyone cultivated like this, how had he ended up progressing the slowest?

Yun Zhi shook her head. "This is the original cultivation method of the ancient people. They sensed nature and united heaven and man, drawing spiritual energy into themselves and becoming cultivators in a single leap."

The earliest cultivation methods naturally required no guidance from predecessors, and there were no cultivation manuals. All they had was constant contemplation and trial and error with their own bodies.

"As for your meridians, they were completely opened while you soaked in the medicinal bath, allowing spiritual energy to flow freely. In your state of unity between heaven and man, the spiritual energy followed your sensations as it moved through your body. That route suits you better than any cultivation method, no matter its rank."

The immortal cultivation world liked to divide cultivation methods into five ranks: yellow, profound, earth, heaven, and immortal. But to Yun Zhi, there were only two kinds: those that suited you and those that didn't.

"None of those methods were originally designed specifically for you. There are plenty of methods suited to Sword Spirit Roots—I have a whole box of them—but none suit you."

"Starting today, I'm assigning you a long-term task: create your own cultivation method."

When Yun Zhi said Lu Yang should create his own cultivation method, she naturally didn't mean he had to figure it out alone. She would guide him, but even so, the difficulty was self-evident.

Creating cultivation methods was something only venerable elders of the immortal cultivation world could do.

Lu Yang's mouth twitched. "Those seniors who create cultivation methods stand at such lofty heights. They understand every realm like the back of their hand; only then are they qualified to create one. I've only just drawn qi into my body. For a junior like me to create a cultivation method is a little..."

Yun Zhi cut off Lu Yang's complaints. "Creating a cultivation method isn't as difficult as you imagine."

"Do you know that Ask Dao Sect has a rule? After reaching Foundation Establishment Realm, every disciple must complete a task issued by the Task Hall, thereby fulfilling their duty to the righteous path?"

Lu Yang nodded. He'd heard about that.

Other sects had similar systems, requiring their disciples to complete tasks. After all, sects didn't support idlers; contributing to the sect was how you proved your worth.

But the Five Great Immortal Sects were different. They required their disciples to issue tasks not to contribute to their sects, but to contribute to the righteous path.

The Five Great Immortal Sects led the righteous path. That wasn't just an empty slogan.

"Ordinary tasks require going down the mountain to slay demons, eliminate evil, exorcise ghosts, and so on. I dislike the worldly atmosphere, so I chose another way to complete my tasks."

"What way?"

"The Task Hall has a standing task: submit a copy of a cultivation method that Ask Dao Sect doesn't already have on record. That counts as completing a task, too."

"Then, Senior Sister, you..." Lu Yang had a bold idea—so absurd he could hardly believe it.

"So, to deal with... complete my tasks, I created a bunch of cultivation methods myself, then lied and told them I'd found them in ruins or secret realms."

"Unfortunately, they saw through it eventually."

"How?" Lu Yang asked.

"Because according to the missions I reported, I'd already combed through every ruin and secret realm. I didn't know which one to make up next."

"So you see? Creating cultivation methods isn't hard."

Yun Zhi had offered a firsthand account, with sound reasoning to back it up. It was utterly convincing.

Lu Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say, Senior Sister, I thought you were an honest person. I didn't know you lied too. Or, Senior Sister, your natural gifts and intelligence are beyond what ordinary people like us could ever match. Or, When you do it, it's creating a cultivation method. When I do it, it's making things up.

Lu Yang met Yun Zhi's cold gaze. A thousand words turned into one sentence.

"Senior Sister is right."

"You've become a cultivator, but you still have a long way to go before you qualify as a sword cultivator. Take this book."

Senior Sister handed him an ancient book made from the hide of some unknown beast. It was big, thick, and heavy.

"Observations from the Demon Domain?" Lu Yang opened the ancient book. Killing Intent surged toward him, and all kinds of demon beasts seemed to leap off the pages. He could even faintly hear them roaring in his ears.

This ancient book was definitely worth a fortune!

Lu Yang considered the matter. Sword cultivators needed sword intent. He'd only just entered the Qi Refining stage, so how was he supposed to cultivate sword intent?

He'd heard that ancient sword cultivators had grasped their first sword intent while fighting demon beasts to the death—on the brink of life and death, facing the beasts' ferocity head-on.

Then the answer was obvious. He needed to visualize the demon beasts, grasp their ferocity, take the essence and discard the dross, and bring ten thousand beasts together at a single point to realize a sword intent of his own.

Although this method was difficult, it was perfectly suited to someone with a Sword Spirit Root like him.

It also showed how high Senior Sister's hopes for him were.

"I understand." Lu Yang nodded, understanding what Senior Sister meant.

Yun Zhi glanced at Lu Yang, unsure what he'd understood. She beckoned, and the puppet hauled over another cartload of tofu.

"Good. I'm glad you understand."

"To become a sword cultivator, you need precision. Take this Greenedge Sword. Your next task is to carve the tofu into the shapes of demon beasts using the tip of the sword. Their appearances are all in the book."

Yun Zhi took a gleaming sword from her storage space. The words "Greenedge" were engraved on its hilt.

Lu Yang: "..."

Tofu again?

Could that night's dream have been a prophetic dream, hinting that his future Daoist title would be Tofu Celestial Venerable?

Damn it, he couldn't think that way.

Lu Yang hurriedly drove that terrifying thought out of his head.

He took the Greenedge Sword. His first impression was that it was so light.

It wasn't that the Greenedge Sword was too light. In fact, quite the opposite: it was entirely unsuitable for cultivators in the first three layers of Qi Refining to wield. The sharp sword was too heavy, and cultivators couldn't even lift it.

Lu Yang was different. After training by carrying vats, he had grown so strong that even he had no idea how strong he was. To put it bluntly, he no longer needed any technique. An ordinary punch from him could punch straight through a cultivator in the first three layers of Qi Refining.

Perhaps because he'd entered the Qi Refining stage and his talent in the sword path was gradually emerging, and because he'd mastered the control needed to make light things feel heavy, Lu Yang wielded the Greenedge Sword with ease.

In just over ten days, Lu Yang could carve demon beasts out of tofu, along with figures of himself and Senior Sister. He could even carve the nine lotus-shaped peaks of Ask Dao Sect.

After learning to perform tricks as a street entertainer, Lu Yang had picked up a new skill. He could finally put his talents to use in the kitchen, too.

He had to speed things up. He really couldn't eat any more tofu.

After Lu Yang completed this stage, Senior Sister appeared. She offered a few words of encouragement, then produced a single white sesame seed.

"Sword cultivators also need to train their eyesight. I'm going to toss this sesame seed into the tofu scraps. You have to find it as quickly as you can."

Lu Yang dropped to his knees with a thump. "Senior Sister, please, can we try something else?"

Senior Sister quietly watched Lu Yang beg, her eyes as calm as still water.

"Oh."