Question and Answer

"Okay, once I confirm I'm safe, I'll let you go. But," Lu Xiaotian nodded in agreement, then said, "but you'd best answer my questions truthfully. If I ever find out there's a discrepancy between what you say and the truth, that person will be your fate."

Through Lu Bifeng's words, Lu Xiaotian learned that the Situ Family had been a cultivation family residing in Liangzhou for over a hundred years. The Situ Family consisted of five people. Their leader was Situ Yong, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, the highest cultivation within the family. Another was the deceased Situ Jing's paternal uncle, whose cultivation was unknown but not exceeding the Third Layer of Qi Refining. There was also a young disciple, Situ Ming, only at the First Layer of Qi Refining.

Later, the entire Situ Family relocated to a distant Immortal City called Moon Gazing City, where thousands of cultivators resided. The number of cultivators at the Mid Qi Refining, Late Qi Refining, and Qi Refining Great Perfection stages was countless.

He also learned for the first time that above the Qi Refining Stage, there was the Foundation Establishment Realm, where cultivators could fly on swords, shatter mountains, and move through the earth. Cultivators who reached the Foundation Establishment Realm had a lifespan of two to three hundred years.

Lu Xiaotian listened with longing. No one had ever taught him before, and only now did he discover that cultivators had their own gathering places, Moon Gazing Immortal City! Besides Moon Gazing City, there were other major Immortal Sects elsewhere, and those Sects were the true rulers of the Cultivation World.

Families like the Situ Family, entrenched in a province of a secular nation, were considered insignificant forces in the Cultivation World, numbering in the thousands.

Lu Xiaotian asked again, "The people of the Situ Family are cultivators, so why do they interfere in the affairs of mortals? What benefit is there for them?"

"Mortal lands rarely produce Spiritual Materials. If the Situ Family hadn't offended the wrong people in Moon Gazing City, they wouldn't have fled back to their lair in Liangzhou in such disarray. Their manpower is limited, and they simply don't have time to search for Spiritual Materials. That's why they control these martial arts factions to find Spiritual Grass and Spirit Stones for their own cultivation," Lu Bifeng said.

"So, the deceased Situ Jing learned that I bought three stalks of Purple Spirit Grass from Miao Zhi Tang and rushed over immediately?"

Lu Xiaotian suddenly understood. This made sense. The Situ Family controlled the forces in the martial arts world and had many informants. If he appeared in Pingwu County City, he would easily be discovered.

Lu Bifeng nodded, "Exactly!"

"Are the Spirit Stones you mentioned like this? What are they used for?" Lu Xiaotian thought of the stones with spiritual energy in his Storage Bag and took out a red one to ask.

"That's right, this is a low-grade Fire Spirit Stone. When fighting, if your Method Power is depleted too quickly, you can hold it in your hand to absorb its spiritual energy and replenish your Method Power. Additionally, Spirit Stones are needed for refining Spiritual Artifacts and formations."

Lu Bifeng said with a wry smile. She was now certain that the young man before her was just an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, not even understanding the most basic Spirit Stones. She couldn't imagine how he had become a cultivator. Even more bizarre was that he had managed to subdue a powerful Leopard Spirit Beast. It was truly unbelievable.

"Origin Energy Pill!" What followed was even more unimaginable, her mouth agape, unable to close.

Lu Xiaotian touched his nose. Now he finally understood what some of the items on him were. Origin Energy Pills were pills used during cultivation at the Late Qi Refining and Qi Refining Great Perfection stages. Qi Refining cultivators typically didn't have many Qi Gathering Pills on hand. Yet, he could produce a pill used by Late Qi Refining cultivators, which was naturally shocking to Lu Bifeng. If this woman knew he had two more bottles of Origin Energy Pills in his Storage Bag, she couldn't imagine what her expression would be.

"One last question, how do I get to Moon Gazing Immortal City?"

The woman in the red dress said, "From Liangzhou, head continuously west. You'll have to pass through more than ten secular nations like Wei Kingdom, Wu Kingdom, and Northern Zhou Kingdom. The journey is long, spanning tens of thousands of miles. However, I must warn you, not everyone can go to Moon Gazing Immortal City."

"Why? Is Moon Gazing Immortal City very dangerous?" Lu Xiaotian asked, confused.

"Moon Gazing Immortal City is a gathering place for Rogue Cultivators, and there are also outposts of some Immortal Sects. Tens of thousands of Rogue Cultivators reside there, and the number of cultivators entering and leaving the city is several times that. A cultivator like you at the First Layer of Qi Refining can at best do some of the lowest-level jobs in the city, with a status only slightly higher than secular warriors. Unless you have outstanding aptitude and are taken in by a major Sect, the Spirit Stones you earn doing menial labor might not be enough to cultivate to a high realm in your entire life."

"There are so many Rogue Cultivators in Moon Gazing City, but they haven't joined Sects either. Do Rogue Cultivators only do odd jobs and can't achieve anything significant?" Lu Xiaotian asked.

The woman in the red dress sneered, "There are certainly powerful individuals among Rogue Cultivators. Many Rogue Cultivators gather in Moon Gazing Immortal City because the Moon Gazing Mountain Range near the city contains countless Spiritual Materials. Many Rogue Cultivators search for Spiritual Materials in the Moon Gazing Mountain Range for cultivation. However, there are countless Yao Beasts in the mountains, and other treasure-hunting cultivators often engage in 'black-eating-black' situations. A cultivator like you at the First Layer of Qi Refining would probably turn into a pile of white bones within a few days."

After hearing the woman in the red dress's words, Lu Xiaotian had a plan. From the words of the Black Robe Old Man and the woman in the red dress, as well as his own experiences, everything indicated the law of the jungle in the Cultivation World, where competition was even fiercer than in the secular world. However, this did not diminish his determination to pursue the Great Dao.

"Your Spirit Beast seemed to come from that Storage Bag on your person earlier. That bag belongs to me now."

Lu Xiaotian reached out and took the small pouch from the woman in the red dress. The previous two times he entered Pingwu County City, it was inconvenient to bring the Leopard with him, so he had made it wait in the wilderness. However, after his battle with the Golden Robe Youth, he clearly understood his own combat insufficiency. Without the Leopard, if he had encountered the Golden Robe Youth in the city, he would have had no choice but to flee, and he wouldn't have been able to deal with the opponent. Moreover, without understanding spells, he wouldn't have been able to escape the other's clutches.

Seeing that Lu Xiaotian only took her Spirit Beast Bag, the woman in the red dress was relieved. If it had been a ruthless person, she might not have saved her life. The young man before her, although decisive in killing, was at least trustworthy and had no intention of going back on his word. As for the Scent Yao Rat, it had probably run off somewhere. Besides occasionally finding people, it had no combat power. Losing the Spirit Beast Bag to the young man before her was not a significant loss.

"When do you plan to let me go?" the woman in the red dress asked the question that concerned her most.

"When I feel I am sufficiently safe, I will naturally let you go. For now, you'll have to make do with staying in the cave for a while."

Lu Xiaotian smiled calmly. According to the woman, Situ Jing was dead, and the Situ Family would definitely be searching for the killer everywhere. His father was a master at the Mid Qi Refining stage. Even with him and the Leopard, they wouldn't be a match for him. For now, they had to stay in the mountains for a while until the situation blew over. He had obtained the information he wanted, and the Martial Arts Convention, which he originally had to attend, was no longer important to him. As for releasing this woman, she might reveal his whereabouts, so it was wise to be cautious.

Leaving the girl inside, Lu Xiaotian walked out of the cave with excitement and solemnly took out the Compendium of Low-Level Spells to study it carefully. Ever since he started cultivating the Primordial Scripture, he had longed to cultivate spells, and it had taken him nearly a year and a half to come into contact with them.

According to the introduction in the Compendium of Spells, any cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage could cultivate low-level spells. However, cultivating corresponding spells based on one's attributes would be faster. Lu Xiaotian didn't understand which of the Five Elements he belonged to.

Since cultivating corresponding spells was faster according to the Compendium, he could learn a bit of each to determine his affinity, Lu Xiaotian pondered for a moment and thought this way.

A moment later, a golden short spear appeared in front of Lu Xiaotian. It wobbled and moved rather slowly towards a large tree about ten feet away.

This speed was far from being able to hit an enemy, and it would be difficult to hit even if it did. Lu Xiaotian frowned, realizing that the Golden Spear Technique he cast was far inferior to the spells cast by the Golden Robe Youth and the Black Robe Old Man.

Puzzled, he ran back to the cave to ask Lu Bifeng. He learned that spells also needed to be practiced and familiarized before they could be used in combat. Lu Xiaotian's face flushed, thinking that he hadn't even considered this most basic principle. Even martial artists had to practice a martial skill hundreds or thousands of times to become proficient, and spells were naturally the same.

Lu Xiaotian repeatedly used the Golden Spear Technique a few times. Although the accuracy was still lacking, and the time to accumulate Method Power was quite long, it had improved significantly compared to the first time. He became engrossed and prepared to try another spell, only to find that the Origin Energy in his Dantian was almost depleted.

Spells consumed so much Origin Energy! Lu Xiaotian was startled. He remembered Lu Bifeng saying that Spirit Stones could help restore Method Power, so Lu Xiaotian took out a Gold Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag and held it in his hand. A stream of pure Gold spiritual energy indeed flowed continuously into his body from the Spirit Stone.

Lu Xiaotian's spirits lifted, and he couldn't stop himself, repeatedly using the powerful Golden Spear Technique.

Crack! A low sound came from his left hand. He looked down and saw that the Spirit Stone, which had been emitting a golden light, had now turned into lusterless powder and was spilling from his fingers. A low-grade Gold Spirit Stone had been used up. Lu Xiaotian felt a pang of pain. It seemed he would have to rely on meditation to recover Origin Energy in the future. Otherwise, if he used Spirit Stones like this, they would be gone in no time. Spirit Stones were so useful, it was better to save them for more important occasions.

In the following days, Lu Xiaotian diligently practiced using spells. However, what puzzled him was that his cultivation speed for the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth element spells was the same. Only the speed for Ice, Wind, and Lightning spells was slower. When he told Lu Bifeng about this result, she was extremely shocked and looked at him with pity, saying that such an aptitude was the lowest grade Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root. It would be considered very good if he could cultivate to the Late Qi Refining stage in his entire life, no matter how hard he tried.

Lu Xiaotian finally remembered what the Black Robe Old Man meant by his poor aptitude. So, that old fellow had known for a long time but hadn't told him.

Lu Xiaotian felt a bit dejected, but he did not give up. His passion for cultivation remained as high as before. Every day, he practiced various spells. When the Origin Energy in his Dantian was almost depleted, he would meditate to recover. Day after day.