Ahead of Schedule

"Found it, found it! You really made me search high and low."

Perhaps too few people bought cultivation methods with no attribute requirements. After quite a while, the clerk patted an ancient-looking book coated in dust and said with a delighted expression.

"Oh? You really found it?" A flicker of joy crossed Lu Xiaotian's face as well. He stepped forward in two strides, took the manual, and saw that it was indeed the Primordial Unity Scripture.

He had searched for so long without finding it, so obtaining a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation method now was truly beyond expectation. Lu Xiaotian opened to the first page and asked, "Does your shop have the Foundation Establishment Realm portion of this technique?"

"Immortal Master, you jest. In all of Moonwatch City, there are probably only a handful of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation methods, and they are usually not made available to outsiders. Naturally, we do not have one here. However, a few years ago—nearly three years ago, I believe—there were rumors concerning the Primordial Unity Scripture." The clerk deliberately lowered his voice, putting on a mysterious air.

Lu Xiaotian paused. "Rumors about the Primordial Unity Scripture? Were they about the later portions of this cultivation method?"

"Yes. I heard they were connected to Soaring Heavens Palace. At the time, several Soaring Heavens Palace disciples stumbled into the ruins of an ancient cultivator by chance and obtained some treasures. But before they could return to their sect, most of them were ambushed and killed by several powerful Rogue Cultivators. Those Rogue Cultivators seized some of the treasures, including part of a cultivation method."

Several Rogue Cultivators? His cultivation method had been given to him by the black-robed old man. Could the black-robed old man and his companions have been those Rogue Cultivators? Lu Xiaotian's heart stirred. North Liang Kingdom was an exceedingly barren, remote mortal nation with limited spiritual resources. Although quite a few cultivation Lineages had lived in North Liang Kingdom for generations, most were only at Qi Refining Early Stage, and there should not have been many at Qi Refining Middle Stage. The black-robed old man and the others had nearly all been at Qi Refining Late Stage or the great completion stage. If they had not been fleeing Soaring Heavens Palace's pursuit, why would they have gone to such a remote place?

The clerk continued, "Later, Soaring Heavens Palace sent disciples everywhere to hunt down those Rogue Cultivators, but they soon lost all trace of them. Perhaps the other portions of the Primordial Unity Scripture are in those Rogue Cultivators' hands, or perhaps they are in Soaring Heavens Palace. Outsiders do not know the exact details. Several years have passed, and the matter has nearly faded from memory. If Immortal Master had not come to buy this cultivation method today, I would have almost forgotten it myself."

"Thank you. This is for you." After paying the spirit stones required for the cultivation method, Lu Xiaotian directly gave the clerk a low-grade spirit stone.

"Thank you, thank you, Immortal Master!" The clerk was beside himself with excitement, repeatedly bowing in thanks. Though he was around thirty, he was merely a mortal. Cultivators usually did not even spare him a proper glance, much less give him such a reward. His employer would never bear to give him spirit stones. A single low-grade spirit stone was enough for him to live out the rest of his life in comfort. By the time he straightened up, Lu Xiaotian had already left the shop.

It seems I need to find a way to open the black-robed old man's storage pouch. But those men most likely stole treasures from Soaring Heavens Palace. If word gets out, it will probably bring a deadly disaster before long.

As Lu Xiaotian walked, he pondered the matter. Following the map of Moonwatch City, he soon arrived at Immortal Sects Street. Rogue Cultivators had not originally called it by that name, but every major immortal sect had established a presence here to announce missions for recruiting disciples. As time passed, everyone had grown accustomed to the name.

With only a few months left before the immortal sects' annual disciple recruitment, Rogue Cultivators from all over had gathered in Moonwatch City. At this time, the reception points of the various immortal sects were crowded with several thousand people, all discussing the posted missions.

Lu Xiaotian also squeezed his way before the stone stele bearing the immortal sect mission list. Every immortal sect had different requirements for recruiting disciples.

Ranked first was the cultivation world's greatest sect, the Ancient Sword Sect. It excelled at artifact refining. Spiritual artifacts—or magical artifacts used by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators—directly determined the level of a cultivator's combat power. Thus, Ancient Sword Sect cultivators were often a cut above those from other immortal sects in battle.

The Ancient Sword Sect's requirements were the harshest. It demanded a demon core from a fourth-rank demon beast, equivalent to the strength of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator. For Qi Refining cultivators, this was undoubtedly as difficult as scaling the heavens. Rogue Cultivators racked their brains to join immortal sects precisely to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills. Even over a hundred Qi Refining great completion cultivators would struggle to threaten a Foundation Establishment expert. In truth, this was tantamount to shutting most Rogue Cultivators of mediocre aptitude outside the door.

Next came the second-ranked Azure Elixir Palace. Alchemy was its foundation. Because it possessed relatively abundant medicinal pills compared to other sects, its disciples often cultivated more quickly, and the sect's overall strength was immensely formidable.

The Azure Elixir Sect's requirements were not low either. It required the collection of no fewer than fifty kinds of spiritual herbs. High-grade alchemists could reduce that amount by half, while intermediate-grade alchemists could reduce it by one-fifth.

Alchemists were scarce among independent cultivators to begin with. Lu Xiaotian estimated that he was currently at the level of an intermediate-grade alchemist, and still needed time to accumulate experience before reaching high-grade.

Beyond the top-ranked immortal sects, the requirements of those lower down were somewhat less demanding, but completing their missions was still by no means easy.

Some sects also had particularly unusual requirements. For instance, the Sun Demon Sect only required a spiritual root value exceeding thirty-five, but men had to be handsome and women had to be beautiful. They also had to be under twenty years old.

Or take the Earthfire Sect, whose sect mission stated that its Third Elder had contracted a strange illness and lay unconscious in an ice coffin all year round, with but a single breath remaining. Anyone who could cure him, or provide information about the disease, could join the sect.

Lu Xiaotian smiled at this. Even an immortal cultivation sect was helpless before such a severe illness—how could these Rogue Cultivators possibly have a solution? They truly were seeking treatment in every direction when stricken by illness. A sect elder was at least a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. It seemed that even upon reaching a higher realm, one could not simply sleep peacefully on a high pillow.

Lu Xiaotian then paid special attention to Soaring Heavens Palace's sect mission. It was also related to gathering spiritual herbs, though most of the herbs it required differed from those sought by Azure Elixir Palace, and it additionally required several kinds of ores. Soaring Heavens Palace ranked seventeenth among the immortal sects. It was slightly above average and possessed considerable strength.

After comparing the major immortal sects, Lu Xiaotian set his sights on Azure Elixir Palace and Soaring Heavens Palace. Azure Elixir Palace was especially skilled in alchemy, so entering it would give him a greater chance of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Soaring Heavens Palace could also refine pills, but it was not as outstanding as Azure Elixir Palace, so the chance of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill was naturally lower. His greatest goal now was to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment. Yet Soaring Heavens Palace had information about the Primordial Unity Scripture. There were not many cultivation methods suitable for five-element spiritual roots, and if he could obtain the Primordial Unity Scripture, he did not want to casually switch to another method.

Soon, Lu Xiaotian shook his head with a bitter smile. Completing the mission of any immortal sect would not be easy, much less completing two at once. If other Rogue Cultivators learned of his thoughts, they would probably laugh their teeth out. He would have to see what fate brought and which sect he could enter.

After preliminarily settling on the immortal sect missions, Lu Xiaotian had bought almost everything he needed and returned to the small courtyard. As soon as he reached the entrance, Luo Qing was already waiting there. Judging by her expression, she had likely been waiting for quite some time.

"Big Brother Lu, you're finally back." Upon seeing Lu Xiaotian, a trace of joy immediately surfaced on Luo Qing's anxious face.

"What is so urgent that you came looking for me?" Lu Xiaotian asked.

Luo Qing said, "The other Sixth Layer of Qi Refining expert in our team is the captain for this expedition. He has decided to enter the Moonwatch Mountains ahead of schedule. My brother cannot make up his mind, so he sent me to ask what you think."

"Didn't we agree on a time? Why move it up for no reason?" Lu Xiaotian frowned. If this team was entirely subject to the captain's sole word, then it was better not to join at all.

Luo Qing said, "Perhaps he received information related to his own immortal sect mission and is worried someone else will get there first, which is why he made this decision. But he has the formula for the Origin Qi Pill, so my brother sent me to ask for your opinion."

Lu Xiaotian's expression shifted. "Origin Qi Pill? Where are they now?"

"They're in our courtyard. I'll take you there right away." Seeing Lu Xiaotian relent, Luo Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Big Brother, I'm back!" Before long, the two arrived at the courtyard where Luo Yuan was staying. From several zhang away, Luo Qing called out loudly.

"Brother Lu, you came too. Come, let me introduce you to the members of the team."

Luo Yuan was delighted that Lu Xiaotian had come. Pointing at a fair-faced middle-aged Daoist, he said, "This is Daoist Fan Qing, the leader of our expedition and the strongest among us."

Through Luo Yuan's introduction, Lu Xiaotian came to know the team members.

There was Wang Yuan, a voluptuous young married woman whose cultivation was equal to his own, at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

There were also two men in their forties. The bald one with a gleaming scalp was Zhang Guang, while the middle-aged scholar beside him holding a fan was Zheng Shiqi. According to Luo Yuan's introduction, Zhang Guang had once been a great general in the mortal nation called Gold Kingdom, commanding thousands upon thousands of troops. Even from afar, one could sense a killing aura emanating from him. Zheng Shiqi had once been Zhang Guang's military strategist. That both men had stepped onto the path of immortality was quite a marvel. Their cultivation was slightly lower than Lu Xiaotian's, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. Both lived in this courtyard with Luo Yuan, and the few of them were close.

"Haha, I heard Brother Luo mention long ago that he knew an exceptionally skilled alchemist, but you kept a low profile and rarely went out, so I never had the chance to meet you. Who would have thought you would be such a young fellow? Not only are you an alchemist, your cultivation is even one layer higher than mine, Old Zhang's. I truly have no idea how you cultivate."

Zhang Guang was exceedingly forthright. His thick palm landed on Lu Xiaotian's shoulder, his fingers like iron hooks. The pain made Lu Xiaotian bare his teeth.

"Brother Zhang, you put too much force into that," Zheng Shiqi reminded him. Back when Zhang Guang had been in the mortal world, his blunt temperament and fiery disposition had offended many people in officialdom. Had Zheng Shiqi not been there to advise him, and had he not later embarked upon the path of immortality, he would likely have long since died amid the crushing struggles of the political arena.

"My apologies, my apologies. I used to train Iron Sand Palm, so I put a little too much strength into it." Zhang Guang smiled apologetically and quickly explained.

"More than a little. Any more force and my bones would have broken." Lu Xiaotian bared his teeth as he rubbed his shoulder. Though he was already at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, his physical strength naturally could not compare to Zhang Guang's, who had once trained external martial arts.