The only sword art available to outer sect disciples in the entire Scripture Repository was the Taixu Sword Art. Though it had been created by the founding patriarch of Taixu Sect, only the first six layers of its cultivation method were available. Naturally, Shi Yue had no desire to cultivate it.
Before obtaining the Heaven Controlling Bead, Shi Yue had doubted whether he would ever reach Qi Refining Level Five in this lifetime.
After obtaining it, he felt that even if he piled Spirit Herbs on himself, he could reach the Core Formation Realm. Naturally, he no longer wanted to cultivate the Taixu Sword Art.
"Heh heh, Shi, I told you: if you want to learn a cultivation method, just ask me! I won't boast about anything else, but the sword arts I can give you can take you from the Qi Refining Stage all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm. How about it? Want to give it some thought?" Xiaoyaozi said in a tempting tone.
Shi Yue's expression shifted at his words, but he still didn't respond.
After returning to Green Cloud Peak, Shi Yue took out the Jade Slip containing the Taixu Sword Art. He wore a conflicted expression.
"Which of your sword arts is the most powerful?" After a long silence, Shi Yue asked.
"The most powerful? I can't say for sure. They were all created by exceptionally skilled cultivators. But if I had to recommend one, I'd choose the Fentian Sword Art. Once cultivated to the utmost, it can unleash blazing flames to burn your enemies. Its founder, Tianfenzi, relied on this sword art to slay a Void Refining Early Stage cultivator while he was only at the late stage of Spirit Transformation. He caused a sensation in his time."
"I suppose the Fentian Sword Art is the most expensive, too," Shi Yue said with a knowing smile.
"Ahem, well... you get what you pay for! Cultivating this sword art can greatly increase your strength. What's a few Spirit Stones, right?" Xiaoyaozi said, looking a little embarrassed.
"How many Spirit Stones for the first three layers of the Fentian Sword Art? I won't buy it if it costs too much," Shi Yue said after a brief pause.
"Fifty Spirit Stones. That's already a discounted price. I can't go any lower."
"Thirty at most. Take it or leave it," Shi Yue haggled.
"Fine, thirty it is. Give me the Spirit Stones first." Xiaoyaozi agreed readily.
"Senior Xiaoyaozi, you agreed awfully quickly. Were you planning to ask for thirty Spirit Stones from the start?" Shi Yue said, wearing a strange expression.
Xiaoyaozi only chuckled and didn't answer.
Shi Yue gave a wry smile, entered Palm Heaven Space, and tossed thirty Spirit Stones into the stone house. Tsk...
"Good. Shi, get out your paper and brush and write this down. I won't repeat myself. The Fentian Sword Art has fifteen layers, with every three layers corresponding to a major realm. The first three can be cultivated at the Qi Refining Stage. The method for cultivating those first three layers is..."
Shi Yue didn't dare be careless. He listened intently, afraid he might miss a single word.
After hearing Xiaoyaozi's explanation, Shi Yue silently recited it once, then took out paper and brush and wrote it down.
Shi Yue thought it over, then took out the Jade Slip containing the Taixu Sword Art and pressed it to his brow.
"Hey, Shi, didn't I already tell you how to cultivate the first three layers of the Fentian Sword Art? Why are you still looking at that Jade Slip? Don't tell me you want to cultivate two sword arts at once?" Xiaoyaozi asked curiously.
"Although the Fentian Sword Art you gave me is powerful, do you think I can show it off at the Minor Competition? If the Sect Leader Martial Ancestor asks about it, I won't have an answer. I can hardly say I got it as a free gift with a purchase," Shi Yue said calmly.
"True. But with your aptitude, learning two sword arts in a month would be very difficult. Are you planning to cultivate in Palm Heaven Space?" Xiaoyaozi asked curiously.
"When did I ever say I was going to cultivate two sword arts at the same time? I can cultivate the Taixu Sword Art first and the Fentian Sword Art later. The Taixu Sword Art is just a cover to keep people from getting suspicious. After all, I can't avoid fighting in front of my fellow disciples. Besides, if I find the rest of the Taixu Sword Art's cultivation method someday, I can continue cultivating it," Shi Yue said calmly, rolling his eyes.
"Shi, are you stupid? The Fentian Sword Art is enough to take you from the Qi Refining Stage to Spirit Transformation. Why bother looking for the rest of the Taixu Sword Art?" Xiaoyaozi's voice was tinged with displeasure.
"It's simple: to stop you from naming an outrageous price. If I cultivate the Fentian Sword Art to its later stages and you suddenly raise the price, I can always look for the rest of the Taixu Sword Art and cultivate that instead," Shi Yue said meaningfully.
"Hmph! Outrageous prices? Do I look like that sort of person?" Xiaoyaozi snorted, looking a little awkward.
"You don't look like it. You are that sort of person." Shi Yue shook his head, utterly serious.
"All right, enough about that. By the way, are you really going to take part in the Minor Competition? Aren't you worried that placing will draw your Ancestor Master's attention?" Xiaoyaozi changed the subject.
"I took part in the Minor Competition when I was at Qi Refining Level Two. Now I'm at Qi Refining Level Four; it would be strange if I didn't compete. It's only a Minor Competition, not a major one, and the matches stop once a winner is decided. It won't draw my Ancestor Master's attention. The major competition could be life-threatening, and only placing there might draw his attention. Even if it does, with my Five Spirit Root aptitude, no Ancestor Master would take me as a personal disciple. Besides, there are at least eight or nine hundred people in the Minor Competition. Making it into the top thirty will be difficult enough," Shi Yue said, one word at a time.
"Heh heh, I have the method for refining Top-grade Magic Tools. I've got offensive, defensive, and support types—every kind you could want. They're not expensive, either. Want to consider it?" Xiaoyaozi said in a tempting tone.
"Hmph, just say you want to get me killed. The first-place winner of the Minor Competition gets a Top-grade Magic Tool. If a Qi Refining Level Four competitor like me has one, what will everyone else think? Don't tell me you have the method for refining Top-grade Magic Tools. Even if you gave me one, I wouldn't dare bring it out at the competition. That'd be no different from asking for death." Shi Yue sneered.
Shi Yue knew well that a tree that stood out in the forest would be battered by the wind.
Top-grade Magic Tools weren't cabbages growing in a field. As far as Shi Yue knew, most Qi Refining Stage disciples used Mid-grade Magic Tools. Having even one High-grade Magic Tool was already impressive, and only a few dozen Qi Refining Stage disciples owned Top-grade Magic Tools.
The High-grade Magic Tool Shi Yue used, the Red Moon Sword, had been given to him by his parents. With the wealth he'd had before, he couldn't even have dreamed of owning one.
"Heh heh, if you think Top-grade Magic Tools are too showy, then choose powerful Talismans instead. I have every element: Lightning Talismans, Fire Cloud Talismans, Thousand Blades Talismans. Which would you like to learn? I'll have you mastering one in a month. How about it?" Xiaoyaozi chuckled, speaking in a tempting tone.
"Forget it. Learning the Taixu Sword Art is already difficult enough, and I don't have time to learn how to draw Talismans. Besides, where would I get enough Spirit Stones to buy Talisman Paper?" Shi Yue's expression shifted, but after thinking it over, he shook his head and refused.
"Don't be like that, Shi! As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Learn a skill and you can travel the world without fear. Once you learn to draw Talismans, you can make them and sell them for Spirit Stones. In the long run, it's definitely worth it," Xiaoyaozi continued persuading him.
"How many Spirit Stones?" Shi Yue was tempted by what he heard. After a brief pause, he asked.
"For the Five-Element Talismans, ten Spirit Stones per type, and I'll teach you until you've mastered them. For ice, wind, and lightning Talismans, it's twenty Spirit Stones per type, also with mastery guaranteed," Xiaoyaozi said after a moment's thought.
"Ten? You might as well rob me. Five Spirit Stones would be more like it. All you have to do is run your mouth, and you want ten Spirit Stones? You're quite the profiteer," Shi Yue said, curling his lip in displeasure.
"Hmph, what do you know? My Talisman Master skills are far beyond those of ordinary Talisman Masters. Ten Spirit Stones is already a bargain. Eight is the lowest I'll go," Xiaoyaozi haggled.
"Eight?" Shi Yue hesitated at his words.
"Eight Spirit Stones is already the best price you'll get, Shi. Think about it: once you learn to draw a Talisman, you can make them in large batches, and eight Spirit Stones will be nothing. Besides, imagine flinging hundreds of offensive Talismans at an enemy. What a sight!"
"All right! Eight, then. But I'll learn another day," Shi Yue said after a brief pause, nodding.
"What? Another day? No, come on, Shi! Haven't you heard that you should strike while the iron's hot? Why put it off?" Xiaoyaozi panicked at this and hurriedly tried to persuade him.
"All right, stop pestering me. I said another day, so another day. Don't disturb my cultivation, or I won't learn it." Annoyed, Shi Yue finished speaking and left Palm Heaven Space.
Seeing this, Xiaoyaozi, though unwilling, couldn't say anything more. He wouldn't gain anything by angering Shi Yue.
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