Golden Trait! World-Shocking Wisdom!

"Hmm?" Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He did not understand why this old man with long eyebrows had such an intense reaction.

Was it not just picking out a few Qi gathering methods?

Was there any need to make such a fuss?

Jiang Tian placed the Qi gathering methods and techniques he held in his arms onto the desk, bowed, and said, "Elder, is there something wrong with the Qi gathering methods I have chosen?"

"Something wrong?" The long-eyebrowed elder's beard bristled, and those two long eyebrows nearly shot up to the heavens. "It is very wrong!"

"Do you know that the Qi gathered by these methods also has distinctions of high and low quality?"

"This disciple does not know." Jiang Tian bowed, his expression respectful. "I ask that the Elder enlighten me."

The long-eyebrowed old man stroked his signature long eyebrows and spoke slowly: "Let us take the fire attribute, which is the most common in our Heavenly Fire Sect, as an example."

"The lowest grade is the Blazing Fire Qi Gathering Method, which gathers mundane fire—the fire in a stove, the fire in a campfire, any fire visible in the mortal world can be gathered. This is low-grade."

"The Pill Fire Qi Gathering Method gathers the fire of a pill furnace. The fire inside a furnace is far purer than mundane fire and contains a trace of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth. This is mid-grade."

"The Earth Fire Qi Gathering Method gathers the fire of earth veins. Our Heavenly Fire Sect sits atop several earth fire veins, and the fire Qi drawn from them is already close to the origin of heaven and earth. This is high-grade.

Most disciples in the sect who cultivate the fire attribute use this one; the earth veins are readily available, and it is convenient to gather."

The long-eyebrowed elder looked stern, but as he reached this point, his tone shifted, his gaze falling upon the Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method in Jiang Tian's hand as his voice rose slightly: "But what about this Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method you have taken? It gathers the Qi of the sun in the sky! That is top-grade!"

"But do you know how many people who called themselves geniuses have stumbled over this very method?" He sneered.

"They were all arrogant, choosing this method only to spend years without being able to gather even a single wisp of solar Qi, eventually having to give up in despair and switch to the Earth Fire Qi Gathering Method. Years of time, wasted for nothing."

"Besides the Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method, the other three you have taken—the Lunar Profound Heaven Qi Gathering Method, the Primordial Earth-Bearing Qi Gathering Method, and the Everlasting Wood Qi Gathering Method—are also the absolute best of the best."

"Each one corresponds to the most fundamental Qi in heaven and earth: sun, moon, earth, and wood."

He paused, then patted the desk earnestly: "I see that you have decent talent, so do not be arrogant.

Keep your feet on the ground and take it one step at a time; that is the path of cultivation! Remember, do not reach for what is beyond your grasp!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder. I will keep it in mind." Jiang Tian lowered his head, his tone sincere.

"Hmm." The long-eyebrowed elder's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his expression softened slightly.

He looked at Jiang Tian, and in a daze, he felt as if he were seeing himself from years ago.

When he first entered the sect, he was just like this boy, eyes set high above, choosing both the Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method and the Lunar Profound Heaven Qi Gathering Method.

He had spent nearly ten years completing the Qi gathering, but later, he could never achieve a balance between the water and fire Qi within his body.

No matter how hard he tried, it always ended in failure.

That was decades of time squandered.

If he had listened to the advice of others back then, perhaps he wouldn't be a mere library guardian in this dilapidated building now.

However, warning this boy could be considered helping his past self...

Before this thought had fully settled, he saw Jiang Tian place his jade token on the desk.

Jiang Tian looked up, his eyes firm: "Thank you for your teachings, Elder, but my mind is made up."

"Hmph!" The long-eyebrowed elder's expression darkened instantly.

"Then suit yourself!"

He spat out these words coldly and, with some irritation, took all the copied versions of the Qi gathering methods and techniques Jiang Tian had chosen and stacked them on the desk.

Then, he reached out and wiped his hand heavily across Jiang Tian's jade token, deducting the contribution points.

He waved his hand impatiently: "Get lost, get lost!"

Jiang Tian was not angry; he smiled and gathered all the items.

He knew the previous words were well-intentioned advice from the elder.

This old man was likely one of the "geniuses who had stumbled" that he spoke of, and his words were filled with the bitter lessons of someone who had been there.

But just because others couldn't do it didn't mean he couldn't.

With this thought, Jiang Tian quickly returned to his residence with the items.

After greeting Yuan Manzhi, he went to the second floor, closed the door, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and began to study the Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method with focus.

Under the blessing of the red trait [Heaven-Defying Comprehension], he understood the method thoroughly after reading it only three or four times.

Every key point and every path for circulating Qi was as clear as if it were carved into his mind.

It was nothing more than gathering solar Qi.

What was so difficult about that?

Thus, while the sun was still hanging high in the sky, he opened the window on the second floor, sat cross-legged, faced the golden, blazing sun, and began to gather Qi according to the steps of the Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method.

Time flew by.

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The light outside the window shifted from golden yellow to orange-red, then from orange-red to a deep, dusky crimson.

A small portion of the sun had already slipped beneath the horizon, hanging precariously at the edge of the world.

"Damn, damn, damn!"

Jiang Tian grabbed a handful of his hair in frustration.

The Sun Heaven-Burning Qi Gathering Method didn't seem all that difficult to understand, but putting it into practice was an entirely different story.

He already possessed the red-tier trait [Heaven-Defying Comprehension], yet he hadn't managed to gather even a single wisp of solar qi after an entire afternoon!

Just then, a knock sounded at his door.

Yuan Manzhi's voice drifted through the wood, arriving in sync with the knocking: "Jiang Tian, someone is here to see you."

Jiang Tian took a deep breath, suppressing the restless thoughts in his mind, and replied, "Alright."

He stood up, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

He had only just arrived at the Heavenly Fire Sect and didn't know many people; who could possibly be looking for him?

When he reached the first floor, a young man was sitting at a table.

He wasn't wearing the Heavenly Fire Sect uniform, but rather a set of white robes; he had a handsome face, sword-like brows, and star-bright eyes.

On the table sat a cup of tea poured by Yuan Manzhi.

Jiang Tian froze the moment he saw the man.

It wasn't because the man looked familiar—he had never seen this face before.

It was because of the two... red-tier traits hovering above the man's head!

[Name: Lin Chen]
[Realm: Qi Gathering]
[Traits: Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart (Red), Ice-Fire Battle Body (Red)]

Two red-tier traits!

Jiang Tian's eyes lit up slightly, and his heart rate quickened.

Extract!

He didn't hesitate for a second, silently chanting in his mind.

Regardless of why this man had come to find him, he would harvest these traits first; this was like charcoal in the snow, solving his most pressing need.

He had been fretting over his inability to gather solar qi despite having the red-tier [Heaven-Defying Comprehension], but what if he upgraded to gold?

Two streaks of red light flew out from above Lin Chen's head, one after the other, and vanished into the space between Jiang Tian's brows.

The panel before Jiang Tian shifted abruptly.

[Trait Points: 111324]

Enough!

A surge of excitement washed over Jiang Tian.

He had finally gathered enough points to upgrade a red-tier trait to gold.

"Hmm?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with confusion.

What was going on? Why did it feel like the way Jiang Tian was looking at him was a bit strange?

That couldn't be right, could it? Wasn't the young lady from earlier his dao companion?

Lin Chen suppressed his stray thoughts, stood up, and cupped his hands with a smile: "Junior Brother Jiang Tian, I am Lin Chen, a disciple of True Person Yunxiao. I share the same master as Mu Sining; Sining is my junior sister."

"Senior Brother Lin Chen." Jiang Tian returned the salute, his expression returning to calm.

"I wonder, what brings you here today, Senior Brother?"

The sun was about to set, and he wanted to upgrade [Heaven-Defying Comprehension] to a gold-tier trait as soon as possible so he could gather that wisp of solar qi.

"Nothing major." Lin Chen smiled, his expression gentle. "I just wanted to invite you to a tea party tomorrow afternoon."

"The tea party consists of us disciples from humble backgrounds. We can exchange cultivation insights, discuss spell techniques, and talk about anything, really. Besides, I have a surprise for you tomorrow."

A surprise?

Jiang Tian wasn't particularly looking forward to a surprise, but since this man was Mu Sining's senior brother, he agreed out of respect for her.

After Lin Chen left, Jiang Tian went to his room on the second floor, locked the doors and windows, and sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion.

With a thought, he summoned his panel.

The Trait Points column clearly displayed "111324".

His gaze fell upon the two red-tier traits, and without a shred of hesitation, he poured all his points into [Heaven-Defying Comprehension].

"Upgrade!"

[Trait: Heaven-Defying Comprehension (Red) → World-Shocking Wisdom (Gold) (1+/10000000)]

(Managed to write this while slacking off at work. The next chapter will be out before 9:30; those of you who sleep early can read it tomorrow.)

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