In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
"Huff..."
Zhu Yu let out a soft breath, opened his eyes, and summoned the panel.
[Attributes: Physique 1, Spirit 4.3]
Three days later, his physique had recovered to the state of an ordinary person. The Soul Particles nourished within his Divine Sea had grown to fifteen, bringing him one step closer to giving birth to Divine Sense.
Meanwhile.
Of the Gloomy Old Man's one-month deadline, barely twenty days remained.
"Nothing must go wrong..."
Watching the days slip away, Zhu Yu could not help feeling anxious. Just as he was lost in thought, voices drifted in from outside.
Knock, knock...
The door sounded. Delight flashed through Zhu Yu's eyes as he hurried over and opened it. Before him stood Xiang Sui, whose face looked ever more hollow.
Behind him, a broad, fat figure in black robes stood with his back turned, chattering away with five others dressed the same way.
"Senior Brother Xiang, Senior Brother Liang, please come in."
Zhu Yu swept them with a glance, his face blooming with an enthusiastic smile as he gestured them inside.
"You're too courteous, Junior Brother."
Xiang Sui waved a hand, then leaned close and whispered, "I picked these five especially. They all entered not long ago, and every one of them has quite a bit of family wealth..."
He gave Zhu Yu a look that said, you understand, then led the group into the small room.
The day before yesterday, Liang Kuan had brought over several Cushions. Though the room looked even more cramped now, at least everyone had somewhere to sit.
The group removed their hoods and exchanged a few polite introductions.
Without any needless chatter, the lesson began directly.
Perhaps Xiang Sui had already vouched for him on the way over. The four men and one woman sat solemnly upon their Cushions, studying Zhu Yu, who sat cross-legged before them and looked far too young. No one voiced any doubts, though surprise and curiosity showed in their eyes.
"Every last one of them is fine cultivation material!"
Seeing how rather gullible they appeared, Zhu Yu finally put his heart at ease. He coughed lightly, picked up the Basic Visualization Method, swept his gaze around, and said with a smile:
"Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, you are all thoroughly familiar with the Basic Visualization Method, yes?"
The five nodded one after another.
Zhu Yu continued, "Have any of you successfully meditated?"
Four of the five nodded. One exceptionally handsome youth, with red lips, white teeth, and clear eyes, shook his head slightly.
Zhu Yu glanced at him, then asked again, "Has anyone opened their Divine Sea?"
This time, the remaining four all shook their heads.
"Perfect."
Zhu Yu gave Xiang Sui, who wore a faintly lecherous smile, and Liang Kuan, who was beaming with joy, a meaningful look. He secretly praised them, With seedlings like these, those two Senior Brothers certainly aren't taking their fifty percent for nothing.
With that thought passing through his mind, he organized his thoughts slightly and began explaining from meditation onward.
Using the brief annotations written in the Basic Visualization Method as examples, he unpacked the profound meanings contained within bit by bit in plain, straightforward language, making it as easy to understand as possible.
Time gradually passed...
Yet the five cultivation seedlings were like blank sheets of paper, listening in utter absorption. Zhu Yu too lectured to his heart's content. Only when Liang Kuan refilled who knew how many cups of tea and gave him a meaningful look did he finally stop, still wanting more, and say:
"Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, you may try meditating now. If there is anything you do not understand, ask me afterward."
"Thank you, Teacher Zhu."
The five clasped their hands in salute, then impatiently closed their eyes and began to meditate.
Zhu Yu nodded with complete satisfaction. After looking around, he followed Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan out at an unhurried pace, stopping beside a patch of grass not far away that glimmered with rose-red light.
Xiang Sui pointed at the stone house and said with a chuckle, "Junior Brother Zhu, are you curious where they came from? Why they seem... like blank sheets of paper?"
Zhu Yu nodded and asked in confusion, "If they are willing to spend Spirit Stones attending lessons, then even if they were not born into cultivation lineages like you Senior Brothers, they must have cultivator elders, right? Before entering the Sect, did their elders not teach them the Basic Visualization Method at all?"
Xiang Sui was stunned for a moment. But when he remembered that Zhu Yu had come from the Spirit Desert, he immediately understood. Shaking his head with a laugh, he said, "Junior Brother, you do not know that the Basic Visualization Method is no common, worthless thing found all over the streets..."
As Xiang Sui explained each point, realization dawned on Zhu Yu's face.
Though it was called the Basic Visualization Method, it was in truth the foundation upon which Heavenly Dao Sect cultivators entered the Dao. Its importance was far greater than he had imagined, by many times over.
According to Xiang Sui, anyone who was not a Heavenly Dao Sect disciple and attempted to cultivate the Basic Visualization Method would die violently without exception.
"Do not underestimate them either, Junior Brother."
Perhaps afraid Zhu Yu would be perfunctory and look down on them, Xiang Sui specifically reminded him, "Unlike you, for cultivation lineages and Rogue Cultivators, sending their descendants into the Sect is no easy matter. And anyone who can enter the Sect is far from simple."
"For instance, that somewhat effeminate Xun Su. He comes from the Foundation Establishment lineage of the Xun Clan, and rumor has it that his soul aptitude is extremely close to sixth grade..."
"And that young woman, Ni Ying. Her grandfather is a famous Foundation Establishment True Person."
"Qiao Hewei's family elders are ordinary, but he has an older brother with hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment. Bai Meng's parents are both late-stage Qi Refining Rogue Cultivators who follow the path of raising demon beasts and embroidered maidens. Fu Hongxi has fifth-grade soul aptitude..."
That round of introductions left Zhu Yu deeply shocked.
Even the least talented of the five had fourth-grade aptitude, and all of them had formidable backgrounds. The weakest among them, Fu Hongxi, had apparently signed a contract with some Foundation Establishment True Person and received resource support.
"Just teach the Basic Visualization Method with peace of mind. There is no need to think about anything else." Xiang Sui patted Zhu Yu on the shoulder.
After waiting for a while.
The three returned to the stone house.
Only when eleven full moons hung in the sky and the first sliver of a crescent moon appeared did Xun Su and the others, their heads stuffed full of knowledge and feeling somewhat dazed, give Zhu Yu a deep bow. After arranging the time for their next lesson, they finally dispersed.
The stone house.
A small pile of stones and wooden blocks giving off a gentle spiritual glow lay on the little wooden table.
The three looked at one another.
"Cough, cough..." Xiang Sui gave two dry coughs and said apologetically, "Junior Brother, though your skills are great, you are not yet a cultivator and have no reputation. So we could only charge one Spirit Stone per half hour."
After a pause, he raised one finger and promised, "Once you succeed in Qi Refining, the price will rise by at least double!"
"Double? The Senior Brothers in the Sutra Lecture Hall do not lecture for three whole hours straight. Once Junior Brother Zhu reaches Qi Refining, I think the price should increase at least threefold!" Liang Kuan chimed in happily, then said indignantly, "We are letting them off cheap for now. In the future..."
"I'll listen to you two Senior Brothers."
Zhu Yu's eyes were filled entirely with the Spirit Stones on the table. He asked, "Then... shall we divide them now?"
"Divide them!"
Xiang Sui had exhausted his savings refining Meditation Fluid, while Liang Kuan had emptied his pockets buying Meditation Fluid and supplementary pills. At those words, both nodded without hesitation.
Very quickly, the thirty Spirit Stones were divided up.
Zhu Yu alone received fifteen. He picked up a dark-yellow pebble and examined it. It felt cool in his hand, like jade yet not jade. Within it, a wisp of earthy-yellow mist drifted and flowed, making for a beautiful sight.
"So this is a Spirit Stone..."
Memories concerning Spirit Stones surfaced in Zhu Yu's mind.
Spirit Stones came in two kinds.
One was born of Heaven and Earth. The other came about when ordinary objects, exposed to a cultivator's aura over a long period, had their material nature altered and drew in Heaven and Earth spiritual energy to become Spirit Stones.
The two differed in appearance, but in essence, there was no difference.
"Such consumables..."
As Zhu Yu studied the low-grade earth-element Spirit Stone in his hand, a thought suddenly stirred in his mind. He recalled the "consumables" the Gloomy Old Man had mentioned months ago, and now he somewhat understood precisely what those consumables were.
They would nurture consumables into cultivators, then pen them in.
Until the day they died, they would produce Spirit Stones and spiritual materials for the Sect.
Before you continue