Eastern Extreme Jade Clarity (Seeking Bookmarks)

"Sure enough, the great powers of this world profoundly influenced the world itself—even cultivation!"

Fang Qing's heart trembled as he caught another blind spot. "Among the twelve Year Guardians, there's even the Great Sun Tradition!"

"Great Sun Tradition cultivators are exceedingly rare, because the Great Sun Violet Qi needed for entry can no longer be gathered..."

The old blind man shook his head with a sigh. "When I was young, I too dreamed of joining the Great Sun Tradition, so I entered the Secret Treasury Domain to travel and search. The result, as you can see..."

"Great Sun Violet Qi can't be gathered?"

Fang Qing raised his head and looked at that blazing sun.

"It was said that during High Antiquity, Great Sun Violet Qi was one of the easiest True Qis in heaven and earth to gather. A cultivator merely had to face east at sunrise and use the Qi-Gathering Formula... But after Near Antiquity, all who gathered Great Sun Violet Qi met sudden calamity..."

The old blind man gave a cold, rasping chuckle. "Nothing more than some great figure up above not wishing for cultivators to walk that path..."

"Can people like us, lowly cultivators, say such things?"

A cold sweat prickled Fang Qing's forehead, and he was even more speechless inside. Damn it, just discussing beginner cultivation can involve someone so huge... Sealing off Great Sun Violet Qi? Does this shitty place even let people cultivate properly? Sure enough, my Azure Sea Sect is a little more plain and honest...

"I happen to have a Qi-gathering method for Ji Water. You must find a spring source—best if it is a Spirit Spring. After spending several years harmonizing the qi, you may obtain Earthspring Tempered Essence. This True Qi ranks fifth-rank middle-grade, already extraordinary. By all accounts, you're the one profiting..."

"Fifth-rank middle-grade?"

"That's right. The first realm of cultivation is called the Breath-Nourishing Realm. This first mouthful of True Qi concerns one's Dao path and is of paramount importance. There are nine ranks and thirty-six grades..."

Fang Qing grew interested. "Then what rank is Great Sun Violet Qi?"

The old blind man answered solemnly, "When the sun rises in the east, this qi is supremely precious. It ranks ninth-rank upper-grade and is also known as Eastern Extreme Jade Clarity..."

Fang Qing rolled his eyes. "Forget it. Give me the Qi-gathering method... I still have several questions I'd like to ask you, old sir..."

The old blind man's hollow eye sockets stared at Fang Qing. If he still had eyeballs, he felt like he would have rolled them.

"Sure enough... beginner knowledge like a Qi-gathering method can be copied too. It's not worth much at all."

After leaving Floating Boat Market, Fang Qing used his lightness skill. He encountered no cultivator bandits along the way, and inwardly grumbled.

He had spent all his spirit items. He had only had his aptitude assessed and obtained a Qi-gathering method, leaving him without even an egg to his name—so poor that even cultivator bandits could not be bothered robbing him.

Even so, Fang Qing remained cautious throughout the journey. Only after several days did he find an opportunity to return to Jade Island, where he began playing the part of a fiercely loyal Azure Sea Sect disciple and buying Treasure Fish.

Half a month flashed by.

"Hoo..."

At the sight of the Azure Sea Sect's mountain gate, Fang Qing let out a long breath.

He went to the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs, turned in his task, made some purchases, and returned to his cave dwelling on Pill Island.

After shutting the cave dwelling's doors and affixing a talisman that prevented disturbances and could detect divine-sense probing, Fang Qing's mind finally relaxed completely. He collapsed onto the stone bed.

"This time, I've opened up the channels... I found out about several trading places for Breath-Nourishing Realm cultivators in Ba Commandery."

"Next time, I'll learn an art for changing my appearance and aura... Then I can try selling goods and make a large amount of... Uh, spirit item prices over there seem rather high, but no matter what, there'll always be a price difference to profit from..."

"There's no rush for that. I still need to gather qi and obtain a strand of Earthspring Tempered Essence, then acquire a Ji Water cultivation method. After that, I should be able to convert Water Classic Commentary mana and Ji Water mana back and forth."

Fang Qing had already roughly figured out how to use the Dao-Born Pearl's Revert to Root, Return to Origin. To convert something, he needed an "introduction."

For example, if he wanted to convert Ji Water mana, he first needed to cultivate at least a wisp of Ji Water mana himself.

Likewise, if he wanted to convert mana into Great Sun mana, he had to first obtain a Great Sun cultivation method and begin cultivating it.

"Gathering qi takes time, and cultivating a secret art to alter my appearance takes time too..."

"I'm only at the third layer of Qi Refinement right now. Accumulating mana also takes time... Everything is measured in years. Fortunately... cultivators have long lifespans, long enough to wait."

At this thought, Fang Qing could not help recalling the cultivation knowledge he had finally wrung out of the old blind man through persistent pestering.

"Cultivation in Ancient Shu can be called the Breath-Nourishing Dao. One consumes a mouthful of True Qi, enters the Dao, and cultivates, becoming a Breath-Nourishing Realm cultivator. It also has nine layers... Breath-Nourishing Realm cultivators have lifespans similar to Qi Refinement cultivators, around two sixty-year cycles."

"After the Breath-Nourishing Realm comes the Dao Foundation Realm. One must forge a Dao Foundation, with another layer of mystery to it. Dao Foundation cultivators live two hundred years..."

"After the Dao Foundation Realm comes the Purple Mansion Realm. Their divine abilities are vast and their mana boundless... They can live five hundred years... That is about the same lifespan as Core Formation patriarchs over here."

"The Yulin Pu Clan is a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, with a Purple Mansion patriarch guarding the clan. They are the foremost family in Yulin Commandery... The Black Blight Sect also has Purple Mansion cultivators. Are those the two Purple Mansion forces closest to me?"

"The Luo Family... They definitely have Breath-Nourishing Realm cultivators. Whether they have Dao Foundation Realm cultivators is uncertain. I'll have to slowly find out..."

As Fang Qing thought, he gradually fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Cold Spring Peak.

He sat cross-legged before an icy spring and attempted to gather qi.

"Hm?"

A moment later, Fang Qing opened his eyes and stared at the jade bottle in his hand, somewhat surprised. "This is a little fast... Is it because this place is a Spirit Spring, or because I'm a cultivator? Or both?"

While gathering qi just now, he had discovered that his own speed was extremely fast.

By a rough estimate, an Earthspring Tempered Essence that originally required ten years to gather would take him only two or three years!

"Wait... shouldn't the important point be that this world can also gather qi?"

At that thought, Fang Qing abruptly raised his head and looked at the bright, blazing sun, his heart pounding. "If Earthspring Tempered Essence can be gathered here, what about Great Sun Violet Qi?"

"Still, I need to get hold of a Qi-gathering method for Great Sun Violet Qi first. A Qi-gathering method that has already become useless shouldn't cost much..."

"Now that I hold a great treasure and opportunity lies ahead, I still have to advance step by step... I should first keep my feet on solid ground for a while."

"Though... the days ahead will be somewhat difficult."

Fang Qing had decided not to return to the Land of Ancient Shu until he mastered an appearance-changing technique. Yet within the Azure Sea Sect, he was already finding every step difficult.

Since he could not refine pills and did not wish to accept high-risk tasks, his cultivation speed would inevitably be ordinary.

And since he had entered Pill Island through the back door, poor performance would certainly invite criticism.

"Words are like a gust of wind... Ignore them, and there's no problem."

"Oh... I also need to read more books. Reading... nourishes my Ji Water fate."

Just as he adjusted his breathing and meditated, preparing to gather qi again—

A spirited young disciple in blue robes suddenly approached. "Are you Senior Brother Fang Qing?"

"You are?"

Fang Qing looked at him and found him somewhat familiar. Then he remembered—this man had been one of the immortal seedlings selected alongside him at the Immortal Destiny Assembly. "Junior Brother Li Yudan?"

Li Yudan's face reddened. "I've changed my name. It is now Li Yusu. Senior Brother, please don't get it wrong. I've already entered the inner sect and am also a Pill Island disciple."

"So that's how it is. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Fang Qing sensed the third-layer Qi Refinement spiritual-energy fluctuations from Li Yusu and smiled as he cupped his hands. "But I recall that you seem to have a Wood Spirit Root... Are you learning Water-Method Alchemy as well?"

"Although Water Spirit Root cultivators are most suited to Water-Method Alchemy, the human body possesses all five elements. As long as one's Fire Spirit Root is not overly prominent, one can attempt Water-Method Alchemy..."

Li Yusu said proudly, "I have some talent in water control and extraction, so Master Clouddrift Adept accepted me as his disciple..."

"So that's it. We can be considered fellows from the same year and hometown. We should grow closer in the future."

Fang Qing nodded. Water nourished wood—this was how the five-element mana rules worked over here.

Unlike Ancient Shu, where things were so unreasonable that water, earth, and wood were all suppressed by metal and fire.

"Senior Brother Fang, perhaps you didn't understand."

Li Yusu said, "I have taken a liking to this Spirit Spring of yours. Please leave."

"Hm?"

Fang Qing's expression immediately became calm. "Are you planning to seize my Spirit Spring?"

"Spirit Springs of heaven and earth go to the virtuous... I already asked Senior Sister Zha. She said she no longer has anything to do with you."

Seeing disciples gathering around, Li Yusu instead raised his voice, a trace of smugness hidden in his heart.

What he could not stand most was that they had clearly been immortal seedlings chosen together, yet Fang Qing had become an inner sect disciple the moment he entered the sect while he had needed to climb up from the outer sect step by step.

Zha Zhu had superior aptitude, so he accepted that.

But Fang Qing merely had middling aptitude.

Moreover, he had deliberately come to make trouble for Fang Qing today. Naturally, he had received instructions from a certain senior sister.

"I see..."

Fang Qing gave Li Yusu a deep look. "Junior Brother Li Yudan, in that case, I'll yield this Spirit Spring to you..."

In any case, he had just gathered qi from this Spirit Spring, and its spiritual charm might have been damaged. Using it for alchemy would yield twice the effort for half the result. Exchanging it for another was just right.

"My name is Li Yusu!"

Li Yusu's face reddened slightly. "Also, Senior Sister Zha has already broken through to the middle stage of Qi Refinement. Her future is boundless. I do not wish to see someone lording it over others under her name."

Those words were clearly meant for the surrounding disciples.

As Zha Zhu's junior brother, his words naturally carried more weight in representing her position.

"I understand. Zha Zhu and I no longer have the slightest connection."

Fang Qing nodded. He had long expected this day to come.

His connection with the Cha Family had begun with that rescue at sea, but in truth, without Old Man Cha, he could still have drifted to Jade Island and would not have faced mortal danger.

It was Old Man Cha, rather, who had exploited Fang Qing's desperate wish to attend the Immortal Destiny Assembly and sent him to risk his life at Sea Dragon Reef.

After the Dragon King Festival, when he saw Fang Qing alive, Old Man Cha immediately chose to compensate him.

Once Fang Qing's cultivation aptitude had been detected, he might even have instructed his granddaughter to do something.

But now, he apparently felt the debt had been repaid—or had been influenced by something else—and chose to sever their ties.

Fang Qing accepted it calmly. He cared even less about the faint looks from the surrounding disciples. He simply chose another secluded spring source and began meditating to gather qi.

From the outside, this Qi-gathering technique looked much the same as ordinary meditation and breathing exercises, so he did not fear these low-level disciples spotting any flaw.