Senior Brother Hua was handsome and dignified, and his manner toward others was beyond reproach. Every disciple who arrived went up to exchange a few pleasantries with him. He moved smoothly among the different groups without neglecting a single person.
Before long, every seat in the little pavilion had been filled.
"Everyone... we are all newly initiated disciples. We should grow closer in the days ahead."
Senior Brother Hua raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.
"Of course..."
Everyone echoed their agreement. A freckled youth flatteringly asked, "Senior Brother Hua, your surname is Hua? Could you perhaps be from Flying Fish Island?"
A hint of pride immediately appeared on Senior Brother Hua's face. "That's right. Relying on the lingering shade of my ancestors, I was fortunate enough to enter this sect..."
"Flying Fish Island? Where is that?"
A female disciple voiced the question in Fang Qing's heart.
"Haha, this junior sister must have come from the mortal world. Flying Fish Island is where the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, the Hua Family, resides. It has a Second-Order Spiritual Vein and produces Dragon-Soaring Silk, Jewel-Eyed Fish..."
Another disciple with a more mature appearance explained, then looked toward Senior Brother Hua. "I never expected Senior Brother Hua to come from a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan. Your future will surely be boundless."
"Ah... the Immortal Dao is difficult. I too tread every step as though over thin ice."
Senior Brother Hua shook his head with a bitter smile. "Besides... though we are called an immortal clan, compared with the Azure Sea Sect, where Core Formation cultivators arise generation after generation, what do we amount to?"
The banquet continued, but Fang Qing noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat off.
The crowd soon divided into several small circles according to their backgrounds.
Senior Brother Hua, being from a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, naturally became the center of attention, stealing the limelight all by himself.
Beyond that, the disciples from Qi Refinement households were somewhat arrogant as well. While flattering Senior Brother Hua, they subtly excluded rogue cultivators and disciples from mortal backgrounds like Fang Qing.
Of course, these displays were very slight. Moreover, Senior Brother Hua was no fool, and under his efforts to smooth things over, few of these inexperienced disciples noticed them.
Thus, the banquet still appeared harmonious, with hosts and guests alike enjoying themselves.
Fang Qing kept his head down, drinking wine and eating dishes. He found it quite pleasant.
Before he knew it, the banquet had come to an end.
"I shall see everyone off here. May all my junior brothers and sisters prosper everlastingly upon the Immortal Dao..."
Senior Brother Hua escorted his junior brothers and sisters out, beaming brilliantly.
Fang Qing, meanwhile, blended in with several disciples from mortal backgrounds and returned the courtesy with them, utterly inconspicuous.
Just then, a streak of light flew over, crimson in color and trailed by shimmering, dazzling tassels.
The crimson light descended and transformed into a red sash, which tied itself around the waist of a young girl whose skin was like congealed cream and whose brows and eyes were as picturesque as a painting.
Her gaze swept over the crowd as she asked, "Who is Fang Qing?"
Under the astonished gazes of Senior Brother Hua, Yu Taohua, and the others, Fang Qing braced himself and stepped forward, bowing. "I am Fang Qing. Greetings, Senior Sister."
"Mm. I am Hua Lingsu of Pill Island. By order, I have come to take you to Pill Island and promote you to an inner-sect disciple. Let us go!"
Hua Lingsu raised a hand. The red sash slithered forward like a living creature, coiled around Fang Qing's waist, and carried him up into the blue heavens, vanishing without a trace.
"Junior Brother Fang... no, Senior Brother Fang truly hid himself deeply."
One disciple could not help clicking his tongue, then secretly glanced at Senior Brother Hua.
Senior Brother Hua's expression remained unchanged, his smile only broadening. "I never expected Junior Brother Fang to have such connections. We must grow even closer in the future..."
After some thought, the disciples decided that Pill Island was far too distant from them. It was more important to flatter Senior Brother Hua, and they hurriedly put on fawning smiles once more...
Fang Qing looked out from on high and saw a patch of dense mist swiftly part, revealing a small island.
Strange peaks jutted up across the island, where many buildings shimmered with ten-colored treasure light. There also seemed to be quite a few hot spring vents.
Of course, even more of the island remained shrouded by dense mist and restrictions, impossible to see clearly.
"Junior Brother Fang, our Pill Island chiefly practices Water-Method Alchemy. Since you have entered Pill Island as an inner-sect disciple, by rights you may take an elder as your master. However, no elder currently intends to accept disciples. With your disciple token, you may go to the Cauldron Altar on the first and fifteenth of every month to listen to senior brothers and sisters discuss cultivation and alchemy. At times, the elders will also come to lecture on the Dao..."
Hua Lingsu descended from her escape light and explained things to Fang Qing.
"Water-Method Alchemy? Isn't alchemy done with an alchemy furnace?"
In Fang Qing's impression, alchemy seemed inseparable from fire.
"Fire-Method Alchemy naturally exists as well, but our Azure Sea Sect mainly uses water methods... and has produced quite a few masters of alchemy."
Dimples appeared on Hua Lingsu's cheeks as she smiled. "Moreover... compared to fire methods, our Water-Method Alchemy produces gentler medicinal effects and less Pill Poison. With the unique Hot-Cold Twin Springs of this island for tempering, we can even process more medicinal ingredients at once..."
Naturally, Hua Lingsu did not mention that Fire-Method Alchemy was faster and better suited for refining most fire-aspect pills.
"Besides... Water-Method Alchemy is also more suited to cultivators like us with Water Spirit Roots."
That final point made Fang Qing nod repeatedly. "Senior Sister is right... our Water-Method Alchemy is simply better than Fire-Method Alchemy!"
Fang Qing had always believed that one's position determined one's thinking. Since he possessed a Water Spirit Root and Pill Island practiced Water-Method Alchemy, there was nothing more to say: Water-Method Alchemy was good.
If he had possessed a Fire Spirit Root and apprenticed himself to a master of Fire-Method Alchemy, then Water-Method Alchemy would have been crooked heresy!
"Very well. This is your cave abode."
Hua Lingsu brought Fang Qing outside a cave abode and prepared to leave, but then turned back. "Alchemy is one of the most difficult arts among the Hundred Arts of Immortality. Junior Brother, you should first visit the Heavenly Books Pavilion to borrow medicinal texts and familiarize yourself with the properties of herbs. Do not begin refining blindly..."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I understand."
Fang Qing cupped his fists in thanks.
He also vaguely felt that alchemy was no simple matter and that he could not act blindly.
Not to mention here—even in his previous life, those who blindly followed trends were leeks waiting to be harvested. Anyone who invested recklessly in an industry without spending three years learning its inner workings would sooner or later be swindled until not even dregs remained.
"Mm? This place?"
After entering the cave abode, Fang Qing looked around. It was not large, containing only a few stone chambers, and its furnishings were exceedingly simple, with nothing but a stone table, stone chairs, and a few other pieces of furniture.
Yet for some reason, merely standing here made his mind feel clear and his whole body comfortable.
"Could this be the effect of a Second-Order Spiritual Vein? If I had an immortal cultivation technique, this feeling would certainly be even stronger..."
Fang Qing recalled what he had heard before. Spiritual qi was thin in the mortal world, while Lakeside Manor had a First-Order spiritual qi environment, enough for Qi Refinement disciples to cultivate.
As for the Seven Islands of the Inner Lake, even the worst of them possessed a Second-Order Spiritual Vein. Cultivating here would surely allow one to advance far more rapidly than at Lakeside Manor.
"Cultivation technique! I forgot to ask about that just now... Still, apart from her final reminder, Senior Sister Hua's overall attitude was merely ordinary. Could it be that she did not think much of someone like me, who came in through the back door? Or perhaps... she simply felt there was nothing worth saying?"
Fang Qing rubbed his chin and began looking forward to tomorrow.
The next day.
Myriad Treasures Island.
Fang Xing stepped off the boat and stared at the Heavenly Books Pavilion in the distance, wrapped in restrictions of every color. He did not slow his steps. "Finally..."
Only upon drawing close could he truly sense the majesty of the Heavenly Books Pavilion. Its entirety had been built from a type of agarwood that gave off a calming fragrance.
Upon entering the first floor, he saw shelves of every kind arranged around him, filled with all sorts of thread-bound books.
"Heavenwave Method? Qi Shark Force? Twelve Transformations of Divine Movement? They are all second-rate, even first-rate martial arts. Mm? There is even the Divine Martial Canon? Isn't that the peerless martial art spoken of in rumors throughout the mortal martial world?"
With just one glance, Fang Qing was secretly astonished.
A vast number of miscellaneous books were piled there as though they cost nothing, available for disciples to browse at will.
"This junior brother must be a newly initiated disciple, correct?"
Just then, an Azure Sea Sect disciple came forward. "I am a pavilion-guarding disciple, assigned to explain matters to my junior brothers and sisters... This Heavenly Books Pavilion has nine floors in total. The first floor contains mortal martial arts, geography, mechanisms, and nearly everything else. Any sect disciple may browse or borrow freely. The second floor concerns immortal cultivation techniques, and each disciple may borrow only one book. Only inner-sect disciples may enter the third floor; the techniques, secret arts, and texts within are all fine selections. As for the fourth floor and above, only Foundation Establishment cultivators or True Disciples may enter."
"So that is how it is. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
Fang Qing took out his disciple token and displayed the pill imprint Hua Lingsu had placed on it yesterday. "I wish to visit the third floor. Do you have any recommendations?"
"So Junior Brother is actually an inner-sect disciple of Pill Island. My apologies for the discourtesy." The pavilion-guarding disciple's expression immediately changed from casual indifference to a face full of smiles. "My name is Zeng Shu. We are fellow disciples from now on. May I ask what spirit root Junior Brother possesses?"
"Middle-Grade Water Spirit Root."
Fang Qing answered, and transferred ten Contribution Points to him in passing.
Choosing a cultivation technique was an extremely serious matter. Though he had countless chances to regret it, he could not reveal that. The cultivation technique he used openly had to be as outstanding as possible.
Spending a little money on this was nothing.
Zeng Shu had not expected this junior brother to be so perceptive. His smile became all the more sincere. "The foundational cultivation techniques on the third floor are all fine selections. Those suitable for Water Spirit Roots include the White Water Formula, Gazing at the Vast Sea, and the Water Classic Commentary... Of these, the White Water Formula was originally the inherited cultivation technique of the Wu Family of White Profound Island. It is said that although the spiritual power cultivated through it is water-aspected, it carries a trace of chill. During magical combat, an enemy who is not careful may have their dharma body frozen stiff and suffer a tremendous loss..."
"Gazing at the Vast Sea is a High Antiquity cultivation technique, famed for its vast and powerful dharma power. It is said that senior brothers and sisters who cultivate it possess ten to twenty percent more dharma power than other cultivators at the same realm..."
"The Water Classic Commentary, on the other hand, was derived from the Azure Sea Method, the primary cultivation technique of our sect's Azure Sea Ancestor. If one can achieve Foundation Establishment with it, one may later switch to the Azure Sea Method without any loss whatsoever..."
Having received benefits, Zeng Shu truly explained everything in exhaustive detail.
"Potential... that is very important."
After listening, Fang Qing had already made his decision. "The Wu Family of White Profound Island is merely a Foundation Establishment household, and the White Water Formula has no subsequent Core Formation section... Gazing at the Vast Sea is likewise a fragment of an ancient cultivation technique. Though it is said to be quite famous, our sect has no continuation for it."
"Though those two techniques both have their special traits, and the Water Classic Commentary is merely plain and unremarkable, it has fewer bottlenecks and can be seamlessly linked to a later technique."
For someone concerned only with Foundation Establishment, there was not much difference in choosing any of the three techniques.
But for Fang Qing, Foundation Establishment was certainly not the end. Choosing the Water Classic Commentary, personally selected by Azure Sea True Person, could hardly be wrong.
Even if the other two techniques might offer other opportunities in the future, the opportunities within his own sect were clearly more suitable for him.
"I'll choose the Water Classic Commentary!"
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