Immortal Arts, Completely Free

While Zhuge Feng selected an Immortal Art, the two outside were already staring each other down.

"Y-you-you..." Xiao Lingxi's eyes widened as she stared at Su Bai in disbelief. Everything she had encountered tonight had overturned everything she thought she knew.

She had thought she could uphold justice and expose a fraud, only to find that she had picked on the real deal.

Su Bai clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled. "Little girl, do you still think I'm a fraud?"

"I..." Xiao Lingxi was left speechless, her cheeks flushing red as she lowered her head and muttered, "How was I supposed to know you were actually capable?"

Su Bai shook his head, too lazy to bicker with a little yellow-haired girl.

Just then, Zhuge Feng emerged from the Immortal Arts Pavilion. He held a yellow scroll in his hands and respectfully approached Su Bai.

"Master, how much silver does this Immortal Art cost? And if it's only an Immortal Art for First-Level Qi Refinement, how much would that cost?"

His voice trembled slightly, while Xiao Lingxi beside him also turned her gaze over.

Immortal Arts were the foundation upon which a sect stood!

Many sects regarded Immortal Arts as treasures, the very source that continuously drew disciples in.

Take the Lingxiao Sect, for instance. Its sect-defending Immortal Art, the Spirit Firmament Scripture, was a superior Immortal Art.

How could one learn the Spirit Firmament Scripture?

First, one had to become a menial disciple. After half a year, one had to pass the formal assessment and become an official disciple.

Second, one had to complete all manner of sect missions to earn contribution points. Only after accumulating enough points could one gain the qualification to exchange for the Spirit Firmament Scripture.

Finally, even after gaining the qualification to exchange for it, cultivation was not free. One still had to pay to purchase it!

First-Level Qi Refinement formula: 100 taels of silver

Second-Level Qi Refinement formula: 300 taels of silver

Third-Level Qi Refinement formula: 100 taels of gold

One tael of gold equaled ten taels of silver. One hundred taels of gold meant one thousand taels of silver!

And this was merely the cultivation method for the first three levels of the Qi Refining Realm. The prices for the later levels were even more outrageously high!

As the saying went, if you had no money, what immortality were you cultivating?

Wouldn't it be better to honestly remain an ordinary mortal?

With Immortal Arts this precious, how could Zhuge Feng not tremble?

Even though he had not yet begun cultivating this scripture, he could vaguely sense that it was no ordinary Immortal Art. Its value was likely no less than that of the Spirit Firmament Scripture.

But with the Immortal Art laid before him, he had no silver to buy it!

"Silver? What silver?"

Su Bai was thoroughly confused.

Before crossing over, he had read so many novels. Didn't disciples join a sect and then get to cultivate Immortal Arts for free all the way through?

Why did it require silver when it came to him instead?

Zhuge Feng froze for a moment, thinking Su Bai had not heard clearly. He hurriedly said, "Master, how much silver must this disciple pay to cultivate this Immortal Art?"

"No silver is needed. Since you are a disciple of my Heavenly Dao Sect, you may naturally cultivate the Heavenly Dao Sect's Immortal Arts as you please." Su Bai smiled.

Zhuge Feng froze, as though bombs were exploding inside his head, leaving it buzzing.

Such a precious Immortal Art, for free?

"Master, Immortal Arts from First-Level Qi Refinement all the way to Ninth Level of Qi Refining... none of them require silver?"

He could not believe it. He even thought he might be hearing things.

The Immortal Arts for just the first three levels were already exorbitantly expensive. All nine levels...

"What, are you unwilling?" Su Bai raised an eyebrow and said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "I'm giving you the chance to cultivate Immortal Arts. Don't disappoint my expectations."

Zhuge Feng looked up. His master stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face, shining as brilliantly as the bright moon tonight.

Moonlight poured down like flowing water, setting him off like an immortal cast down to the mortal world, as though he were a celestial being descending to save all living things.

Then Zhuge Feng recalled the hardships he had endured as a menial at the Lingxiao Sect, as well as those days of constant suppression. Compared to this moment, they were as far apart as heaven and earth.

His body trembled violently as if struck by lightning. A surging tide of hot blood erupted in his heart like a volcano, rushing straight to his head.

Thud.

He actually dropped to both knees and kowtowed heavily, his voice firm and clear. "This disciple, Zhuge Feng, thanks Master!"

Seeing this, Su Bai could not help but smile.

At the side, Xiao Lingxi was already dumbfounded. Her watery eyes were wide open, and her mouth opened several times, yet not the slightest sound came out.

Her heart was filled with overwhelming shock and bewilderment.

A complete Immortal Art through Ninth Level of Qi Refining, for free?

Even for her Lineage, buying a complete Immortal Art for the Qi Refining Realm would likely leave them badly battered, wouldn't it?

Was he really not a fraud?

"Master, may I ask what tasks this disciple must complete each day?" Zhuge Feng raised his head and asked.

Upon joining a sect, whether one was a menial or an official disciple, one had to prioritize completing daily tasks. Generally, daily tasks took six to seven hours.

If the tasks were not completed, the punishment would be severe.

Only after finishing the tasks could one squeeze out a little time to cultivate.

What were the Heavenly Dao Sect's daily tasks, he wondered?

"Tasks? Your task is to cultivate diligently. The higher your cultivation, the greater your contribution to the sect."

Su Bai spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Feng froze.

His task was cultivation?

What was that equivalent to?

It was equivalent to earning money while lying down!

"What are you standing around for? Why aren't you hurrying to cultivate?" Su Bai urged.

Only then did Zhuge Feng abruptly come back to his senses. He bowed deeply to Su Bai and said, "This disciple obeys!"

After turning around, however, tears slipped down his face against his will.

When his parents had been beaten to death, he had not cried. He had silently buried them and sworn in his heart that he would avenge them.

When Steward Wang targeted him during his time as a menial, forcing him to do the hardest and most exhausting work because he had no money to grease palms, he had not cried either. He had secretly sworn that he would become an immortal.

When his slot had been taken and he failed the assessment, he still had not cried!

Yet now, all his strength and all his grievances turned into glistening tears that slid down his cheeks.

Men did not shed tears lightly—only because they had not yet reached the place that broke their hearts!

"Master, for such immense kindness, even if this disciple must stake his life, I will repay it!"

Zhuge Feng murmured inwardly. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, found a place outside the great hall, and sat down to cultivate in silence.

He silently recited the Immortal Art, drawing in spiritual energy according to its records and beginning his cultivation.

The spiritual energy gradually gathered, turning into a faint silver radiance that enveloped Zhuge Feng's body. It then formed a ring that revolved around him.

"One, two, three, four... Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen—twenty breaths to complete one Zhou Tian cycle!"

Xiao Lingxi's breathing grew hurried, as though she had witnessed the most inconceivable thing in the world.

She rubbed her eyes and carefully observed Zhuge Feng's cultivation again. The time was still exactly the same as before.

How was that possible?!

Xiao Lingxi stared wide-eyed, her face full of shock.

In this world, the quality of an Immortal Art was connected to the time needed to complete a cultivation cycle!

Some trash Immortal Arts circulating on the black market could only complete one or two cycles in an hour. Reaching First-Level Qi Refinement with them would take until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.

Even so, they could still be sold for a high price!

After all, in the eyes of mortals, someone at First-Level Qi Refinement was already an immortal.

For some small sects, small Lineages, and Minor Trends, slightly better Immortal Arts could complete ten to twenty Zhou Tian cycles in an hour.

The Lineage Xiao Lingxi belonged to was a prominent and prestigious family within the Great Zhao Empire. Its Lineage Immortal Art could complete fifty-two Zhou Tian cycles in an hour.

As for the Lingxiao Sect, ranked among the Immortal Alliance Top Five Hundred, its sect-defending Immortal Art, the Spirit Firmament Scripture, could complete sixty-one Zhou Tian cycles in an hour!

And what had she just seen?