The Thirty-Six Immortal Metal Positions

Inside the house.

Zhang Yuan spoke first. "Is there a teacher in the village? Can you read?"

Chen Xinqiao nodded. "There is, but I never went. I can read."

Zhang Yuan was surprised. "How did you learn to read if you never went?"

Chen Xinqiao said, "I knew how from birth."

Understanding dawned on Zhang Yuan. He remembered her [innate knowledge] tag, so it was hardly surprising that she could read without learning.

As long as she could read, that was enough.

Zhang Yuan placed the two Outer Dao books he could not understand in front of Chen Xinqiao.

The tag above Chen Xinqiao's head changed to [bewildered].

Zhang Yuan kept it brief. "Read them to me."

Chen Xinqiao raised her eyes and glanced at Zhang Yuan's handsome, otherworldly face. A few ripples stirred in her eyes, normally as still as an ancient well.

It was hard to imagine that a young Immortal Master who practiced Immortal Arts was actually an illiterate who barely knew a handful of characters.

Chen Xinqiao considered this as she picked up the two books on the table and read, "One is called the Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture, and the other is called the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture."

They were actually two cultivation methods. Zhang Yuan added, "Sit over here. Read one sentence, and I'll learn one sentence."

Since Chen Xinqiao could read and he had two books on hand, this was the perfect opportunity for a crash course in the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm's writing and to shed his illiterate label.

Chen Xinqiao moved a little closer, sitting six inches from Zhang Yuan, and began teaching him from the Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture.

"Heaven and Earth possess spiritual qi. Plants that obtain it become spirits, beasts that obtain it become monsters, and humans that obtain it become immortals..."

Pausing after each sentence, Chen Xinqiao finished reading the Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture.

Zhang Yuan learned quickly. After a single pass, he already recognized nearly all the characters in the book.

A Qi Refinement Perfected of the Gang Sha Path was exceptionally intelligent to begin with. With his [immaculate primordial spirit] talent bolstering him, it was only natural that he learned quickly.

Zhang Yuan had Chen Xinqiao stop rather than continue to the next book, and pondered the [Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture].

The Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture was a method of the Outer Qi Refinement Path. It focused primarily on refining the body, with qi refinement as a supplement. This cultivation method could take one all the way to the peak of the outer dao golden core realm, at which point splitting mountains, shattering stone, overturning rivers, and churning seas could all be done with a casual gesture.

The method was excellent and easy to practice. Unfortunately, without a spiritual root, Zhang Yuan could not cultivate it at all.

Although cultivators of the Gang Sha Path were fewer, when the two paths were compared, the Outer Qi Refinement Path actually had a slightly higher barrier to entry.

After all, the Sha Ingestion Gang Devoration Path relied on fortune predestination, while the Outer Qi Refinement Path relied on talent.

On the Sha Ingestion Gang Devoration Path, someone might strike it lucky one day, obtain a cultivation method along with heavenly dipper and earthly baleful forces, and get started. But on the Outer Qi Refinement Path, without a spiritual root, entry was simply impossible. It was ordained by Heaven, beyond an ordinary person's power to change.

That said, while Zhang Yuan indeed lacked an outer dao spiritual root, Chen Xinqiao, sitting before him, possessed one—and an immortal spiritual root at that.

Outer dao spiritual roots had five grades: yellow, profound, earth, heaven, and immortal.

An immortal spiritual root was the highest grade of outer dao spiritual root!

Zhang Yuan glanced at Chen Xinqiao. "Would you like to learn this cultivation method?"

Chen Xinqiao nodded, then shook her head. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "I haven't taken you as my master. I can't learn it."

He would not have guessed that Chen Xinqiao was so mindful of the rules.

Zhang Yuan said, "If you want to learn it, I won't stop you. But we aren't master and disciple, and I only came across this method by chance. If anything goes wrong because of it, just don't blame me."

Chen Xinqiao nodded, her eyes flickering.

Zhang Yuan pointed to the other book. "Read this one."

Chen Xinqiao picked up the other book.

The Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture.

"Heaven possesses divine radiance, which shines upon a single well alone, named [heavenly well radiance]. [Heavenly well radiance] is one of the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm's thirty-six immortal metal positions of Heaven and Earth, a station among the all-encompassing heavenly stars, and a True Lord's rank of attainment..."

As he listened to Chen Xinqiao read, Zhang Yuan's brow furrowed.

Something was wrong.

The Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture was not a cultivation method of the Outer Qi Refinement Path, but of the Sha Ingestion Gang Devoration Path. Moreover... it seemed to lead directly to becoming a Golden Core True Lord.

According to the book, the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm had a total of thirty-six immortal metal positions of Heaven and Earth. Only a Foundation-Building Heavenly Being who obtained a metal position could seek to become a True Lord.

That meant the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm could have no more than thirty-six True Lords.

And the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture was precisely the Dao Path method for attaining [heavenly well radiance]!

An invaluable treasure!

With a stir of thought, Zhang Yuan immediately realized the value of the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture.

If [heavenly well radiance] currently had no True Lord, then possessing this method meant he had a chance to attain the True Lord position of [heavenly well radiance]!

Although he cultivated the Congenital True Law of Self-Transcendence, he only had its qi refining section, not even its foundation establishment section.

And even if he did have it, Xiao Yuanjun herself had only just attained Heavenly Being status. Unless she later became a True Lord and continued refining the golden core section, Foundation-Building Heavenly Being would remain the highest realm attainable through the Congenital True Law of Self-Transcendence.

I'll keep it for now. It might come in handy later.

With that thought, Zhang Yuan decisively put away the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture. Then his gaze shifted slightly toward Chen Xinqiao beside him.

Thirty-six immortal metal positions—one radish to each hole.

If Zhang Yuan sought [heavenly well radiance] in the future, Chen Xinqiao, who had read the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture today, could very well become a potential rival!

Rather than rear a tiger only to invite disaster, perhaps he should simply...

Chen Xinqiao tilted her head, wondering why Zhang Yuan had suddenly put the book away. "Are we not reading anymore?"

Zhang Yuan fell silent for a moment, then shook out his sleeve and took out a Qi Refining Pill that aided Outer Dao cultivation, placing it on the table.

He had named the Outer Dao Pills in the two bottles Qi Refining Pills and Foundation Establishment Pills respectively—simple and clear.

"This is your payment for teaching me to read. But before you take it, you must promise me that you won't reveal the contents of either book to anyone," Zhang Yuan said solemnly.

In the end, he still could not bring himself to kill her.

He had been the one to summon Chen Xinqiao to read the books. Killing her after she finished, solely because of the Heavenly Radiance Illuminating the World True Scripture, was a little too hard to do.

As a cultivator who favored caution, Zhang Yuan did not want to be a good man, but neither did he want to be an evil man or a rotten one.

Chen Xinqiao nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yuan placed the Qi Refining Pill in her hand.

"Thank you," Chen Xinqiao said.

The tag above her head read [loyal]!

Elsewhere.

While Zhang Yuan and Chen Xinqiao were teaching and reading.

The old woman and Liu Yulan carried Liu Zhenghong back home.

Their home was much larger than Chen Qinkuai's. Though it could not compare to a wealthy family's mansion, it still ranked among the finest in Liu Family Village.

"Mother, what do we do now? That little brat has an immortal protecting her. If we can't hand her over today, those fifty taels of silver will fly away," Liu Yulan said through her sobs.

Zhang Yuan was terrifying, and she was still shaken. But whenever she thought of those fifty taels of silver, losing them frightened her even more.

"Cry! All you know is how to cry! Still thinking about the silver—if you don't fetch a physician, your brother's hand will be ruined!" The old woman struck Liu Yulan with her cane and scolded her.

"Yes, yes, I'll fetch a physician right away." Liu Yulan dodged the cane and hurried to her feet.

But in the next moment, someone opened their front gate.

A short man with furtive brows and ratlike eyes stepped into the yard, followed by several boys and girls.

"Liu Yulan, where's the person you prepared?"