That afternoon, the ten new disciples who had passed the spirit communion trial, Fang Qianyuan among them, were led by stewards of the Administrative Hall to the Ascension Hall to register on the immortal rolls. They were issued introductory textbooks, travel bags, clothing, and other supplies, then assigned their lodgings.
The inner court lay in a circular valley surrounded by mountains. Of the new disciples, the two girls were taken elsewhere, while Fang Qianyuan and the other boys were all assigned to Gending Court, on the northeastern edge of the valley.
After sending off Zhou Pengfei and the others, who were rather excited by their new surroundings, Fang Qianyuan returned alone to his room and examined it carefully.
After a long while, he nodded to himself.
It seemed the sect treated its new disciples very well indeed. The courtyard assigned to them was spacious enough for everyone to choose a room of his own, and cooks and servants had been specially assigned to attend to them. Inner court disciples could live with clothes brought to their outstretched arms and food placed before their open mouths, enjoying an extravagant ease comparable to that of wealthy young masters and ladies in the mundane world.
More importantly, now that they were official disciples, they were finally entitled to draw a cultivation stipend from the sect.
This was the foremost priority in a Spirit Tamer's cultivation.
"Since the Age of Dharma's End, naturally emanating spiritual energy has become all but impossible to find between heaven and earth. Naturally, there is no way to cultivate from it."
"The spirit essence we converted before came entirely from our own vital essence and life force, and was extremely weak. Only by cultivating in a bond of shared life with a spirit creature and drawing in the primal energy of heaven and earth can we use it to benefit ourselves, expand our spirit seas, or nurture spirit creatures."
"Heavenly treasures and earthly marvels are therefore essential resources for cultivation!"
"In this matter, the Azure Cloud Sect distributes fixed stipends according to cultivation realm. At the first revolution of Human Rank, one can collect a piece of low-grade spirit jade each month, equivalent to one hundred spirit stones."
Spirit jade was a special jade ore cut to standard specifications. Each finger-sized piece of low-grade spirit jade contained exactly one hundred streams of pure spiritual energy.
Each stream of spiritual energy could, in turn, be infused into associated ore to produce a spirit stone.
There was generally some loss in the process. Each spirit stone contained between ninety-eight and ninety-nine wisps of spiritual energy, while more unscrupulous merchants would give people inferior stones containing ninety-five wisps or even less.
One piece of low-grade spirit jade was sufficient for a first-revolution Human Rank Spirit Tamer to cultivate for an entire month. But besides cultivation, a Spirit Tamer also had to purchase arms and equipment and cover the various expenses of nurturing spirit creatures. Relying on this stipend alone would leave them pulling at their lapels only to expose their elbows.
Anyone who wanted more could take on missions from the various courts and halls, or accept duties in service to the sect.
Otherwise, once permission was granted in years to come, traveling abroad to seek secluded wonders and explore mysteries was another way to earn one's own keep.
With this in mind, Fang Qianyuan took a newly issued piece of low-grade spirit jade from the pouch he carried. Quietly sensing the pure spiritual energy flowing within it, he began trying to refine the Swift Eagle spirit inside his body.
His father's cultivation had been crippled, and he had concealed his identity, so he had almost never displayed his abilities as a Spirit Tamer. However, he had told Fang Qianyuan many stories of the past, broadening his horizons. Together with his years in the outer court, this meant Fang Qianyuan had long since mastered such basic knowledge of cultivation.
Every Spirit Tamer had to nurture spirit creatures within the spirit sea in their body, using them to cultivate or fight.
Successfully achieving spirit communion was merely the first step toward becoming a Spirit Tamer.
With Fang Qianyuan's present strength, never mind defeating his enemy-he was not even qualified to come into contact with them.
After concealing his identity, Fang Hai had spent years searching bitterly, yet had never even learned his enemy's name or whereabouts. This proved that ordinary Spirit Tamers had no access whatsoever to such powerful figures.
Thus, if Fang Qianyuan wanted revenge, he first had to become powerful himself.
Fang Qianyuan possessed exceptional talent and had been willing to work hard even as a registered outer court disciple. He had long since become familiar with the habits of the spirit creature called the Swift Eagle. Before long, he established a closer bond with it, and his spirit essence began circulating more smoothly.
He even felt the spirit creature inside him begin to coordinate with his breathing, drawing in and releasing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Every moment, this exchange strengthened his constitution, which in turn tempered his spirit essence and expanded his spirit sea. Without his noticing, his cultivation grew a little purer.
This progress clearly far surpassed what he had achieved before spirit communion, and he was advancing steadily toward the second revolution of Human Rank.
But three feet of ice did not form in a single day. Such cultivation was a long-term undertaking, like dripping water wearing through stone. Fang Qianyuan also understood the need to balance work and rest, so once he had done enough, he ended his circulation cycle and began carefully reading the handbook he had received earlier.
The handbook contained a wealth of basic knowledge about life and cultivation in the inner court, as well as most of the sect's rules-all things new disciples like them needed to remember.
Before he knew it, the next morning had arrived. The Teaching Hall sent someone to gather them and lead them to an open space not far from Gending Court.
There, two inner court disciples, a man and a woman, were already waiting for them.
"Hello, everyone. I am Ma Wenhua, your cultivation instructor for this session. Today, I will teach you the methods of the way of transformation from the Spirit Taming Art. Beside me is Senior Sister Lan Mei, who will teach you the methods of the manifestation path." The male disciple stepped forward and spoke in a clear, carrying voice.
He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, tall and powerfully built, with a scar on his left cheek that looked like a beast's claw mark. Yet it did not make him look hideous; instead, it lent him a distinctive rugged charm.
Senior Sister Lan Mei, beside Ma Wenhua, was his exact opposite. She looked gentle and delicate, standing quietly at his side with a graceful smile.
"Greetings, Senior Brother and Senior Sister!" Everyone greeted them politely, though excitement was already leaping in their hearts.
They had long yearned for the wondrous divine abilities and arts of Spirit Tamers. Unfortunately, before becoming Spirit Tamers themselves, they could not learn them no matter how much they wished to. Only now were they qualified to begin.
Ma Wenhua continued, "As everyone knows, we Spirit Tamers are cultivators who obtain power by making use of spirit creatures. Depending on how we use them, our practices fall into two great schools: the way of transformation, in which we induce spirit creatures to possess our bodies, granting their hosts the corresponding powers, and the manifestation path, in which we use primal energy to create bodies for spirit creatures, summoning and commanding them.
"Of these, the way of transformation emphasizes physical aptitude, while the manifestation path emphasizes mental aptitude. They are entirely different routes of advancement."
"You can discover for yourselves what talents you possess as you cultivate in the future. What Senior Sister Lan and I must do is demonstrate both methods, so you have a general understanding of them."
"However, you must remember that cultivating both paths is extremely difficult. Most people would do better to settle on one as their primary school. Take your senior brother here: I was born with thick skin and tough flesh, and a fair amount of brute strength. Choosing the way of transformation meant those gifts did not go to waste. But no matter how I try, I can never master the profound methods of the manifestation path. I can only grit my teeth and chew through a few simple introductory techniques, in case I need them someday."
"I do not know whether any of you are geniuses capable of cultivating both paths, but I have a word of advice: bite off too much, and you will not be able to chew it. Know your limits in all things. What suits you is best."
"All right, enough idle talk. I will first demonstrate a transformation method from the way of transformation. Watch closely!"
As Ma Wenhua spoke, he suddenly gave a deep shout. Blue-black spirit markings spread swiftly toward his limbs like creeping vines.
As he formed the Weapon Seal with both hands, the muscles throughout his body swelled dramatically, his blood and vital energy surged, and a fierce, overpowering presence erupted from him.