The Thousand Bamboo Sect

On a winding path before a black mountain, three travelers led their mounts along, chatting as they slowly advanced.

An elderly man in blue robes walked at the front, followed by a man and a woman-Wang Yu and Princess Tianhe.

"The ancient Qi Refining Practitioner tradition is humanity's oldest and longest-lived cultivation path. Although Immortal Cultivators have long since replaced it, it requires neither spiritual perception nor a spirit root, and strengthening the body grants astonishing close-combat power. Many immortal sects and cultivation lineages still preserve it specifically to train guardian warriors.

"These guardian warriors need not cultivate spells. They focus entirely on qi refining methods. So long as they can cross the initial threshold and are willing to endure hardship, ten or twenty years of basic training in the Qi Refining Practitioner's methods will give them a measure of close-combat strength in a relatively short time. They are assigned specifically to protect important disciples.

"But most guardian warriors have short lifespans. Their strongest years are usually the twenty or thirty years when their blood and vitality are at their peak. Once they pass fifty or sixty, their strength declines rapidly.

"That is why the cultivation world often says that cultivators are like rivers, while warriors are like grass and trees.

"Of course, some disciples, confident in their exceptional talent, also practice the Qi Refining Practitioner's methods alongside immortal cultivation. But they usually give up halfway.

"After all, when Immortal Cultivators break through a major realm, their lifespans increase directly. Later on, they barely have enough time to cultivate their own dharma power. Who could keep practicing qi refining alongside it for long?

"Of course, if you truly encounter a high-level Immortal Cultivator who still practices the qi refining tradition as well, I advise you to run as far as you can. Such people are often the prodigies of legend, beyond the reckoning of ordinary reason-true masters of both dharma power and the body."

As the blue-robed cultivator led the way, he leisurely explained the affairs of Qi Refining Practitioners to Wang Yu and Princess Tianhe behind him.

"So guardian warriors don't hold particularly high positions in immortal sects and cultivation lineages?" Wang Yu could not help asking.

"Generally speaking, that is indeed the case. No matter how talented a guardian warrior is in qi refining, their lifespan prevents them from competing with high-level cultivators. Of course, the rare guardian warriors who practice both paths or have some means of extending their lifespans are exceptions.

"Once they become high-level guardian warriors, their strength can, in certain respects, even surpass cultivators of the same rank. Even great Foundation Establishment cultivators and Golden Core ancestors will often treat them courteously and would not dare slight them lightly.

"But the decline of the ancient Qi Refining Practitioners was not without reason. First, entering the path is extremely difficult. It requires an innately strong body and abundant blood and vitality. Among any given number of ordinary people, the proportion who meet those requirements is not much higher than those with spiritual perception.

"Second, the further Qi Refining Practitioners advance, the more they must temper their bodies. The cultivation process could even be called bloody and brutal, so qi refining methods were once classified as demonic arts. High-level guardian warriors are far rarer even than Foundation Establishment cultivators or Golden Core ancestors of equivalent rank.

"Young friend Wang, if you are willing to heed a word of advice from this old man, abandon the Qi Refining Practitioner's methods early and concentrate on cultivating dharma power. Otherwise, when you have little lifespan left, as I do, you will regret having divided your attention too much in your youth. By then, it will be too late." After offering a few more explanations, Elder Hua replied with a somewhat forlorn expression.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Hua."

Moved by what he had heard, Wang Yu clasped his hands in thanks.

"Elder Hua, I've met genuine great Foundation Establishment cultivators, and I know they can live for two hundred years. But once someone reaches the Golden Core ancestor realm, can they truly live as long as six or seven hundred years?" Princess Tianhe had listened with rapt attention and could not help interjecting with a question.

"I cannot speak for others, but our sect's Violet Light Ancestor has indeed been alive for five hundred years. Thirty years ago, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse from afar during a grand sect ceremony. The ancestor still had the face of a middle-aged person and a full head of black hair." After a moment's hesitation, Elder Hua said something that greatly startled Wang Yu.

"What? Elder Hua, you're a sect disciple? And Golden Core ancestors can live for six or seven hundred years?" Wang Yu blurted out, finding it somewhat hard to believe.

If the first revelation had greatly surprised him, the length of the lifespan in the second truly shattered his imagination. If he really could live that long...

Wang Yu's heart stirred. A thought he had never entertained before suddenly rose in his mind, and he fell into contemplation.

"Did you not know, young friend Wang? Aside from the five hundred years of lifespan gained by advancing to the Golden Core realm, taking certain life-extending pills and spiritual treasures can add another hundred or two hundred years.

"Also, although my cultivation is not high, I am indeed an outer disciple of the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Compared with other sects, ours is relatively easy to join," Elder Hua replied with a smile.

"Yes, Fellow Daoist Wang. I came to Guangyuan Market this time precisely to join the Thousand Bamboo Sect.

"My uncle is an outer elder of the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Your abilities are impressive, Fellow Daoist. As long as your spirit root isn't too poor, I can ask my uncle to secure you a place so we can take the entrance test together. Perhaps we could support each other in the sect afterward." Princess Tianhe clapped her hands and gave Wang Yu a charming smile as she spoke.

"Well... I'm ashamed to say I don't know much about the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Besides, isn't Guangyuan Market backed by the Four Symbols Sect? Princess, why would you go to Guangyuan Market to join the Thousand Bamboo Sect?" Wang Yu finally came back to his senses and asked hesitantly.

"Hehe, the Thousand Bamboo Sect stands alongside the Four Symbols Sect. Its headquarters simply aren't here in Tongzhou, but in Jing Province, which also belongs to Great Ming Prefecture. Although the two provinces do not border each other, Guangyuan Market City has a spirit boat that goes directly to the Market City in Jing Province. That is why I escorted the princess to Guangyuan Market City first," Elder Hua explained.

"I see. To be frank with you both, I have only just condensed my spirit root and don't know whether it is good or bad. I came to Guangyuan Market to have it tested with a magical artifact. If my spirit root is reasonably good, I'll consider joining a sect. Otherwise, it would only be a waste of time." After thinking it over, Wang Yu did not reject the offer outright, instead giving this noncommittal reply.

"Very well. The princess and I will be staying in Guangyuan Market for a while. Young friend Wang, once you have tested your spirit root, if you wish to join our sect, you may come find us at any time. Elder Shi dotes on the princess. As long as she asks, he will certainly give you a chance. This would also count as the princess personally repaying you for saving her life." Elder Hua smiled, finally revealing the true intent behind his earlier remarks.

Wang Yu nodded silently and said nothing more.

At those words, however, the white-robed woman beside him glanced at Elder Hua, her expression turning rather unpleasant. She seemed to lose all interest in the conversation at once.

By then, the three had reached the end of the path and stood before an enormous, dark cliff face.

Without slowing his steps at all, the blue-robed elder led Wang Yu and Princess Tianhe straight into the towering cliff before them.

Poof!

The cliff suddenly turned into a haze of gray mist, which immediately dispersed completely. A plain appeared a short distance ahead, most of it covered in broad stretches of neatly arranged farmland, with a scattering of detached residences.

Farther away lay an enormous valley nestled against the mountains. Dense clusters of buildings could vaguely be seen at the valley entrance and on the mountain peaks behind it.

Wang Yu merely took a deep breath and immediately sensed that the spiritual energy here was nearly twice as concentrated as outside. Delighted, he continued following Elder Hua toward the valley.