Within the Wenshen Sect.
Outside Sect Master Xu Guan's room, the disciples crept about on tiptoe, afraid that they might disturb their master as he inscribed cultivation manuals and delay the sect's grand plan for rising to prominence.
The six disciples quickly realized who would become the sect's future backbone, and they began scrambling to show off in front of Shu Xin, their newly appointed Grand Senior Sister.
Some volunteered to clean for Shu Xin. Others wanted to massage her shoulders. Still others were eager to learn on the spot how to flatter their Grand Senior Sister. They were practically fighting to take every menial task off her hands.
A Grand Senior Sister who was practically a walking treasure had to be properly looked after. As long as she could focus on her cultivation, they, her junior brothers and sisters, would handle everything else.
The disciples of the Wenshen Sect were simple and inexperienced, which made them exceptionally easy to win over.
Hadn't even their own master surrendered almost immediately, calling her “my excellent disciple” at every opportunity?
At that very moment, Shu Xin—the Grand Senior Sister on whom the entire Wenshen Sect had pinned its hopes—was in Xu Guan's room, inspecting the jade slips that were about to be given away as gifts.
“Disciple, take a good look. These are the jade slips containing the cultivation manuals I inscribed after working through the night,” Xu Guan said.
This was his first time doing something like this, but the moment he thought about how distributing these cultivation manuals would allow Qin Rushan, that treacherous disciple who had betrayed his master, to receive the punishment he deserved, he simply could not stop.
Surely, when he eventually went to face his ancestors, the founding masters would praise him for what he had done.
Thus, after hearing Shu Xin's idea, Xu Guan had spent the entire night making these jade slips instead of cultivating in earnest.
By his rough estimate, there were enough to give away more than a hundred times.
Shu Xin casually picked up one jade slip and examined it before setting it down. Then she picked up another, and her brows slowly drew together.
Seeing her expression, Xu Guan began to feel a little uneasy as well. “Disciple, did I divide the cultivation manuals into pieces that were too small for you to understand?”
There were three cultivation manuals Qin Rushan had stolen, and all three led directly to the Mahayana stage. As for cultivation manuals beyond the Mahayana stage—the methods of the Earthly Immortals—even the Wenshen Sect possessed only one, and only the sect master was permitted to learn it.
If Shu Xin continued to identify herself as a disciple of the Wenshen Sect in the future, Xu Guan had already decided that he would break with the sect's ancestral rules and teach her this supreme cultivation method of the Wenshen Sect.
Shu Xin naturally had no interest in coveting the Wenshen Sect's cultivation methods. She cultivated the supreme technique taught to her by the Sword Spirit, so there was no need for her to learn another.
“Master, there are three problems,” Shu Xin said seriously.
Xu Guan's expression shifted slightly. He had not expected the jade slips he had painstakingly produced overnight to have three shortcomings. Curious, he asked, “What are they?”
“First, you haven't divided the techniques in these jade slips into enough pieces,” Shu Xin said solemnly. “A cultivation manual that leads directly to the Mahayana stage, and you divided it into only thirty-some parts? You should at least double or triple that number. For each manual, you need to find a way to divide it into at least a hundred jade slips.”
“But these cultivation methods are concise and to the point. If I split them into pieces that are too fragmented, I'm afraid it will be impossible to see what makes them extraordinary,” Xu Guan replied.
“Master, have you thoroughly mastered and integrated all three of these cultivation manuals?” Shu Xin countered.
“That goes without saying.” Xu Guan nodded. As the sect master, he naturally had to know his sect’s cultivation techniques by heart. Besides, if Xu Guan’s aptitude had been even slightly worse, how could he have gotten the previous sect master to sell everything he owned to support his cultivation?
“Then, Master, please pad out the text a little. Take these concise cultivation techniques and add some irrelevant material to them, emphasizing their extraordinary qualities as much as possible. That way, they’ll look more substantial,” Shu Xin said with a smile. “Also, the contents of these cultivation-technique jade slips can’t all be fragmented. Some jade slips can contain an entire, complete chapter, while others can have only a few lines. The main thing is to keep it random.”
The blind-box gimmick could only remain effective because of the uncertainty.
The cultivation-technique jade slips needed to include both rare editions and common, mass-produced ones. Only then would the other sects stay hooked and keep inviting the Asking Deity Sect to their banquets, one after another.
“If we record too many jade slips for these techniques—and there are three techniques in total—won’t they be too difficult to collect?” Xu Guan’s concern was that if the techniques proved too difficult to assemble, Qin Rushan might escape his predicament after all.
“Master, you’re underestimating the sects’ hunger for these techniques.” Shu Xin chuckled. “You’ve never been a rogue cultivator, have you? Trust me, to the sects, these techniques are absolutely priceless treasures. And as the saying goes, rarity makes a thing valuable. The harder the techniques are to collect, the more convinced they’ll be that they’re genuine.”
Human nature was cheap. People tended not to cherish things that were easy to obtain; only treasures acquired after overcoming tremendous hardship were truly regarded as precious.
Besides, cultivation techniques that could lead one all the way to the Mahayana stage were unquestionably treasures countless cultivators in this world dreamed of obtaining. Otherwise, why would Qin Rushan have used them to gain entry to the Longevity Dao Sect, and even persuaded the Longevity Dao Sect to protect someone who had betrayed and murdered his own master?
In a world where even ordinary cultivation resources were monopolized by the major sects, an average second- or third-rate sect could consider itself fortunate to possess a single cultivation technique that reached the Immaculate Realm.
One had to understand that creating and writing a cultivation technique required a cultivator to have reached a certain realm and possess exceptional creativity, allowing them to view the subject from a higher level. Countless experiments were also necessary before a complete technique could be produced.
And that raised the question.
A cultivation technique capable of leading someone to the Mahayana stage would, at the very least, have to be written by a cultivator who had already reached the Mahayana stage.
The problem was that the current cultivation world had produced hardly any Mahayana cultivators at all. Even when one occasionally appeared, they were unlikely to possess the ability to create a cultivation technique. As a result, everyone could only rely on techniques passed down from ancient times.
Yet techniques handed down through the ages could be scattered or altered. Consequently, even fewer people were able to become Mahayana cultivators by following them.
It was a vicious cycle, and the situation could only grow worse.
These days, a single Mahayana-level cultivation technique could serve as the treasure that anchored an entire sect. Three of them, in comparison, were simply unimaginable.
“Master, you don’t need to worry that we won’t be able to give these cultivation-technique jade slips away. The sects that want the techniques will come up with the excuses to invite you to their banquets. All you need to do is prepare to be a guest and accept their gifts.” Shu Xin smiled brightly. “The more cultivation-technique jade slips we have, the more sustainably we can keep recouping gifts.”
Xu Guan nodded repeatedly, deeply convinced that Shu Xin had made a good point. “Disciple, wasn’t there one more problem?”
“Mm. The second problem is that the jade slips Master uses are of far too high a quality.” Shu Xin spoke with solemnity. “That won’t do. We have to use the lowest-quality jade slips to record the techniques.”
“If we make them any worse, they’ll break too easily,” Xu Guan replied.
“That’s exactly what we want.” Shu Xin widened her eyes, looking both innocent and pure. “Ideally, a jade slip should break after being read only a few times. That way, when they receive duplicate jade slips containing the same technique, they’ll be careful to preserve them instead of taking them out to trade.”
In other words, it was an anti-piracy mechanism.
Other sects surely had clever people among them. Once they discovered these jade slips containing cultivation techniques, they might exchange them among themselves, trading duplicate techniques and achieving a mutually beneficial outcome.
That absolutely could not be allowed!
They had to guard against such a thing and prevent the techniques from being intercepted by others.
After hearing Shu Xin’s analysis, Xu Guan was thoroughly impressed. He realized that his own thinking had indeed been far too shallow. He had never imagined there could be such a method of prevention.
“And what about the last problem?” Xu Guan genuinely could not think of any other flaws. He had thought they had already considered everything quite thoroughly.
“Obviously, you need a disclaimer.” Shu Xin burst out laughing. “Master, you must leave a sentence at the end of every jade slip. Say that these are insights you wrote based on the techniques within the sect, and that any resemblance is purely coincidental.”
Xu Guan froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh and roared with laughter.
“With a disciple like this, our Wenshen Sect is truly blessed!”
【With a disciple like you, the sect’s traditions are truly doomed.】
The Sword Spirit had already seen through the future of the Wenshen Sect.
There was no chance it would ever become a respectable sect again.
———————————————
The Blazing Flame Sect had recently been celebrating.
One of the sect’s core disciples was to become Dao companions with a disciple from the Qingyun Sect. The two sects had also decided to use this opportunity to discuss cooperation and establish closer ties, so they sent out invitations far and wide.
Naturally, they had also sent invitations to top-tier sects such as the Longevity Dao Sect and the Carefree Dao Sect. However, those sects looked down on second-rate sects like theirs and usually did not respond. At most, they might send a Grotto-Heaven True Person to offer congratulations, which would already be considered an enormous honor.
As for the Wenshen Sect, although it had fallen into decline, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Moreover, its sect master, Xu Guan, was a cultivator in the Immaculate Realm. They would rather observe the proper formalities than offend him. Since the Wenshen Sect was also located next to the Longevity Dao Sect, sending an invitation along the way cost them little effort.
In any case, the Wenshen Sect had almost no contact with other sects, and there was no guarantee that anyone from the sect would actually attend such a banquet.
What the Blazing Flame Sect had not expected was that the invitation they had sent merely as a courtesy would actually bring someone from the Wenshen Sect.
And the person who came was none other than their sect master, Xu Guan, who had brought three or four disciples with him.
“Master, I heard Senior Sister say that the disciple from the Blazing Flame Sect who is getting married this time is not even forty years old. She only just succeeded in breaking through the Dao Gate. But the Qingyun Sect Patriarch who is becoming her Dao companion is already a full four hundred years old.” Li Qinghe was a female disciple, after all, and felt rather uncomfortable when she heard Senior Sister describing the details of this alliance.
That Qingyun Sect Patriarch was so old that calling him her ancestor would still seem disrespectful.
Besides, they were already four-hundred-year-old Grotto-Heaven Adepts, which proved they were no longer young. Instead of focusing on breaking through properly at such an age, they had come to marry such a young female disciple. If that wasn't shameless old age taking advantage of youth, what was?
“Junior Sister, keep your voice down.” Yi Renjie, Xu Guan's eldest disciple before this and now his second disciple by seniority, hurriedly urged her to lower her voice. “It's something they've agreed to themselves. Don't go around gossiping about it.”
“Junior Sister, you really don't know the cost of firewood and rice when you aren't the one running the household.” Yuan Dawei spoke coolly from the side. “Do you think cultivation only requires hard work these days? It requires spirit stones. Our master is already a cultivator of the Wugou Realm, yet supporting the six of us Core Formation cultivators is a strain. Yi Senior Brother still hasn't gathered enough resources to break through to the Dao Infant Realm.
“Although the Blazing Flame Sect is a fairly large sect, it has many disciples as well. Once a disciple succeeds in questioning the Dao and passes through the Dao Gate, only the innermost circle of people can receive the sect's resources. Everyone else has to find their own way to obtain what they need. The Qingyun Sect Patriarch may be rather old, but once his lifespan runs out and he dies—or something goes wrong while he is in seclusion—his Dao companion only needs to hand half the resources over to the sect. The other half can be kept for themselves.”
To countless cultivators troubled by a lack of resources, this was practically a path to heaven—an opportunity people would fight tooth and nail to obtain.
After all, becoming a Dao companion only required selling oneself. And cultivators were usually good-looking besides; if the other party's cultivation was high enough, one could even gain a teacher for free.
But making one's way in the outside world meant not only risking death at the hands of pursuers, but also the possibility of being captured by demonic cultivators and refined into a tool for their cultivation. That was a fate worse than death.
Li Qinghe was merely one of the few who felt sorry for the female disciple in this situation. Heaven only knew how many people outside would have given anything to take her place.
In particular, there were many handsome male cultivators who specialized in showering young, inexperienced female cultivators with good backgrounds with attention and favors. Among the daughters of prominent clans whose cultivation was strong enough that they did not need to marry for an alliance, those with enough male pets could practically establish their own sects!
“Huh?” Li Qinghe blinked. “So doesn't that mean these Dao companions are marrying entirely in the hope that the other person will die sooner?”
“That is exactly what it is. One covets youth and beauty, while the other covets cultivation resources. They each get what they need.” Yuan Dawei shrugged. “And don't underestimate how fiercely people compete for such an opportunity. A Grotto-Heaven Adept has abundant resources, not much lifespan left, and comes from a prestigious orthodox sect. That makes them the perfect Dao companion.”
Of course, it would be even better if the other party were sensible enough to die early.
Li Qinghe was utterly astonished.
“I never expected Sect Master Xu of the Inquiring Gods Sect to grace us with his presence. Please forgive us for not welcoming you sooner.”
The Blazing Flame Sect Master had personally brought his disciples out to receive Xu Guan.
There was no helping it. Even if the Inquiring Gods Sect had fallen into decline, the visitor was still the sect master of an established sect. On such an auspicious day, the Blazing Flame Sect Master had no choice but to come out personally.
He, too, was a cultivator of the Wugou Realm, and his cultivation was on par with Xu Guan's. However, he was far older than Xu Guan. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that, as long as Xu Guan survived the suppression of the Immortal Dao Sect, he would soar to prominence. Who would choose this moment to offend him?
Still, the Blazing Flame Sect Master was uneasy. He had no idea what this Master Xu wanted by visiting them without warning.
After all, the Blazing Flame Sect and the Inquiring Gods Sect had never been particularly close.
“We merely brought our disciples along to broaden their horizons.” In front of outsiders, Xu Guan resumed his aloof, cool demeanor, radiating the distant air that perfectly matched everyone’s stereotype of a young sect master obsessed with cultivation.
Remembering their senior sister’s instructions, Yi Renjie, Yuan Dawei, and Li Qinghe immediately clasped their hands in salute and spoke in perfect unison.
“Greetings, Sect Master. May you enjoy health and longevity, attain the Great Dao at the earliest opportunity, prosper eternally upon the immortal path, and live as long as heaven and earth...”
A whole string of auspicious compliments poured from the three of them at once.
Without so much as pausing for breath.
After all, they had practiced this at home.
Xu Guan gave a slight nod. It seemed this kind of training really was necessary.
“Hahaha, you’re too kind, too kind.” The Blazing Flame Sect Master was thoroughly pleased. Who didn’t enjoy hearing flattering words?
Xu Guan, however, did not respond. Instead, he stared directly at the disciples standing behind the Blazing Flame Sect Master.
“Oh, look at me—I was so excited to see Fellow Daoist Xu that I forgot myself. Why haven’t you greeted him yet? With Fellow Daoist Xu’s abilities, you’re fortunate just to be able to meet him.” The Blazing Flame Sect Master shot his disciples a glare.
The disciples of the Blazing Flame Sect had no choice but to steel themselves and offer Xu Guan a few compliments as well. But unlike Yi Renjie and the others, they had not received any special training, so their words came out in a disorganized jumble—one speaking after another, making the contrast rather painful.
“As this is our first meeting, I did not prepare anything particularly special.” Knowing that the important part was coming next, Xu Guan immediately put on an air of lofty indifference and lifted his chin slightly. “Renjie, bring out the meeting gifts your master prepared for the Blazing Flame Sect’s disciples.”
“Yes, Master.” Yi Renjie was both respectful and obedient as he carefully took out several small boxes. The boxes were exquisitely crafted—deliberately chosen as the most expensive ones available—and inside them were naturally Xu Guan’s cultivation-method jade slips.
The Blazing Flame Sect disciples looked toward their sect master.
“Since these are gifts prepared by Fellow Daoist Xu, why are you still standing there? Hurry and accept them,” the Blazing Flame Sect Master said at once.
“Thank you, Sect Master Xu.” The disciples promptly accepted their respective boxes. They were curious about what was inside, but it would not have been appropriate to open them in front of their guests.
“They are merely some notes on cultivation,” Xu Guan said, as if it were of no consequence. “If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask your respective elders.”
“Fellow Daoist Xu is immensely knowledgeable, and his cultivation advances by leaps and bounds. He far surpasses the rest of us of the same generation. His insights into cultivation must naturally be exceptionally profound.” The Blazing Flame Sect Master smiled. “I did not prepare anything particularly special either—only a small token of my regard, as meeting gifts for these young ones.”
Things had reached this point: Xu Guan had taken the initiative to offer gifts, so the Blazing Flame Sect Master could hardly allow himself to lose face. He could only take out some fairly valuable resources from his storage artifact and present them to Xu Guan’s disciples.
Yi Renjie and the others each received several bottles of pills, along with magical artifacts, talismans, spirit stones, and more.
By a rough estimate, each of their meeting gifts was worth at least a thousand spirit stones.
That was truly generous.
Yuan Dawei and the others sighed inwardly. They were both sect masters—so how was the other one this rich?
Seeing that all his disciples had received their gifts, Xu Guan gave a slight nod. At the Blazing Flame Sect Master’s warm invitation, he led his disciples through a splendid banquet, then happily departed with the Blazing Flame Sect’s return gifts in tow.
The Blazing Flame Sect Master had been worried that Xu Guan had come to ask for something—perhaps an alliance against the Longevity Dao Sect. He had even prepared the words with which to refuse. Yet Xu Guan had said nothing at all. From beginning to end, he had remained quiet, as though he had truly only brought his disciples out to broaden their horizons.
Surely he had not come merely for a few return gifts?
“Sect Master, these are the cultivation technique jade slips that Sect Master Xu Guan gave us. We opened them and looked through them, but our knowledge is too shallow—we cannot understand what is written inside. We beg you to take a look.”
After the banquet, the disciples who had received cultivation technique jade slips from Xu Guan opened their boxes. Having read the slips and understood absolutely nothing, they could only come together to seek out their sect master.
The Blazing Flame Sect Master accepted the jade slips and swept them with his divine sense.
At first, he examined the techniques rather absentmindedly. But after going through all the jade slips presented by the other disciples, his expression changed dramatically.
He rose to his feet in agitation and paced back and forth. Worried that he had not examined them thoroughly enough, he immediately ordered, “Pass on my command: summon the elders at once for a discussion. Quickly!”
The disciples exchanged bewildered looks, but none dared delay. They hurriedly took their leave and went to notify the elders.
The Blazing Flame Sect Master could neither sit nor stand still. He looked again at the cultivation technique jade slips, his heart filled with shock.
If he had not mistaken them, Xu Guan had truly given them an extraordinary gift.
But what exactly did it mean?
He had not said a single word, and then simply left?
When the elders of the Blazing Flame Sect hurried over in a panic, the sect master ordered all the disciples out and set up an array to prevent anyone from spying. Only then did he hand the cultivation technique jade slips to the elders for examination.
After a long while—
The elders’ expressions grew solemn as well.
“Though these techniques are incomplete, and these jade slips contain only fragments, the methods themselves are profound beyond measure and point directly toward the origins of the Great Dao. At the very least, they are techniques capable of cultivation up to the Mahayana realm!”
“No wonder those disciples could not understand them. The phrase ‘Primordial Spirit Unification’ mentioned in several of these jade slips is something one must pay attention to only when attempting to break through to the Flawless Realm. How could they possibly comprehend it?”
“What a pity. Why do these techniques contain only these records?”
The elders repeatedly studied the cultivation technique jade slips, discussing them among themselves. They concluded that these were undoubtedly fragments of some supreme cultivation art.
“The question is, what does Xu Guan mean by giving us these?” the Blazing Flame Sect Master asked suspiciously. “Even incomplete fragments like these are immensely valuable, yet he said nothing at all. Could he have tampered with the techniques?”
“That is impossible. Though incomplete, these techniques clearly contain no problems.”
“Even if he had tampered with them, at most it would harm the first person to cultivate them. Why would he go to such trouble for so little gain?”
“But these techniques are far too incomplete. It would be utterly impossible to derive the complete original from them.”
“Master, this matter is of great importance. It would be wiser to stay our hand for now. Why don’t we wait and see what the Seeking God Sect is really trying to do?”
The Blazing Flame Sect Master found the elders’ words reasonable as well.
If he chased after Xu Guan and questioned him over that incomplete cultivation manual, he might just be falling into the other party’s trap.
It was better to wait and see what Xu Guan intended to do.
“Why is this cultivation jade slip cracked?” one of the elders exclaimed.
“Mine is cracked too.”
“Hiss... These cultivation jade slips begin to crumble after being viewed with divine sense no more than five times. Xu Guan clearly used these cheap jade slips to prevent anyone from making copies. What meticulous planning!”
“Master, the Seeking God Sect has shown us kindness without reason. There must be some ulterior motive. We have to be on our guard.”
The Blazing Flame Sect Master also found the matter suspicious. He simply ordered his men to gather news of Xu Guan and his party and report back as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Blazing Flame Sect, Xu Guan and his party merely took stock of the gifts they had received.
“The gifts each of you received are worth roughly three thousand spirit stones in total. Adding the return gifts from the Blazing Flame Sect, that’s another two or three thousand spirit stones.” Xu Guan made a rough calculation. “The few boxes are a little more expensive, worth ten spirit stones each. The cultivation jade slips cost three spirit stones for a set of three. Including some of our travel expenses, this trip has about made up for what I used to earn from going out on a mission.”
“Master, why don’t we find somewhere to sell these pills? We won’t be able to use so many of them.”
“That’s right, Master. I’ll hand over the spirit stones from the sale to the sect. Master, you really are good to us.” Li Qinghe had become keenly aware of how good their own sect was. At the very least, although the Seeking God Sect was poor, it would never sell out its disciples like this.
“Don’t rush. Ask your Eldest Senior Sister later whether she has a way to sell them. If you sell these things recklessly, you could easily be discovered.” Xu Guan did not mind taking the opportunity to teach his disciples some “common sense.” “Look at the markings of the Blazing Flame Sect on these pill bottles. If these pills circulate outside without any precautions, they will inevitably attract the Blazing Flame Sect’s attention. So, if you ever obtain a storage bag from another sect, make sure to erase all identifying marks from the resources inside before looking for a suitable way to sell them. It is better to accept a slightly lower price than to invite trouble upon yourselves. Understood?”
“Yes, Master.”
“When the spirit stones are sold, keep half of them for yourselves.” Xu Guan smiled, his tone relaxed. “It may still be early, but to break through to the Dao Infant Realm, you’ll need enough spirit stones to support at least ten years of seclusion, along with some pills for replenishment. If you run out of spirit stones halfway through your retreat, you’ll have to make up the shortfall with your own spiritual energy essence. Even if you manage to become Dao Infant cultivators that way, you’ll be cutting off your future prospects and exhausting your potential. Never do such a thing unless absolutely necessary.”
The disciples immediately nodded in agreement.
“Come on. I still have invitations from three other sects. We’ll pay them all a visit.” Xu Guan was brimming with enthusiasm.
“Great!”
The disciples were overjoyed.
At last, they were beginning to enjoy the good life with their master.
All they had to do was eat and drink, and they could receive a huge amount of spirit stones and cultivation resources—such a wonderful prospect was beyond their wildest dreams.
All thanks to Senior Sister!
