I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 104: 104 The True Scripture of the Five Spirits

Zhou Yi became a disciple of the Dan Ding Sect with only two goals in mind.

Spiritual Energy, inheritance.

As for the rest, if he could avoid them, he would; he aimed to draw little attention and be an inconspicuous member of the sect.

It wasn't unusual for disciples to be received without being assigned a mentor; over half of the sect's Foundation Establishment true people had not taken a real master.

There were many reasons for this, with most solely dedicated to diligent cultivation, unwilling to get involved in the sect's tangled power dynamics. Others were confident of their future ability to Solidify Pill, and some had secrets they couldn't allow others to see.

"Uncle Master Zhu, here are two Identity Tokens. Please infuse a stream of mana into each of them."

The Dan Ding Sect had three types of disciple tokens — gold, silver, and copper corresponding to true disciple, formal disciple, and nominal disciple, respectively. The formations and prohibitions inside varied, and so did the access privileges they granted.

Zhou Yi took the tokens and transferred his mana into them, sensing the complex prohibitions within.

Once the mana and prohibitions merged, if an outsider found or stole the token, they would not be able to use it to open the Dan Ding Sect entrance or access the deeds recorded within due to the mismatch of mana signatures.

——Zhu Gang, from Qingguo Tanzhou.

After Zhou Yi obtained his Identity Token, the other one was sealed by the sect. Accompanied by Xuan Yun, he headed to the second floor to receive his cave dwelling.

"Senior brother, the sect's cave dwellings don't require Spirit Stones, do they?"

The experience of tending to fields on Little Dan Mountain was still fresh in his mind; busy from the beginning to the end of the year, only to realize that the harvest was equivalent to working for nothing.

"Junior brother must be joking. Those are sold to outsiders; why would we charge sect disciples Spirit Stones?"

Xuan Yun's tone shifted: "However, once every ten years, you need to complete an External Affairs task. It's not excruciating unpaid labor; based on the difficulty, you'll be rewarded with merit points."

"What kind of tasks are usually assigned?"

Zhou Yi had a feeling in his heart, guessing that in Yunzhou, where the Dan Ding Sect ran things as tight as a drum, beyond the Spirit Veins, there were only a sparse handful of Foundation Establishment practitioners. Tasks deemed External Affairs would most likely relate to the demonic path.

"To the north of the sect lies the Jizhou Heavenly Demon Sect, to the west, the Qiongzhou Ghost King Sect, and to the south, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Add in the Eastern Sea demon race, and one could say it's a battleground on four fronts!"

Xuan Yun gravely stated, "The evil demons and outsiders harbor undying intentions to annihilate our sect. We disciples must slay demons and eradicate evil!"

"That is indeed our duty."

Zhou Yi outwardly supported this sentiment with grace, all the while calculating how to safely get through these demon-slaying External Affairs.

Engaging in spell battles and killings was out of the question. If pushed to the extreme, he'd hide among mortals, discard his cultivation and start anew, cultivate another Cultivation Technique to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and re-enter the Dan Ding Sect. It was regrettable that the Transforming Shape Formula only altered his external aura.

If the Guiyuan Technique had changed the essence of his mana, he could have avoided much trouble.

The disciple in charge of distributing cave dwellings on the second floor respectfully took out a map of the Dan Ding Sect.

The territory was narrow from east to west; the Divine Fire Peak mountain range bisected it into a northern and a southern half. The sunny side had large areas and numerous cave dwellings, while the shady side was the opposite.

Zhou Yi didn't choose anything out of the ordinary and picked an unoccupied cave dwelling on the southern side, more than four hundred li from Divine Fire Peak.

The cave dwelling was located at the top of Little Spring Mountain, so named because of a spiritual spring halfway up the mountain. Due to its secluded location, the four cave dwellings developed there were all vacant, equivalent to Zhou Yi having a small hill to himself.

"Next, we'll go to the third floor to exchange for an introductory Cultivation Technique."

Xuan Yun reminded him, "Junior Brother Zhu, be sure to choose carefully, as only the first part of the introductory technique is free to claim. Should you wish to practice another lineage in the future, it will require the expenditure of merit points to exchange."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly, his mind already set on his exchange target.

Having cultivated in the marketplace for over a hundred years, he had inquired about Foundation Establishment stage Cultivation Techniques. Either the prices were outrageously high, or the quality of the technique was poor, with the slightly better ones being family heirlooms never to be sold.

Thus, the free introductory exchange could only be for a Foundation Establishment stage Cultivation Technique.

On the third floor, three Foundation Establishment true people were responsible for reception, introduced one by one by Xuan Yun, overseeing merit point exchange, sect tasks, and demon eradication External Affairs, respectively.

Zhou Yi's gaze became sharp; these three held modest positions but wielded significant influence.

The merit point exchange seemingly was but a straightforward catalog management, yet undoubtedly they were fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Cultivation techniques and secret arts. A casual tip from them could be immensely beneficial.

Sect tasks varied in nature, and without being in the inner circle, one wouldn't be informed of which tasks were pits or perks. The latter required tackling spell battles and contentions, and knowing of an easy External Affair task in advance could save one from taking a risk.

Xuan Yun also understood this matter and greeted each with a smile. Zhou Yi also noted the three people's Taoist names.

Xuan Yi, Li Mu, Xiao Yuan.

The one responsible for merit exchange was Xuan Yi, white-haired and with a deathly pale face, looking as if his lifespan was not much longer.

Xuan Kong said, "Brother Xuan Yi, this is Junior Brother Zhu, who has just entered the sect and has come to exchange for his first cultivation technique."

Zhou Yi hurriedly followed with a bow, "I've met Brother Xuan Yi."

Xuan Yi didn't respond but casually took out a jade slip, "Look for yourself."

Zhou Yi's divine sense swept over it and saw that in the jade slip were cultivation techniques and secret arts, with each name followed by a brief introduction.

"Heavenly Wood Jue, Azure Flame Xuan Gong, Entangling Heart Technique, Violent Thunder Curse..."

There were about a hundred varieties, not counting those that weren't cultivation techniques, leaving over thirty choices. Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and made his decision.

"Brother Xuan Yi, I choose the Five Spirits True Scripture."

Among the various cultivation techniques, it was the only one that encompassed all five elements, and upon completion, it came with a spell of the Five Elements Escape, claiming that within the five elements, nothing could not be escaped. At the same time, because it encompassed all five elements, it slightly increased the probability of condensing the Golden Core.

Xuan Yi took out an exchange token and infused a few spells into it.

"Take this token to the Technique Hall to collect it."

Having said that, he closed his eyes slightly, looking drowsy.

Zhou Yi bowed in thanks and left the External Affairs Hall with Xuan Yun.

Xuan Yun transmitted his voice, "These three individuals all have impressive backgrounds. Be respectful in the future. Brother Xuan Yi may seem difficult to speak with, but he is actually the fairest person."

"Thank you for the guidance, Brother."

Zhou Yi asked with some confusion, "Brother Xuan Yi looks somewhat..."

"His Core Solidification failed, barely preserving his life. His mana can no longer advance by an inch, and all he can do is watch as his lifespan depletes."

Xuan Yun sighed, "Even with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, it is like this. For people like us with such talents, when it comes to Core Formation in the future, it is very likely that we will die under the minor forty-nine tribulations."

"The path of immortality is hard-fought; that's all we can do!"

Zhou Yi's brows slightly furrowed. Even in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he should start considering the difficulty of Core Formation earlier.

The difficulty of Core Formation is ten times harder than Foundation Establishment, and it's not like Foundation Establishment where you can attempt multiple times. Essentially, if you fail in a breakthrough attempt, if you're lucky to survive the heavenly tribulations, the path forward is still severed.

"Junior Brother Zhu has emerged from countless loose cultivators, with a determination of the Dao heart far surpassing that of sect disciples!"

Xuan Yun exclaimed in admiration and said, "Once Junior Brother has obtained the cultivation technique, you can go to your cave dwelling to cultivate. Remember to come to the External Affairs Hall within a month to receive a sect mission. After that, it's all about hard cultivation."

Zhou Yi nodded, "Thank you for the introduction, Brother. I will repay this kindness in the future."

"I am also doing it for merits. I've been coveting a secret art for a long time, hoping to exchange for it a few years earlier."

Xuan Yun bowed, "I have many things to attend to in the marketplace, so I'll take my leave. We'll have an opportunity to discuss the profound Dao in the future."

Having said that, he transformed into a streak of light and departed.

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly; he hadn't even left behind a messaging jade talisman, clearly not trusting in his background.

To the innate disciples of the sect, loose cultivators in the outside world are like rabid dogs, fighting to the death over a few Spirit Stones, committing murder and plundering treasures for mere pills, completely unreasonable.

Little do they know that it is these very bottom-tier loose cultivators who support their quiet cultivation.

"Forget it. Being scorned like a dog isn't too bad; it saves me a lot of trouble."

Zhou Yi mocked himself, collected the Five Spirits True Scripture from the Technique Hall, and transformed into a streak of light flying towards Little Spring Mountain.