Inside the small hut, Lu Zhiyun lit a candle, made sure the doors and windows were tightly shut, and after confirming several times that no one else was in the room, she finally took off the letter tied to the crow’s leg.
She was just about to open it when the crow suddenly woke up with a loud “caw caw caw”.
“Shh! Keep your voice down!”
Lu Zhiyun made a silencing gesture at the crow.
But the crow flapped its glossy black wings, pointed at its belly, and continued to squawk.
Lu Zhiyun understood—it was hungry.
So she fetched some flatbread from the cupboard.
Just as the crow opened its beak, Lu Zhiyun suddenly remembered something and quickly stopped it.
Under the crow’s puzzled gaze, Lu Zhiyun took out a silver needle and poked it into each flatbread.
Good! No poison!
The Evil Cultivator Senior Brother had told her that, on Qingluan Peak, it was best to test all food with a silver needle.
Lu Zhiyun kept this advice firmly in mind.
She was really getting the hang of the Evil Cultivator’s rules!
The crow tilted its head, its small eyes filled with great confusion.
What sort of upright sect has disciples whose first reaction before eating is to test for poison?
Only after the crow had eaten its fill did Lu Zhiyun finally open the envelope.
“Xiao Lu, how have you been lately? The matter I instructed you about isn’t urgent for now, but listen—half a year from now, a female disciple will enter Tianque Sect. Her cultivation speed will be astonishing; within half an hour she’ll draw Qi into her body…”
The letter wasn’t long, but it told Lu Zhiyun many key pieces of information.
She can draw Qi into her body within half an hour?!
What a genius!!!
From Wu Qinglong’s reaction, Lu Zhiyun had already figured out that drawing Qi in a single day was impressive, but she hadn’t imagined there were those who could do it even faster.
Truly, the heroes of this world are as numerous as the fish in the river!
Judging by the tone of the Grand Preceptor, she wanted Lu Zhiyun to pay attention to this Child of Heaven, protect her, and make sure she didn’t get discovered—or worse, killed—by the Evil Cultivators.
So she won’t show up for another half year?
Lu Zhiyun mused.
She recalled that Tianque Sect’s Ascension Conference was held only once every five years.
For this disciple to enter without attending the conference, could it be that some elder accepted her as a disciple outside of the usual process?
But if she’s such a gifted genius, to meet her and gain her trust, Lu Zhiyun would have to work hard at her own cultivation.
After all, the girl would only just be drawing Qi into her body by then, but Lu Zhiyun had been tasked with protecting her!
She absolutely had to become stronger!
Lu Zhiyun clenched her fist, determined to start working hard the next day!
***
The next morning, Lu Zhiyun went early to Tianque Sect’s main peak—Luoyun Peak.
Luoyun Peak was the grandest of Tianque Sect’s main peaks and also the domain governed by the sect master.
Today, Lu Zhiyun came with the intention of gathering some foundational cultivation knowledge from the Library Pavilion.
The Library Pavilion was located halfway up the southwestern slope of Luoyun Peak.
The huge building was like a hidden paradise among the wilds, surrounded by towering Thousand-year Spiritual Trees.
Serene, yet with an ancient and unadorned beauty!
That was Lu Zhiyun’s first impression.
The Library Pavilion was the most frequented place in Tianque Sect.
On her way, Lu Zhiyun saw many disciples from other main peaks.
Because the disciples from each peak wore Daoist Robes of different colors, and Lu Zhiyun’s Qingluan Peak had the second fewest members, her light red-gradient Daoist Robe stood out.
“What a pretty little junior sister. Why did she end up on Qingluan Peak?”
“You noticed she’s from Qingluan Peak? Then get moving! Master said, treasure your life and stay away from Qingluan Peak!”
“Ah? Then what about Shuiyun Peak?”
“Master said, food poisoning is still better than mental corruption!”
Along the way, Lu Zhiyun heard plenty of such discussions, but she didn’t mind.
Cultivation is cultivation of the heart, after all.
The storyteller had said: if your heart is unsteady, you’ll end up nothing more than a paper shell.
Lu Zhiyun had dared to join Qingluan Peak to investigate Evil Cultivators, so she’d been prepared!
Just wait! When the truth comes out, all the rumors will fall apart.
Unconsciously, Lu Zhiyun had already entered the Library Pavilion.
Inside, the Library Pavilion was even bigger than it looked from outside, as if a special formation had been used to expand the internal space.
Lu Zhiyun gazed at the shelves packed with books and was momentarily at a loss.
“Little girl, you’re new here, aren’t you?”
A steady voice came from behind.
Lu Zhiyun turned to see an elderly man standing behind her.
Although his hair was white, his face was ruddy, his Daoist Robe bulged with muscles, and he radiated spirit and vitality.
Is he a Confucian Cultivator or a Physical Cultivator?
Lu Zhiyun had heard that cultivation had many branches.
The most common were the decisive, all-conquering Sword Cultivators, but there were also Confucian Cultivators who fought with words, and the unbreakable Physical Cultivators…
But looking at this elder’s scholarly manner combined with his powerful build, she really couldn’t tell.
“Yes, disciple’s name is Lu Zhiyun, from Qingluan Peak!”
Lu Zhiyun replied.
“Qingluan Peak?”
The old man looked at her light red Daoist Robe and asked curiously, “Little girl, you’re so young—why did you kill someone?”
“Huh?”
This wasn’t the first time Lu Zhiyun had heard this reaction.
She knew by now it wasn’t that she looked like a murderer, but that Qingluan Peak had such a terrible reputation.
“I chose to go to Qingluan Peak myself!”
Lu Zhiyun answered.
“It’s because of Lin Shu, isn’t it?”
The old man chuckled.
He knew all too well how much a handsome face could attract young girls.
He himself had been like that in his youth.
“Let me introduce myself. I am Chen Xin, the Library Pavilion’s keeper. You can call me Elder Chen.”
“Alright, Elder Chen!”
Lu Zhiyun responded obediently.
Lu Zhiyun was new and had never heard of Chen Xin, but since he introduced himself as an elder, she was extra respectful.
“Little girl, I see you’ve just drawn Qi into your body. What do you want to read in the Library Pavilion today?”
Chen Xin asked.
“Elder Chen, I’d like to look at some beginner’s foundation techniques, if there are any suitable ones?”
According to Lin Shu, she could start by reading some basic techniques.
If she found one she liked, she could cultivate it further.
“Techniques depend on your Spiritual Roots. Little girl, what kind do you have?”
“Um, I have Three Spiritual Roots,” Lu Zhiyun answered, a little embarrassed.
Three Spiritual Roots would barely get someone into the outer sect of other top-tier sects; their cultivation speed was much slower than those with Dual or Single Spiritual Roots.
What’s more, Lu Zhiyun had only managed to upgrade to Three Spiritual Roots after taking a Green Wood Immortal Fruit.
She knew even among those with Three Spiritual Roots, she probably wasn’t as good as those who were born with them.
Hearing this, Chen Xin didn’t look down on her. Instead, he pondered seriously.
“Three Spiritual Roots, eh! I know just the thing for you!”
Before Lu Zhiyun could ask, Chen Xin disappeared in a flash.
Half a cup of tea later, he returned, holding a book.
Lu Zhiyun’s eyes went to the cover, where eight large characters read—Sanqing Yiqi Jue Upgraded Edition.
“What is this?”
Lu Zhiyun asked curiously.
“Hehe, this is one of Tianque Sect’s foundational techniques.”
Chen Xin stroked his beard and smiled.
A foundational technique!
Lu Zhiyun’s eyes lit up—she knew just how important that was.
This was a technique passed down since Tianque Sect’s founding, its power went without saying.
“Little girl, don’t get too excited yet. Let me ask: do you think Three Spiritual Roots means your talent is terrible and you can never become immortal?”
Chen Xin asked.
Lu Zhiyun nodded.
That was common knowledge in the cultivation world—the fewer the roots, the better.
“Actually, that’s not true. Each type of Spiritual Root has its own unique path. Our Tianque Sect’s Founding Daoist realized this and created this technique. That’s one of the big reasons our sect has become so great.”
“To be honest, it really works. For example, several elders in Tianque Sect now have either Three Spiritual Roots or Dual Spiritual Roots. This technique is aimed at cultivators like you!”
“In fact, there aren’t so many peerless geniuses in the cultivation world. Most people have average roots and average talent.”
Lu Zhiyun was moved—she herself was ordinary, had never met many geniuses, or perhaps, with her strength, she couldn’t meet them even if she wanted to.
But she was more curious about one thing.
If this was the foundational technique of Tianque Sect, why had the sect only become top-tier in recent years, after so many thousands of years?
Chen Xin noticed her confusion and pointed at the words “Upgraded Edition” on the cover.
“This technique, before it was improved, was extremely hard to practice and had little effect below the Nascent Soul Stage. At the same stage, its power was weaker than other techniques.”
“But ten years ago, after it was upgraded, the technique was refined and simplified. Now it can split and use multiple roots, even merge them in battle for surprise effects.”
At this point, Chen Xin deliberately paused.
“You could say it’s a Heaven-grade Technique.”
Lu Zhiyun trembled with excitement.
She had a strong feeling—this was the technique she was meant to choose.
Such an immensely powerful technique, one that boosted cultivation efficiency to the maximum, was the real key to defeating Evil Cultivators!
“Then, I want to learn this technique!”
Lu Zhiyun reached out.
But Chen Xin only shook his head, leaving Lu Zhiyun confused.
Was he saying she wasn’t qualified to borrow this technique yet?
“I know you want to learn it, but there’s no need to borrow the book.”
What did he mean?
How could she cultivate without reading it?
Chen Xin smiled mysteriously and handed her the book.
“Why don’t you look at the second page?”
Lu Zhiyun took Sanqing Yiqi Jue Upgraded Edition and turned to the second page, where she saw three lines:
“Creator: Founding Daoist of Tianque Sect.”
“Upgraded Edition Editor: Qingluan Peak Lin Shu, Tianque Sect”
“Note: This technique is suitable for all cultivators with multiple Spiritual Roots. If you have questions, you can visit Qingluan Peak for answers—but please pay a consultation fee!”
Seeing Lu Zhiyun freeze, Chen Xin burst out laughing.
“Little girl, the living technique is right there on your Qingluan Peak. Do you still think you need to borrow this book?”