"Let's go, Junior Sister." Lin Qingfeng led her toward the place in the sect where the Spiritual Qi was most abundant.
It was an area built upon the sect's largest Spirit Vein Node.
And upon it stood a cluster of abodes.
As the two drew closer, everything before them became clearer.
Dozens of independent abodes stood quietly in an orderly arrangement. They looked somewhat like the ones inhabited by the disciples outside her thatched cottage, yet they were different.
The Spiritual Qi here was much denser, but she could sense it was all locked within the abodes, with not a single trace leaking out.
"Junior Sister, look."
Lin Qingfeng explained,
"These are cultivation abodes our sect has prepared for disciples willing to spend Spirit Stones and contribute to the sect. They're also known as 'Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands'."
"They are situated on the sect's largest Spirit Vein Node and are inscribed with the Circulation Gathering Spirit Array."
"A single day of cultivation here is equivalent to ten days in the outside world. It can greatly accelerate the gathering of Spiritual Power and solidify one's Dao Foundation. It's the sacred cultivation ground that all disciples dream of!"
"Of course, the cost is also quite high."
"But even with your aptitude, Junior Sister, as long as you're willing to spend Spirit Stones and contribute to the sect, you can cultivate here too."
'Contributions, Spirit Stones... This is all very normal.'
This explanation, which perfectly aligned with the common sense of the cultivation world, left Su Ling'er momentarily dazed. She even felt a glimmer of anticipation.
After all, back at Qingxu Temple, even if you had contributions and Spirit Stones, you would never have been worthy of such things.
Only Direct Disciples, the Sect Leader, and the elders could enjoy those places rich in Spiritual Qi. Such benefits were unavailable even to Inner Sect Disciples, to say nothing of outer sect disciples.
'Contributions? Spirit Stones? Even if you had them, there was no way to spend them.'
But here, no matter the price, at least there was something to strive for. It was indeed like a carrot dangled before a donkey to keep it moving forward.
'But... could this demonic den really have such a normal place?'
She couldn't believe it.
'Beneath this celestial atmosphere, there must be some ulterior motive or hidden trap.'
'Perhaps the Spiritual Qi here is tainted and corrupts the mind?'
'Or maybe these abodes themselves are a massive array designed to screen for 'cultivation fodder'?'
While she was lost in thought, Lin Qingfeng had already led her into the pavilion that assigned the abodes.
The pavilion's plaque read: Lingshu Pavilion.
Inside was Qian Buyu's familiar deadpan face. Upon entering, Lin Qingfeng even did a quick scan with his Divine Sense. 'Thankfully, he seems normal this time. No bugs.'
He was sitting upright before a jade desk.
"Mr. Qian." Lin Qingfeng stepped forward and tapped something on the jade desk.
A moment later, Mr. Qian handed him a jade slip.
Lin Qingfeng took the jade slip, weighed it in his hand, and even performed a little flourish before finally handing it to Su Ling'er.
"Junior Sister, this is one of the Guixi Sect's Superior Heart Skills, called the Ten Thousand Transformations Return to the Origin True Skill."
"Since you've just joined the sect, consider this a welcome gift from your senior brother. Of course, it's also one of our sect's fundamental techniques."
'This was the purple-tier Superior Heart Skill I got from Mr. Qian on my first draw when I paid to unlock the abode function.'
'More importantly, it can significantly reduce the physical pain endured during cultivation, which makes it a perfect match for the Sword Refining Skill!'
'Although one still feels pain when practicing the Sword Refining Skill, their tolerance for it should be much higher.'
'Players can disable pain sensitivity, but NPCs can't, so it's best to practice with this Heart Method.'
'Of course, I've got to hype this cultivation technique up.'
'Even though it was only a purple-tier technique from a draw and seems a little inadequate now, I have to make my junior sister feel like she's hit the jackpot.'
'Besides, this technique really is good!'
Su Ling'er, however, was finding this hard to believe.
'A fundamental technique? A sect's fundamental technique is its very foundation and is never shown to outsiders lightly. How could this senior brother just hand it over to me so easily? It's impossible!'
Lin Qingfeng smiled. "Don't worry, Junior Sister. This technique is all-encompassing and doesn't have high requirements. Your innate aptitude is a bit lacking, so with ordinary cultivation techniques, you'd only get half the results for twice the effort."
"But this Ten Thousand Transformations Return to the Origin True Skill can solidify your foundation and nurture your core, temper your flesh and blood, greatly increase your affinity for Spiritual Qi, and even significantly reduce the physical pain you endure during cultivation."
'Reduce pain?!'
The horrific scene of those disciples being hammered in the Artifact Refining Pavilion immediately flashed through Su Ling'er's mind.
'So that's it! This is just a dose of Mafeisan!'
'It's the pre-op prep before they start the CLANG CLANG hammering in the Artifact Refining Pavilion!'
'First, you give me a piece of candy and tell me the beating won't hurt as much, and then it'll be easier to strap me to the Forging Platform, is that it?!'
"Junior Sister, quickly open your mind and let Mr. Qian demonstrate the technique to help you get started!"
Su Ling'er was deeply conflicted.
'After all, if I open my mind and they try to do something to my soul, I'll be done for.'
She knew she had no way to resist in this environment. Especially under her senior brother's gaze, refusal was impossible.
'But I'm also on a mission from my Sect Leader to investigate the Guixi Sect's cultivation techniques.'
'If this technique in front of me really has the value to lead to the Nascent Soul Realm, that would be far beyond my imagination! My own Sect Leader is only a Core Formation Realm expert, after all. And a technique that can lead to the Nascent Soul... it's truly tempting.'
She could only bow and step forward. "Then, I shall trouble you, Mr. Qian."
Mr. Qian slowly rose and walked over to her.
His dull, vacant eyes stared at her, making Su Ling'er feel all the more that he was not a living person.
'After all, how could a living person have such hollow eyes?'
Then, an icy palm pressed against her forehead.
The hairs on Su Ling'er's arms stood on end. 'I'm going to die! I'm finished! I'm going to be brainwashed! Is my life about to be stolen from me?!'
Su Ling'er screamed inwardly.
But none of the terrifying scenarios she had imagined came to pass.
With a BUZZ, a stream of intent rushed into her sea of consciousness. The Lingshu Pavilion before her eyes vanished, replaced by a vast, starry sky.
Deep within her sea of consciousness, her own meridians outlined one human figure after another, with Spiritual Qi surging endlessly through them.
These were the circulation pathways for the Ten Thousand Transformations Return to the Origin True Skill. Every cycle, every breath, was displayed before her with absolute clarity.
The cultivation technique was peaceful and righteous, yet it concealed a majestic and inexhaustible power. It could nourish the physical body, bolster one's vitality, and rapidly recover Spiritual Qi.
The scene shifted.
She saw a cultivator who bore a strong resemblance to Mr. Qian sitting cross-legged atop a mountain. As the cultivation technique activated, Spiritual Qi from all directions poured in, coalescing behind him into a giant Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect.
The Dharma Aspect was solemn and dignified, its divine might immense. Every move it made held the power to shake mountains and shatter peaks!
'That... That's a scene of the Nascent Soul Realm!'
Under its gaze, she felt so insignificant, as if she could be crushed with a single finger.
The entire demonstration was open and righteous, and profoundly esoteric.
The vision in her sea of consciousness faded. Su Ling'er's face was pale, but her eyes were filled with shock.
She stared at the jade slip in her hand, her breathing growing ragged.
'It's real... This could truly be a supreme Heart Method that leads directly to the Nascent Soul Dao!'
She immediately began to study it with greed.
Seeing her reaction, the corners of Lin Qingfeng's mouth curled up slightly.
'Excellent. She's completely absorbed. Looks like I've finally piqued her desire for our sect.'
He didn't disturb her. Instead, he moved to the side, his consciousness diving into the player forums to continue studying his "Cultivation Bragging Record."
In that instant, it was as if his soul had left his body. His eyes became as vacant and hollow as Mr. Qian's.
Meanwhile, the more Su Ling'er studied, the more violently the storm raged in her heart.
'This cultivation technique is incredibly profound, but the path it takes is completely different from any other I have ever encountered.'
'Of course, maybe that's just because of my own limited experience?'
'But the Sect Leader said that in today's Cultivation Realm, all paths lead to one source. Their origin points to a legendary text that supposedly allows one to ascend to immortality, a text rumored to be the master scripture of the immortal realm—the Primordial Dao Scripture.'
'Although this scripture can sometimes be found in the mortal world, the more complete fragments and copies are monopolized by the legendary great sects and prominent families.'
'Most of the other versions in circulation are incomplete or have been altered countless times by later generations. Even the partial copy held by Qingxu Temple's Upper Sect, the Celestial Furnace Sect, is incomplete.'
'All cultivators in the world derive their own techniques from the principles of the Primordial Dao Scripture, adapting them for their own cultivation.'
'This process is known as "Seeking the Dao from the Heavens."'
'But this Ten Thousand Transformations Return to the Origin True Skill doesn't borrow any principles from the Primordial Dao Scripture whatsoever!'
'It doesn't even mention the scripture's most central theory of "Origin Dust."'
'Could it be... that this is a cultivation technique created by some mighty expert from this demonic sect?!'
'And they even developed this technique to the Nascent Soul Realm without suffering a backlash from the Celestial Dao?'
'In that case... could that Sword Refining Skill truly have been created by a disciple from this sect?!'