Zhuang Yun would only stay here for three months.
Cultivation was of utmost importance and could not be delayed in the slightest.
But before starting cultivation, he needed at least a general understanding of it.
Sharpening the axe does not delay the cutting of firewood.
The basic questions of the cultivation world were not something Zhuang Yun would explain to him in detail.
He could only rely on reading.
Zhu Xiaosuo opened the "Cultivator's Beginner Guide."
The first page.
"Once you embark on the path of cultivation, there's no turning back. You can no longer live the life of an ordinary person, so don't regret it."
Zhu Xiaosuo was momentarily at a loss for where to start his critique.
This "Cultivator's Beginner Guide" could only be obtained after becoming a cultivator, right?
You've already become a cultivator, and the first thing it tells you is not to regret it.
It's like everyone knows you have to castrate yourself to practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.
And after castrating yourself, you get the manual, and the first line says:
You can practice this skill without castration.
Is this some kind of joke?
Moreover, it didn't even mention what there was to regret.
Is it appropriate to start with such a vague and incomplete statement from someone who's been through it?
Zhu Xiaosuo scoffed and read the next line:
"This was said by the first sovereign of the land of the Exiled Immortals, Cheng Longze, before his ascension."
The first sovereign ascended? These were his words before ascending?
With a sense of reverence, Zhu Xiaosuo read it again.
He had been too hasty earlier.
Objectively speaking, this sentence was enlightening and greatly beneficial to him.
Indeed, only someone capable of ascension could say such words.
The book then formally introduced cultivation.
"There are eight realms of cultivation, each divided into ten layers.
The first two realms are the Rebirth Stage and the Bone Transformation Stage, with a lifespan limit of two hundred years. As the names suggest, they involve shedding the mortal body and replacing mundane bones. These are the foundational realms for cultivators.
Next are the Honoring the Ancient Stage and the Humbling the Present Stage, with a lifespan limit of eight hundred years. The Honoring the Ancient Stage focuses on practicing the techniques of the ancestors, while the Humbling the Present Stage involves learning from the experiences of the ancestors to surpass contemporary cultivators. Reaching these two realms signifies significant achievement in cultivation.
Following are the Exiting Saint Stage and the Divine Entry Stage, with a lifespan limit of two thousand years. The Exiting Saint Stage requires finding one's path to sainthood, while the Divine Entry Stage involves integrating this path into the present world. These two realms require not only personal cultivation but also making changes to the cultivation world, and only one in ten thousand cultivators succeed.
The final two realms are the Returning to Origin Stage and the Reverting to Source Stage, with an unknown lifespan. How to achieve these realms varies from person to person. After reaching the Reverting to Source Stage, one will no longer be tolerated by this world and must undergo a lightning tribulation to ascend to the Immortal Realm.
In each realm, the first three layers are the Early Stage, the fourth to sixth layers are the Middle Stage, the seventh to ninth layers are the Late Stage, and the tenth layer is the Perfected Stage of that realm."
Zhu Xiaosuo looked at the introduction of the cultivation realms and thought the names sounded quite impressive.
Rebirth and Bone Transformation, Honoring the Ancient and Humbling the Present, Exiting Saint and Entering the Divine, Returning to Origin and Reverting to Source.
He just didn't know how difficult it would be to cultivate.
From Zhuang Yun's tone, it seemed his father, Zhu Fulu, had never broken through the Rebirth Stage in his lifetime.
The father of County Magistrate Qin Ruyu was also at the Rebirth Stage.
If the sons of those at the Rebirth Stage could secure a position among the Four Great Clans, did that mean the Niu, Ma, and Yang cultivator clans had no one at the Bone Transformation Stage?
Looking at it this way, cultivation indeed seemed quite challenging.
Was it that cultivation was too difficult, or were the Four Great Clans of Mountain Chicken County just too weak?
Zhu Xiaosuo couldn't tell.
In his view, Mountain Chicken County was already quite large.
With a population of over ten million.
Yet, not a single person had reached the Bone Transformation Stage.
He remembered hearing that those with cultivation potential would be taken away by the Immortal Sect before the age of eight.
Presumably, all the good cultivation prospects were selected, which led to the absence of Bone Transformation Stage cultivators in Mountain Chicken County.
Zhu Xiaosuo pondered for a while and continued reading.
"Talent for cultivation is divided into seven levels, from highest to lowest: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple Veins. Each higher level doubles cultivation efficiency.
The lowest Purple Vein can only cultivate low-level techniques. To break through to the Early Stage of the Bone Transformation Stage with a Purple Vein requires great fortune.
We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google.
A Blue Vein can cultivate high-level techniques, with a limit at the Perfected Stage of the Bone Transformation Stage.
Cyan Vein and above are personally taught by Sect Elders, and information is not disclosed."
Zhu Xiaosuo felt disheartened.
No wonder his father killed so many people and was still at the Rebirth Stage.
It turned out talent determined whether one could break through.
Since breaking through was impossible, why did Zhu Fulu bother with so much?
Did he believe he was the chosen one and wanted to take a gamble?
In the end, he died young, not even reaching eighty.
Zhu Xiaosuo didn't think he would have any extraordinary encounters.
Forget it, this life would just be like this.
He wouldn't live to see the Bone Transformation Stage.
Cultivation would be done half-heartedly; better to enjoy life early.
He already had a plan.
Once Zhuang Yun left, he would start arranging for marriage and concubines.
The "Cultivator's Beginner Guide" only had a small portion introducing the cultivation world and the Immortal Sect; the majority of it introduced the sect rules and the reward and punishment system.
After skimming through the sect rules, he went to find Zhuang Yun for guidance on cultivation matters.
"Immortal Master Zhuang, if I take another Vein Opening Pill, can I become a Blue Vein?"
"No. The Vein Opening Pill can only turn a mortal into a Purple Vein."
"Is there any way to improve talent?"
"Never heard of it. Talent is innate."
As expected.
No way forward.
"Ah, then I'll just obediently be a rich man for two hundred years."
Zhu Xiaosuo sighed lightly.
"Who told you you could live for two hundred years?"
"Huh? The book said so. Rebirth Stage and Bone Transformation Stage have a lifespan of two hundred years."
"That's the lifespan limit for the Perfected Stage of the Bone Transformation Stage. The Rebirth Stage can live up to one hundred thirty years at most."
Zhu Xiaosuo felt a bit disappointed after hearing this.
"Forget it, one hundred thirty years is one hundred thirty years. It's not bad."
"That's the lifespan for the Perfected Stage of the Rebirth Stage. At the First Layer of the Rebirth Stage, you'll die at eighty."
"What? Only eighty? Damn it, even without cultivation, I might live to that age!"
"That's true. Old Wu in my village, who minded his own business, lived to over a hundred. But once you start cultivating, the heavenly rules limit the First Layer of the Rebirth Stage to a maximum of eighty years."
"Damn it..."
Zhuang Yun laughed:
"Seeing that Zhu Fulu's sons are all dead, and his only son won't outlive me, you don't know how happy that makes me."
Seeing Zhuang Yun's smug smile, Zhu Xiaosuo felt a surge of anger.
This was intolerable!
Zhu Xiaosuo held back.
He still needed Zhuang Yun's guidance for cultivation.
"I humbly ask Immortal Master Zhuang for guidance in cultivation."
"We're both at the Rebirth Stage, no need to call me Immortal Master. According to the tenth rule of the sect, the capable are respected, so you should call me Senior Brother. I estimate that in a year or two, I'll break through to the Bone Transformation Stage, and you'll have to call me Uncle Master, haha."
"Senior Brother Zhuang, I rely on your guidance for cultivation."
"Sit cross-legged, hold a Spirit Stone in your hand, relax your whole body, and calm your mind. You should feel a cold stream passing through your hand and flowing throughout your body."
"I feel it, I feel it!"
"That stream is Spiritual Energy. Next, you can circulate the Spiritual Energy in your body according to the illustrations in the 'Spirit-Nurturing Technique' to enhance your cultivation."
"Do I still need to hold the Spirit Stone while circulating the technique?"
"You can try letting go."
Zhu Xiaosuo read the technique while circulating the Spiritual Energy as instructed.
After a while, he felt the cold stream in his body disappear.
"Eh, why is it gone?"
"Circulating the technique to drive Spiritual Energy is essentially a process of consuming Spiritual Energy to temper the body. Without replenishment, it naturally runs out quickly."
"So, when cultivating, I need to ensure there's always enough Spiritual Energy circulating in my body?"
"Yes."
"That's fascinating. I'm curious, for cultivators with better talent, like those with Blue Vein talent, is their cultivation efficiency twice as fast because they circulate Spiritual Energy twice as quickly?"
"No. What you're talking about is speed, not efficiency."
"Then what does efficiency mean?"
"With the same amount of Spiritual Energy consumed, the progress of tempering the body for a Blue Vein is twice that of a Purple Vein. Similarly, a Cyan Vein is twice that of a Blue Vein."
"Isn't the Purple Vein just wasting resources then?"
"Exactly. A Purple Vein needs twenty Spirit Stones to go from the First Layer to the Second Layer of the Rebirth Stage. A Blue Vein only needs ten."
"The 'Cultivator's Beginner Guide' says that after becoming a cultivator, the Immortal Sect provides three years' worth of Spirit Stones for cultivation, and after three years, there's an examination at the sect. So, it's an examination of one's realm?"
"That's right. After three years, if you haven't reached the Second Layer of the Rebirth Stage, the sect will no longer invest in you and will sever ties. After that, you'll have to rely on missions for cultivation resources, just like your father."
"But I need twenty Spirit Stones to reach the Second Layer of the Rebirth Stage, and the sect only provides twelve?"
"If the sect provided enough resources for you to break through, what would be the point of the examination? Let me tell you clearly, circulating the 'Spirit-Nurturing Technique' once takes half an hour, and one Spirit Stone is enough for twenty circulations. If you cultivate diligently, you'll exhaust these twelve Spirit Stones in less than a month. Do you know why the sect gives you three years?"
Zhu Xiaosuo widened his eyes:
"The remaining time is for me to earn those eight Spirit Stones? If I can earn them, I have investment value; if not, I'm abandoned?"
"Exactly. Once a Purple Vein is abandoned by the sect, there's no chance of breaking through to the Bone Transformation Stage. In this life, you'll only be the head of a cultivator clan in the county."
Zhu Xiaosuo found it hard to accept.
At this moment, he suddenly changed his mind.
He wanted to break through.
Break through to the Bone Transformation Stage!
He wasn't content to live an ordinary life after obtaining the Vein Opening Pill through nine deaths and one life.
Sometimes, the important choices in life are made in an instant.
Zhu Xiaosuo had a sudden inspiration:
"But Senior Brother Zhuang, you said you'd stay by my side for three months, right?"
"Yes, that's the sect rule. New cultivators are guided by more advanced cultivators for three months."
"Then, Senior Brother Zhuang, could you..."
"You want me to help you obtain cultivation Spirit Stones? I charge ten Spirit Stones per action, you can't afford it."
"Senior Brother Zhuang, I don't need you to take action, I just need to use your name. How about a fifty-fifty split? You don't have to do anything."
"No."
"Sixty-forty!"
"No."
"Seventy-thirty! You get seventy percent, I get thirty percent! Any higher, and I'll find my own way!"
Zhuang Yun thought for a moment:
"Really nothing for me to do?"
"Yes! At most, you need to go out and have a meal with me, deal with the three major clans, and that's it!"
"Alright. It's a deal then."
"Senior Brother Zhuang, words alone aren't enough. I read in the 'Cultivator's Beginner Guide' that cultivators can make a Heart Oath, and if they break it, they'll suffer from inner demons. Let's make a Heart Oath."
"Sure."
Zhuang Yun agreed.
The two wrote the terms of their cooperation on paper, and Zhu Xiaosuo even added a line at the end: This matter must not affect Zhuang Yun's answers to Zhu Xiaosuo's questions.
But Zhuang Yun didn't write the seventy-thirty split in the Heart Oath, only saying he would help Zhu Xiaosuo secure benefits, and they would share the profits.
Each recited the oath, making a Heart Oath.
If Zhuang Yun had heard a certain saying, he would never have made this Heart Oath.
Only name and instrument cannot be entrusted to others.
While guiding Zhu Xiaosuo in cultivation, Zhuang Yun waited to collect his share.
Within three days, Zhuang Yun regretted it.
Zhu Xiaosuo was truly unscrupulous in his pursuit of wealth.
Under Zhu Xiaosuo's direction, the Zhu Clan expanded from money houses and cloth shops to brothels and teahouses, all under Zhuang Yun's name.
"Zhuang Clan Money House," "Zhuang Clan Silk," "Zhuang Red Pavilion," and others sprang up like mushrooms after the rain in Mountain Chicken County.
Their strategy was low profit and high volume.
Especially the Zhuang Red Pavilion, which offered great value for money and was bustling with business.
The men from ten miles around would beam with pride and give a thumbs-up when mentioning Zhuang Yun.
Zhuang Yun was furious, but it was to no avail.