Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 8 Introduction

Whoosh!

Amidst the howling wind, a green leaf boat tore through the clouds and hurtled towards the inland of Jade Island.

On the deck, Fang Qing looked at the layer of blue protective shield that enveloped the magic boat and couldn't feel the slightest biting wind on his face, which made him marvel.

Behind him followed a little tail, which was Pearl.

It was now the third day after the Immortal Destiny Conference.

The disciples of Bihai Sect gave those who had passed the test a day to settle their family affairs before setting off for the Bihai Sect's mountain gate.

"Speaking of which... the cost of cultivating immortality is truly unbelievable."

Fang Qing sighed inwardly, thinking of what happened last night; 'Upon hearing that Zhu'er and I had tested positive for spiritual root aptitude, there was an immediate response from Dahua Fishing Village—Ruan Qi had already been sacrificed to the Sea Dragon King, supposedly by his father and brothers themselves!'

"Of course... the one most affected might be Pearl, after all, she has superior talent."

He looked at the exquisitely beautiful little girl behind him, a smile playing on his lips.

It's understandable that Zhu'er would be very afraid to leave her family and go to the sect, and would want to be close to her only familiar person.

Thanks to this, he was able to gain some respect in front of his disciples, such as Gong Susu, Wei Gutong, and Kan Zimeng.

"Little Pearl."

Just then, Gong Susu walked over: "We're almost at the sect's gate... Of all the spirit seekers this time, probably few can surpass us in our journey. It's all thanks to you."

"Spirit Seeker, is there still a long way to go?"

Fang Qing was somewhat surprised.

"Of course, our Azure Sea Sect has had a Core Formation Ancestor for generations, making us a formidable force... Even Foundation Establishment forces outside the island send their direct disciples to the sect."

Gong Susu answered proudly, then glanced meaningfully at Fang Qing.

Obviously, Fang Qing's household registration was no secret, but Bihaimen didn't care.

"Senior Sister Gong, regarding the matter of cultivating immortality, my sister Zhu'er and I don't know much about it... Could you please enlighten us?"

Fang Qing clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, speaking sincerely.

"Of course, I'll answer whatever I know. Actually, once you enter the sect, you'll naturally receive the relevant books, but I can tell you some things first..."

Gong Susu thought for a moment and said, "Heaven and earth have spiritual energy. We cultivators are born with spiritual roots, so we can absorb spiritual energy to cultivate... And spiritual roots are divided into different grades. For example, Junior Brother Fang, you can be called a mid-grade water spiritual root, while Junior Sister Zhu'er has a high-grade water spiritual root... The better the spiritual root, the faster the cultivation speed, and the lower the possibility of encountering bottlenecks when breaking through in the future... As for the legendary heavenly grade spiritual root, it is said that there are no bottlenecks before forming the core."

"The cultivation of immortality is divided into several realms, such as Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul... Great cultivators with Nascent Soul abilities have long since disappeared in the Small Universe Sea, and Core Formation cultivators are the ancestors of a sect... Our sect has seven inner islands, and the lord of each island is a great cultivator above the late Foundation Establishment stage... If we disciples can become disciples of an island and be listed as true disciples, we will have hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future. Once we reach Foundation Establishment, we can enjoy a lifespan of three Jiazi (60 years), and Core Formation ancestors can live for five hundred years..."

After Gong Susu's explanation, Fang Qing finally had a general understanding of the Xiaohuanhai Immortal Cultivation World and the Bihai Sect.

"My sister Zhu'er and I thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."

He sincerely thanked her and then asked, "But the path to immortality is arduous; I would appreciate your guidance, Senior Sister."

This is actually quite cunning; it's like tying himself to Pearl.

Gong Susu smiled enigmatically and said, "After you enter the sect, the first thing you do is pay respects to the patriarch, receive your disciple identity token and other miscellaneous items, and then choose a cultivation method... Most disciples start from the outer sect or as servants, then progress to the inner sect and the true lineage. However, I have a way for you to directly join 'Dan Island' and become an inner disciple... You should know that among the myriad arts of cultivation, minor arts like talismans are already commonplace and practiced by many independent cultivators. Only the great arts like alchemy, weapon crafting, and formations can accumulate sufficient resources..."

Fang Qing summarized the main point: the competition among disciples of the Azure Sea Sect is fierce, and those who want to cultivate immortality must have a special skill.

However, there are too many competitors in the crafts of drawing talismans, cultivating spiritual plants, and raising spiritual beasts, which have long since become a red ocean.

However, alchemy, weapon crafting, and array formations are high-value and demanding skills... As long as you are willing to study them, you can earn a lot of spiritual resources after achieving results, which can help your cultivation.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister. My sister Zhu'er and I will always remember this favor."

Fang Qing quickly thanked him, saying that it was always good to be able to learn alchemy.

Although he knew that he was just a bystander, the only one Gong Susu truly cared about was Zhu'er!

Boom!

Just then, Qingyezhou arrived at a large, emerald-green lake.

The lake is like a bright mirror, deep and vast, with countless dragons and snakes seemingly writhing within it.

In the center of the lake are seven large islands arranged in a specific formation. Some are covered with magnificent buildings, while others are shrouded in a thin mist, making it look like a fairyland.

"This is the gate of my Bihai Sect."

Gong Susu landed the flying boat on a white jade plaza. She slightly raised her chin, which was even whiter and more delicate than jade itself: "Now... those with lower-grade aptitude, go to the outer sect for your initiation ceremony... those with mid-grade aptitude, follow your senior brothers. Sister Zhu'er, wait a moment."

After Fang Qing and the other disciples left, Gong Susu looked at the timid Zhu'er, her smile becoming even gentler: "How was it? Your halfway brother only thought about using you as a pretext to ask for benefits... You need to know that after you join the sect, the only people you can truly rely on are your master and senior sister... and your grandfather. I have already arranged for someone to pick him up; he will arrive a little later than us."

"grandfather?"

Pearl's eyes lit up immediately: "As long as you bring my grandfather here, I'll agree to anything you ask."

"Okay, very good."

Gong Susu was overjoyed, then looked at Fang Qing's retreating figure, her smile becoming increasingly playful: "I promised, and I will naturally help you become an inner disciple and enter Pill Island... But alchemy is not an easy task, especially at the beginning. Wasting just a few pools of pills will ruin your family. This is your own choice, not something your senior sister is trying to trick you into doing..."

"Medium aptitude isn't bad, but the foundation-building stage might still be too low... Pearl, on the other hand, has a lot of potential."

"Since that's the case, I'll make her even closer to me, and incidentally, cut off her worldly ties with me!"

……

Fang Qing was naturally unaware that Gong Susu was cricketing at him from behind.

He followed a group of disciples of average ability to a grand hall.

The hall was majestic and imposing, with disciples of Qi Refining guarding both sides, giving it a solemn and dignified feel.

Above the plaque are the three large characters "Hanhai Hall".

Upon entering the Han Hai Hall, several cultivators stood atop the steps, each possessing a profound and imposing presence. Kan Zimeng and the other disciples immediately bowed, saying, "Greetings, Sect Leader, Elders..."

Turning back to the newly recruited disciples, he said, "This is our sect leader—Senior Uncle Linghu, and Elders Wanbao and Tianxing... Quickly pay your respects!"

"Greetings, Sect Leader and Elders."

The disciples quickly followed suit and bowed.

"Very well... You all have good aptitude. After entering the sect, you should work diligently and live up to your cultivation..."

Dressed in a blue robe and with a slender face, Sect Leader Linghu offered a few words of encouragement. Then, he instructed Elders Wanbao and Tianxing to lead a group of rookies in a formal apprenticeship ceremony, mainly to pay homage to their ancestral master.

Inside the enormous ancestral hall, rows of memorial tablets were lined up, many of them still gleaming with spiritual light.

At the very top is a scroll painting.

On the silk painting, there is a young man in a blue shirt with a handsome face, his hands behind his back, facing the sea.

In the vast ocean dwells a vicious blue dragon, which is now bowing its head in submission.

"Our sect's founding ancestor was the 'Azure Sea Immortal.' Back then... the Immortal came to the Lesser Universe Sea and slew the third-tier superior-grade evil dragon that was causing trouble, thus establishing the foundation of our Azure Sea Sect..."

Elder Wanbao had a ruddy complexion and three long strands of beard that hung naturally, giving him the appearance of a wise and venerable sage with white hair and a youthful face. As usual, he praised the ancestors of the Bihai Sect before speaking: "All disciples of our sect, after joining, can come to the Heavenly Book Pavilion on my 'Wanbao Island' with their identity tokens to receive a basic cultivation technique, some miscellaneous items... In addition, they will also be given one hundred contribution points. Most of the cultivation and daily life of our Bihai Sect requires the consumption of contribution points, so you should use them carefully..."

Following Elder Wanbao was Elder Tianxing, whose face was stern and whose authority was palpable even without anger: "Our sect has seven major precepts and eighty-six articles. The first is against deceiving one's master and ancestors, the second is against killing fellow disciples..."

Fang Qing listened attentively, but his gaze involuntarily fell on the Azure Sea Ancestor's Subduing Dragon Diagram.

"To be able to subdue a third-tier high-grade demon king, Patriarch Bihai must have reached the peak of Core Formation, right? I wonder if he's broken through to the Nascent Soul realm and lived for a thousand years?"

"I wonder how the cultivators here will perform in the ancient Shu lands? Those disciples at the mid-to-late Qi Refining stage, I wonder if they can destroy the Luo family... or will they need to undergo Foundation Establishment cultivation?"

The elaborate initiation ceremony lasted for several hours before Fang Qing arrived at the lakeside with his initiation gift pack.

This is where lower-level disciples live and cultivate. The spiritual energy is thin, unlike the seven islands in the lake, but the area is very large. Many lakeside villas have been built, and even newly initiated disciples can be assigned an independent house.

After entering the wooden house, Fang Qing first looked at his newbie gift pack.

Inside were an identity token, two sets of blue uniforms from the Azure Sea Sect, a bottle of Bigu Pills, a Qingye magic weapon, and a fine steel dagger...

"These entry-level perks are actually pretty good."

He was just about to lie down and rest when he heard a knock on the door. When he went outside, he saw a graceful young woman.

"Senior brother, my name is Yu Taohua, and I have a mid-grade earth spiritual root... We are both newly initiated disciples and neighbors. It just so happens that a senior brother named Hua Lianhua is hosting a gathering. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"

The girl smiled and extended an invitation.

"Senior Brother Hua? Of course I'll go."

Fang Qing thought about it for a moment and then agreed.

It's only natural for small cliques to emerge when you move to a new environment.

Even universities have hometown associations.

He followed Yu Taohua to a small pavilion, where he saw several newly recruited disciples already seated, along with a table of food and wine, the aroma of which wafted through the air.

"To be able to get a table full of fine wine and food right after just starting out, this Senior Brother Hua must have some connections..."

Fang Qing understood; this was the other party demonstrating their strength.