Chương 7: The Old Ghost and the Choice of Cultivation Technique

Standing up and exiting the Outer Hall, An began looking around for something edible. Right next to the entrance, he saw a huge tree with red and yellow foliage. Fruits the same color as the leaves hung heavily from its branches. These fruits looked very similar to ordinary apples from his first life. An thought he could pick a few and ask one of the elders if they were edible. Approaching the tree and taking a fruit in his hand, he felt a weak energy emanating from it.

Surprised, An quickly picked the fruit and began staring at it, trying to understand what this strange energy was. Holding it, he somehow understood through the energy that what he was holding was edible and even beneficial for strengthening the body. An frowned. This energy, specifically what he felt from it, seemed to contain information, similar both to the flow of knowledge he received from his plaque and to his own inner voice or intuition.' This is Qi, right? This energy is Qi... Holy crap!'

Surprised, An brought the fruit to his nose and took a strong sniff. He didn't expect the aroma to be so intense that his legs almost buckled.' These waves... these flows of Qi... it's like they're talking to me!' With wide, burning eyes staring intently at the fruit, An realized the Qi was ' telling' him that this fruit was very beneficial and would help improve his body's overall condition. He looked at the tree and saw thousands, tens of thousands of ripe fruits hanging there.

He couldn't understand why none of the disciples passing by were taking them if they were so good for the body.

Staring at the fruit for a long time, An finally made up his mind and took a big bite. To his surprise, the inside didn't resemble an apple at all. Instead of the expected crunch, he felt soft flesh that immediately melted in his mouth, similar to a banana but far more delicate. He couldn't immediately identify the taste, it was sweet and salty at the same time, with a lingering hint of pepper. Hungry, he continued taking big bites. After five, the whole fruit was gone, leaving only a walnut-sized pit in his hand.

He wondered if he should crack it open and eat the seed, but decided to put it in his pouch instead. Just then, An felt a strong surge of strength. He could actually feel his physical power increasing.

"Absurd! I was able to understand perfectly that one fruit permanently increased my body's strength by 0. 1%... How can I so accurately determine and understand such things about my body?" He was frightened by such a deep perception of his own internal changes.

"And all this is possible because of Qi? Amazing world!" Without any more fear, An grabbed another fruit and began eating. After twenty-two fruits, he finally felt full. Sitting under the tree, he closed his eyes, feeling his body become 2. 2% stronger. Putting the last pit into his pouch, An decided to collect as many fruits as possible. In the end, he stuffed about two hundred of them into his spatial bag, unable to reach the rest on the higher branches.

He hung the pouch on his stomach, tying it with several layers of rags torn from his own pants, and headed to the Scripture Pavilion. Walking around the Outer Hall and entering from the side, An saw a sign ' Scripture Pavilion' above large open doors made of red stone. He stepped over the threshold.

"Your plaque!" An sharply turned his head at the sound of the voice. By the door, behind a large table piled high with papers, scrolls, and books, sat an old woman who looked at least eighty years old. She had gray hair and clouded white eyes, and wore black robes with green floral patterns.

"A ghost?" An muttered, seeing her pale eyes and sunken face.

"Who are you calling a ghost, you brat? Huh?" The old woman barked at An, her face twisting as if she had bitten a lemon. She didn't take her eyes off him, looking into his eyes and through them at the same time, which gave him an unpleasant feeling. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I-I'm sorry, Elder... I'm a new disciple. I came for a technique to cultivate Qi." An lowered his head to avoid her gaze, trying to appear smaller by hunching his shoulders.

"Ha! Elder Doshu. My name is Doshu Yede, and I am the external steward of the Scripture Pavilion! Got that? Now give me your plaque, you brat!" Elder Doshu relaxed her face and extended her hand.

"I'm An, not a brat..." An whispered, scratching his nose as he handed over the plaque. Elder Doshu checked it with her Qi.

"Wood, single element, third rank... Not bad for our Peak... I hope." She nodded, receiving the information from the plaque. Glancing at An again, she furrowed her brows, creating even more wrinkles around her eyes.

"Let me give you some advice, you brat An. In the world of cultivation, everyone is equal before the Heavens. It doesn't matter who you were born as, or how you grew up. Only your aspiration, determination, and stubbornness on the path to immortality matter. Remember this and never forget your past, but also never dwell on it!" Elder Doshu said with a serious look, staring him straight in the eyes.

"Thank you, Elder Doshu." An nodded, understanding exactly what Doshu Yede meant, and thanked her sincerely.

"Good. Now, as for why you came... Hmm, Qi cultivation techniques suitable for your element are on the second floor in the Wood section. Got it? Can you even read, by the way?" Elder Doshu smirked, pointing a finger at him.

"I can read, thank you. I'll be going now." An nodded and quickly walked deeper into the Pavilion.

"Hmm! Of course you can read. Even those petty mortal nobles are forced to waste their gold on educating new slaves... That is the law... Sigh, such an ungrateful little brat!" the old woman grumbled. But as she sat back down at the table, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she followed An with her gaze. Entering the heart of the Pavilion, An looked around. The entire first floor was filled with shelves made of white wood, packed tightly with books.

In the middle of the hall stood a staircase made of brown wood with patterns of white and green. Near the shelves, new disciples from An's group were clustered in small circles. Some had already changed into their issued gray robes, while others remained in their luxurious clothes to stand out. An noticed that none of the noble children had taken off their precious jewelry; some had even decorated their new standard uniforms with it.

He rolled his eyes and headed for the staircase, quickly climbing to the second floor. The second floor looked much like the first, but it was filled with older disciples. The oldest one An spotted was an old man with white temples and a large bald spot, stroking his graying beard as he studied a book in the ' Combat Techniques' section with intense interest. An easily found the row marked ' Qi Cultivation: Wood Element'. He pulled the first booklet from the shelf and opened it. Its title was Blazing Spring Breeze.

The technique focused on strengthening the body and improving reflexes. It required Fire, Wood, and Air elements, with a note stating that ' Air is a second-order element'. An had learned about these from his Notes for New Disciples. Second-order elements included Ice, Lightning, Air, Poison, Light, and Darkness, often called mixed elements because they resulted from mutations of the primary ones: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

An tried to turn the page, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even catch the edge of the paper.' Is it sealed? Oh, right. To get a technique, you have to pay with contribution points.' He checked his plaque and saw he had 101 points. The booklet was marked with the number 85 in the top corner. Realizing he could afford it but wasn't sure yet, he put it back. After a long time and more than fifty of his stolen fruits, An finally reviewed every booklet in the row.

He set aside only the ones requiring a single Wood element." Seven Evolutions of the Green Color... strengthens internal organs with Qi, fast cultivation at low spiritual root ranks... Hmm."" Shining Morning Dew... focuses on the soul and spirituality. Frequent difficulties with breakthroughs due to the specificity of the technique. I don't get it, why would anyone need such a useless technique?

Oh, maybe if you're a genius and can reach the Foundation Establishment Realm with it, the gap in soul strength would let you dominate everyone. Wow. Although... I'm hardly a genius, so I'll pass." An tossed the book aside and picked up the last one." Evergreen... cultivates both spiritual reserves and the physical body. Recommended for those with a dominant Wood element. Cultivation will be much faster, and for someone like me, there are essentially no barriers during breakthroughs."'

Even though this technique doesn't stand out in any way, and I won't be able to fight cultivators a whole realm above me... I still choose you! Not that I have much of a choice anyway.' An put the other books back in their places, clutching the Evergreen manual.