Chapter 7: Immortal Opportunity
“Mm… delicious.”
This fish soup had only been sprinkled with a pinch of coarse salt, yet its flavor was completely different from before.
Aside from the fish’s natural freshness, it also carried a sweet taste, like a mountain spring—clear and refreshing to the heart.
More importantly… once the fish soup entered his stomach, it continuously transformed into cultivation power, even making Fang Qing feel as though he was about to burst.
‘Eating two and a half Treasure Fish in one go really is a bit too much for a weak foundation…’
‘If it were someone else, they could only use the ‘draining’ method to expel the excess medicinal effects from the body… but I’m different.’
Fang Qing took a deep breath.
The Dao-Birth Pearl spun lightly, and his accumulated power instantly transformed once more into pure Primordial Qi.
In an instant, his body became completely empty, like a sponge, frantically absorbing the medicinal power.
When the accumulated power reached a certain critical point, it was transformed again, keeping Fang Qing constantly in a state of ‘hunger’. By the time the east began to brighten, he let out a long breath and inwardly examined the Dao-Birth Pearl.
Inside the Dao-Birth Pearl, there was half a strand of strange ‘Primordial Qi’, surging like clouds and mist, glowing faintly.
“Half a strand?”
“According to what is recorded in my Fang family’s qi-gathering art, a hundred strands form a filament, a hundred filaments form a Dao… I’m still very far from a single Dao.”
“I just don’t know whether a complete strand of Primordial Qi could be used as the first mouthful of true qi for an Ancient Shu Qi-Devouring Realm cultivator to enter the Dao… Wait, even if it could, I don’t have a cultivation method for ‘Primordial Qi’ anyway…”
Fang Qing shook his head, casting these distracting thoughts aside, and began attempting to convert the power of the Red Sand Hand.
This time, with his own active control, the strength within his body was vast and powerful, with no risk of leakage whatsoever, allowing him to break through calmly.
Crackle! Crackle!
His joints exploded with sound, and his entire body seemed to grow a few inches taller.
“Ha!”
With a casual tear, the clothes on his body ripped apart like paper.
He looked at his leopard-like, well-built physique—muscles that were clearly defined without being bloated, instead appearing even more streamlined—and nodded slightly. “So this is the real me… my previous body was still far too weak.”
The former Fang Qing had grown up over more than ten years of peasant life, never eating well.
Not only had he been thin and small, but his vital energy had also been deficient.
Even after practicing martial arts later on, it had not made up for much.
But he felt that after this time, all of his innate deficiencies had been completely remedied!
And more than that!
Fang Qing extended his right palm and pressed it against a nearby slab of green rock.
He did not seem to exert any force, yet when he withdrew his palm, a clear handprint could be seen, its edges incredibly smooth.
“Good! The Red Sand Hand has reached great completion… at the very least, it’s equivalent to ten years of bitter cultivation by a disciple from a wealthy family that never lacked nourishing medicinal meat.”
He withdrew his hand and smiled in satisfaction.
Although in worldly legends, no matter how powerful a martial arts master was, they were never a match for immortals.
With this level of cultivation, however, self-preservation in Dahua Fishing Village was more than enough.
Fang Qing had not forgotten that there was still a Ruan Seven who was obsessed with him…
“For now, there’s no need to do anything. Just wait for the Immortal Opportunity Assembly.”
He took a deep breath and looked outward again. “As for Ancient Shu… it’s still best to lie low…”
……
Chu Mountain Town.
This ordinary small town was somewhat unusual today.
Under the leadership of the old town head, the townsfolk had cleaned the only bluestone-paved square spotless early in the morning—especially the raised platform, which was practically free of dust.
After all, this was to welcome immortals!
How could the place where immortals set foot have even a speck of dust?
And before dawn, parents from all directions had already arrived here, either riding horse-drawn carts, ox carts, or traveling on foot, bringing along their age-appropriate children.
Although arriving several hours early would not affect the results of the Immortal Opportunity Assembly’s spirit testing, they stubbornly did so anyway.
“There are… quite a lot of children.”
Fang Qing blended into the group from Dahua Fishing Village. Since he was the oldest, he had naturally become the children’s leader.
Zhu’er followed behind him, both expectant and nervous.
“Of course… every Immortal Opportunity Assembly has several thousand children,”
Old Man Zha beside them carried his tobacco pouch, his expression tinged with nostalgia. “This old man back then… also came once.”
As he spoke further, his voice grew low and his expression dimmed.
Very clearly, neither Old Man Zha nor his children had any ‘immortal opportunity’!
“What exactly is cultivation aptitude? Spiritual roots?”
Fang Qing was curious and glanced around the queue.
Ruan Seven had already passed the age limit and had no relatives being tested, so he was not among the crowd.
Moreover, during this period, Fang Qing had kept a low profile, giving the other party no chance to cause trouble.
In truth, if it were not for the sake of a smooth transition, with Fang Qing’s current martial prowess, he could already crush the other with ease.
“Haha… this old man has heard the town head talk about it. Humans are the spirits of all things, born with all five elements complete… everyone has the possibility of cultivating and opening wisdom. It’s just that the vast majority have abysmally poor aptitude, equivalent to nothing at all. Those who can stand out even slightly are considered to possess immortal opportunity. As for how many grades that aptitude is divided into, this old man isn’t too clear.”
Ever since catching the Little Azure Dragon, Old Man Zha had treated Fang Qing with complete sincerity, answering whatever he was asked.
“So that’s how it is.”
Fang Qing nodded and followed everyone onto the bluestone square, taking up a corner.
As the sun rose higher, more and more people filled the square.
“They’re here!”
Suddenly, someone cried out in surprise.
Fang Qing looked up and saw a green-leaf flying vessel streaking across the sky.
Several streams of multicolored light flew down from the vessel.
Within the radiance were palace-dressed women and blue-robed youths alike, each with an immortal bearing and an indescribably powerful aura.
One of the young women merely swept her curious gaze across the crowd, yet it made people not dare meet her eyes.
‘So strong!’
Fang Qing slightly lowered his head. ‘I’m already considered a top martial artist in the mortal world, yet facing cultivators, I feel like an ant… but it can’t be helped—they can fly.’
‘If I don’t have aptitude… then I’ll think of other ways!’
‘I possess the accumulation of two worlds. I’ll definitely reach the pinnacle!’
He clenched his fist.
At this moment, the town head and other officials stepped forward with ingratiating smiles.
After exchanging a few flattering words, a strong villager immediately struck a gong and shouted loudly, “The Immortal Opportunity Assembly now begins… each household, step forward for spirit testing according to the registry when called…”
“Chu Mountain Town… Huo Sandong!”
A chubby little boy with a wealthy appearance, dressed in silk, immediately stepped forward and was led onto the platform.
A blue-robed youth held a Bagua stone disk in his hands and formed a hand seal.
Buzz!
A ray of light emerged from the Bagua stone disk, enveloping the chubby boy.
Five-colored light suddenly burst forth on the disk, but it was extremely faint.
“Aptitude… none. Next.”
The blue-robed youth announced expressionlessly, clearly long accustomed to this.
“Waa… Mother…”
The chubby boy cried as he was led down. The town head continued calling names: “Chu Mountain Town… Wang Er’ya!”
Wang Er’ya’s clothing was slightly worse than the chubby boy’s, but she still looked like a child from a well-off household.
“Aptitude… none!” The blue-robed youth performed the technique as usual, glanced at the stone disk, and shook his head without expression.
Wang Er’ya immediately pouted, her eyes reddening, yet she still performed a bow before running off the platform, where her parents embraced her and comforted her.
“Song Liuque… no aptitude!”
“Zhang Dadan… no aptitude…”
As the blue-robed youth pronounced judgment one after another, sobbing sounds rose throughout the square, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.
Finally, after more than a hundred children, the youth’s eyes lit up. “Li Yudan… spiritual root with five elements biased toward wood, medium aptitude… qualified!”
The crowd erupted.
Many townsfolk directly congratulated the child. “Congratulations to the immortal lord…”
Fang Qing looked at Li Yudan and saw that his clothes were full of patches. He was thin and dark, standing there blankly, not looking particularly clever.
Instead, his parents rushed over and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down their faces.
‘This aptitude… really has no pattern at all. It’s all about fate… Wait, fate?’
Fang Qing’s heart stirred. ‘Ma Old Three said before… my Fang family seems to have… pretty good fate?’
After Li Yudan, there was another string of unqualified children.
The blue-robed youth tested several hundred people in succession before his spiritual power gave out.
He withdrew to meditate, replaced by a palace-dressed woman, and the line extended all the way out of town to the fishing village.
During this time, two more children with aptitude appeared, but both were of low grade.
Fang Qing, possessing martial arts and exceptional patience, waited all the way until afternoon.
On the platform, a middle-aged man wearing Azure Sea Sect attire had a trace of fatigue on his face as he said dully, “Next…”
“Dahua Fishing Village… Luo Ping…”
“Dahua Fishing Village… Fang Qing!”
At last, he heard his own name.
Fang Qing did not conceal anything. With the anticipation and nervousness of a youth on his face, he stepped onto the platform one step at a time.
“Oh? Good qi and blood… looks like your mortal martial arts have reached a masterful level.”
The blue-robed middle-aged man nodded, formed a hand seal, and said, “Rise!”
Spiritual power surged, and a mysterious aura enveloped Fang Qing.
Fang Qing stared intently at the Bagua stone disk.
On the disk, black, white, red, yellow, and green lights alternated, until finally black radiance flared explosively, extending several inches outward.
“Mm, spiritual root with five elements biased toward water… medium aptitude, qualified!”
The blue-robed middle-aged man nodded slightly. “Junior brother, my name is Wei Gutong. From now on, we are all disciples of the Azure Sea Sect.”
“Greetings, senior brother.” Fang Qing hurriedly cupped his fists and moved to the newly accepted disciples’ ranks.
“This junior brother… I am your senior sister, Gong Susu…”
The palace-dressed young woman who had been regulating her breath opened her eyes and smiled faintly at Fang Qing, her attitude clearly different from how she treated those with low aptitude.
Just as Fang Qing was about to respond, he suddenly heard the middle-aged man exclaim in shock, “High… high-grade aptitude!”
“Hm?”
Fang Qing and Gong Susu looked over and saw Zhu’er standing helplessly on the platform, while Old Man Zha below was so excited he nearly fainted.
“High-grade aptitude?!”
“Other than variant and heaven-grade, high-grade aptitude is already top-tier. In the future, there may even be hope of Foundation Establishment!”
One Azure Sea Sect disciple who had not spoken earlier had blazing eyes and a beaming smile as he stepped past Fang Qing. “This junior sister… welcome to the Azure Sea Sect. My name is Kan Zimeng…”
Gong Susu no longer paid attention to Fang Qing and likewise surrounded Zhu’er, her face filled with a gentle smile.
Seeing this scene, Fang Qing found it extremely amusing, yet he also let out a breath of relief in his heart.
‘No matter what… having cultivation aptitude is wonderful.’