Chapter 9: Commentary on the Water Classic
Senior Brother Hua was dignified in appearance and impeccable in his manners.
Every disciple who arrived would be greeted by him with a few words of cordial conversation.
He moved smoothly among different people without neglecting a single one.
Before long, all the seats in the small pavilion were filled.
“Everyone… we are all newly advanced disciples. In the future, we should grow closer to one another,” Senior Brother Hua said as he raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.
“Of course…”
The crowd responded in agreement.
A young man with a few freckles on his face flattered him, saying, “Senior Brother Hua’s surname is ‘Hua’? Could it be that you come from Flying Fish Island?”
A hint of pride immediately appeared on Senior Brother Hua’s face.
“That’s right. Thanks to my ancestors’ remaining blessings, I was fortunate enough to enter this sect…” “Flying Fish Island? What kind of place is that?”
A female disciple asked the question that Fang Qing had also been wondering about.
“Haha, this junior sister must be from the mortal world. Flying Fish Island is the island where the Foundation Establishment immortal clan ‘Hua family’ resides. It has a second-tier spiritual vein and produces ‘Flying Dragon Silk’ and ‘Treasure-Eyed Fish’…” another disciple with a more mature appearance explained.
He then looked at Senior Brother Hua.
“I didn’t expect Senior Brother Hua to come from a Foundation Establishment immortal clan. Your future prospects are surely boundless.”
“Ah… the immortal path is arduous. I tread carefully at every step,” Senior Brother Hua said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
“Besides… although we are called immortal clans, compared to the Azure Sea Sect, which has Core Formation cultivators generation after generation, what do we really amount to?”
The banquet continued, but Fang Qing gradually sensed that something was off.
The crowd quickly divided themselves into several small circles based on their backgrounds.
Senior Brother Hua, who came from a Foundation Establishment immortal clan, naturally became the focus of attention, standing out above the rest.
Aside from that, disciples from Qi Refining families also carried a certain pride.
While flattering Senior Brother Hua, they subtly excluded loose cultivators and disciples of mortal origin like Fang Qing.
Of course, these behaviors were very mild.
Moreover, Senior Brother Hua was no fool—under his deliberate mediation, very few of these inexperienced disciples noticed anything amiss.
Thus, on the surface, the banquet still appeared harmonious, with hosts and guests alike enjoying themselves.
Fang Qing kept his head down, drinking wine and eating dishes, feeling quite at ease.
Before he realized it, the banquet came to an end.
“I shall escort you only this far. I wish all junior brothers and sisters evergreen progress on the immortal path…” Senior Brother Hua said as he saw everyone out, radiant and dazzling.
Fang Qing, meanwhile, blended in among several disciples of mortal origin, returning the courtesy along with them, thoroughly unremarkable.
At that moment, a streak of light flew in, crimson in color, trailing shimmering, brilliant tassels.
The crimson light descended, transforming into a ribbon of red silk that wrapped itself around the waist of a young maiden, her skin smooth as congealed jade and her features as delicate as a painted masterpiece.
Her gaze swept the area once as she asked, “Who is Fang Qing?”
Amid the astonished looks of Senior Brother Hua, Yu Taohua, and the others, Fang Qing braced himself and stepped forward, giving a salute.
“I am Fang Qing. Greetings, Senior Sister.”
“Mhm. I am Hua Lingsu of Pill Island. I have been ordered to bring you to Pill Island to be promoted to an inner sect disciple. Let’s go.”
Hua Lingsu raised her hand.
The red silk ribbon moved as if alive, wrapping around Fang Qing’s waist and carrying him through the azure heavens, vanishing without a trace.
“Junior Brother Fang… no, Senior Brother Fang truly hid himself well,” one disciple said in amazement, then secretly glanced at Senior Brother Hua.
Senior Brother Hua’s expression remained unchanged, his smile growing even warmer.
“I didn’t expect Junior Brother Fang to have such connections. In the future, we should grow even closer…”
The group of disciples thought it over.
Pill Island was far beyond their reach, so it was better to continue currying favor with Senior Brother Hua.
They quickly put on flattering smiles once more…
…
Standing at a high vantage point, Fang Qing saw thick fog rapidly disperse, revealing a small island.
On the island, strange peaks jutted upward, and many buildings shone with multicolored treasure light.
There also seemed to be quite a few hot spring sources.
Of course, most areas were still shrouded in dense fog and restriction formations, impossible to see clearly.
“Junior Brother Fang, our Pill Island mainly uses water-based methods for alchemy. Since you have joined Pill Island as an inner sect disciple… in principle, you could take an elder as your master. However, at present, no elder intends to accept disciples. You may instead rely on your disciple token to attend lectures at the ‘Pill Cauldron Platform’ on the first and fifteenth of each month, where senior brothers and sisters speak on cultivation and alchemy. Sometimes elders also come to give teachings…” Hua Lingsu explained as she descended from her escape light.
“Water-based alchemy? Isn’t alchemy done with furnaces?” Fang Qing asked.
In his impression, alchemy seemed inseparable from fire.
“Fire-based alchemy certainly exists, but in our Azure Sea Sect, water-based alchemy is the main approach… many great alchemy masters have emerged from it,” Hua Lingsu said with a smile, dimples appearing on her face.
“Moreover… compared to fire-based methods, our water-based alchemy produces gentler medicinal effects and less pill toxin. With this island’s unique ‘Cold–Hot Twin Springs’ for tempering, it can even process more medicinal ingredients at once…”
Naturally, she did not mention that fire-based alchemy was faster and more suitable for refining most fire-aspect pills.
“Besides… water-based alchemy is also better suited to cultivators with water spiritual roots.”
This last point made Fang Qing nod vigorously.
“Senior Sister is absolutely right… our water-based alchemy is simply stronger than fire-based alchemy!”
Fang Qing had always believed in the principle that one’s position determines one’s thinking.
Since he had a water spiritual root and Pill Island specialized in water-based alchemy, there was nothing more to say—water-based alchemy was simply superior.
If he had possessed a fire spiritual root and apprenticed under a fire-based alchemy master, then water-based alchemy would have been nothing but heretical nonsense!
“All right, this is your cave dwelling,” Hua Lingsu said, bringing Fang Qing to the entrance of a cave abode.
As she prepared to leave, she turned back and added, “Alchemy is among the most difficult of the hundred cultivation arts. Junior Brother should first visit the Heavenly Book Pavilion to borrow medicinal texts and familiarize yourself with medicinal properties. Do not recklessly begin refining pills…”
“Many thanks for Senior Sister’s reminder. This junior brother will remember it,” Fang Qing said, clasping his fists in gratitude.
He also vaguely felt that alchemy was no simple matter and could not be approached blindly.
Not to mention here—even in his previous life, those who blindly followed trends were always the ones harvested.
In any industry, those who invested without spending three years learning the inside ropes were sooner or later stripped down to nothing.
“Hm? This place?” Entering the cave dwelling, Fang Qing looked around.
The space was not large, just a few stone chambers, sparsely furnished with only stone tables and chairs.
Yet for some reason, he felt mentally clear and physically at ease while here.
“Could this be… the effect of a second-tier spiritual vein? If I had a cultivation technique, this feeling would surely be even stronger…” Fang Qing recalled what he had seen before.
In the mortal world, spiritual energy was thin.
The Lakeside Manor had only a first-tier spiritual environment, sufficient for Qi Refining disciples.
The Seven Inner Lake Islands, however, all possessed at least second-tier spiritual veins.
Cultivating here would certainly lead to much faster progress than at the Lakeside Manor.
“Cultivation techniques! I forgot to ask about that earlier… But aside from her final reminder, Senior Sister Hua’s overall attitude was rather ordinary. Could it be that she doesn’t think much of someone like me who came in through connections? Or perhaps… she felt there was nothing worth saying?”
Fang Qing rubbed his chin, his anticipation for tomorrow steadily growing.
…
The next day.
Ten Thousand Treasures Island.
Fang Qing disembarked from the boat, gazing at the Heavenly Book Pavilion in the distance, wrapped in layers of multicolored restrictions, his steps unceasing.
“Finally…”
Only upon drawing closer could he truly feel the pavilion’s grandeur.
Its entire structure was built from a kind of aloeswood, emitting a calming fragrance.
Entering the first floor, he saw rows of bookshelves encircling the space, filled with thread-bound books of all kinds.
“Heavenly Wave Art? Qi Shark Force? Divine Movement Twelve Transformations? These are all second-rate or even first-rate martial arts.
Hm? There’s even the ‘Divine Martial Secret Tome’? Isn’t that the peerless martial art rumored in the mortal martial world?”
With just a glance, Fang Qing was secretly astonished.
Huge numbers of miscellaneous books were piled up as if they cost nothing, freely available for disciples to read.
“Junior Brother, are you a newly entered disciple?” At that moment, an Azure Sea Sect disciple approached.
“I am a pavilion-guarding disciple tasked with explaining things to junior brothers and sisters. The Heavenly Book Pavilion has nine floors. The first floor contains mortal martial arts, geography, mechanical arts—almost everything imaginable. All sect disciples may freely browse and borrow them. The second floor involves cultivation techniques, and each disciple may borrow only one. The third floor is accessible only to inner sect disciples;
the techniques, secret arts, and texts inside are all high-grade selections. As for the fourth floor and above, only Foundation Establishment cultivators or true inheritor disciples may enter.”
“So that’s how it is. Many thanks for Senior Brother’s guidance,” Fang Qing said.
He took out his disciple token, revealing the spiritual pill mark that Hua Lingsu had just stamped on it yesterday.
“I would like to go to the third floor. Do you have any recommendations?”
“So Junior Brother is actually an inner sect disciple of Pill Island. My apologies, my apologies,” the pavilion guard said, his expression instantly changing from casual to beaming.
“My name is Zeng Shu. We are fellow sect members from now on. May I ask about Junior Brother’s spiritual root?”
“Mid-grade water spiritual root,” Fang Qing replied, transferring ten contribution points along the way.
Choosing a cultivation technique was a very serious matter.
Even though he had countless chances to regret his choice, it would not be good to expose that.
On the surface, the technique he chose should be as outstanding as possible.
In this regard, spending a bit of money was nothing.
Zeng Shu had not expected this junior brother to be so perceptive.
His smile became even more sincere.
“The basic techniques on the third floor are all high-grade. Those suitable for water spiritual roots include ‘White Water Art,’ ‘Contemplating the Vast Sea,’ and ‘Commentary on the Water Classic.’ Among them, ‘White Water Art’ was originally the inherited technique of the Wu family from White Profound Island. It is said that although the cultivated spiritual power is water-aspect, it carries a trace of cold energy. In combat, if an enemy is careless, their dharma body may be frozen stiff, causing them to suffer a great loss…”
“‘Contemplating the Vast Sea’ is an ancient technique, famous for its abundant mana. It is said that senior brothers and sisters who cultivate it possess one or two tenths more mana than other cultivators at the same realm…”
“‘Commentary on the Water Classic,’ on the other hand, is derived from our sect’s Azure Sea Patriarch’s main cultivation technique—the ‘Azure Sea Art.’ If one uses it to build a foundation, they can later switch to the ‘Azure Sea Art’ without any loss…”
…
Having received benefits, Zeng Shu truly explained everything in meticulous detail.
‘Potential… this is very important,’ Fang Qing thought after listening.
He quickly made his decision.
‘The Wu family of White Profound Island is only a Foundation Establishment clan.
“White Water Art” has no subsequent Core Formation chapter… “Contemplating the Vast Sea” is also a fragment of an ancient technique.
Although it has a great reputation, our sect has no follow-up for it.’
‘Although these two techniques have their own special traits, “Commentary on the Water Classic” is rather ordinary.
However, it has fewer bottlenecks and allows seamless progression in the future.’
For those who only cared about reaching Foundation Establishment, it made little difference which technique they chose.
But for Fang Qing, Foundation Establishment was certainly not the end.
Choosing the carefully selected “Commentary on the Water Classic” approved by the Azure Sea True Person was clearly the right choice.
Even if the other two techniques might present other opportunities in the future, the opportunities of his own sect were evidently more suitable for him.
“Then I’ll take ‘Commentary on the Water Classic’!”