Chapter 131 - 122: Planting Some Tobacco
The True Scripture of the Five Spirits Transforming Evil and Refining Form was created by a Late-stage Nascent Soul Elder of the Beast Taming Sect and was rated as Earth Tier Upper Grade. Four thousand five hundred years ago, the Elder who created this Cultivation Technique was an undisputed prodigy of his generation, a figure who led the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect and pioneered a new path.
This Elder’s original name was Zuo Changsheng. Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm and passed away of old age after living for three thousand five hundred years.
However, the path he pioneered—using evil energy to refine one’s form—forged a new way forward for the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect.
Fang Qingyuan placed his hand on the stone stele before him. A continuous stream of information flooded into his mind, giving him a clearer understanding of the Cultivation Technique.
The Beast Taming Sect’s concept of the Five Spirits referred to five types of Spirit Beasts: the Turtle Spirit of the Water Element, the Crane Spirit of the Fire Element, the Bear Spirit of the Earth Element, the Tiger Spirit of the Gold Element, and the Dragon Spirit of the Wood Element.
Each of these five Spirit Beasts corresponded to a type of Spirit Root. Zuo Changsheng believed one could use their own evil energy to temper themselves and condense it into a True Spirit Object.
Zuo Changsheng did not tame beasts. His Five Spirit Evil Aspects were his most obedient and powerful Companion Beasts.
Fang Qingyuan read the description of the Cultivation Technique. As Zuo Changsheng mastered its later stages, he not only refined away the evil energy within his own body but also collected corresponding Spiritual Evils from all over. In the end, he even dissolved all his emotions and desires into the technique itself.
Originally, this Cultivation Technique could have been rated as Celestial Tier, ranked just below the Beast Taming Sect’s few foundational, sect-defining scriptures, placing it in the second-highest echelon.
However, because Zuo Changsheng reached a point where his emotions and desires were gone, he divided his various emotions, consciousness, and soul into five parts. He infused them all into his Five Elements Spiritual Beasts, hoping to use this method to break through to Divinity Transformation. But in the end, he failed.
As a result, the Cultivation Technique was ultimately proven incapable of facilitating a breakthrough to the Divinity Transformation Realm, so its quality was downgraded by one grade.
Cultivation Techniques rated as Celestial Tier all share one characteristic: there must be at least one Cultivator who has successfully used it to become a Divinity Transformation Cultivator.
Otherwise, no matter how powerful a Cultivation Technique is, if no one has become a Divinity Transformation Cultivator through it, it can only be rated as Earth Tier.
Subsequent Beast Taming Sect disciples who practiced this technique also failed to become Divinity Transformation Cultivators. A few did reach the Nascent Soul realm, but they all later switched to other techniques due to this one’s hidden dangers.
These records were inscribed very clearly on the stele. It detailed how many Nascent Soul Cultivators had practiced this technique over the years and what stage they had reached.
After Fang Qingyuan read this information, he still felt only excitement, not a trace of worry. ’I’m only at Late-stage Qi Refining right now,’ he thought. ’The troubles of a Nascent Soul ascending to Divinity Transformation are far too distant for me to consider.’
Compared to the technique before him, the five jade scrolls in his robes might as well be thrown away. Zuo Changsheng was a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator who had failed to reach Divinity Transformation. In contrast, the creators of the techniques from the jade scrolls Fang Qingyuan had collected on the second floor were mostly Golden Core cultivators. The occasional Nascent Soul Cultivator among them was only in the initial stage.
Besides, compared to single-element techniques, The True Scripture of the Five Spirits Transforming Evil and Refining Form, which encompassed all five elements, was the most suitable for him.
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan began to worry. ’I’ve chosen the Cultivation Technique, but how am I supposed to take it with me?’
The information Fang Qingyuan had just received was only an introduction to the technique, its concepts, cultivation requirements, and the life story of its creator. The actual content of the Cultivation Technique had not been revealed.
This stele wasn’t a jade scroll that he could take to the Scripture Pavilion’s guardian to make a copy. ’Am I supposed to haul this entire stele away?’
Just as Fang Qingyuan was wondering about this, a figure suddenly appeared in a corner of the mountainous terrain. The man’s eyes were a milky white, and his grizzled hair was disheveled. He spoke to Fang Qingyuan:
"Have you made your choice? If so, just let me know, and I will transmit the technique to you."
Only when the man spoke did Fang Qingyuan realize that someone had been watching him this whole time. He quickly wracked his brain, trying to recall if he had done anything inappropriate over the past few days. After a moment of reflection, Fang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at the white-haired, blind Cultivator before him. Sensing the man’s aura, Fang Qingyuan was startled. The presence this person exuded was on par with Lechuan’s, perhaps even slightly stronger.
’Where did a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator come from? And is a figure of this caliber just staying here specifically to transmit a technique to me?’
Fang Qingyuan’s thoughts churned. Mustering his courage, he asked:
"This disciple is a member of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. May I ask if Senior is also a member of the Beast Taming Sect?"
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, the blind Golden Core Cultivator chuckled softly.
"Which connection did you use to get here, little one? They didn’t even explain this to you before you came. Of course I’m a Beast Taming Sect Member, just from a different branch. This is an important Scripture Pavilion jointly established by the various branches of the Beast Taming Sect, including those from the Southern Border Wilderness Forest, the Flying Sand Basin, the Ancient Grassland, and the South Sea Islands. What you see now is only a small part of it."
After the blind Golden Core Cultivator finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan was utterly shocked. He never imagined this place was jointly established by the various branches. He had previously assumed it was Lechuan’s doing.
Before Fang Qingyuan could react, the blind Golden Core Cultivator spoke again.
"Your Southern Border Beast Taming Sect joined late; you were only added in recent years. We’ve given you some preferential treatment, allowing some Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to come here. Otherwise, without a Foundation Establishment cultivation base, you wouldn’t even be allowed a single glance. Since you’ve chosen your Cultivation Technique, tell me what it is."
Fang Qingyuan composed himself and looked at his surroundings. Only now did he begin to feel the true depth of the Beast Taming Sect’s heritage. Back at the Tianshan Villa, aside from being held in high regard by other sects, Fang Qingyuan hadn’t felt much different from any other Cultivator.
’Thinking back, it was just that Tianshan Villa hadn’t yet entered this inner circle,’ he mused. Now, this Scripture Pavilion alone revealed so much.
With this hidden Teleportation Array, if the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect was ever in trouble, they could summon at least a dozen Golden Core cultivators with a single call. And that wasn’t even counting people from the main sect.
These miscellaneous thoughts flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind. He then said respectfully:
"This disciple has made his choice. It is The True Scripture of the Five Spirits Transforming Evil and Refining Form. I ask that Senior transmit the technique to me."
After speaking, Fang Qingyuan looked eagerly at the blind Golden Core Cultivator, but the cultivator only chuckled and said, "Of course, of course," while making no other move.
At first, Fang Qingyuan waited, but after a few breaths, he came to his senses. He took the storage bag from his waist, presented it to the blind Golden Core Cultivator, and said:
"This disciple understands that there are no free lunches in this world. These few Spirit Stones are but a small token of my sincerity."
The blind Golden Core Cultivator took the storage bag from Fang Qingyuan. With a light sweep of his Divine Sense, he easily broke the brand Fang Qingyuan had placed on it.
A breath later, the blind cultivator sensed the number of Spirit Stones inside the storage bag. A smile appeared on his face. He then tucked the bag into his robes and reminded him:
"Techniques cannot be transmitted lightly. You must treat this Cultivation Technique with the utmost seriousness."
Fang Qingyuan nodded in agreement, but his heart was bleeding. The storage bag he had just handed over contained nearly five thousand Spirit Stones. He had originally intended to use them to pay for copying the technique, but in the blink of an eye, even the storage bag itself was gone.
’It’s a good thing I’m used to storing most of my Spirit Stones in the Immortal Mansion Space,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, if this blind cultivator had sensed them all, who knows how greedy he would have become.’
After speaking, the blind cultivator took out a Token and began to channel Spiritual Power into it. A moment later, a beam of light shot out from the stele behind Fang Qingyuan, enveloping him.
As the light shone on him, the specific Cultivation Methods of The True Scripture of the Five Spirits Transforming Evil and Refining Form flowed continuously into the depths of Fang Qingyuan’s mind.
Faced with this situation, Fang Qingyuan did not resist with his soul. Instead, he opened his mind and body to receive it.
A quarter of an hour later, Fang Qingyuan opened his eyes. He felt as though a new Cultivation Technique had been added to his mind. When he focused his thoughts, points of light emerged one after another, quietly bathing his mind in a clear radiance.
In addition to the text, a set of insights was also stored in his mind, giving him an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the technique.
When he relaxed his thoughts, the text faded away. Fang Qingyuan knew that if he wanted to view it again, he only needed to focus his mind, and the information would reappear.
After briefly experiencing it, Fang Qingyuan grew fond of this method of transmitting techniques. ’If this method existed in my past life,’ he mused, ’I would never have had to worry about my studies.’
However, after examining it, Fang Qingyuan discovered that the version of The True Scripture of the Five Spirits Transforming Evil and Refining Form in his mind only contained the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment sections. The subsequent Golden Core and Nascent Soul sections were missing.
Upon discovering this problem, Fang Qingyuan looked up at the blind Golden Core Cultivator and asked:
"Senior, why are the Golden Core and Nascent Soul parts of the technique missing?"
In response to Fang Qingyuan’s question, the blind Golden Core Cultivator said:
"You can come back to receive the subsequent parts of the technique once you reach Late-stage Foundation Establishment. If I gave you the entire thing now and an enemy performed a Soul Search on you, wouldn’t the technique be leaked? Besides, not even one in a thousand Qi Cultivation cultivators ever reaches the Golden Core Stage. It’s useless for you to think about this now."
Silenced by the blind Golden Core Cultivator’s words, Fang Qingyuan felt frustrated, but he had no rebuttal. To claim now that he would definitely reach the Golden Core Stage would only make him a laughingstock.
After the technique was transmitted, the blind Golden Core Cultivator looked at Fang Qingyuan and continued:
"Alright, you can only choose one Cultivation Technique at a time. Since you’ve already made your choice, it’s time for you to go back."
A reluctant expression appeared on Fang Qingyuan’s face. He was loath to leave the many cultivation techniques here, and he was also pained by the Spirit Stones he had just handed over.
But Fang Qingyuan’s reluctance didn’t matter to the blind Golden Core Cultivator. With a wave of his hand, Fang Qingyuan was overcome by a dizzy spell, and in the next moment, he was back on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion at Celestial Gate Mountain.
Looking at the familiar tables and jade scrolls, Fang Qingyuan sighed. He put back the four jade scrolls he was carrying, keeping only the Gold Element Cultivation Technique Jade Scroll, and then walked toward the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.
He didn’t plan to practice the technique on this jade scroll himself; he intended to leave it for Liu Xun and Qu Wujie. ’Those two youngsters are the next generation of Yuanling Mountain,’ he thought. ’I need to train them well. At the very least, once they’re trained, I’ll have someone to order around.’
At the entrance, Fang Qingyuan took out several thousand Spirit Stones from his Immortal Mansion Space and packed them away. He now had three storage bags: one for spiritual materials, one for Spirit Stones, and one for miscellaneous items.
The storage bag for Spirit Stones was only two cubic meters in size, so giving it away wasn’t a huge loss. But his other storage bags were ten cubic meters each; if he lost one of those, Fang Qingyuan would die of heartache.
After paying one thousand Spirit Stones to have the jade scroll copied, Fang Qingyuan finally left. He went to the Beast Cages, retrieved Jinbao, and then the man and his beast left Celestial Gate Mountain without dallying. They flew for seven or eight days straight before finally returning to Yuanling Mountain.
After returning home, Fang Qingyuan didn’t rush to cultivate. He first went to inspect the four mining pits around Yuanling Mountain and found that Jiang Kui had already set up the arrays and planted the Earth-Drinking Dragon Worm hatchlings.
Over ten thousand Earth-Drinking Dragon Worm hatchlings were distributed among the four mining pits. These hatchlings would consume the Spirit Vein Ore Soil, and their waste would serve as excellent fertilizer.
Aside from the most valuable area on Yuanling Mountain, which was Tier Two Middle Grade, the terrain from the summit down to the foot of the mountain was relatively gentle. This formed a large slope that could be transformed into a Tier One Lower Grade hillside through special Spirit-Summoning techniques.
This hillside was naturally unsuitable for cultivation, but it could be used to grow some low-level Spirit Plants. After harvesting them, it would, at the very least, bring in some Spirit Stones for Yuanling Mountain.
Jiang Kui had not had the energy to manage this land before. She was not a Spirit Plant Cultivator, and with her busy schedule, she didn’t have the inclination to deal with it.
Now, Fang Qingyuan figured it would take at least seven or eight years for the Earth-Drinking Dragon Worm hatchlings to grow large enough to be sold. In the meantime, Yuanling Mountain could rely on farming to make a living and earn some quick money.
As for what to plant on this land, Fang Qingyuan already had an idea: he would plant some tobacco leaves.