Chapter Eleven: Also a Cultivator

On the field, Sun Qi was still waiting, unaware of the situation that had just unfolded in the division.

“Sun Qi, it’s time to go.”

Li Mu, pulling Li Ying along, wore a somber expression—completely different from the steady composure he’d shown when they arrived.

Seeing Li Mu’s face, Sun Qi guessed the experiment hadn’t succeeded and followed behind with indifference.

After walking a while, Sun Qi, kind-hearted as he was, couldn’t help but offer some consolation. “Brother Mu, not being able to cultivate immortality isn’t really such a loss. And cultivators aren’t necessarily better off, either. Look at me—I worked so hard to become one just so I could help my little brother with his illness, but I can barely earn enough spirit crystals. All I can do is watch him suffer—ah, it’s hard.”

Li Mu said nothing.

“Even if you can live a few hundred years, so what? Each realm—Qi Condensation, Spirit Foundation, Vein Tempering—is harder than the last. Without resources, you could spend centuries just on cultivation and still not form your inner core, losing all the opportunities of a mortal life in the process...”

Hearing Sun Qi’s mutterings, Li Mu turned back with a smile. “Where can I buy a Purity Transformation Pill?”

Sun Qi nearly jumped from surprise. “Brother Mu, are you joking?”

Li Mu shook his head seriously. “No, I’m not. Tell me, and I’ll pay you in spirit crystals.”

Sun Qi hurriedly waved his hand. “No need—my daily wages are more than enough. But even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to get one. I’ve heard that in the Cloud Mountain Realm, only two sects have Purity Transformation Pills—the Jade Iron Sect and the Bright Jade Valley. But neither of them will sell.”

“Why not?” Li Mu asked.

“To make a fourth-grade pill like the Purity Transformation Pill requires a huge amount of rare ingredients, and the success rate is terrifyingly low. Every few pills the sects manage to produce are reserved for the sect leader or the elders’ descendants. They never sell them outside.” Sun Qi explained as he watched Li Mu’s expression.

Li Mu nodded slightly. It did sound difficult, but even so, he didn’t feel it would be impossible to acquire if he needed it.

“All right, then. Take me to a cultivation ground—the higher the grade, the better.” Li Mu stepped back to walk alongside Sun Qi, his face once again calm and composed.

There were many cultivation grounds in Deyang City, all set with spirit-gathering arrays, making them far more effective than practicing outside. Aside from those reserved for Jade Iron Sect disciples, these grounds were also open to other cultivators—for a hefty fee.

Sun Qi stopped abruptly, his face anxious. “No, Brother Mu. Without the talent, you mustn’t try to cultivate or you’ll end up dead.”

“I know. I won’t harm myself.” Li Mu patted Sun Qi’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I can cultivate. It’s just my little sister who can’t—yet. Give it time, she will be able to as well.”

Li Ying pouted and pinched Li Mu lightly. She couldn’t quite grasp what cultivation was, but she had an uneasy feeling about it all.

“Really?” Sun Qi nodded doubtfully. “If that’s so, fine. There are first- and second-grade spirit-gathering arrays in the city. Everywhere else is first-grade, but the second-grade ones are very expensive.”

“How expensive?” Li Mu asked.

Sun Qi hesitated, as if afraid even to say it. “Fifty low-grade spirit crystals per day.”

Li Mu smiled. “No matter—take me there.”

Sun Qi said no more and led the way to the cultivation grounds. He’d realized that Li Mu’s actions were unpredictable, and it was best just to follow instructions. Besides, the pay was generous.

When they reached the entrance, Li Mu gave Sun Qi instructions. “Bring food here every day and wait for me—twenty-two days, without interruption. Here are twenty-five low-grade spirit crystals. Keep them. I’ll be here for the next twenty-two days.”

Sun Qi glanced around nervously before accepting the crystals, his expression extra cautious. “Rest easy, Brother Mu. I’ll be here every day.”

Li Mu nodded without another word and walked into the grounds.

This was, in a way, a test for Sun Qi—to see if he was truly dependable. Of the twenty-five crystals, twenty-two were for food, and three were wages—a much stricter arrangement than before. If Sun Qi was still willing and did his job well, it would prove he was someone worth keeping.

After several days of conversation, Li Mu was beginning to accept Sun Qi, but he needed a bit more time to be sure. He wasn’t eager to join a sect, which meant he’d need others to handle many things for him, so he had to start building his own circle of people.

Sun Qi was an excellent candidate.

Following a winding underground passage, Li Mu arrived at a hall beneath the earth.

Beneath the hall was a second-grade spirit-gathering array, drawing spiritual energy from the underground ley lines with the aid of spirit crystals. Dozens of sealed cultivation chambers lined the area, each isolated from the others.

“How many days would you like to cultivate, sir?” A blue-robed cultivator stepped forward, noting with some surprise that neither Li Mu nor Li Ying showed any signs of being cultivators.

“Is this crystal enough for twenty-two days?” Li Mu placed a glowing mid-grade spirit crystal in the man’s hand.

The blue-robed cultivator’s eyes lit up, his tone turning respectful. “Right away, sir. Boy!”

A young attendant rushed over, holding a bunch of black keys.

The cultivator smiled deferentially. “Please, choose any chamber you like—they’re all excellent, and the spiritual energy is plentiful.”

Li Mu asked with a smile, “Is it quiet?”

The blue-robed cultivator patted his chest in assurance. “Absolutely. As long as your time hasn’t run out, no one will disturb you. The chambers are shielded by isolation arrays—the inside and outside are like two different worlds. You needn’t worry about interruptions.”

Li Mu picked a key at random. “That will do.”

As Li Mu and Li Ying entered the chamber, the blue-robed cultivator snorted and said to the attendant, “Keep an eye on that room. The man isn’t a cultivator—he might drop dead in there, and then I can make a little profit.”

Such things had happened before, and the blue-robed cultivator had made more than a little from them. In his eyes, Li Mu was just another piece of meat.

The attendant nodded knowingly and stood motionless outside Li Mu’s chamber.

Li Mu gave Li Ying a few instructions, then sat cross-legged on the mat and began to study the new cultivation method he’d obtained.

The method was called the Synthesis Technique—a common, low-level practice that could take one as far as the Spirit Foundation stage.

Li Mu focused his mind and drew several top-grade multicolored stones from his spirit tower, gripping them tightly in his hands.

Guarding his spirit, gathering all methods into one.

Within the spirit-gathering array, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed like gentle rain, passing through the multicolored stones and flooding into Li Mu’s hands.

That familiar warmth—the true force—returned, just as it had in the chamber of force.

This time, however, he did not faint.

Following the technique, Li Mu patiently guided the warmth, letting it flow through his meridians and circulate in a complete cycle, gradually transforming it into true force.

The true force was still wild and untamed, like a stubborn colt. But after some turmoil and a wave of sharp pain, it finally settled quietly in his dantian.

Within his dantian, a pool of energy formed, and the true force gradually became docile.

The entire process didn’t take long, but it was remarkable all the same.

“So that’s it?” Li Mu felt the true force coursing through his body like water and was quite pleased.

At last, he was a cultivator—much more easily than he had expected.

Still, he knew the road ahead was long. He had only taken the first step. After savoring his joy for a moment, Li Mu quietly composed himself once more.