"Sir, may I ask about that forest over there?" The young man pointed to a distant forest from which he had recently erged.
"Oh? The Red Tiger Forest?" The old man raised his eyebrows. "Boy, don't go near that place. It's too dangerous. Although the outskirts are peaceful, sotis a beast cos out from the inner depths to take a stroll."
"Huh? But why are the outskirts so calm? And those beasts... could they attack the city?" the young man asked, curious.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but they say the inner forest is rich in spiritual energy. The monsters don't like to leave that place for sowhere as poor as the outskirts... or even the city." The old man replied, his gaze drifting towards the forest, as if recalling old mories.
"Spiritual energy? What's that?" The young man asked, pretending to be confused to gather more information.
The old man stared at him for a mont, surprised by his ignorance, but quickly yielded to the question.
"It's rare to find soone who hasn't heard of spiritual energy. They say it's the power that legendary immortals use to practice and achieve great strength. But... no one knows if those immortals really exist, so many think it's just a myth. What matters is that martial arts masters can train much faster in places with high concentrations of that energy."
The old man's eyes glead with nostalgia at the ntion of martial arts.
'So immortals are just legends here... That ans they're either well hidden or this region is extrely underdeveloped. I'm betting on the latter.' The young man pondered silently.
"Sir, what can you tell about martial arts?" He changed the topic, realizing that asking about immortals would be pointless in that city. It was better to inquire about martial arts, which could at least give him a bit more security while training.
The old man let out a low chuckle, stroking his beard as his chest swelled with pride.
"Hoho! You're in luck, boy! If you'd asked soone else, they might not have known, but I... In my youth, I also pursued the path of martial arts."
"Please, sir! Teach !" The young man bowed respectfully, feigning youthful enthusiasm.
"Hoho! No need to be so formal, lad! Let see... Ah, I know where to start!" The old man adjusted his posture and began to explain.
"Martial artists are divided into levels. First cos Skin Refinent, then Blood Refinent, followed by Bone Refinent. But above that… lies the legendary Innate Realm. They say those who reach the Innate Realm touch immortality."
The old man's voice trembled slightly, revealing his suppressed longing.
'He never gave up on his dream of becoming a martial arts master... Makes sense. For soone trapped in the life of a poor farr, the glory of martial arts must seem like paradise.' The young man reflected silently.
"Sir, how can I learn martial arts?" His eyes glead as he asked.
The old man froze.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Boy, you'd best forget about that. To beco a martial artist, you need training manuals. Those manuals are too expensive for people like us. If you want to learn without money, you'd have to beco a servant for a martial family, but they only train young children, which is the best age for training. And they're strict about the talent of those children..."
The old man coughed again, trying to dissuade the boy from pursuing a path of hardship and disillusionnt.
'This old man must have tried in his youth but failed due to a lack of talent...' The young man deduced, analyzing every word and expression.
"And how much does a martial arts manual cost?" He asked, maintaining an innocent tone of curiosity.
The old man sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging as if carrying the weight of old frustrations. His eyes seed to see a reflection of his younger self. He decided to be brutally honest, hoping to shatter the young man's illusions.
"At the Wubao Pavilion, the cheapest manual for Skin Refinent costs 20 gold coins. That's equivalent to 2,000 silver coins."
The young man's eyes widened in shock.
'Then the best techniques must cost an unimaginable fortune... Maybe they're not even for sale.' He pondered, absorbing the information.
He continued chatting with the old man, fishing for details about the value of the coins. He soon understood how absurd that price was: an entire family of rural workers could barely save 25 to 30 silver coins per year. There was no honest way to get that kind of money.
As for becoming a servant to a martial family... Even if they accepted his age, he would never lower himself to that. Serving a martial family in this world of immortal cultivators? Not even in his worst nightmares.
Fortunately, he had alternatives.
His Foundation Establishnt avatar was no joke. Finding martial arts using it wouldn't be difficult.
Besides, if an Innate master was considered soone who touched immortality, then he was probably at the initial stage of Qi Refinent... Not a serious threat to his avatars.
And his instincts told him that the path of martial arts was what soone like him, without spiritual roots, needed to start his journey to immortal cultivation.
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