The night fell.
Snowflakes began to drift down in Shanyin again.
Mountain winds howled, the snowflakes spiraling in the wind, twinkling like strands of silver light against the ink-dark night.
Zhou Yi moved a stone table to the entrance of the cave, boiled a kettle of water, and brewed so common Dragon Well tea.
Enjoying tea, admiring the snow!
Outside the cave, the snowstorm raged; inside, warmth filled the air.
In this vast and silent world, where everything seed still, there remained only the sounds of the wind, the snow, the crackling flas, the boiling water, and the old man's drinking.
Zhou Yi murmured, "If it could always be like this, what use would there be in worrying about cultivation?"
Jiang Kang lifted his eyelids slightly, his eyes flashing with approval. Cultivators often wear themselves out with constant striving, and few could possess such a state of mind. It was a sha that the aptitude was truly lacking; it's not to even ntion condensing a Golden Core, reaching the later stages of Foundation Establishnt before one's life ends would be difficult.
"The old daoist has made a mistake, feeling sorry for implicating you, Junior Brother, to keep watch during the night."
"It's the duty of a junior brother. There are no rits to be gained without effort; besides, the guidance my senior brother provides during the day has been very beneficial."
Zhou Yi took on the task at the Cliff of Reflection, where he must ensure the punished disciples do not die to the Black Wind Poisonous Fire. Now that there is sobody being punished within the cave, he must be on duty at all tis. An accident could result in a penalty, severity depending on the consequences.
This was the reason why no one was willing to co to the Cliff of Reflection; it was difficult to find ti to cultivate oneself properly, and it felt akin to serving a prison sentence alongside the punished.
Normally, there should be two True Immortals on duty, but since the other could not be summoned, Zhou Yi had to work day and night shifts alone. He planned to report to the External Affairs Hall at the end of the year to ask for at least a fifty percent increase in overti pay!
One person doing the work of two deserved one and a half tis the pay—it was only fair!
"Those things I ntioned, you will co to understand naturally after you've spent a decade or two in the sect."
Jiang Kang said, "The old daoist was not indebted to anyone while alive, much less after death. Junior Brother, what is it that you desire? Speak."
Zhou Yi pondered for a mont. A re few jars of Spiritual Wine aren't worth dreaming of obtaining true scriptures. The old daoist before him seed benign, but let's not forget he's a ruthless killer of Demon Heads; if provoked, a few bolts of Lightning thods could co thundering over.
"Senior Brother, are there many Cultivation Techniques within the demonic path that consu one's lifespan?"
"How could that be possible!"
Jiang Kang shook his head, "Demonic cultivators also seek longevity, only with beliefs that clash with the orthodox path. Moreover, lifespan is mysterious; it's not sothing that can be spent or transford at will. The likes of Soldier Refining Art and Jade Dew Art have extraordinary origins."
Zhou Yi asked with interest, "Please enlighten , Senior Brother."
"Let's talk about the Soldier Refining Art first. It is now prevalent within demonic sects, but its source lies in the Heavenly Demon Palace. It is derived from the Sect-Protecting Technique, Swallowing Heaven Scripture, fad for its ability to devour all things under heaven.
A Demon Lord extracted the concept of devouring from the scripture, and by integrating other Arts, he created the Soldier Refining Art."
Jiang Kang continued, "And the origin of Jade Dew Art is even more extraordinary; it's a legacy of the ancient holy land, Severing Heaven Sect. Sadly, only scattered fragnts remain. After several modifications, it beca a heretical Art."
"That's truly a pity."
Zhou Yi was not concerned about the discontinuation of Severing Heaven Sect's heritage, but regretted that lifespan-consuming techniques were so rare.
"Junior brother, if you're interested in techniques that expend lifespan, there's no need to look towards demonic paths; our sect possesses one such thod..."
Jiang Kang seed to have just rembered, "It's called the Minor Severing Heaven Technique, a top-notch divination and deduction secret technique that can consu lifespan to predict the heavenly secrets. Regrettably, it's severely incomplete; not only does it consu a vast amount of lifespan, but it can only sense fortunes and misfortunes."
"Minor Severing Heaven Technique!"
Zhou Yi exclaid, "Isn't sensing fortunes and misfortunes good? Seeking fortune and avoiding disaster is truly a Supre Wonderful thod."
Jiang Kang sighed, "The pursuit in the path of immortality is fierce, longevity is too far away; as long as one aims to advance one's realm, most of the ti, despite knowing the dangers, they still risk their lives..."
"You make a good point."
Zhou Yi's eyes twinkled, instantly placing the Minor Severing Heaven Technique at the top of his rits exchange list.
What in the world could be more important than safety? If he divined ominous signs, he could simply retreat to the mundane world for a few years. At worst, dissolve his cultivation and rebuild to return later.
"Senior brother, is the Minor Severing Heaven Technique only teachable through true transmission?"
"Of course. The cultivation techniques common disciples co across can only be considered second-rate. It's not that the power of the spells is insufficient, but they co with various flaws—it's either slow progress, difficult to master, or the cost is too great."
Jiang Kang said, "The Minor Severing Heaven Technique is the secret legacy of Severing Heaven Holy Land. Even with its severe omissions, it's very convenient to use when eliminating demons."
True Transmission!
Zhou Yi imdiately quelled the thought. The soul jade slip had too many flaws, and he had to find another way to obtain it.
"Senior brother, how much do you know about Severing Heaven Sect and the Heavenly Demon Palace?"
"I've only heard their nas. There are so rumors within the sect that suggest a connection with Severing Heaven Sect."
Jiang Kang shook his head, "The old ancestors in the sect are highly secretive about it. Perhaps only upon advancing to Golden Elixir True Monarch could one know the details within."
Zhou Yi didn't care; throughout history, countless sacred lands had disappeared, and ti was truly the supre force.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, exchanging a few jars of Spiritual Wine for such secret news, today has been quite profitable."
"Hahaha! I can't let you profit for nothing, you must bring more jars next ti!"
Reflecting on the past hundred years, Jiang Kang struggled, cultivated ardently, and contended in magic battles, only to end up dead and his path extinguished, nowhere near as carefree as his junior brother was living.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother, there'll be plenty of wine."
Zhou Yi took out more than a dozen jars at once, stacking them within the Formation and Prohibition.
Today's gains were substantial, with the Severing Heaven Technique ranking first, a technique he must acquire by any ans in the future.
Secondly, he learned that in addition to demon extermination tasks, he could hire fellow disciples with Spirit Stones.
This revealed a more reliable thod to earn rit points!
Since Yang Hua had hired fellow disciples more than once, it was apparent that the sect tacitly consented to this practice, which reduced the death and injury of disciples and allowed those proficient in magic battles to earn Spirit Stones.
Therefore, the original plan to exchange Foundation Establishnt Pills for rit points seed sowhat unwise.
Zhou Yi planned to seize an opportunity to sell the Foundation Establishnt Pills to fellow disciples, potentially getting forty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones. He could then use these to hire disciples for demon extermination, legally and rightfully earning three to four thousand rit points even with a discount.
While this extended the tiline, it made the process much more secure.
Moreover, since the minimum requirent for demon extermination tasks was once every ten years, and they could be taken consecutively, one could accumulate tasks for several decades without needing to complete them imdiately.
Worldly affairs are like a ga of chess, with each move bringing a new situation.
The core of Zhou Yi's actions was stability; everything else could be adapted to as necessary.
"Senior Brother, why don't you talk about past demon extermination exploits in Ji Continent? Allow your junior to admire your experiences."
"What's there to tell about those..."
Jiang Kang took a big swig of wine, chuckling with a grin, "Eighty years ago, there was this Demon Head with the surna Li who caused trouble in the Cloud Continent. This Demon Head had so tricks up his sleeve, defeated three Successors, and escaped back to Ji Continent..."
One of these Successors happened to be a good friend of Jiang Kang, who imdiately used Thunder Flight Escape upon hearing the news.
Chasing across two continents for thirty thousand miles, he summoned a Heavenly Thunder Strike and blasted the Demon Head to ashes.
"In my whole life, I've devoted myself to the Lightning thod, and my Thunder Escape is known for its extre speed, which earned the nickna of Flying Thunder Immortal after that incident..."
Since Jiang Kang himself was involved in the matter and knew the details clearly, and had a knack for storytelling, the narrative he provided was fascinating.
Zhou Yi listened with admiration and understood why the Law Enforcent Hall allowed Jiang Kang to live out his days; after all, he had rendered great services to the sect.
"Even if Senior Brother's life cos to an end, the na of Flying Thunder Immortal will be passed down for hundreds of years, making the little demons of Ji Continent flee in terror at its ntion!"
"Hahaha!"
Jiang Kang found his junior brother more and more amusing, as he always seed to flatter in a way that struck the right chord.
Until dawn ca.
Zhou Yi listened to tales of past mories for half the night and thought Jiang Kang was like a character from a storybook, adept in the Wonderful Lightning Technique, exorcising demons, and living a free and easy life.
Suddenly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three successive bell tolls echoed throughout the realms.
Zhou Yi was briefly startled, calculated the date, and chuckled, "It turns out it's the end of the year already, today is the day of the sect's minor competition."
"Aren't you going to see it? Don't worry about this place, even if Black Wind Poisonous Fire were ten tis fiercer, it wouldn't harm this old Taoist."
As Jiang Kang reminisced to Zhou Yi, he was also recounting for himself. At this mont, confirming two hundred years of experiences, he felt he had done justice to the sect and his path, and would have no regrets even if his life ended right there.
Zhou Yi shook his head, "What's so interesting about a bunch of kids in the Qi Refinent Realm fighting each other with magic?"
"You're mistaken about that, back in the day the old Taoist ticulously recorded every battle..."
Jiang Kang chuckled mischievously, akin to a fox that got away with stealing a chicken, and continued speaking.
"I ticulously noted all the disciples' Cultivation Techniques, secret techniques, and combat habits, especially the top ten, even their personalities. When you confront them in the sect's major competition in the future, if you know both your opponent and yourself, you have a threefold likelihood of victory before the fight even begins!"
"..."
Zhou Yi was shocked for a mont, as he closely observed Jiang Kang, was this the sa domineering and awe-inspiring Flying Thunder Immortal?
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