The herbal hoe ca down, and with a loud crash, a large section of the cliff face was swept away. Yu Ci began to work carefully, ticulously grinding through the rock layers. Even so, as the herbal hoe passed, stone dust fluttered down as if the stone wall in front of him were made of clay rather than being as solid as gold or iron.
At this mont, soone shouted from the mist nearby.
“Uncle Yu, there are three hundred plants over here. Let's take a break!” The voice of the young man was still raspy from voice changes, and there was a chance he was exaggerating to gain sympathy.
Yu Ci turned his head and responded. The boy’s cheers could be faintly heard from afar. He shook his head and continued his work until he had extracted the herbs completely and placed them into a stone box. This was the last “suspected Dragon Fish Grass” within a fifty-mile radius, and the progress was ten tis faster than in previous days!
At tis like this, Yu Ci found Ye Tu to be quite an interesting young fellow.
Ye Tu was the boy he had saved. According to him, he had co flying from the world's far eastern seas aboard a giant ship made of clouds. He had traveled and explored until reaching the Sky Rift Valley, where he was ambushed and robbed by nearby poisonous snakes and monks when he revealed his white gold knife during a hunt.
As for the so-called “cloud-moving mountain boat,” Yu Ci was only half-convinced. He was willing to believe in the many incredible things in this world and considered them as goals to pursue. The rest was just irritation at the boy's boastful personality.
To Yu Ci, the kid was a typical rich young master who, besides being boastful, had a series of issues such as being cowardly, petty, and lazy. The most troubling was his cowardice, which Yu Ci found disheartening, as it tainted his admiration for cultivators.
After scolding the boy a few tis, Ye Tu had stopped calling him “Brother Yu” and had switched to “Uncle” — purely a child’s nature.
However, the boy did have so admirable qualities, such as his wealth!
It was no wonder that the poisonous snake monks had targeted him. The boy was like a treasure trove, with his storage ring constantly producing strange and rare items. The herbal hoe in Yu Ci’s hand was one such gift from the boy, made entirely of so hard jade-like material. Even without infusing true energy, it could cut through stone like mud, greatly improving Yu Ci’s efficiency in digging for herbs.
Additionally, the boy’s cultivation was astonishing. At just fifteen, he had already reached the Divine Connectivity Realm and was a genuine cultivator, whereas Yu Ci had only reached this level five days ago and was already twenty-five. It was no wonder the boy insisted on calling him “Uncle” after learning his real age.
However, Ye Tu was not grateful for Yu Ci’s admiration and even felt insulted: “My sister is ten years old and has already reached the Yin Spirit stage. If it weren’t for Master thinking she was too young and wanting her to stabilize first, she might already be starting to cultivate swords and demons. Compared to her, what am I?”
“If you’re nothing, what am I?” Yu Ci felt disgruntled and, in a vengeful manner, ruffled the boy’s hair, making his hairstyle a ss. Although the boy grimaced in dissatisfaction, his expression suggested he actually enjoyed it.
This kid… must be a dog in his past life!
“By the way, what does it an to cultivate a sword?”
“Cultivating a sword? It’s the starting point of sword cultivation techniques, similar to the alchemy in the Daoist and the relics in Buddhism. It involves using one's vital essence to nurture the sword’s killing intent, guiding it with the spirit so that the practitioner’s three treasures rge with the sword. By supporting the innate tal Qi, one can overco all obstacles, demons, and calamities with a single sword strike, thereby achieving immortality…”
This was a bit hard to understand. Yu Ci controlled his expression and asked, “And what does it an to reach the Yin Spirit stage?”
Ye Tu, who had been speaking passionately, was montarily stunned by the question. He blinked and looked at Yu Ci. After a while, he tentatively asked, “Uncle Yu, are you actually a loose cultivator?”
Yu Ci was puzzled for a mont but nodded. The boy’s gaze imdiately turned full of sympathy.
Well, that’s another positive trait of Young Master Ye: sincerity!
Yu Ci would have preferred if he were a bit more insincere! Yu Ci wasn’t vain and wouldn’t refuse soone’s good intentions just for a worthless sense of pride. However, Young Master Ye’s kindness was more than most could endure. Upon learning that Yu Ci was a loose cultivator lacking much of the common knowledge required for cultivation, he imdiately offered to teach him. This was good, but why was it that, although Yu Ci recognized every word the boy said, he couldn’t understand any of it?
“The heart is the position of the lord, guided by non-action. Its function is… not clear?”
“The essence is exhausted, and the original nature is seen. Once the original nature is seen, one can act… still not clear?”
“Then the innate Qi… fine, no need to say more, I understand, you don’t get it!”
Ye Tu, overwheld by the repeated failures, grabbed his own hair and slumped to the ground.
Actually, Yu Ci thought it was quite good. He had learned many unprecedented theories, broadened his horizons, and gained insights. At least he finally understood the true aning of the six major cultivation realms beyond the “Three Mortal Obstacles.” According to Ye Tu’s theory:
Divine Connectivity involves the clear understanding of the structure of the spirit, refining its nature, elevating its level, until the Yin Spirit is refined and the spirit can travel outside the body.
Core Refinent is the fusion of the spirit and vital energy, rging form and spirit, undergoing nine cycles of refinent to form the golden core. This leads to rebirth, refining the form and spirit to the human limit, extending lifespan to three hundred years.
At the Void Stepping stage, cultivators can fly without relying on external objects. It's also the beginning of "shedding the mortal shell." From this realm, one begins to cultivate the "essence of the void," gradually increasing lifespan, nurturing the "true form." On the level of the spirit, the transition is from the Yin Spirit to the Yang Spirit.
At the True Immortal stage, cultivators achieve the "true form" and "Yang Spirit," aside from tribulations like warfare and slaughter, one's life and death are indefinite, with an extended lifespan. However, usurping the laws of heaven and earth and stealing the natural vitality inevitably draws the envy and Tribulation of heaven.
At the Tribulation Immortal stage any true immortal who survives a heavenly Tribulation can be called a Tribulation practitioner. At this level, tribulations constantly assail, but with each one overco, one's supernatural abilities grow. Small tribulation grant small powers, while great tribulation bestow great powers.
At the Earthly Immortal stage, after enduring at least one cycle of the great heavenly Tribulation lasting three thousand and six hundred years, those who survive with their cultivation intact have reached the pinnacle of cultivation. The heavenly tribulations can no longer affect them, theoretically allowing them to share the sa lifespan as heaven and earth.
These six realms constitute a clearly marked path to immortality. Divine Connectivity, Core Refinent, and Void Stepping are the "Three Steps to Ascension," while True Immortal, Tribulation Immortal, and Earthly Immortal represent the "Three Tribulations of Immortality." Combined with the initial mundane cultivation stages of "Three Mortal Obstacles," it forms a comprehensive and complete system of cultivation realms.
With enough ti and hard work, anyone can overco the “Three Mortal Obstacles” of Qi Cultivation, Qi Breathing, and Enlightened Spirit. However, reaching the “Three Steps to Ascension” will filter out most people, and the “Three Tribulations of Immortality” are issues only faced by the top cultivators. According to Ye Tu, failing the “Three Steps to Ascension” might not be fatal, but failing the “Three Tribulations of Immortality” would result in death and complete destruction of one’s efforts. Of course, overcoming them ans achieving true immortality and reaching the pinnacle of the Dao.
The daunting tribulations were still far from Yu Ci. For now, he let his imagination roam, yearning for those high realms. This feeling alleviated his frustration over not understanding Ye Tu’s intricate theories on immortality. However, his openness didn’t an Ye Tu shared the sa perspective.
Ye Tu, on the other hand, seed to feel as if his life was draped in darkness, almost to the point of despair.
Seeing the boy like this, Yu Ci couldn’t help but laugh and moved to pat the boy’s head. But at this mont, the boy was much more sensitive than usual.
“No need to comfort !” Ye Tu squird to avoid the gesture, ungratefully, “I thought I had already learned everything, but my roots are not as good as Ah Chi’s, so I am not as good as her. Now I realize how far I still have to go. Master said that to truly master sothing, it must be learned thoroughly and consistently, without contradictions; the understanding of listeners varies according to their level, but if it doesn’t seem difficult to them, it ans initial success. I’m far from that!”
“You explained those immortal realms quite well. I understood them clearly.”
“Those basics… Anyway, after all this ti, you tell
again, what is the Yin Spirit, and what is the Yang Spirit?”
Yu Ci was at a loss for words.
The boy snorted disdainfully and, despite Yu Ci’s attempts to comfort him, kept his head down and sulked. Yu Ci couldn’t quite deal with the child’s moodiness and, fearing further provocation, chose to remain silent. He sat with the boy for a while before returning to his own work.
He hadn’t expected that the boy’s gloominess would last for two whole days. He spoke little, and at tis, during the night, he would huddle in a corner, secretly wiping away tears. It seed that the boy’s frustrations had triggered his deeper sorrows. Yu Ci found this understandable; the boy looked like a pampered rich young master who might have left ho out of frustration over not asuring up to his sister, Ah Chi. This indeed matched his petty nature.
The boy’s personality was almost the opposite of Yu Ci’s, making it hard for Yu Ci to empathize. He could only let the boy deal with his own issues while he continued gathering herbs. After these days of effort, all fourteen “suspected Dragon Fish Grass” had been dug up, and he had also harvested about seventy to eighty percent of the shrimp whisker grass. Now it was just the finishing work, and he was already considering when to leave.
Climbing up to a cliff face about a mile from the slope, Yu Ci routinely opened the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. In the hazy blue mist, the detailed image of the Sky Rift Valley, spanning fifty miles, appeared clearly. At this position, there was no need to worry about Ye Tu seeing the mirror’s emitted light.
Everyone has so secrets they don’t share with others, and even the young Ye Tu was no exception. For Yu Ci, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was his greatest secret. Until he fully understood and mastered its intricacies, he didn’t want anyone to know about it.
After opening the mirror, Yu Ci habitually scanned the changing scenes to ensure there were no nearby dangers. However, today was different from before. His eyes widened as he took in the sight, and he smiled, “What’s this, an enemy’s path crossing mine?”
The figure in the mirror was the Snake-like Monk.
Yu Ci wasn’t surprised to see the bald thief. He had already learned from Ye Tu that this rogue was lingering around the Sky Rift Valley, plotting sothing malicious.
Now, a new problem arose. The Snake-like Monk wasn’t alone; he had two companions. The three of them were agile, climbing down the cliff face and reaching a depth of nearly fifteen miles, and they were still descending.
In terms of straight-line distance, they were only about five miles away from Yu Ci.
Aside from the Snake-like Monk, the other two seed formidable. The monk didn’t appear to be the leader. The man next to him, dressed in Daoist robes, had a youthful face but wrinkled forehead and brow when he smiled. He was chatting with the Snake-like Monk, laughing and joking, showing no restraint.
The man leading the group, a middle-aged cultivator with a balding head, had bulging eyes and a sharp gaze. He was following a deliberately calculated route, and despite the detours, they aid to circle back to their original direction, which likely passed close to where Yu Ci and Ye Tu were staying.
Based on the Snake-like Monk’s standard, facing one enemy was manageable, two was challenging, and three would be nearly impossible, especially with an additional burden.
Of course, it was possible to take Ye Tu and flee, but after working here for days, the uneven terrain would reveal their presence and alert the enemy. Losing the initiative would be frustrating.
“Trouble!” Yu Ci muttered under his breath and quickly returned to the slope. At this mont, Ye Tu was still sulking. Yu Ci approached him and barked:
“Hey, the bald thief has arrived!”
Ye Tu, still lost in his self-pity, looked up blankly at the ntion. Yu Ci, feeling exasperated, kicked him hard on the thigh. The sharp pain was effective; it jolted Ye Tu’s senses.
The boy jumped up with a yelp. To him, the bald thief was the Snake-like Monk who had stolen his golden knife, the most evil person in his eyes.
“Where, where, where, where?” Ye Tu asked frantically.
Ye Tu nervously pulled out a short knife from his storage ring. The knife, made of the sa jade as the herb hoe he had given Yu Ci, was extrely sharp but nowhere near the quality of the golden knife taken by the monk. That knife, after so so-called refinent, had beco a decent magic weapon.
Clearly, the jade knife didn’t give him much confidence. With the knife in hand, Ye Tu still looked nervous. Just holding his ground against the Snake-like Monk would be lucky!
Yu Ci, seeing the boy’s pitiful state, snapped, “What are you panicking for? It’s still far away. Even if it’s right in front of you, just draw your blade and fight. What’s the big deal?”
This wasn’t very effective. Ye Tu was breathing heavily and sweating, losing his limited energy. Yu Ci glanced at him and suddenly said, “Didn’t I ntion before about how I made that bald donkey cry?”
Ye Tu was taken aback.
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