Chapter 79: I'm Penniless

Time flowed swiftly, and before one knew it, three months had passed.

The privileges for new disciples were no longer available to Chen Luo.

He maintained his previous habits, diligently following his cultivation routine like a small, unnoticed presence.

Each day, he practiced breathing exercises for Qi Refinement both at dawn and dusk. In the mornings, he attended lectures at the Comprehension Platform given by instructional disciples. Afternoons were spent undertaking simple tasks such as organizing ancient texts in the Scripture Pavilion or feeding Issuing Immortal Crane.

In summary, he avoided any missions that required leaving Divine Lake or venturing outside the sect.

During these three months, Chen Luo analyzed the differences between the cultivation systems of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect and the Yue Kingdom’s Great Mausoleum.

Most of the immortal script-based cultivation techniques taught by Longevity Daoist from the Great Mausoleum had been largely phased out here. The Divine Lake Immortal Sect referred to this system as ‘Ancient Method Cultivation’. Techniques like Earth Deity Incantation, Nine Stars Incantation, and Thunder Control Mantra all necessitated learning foundational immortal script first, subsequently using it to harness the forces of nature.

Hence, this type of cultivation method was also known as ‘Nature’s Law’.

The Divine Lake Immortal Sect’s cultivation methods were updated, focusing on spiritual root-based practices, where myriad powers converge upon oneself.

On the other hand, cultivating oneself is known as ‘Seeking Truth Method.’

However, there are some aspects shared between both approaches, such as knowledge related to formations, medicinal pills, equipment forging, and talismans. Many of these have common foundations, with Divine Lake’s system being updated while still rooted in ancient techniques. In fact, several legacies here lack the detailed records found within the Great Mausoleum.

With his foundational knowledge, Chen Luo quickly progressed. His advancement in the path of talismans was particularly swift; recently, he even completed two minor tasks related to drawing talismans with great success.

The challenge lay in summarizing this knowledge, which consumed considerable time, resulting in slower accumulation of merits. To outsiders, it might seem like he was merely passing the days idly.

Fortunately, Chen Luo remained patient, enduring solitude without haste.

The only inconvenience was the slow pace of his Qi Refinement. The simple tasks on the mountain barely sufficed for basic needs, falling short when it came to acquiring resources like spirit stones.

Just a couple of days ago, he heard that Huang Ying and fellow disciples from his cohort had already begun venturing off the mountain for missions. Two exceptionally talented disciples had even gained recognition, advancing to the intermediate stage of Qi Refinement, emerging as prominent among the newcomers.

“You didn’t participate in the New Disciple Competition?”

After completing his task, Chen Luo planned to head to the Supply Hall for some Fasting Pills. As he turned, he heard Elder Brother Huang’s voice from behind.

Huang Butong was responsible for assigning simple missions on the mountain. He had a deep impression of this junior disciple who lacked enthusiasm and solely focused on cultivating Qi every day.

“Is there such a competition?” Chen Luo looked back, appearing utterly bewildered.

“Forget it, consider I said nothing.” Seeing Chen Luo’s reaction, Huang Butong lost any desire to continue the conversation. This junior seemed beyond help; at his current cultivation pace, he would undoubtedly be expelled from the mountain in three years.

Bidding farewell to Elder Brother Huang, Chen Luo proceeded as usual to the Comprehension Platform.

The instruction elder was already discussing the techniques for the third and fourth layers of the ‘Comprehending Spirit Art.’ The insights on breakthroughs were certainly worth listening to.

Reaching the middle stage of Qi Refinement posed a significant hurdle for Divine Lake Immortal Sect disciples. Only a few managed to attain this level, with even fewer progressing to the late stages.

Even the instruction elder currently sharing his cultivation experiences of the ‘Comprehending Spirit Art’ at the Instruction Terrace was only at this same intermediate realm.

“Elder Brother Chen, long time no see.”

As soon as Chen Luo sat down, he heard a familiar voice nearby.

He noticed Huang Ying and Fu An already seated close by.

After three months apart, Huang Ying’s aura had significantly strengthened, reaching the second level of Qi Refinement. Similarly, Fu An and his companions showed considerable progress in their cultivation, likely due to completing tasks at the foot of the mountain and acquiring a decent amount of resources.

“Congratulations on your breakthroughs,” Chen Luo greeted the four of them warmly.

On Wu Dao Peak, he didn’t know many people, with Huang Ying and this group being among the few he could casually converse with.

“I heard from Elder Brother Huang that you’ve been taking missions up here these days, so we came to check on you,” Huang Ying said. She glanced towards the instructional disciple engrossed in teaching and lowered her voice. “Do you not realize that the truly valuable techniques aren’t covered by the instruction elders?”

“I’m aware,” Chen Luo replied nonchalantly.

He naturally understood the rules of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. However, without sufficient merit points and unwilling to descend the mountain for tasks, this was his only option, however foolish it might seem. Fortunately, occasionally, some useful insights were shared, allowing him to learn quite a bit over time.

“Nothing reliable ever comes from this Divine Lake Immortal Sect,” Fu An muttered quietly beside them.

The cultivation life at the Divine Lake Immortal Sect was entirely different from what he had imagined.

Back when listening to storytellers in the mortal world, they always spoke of free entry-level techniques and personal guidance from masters. However, upon arriving here, he discovered it was nothing like those tales. It had been three months since joining the sect, yet they had only met their Shizun, Daoist Wuwei, once.

“Daring to speak ill of our Shizun? Are you tired of living?” Huang Ying promptly rapped Fu An on the head. Although Daoist Wuwei never minded such matters, being on Wu Dao Peak required adherence to proper etiquette.

“How come your cultivation base is still at the second level of Qi Refinement? I remember you were already at this stage when we entered the sect.” After reprimanding Fu An, Huang Ying curiously nudged Chen Luo. Once familiar with someone, she wasted no time becoming friendly, clearly adept at making connections. No wonder Fu An and the others were so easily influenced by her.

“The first three levels are just about building foundations. With your aptitude, finding a suitable primary cultivation technique would allow you to swiftly advance using just a few spirit stones.”

She distinctly remembered that upon entering the sect, Chen Luo had been assessed with three spiritual roots, making him stronger than herself.

Based on his cultivation progress, he should have already reached the third level of Qi Refinement by now.

“I’m broke.”

Chen Luo glanced at Huang Ying and nonchalantly uttered two words.

“Not even one spirit stone?”

Huang Ying was genuinely shocked.

How impoverished must his family be? Even for such a significant event as joining an immortal sect, they couldn’t spare a couple of spirit stones. From Huang Ying’s perspective, her own family’s circumstances were considered average, yet when she entered the sect, her father provided her with five spirit stones. In fact, having only five was deemed quite poor among new disciples. She never expected to meet someone even less affluent here.

“I had one, but I used it when breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement.”

Chen Luo was well aware of the spirit stone prices within the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. Here, spirit stones, which were highly valuable in the Yue Kingdom Great Mausoleum, could be easily obtained. Numerous missions descending from Wu Dao Peak offered spirit stones as rewards.

“How do you manage your primary cultivation technique without spirit stones?”

Huang Ying was astounded. She had learned that during this time, Chen Luo consistently practiced hard on the mountain, never descending once, and even skipped participating in the New Disciple Competition. In such circumstances, how could he acquire resources for his cultivation? Surely not by solely relying on the limited spiritual energy available here? If he managed to reach Foundation Establishment this way, she’d devour all nine thousand steps of Wu Dao Peak’s staircase.

“I’ll take missions and earn them after reaching the third level of Qi Refinement,” Chen Luo replied casually, keeping his true intentions to himself.

His time spent on the mountain wasn’t merely dedicated to arduous cultivation. By performing daily tasks, he became intimately familiar with the terrain and discovered where fallen fellow disciples were buried, along with several related grave-tending missions.

Over three months, he had thoroughly mapped out the surroundings of Wu Dao Peak. Recently, he was preparing to accept tasks associated with guarding the graves.

“Are you skilled at drawing talismans?” Huang Ying suddenly asked.

“A little, why do you ask?”