Chapter 83

After several twists and turns, Qin Feng ultimately became an outer disciple of Shujian Mountain.

After registering, Qin Feng received a storage bag and was carried to the Qingyuan Peak by a steward on a flying sword.

Qingyuan Peak was one of the ten peaks, specifically provided for the outer disciples of Shujian Mountain to live and cultivate. The conditions were quite good, with each disciple having their own private courtyard. The mystic qi here was dense, and spirit herbs grew abundantly. No wonder so many people were vying to enter Shujian Mountain to cultivate.

Inside the storage bag, there was a Shujian Mountain outer disciple identity token, two bottles of pills, a book, a set of white clothes, and ten low-grade mystic stones.

The token was nothing special, just a common wooden plaque.

The clothes were also standardized, with the characters "Shujian" embroidered on the cuffs.

Qin Feng took out the clothes and put them on. Due to his tall stature, the clothes seemed a bit ill-fitting. Just as Qin Feng was about to take them off, the clothes suddenly loosened and automatically adjusted to his body proportions, which surprised him a bit.

Indeed, a major sect could even make a piece of clothing into a low-grade mystic artifact. This clothing, to a certain extent, could also be considered a defensive mystic artifact, though its defensive power was a bit lacking. However, the ability to change size and proportions greatly satisfied Qin Feng.

Wearing clothes that fit was crucial, especially for someone as tall and robust as Qin Feng. Wearing ill-fitting clothes would have been a disaster.

After putting on the clothes, Qin Feng instantly transformed from a robust man into a graceful gentleman. If he could carry a flying sword on his back, his appearance and demeanor would be perfect.

However, Qin Feng stared at the broken Chongwu and shook his head. Clearly, this idea was a bit unrealistic. The white clothes, paired with the completely black Chongwu, looked like he was carrying a door panel, which was quite a sight...

In other words, Chongwu was only suitable for violence!

After dealing with the clothes, Qin Feng picked up the ten low-grade mystic stones and put them into his storage ring. Since only he could see the ring, he didn't have to worry about thieves.

The remaining items were the two bottles of pills.

Qin Feng picked up the smaller bottle, poured out the pill, and sniffed it. A refreshing fragrance immediately entered his nose. The name of the pill was written on the bottle—

Dingyan Pill!

Seeing this name, Qin Feng's face showed a strange expression.

Cultivators always liked to maintain a handsome and graceful appearance. However, due to age, their appearance and demeanor would gradually change. For example, those who preferred a youthful appearance disliked aged skin; especially female cultivators, who detested an aged appearance to the extreme. Some, however, preferred an aged appearance, as it made them look more mature, especially for elders of sects who liked to dress this way.

Although everyone's preferences were different, the goal was the same: to maintain their current appearance. Cultivators could live for hundreds of years, and even thousands of years, so they naturally didn't want to spend their time maintaining their appearance. Therefore, the Dingyan Pill was developed by those with the right intentions.

However, the Dingyan Pill was not a lifelong fix. It generally needed to be supplemented every hundred years or so, otherwise, the appearance would still age slowly.

Qin Feng pursed his lips and directly swallowed the pill.

The pill dissolved in his mouth, and after his facial skin tightened and relaxed, he felt nothing.

Qin Feng pinched his face, feeling no discomfort, and thus didn't pay it much mind.

The remaining bottle of pills was called the Yangyuan Pill, a basic pill for cultivating the dantian for disciples at the Fan Gang realm.

The bottle contained a full hundred pills, which was quite a generous amount.

As for the book, it was called the "Shushan Sword Canon." This was a comprehensive basic book that included a cultivation method suitable for the Fan Gang realm, as well as basic techniques related to swords such as Sword Viewing Technique, Yuan Viewing Technique, Sword Cultivation Technique, Sword Control Technique, and Sword Collection Technique. It also included basic spells like Fireball Spell, Ice Crystal Spell, and Lightning Summoning Spell, and recorded some of the heritage of Shujian Mountain, basic knowledge of the cultivation world, and introductions to related skills such as alchemy, talismans, and artifact forging. All of this was compiled into one book, collectively titled the "Shushan Sword Canon."

This was truly the style of a major sect!

Leaving aside the previous points, the predecessors of Shujian Mountain had truly put in a lot of effort to cultivate the younger generation.

After putting everything into his storage ring, Qin Feng walked out and looked around to familiarize himself with the surroundings. However, he was limited to a small area on Qingyuan Peak, as the living places for outer disciples on Qingyuan Peak were also divided by rank.

Disciples at the Fan Gang realm naturally lived in the poorest small courtyards. Disciples at the Ren Gang realm and above had much more power, with larger private courtyards and some small restrictions to prevent disturbances during cultivation.

This was understandable.

Cultivators at the Fan Gang realm advanced relatively quickly. If they had good talent, they could reach the tenth stage of the Fan Gang realm within a few years. At this point, there would be a significant barrier: condensing qi into liquid in the dantian to enter the Ren Gang realm. This step was extremely difficult. If there were advancement pills to assist, it might be smoother.

After the Ren Gang realm, the speed of cultivation would enter a relatively long period.

This was not due to talent or human factors, but because the amount of mystic qi required for each advancement after the Ren Gang realm was astonishingly large. The higher the cultivation, the more mystic qi was needed. From the first stage to the tenth stage, the amount of mystic qi required increased geometrically.

Advancing from the first stage to the second stage might take two to three years, but advancing from the second stage to the third stage would take five to six years, and so on, with the difficulty increasing.

Therefore, disciples at the Ren Gang realm would often seclude themselves for several years, and some dedicated cultivators would seclude themselves for ten to twenty years. These people rarely left their rooms, essentially becoming crazy cultivators. However, this was understandable.

Cultivation was a defiance of nature. Every cultivator was fighting against fate.

Cultivators of the Dharmic path did not have the same robust constitution as those of the Physical path, so their lifespans were relatively shorter. Cultivators at the Fan Gang realm could live to about a hundred years. After entering the Ren Gang realm, their lifespan would greatly increase, almost doubling to two hundred years. After entering the Earth Gang realm, they could live to at least five hundred years. Cultivators at the Heaven Gang realm and above could live to a thousand years. As for the legendary Divine Gang realm, they might have already transcended the natural laws and achieved immortality.

However, all of this was still speculation, but it further motivated cultivators to strive for immortality, constantly defying and fighting against fate!

Of course, after entering the Ren Gang realm, Qin Feng advanced rapidly due to his bloodline soul and dual cultivation with Huo Siyan. He quickly reached the second stage after entering the Ren Gang realm, which was purely a matter of chance.

Qin Feng had the opportunity to advance to the third stage, but he stopped just before the final step. Qin Feng understood that his body could withstand one advancement, but if he advanced to the third stage, his body would become unstable, potentially dropping in rank or leaving permanent damage. This would be counterproductive.

Rushing too quickly would not achieve the desired results.

Now, Qin Feng needed to stabilize his realm.

This required time, allowing his body to gradually adapt.

Currently, pausing his Physical path cultivation and fully focusing on the Dharmic path was a good choice for Qin Feng.

Throughout history, the Dharmic and Physical paths were not contradictory; it was just that dual cultivation was too time-consuming and energy-draining.

However, for Qin Feng, who possessed a bloodline soul, this was not a problem.

From the moment his grandfather discovered that he had a mystic root, Qin Feng had the idea of dual cultivation in his mind. Regardless, dual cultivation was worth a try for Qin Feng.

After all, being able to fly on a sword was a huge attraction for Qin Feng.

When Qin Feng returned, he was about to enter his room but unexpectedly saw Old Qiu, who was living next to him, making them neighbors...

Old Qiu's face was still pale, but his eyes were filled with excitement, clearly still not having recovered from the joy of becoming a disciple of Shujian Mountain.

It was understandable; a dream of over twenty years had finally come true, how could he not be happy?

"Brother Qin Feng, I offended you in the mountains. Please forgive me," Old Qiu said, surprised to see Qin Feng, but he still maintained a serious expression and sincerely apologized.

After all, Qin Feng was a five-attribute mixed mystic root, and without any bribes, he could enter Shujian Mountain, which was extremely lucky. Old Qiu, who had tried three times, knew that some things could not be achieved by luck alone.

Qin Feng waved his hand and walked into the courtyard with Old Qiu.

The two sat down at a stone table.

Old Qiu took out some wine from his storage bag and filled Qin Feng's cup. Before Qin Feng could drink, Old Qiu gulped down a few mouthfuls and exclaimed, "What a relief!"

The two continued drinking.

After a bit of a buzz, Old Qiu looked up at Qin Feng, smiled bitterly, and said, "Brother Qin Feng, do you look down on people like me, who kill, set fires, deceive, and bribe to enter Shujian Mountain?"

Qin Feng smiled, raised the cup to his lips, and drank it down without comment, waiting for Old Qiu to continue.

Sure enough, after a few more sips from the wine jar, Old Qiu suddenly burst into tears like a child.

"Brother Qin Feng, I didn't want to, but my whole life has been dedicated to becoming a true cultivator. You don't know how much I've suffered to enter Shujian Mountain. Shujian Mountain changed me. The first time... the first time I entered Shujian Mountain, I was only thirty, in my prime, honest, and pure. But because I didn't have a low-grade mystic stone, the immortal who came down the mountain abandoned me, ignoring my pleas and not even letting me enter Shujian Mountain. The second time, I was in my forties, which was already quite late, but I thought I could still strive to reach the Ren Gang realm in my fifties. However, after the first test, I found out I had the worst five-attribute mixed mystic root, and I was lost. In the waiting area, I saw people bribing, but I didn't believe it. I believed I could gain the qualifications to enter Shujian Mountain through my own efforts. Unfortunately, fate did not favor me... I was expelled from Shujian Mountain again. Over the past twenty years, I thought a lot and wandered for a long time. Brother Qin Feng, do you know how much pain I felt? Do you know how much mental pressure I had? The third time, I came again, but I was already in my fifties. My moral底线 had completely changed. For a mystic stone, I could kill, and to enter Shujian Mountain, I could use any means, because I couldn't wait any longer. I was fifty, and in a few decades, I would die. But I, Qiu Chuji, don't want to die. Brother Qin Feng, I really don't want to die. I want to change my fate through cultivation. I want to live forever, I want to..."

Old Qiu's voice grew softer and softer, and he finally fell asleep on the table.

Qin Feng didn't say a word from start to finish, just playing the role of a listener. It was all Old Qiu talking, but his words deeply moved Qin Feng, making him understand the efforts of a small person at the bottom to gain a slim chance of cultivation, even at the cost of abandoning what they once held dear, walking a path of no return.

"Was it Shujian Mountain that changed you, or was it your persistence that changed you?"

Qin Feng shook his head, quietly covered Old Qiu's thin body with a coat, and then closed the door and walked out.

What a pity, if he had a real chance, he might have walked a decent path...

Taking out the "Nine Transformations of Heavenly Fire" written by Old Qiu from his storage ring, Qin Feng turned to Old Qiu's courtyard and murmured—

"From today on, Qiu Chuji, you are my friend..."

"Your 'Nine Transformations of Heavenly Fire' will shine with its own fiery light in my hands..."

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