Chapter Twelve: Farewell
After receiving and sorting out his new beginner's gift package, Yuan Futo didn't immediately return to the village. Because his current image was really not very good. The skin on the upper half of his body was burnt like charcoal. His hair was also charred quite a bit. Not suitable for activities in front of people.
Yuan Futong spent another month in the mountains, where he carefully studied the several Taoist books he had obtained. Following the systematic method of San Yang Zhu Ji, he began to practice Qi Gong and enter the first level of cultivation. On the path of cultivating immortality, having a true master has a huge impact on one's progress. Yuan Futong had already reached the Later Heaven Great Perfection for over a year, but if he were a disciple of a sect or an inner disciple of a family, he should have started practicing Qi Gong and entering the body long ago. For those with a spiritual root below the third level, it would take only half a month to enter the first level of cultivation, and they would have guidance on various divine recognitions and spell practices, making their progress much faster. In contrast, Yuan Futong was stuck in the Later Heaven Great Perfection for almost two years without any method to enter the first level of cultivation. It wasn't until he accumulated a rich foundation, borrowed from Xing's sacrifice to enter the sea of consciousness, and comprehended the application methods of divine recognition with the help of Huo Yu that he was able to break through into the first level of cultivation. The hardships and dangers he faced were far greater than those who had a true master.
He knew that entering a sect or family would have someone to guide him, but Yuan Futong didn't dare to return to the Yuan family rashly. After all, Yuan Xing's death was related to him, and even if he went back, there might not be a good outcome. At least he had to return the Qiankun bag that belonged to Yuan Xing. Moreover, the environment for cultivation in the family was not as good as joining a sect. From the notes of the two people, Yuan Futong learned that the Grand Song Ascension Conference, which was held once every thirty years, would take place again in seven years. The Ascension Conference was a grand event jointly organized by the four most powerful sects in the country: Liuyang Sect, Huichun Valley, Lijiang Sword Sect, and Liu Yun Sect. The disciples of these major sects were generally composed of three parts. One part consisted of the descendants of inner sect disciples who had always lived in the sect's residence, among whom those with good qualifications could join the sect. The second part was made up of outstanding young talents from families that relied on the major sects, who entered the sect through family recommendations. There was also a third part consisting of scattered cultivators recruited from outside, which was the largest group and had the most complex sources. Once every thirty years, the conference would be open to all scattered cultivators. Generally, only those with cultivation levels above Qi Refining Seventh Layer, good qualifications, and special talents would be selected.
No matter which way you enter the sect, you are initially an outer disciple. Inside the sect, you rely on your cultivation speed and completion of sect tasks to advance in rank. This is also a model, casting a wide net. In the sect, only those who cultivate quickly, have strong magical powers, can complete various tasks and receive rewards. Especially for Qi-refining cultivators, the most important thing is the foundation-establishing pill, which requires making significant contributions to the sect to obtain. Of course, those with excellent spiritual roots and rapid cultivation progress will be taken care of and given relatively easy tasks, but this process must also be followed.
After successfully building the foundation, one is considered to have truly entered the sect. The assessment of disciples has basically ended, and only then will a high-ranking master from within the sect select disciples and impart profound cultivation techniques. For loose cultivators, if they can be selected by a sect, their path to immortality will become much smoother, so every Immortal Ascension Conference is extremely competitive.
The next Ascension Conference is still seven years away. Time is not very abundant for Yuan Futong. Because Yuan Xing and Gu Dao Ren both took 50 to 60 years of cultivation to reach the 11th layer of Qi Refining. Although it's said that the later the stage, the slower the cultivation speed, and the harder the breakthrough. But wanting to reach the 7th layer or above in just seven years, Yuan Futong still felt a bit uncertain in his heart. Fortunately, he had obtained the complete set of foundational techniques before building his foundation, which was a guarantee for his cultivation, unlike the past when he was blindly cultivating. If he added the help of elixirs, perhaps there was still hope.
A month later, Yuan Futong broke through the first layer of Qi training and successfully entered the second layer. His skin also returned to normal, and his hair no longer showed any signs of being burnt. He had also read through several Daoist books and learned two new techniques. One was the Fireball Technique, a basic technique for cultivators recorded in the Three Yangs Building Foundation scripture. This technique was very versatile and could be used in various situations, from killing to traveling. Its power varied depending on the user's level of cultivation. Yuan Futong experimented with the Fireball Technique and found that its power was much stronger than his full-strength attack when he was at the Later Heaven Big Circle stage. A single strike could easily kill a fierce tiger. The other technique was the Introspection Technique, recorded in the Turtle Daoist's Xuan Gui Yin Shui scripture. It was a technique for suppressing one's own spiritual energy fluctuations and was effective against people with higher cultivation levels than oneself by up to two layers. Against those with lower cultivation levels, it would make others neglect their own spiritual energy fluctuations, making it easier to launch a sneak attack. Against those with similar or slightly higher cultivation levels, it would create a sense of intimidation. This was a commonly used technique among the Turtle Daoists, and Yuan Futong suspected that they had often used it to ambush people. As for the two gourds, one contained Yuan Xing's Qianyang Lei, which could be fired at any time and had a power comparable to or even surpassing that of ordinary second-tier techniques. The other gourd contained thirty-six Qianyang Lei. This gourd was not a magical artifact but rather a tool similar to the乾坤袋 (Qiankun Bag). Yuan Futong could use it now, and it was a useful defensive tool. The Turtle Daoist's gourd contained his condensed black water, which was very useful for defense and fighting. Although Yuan Futong's current level of cultivation was not enough, he could still barely control the black water using the Introspection Technique. With these two techniques and the two gourds, Yuan Futong gained some confidence in himself. He packed up his things from several strongholds and returned to Li Jia Village.
Back in the village, Yuan Futong went to find his two masters, Li Li and Li Ke. Both of them were delighted to see Yuan Futong return. The bold and generous Li Li gave Yuan Futong a hearty slap on the shoulder, "You little scamp actually knows how to come back! It's been almost two months, I thought you'd been taken away by wolves! What good stuff have you brought back this time?" Li Ke stood aside, watching the two of them with a smile and stroking his beard.
"Hehe." Yuan Futong smiled foolishly, savoring the rare warmth. After his grandmother's passing, both masters took good care of him. His ideas were supported by the two main decision-makers in the village. Many things were taken care of for him, and every time he went into the mountains, he could just pick up his things and go.
He took out some good medicinal materials from the backpack behind him and placed them in front of the two people. Li Ke was surprised to see these things, which were the harvest of Yuan Futong's years in the inner mountain. They were not spiritual medicines, but they were all good things that had been aged for many years. Originally, Yuan Futong wanted to configure some elixirs to help him break through his innate abilities. But now that he had officially entered the path of cultivating immortality, he didn't need these things that were mainly useful for martial artists.
"This is the good medicine I've been getting for over a year, there are several prescriptions here that can help martial artists consolidate their foundation and cultivate their skills. Master Li Ke, take it away. After you two have prepared them, distribute them to the villagers."
Li Ke looked somewhat puzzled and gave Li Li a signal with his eyes. Li Li understood, turned around and said to Yuan Fu Tong: "Fu Tong, you're not doing things right! You've given Master Li Ke such a big advantage, what about me?"
"What's going on?" Yuan Futong knew that Li Li was joking with him. He, who had been prepared early, took out two books from his bosom. They were precisely "Capturing Dragon Hand" and "Lingyun Step". Seeing these two books, the faces of both Li Li and Li Ke changed.
"This is the martial art left by my father. Now I have cultivated it to a great success, and its power is not bad. The Three Yang Decree of the Yuan family, I dare not spread it outside, these two skills were passed on to me by my dad, there should be no taboos. There are also some methods for cultivating internal strength inside, let the children in the village cultivate a bit, and it will be safer to enter the mountain later."
In this world, martial arts books are very precious things in the secular world. A good martial art can create a powerful force. If it's not father and son or a disciple who has entered the inner chamber, they won't pass on the true ultimate skills. Today, Yuan Futong brought out these two books and said that he could let the village children practice, which means he wants to pass on these two martial arts to the village, this is a big deal.
Li Li and Li Ke exchanged a glance again, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Li Ke reacted a little faster.
"Are you leaving?"
"Well, it's been decided. I should also go out and make a name for myself now. Maybe I won't be back for many years, so I'll leave these things with the two masters, which can also be considered as a contribution to the village, to repay everyone's care for my grandmother and me all these years." Yuan Futong said calmly.
"Really have to go? When can I come back?" Li Li was somewhat reluctant, but knew that Yuan Futong's decision would not be easily changed, and did not persuade him to stay.
"It's hard to say now, and I don't know what will happen after I leave. Please take care of grandma's grave for me."
"Don't worry about this, even if you don't say it, Uncle Li and I will take good care of it."
"Then let's have a good drink today, to celebrate Fuk Tong's return." Li Li shouted excitedly. Li Ke nodded, and Yuan Fu Tong didn't decline either. The three men drank for half the night at Li Li's home, talking about village affairs and Yuan Fu Tong's childhood stories. After drinking for half the night, all three of them fell drunk on the wine table.
On the second day, Yuan Futong also did not disturb the two masters. He carried a package on his back, with two Qiankun bags in his arms and two calabashes hanging from his belt. Behind him was a piece of morning glow.
