Senior Brother, yes you're right! - Chapter 16

After arriving at the sect, the five junior brothers handed over their luggage and then slipped away quietly.

Zhang Feixuan also wanted to leave, but Song Yin grabbed him by the arm.

“Junior brother, not tired, are you?”

Zhang Feixuan forced a smile. “No, not tired.”

“That’s good. After all, you’re at the ‘Using Wisdom’ stage. Once you reach the ‘Battle Strength’ stage, your energy will increase significantly, so you shouldn’t be tired. Since you’re not tired, why not accompany me in alchemy? We can prepare what the junior brothers will need for tomorrow,” Song Yin said with a smile.

“R-right now?” Zhang Feixuan glanced at the dark, heavy sky.

“Of course, right now. If we wait until tomorrow to refine the pills, wouldn’t that mean our junior brothers and the mortals who have come to join us will have to eat those grass balls again? Not only do those things scratch the throat, but they also lack nutrition. Just thinking about how we usually eat such things breaks my heart. It’s truly a failure on my part as the senior brother!” Song Yin said with a hint of guilt.

Back at the foot of the mountain, he at least had meat and vegetables every day, with plenty to fill his stomach. That was because the master had high hopes for him, and he kept that in mind.

But now that he had come to the sect and become the senior brother, it was time for him to give back. The Golden Immortal Sect wasn’t just the master’s sect—it was now Song Yin’s sect as well!

Song Yin grabbed Zhang Feixuan’s wrist, paying no attention to his expression, and pulled him toward his side hall while speaking. “Our Golden Immortal Sect isn’t some ascetic cultivation sect. It’s just that we lack resources. As the second senior brother, you’ll need to lead others in gathering resources in the future. I can’t guarantee any wonderful dishes right now, but at least we can ensure everyone gets proper nutrition.”

Before joining the sect, he had thought that as a pill-refining sect, the Golden Immortal Sect would treat pills like candy, and that cultivating Qi would allow them to abstain from food entirely.

However, once he actually started cultivating Qi, he realized that was all nonsense.

Even though he had only been in the sect for a day, his innate talent as an immortal had already brought him to the ‘Battle Strength’ stage. With his thorough understanding of the Golden Immortal Grand Pill Sutra, he naturally knew what the path of Qi cultivation should truly be.

The first stage of Qi cultivation, ‘Guarding Clumsiness,’ is the initial step of refining Qi, where one must keep the internal spiritual energy from dissipating. This requires daily meditation to stabilize oneself.

But even this first step requires a significant amount of nutrition. The second stage, ‘Solidifying the Essence,’ involves stabilizing the internal spiritual energy so that it no longer leaks out. Only then can one act freely, but the nutritional needs are even greater.

Among the dozen or so disciples he had seen, aside from Zhang Feixuan, who was at the fifth stage, ‘Using Wisdom,’ most were at the first stage, ‘Guarding Clumsiness,’ with a few at the second stage, ‘Solidifying the Essence.’ However, their Qi circulation was loose and unstable, it was obvious that their foundation was not solid.

By the third stage, ‘Fighting Strength,’ one’s true Qi and spiritual energy can be harnessed for personal use, leading to a significant increase in physical strength. Although Song Yin had reached this stage in one leap thanks to his flawless true body, his need for sustenance had also grown considerably.

Perhaps the other disciples weren’t as powerful as him, but the need for proper nourishment was undoubtedly universal.

If people were eating grass balls, where would they get the necessary nutrition and blood energy? Daily meditation would only cause their cultivation to decline further.

“Master is kind, but he doesn’t pay attention to all his disciples. However, as his disciple, I won’t criticize him. The sect is our sect as well, so managing its affairs is the responsibility of us senior brothers. You’re at the fifth stage, ‘Using Wisdom,’ which is likely the highest realm among us right now. Fortunately, you’re here—otherwise, I’d have to trouble master to ignite the alchemical fire for me,” Song Yin said with a smile.

“Brother, this alchemy fire technique is really inferior to others. Don’t you know it?”Zhang Feixuan couldn’t help but ask. “You can even turn stone into gold.”

The third stage is ‘Battle Strength,’ the fourth is ‘Entering Skill,’ and the fifth is ‘Using Wisdom.’ By the fifth stage, one can use a variety of spells, including the fire needed for alchemy.

But this varies from person to person. During the day, Song Yin had performed a spell akin to turning stone into gold, which meant he couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards. How could someone like him not know how to ignite the alchemy flame?

Song Yin gave him a puzzled look. “That spell is just a basic application of spiritual energy. If you practice more, you’ll be able to do it too. In comparison, a spell like alchemy flame requires reaching your level of cultivation to master.”

Basic… Practice more…

“Senior brother is right,” Zhang Feixuan replied, forcing a polite yet awkward smile.

He didn’t even bother asking how Song Yin could discern his cultivation level.

He had never heard of anyone in Qi cultivation being able to see others’ cultivation stages. It was something only the individual could truly know. Being aware of someone’s spiritual energy at all was already impressive, since Qi cultivation was, after all, about refining one’s own energy.

Unless some external effects were displayed, no one could tell how far along you were.

But Song Yin was an odd one, and it was better not to overthink it. After all, no matter how much he pondered, he wouldn’t understand, and it would only disturb his own state of mind.

When they reached the side hall, Song Yin unpacked the luggage and looked at the assortment of clothes inside, then glanced at Zhang Feixuan.

“Senior brother, about these clothes…”

Zhang Feixuan was about to explain, but Song Yin waved his hand. “The mountain wind is chilly at night. It’s only right to prepare some extra clothing. I understand.”

He spread out the wild vegetable roots and some herbs he had gathered and said to Zhang Feixuan, “Go fetch some water.”

“Yes, senior brother,” Zhang Feixuan responded and was about to leave to get water when suddenly, a strange sound came from the half-person-high alchemy furnace in the center of the hall.

“Hehe.”

But just as he was about to step out, a strange sound came from the waist-high alchemy furnace in the center of the hall.

“Hee hee.”

It was a soft, playful laugh, like a baby’s giggle, full of joy and mischief.

Both Song Yin and Zhang Feixuan turned to look.

From the edge of the furnace, two small green creatures slowly crawled out.

There were two of them, each about the size of a palm.

One had a single eye, and the other had two eyes, with the eyes taking up a third of their bodies. The one-eyed creature had a nose and was grinning with a mouthful of large teeth, while the two-eyed one had no nose but three mouths, which occupied its small body.

Their limbs were tiny, like those of small dolls, and they tangled together as they played. One moment, the single-eyed creature climbed onto the three-mouthed one’s head, and the next, the three-mouthed creature clung to the single-eyed one’s back. They crawled along the edge of the alchemy furnace, playing and tumbling about.

“Hmm?”

Song Yin frowned, he pointed at the creatures as he turned to Zhang Feixuan. “What are these things?”

But Zhang Feixuan was completely stunned. He didn’t seem to hear Song Yin at all.

Seeing that Zhang Feixuan ignored him, Song Yin looked over again, only to see the two little things clinging to each other. They were using their tiny hands and feet to carefully climb down from the furnace, as they made their way towards him and when they reached his feet, they seemed to want to continue climbing up.

Song Yin nudged them with his foot. As soon as his toe touched them, they fell on their backs and started giggling and then they quickly climbed up along his toes to his shoulders and started playing there.

There was no malice.

Song Yin’s eyes widened and glowed with a white light as he carefully observed the creatures.

Joy.

Kindness.

They seemed like some kind of little spirits.

But this feeling…

Song Yin suddenly turned his gaze to the green, round gem on the incense table. The sensation it gave off was somewhat similar to these creatures.

“Primordial Heavenly Lord?” Song Yin asked suspiciously.

“It-it…”

Suddenly, Zhang Feixuan’s trembling voice broke the silence. He pointed at the creatures on Song Yin’s shoulder, his fingers were trembling, and his eyes were full of shock.

This time, it wasn’t fear, nor was it shock at Song Yin coming up with something strange again. It was more like he had seen some legendary treasure.

“Primordial True Spirits! Senior brother, these are Primordial True Spirits!” Zhang Feixuan’s voice turned shrill with excitement.

(End of chapter)