Chapter 56: Producing the Cultivation Technique (Please add to favorites and follow for updates)

"A few days ago, I broke through to the Qi-Sensing Realm and birthed internal strength," Wei Tu said truthfully.

Compared to the immortal cultivation technique Wei Fei was about to mention, there was truly no need to hide his martial realm from Kou Liang and Fu Zhizhou.

"Internal strength?" Upon hearing this, Kou Liang took a deep breath, and the look in his eyes toward Wei Tu instantly shifted.

When the four of them became sworn brothers, he had assumed the most important figure among them was Fu Zhizhou, who had become a martial scholar at the age of eighteen. He, Wei Tu, and Wei Fei were merely foils to Fu Zhizhou, meant to rely on their sworn younger brother for advancement in the future...

But at this moment, that concept was completely overturned.

After all, a martial master at twenty-two who could manifest internal strength from the outside in was far more prestigious than an eighteen-year-old martial scholar. If Wei Tu wished, the title of a provincial martial scholar could be within his grasp easily.

This was the gap between martial geniuses.

Kou Liang was not the only one shocked by Wei Tu's words; Fu Zhizhou was as well.

Two years ago, driven by a surge of righteous courage, he had sworn brotherhood with Wei Tu and the others while they were simultaneously confronting Prefect He at the government office. As time passed, although he had always honored their pact by supporting his three sworn elder brothers, he could not help but feel a hint of regret in his heart...

The disparity in their status was too great; his three sworn elder brothers had inevitably become a "burden" to him.

However, Fu Zhizhou no longer thought this way. He felt fortunate for the decision he had made back then to associate with the three of them. A martial master in the Qi-Sensing Realm in his early twenties had a great chance of becoming a Pre-natal Martial Master before his vital essence declined.

During the recent suppression of the Wuyun Pavilion headquarters, acting as Inspector Wang's imperial guard, Fu Zhizhou had witnessed Inspector Wang conversing amiably with the Pre-natal Martial Masters of the government, even observing them performing respectful salutations...

A glimpse through a keyhole was enough. Fu Zhizhou could guess that the status of these Pre-natal Martial Masters within the Zheng Dynasty court was certainly no lower than that of Inspector Wang.

Compared to Wei Tu's future, the achievements he had attained thus far were naturally negligible.

"Based on my experience in the previous provincial martial examinations, since Third Brother has reached the Qi-Sensing Realm... it shouldn't be difficult for him to place in the top ten of this year's provincial exams..."

"By then, the official rank bestowed upon Third Brother will be the eighth rank. Just like me."

Fu Zhizhou spoke up proactively. While congratulating Wei Tu, he also shared some experience regarding the provincial martial examinations. For instance, the candidates in the martial combat trials were different from those in the previous written exams; these candidates were all martial masters who had already obtained the title of Martial Xiucai in previous years. Most were in their prime, and their strength could not be underestimated.

In particular, some veteran Xiucai, driven by a desperate desire for official titles, would practice certain external hardening techniques, sacrificing their physical health in exchange for raw strength...

"Thank you for the reminder, Fourth Brother. I will discuss this with you in detail after the banquet," Wei Tu nodded and expressed his thanks.

With Fu Zhizhou, a predecessor who had passed the provincial exams, to guide him, he could avoid many pitfalls when participating in this year's examinations. Among the candidates in the provincial martial exam, his martial realm should be the highest, but in terms of actual combat strength, that was not necessarily the case. As Fu Zhizhou mentioned, those external hardening martial masters who sacrificed their bodies for strength would be extremely difficult opponents. Wei Tu had already experienced the ferocity of the iron-hammered giant in Sanyang Town.

"After the banquet?" Fu Zhizhou was slightly stunned. Was there anything in this gathering more important than Wei Tu participating in the provincial martial exams?

One had to realize that with Wei Tu's martial realm, if he prepared in advance, it was highly likely he would claim the top spot in this year's provincial exam.

At that time, Wei Tu could be bestowed a seventh-rank official title.

The eighth and seventh ranks might seem only one step apart, but the gap between them in the officialdom was like a chasm. One could rise from a miscellaneous official to an eighth-rank official simply by accumulating seniority. But to rise from the eighth to the seventh rank, without great fortune, one might spend their entire life waiting and still fail to promote.

A seventh-rank martial official, when assigned to the local level, would be qualified to command an entire army. Among civil officials, the rank of a County Magistrate was also seventh-rank.

Wei Tu remained silent, his gaze turning toward Wei Fei sitting beside him, waiting for him to speak. He did not want to steal Wei Fei's spotlight during this gathering at Xuanhe Pavilion.

"Wei Fei?" Kou Liang and Fu Zhizhou were surprised to see Wei Tu's gaze shift to Wei Fei. Could it be that Wei Fei had also made a breakthrough and significantly increased his strength...

Although Wei Fei was ranked second among the four brothers, only below Kou Liang, both Kou Liang and Fu Zhizhou could not help but look down on him slightly. Firstly, when the four of them confronted Prefect He at the government office, Wei Fei was the last to speak, bearing the least pressure from the Prefect. Secondly, after the written exam results were released, Wei Fei was only a third-class Martial Xiucai, the lowest academic achievement among the four.

...

The room fell silent for a moment. Everyone's eyes converged on Wei Fei, waiting for him to speak.

Wei Fei did not speak immediately. He picked up a wine jug, poured himself a cup, and after gulping it down, he finally said, "When Third Brother and I went to Sanyang Town to suppress the Wuyun Pavilion branch, we searched a Wuyun Pavilion martial master and found a manual."

"According to Third Brother's deduction, this manual is very likely... a legendary immortal cultivation technique..."

As his voice fell, Fu Zhizhou and Kou Liang's eyes widened instantly. They stared blankly at Wei Fei, their breathing becoming rapid.

"An immortal cultivation technique?"

The two murmured to themselves. They were both martial masters with keen senses; they knew they had certainly not misheard. The last four words Wei Fei spoke were indeed "immortal cultivation technique."

"Confirmed by Third Brother..."

Fu Zhizhou and Kou Liang exchanged a glance, believing eighty percent of what Wei Fei said. Wei Tu had entered the Qi-Sensing Realm and was already touching the threshold of a Pre-natal Martial Master. If this were a standard martial arts manual, Wei Tu would surely recognize it at a glance and would not be so certain that it was a legendary immortal technique.

"If an immortal cultivation technique is real, it seems what my uncle said back then was not a lie..." After a few breaths, Fu Zhizhou spoke with a complex expression.

He had heard legends of immortals as a martial official from a military family, and he knew far more than Wei Tu and Wei Fei. Since childhood, he had accidentally heard certain immortal legends from his uncle. The descriptions were so vivid they sounded like real scenes and objects, leading him to mistakenly believe back then that... immortals truly existed in this world...

Now, hearing that Wei Fei had obtained an immortal cultivation technique, and having it confirmed by Wei Tu—Fu Zhizhou found the existence of immortals increasingly believable.

"After obtaining this immortal cultivation technique, I discussed it with Third Brother. We plan for the four of us brothers to study this method together..."

"Once one of us succeeds, he will then help the other three," Wei Fei continued.

"Second Brother, is this true?"

Although Kou Liang had guessed that Wei Fei would bring up such a manual when he mentioned immortal techniques, a guess was still just a guess. When Wei Fei actually showed a willingness to produce an immortal cultivation technique and stated his intention to study it with them, it still left him profoundly shocked and deeply moved.

This was an immortal cultivation technique! Even if it were incredibly difficult to master, its mere precious nature and the fact that it bore the words "immortal" made it worth a fortune.