Chapter 5: The Purple Mansion Immortal Sect

“Our Qingmu Immortal Sect has a history of over 1,200 years. Our founding patriarch, Daoist Qingmu, was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage when he started, but through generations of development, the sect now boasts three Purple Mansion cultivators who are honored as Supreme Elders, over fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and more than three thousand Qi Refining cultivators. We are a Purple Mansion Immortal Sect.”

“Our sect governs one Foundation Establishment immortal city, oversees eight Qi Refining markets, and administers eighty mortal cities, with a total population of over ten million under our jurisdiction.”

“Disciples within the sect are divided into three categories: Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and True Inheritance.”

“Outer Sect disciples are what you are.”

“Inner Sect disciples, as I mentioned before, are those who show promise of reaching Foundation Establishment, or those who are taken as apprentices by Inner Sect Foundation Establishment elders.”

“True Inheritance disciples are selected from the Inner Sect disciples who have already reached Foundation Establishment and show potential for the Purple Mansion stage to carry on the sect’s orthodoxy. There are only nine such disciples in the sect, and their status is equal to that of Inner Sect elders.”

“Regardless of whether you are an Outer Sect or Inner Sect disciple, once you enter the Qingmu Immortal Sect to cultivate, you will be issued a stipend based on your cultivation level.”

“However, the basic stipend is generally difficult to sustain cultivation. If you want more resources, you must complete sect missions to accumulate merit. Merit can be used to exchange for cultivation resources, including pills, magical artifacts, cultivation techniques, and even personal guidance from Foundation Establishment elders.”

“For example, Lin Donglai, your spiritual roots are strong in Wood, and you possess an inferior-grade Jia Wood constitution, which makes you suitable for tending to spirit fields, raising flowers, and planting trees. You could develop toward becoming an Internal Affairs disciple.”

“Do not underestimate this art of farming. After all, the ‘Qingmu’ in our sect’s name originates from Patriarch Qingmu. Patriarch Qingmu also primarily had Wood spiritual roots; by the time he reached Foundation Establishment, he was already a Tier 3 Spirit Planter capable of cultivating Purple Mansion-level spirit plants.”

“It is precisely because of this legacy of Purple Mansion spirit plants that a foundation was laid for later generations of our Qingmu Immortal Sect to ascend to the Purple Mansion stage, allowing our sect’s heritage to endure for 1,200 years.”

Seeing Jiang Biling offering him guidance, Lin Donglai nodded, though in his mind, he was thinking about that seed. Even if Jiang Biling hadn't said anything, he would have found a way to become a spirit-planting disciple to make that seed sprout.

Thus, Lin Donglai feigned interest and asked, “Fairy, how are spirit plants classified? Could you explain in detail?”

“Spirit plants are divided into unranked spirit plants, Tier 1 Qi Refining spirit plants, Tier 2 Foundation Establishment spirit plants, Tier 3 Purple Mansion spirit plants…”

“Among them, unranked spirit plants are also called semi-spirit plants. For example, century-old ginseng, century-old polygonatum, and century-old fleeceflower root found in the mortal world are at this level. They have gathered a certain amount of spiritual energy and are somewhat useful to cultivators.”

“Once you arrive at the Immortal Sect and complete your Taixi-stage cultivation at Immortal Seed Peak, you will discover that the food you eat and the medicinal baths you take are supplemented with these unranked spirit plants. Although they are unranked, they still have value.”

“Starting from Tier 1, spirit plants are divided into four grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade. The corresponding spirit fields are also divided into these grades.”

“There are many missions in the sect for tending spirit fields. Not only can you earn merit, but it is also safe. After you enter the sect and go to Lingxi Peak for lectures, you can listen more to classes on caring for spirit plants and identifying them. When choosing spells, you can also lean in this direction.”

“As for you, Ding Zhen, your five elements are strong in Fire. You could choose to be an artifact-refining apprentice or an alchemy apprentice. However, being an alchemy apprentice requires too much investment. As an artifact-refining apprentice, you can at least learn some basic processing techniques. Even if you cannot refine artifacts independently, you can still refine ores, which counts as having a specialized skill.”

“What about me?” Xue Hong asked impatiently.

Li Yuze spoke on behalf of Jiang Biling: “Xue Hong, your spiritual roots are Wind and Fire with a hint of Thunder, which is suitable for combat. You do not need to focus on internal affairs; you only need to cultivate diligently and master offensive techniques or body refinement to increase your combat power.”

“The sect holds a grand competition every so often, and those with high rankings receive rewards. That should be your goal. As long as you rank highly often, your resource level will naturally increase.”

“By then, even when you take on sect missions, you can choose combat-oriented ones, which are cleaner and more efficient, without wasting too much time or energy. Only by fighting and competing all the way can you have hope of reaching Foundation Establishment and becoming an Inner Sect disciple, or even a True Inheritance disciple.”

Listening to this, Lin Donglai gained a general impression of the Qingmu Immortal Sect.

In the Immortal Sect, just like in the mortal world, there are hierarchies. For a moment, his mood was somewhat complicated; after all, reality differed somewhat from his imagination.

The carriage soon arrived at the county town, but it did not head toward the county government office; instead, it stopped at a Daoist temple.

An old Daoist, appearing to be sixty or seventy years old, led two disciples to respectfully welcome Li Yuze.

Jiang Biling said, “This is our Qingmu Sect’s lower courtyard. Our sect administers eighty cities, and each city is equipped with such a lower courtyard. They are generally places for Outer Sect disciples with dull aptitude to spend their twilight years.”

“Spiritual energy in the mortal world is thin, and material desires are heavy. The lower courtyard is not a good place to be. Generally, only those who have not broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining after the age of sixty are sent here.”

“These lower courtyard disciples have no hope of further cultivation, and as they age, the frequency of their cultivation decreases. Even if they have spirit stone stipends, they are reluctant to use them, and as a result, their cultivation may even regress.”

“On the path of cultivation, if you do not advance, you retreat. You must remember this,” Jiang Biling admonished.

After entering the temple, the temple master assigned rooms to them, and Jiang Biling took the Immortal Sect token to visit the county magistrate. Li Yuze then spoke: “There are three days left before we return to the sect. During this time, I will teach you the Peiyuan Breathing Method and the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance. Once you reach the sect’s Immortal Seed Peak, there will naturally be Outer Sect elders to teach you the Qi Induction Technique.”

“The Peiyuan Breathing Method focuses on exhaling the old and inhaling the new, and is adept at cleansing the internal organs. In the martial arts world, it is a top-tier internal breathing method; even mortals who learn this can prolong their lives.”

“Listen to the essentials: tongue against the roof of the mouth, teeth gently touching, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, three inhales to one exhale, short inhales and long exhales…”

“This Peiyuan Breathing Technique can be practiced in conjunction with the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance.”

“The Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance is a set of dynamic exercises that imitate long-lived creatures like cranes, deer, spirit turtles, and spirit snakes.”

“This stance does not require horse stance training; instead, it advocates guiding and stretching, tapping the meridians, and massaging acupoints. There are eight sets of movements in total, each subdivided into eight small movements, totaling sixty-four forms.”

“Practicing this method can make your tendons and bones supple and regulate your five internal organs. Combined with the Peiyuan Breathing Method, it is enough to complete the most basic cultivation of the Taixi stage, open the Ren and Du meridians, and stimulate the bone marrow to condense essence and blood, preparing you for Qi induction into the body.”

He spoke extremely fast but very meticulously; he simply did not like to be interrupted, nor did he like others asking questions.

However, Lin Donglai listened very carefully. At the very least, the Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing Stance was the only method he had encountered so far that could condense essence and blood.

And to refine the Dao seed in his mind, he needed exactly forty-nine drops of essence and blood.

(End of chapter)