Xianxia: I Live Forever In The World of Cultivation

Being stared at by a beautiful female cultivator like this, He Song maintained a calm expression, though he felt slightly awkward inside.

While he had no idea how others behaved when purchasing introductory books on cultivation arts, judging by Ping'er's current expression of grievance, it was clear:

He was probably the most peculiar customer she had ever encountered.

From the moment he requested the Introduction to Alchemy, Ping'er hadn't stopped talking. She meticulously introduced every single introductory book on cultivation arts available on the tray before her, pausing only after going through them all.

How much she had spoken during that time, even He Song couldn't count. He was so overwhelmed that he felt drowsy just listening.

Thankfully, he didn't fall asleep.

Feeling a hint of relief, He Song glanced at Ping'er with newfound admiration in his eyes.

Such dedication! If the customer didn't call for a stop, she would just keep going.

It was rare to see a straightforward and diligent female cultivator like Ping'er nowadays.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist. Have you decided which one you want?" Ping'er asked as she accepted the cup of tea He Song offered her. Her gaze softened significantly.

Indeed, He Song was the only customer who had ever asked her to go through every single introductory book on cultivation arts.

Other cultivators who came to the Spirit Techniques Pavilion usually had a goal in mind and would state their needs as soon as they entered.

But He Song? He seemed more like he had come to the pavilion to listen to a storytelling session.

The key issue was that He Song never interrupted her, so she genuinely couldn't stop—because the rules of the Spirit Techniques Pavilion demanded it.

Her throat was nearly parched from talking. On any other day, she wouldn't have spoken so much in an entire day.

Fortunately, He Song had eventually realized her situation and handed her a cup of spiritual tea.

This gesture significantly improved her mood.

She even started to rationalize He Song's behavior in her heart.

Perhaps this fellow Daoist He didn't mean it intentionally.

With that thought crossing her mind, Ping'er's gaze toward He Song became entirely gentle.

"Let's go with the Introduction to Formation Techniques, then. Thank you, fellow Daoist." After so much deliberation, He Song had already made up his mind.

Formations.

Difficult? Absolutely.

For cultivators without talent, even decades of diligent study might not be enough to master even the simplest Spirit Gathering Formation.

For those with some talent, it still required years of painstaking effort just to get started.

In short, without a stable source of income, pursuing Formation techniques could feel like falling into a bottomless pit for wandering cultivators.

During their studies, most cultivators found their cultivation levels stagnating.

All their attention was consumed by Formations, leaving little time for cultivation.

Being left behind in terms of cultivation compared to peers was one thing.

But for those without talent, decades of effort might still leave them outside the gateway to Formation techniques, with a cultivation base far behind their peers. Combining these two setbacks could be utterly devastating.

Even for those with talent, the time required for basic mastery could make Formation study daunting. For Qi Refinement cultivators, cultivation progress was paramount.

Wasting so much time on Formations could make it exceedingly difficult to form a foundation later.

As a result, few wandering cultivators opted to study Formation techniques.

Even among disciples of sects and clans, unless someone had a deep personal interest, they rarely pursued this farmland deliberately.

The reason?

It was simply too hard.

However, for all its difficulty, once one achieved mastery in Formations, the rewards were extraordinarily rich.

Take the simplest Spirit Gathering Formation as an example.

By mastering it, a cultivator could set up a Formation in their dwelling to gather surrounding spiritual energy for personal cultivation.

With an increase in the concentration of spiritual energy, cultivation speed naturally surpassed that of other cultivators.

Beyond that, Spirit Gathering Formations had additional uses.

For example, they could be used to nourish spirit farmlands.

Or, one could help others set up Spirit Gathering Formations and earn hefty rewards in return.

Becoming an Formation Master was exceedingly difficult.

But once someone truly became one, whether setting up Formations for others or using Spirit Gathering Formations to enhance their own cultivation environment, the returns were immense.

The saying "rarity makes value" couldn't be truer.

And He Song...

He Song possessed a soul far stronger than other cultivators, coupled with an endless lifespan.

Additionally, he was a skilled Spirit Planter, capable of making the most of spirit farmlands.

With these distinct advantages, his choice to study the Introduction to Formation Techniques was a natural one.

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist. I'll retrieve the jade slip for you," Ping'er said, lifting the tray as she excused herself.

The introductory chapters of the Hundred Cultivation Arts were, of course, not presented as books.

The stack of books in the tray was merely a collection of introductions to the arts.

The actual content was never taken out until the customer had finalized their choice.

Each copy cost 100 spirit stones.

The tray contained at least several dozen volumes.

If they were real and got stolen, the loss could amount to thousands of spirit stones in an instant.

Such repeated losses would be unbearable, even for the Spirit Techniques Pavilion in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Ping'er's caution was completely understandable.

Shortly after, Ping'er returned.

This time, however, the books in her tray were gone, replaced by a glowing jade slip.

The jade slip gleamed faintly, exuding an air of value and sophistication—it was unmistakably a fine treasure.

He Song handed over 100 spirit stones.

After Ping'er accepted the stones, she placed the tray with the jade slip before him.

"Simply place the jade slip against your forehead, fellow Daoist," Ping'er instructed gently.

He Song nodded, picking up the jade slip and pressing it to his forehead.

Before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, cultivators lacked spiritual sense. To access the information stored in a jade slip, they had to place it against their forehead.

Once a cultivator achieved Foundation Establishment and developed spiritual sense, they could access jade slips remotely, without physical contact.

Jade slips, as a medium for storing information, could only be crafted by those with spiritual sense—at least at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Thus, the service He Song was experiencing now was one typically reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The moment the jade slip touched his forehead, He Song's mind swelled.

A torrent of vast information surged from the jade slip, imprinting itself firmly into his memory, leaving no room for forgetting.

The sheer volume of information caused He Song slight discomfort, but it quickly subsided.

Thanks to his powerful soul, his processing speed far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

In an instant, He Song opened his eyes, having fully absorbed the jade slip's contents.

The entirety of the Introduction to Formation Techniques was now thoroughly imprinted in his memory, its details as vivid as if they had been inscribed there by hand.

After mentally reviewing the material to ensure nothing was missing, He Song turned to Ping'er.

"Fellow Daoist Ping'er, may I ask where your pavilion sources its tea leaves?"

Recalling the remarkable tea that seemed to boost his cultivation, He Song couldn't help but inquire.

In the cultivation world, cultivation progress was the foundation of everything.

It was something achieved through consistent effort over time—whether through daily meditation, using spirit stones, or consuming pills to refine into spiritual energy.

Yet the tea He Song drank today defied convention.

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