Over the next two days, Li Yunze and Jiang Biling conducted spirit testing in the city, while Lin Donglai and the others cultivated the Origin-Nurturing Breathing Technique and the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Stance Method at the Daoist temple.
The old Daoist at the temple was responsible for providing the three daily meals that these spirit seedlings needed for cultivation.
Xue Hong was quite knowledgeable, and with a touch of showing off, he introduced the food to Lin Donglai and Ding Zhen. After all, his father was an outer sect steward—to say nothing of that, ever since he had tested and been found to have a spirit root, he had never eaten ordinary mortal food again.
"This rice is green polished rice, a tribute grown in the mortal world, something only high officials and nobles get to eat."
"But for cooking it for us, it's prepared separately with Origin-Nurturing spirit liquid. After cooking, it's laid out to dry, then soaked again in Origin-Nurturing spirit liquid. After nine rounds of steaming and nine rounds of drying, the Origin-Nurturing spirit liquid is completely fused into the green polished rice. The rice turns ever more verdant, like fine jade, containing a trace of spiritual qi, and very mild in nature."
"As for the dishes—take this ginseng stewed chicken. The chickens aren't fed grains, but medicinal herbs. Polygonatum is steamed and dried nine times, then rolled into pellets the size of grains of rice and dried, and fed to the chickens. After a hundred days of feeding, the chickens are slaughtered and stewed with century-old ginseng. If we hadn't cultivated the Origin-Nurturing Breathing Technique and the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing Stance Method, we wouldn't be able to absorb such a potent tonic at all—it would just give us nosebleeds!"
After hearing all this, Lin Donglai naturally didn't leave a single grain of rice in his bowl, feeling as if he were eating grains of gold.
And Ding Zhen's jaw dropped in astonishment: "How much effort and money must this cost!"
Hearing this, Xue Hong's vanity was satisfied. "Meals like these would cost thirty or forty taels of gold in the mortal world. Even in the cultivation world, a single meal like this would cost no less than thirty or forty spirit pearls."
"I heard my father say that during the year at Spirit Seedling Peak, all of this is free—eat as much as you can hold... Eat like this for two years, and it would cost several hundred spirit stones."
"Of course, once you reach Qi Refining first layer, this kind of Origin-Nurturing meal is no longer useful. You need to eat spirit rice, spirit vegetables, spirit fruits, and spirit beast meat for nourishment."
While Lin Donglai and the others ate and drank at the Daoist temple, practicing the basics of breathing technique and stances, Li Yunze and Jiang Biling, over the two days, tested and found three more disciples with spirit roots.
One was named Sang Qiao! Her father was a county assistant magistrate. She possessed wind, water, and earth spirit roots—wind and water flourishing the earth—a spirit root suited to becoming a spirit vein geomancer. Her spirit roots measured two cun and two fen, medium spirit roots, Grade B-Upper aptitude.
This Sang Qiao was also valued highly by Li Yunze, who said an inner sect Foundation Establishment elder had posted a bounty specifically seeking a disciple with just such a spirit root aptitude to pass down his legacy.
The other two: one had five spirit roots with the five elements favoring earth, and one had four spirit roots lacking metal. Neither was any kind of genius, and the quality of their spirit roots was merely low-grade.
Lin Donglai devoted himself single-mindedly to practice and didn't even have time to ask their names.
Refining a Dao seed required essence blood, and this stance method, after marrow cleansing, could condense essence blood—exactly what Lin Donglai needed.
On the third day, Li Yunze and Jiang Biling waited with the tested spirit seedlings outside the eastern gate of the county city. Before the hour of chen, a great ship was seen flying in from the distance.
The ship was built entirely of wood, with certain parts sheathed in gold, roughly seventy to eighty zhang long and thirty to forty zhang wide, flying a banner that read [Qingmu].
The ship did not land. With a sweep of azure light, the entire group was transferred aboard.
There were already four to five hundred people on the ship—some were spirit seedling disciples, some were the seedlings' relatives, all to be taken together to Qingmu Immortal City.
Li Yunze and Jiang Biling first greeted several other inner sect disciples, then paid their respects to the Foundation Establishment elder who controlled the spirit vessel.
"Elder Ma, these are the meteorite fragments we discovered in Lin Family Town. Additionally, we found two disciples: one with wind, fire, and lightning spirit roots of medium quality, and one with wind, water, and earth spirit roots of medium aptitude, with the talent of a spirit vein geomancer."
Ma Baocai hooked his finger, and the meteorite fell into his hand. He examined it briefly. "There is no providence here that the Supreme Elder indicated—only an ordinary fragment of stellar meteoric iron."
He then returned the meteoric iron to Li Yunze. "That treasure concerns the secret of achieving the Purple Mansion and forming a Golden Core. This grand search for providence has already stirred up the surrounding area, and with so many spirit seedlings here—the future foundation of our sect—the sect master has ordered us to return to the mountain at once. You inner sect disciples may also return to the mountain to report your missions."
With that, he returned to the spirit vessel's hub, poured in magic power, and piloted the vessel toward the Qingmu Sect.
Watching the flying vessel rise into the sky, many disciples pressed against the sides to look down.
Once they were far along, the spirit seedling disciples began naturally getting acquainted with one another.
It was noticeable that the truly promising seedlings all gathered together with the inner sect disciples.
It wasn't only the weak who huddled together.
People are ranked into different classes—wherever you go, it's the same.
Ding Zhen didn't quite dare wander around. Xue Hong and Sang Qiao had both gone over to the inner sect disciples' side, so he just stayed by Lin Donglai, surrounded entirely by fellow townsmen from the same place. He whispered, "Donglai, I asked around. Our five spirit roots at low-grade are the worst there is."
Lin Donglai had known this long ago, but didn't mind. After two days of cultivating the Origin-Nurturing breathing technique, that seed—which he could only see when he closed his eyes—seemed to be breathing along with Lin Donglai's inhalations and exhalations.
Moreover, over these two days, whenever Lin Donglai slept at the Daoist temple, he always dreamed. The dream's content was identical to the one from the first day, only growing ever more blurred.
Only the method of refining his lifebound Dao seed remained deeply engraved in his mind.
"Poor spirit roots don't necessarily mean no fate with the immortal path," Lin Donglai said calmly. "Just don't look down on yourself."
"Besides, we've already stepped onto the immortal path. If we don't take in the sights, wouldn't the trip be for nothing?"
"The way you talk, it's like a scholar. I'll listen to you."
Seeing Lin Donglai so composed and at ease, unswayed by gain or loss, Ding Zhen's mood was lifted as well, and he began actively practicing the Origin-Nurturing Breathing Technique.
The Qingmu Sect was not far away, situated in the Piaomiao Mountains at the edge of Qingmu Prefecture's territory.
The Piaomiao Mountains lay at the border of three prefectures, and these three prefectures were also the fiefdom administered by the Qingmu Immortal Sect. The Qingmu Sect recruited disciples from these three prefectures, and in turn maintained the peace of the three prefectures, keeping them free from harassment by demonic cultivators.
The spirit vein of the Piaomiao Mountains was Grade Three Lower. Because of this, spiritual qi swirled thickly, transforming into clouds and mist that veiled the mountain forests—hence the name "Piaomiao," meaning "ethereal."
At the foot of the Piaomiao Mountains lay Qingmu Immortal City, a cultivator city built on the largest Grade Two Upper branch of the Piaomiao Mountains' spirit vein.
This flying vessel docked just outside Qingmu Immortal City.
In Qingmu Immortal City, cultivators and mortals lived intermingled. The inner city was where wealthy cultivators resided, and was also where the Piaomiao Mountains' spirit vein lay. Many cave dwellings had been opened up there, rented out specifically to rogue cultivators.
The spirit seedling disciples were not permitted to disembark; they could only watch from the ship, yet even so they were captivated by the splendor of Qingmu Immortal City.
Compared to mortal county cities, which spanned only five or six li or seven or eight li around, the outer city of Qingmu Immortal City, having expanded through layer upon layer of construction, could almost be called a colossal city.
"When I become an inner sect disciple, I'll buy property in Qingmu City too, and bring my parents here to enjoy the good life."