Exploring Immortality Cultivation

A good servant should possess certain qualities, shouldn't they? That is, they must understand how to guess their master's thoughts. If the master has no such intention, they do nothing; but if the master has an inkling, even unspoken, the servant must take initiative and act accordingly.

The Du Family is a descendant of the ancient Yanyue Sect and is one of the few powerful families that have retained their ten-thousand-year-old family tree, naturally preserving many traditions. Among them, the annual intra-family competition is unavoidable. It serves as a necessary means both to identify the most outstanding disciples and to foster a strong, warrior-like spirit in them—enough to make them at least courageous enough to kill.

It's said that Modern Sects have even abolished this system, which traditional Cultivators find incomprehensible. They can't grasp how Sect resources could be allocated based on experimental plans and research results. Such things are simply like wild and fanciful tales.

Before these all-important matches, having the servants come out to stir up excitement and see some blood is beneficial, as well as helps to boost the combativeness.

But what on earth is Du Gui doing!

Feeling the piercing gaze from behind, Du Gui silently shook his head. He increasingly felt that he and the eldest son were not cut from the same cloth. But, helpless against the circumstances, he had no choice but to curb his own sharpness.

"The wise once said, 'The reasoning of humanity is the law of Heaven and Earth.' I truly wonder when I will reach this realm."

Du Gui feigned exhaustion and sat cross-legged in meditation, yet his mind pondered these matters.

The man Du Gui had rescued was blinking confusedly, first lost in a daze, then gradually understanding what had happened to him, showing an expression of gratitude toward Du Gui. Du Gui smiled faintly, "Human life is of absolute importance. It's just a light-hearted competition; it's not worth losing your life over."

Du Bin spoke in a low voice, not loud enough to be overheard. But as he helped the martial master off the grounds, the annoyance of eldest son Du Chong became even more apparent.

This guy seems unfit to be a trusted confidante, his thoughts too wild and untamed. Nor could he be demoted to work in the properties; who knows, he might go completely rogue...

Before he could decide how to deal with him, another noble son gestured to him, "Big brother, I find this servant of yours quite interesting, possessing a gentleman's demeanor. How about I take him off your hands to add some flair to my abode?"

Seeing it was Du Bin, Du Chong replied, "Brother Bin, I'm not like you; I have no shortage of capable people under me. This damn fool is the only fighter I have. If I give him to you, I'll be uneasy every time I step outside."

No one knew what sort of adventures Du Bin had stumbled upon recently, but whoever joined his ranks would be blessed with several Divine Skills and some peculiar Cultivation Techniques. Divine Skills meant solidifying the model of a Spell within one's body, forming Divine Seals, allowing immediate casting with mere thought. Besides, the mental methods of the recipients must align with the Divine Skills and the creator of the talismans, and these Seals could be transferred. However, forming a Divine Seal took considerable effort—so who'd make such a losing deal?

Could subordinates ever be stronger than oneself?

Some members of the Du Family suspected that only Modern Heretics—who were skilled in odd tricks but did not cultivate the Heavenly Dao—had such abilities. Du Bin must be colluding with heretics. However, the Divine Skills displayed by his subordinates more closely resembled those of Demon Beasts, and the techniques bore none of the traits of Modern Heretics; instead, they were exceptionally ancient.

Not annoyed by the refusal, Du Bin laughed it off and smoothly changed the topic. He wasn't set on acquiring Du Gui. However, seeing that he was a test subject of Wang Qi, he thought that since the big brother disliked him, why not take Du Gui as a favor to Wang Qi. He actually thought to himself: Wang Qi is really ruthless; Du Gui had the makings of talent, and that guy's meddling turned him into a fool who only benefits others, completely forgetting the rule of 'survival of the fittest.' But on the other hand, I don't even know what methods Wang Qi uses; it seems his brainwashing techniques are first-rate. I have to figure out a way to get this technique from him!

After the servant's competition was over, naturally, it was the masters' turn.

Having witnessed the underlings fighting fiercely, some of the Du Family disciples were already agitated, eager to step into the ring to vent their primal violent instincts. Every disciple called by the host eagerly shouted and climbed onto the stage, recklessly expending their Mana.

For a time, myriad colors of radiance burst forth at the Du Family Training Ground, now aglow with fire, now shrouded in frosty mist, now enveloped in a spread of Yin Qi, dampening even the brightness of the flames.

Du Bin shook his head as he watched. According to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, those who reach the Qi Cultivation Stage before the age of fourteen through the Breakthrough method must attend the Immortal Institute to learn; hence many disciples simply delay the start of their cultivation. Those pursuing higher goals would rather venture outside and risk it to gain an advantage of a few more years compared to their peers. This was also one of the ways the Divine Capital Cultivators showed submission to the Immortal Alliance—sending some disciples to study at the Nine Immortals Institute.

Most here had never been outside, and naturally had no idea how crude their skills were.

"It seems, brother, that I am going to experience Brother Bin's Cultivation Technique first this year," Du Chong said suddenly.

He smiled warmly on the surface, but covertly harbored a trace of apprehension. This half-brother of his had demonstrated several Divine Skills over the past year and had somehow collected some Ancient Techniques. He really seemed to be taking this opportunity to probe the depths of this younger sibling.

Du Bin looked up and noticed that most people here had finished their matches, leaving only him and Du Chong yet to compete. He immediately clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect and said with a smile, "Then I shall respectfully comply!"

After the elder responsible for overseeing the duel confirmed their readiness, Du Bin and Du Chong walked down to the field side by side like a pair of close brothers. Du Chong even performed a respectful bow towards Du Bin before assuming his stance.

"Brother Bin, it has been some time since our last bout, you'd better not hold back on your older brother!" Du Chong burst out shouting, his voice thunderous, and with a flip of his palm, it seemed as though a bright moon rose up, spurting forth from between his hands.

Du Bin gave a faint sneer. The Mana inside his body circulated in an awkward manner, drawing out the strength of the eighteen Memory Bodies inside him one by one, turning into eighteen layers of Laws, each enhancing his mana with eighteen different effects. He held his hands in a circle as if embracing a bright moon, True Qi gathering between his palms, and then as if in devout worship, he lifted his hands high to meet the attack.

This technique featured the Mysterious Moon Power of the Moon God Memory Body from the Moon Worship Sect, the bright grandeur of the Buddha's Vajra from the Iron Intent Memory Body, and the Mental Realm of the Gale of Flowing Wind Washes the Sky from the Gale Memory Body... In that instant, Du Bin had displayed nearly all the BUFFs that could be integrated into Du Family's mental method.

However, this was only a third of the power of his Memory Bodies.

Yet, to the spectators, it was astonishing, and even the elder took another look at him, "This fellow, could he have made a connection with Mr. Zhao Qingfeng? I've vaguely heard rumours that the Banished Immortal possesses fragments of the Immortal Dao Burning Book List, which could help us, the Divine Capital Cultivators, to complete our Daoist Skills without angering the Immortal Alliance, thus improving the strength of Divine Capital Cultivators..."

Surges of powerful strength leaped forth from between Du Chong's hands, a gust of wind striking forward with a loud swoosh. His Mana was nearly at the stage of Golden Core, slightly stronger than Du Bin's. Moreover, the progression of Ancient Method Practitioners was singular, the quality of the Golden Core was not limited by the Magic Foundation, and the quality of the Nascent Soul was not limited by the Golden Core. Unlike modern cultivators who require a strong Primordial Spirit to have a strong Golden Core and for the Golden Core to be powerful the Magic Foundation must also be robust. Ancient Method Practitioners simply advanced more slowly due to the lack of resources compared to Modern Cultivators, but Intermediate Skill Cultivators, like Modern Cultivators, draw upon Outer Heaven Spiritual Energy and are not concerned with the quality of their Magic Foundation, thus their Mana cultivation actually progresses much faster than true Modern Cultivators!

But quantity does not equal strength. Strength is the product of quantity and quality.

As the two Qi forces collided, Du Chong's palm power surprisingly couldn't break through the Qi sphere between Du Bin's palms!

"Ha!" Du Chong bellowed like a tiger, his Mana flowing unceasingly like the Great River, intent on winning by sheer volume!

Under the enhancement of the Gale Memory Body, Du Bin dodged the impending collapse of his palm's Qi force with incredible agility, as nimble as a spirit fox, and effortlessly evaded Du Chong's full-powered strike.

Then, he raised his hand and shot out more than twenty red fireballs.

This was a Divine Skill brought by his very first Coin.

At that moment, he had incorporated eighteen Memory Bodies into his body and mastered twenty-six Divine Skills, covering nearly all aspects and forms of Demon Clan Divine Skills. With these foundations, he was confident he would not lose to any other cultivator of the same level from the Du Family!

Meanwhile, as the two engaged in an intense battle, a young and handsome face watched intently.

Du Chun spoke softly, "Brother Bin is truly formidable. Elder Zhen, do you really have a way to let me break through the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment stages within a year, and then compete with Brother Bin?"

"Heh, you're scared stiff just by a Du Bin," Zhen Chan laughed heartily. "Kid, if you're willing to risk your life, I can even help you form a Golden Core directly! But are you brave enough to face the consequences of that?"

Zhen Chan did indeed have a method to help Du Chun form a Golden Core immediately—since the breakthrough in the Divine Tao's foundations, Wang Qi had begun to spare time in assisting Chen Feng with the deduction of the Core Formation Method. The Artificial Golden Core was taking shape. As long as Du Chun was willing to risk his life as Wang Qi's test subject, they would first instill the basic Mana, then use the Memory Bodies to forge a Magic Foundation, stabilize the Mana flow with Coins, continue with Elixirs, and finally implant an Artificial Golden Core. This was part of Wang Qi's vision, a component of the All-People Cultivation matching the Desperate Virus.

"Alright, enough watching, let's go. I have already made plans for you. Next year, you'll be able to stand here with your head held high!"

With Zhen Chan's "encouragement," Du Chun reluctantly tore his gaze away from the courtyard and slowly left, looking back every three steps.

And Du Bin, without any surprise, had secured the first place in the family competition.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote and support me at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)