My Informative Cultivation Life

According to the records in the book, he got along extremely well with the male disciples in the sect, and if he was in the mood and took a liking to you, he would take out aged fine liquor to drink merrily with you regardless of your status. He was the most down-to-earth Mahayana cultivator in the sect.

The book also recorded that he was known as a lover, having once said that he wanted to experience all the million herbs in the world before turning back to become an immortal.

But to this day, he still hadn't found a Dao companion. It really seemed like fate had yet to arrive.

Yang Ji found this amusing and couldn't help but respond, "Why worry about the lack of fragrant grass anywhere under heaven, why be infatuated with a single flower, Elder need not be sad."

"Yes, yes, I've lost my composure, lost my composure..." Elder Chun Ye said sadly shaking his head, before suddenly looking up and asking, "Hm? Who's this disciple?"

"Disciple Yang Ji, here to receive a cultivation technique," replied Yang Ji and the others, respectfully bowing.

"Oh! Come, come, sit down, sit down."

Though Elder Chun Ye was a true transmission elder, he was completely down-to-earth, gentle as jade, possessing the elegance of a scholar and the unrestrained nature of a wanderer. With a jug of wine in hand, he got along with every male disciple in the sect, and many were familiar with his temperament.

This was Yang Ji's first meeting, and despite the elder's warmth, he still dared not overstep his bounds, saying respectfully, "It's fine for this disciple to stand."

"You, this new disciple, when I tell you to sit, you sit."

Elder Chun Ye laughed heartily and pulled Yang Ji down to sit, then filled an exquisite cup with fine wine and passed it slowly to him. "This is Peach Blossom Wine, a drink to strengthen the body and help you find a matrimonial match."

Find a matrimonial match?

Yang Ji hesitated upon hearing this, fearing the drink, given that the elder before him, known as a lover, had yet to find a Dao companion for so many years.

If he drank his wine, he feared...

"What's the matter? Scared?" Elder Chun Ye smiled, looking at him, and said, "My path is different from yours. You just drink without fear; I wouldn't swindle my own disciples." Elder Chun Ye's smile turned to sorrow, and after speaking, he lifted his cup and downed the drink.

"Then I shall try the Elder's matrimonial wine," said Yang Ji hesitantly, and then he picked up the cup and drank.

"I see your facial features are pretty good, almost seven parts as handsome as mine. Don't fail your good looks. In the Taichu Dao Sect, Changsheng Dao Sect, Xianyi Dao Sect, and Chunyang Dao Sect, those Holy Maidens are all wonderfully delicate creatures. With your looks, you should at least bring three back to add some luster to the sect," the elder joked.

"Oh? Right, I've heard that Xuan Zhong snagged himself a Holy Maiden from the Chunyang Dao Sect. He's living his best life. You're not too shabby either; you have to work hard to find one and enhance our sect," Elder Chun Ye continued as he filled up another cup of wine.

Startled, Yang Ji held up his cup, while humbly saying, "Elder, you jest. Brother Xuan Zhong is one of the ten Dao Children in our sect, with unmatched talent and strength. How can I compare to him?"

"Hmm, that's true! As an outer sect disciple, besides your appearance, it seems like you can't compare to Xuan Zhong in anything else."

"Xuan Zhong really is exceptional, having reached the Fushion Realm at such a young age. Apart from being less handsome than us, he's virtually perfect, a true blessing for the sect," Elder Chun Ye said as he took another gulp of wine before seeming to remember, "Oh, right, what brings you to the Dao Tower?"

"Elder, I have passed the first assessment and have come to comprehend a cultivation technique," replied Yang Ji.

"Oh? You've passed the first assessment? Then congratulations to you, one step closer to staying forever in the Dao Sect. We must celebrate. Come, let's drink to that."

Elder Chun Ye filled the cups, and after another drink, he finally looked at Yang Ji and said, "Hmm, I still need to check your Dao Sect Command Token, just to confirm."

"Elder, here's the Dao Sect Command Token," said Yang Ji as everyone presented their tokens, respectfully extending them forward.

Elder Chun Ye took Yang Ji's Command Token first, and after a brief scan, his eyes showed a hint of surprise. He then smiled with interest and exclaimed, "This disciple of yours isn't bad at all. To think you could even kill a clone of the Dao Child of the Demon Sect, remarkable, truly remarkable, even more impressive than my past deeds."

"Elder, you're too kind, this disciple wouldn't dare to be mentioned in the same breath as you," Yang Ji replied modestly.

"Don't be modest. Not just anyone can kill a Dao Child's clone," Elder Chun Ye said with an affirming look, admiringly glancing at him before turning back to the Command Token.

He clicked his tongue in appreciation, "You've mastered the four stances of the Gui Cang Sword Technique, and perfected the Zhou Tian Nuoyi. This disciple of yours has good comprehension, no wonder you could kill the clone of the Demon Sect Dao Child. Not bad at all."

However, as he looked on, Elder Chun Ye suddenly furrowed his brow and, looking at Yang Ji, said, "You only have an average Spiritual Root?"

"Yes, Elder, I only have an average Spiritual Root," Yang Ji admitted truthfully.

Elder Chun Ye downed a sip of wine and heaved a long sigh, "It truly is that the heavens are envious of the talented. It seems the heavens do not wish for our sect to flourish. Just as we finally have a genius with decent comprehension, the damned heavens still slash at your spiritual root."

"Perhaps this is a trial from the heavens for me," Yang Ji said with a light smile.

"Mm, your disciple's attitude is indeed commendable. Only through trials can one become a true immortal; this may not be such a bad thing after all. One must endure the bitterness of the lowest valleys to reach the peak and inquire about immortality. Not bad."

Chun Ye gave him a look, "I see you are cultivating our sect's high-level Daoist cultivation technique, the True Rigidity Divine Art, which contains eight volumes. You passed the first assessment and have the right to choose any one of the volumes to take with you. Are you here to claim the fourth volume of this technique?"

"Indeed. I have reached the peak of the Golden Core stage and require the fourth volume to condense the Dharma Image of Heaven and Earth, to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm," Yang Ji stated.

"That's good. The True Rigidity Divine Art is one of our sect's top ten high-level Daoist techniques. Its power is tremendous, second only to our sect's Supreme Daoist Technique, the Wuji Immortal Scripture. With your comprehension, cultivating this technique is indeed suitable."

Elder Chun Ye flipped his hand, and with a flash of spiritual light, two jade slips appeared in his grasp.

"Here are the fourth and fifth volumes of the True Rigidity Divine Art, enough for you to cultivate up to the Void Refinement Realm. Take them both."

As Chun Ye handed over the jade slips, his expression suddenly turned solemn, and he instructed sternly, "However, do not go around boasting about this. I'm bending the sect rules by giving you an extra volume, and I would not want any rumors spreading because of it."

Saying this, he also took a deep look at Yang Ji and sighed, "Ah, to think that someone as rule-abiding as myself would make an exception for you. This shouldn't be, shouldn't be. I suppose it's because we are both handsome and share a similar aura."

"This won't set a precedent, this won't set a precedent!"

"Thank you, Elder!" Yang Ji's heart leaped with joy; he stood up and bowed deeply, well aware that the elder had just bent the rules for him.

"Mm." Chun Ye nodded, and after handing over the jade slips, he turned to Chong Yuan and the others, "What about you? What level of cultivation techniques would you like? Whatever the level, each of you may choose one volume to take with you."

"Elder, we will choose the lower-level Daoist techniques," Chong Yuan and the others exchanged glances and said. Though the high-level Daoist techniques were desirable, they would be useless if they couldn't comprehend them.

"Alright, these are all lower-level Daoist techniques. Choose," Chun Ye said, sweeping his palm through the air. Instantly, a screen appeared, displaying the names of dozens of lower-level Daoist techniques with detailed descriptions.

Chong Yuan and others looked over the options and soon made their individual selections.

After choosing the cultivation techniques, Yang Ji and the others bowed and prepared to leave the grand hall.

Just then, as they were about to exit, Chun Ye spoke to Yang Ji, "Oh, seeing you reminded me of something."

"When I was at the Nascent Soul Realm, while I was practicing in the sect's Hell Arena, I discovered a Ziyang Sacred Tree."

"The Ziyang Sacred Tree blooms every hundred years, bears fruit every hundred years, and the fruit matures every hundred years. The Ziyang Fruits it produces have the effect of improving one's spiritual root."

"When I discovered it, the Sacred Tree had not yet bloomed, and I later forgot about it."

"I'll give you a map guide. You could go and take a look. If you're lucky and find some Ziyang Fruits, you might be able to improve your spiritual root slightly."

As he spoke, he pointed a finger to Yang Ji's forehead, imprinting a rough map into his mind.

Yang Ji was overjoyed by this fortuitous opportunity and immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Elder!"

"Mm, no need to thank me. You go now; if you can find it, it's your destiny. I had no use for the Ziyang Fruits, so I didn't pay much attention to them at the beginning," Chun Ye said with a slight smile.

Yang Ji calmed himself, bowed once again, and then left the Dao Tower with Chong Yuan and the others.

As Yang Ji and the others left the Dao Tower, a voice suddenly sounded in Elder Chun Ye's ear, coming from the top of the tower.

"So many years have passed; I wonder if that Ziyang Tree is still there?"

"I do not know either. If it is there, then that would be his luck."

Chun Ye smiled lightly, "This disciple has a good understanding. This is also a way of granting him some benefits. He has potential and the right mindset. If he has some luck as well, then becoming a direct disciple is not impossible."

"With such understanding, he indeed has the chance to become a direct disciple. However, he still needs more trials. Before reaching the status of direct disciple, it is a critical period for him to break out of his cocoon and become a butterfly. Character, direction of cultivation, karma, luck, and so on, are all growing and converging. It is not good for us to interfere too much.

If he can make it and become a direct disciple, the sect's resources will be fully open to him, and it would be easy to enhance his spiritual root to supreme quality," the voice from above the Dao Tower continued.

"Yes, without becoming a direct disciple, one must strive on one's own. Yet, the resources available to a direct disciple are also the result of their efforts," Elder Chun Ye said with a smile.