Under the scorching sun, fine beads of sweat covered Fang Qing's forehead, but he paid no mind to such trifles.
Three people stood before him: two young boys with their hands clasped in front of their chests, following an elder.
The elder had a pale, beardless face and a slight air of age, but his eyes, when he looked around, were like lightning, exuding considerable authority. He was the Great Steward of this Medicine Valley and also Fang Qing's Senior Brother in their Sect, Ling Ge.
He gently turned his head to signal, and the two youths slowly stepped forward to stand in a line with Fang Qing.
“You three, all of you began working in the Medicine Valley on this very day last year, is that correct?”
Fang Qing and the other two exchanged surprised glances, but without daring to delay, they all bowed and affirmed, “Yes.”
Ling Ge nodded in satisfaction, paused for a few breaths, then continued, his tone refined and amiable: “It was stated at the time that regardless of your talents, as long as you worked here for one year, you would have a sliver of Immortal Ascension opportunity.”
“The Sect is most fair; it will not shortchange you even a single cent. Now, the time has come, and I, Ling, am here for this matter.”
With that, he waved his long sleeve, and three booklets appeared. The script on their covers was strange. Fang Qing craned his neck and widened his eyes, searching his memory, but couldn't recognize them.
He couldn't help but inwardly complain, “Oh, the bitterness! Why does this world of Cultivation and seeking the Dao also have foreign languages?”
The other two youths, however, focused on something different. One of the lavishly dressed youths bowed while smiling obsequiously, “Such a small matter, why did Ling Shi have to come personally? A simple summons would have sufficed for us three to seek you out.”
Hearing this, Ling Ge shook his head and said very seriously, “No, no. Your footwork is clumsy. What if you delayed the appointed time?”
His words were vague and confusing. The three were puzzled but dared not ask further, only staring intently at the Immortal Book.
After waiting a moment, Ling Ge still hadn't moved; he merely stood there, holding the three booklets in one hand.
The three exchanged meaningful glances. Could it be that they needed to offer something?
No, Ling Shi doesn't seem like that kind of person!
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Fang Qing's mind. Could it be like this?
Just as he thought of this, Ling Ge made a calculation with his other hand, then said with a smile, “The time has come. It is right for you to receive your Immortal Ascension opportunity.”
With a gentle wave, the three booklets appeared in their hands.
Fang Qing looked at the scorching sun. This very day last year, the sun had been just as bright. It was his third day in the Sect and his first day working in the Medicine Valley. This moment was precisely the same as a year ago.
This Ling Shi was truly as fair as he claimed.
His thoughts lasted only a moment. Before the three could ask about the Immortal Technique's script, Ling Shi didn't play guessing games and got straight to the point.
“This is Dao text,”
“Initially, the First Ancestor saw the Dao Ancestor within the Sect. After regaining consciousness, he wrote a volume of Heavenly Book, named ‘Tianxin’,”
“This is the foundation of our Sect. We, as cultivators, all have our own Dao in our cultivation. The Dao we cultivate is this Heavenly Heart Dao.”
“The Heavenly Heart is my heart, the Heavenly Dao is my Dao. Remember this well.”
“What you hold in your hands now is the first volume of the Tianxin Heavenly Book, annotated by the Seven Ancestors.”
“The fact that you cannot see the Dao text does not mean your Immortal Ascension opportunity is insufficient.”
“As the saying goes, the Dao cannot be lightly transmitted, nor can techniques be lightly taught. Now, you owe me the grace of transmission.”
“Our Sect's Dao techniques are most impartial. Since you owe a karmic debt, go to the medicine garden and collect 30 Seven-Heart Fruits. Deliver them to my residence by evening, and your debt will be resolved.”
With that, he waved his large sleeve, a gentle breeze flowed, and when they looked again, Ling Ge was gone.
Leaving the three to stare at each other in bewilderment.
......
Inside the medicine garden, the three were working enthusiastically. 30 Seven-Heart Fruits was no small task; collecting them was quite troublesome.
Seven-Heart Fruits are often accompanied by other Spirit Medicine. One must carefully avoid them one by one, cut three inches above the root, slowly sever it with a knife, then wrap it with a Spirit Protection Talisman, and place it in a jade box before the task is complete.
Fortunately, none of the three were novices, and their movements were quite nimble.
After collecting a few, sweat appeared on Fang Qing's forehead. The toughness of the Spirit Medicine was incomparable to ordinary things.
Fang Qing subtly moved to the back of the medicine garden to observe the other two.
These two must have extraordinary backgrounds. The lavishly dressed youth had an undeniable nobility in his brows and wielded a shimmering, iridescent treasure knife. Among the three, he was making the fastest progress.
The other youth, dressed in tight-fitting attire, moved with a methodical grace, as if he had practiced martial arts. His collection speed was unusually fast, closely following the first.
At this point, it seemed he, Fang, was the most inadequate.
Suddenly, Fang Qing slapped his thigh. “I'm not without a trump card! The ability that Demon Fang Qing found for my Clone, I haven't used it yet!”
In his Sea of Consciousness, the three satellite seeds revolving around the parasitic seed, the broken one was distinctly different, with a faint glow flowing on it, as if imbued with great power.
Now, with a thought from Fang Qing, this power was mobilized.
Rows of text, visible only to Fang Qing, scrolled out.
To be precise, these were merely a form of information feedback between the parasitic seed and Fang Qing. Perhaps Fang Qing was accustomed to this feedback method, so it spontaneously transformed into this appearance.
“Receiving Demon Fang Qing's Relics.”
“Bloodline Power Strengthen.”
“Bloodline Power strengthen complete. Congratulations, Host, you have gained the strength of one ox.”
“Inherited Talent: Niu Mo Change.”
“Inherited Lifespan: 200 years.”
Along with the parasitic seed's feedback came a brief memory, the final scene of Demon Fang Qing's memory.
“Ah, I was stewed?” Fang Qing's eyes were blank. The tragic image of Demon Fang Qing in his memory made him shiver involuntarily.
Cultivating Immortality requires caution! One wrong step can lead to eternal damnation. This was the first lesson Fang Qing learned on his Daotujing.
Fang Qing silently made a decision.
Before achieving Immortal Ascension and becoming an Ancestor, he would absolutely not reveal his identity!
Originally, after receiving the Divine Ability, he had some youthful competitive thoughts, but now they were long gone.
Lie low, lie low to the very end!
He took a deep breath, calmed down, and Fang Qing began to test his abilities.
The reinforcement information feedback was completed in an instant; his body didn't even have time to feel the change.
Now, when he took his knife to cut the root, it broke with a single swipe. Fang Qing, caught off guard, almost couldn't control his strength.
He secretly observed for a few breaths, and seeing no one was paying attention, he relaxed.
He had just vowed to be low-key. If he exposed himself now, it would be a huge joke. Fang Qing scoffed at himself inwardly.
He reined in seven-tenths of his strength and didn't try to compete, carefully removing the Spirit Medicine just as he had before.
A trace of green, visible only to Fang Qing, flowed into the seed in his Sea of Consciousness.
He felt as if the injured seed had healed a bit more.
Fang Qing became interested and silently thought, “It's a pity it can't be quantified, and I don't know how long it will take to repair.”
Just as he thought this, a line of information scrolled out.
“Third parasitic seed repairing (6/100)”
It was as if his thoughts moved his will; the mysterious seed instantly provided the information he needed.
“Hey, it can even do this…” Fang Qing was somewhat surprised. He then silently recited new thoughts.
New information interactions were fed back.
“Name: Fang Qing”
“Lifespan: 16/262”
“Talents: Niu Mo Change, Strength of One Ox”
“Daotujing: Not yet entered”
“Cultivation Technique: None”
“Number of parasitic seeds: 3 (778/1000)”
“Third parasitic seed repairing (6/100)”
Fang Qing happily looked at the completed information, which, as he wished, gave him an information panel.
“Hmm, the fourth seed doesn't seem far off either.” With the visualized data, Fang Qing felt even more motivated.
He continued to collect the next one. Although he felt a bit eager, his movements were as unhurried as ever.
“Third parasitic seed repairing (7/100)”
“Very good,” Fang Qing nodded in satisfaction, immersed in the joy of his work.
Work makes me happy.jpg
Next, the next one.
“Cough, Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so cautious. These are all the most common herbs. Not to mention this immortal Sect, they are not uncommon even in the mortal world. If you damage them, so be it; the Sect won't mind.”
Fang Qing turned his head. It turned out that the lavishly dressed young man had already finished collecting and, regardless of his expensive clothes, sat down beside him on the ground.
“Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Fang Qing.”
“Cough, Junior Brother Fang Qing, I am Wu Zhaosheng of Qian Country.”