Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 17 Viewing the Black Tomb Book

Biluofang.

This market town is situated on a clear lake and consists of a dozen or so large boats that drift along the waterways, trading as they go.

Fang Qing had inquired about the situation of some markets near Ba County when he was in Fuzhou Market last time, so he was quite familiar with it.

This time, he used a disguise technique to become a middle-aged man with a sinister face, simulating the magical fluctuations of the Qi cultivation method, and came to Biluofang.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

As expected, the guarding cultivator no longer made things difficult for him like he had when he was a mortal. He simply cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar. Are you a rogue cultivator?"

"That's right, I want to buy a cultivation method for the younger generation in my family."

Fang Qing's voice was slightly hoarse.

"Cultivation techniques? There are quite a few classic texts on the ship... If you can wait, there will be an exchange meeting for fellow cultivators tonight, where many cultivation techniques should be revealed."

The boatman chuckled lightly: "I wish you all your dreams come true."

Fang Qing nodded, but did not go to the book ship immediately. Instead, he wandered around the other ships.

"Hmm... barter is still the main practice here as well."

"I thought it would be like Jade Island in the Qi Refining Path, where spirit stones are mined as a general equivalent? Could it be... that spiritual resources here are already so scarce? Or is Jade Island just too abundant?"

He looked around and found that the local cultivators were indeed very poor. Even an ordinary magic artifact could be used as a "treasure to guard the ship," and various spiritual items were extremely rare.

The same is true for elixirs and talismans; not only are they few in number, but they are even fewer in variety.

The rarest item was a fifth-grade superior 'Yin Corpse Qi'. This true qi was clearly not of any righteous origin, yet it was extremely expensive. The ship had the most powerful cultivators on board, and even a single glance from them gave Fang Qing a feeling of unease.

"What a lousy place!"

He made a comment and then went to the book boat.

"Fellow Daoist, welcome to 'Nine Rivers Water Pavilion'. May I ask which book you would like to purchase?"

A beautiful woman with skin as smooth as jade, wearing a jade hairpin in her hair, and with a scholarly air about her, came forward and greeted us with a charming smile.

"For the children in my family, I'm selecting the [Ji Shui] exercise method..."

Fang Qing answered frankly.

He already possesses the "Earth Spring Tempering Truth" technique, and only lacks the "Ji Water" cultivation method to attempt to cultivate qi and enter the Dao, becoming a qi cultivation cultivator.

Although the [Ji Shui] technique is not particularly rare, the old blind man of Fuzhoufang does not possess it. Moreover, he claims that even if he did, Fang Qing, after using an autumn-killing knife fish to divine his fate, resolve his doubts, and give him a book on Qi gathering, would still be far from being able to afford it.

"The 'Ji Shui' exercise?"

The beautiful woman thought for a moment and replied, "This waterside pavilion only houses one copy, titled 'The Book of Viewing the Black Tomb,' which is the foundation for cultivating the Dao, 'Long-lasting Sweet Rain'..."

"Only one?" Fang Qing frowned slightly, then relaxed.

Although he had no other choice, he possessed the ability to produce pearls, so it wasn't a big problem.

"Entering the Dao through breath control is a major event in choosing one's path, and naturally requires careful consideration..." The beautiful woman seemed to understand this very well: "After all, once a lineage is chosen, it cannot be changed... even the first breath of true qi determines the quality of one's future magical power. If the foundation of one's Dao is impure, it is extremely difficult to purify it..."

Unlike the Qi Refining Path, which allows for switching cultivation methods at a certain cost, the Qi Absorption Path is surprisingly demanding?

Fang Qing was slightly surprised: 'Oh, so I can change it whenever I want? That's alright then.'

"There are indeed a few incomplete copies of the [Ji Shui] cultivation technique in this Water Pavilion... Fellow Daoist may take a look, but without the right opportunity, you may be trapped in the Qi Condensation Realm for your entire life..."

The beautiful woman said sincerely.

"I'd like to take a look first."

Fang Qing pondered for a moment, a hesitant look appearing on his face.

"Of course... All the books in this Water Pavilion are sealed, and you can only read the first three pages. Fellow Daoist, you can browse through them yourself... and then buy the unsealing from me."

The beautiful woman smiled slightly, sat down in a wicker chair, and began to sip tea and read a book.

Fang Qing, expressionless, walked to a pile of books and glanced at it:

"The Book of Sword Inquiry", "Thoughts on Watching Hou Tao Slay the Dragon", "Suwen", "Geography of Ba County", "Complete Destiny Classic", "Essentials of Longevity", "Plum Blossom Divination"...

"Hmm? There are also geography books and miscellaneous notes? They shouldn't be worth much. I can buy them to broaden my horizons and improve my writing skills..."

"Most of the cultivation techniques are incomplete, and very few can actually be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage... Judging from the beginnings, none of them have the Purple Mansion chapter, which is normal... How could a small market possibly sell Purple Mansion cultivation techniques?"

"If I didn't have the Dao-Generating Pearl and had instead purchased such a inferior cultivation technique, I'd probably be stuck at the Qi Refining Realm for life. Even if I were lucky enough to forge a Dao Foundation, I wouldn't be able to glimpse the Purple Mansion... What a miserable fate!"

"Um? 』

He first read several fragments of the "Ji Shui" technique, confirming that it was exactly the same as what the beautiful woman had said, and then unintentionally came to a bookshelf.

On this bookshelf, however, were volumes of Qi-gathering techniques!

"Earth Spring Refining Truth, Cold Pool Crane Qi, Heavenly Wind Descending Mystery... Great Sun Purple Qi?!"

Fang Qing's gaze lingered briefly on a dusty booklet in the far corner, and a thought struck him: "It actually contains the Great Sun Purple Qi Gathering Technique?"

However, his gaze quickly swept over the area, a thought struck him, and he pulled out a book on Qi gathering techniques: "Moonlight Flow?"

Upon opening it, the beginning was indeed exactly the same as the Qi-gathering method passed down through generations of the Fang family in Sanshui'ao.

"Moonlight Radiance...ranks as a high-grade sixth-tier item..."

"Could the Luo family be cultivating the Moon Flowing Light technique? But I'm sure I can find out more by visiting a few more markets..."

Fang Qing's heart stirred.

He had never forgotten the feud with the Luo family.

The fact that he was forced to spend most of his time hiding on Jade Island because of his own weakness was even more unforgettable.

"Are you interested in these Qi-gathering techniques, fellow Daoist?"

The beautiful woman approached without anyone noticing, carrying a rich and sweet fragrance.

"With many children in the family, one must take on multiple paths to avoid being restrained."

Fang Qing shook his head: "Everyone has their own talents, and we can't force it."

"Fellow Daoist, your concern for your descendants is truly admirable..."

The beautiful woman smiled and said, "If you purchase the book 'The Book of Viewing the Black Tomb,' I can arrange to give you a few copies of the Qi Gathering Techniques."

"As expected, this Qi gathering technique is worthless..."

Fang Qing inwardly complained, but his face showed interest: "A few Qi Gathering Techniques aren't enough... I need to add a few miscellaneous books as well."

As he spoke, he casually picked up a few books on Qi gathering techniques, then went to the bookshelf next to him and took out a few geography books and biographies.

"Fellow Daoist... there aren't that many extras..."

The beautiful woman's expression turned somewhat unpleasant upon seeing this. She then noticed Fang Qing pick up a divination book and ask, "Does this book, 'Plum Blossom Divination,' involve divination techniques?"

"Of course. Are you interested in divination and fortune-telling, fellow Daoist? If you really wish to learn this art, then I would truly have to admire you."

The beautiful woman's words carried a hint of mockery, and then Fang Qing tossed out a jade box: "This... in exchange for 'The Book of Viewing the Black Tomb,' along with these miscellaneous books, should be more than enough, right?"

"This is……"

The beautiful woman opened the jade box and saw a strange flower the size of a bowl. A wave of heat rushed towards her, and she was greatly surprised: "The Blazing Sun Flower? This is more than enough to exchange for these books..."

"Alright, I'll pick a few more."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing immediately became honest and straightforward, picking up a few more miscellaneous books, including the Great Sun Purple Qi Gathering Method.

"this……"

The beautiful woman realized she had spoken out of turn and gave a wry smile. But when she saw that Fang Qing had brought only worthless items, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is this art of divination and prediction difficult?"

Just then, Fang Qing suddenly asked a question.

"It's not a matter of difficulty." Seeing Fang Qing change the subject and stop picking up the book, the beautiful woman immediately explained, "Fellow Daoist, you must know that all divination and fortune-telling techniques inquire into the secrets of heaven... However, there are too many powerful beings in this world, and the secrets of heaven are already a jumbled mess. We cultivators who submit to the Dao, even if we cultivate for a lifetime, will probably only be able to divine accurately a few times... Unless it's those Dao foundation cultivators who have specifically forged a Dao foundation of divination and numerology, they can barely obtain some signs, but they still need to interpret them, and there will be many errors and omissions... Only the Purple Mansion Divine Power might be able to see all causes and effects, as clearly as seeing the lines on one's palm, but this is only for looking at the causes and effects of lower-level cultivators. If there is even slight interference from those of the same level, it will be very difficult to succeed..."

Fang Qing roughly understood that divination was too difficult, and while defense was easy, offense was difficult, making it a thankless task.

Even those who specialize in cultivating related Dao foundations and supernatural abilities... must reach the Dao foundation level to obtain some accurate divination results, but they still need to make their own judgments. Only the Purple Mansion level can accurately calculate the details.

Even at the Purple Mansion level, one can only calculate the foundation of one's Dao and the acceptance of Qi... and will be helpless when encountering interference from others of the same level.

Furthermore, divination is difficult to learn, making it a rather useless skill.

However, he possessed the ability to generate pearls and the extraordinary power to "calculate as if it were within a calculation," so he was naturally quite interested in divination.

"This book, 'The Book of Plum Blossoms,' is kind of like a bonus."

Fang Qing patted the "Plum Blossom Divination" in his hand and smiled.

"But... but that's all we have."

The beautiful woman readily agreed, seemingly afraid that Fang Qing would change his mind. She immediately took the books to the counter and began to unseal them one by one.

A moment later, Fang Qing walked out of Biluofang, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Very good... Now I just need to find a place to break through, and I'll be a cultivator of the Qi Path."

"I hope this mid-grade fifth-tier 'Earth Spring Tempering' won't disappoint me..."

Fang Qing patted his storage bag, and the Green Leaf Boat flew out, transforming into a green leaf that carried him further and further away from Biluofang.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

Just then, a voice came from behind.

Fang Qing turned around and saw a burly man in black riding a flying shuttle, much faster than Qing Yezhou. As soon as he saw him turn around, the burly man in black raised his hand, and a burst of strong light flashed from his right hand.

"not good!"

Fang Qing cried out inwardly, and his eyes stung, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, the burly man rubbed his hands together, and clumps of earth and rocks flew towards him, their target being Qingyezhou.

Rumble!

A large amount of sand and gravel exploded in mid-air, revealing a yellowish-brown wall.

But at this moment, the wall had already shattered into pieces, and in the blink of an eye, it exploded into specks of yellowish-brown spiritual light that scattered outwards.

"They even dared to launch a sneak attack? If I hadn't secretly activated the Earth Wall Talisman, I would have been seriously injured, if not killed!"

Fang Qing rubbed his eyes, and seeing the earthen wall, whose defenses were excellent even when reinforced with qi, easily shattered by the rocks, he gritted his teeth even more: "This bandit's cultivation is not bad..."