Chapter 10: The Path of Cultivation
After Li Chunsong left, it was the outer sect deacon Niu Yuanshan’s turn to take charge.
However, unlike the other deacons, he didn’t put on airs for these registered disciples.
In many people’s impressions, he was a fair and diligent worker with a gentle temper.
This was why, when his undercover identity was exposed back then, many outer sect disciples didn’t believe it, and even many players from the Daoist Sect didn’t believe it.
“Ahem,” Niu Yuanshan cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t you two bind your tokens with blood first?”
“After binding with the token, you will have your identity verified and officially become a member of our Daoist Sect,” he said.
Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang exchanged a glance, both young people feeling a slight excitement.
For Han Shuangjiang, this was the first step in changing the trajectory of her life.
As for a certain transmigrator, he was unsure if the Daoist Sect would be a place where he could settle down, or if he would face turmoil ahead.
Their respective blood dripped onto the tokens and was quickly absorbed clean.
Chu Huaixu’s ears were filled with system prompts.
“[Ding! Congratulations, player, for successfully joining the sect and obtaining ‘Faction – Mirror Country Daoist Sect’.]”
“[System is now settling rewards.]”
Hearing the pleasant system prompts, he felt a surge of energy.
When he used to play games, he had put in a lot of effort to join Spring-Autumn Mountain, one of the Four Great Sects.
Other players might have been close to level 10, but he was still level 0, having not joined a sect or obtained any Cultivation Techniques.
Here, it depended on the player’s personal choice.
Some sects were like shoddy schools where you could get in by paying money.
Some sects required you to study diligently and get in through your own efforts.
In the long run, joining a stronger sect seemed to offer better future prospects.
However, “The Borrowed Sword” was a game after all, and some players had an early start, already cultivating and leveling up, allowing them to seize beginner resources and opportunities earlier.
Chu Huaixu had also seen some players who joined terrible sects at first, but due to early encounters, they managed to soar.
It was precisely these uncertainties that filled the game with charm for players.
“But it’s different now.”
“I didn’t put much effort into joining the Daoist Sect.”
In fact, he was initially resistant.
However, it was worth mentioning that players who managed to join powerful sects after much effort would receive more generous [Faction Rewards].
For ordinary sects, players would be categorized into ordinary [Factions], and the rewards for joining these factions were uniform: 1 [Random Attribute Point].
In the entire Eastern Continent, only by joining the Four Great Sects could one additionally receive more generous faction rewards – namely, 1 [Spiritual Embryo Attribute].
With the Spiritual Embryo Attribute, players would no longer be considered False Spiritual Embryos.
As for the players in the Eastern Continent who could not join the Four Great Sects, they could later obtain Spiritual Embryo Attributes by completing hidden quests and major storyline quests.
“Someone like Han Shuangjiang with the Profound Yin Physique is likely a typical max-level Spiritual Embryo, requiring the Spiritual Embryo Attribute to be filled up, meaning adding it to 10 points.”
“Before I transmigrated, no player had ever maxed this out. To be precise, I think the highest was only 7 points.”
Chu Huaixu’s own account from Spring-Autumn Mountain had reached 6 points before his transmigration.
Compared to the true prodigies of the Profound Yellow Realm, there was still a gap.
But among players, he was undoubtedly head and shoulders above the rest.
He had even written this information in his escort profile as a sign that he was a master and could attract clients.
“Sisters, aren’t you going to touch my Spiritual Embryo?”
In just three breaths, Chu Huaixu heard the system prompt that his [Faction Rewards] had been fully credited.
Seeing that the two had successfully bound their identity tokens with blood, Niu Yuanshan lightly tapped his deacon token and took out a large number of jade slips from its storage space.
These were all Cultivation Techniques for the Meridian-Opening Stage.
He quickly found the “Art of Icy Purity” among them and handed it to Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huaixu looked at the jade slip of the “Art of Icy Purity” and cast an [Information Probe] on it.
The information he received was:
[Art of Icy Purity: Meridian-Opening Stage Cultivation Technique.
Compatibility: 0%.]
He curled his lips slightly and grumbled in his mind, “This Cultivation Technique’s name sounds so pure and chaste, yet my compatibility is 0?”
“You think I’m dirty, huh?”
He personally guessed that the compatibility of the “Art of Icy Purity” with the Profound Yin Physique was likely close to 100%.
The Meridian-Opening Stage was a very simple cultivation stage. Those with real talent could quickly master any Cultivation Technique.
For players, it was also impossible to fail to level up; the experience required for levels 0-9 was not high.
It was just that the higher the compatibility of the Cultivation Technique, the less experience required to level up.
These complex settings were actually further increasing the game’s playability and igniting players’ desire for exploration in the early stages.
Niu Yuanshan looked at the young fellow practitioner before him and was naturally extremely attentive.
Thus, the thickly-browed, big-eyed, and righteous outer sect deacon opened his mouth with a gentle smile, “Come, these are all the Cultivation Techniques for the outer sect’s Meridian-Opening Stage. Pick one, and if you don’t understand anything, you can ask me. There’s no need to rush.”
“Thank you, Deacon.” Chu Huaixu was very polite.
While he was choosing, Niu Yuanshan thoughtfully asked Han Shuangjiang, “It’s late. He might need some time. You can go back and rest yourself; it’s alright.”
Unexpectedly, Han Shuangjiang gently shook her head, her voice still cold, as if without much emotional fluctuation, “I’ll wait for him.”
Hearing this, Chu Huaixu glanced at her and then continued searching through the Cultivation Techniques.
He had been using [Information Probe] continuously.
“Art of Tyrannical God, compatibility 53%.”
“Nine Heavens Ten Earths Profound Art, compatibility 49%.”
“Eight Desolations Divine Ability, compatibility 9%.”
These Meridian-Opening Stage Cultivation Techniques were clearly the most basic, yet more than half of their names sounded incredibly impressive.
But the problem was that after looking around, he didn’t find any above 60%.
“This one isn’t bad, ‘Minor Farming Technique’, compatibility 78%. It’s just, what kind of name is this?”
At this moment, he had almost finished looking through all the jade slips.
Niu Yuanshan and Han Shuangjiang watched him squatting on the ground, picking and choosing, without asking the deacon for help from beginning to end. They didn’t understand what he was doing.
Time ticked by, and Niu Yuanshan felt he needed to be more proactive, so he thoughtfully inquired, “Are there any you’re particularly interested in? I can explain them to you.”
“It’s alright, Deacon Niu.” Chu Huaixu looked up and continued picking.
After another stick of incense burned, Han Shuangjiang’s patience and curiosity were completely exhausted.
Tonight was an extraordinary yet tiring night for her.
“How much longer will you take?” she asked.
Chu Huaixu glanced sideways at her. Since he was crouching, his gaze slanted upwards from this angle, making her astonishingly proportioned legs appear even more slender.
“I didn’t ask you to wait for me. You can leave if you can’t wait,” he retorted.
Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang frowned slightly, stopped speaking, but did not leave.
Niu Yuanshan, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, listened to their conversation from the side and was extremely surprised.
He had thought this ice-cold beauty would just turn around and leave.
This made him marvel anew in his heart.
Chu Huaixu had been an escort for a long time and had encountered too many women.
There was a reason he thrived in this profession.
Although Han Shuangjiang was cold and seemed unapproachable, it was merely her form of self-protection.
She had been abandoned by her parents since childhood and sold into a brothel.
Born into such a family, raised in such an environment, her personality would inevitably change.
Being abandoned would lead to insecurity.
Prostitute women were trained from a young age, their primary focus being obedience, taught how to serve others.
The madam wanted obedient “daughters”; if you were disobedient, the consequences were foreseeable.
Therefore, it was possible for this cold and elegant young girl to have a hint of “servitude” about her.
Chu Huaixu indeed wanted to latch onto this world protagonist.
But he had no interest in kneeling and licking her beautiful legs.
Chu Huaixu ignored her and continued searching.
Finally, he found what he was looking for.
