Three disciples in sky-blue robes and one in black robe stood in a spacious yard side by side. They were bowing towards Su Zhi, their master.
Su Zhi waved his hand and gestured for them to lift their head. He looked at them with a serious expression and said, "You must be familiar with what happened yesterday."
He sighed and continued, "You must have also noticed the signs that happened a few days ago. A bad omen is looming over our sect. As a sect of righteous cultivators, we have neglected the suffering of mortals for too long. The heavens are angry at us. We have decided to wage war on the Purple Snake Society and end the evil in our territory once and for all."
Shock. Everyone except Li Ying was shocked. Li Ying had no idea what the Purple Snake Society was, but he could tell from his senior brothers' reactions that it was something dreadful.
The Purple Snake Society was a hub for evil cultivators. It was not a sect, but a lawless place where only self-interest mattered.
It had attracted formidable evil cultivators from the region, who committed all kinds of atrocities and crimes.
What was worse was that their leader was a person with a similar cultivation level as the sect leader.
Wang Huo looked at Li Ying, who was clueless about the Purple Snake Society, and nodded slightly, as if he would tell him about it later.
Li Ying thought, 'Is that bad omen that master caused? It's all your fault, you petty master.' Just when he was thinking that, he heard a voice in his head.
"It's not my fault. Didn't you hear what that old man was saying at all? It's the duty of righteous cultivators to eradicate evil."
Li Ying was surprised. 'Can she even read my mind now?'
Suddenly, his eyes widened. He thought, 'Did she do that to cause trouble for me?'
"Hehehe." A playful laughter came. Once again, she read his mind.
Li Ying was dazed when he heard Su Zhi's voice.
"Li Ying, you don't need to participate in the expeditions. You are too weak, you just have to cultivate these days."
His senior brothers were nodding at him, showing their agreement.
"I will comply." Li Ying replied.
"Good, Li Ying, do you want to learn alchemy?" Su Zhi asked, changing the topic.
Li Ying recalled that Su Zhi was an alchemist of the sect. He had always been interested in alchemy. He knew a lot about alchemy but he had never been able to make high-level pills because he lacked spiritual qi. But now it was different.
"Yes, Master." Li Ying answered.
"Good." Su Zhi took out a book from his spatial ring and threw it to Li Ying.
The cover read 'Basics of Alchemy'.
"You have to read it thoroughly before I start teaching you."
"I will do, Master." Li Ying replied.
"You can go now." Su Zhi said, dismissing him.
Li Ying bowed and left.
…
Li Ying was sitting in his wooden cabin, which was barely big enough for him to move around. The light from outside was turning dim.
A plain paper was laid out on a simple table. He was holding a brush with one hand and the jade token with the other.
"Master, help me complete the manual." Li Ying said.
"Since I have promised you, I will do it. But first, tell me when are you going to participate in the expeditions?" Mu Xuanyin asked.
"Didn't you hear Su Zhi? I am too weak. I can't do that." Li Ying replied.
"Tsk. Tsk. What a cowardly disciple." Mu Xuanyin sneered.
'Say whatever you want, I am not going to die for your entertainment.' Li Ying had finally realized that 'the task' his master had given him was nothing but a source of entertainment for her. He said, "I know, Master. But please help me write the whole manual."
"Hmm... It was originally an upper grade green martial art, but for you, my ungrateful disciple, I will upgrade it to lower blue grade." Mu Xuanyin said as if she was doing him a huge favor.
"Master, if you can upgrade the grade as you wish, then why don't you upgrade it to a higher purple grade?" Li Ying asked politely.
"Why do you ask for something when you already know the answer? Now write what I say..." His master said, ignoring his request and starting to dictate the manual.
Li Ying had no choice but to write what he heard from his master.
…
The Next Morning.
The common training yard was back to its normal. It was bustling with activity as disciples practiced their skills and techniques.
Li Ying was in a corner, practicing 'Leopard Sprinting Art'. It was an art that a Nascent Soul cultivator had created while observing a leopard running, hence the name.
It was just a white grade martial art, which meant that it wasn't refined and upgraded by practitioners of later generations.
Li Ying had no choice but to learn this art, as he needed to run as fast as he could from dangerous situations.
The art stated that it could enhance a cultivator's speed by four times if they completed the steps properly. However, as Li Ying was reading it, he realized that the said steps were too embarrassing to do. He had to imitate a leopard's movements, posture, and breathing.
It was abnormal, but it wasn't very rare. Some people had to imitate a monkey to learn martial arts related to agility and flexibility and some people had to roar like a tiger to learn martial arts related to strength and ferocity.
Li Ying was making weird postures, and many people were looking at him with curiosity or contempt. But no one laughed out loud except for one, that was in his mind, that witch.
"Hahaha! This is why I said white grade martial arts are garbage. If you need to imitate an animal to learn martial arts, is there anything more embarrassing?"
Li Ying didn't mind and continued practicing, he was used to her ridicules.
After several hours of exhausting practice, Li Ying finally finished the 'Leopard Sprinting Art' for the day.
He now started recalling 'Heavenly lightning wave'. He couldn't take it out here, he had memorized what he needed to practice for today.
Li Ying grabbed a wooden sword from the training ground and returned to his position.
He shut his eyes and swung his arms horizontally, wielding the sword like a club ready to strike. But he did not strike, he stood there motionless with his eyes closed. He was concentrating.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty, then an hour. Li Ying did not open his eyes, nor did he move a muscle.
He gained many disciples' attention, more than when he was practicing the 'Leopard Sprinting Art'.
"Is he trying to make a new martial art himself?" A person ridiculed.
"Hahaha, I think he fell asleep standing up." Another person joked.
"Don't mind him, he is just wasting his time."
But Li Ying did not hear a single ridicule, he was too focused on the sword right now.
After few hours, he opened his eyes and left.
…
The sky was darkening, and the stars were beginning to appear. Li Ying did not return to his cabin. He was waiting outside Su Zhi's yard.
Li Ying saw four figures approaching him from a distance. One person was leading the group, wearing a white robe.
Li Ying stood up from the lotus position he was sitting in, and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, master." He said, his voice low and humble.
"Oh, Li Ying, you were waiting for us." Su Zhi said, his voice warm and friendly. He seemed pleased by his disciple's loyalty and devotion.
"Master, I was anxious about you and senior brothers." Li Ying said, his eyes showing concern.
"You don't need to be anxious about anything, we are very powerful and as for master, he can be considered one of the top figures in the region." It was Xuan Ping who spoke, while smiling confidently.
Li Ying smiled back, and asked, "How did the expedition go?"
"It was a total victory, we subdued three foundation building scums from the purple snake society. More than anything, it was fun." Tian Cheng said, while laughing heartily.
"Reach the foundation building stage soon, and we will take you with us. This war is going to be a long one." Wang Huo said, while patting Li Ying's shoulder.
…
Every morning, Li Ying would go to the common training yard, where he would practice two martial arts: 'Leopard Sprinting Art' and 'Heavenly Lightning Slash'.
At night, he would meditate in his cabin, trying to increase his cultivation base and refine his qi. Sometimes, he would converse with his master and senior brothers.
This was his daily routine for a month.
…
The sky was clear and bright. Li Ying was doing his usual practice with the sword.
'I have attained mastery in 'Leopard Sprinting Art', but this 'Heavenly Lightning Slash' is really complex. It needs full focus to activate. It will still take me a few months to learn it.' He thought to himself.
Li Ying held a wooden sword in his hand, and swung it horizontally, as if he was about to strike with a bolt of lightning. He closed his eyes and focused on the sword, trying to activate the 'Heavenly Lightning Slash'.
Now, the disciples who used to ridicule him were silent. They could see that when Li Ying was focusing on the sword, sparks of lightning would flash on the sword, making a crackling sound and it was just a wooden sword. What would Li Ying do with a metal sword, they wondered.
Since Li Ying had mastered one of the two martial arts, his half of the day was free. He decided to go learn alchemy from his master.
Li Ying had flipped through the alchemy book his master had given him. It was a basic introduction to alchemy, explaining the principles, the materials, the tools, and the methods. Li Ying had already learned all these things as a scholar. He did not need to learn about the basics.
Inside Su Zhi's yard.
"Master, I want to learn alchemy." Li Ying said to his master, who was tending the herbs he grew in his yard. The herbs were of various colors and shapes, and they emitted different fragrances and auras. They were used as the raw materials for alchemy.
"Did you read the book I gave you?" Su Zhi asked, without looking up from the herbs.
"Yes, master." Li Ying replied.
"Alright, we will start your alchemy training from tomorrow." Su Zhi said, finally looking at Li Ying.