Chapter 67: The Elder Imparts Knowledge
"Apologies, Junior Brother, but this seat is taken." As the only inner disciple present, Shan Yu was undoubtedly the strongest among them. Naturally, he secured the front and center position as soon as he arrived.
The other outer disciples, understanding the unspoken rule, scrambled to claim the remaining seats without contesting Shan Yu's choice.
Seeing no one competing with him, a slight smile appeared on Shan Yu's lips. Among the inner disciples, he was considered ordinary, but among the outer disciples, he was undeniably a genius.
He was confident in earning the recognition of the Elder of Spiritual Cultivation. After all, his talent was the best among these people. Moreover, he had already mastered four out of the five great Spiritual Agriculture techniques, with the only exception being the Minor Rejuvenation Art.
With such a foundation, Shan Yu firmly believed he would become an official Spiritual Cultivator. There was no reason he should be inferior to the two outer disciples of the Spiritual Cultivation Hall who had already attained that status. If they could do it, as an inner disciple, he certainly could too.
Becoming a Spiritual Cultivator would greatly aid his pursuit of becoming a True Disciple. The Qinglu Sect was currently in dire need of Spiritual Cultivators and allocated additional resources to them. If he could become the sect's strongest Spiritual Cultivator—second only to the Elder—his chances of being chosen as a True Disciple would significantly increase.
The Elder was merely a guest elder, not one of the sect's own Golden Core elders. One day, he would inevitably leave. When that time came, Shan Yu could rise to become the master of the Spiritual Cultivation Peak.
Inside the hall, the struggle for meditation cushions was fiercer than expected. However, since spells and magical artifacts were forbidden within the hall, everyone could only rely on their physical strength.
With Gu Mo's physique being six times stronger than that of an average cultivator at his level, if he had joined the fight, only the inner disciple might have been able to compete with him. The rest would have had no chance.
However, Gu Mo chose a cushion at the back, showing no interest in the struggle. To him, securing a front-row seat was meaningless. With a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense, seating position made no difference. Even if someone were sitting miles away, it would be the same as sitting right in front of the elder.
If one truly wanted to catch the elder's attention, it wouldn't be through proximity but through talent.
The competition for seats, though intense, didn't last long. Soon, everyone had found their place.
To Gu Mo's surprise, Mai Yunfa ended up sitting right next to the inner disciple, one of the best positions available.
"Phew..."
As the struggle ended, Mai Yunfa let out a long sigh of relief. Then, he turned to nod at a few outer disciples from the Spiritual Cultivation Hall behind him, silently expressing his gratitude. He had secured this seat thanks to their help.
Of course, they only assisted him because Deacon Zhao had pulled some strings. As Mai Yunfa's distant relative, Zhao Qiancheng always lent him a hand at critical moments.
The other outer disciples of the Spiritual Cultivation Hall were envious but powerless to change their situation. They simply didn't have a deacon relative to support them.
"Hm?"
As Mai Yunfa turned back, he noticed Gu Mo sitting at the very back. He was momentarily stunned but quickly rationalized it. Gu Mo was merely a servant disciple. While he had talent in spiritual agriculture, he likely couldn't compete physically or cultivation-wise with the outer disciples. Ending up in the worst seat wasn't surprising.
There was nothing Mai Yunfa could do about it. Even he had only secured his seat with the help of his fellow disciples—and, more importantly, Deacon Zhao's influence. In a situation that could determine one's future, who would willingly give up an advantage to help someone else?
Letting out a quiet sigh, Mai Yunfa steadied himself. He still believed Gu Mo had a good chance of becoming a Spiritual Cultivator, but with such a poor seat, that chance had diminished significantly.
This so-called simple battle for meditation cushions was, in reality, a test of strength. Only the best disciples could claim the prime spots.
The Spiritual Cultivation Elder would naturally focus more on the most talented individuals when imparting knowledge.
"The elder is here! Everyone, sit properly!"
Soon, Song Xing and Li Jinmei returned and announced loudly before respectfully stepping aside.
Hearing that the elder was about to arrive, many outer disciples felt a surge of excitement. Golden Core elders were not easily accessible to outer disciples. Some had never even seen one before.
After a few breaths, a figure clad in a flowing green robe appeared. The robe was adorned with intricate, unknown plant patterns, and its material alone suggested it was no ordinary garment but a magical treasure of high quality.
The man wearing this treasure was a middle-aged cultivator with a slightly weathered face. His most striking feature was his long, dark-green hair, making him stand out even more.
"Greetings, Elder Qi!"
Almost instantly, everyone stood up and bowed respectfully.
Qi Chunde's gaze swept over the disciples before briefly pausing on Gu Mo. However, he quickly looked away.
"Phew..."
As the elder's gaze shifted away, Gu Mo exhaled in relief. He knew that his hidden cultivation had likely been detected. His Concealment Technique, though proficient, was only effective against Foundation Establishment cultivators—not a Golden Core elder.
Fortunately, Qi Chunde didn't seem to care. Gu Mo's cultivation level of Qi Refinement Stage Four was nothing extraordinary among the outer disciples.
In truth, Qi Chunde's attention wasn't on Gu Mo's cultivation but on his astonishingly strong physique—six times the usual standard—and the fact that he wore a servant disciple's robe.
The combination of such a powerful physique with a servant's attire was baffling. Someone with this level of physical strength should at least be an inner disciple.
However, Qi Chunde quickly dismissed his curiosity. He had no interest in prying into a mere Qi Refinement disciple's secrets.
"I will now impart to you the cultivation methods of a Spiritual Cultivator. How much you comprehend depends entirely on your own perception."
His voice was clear and carried an undeniable authority, each word etching itself into the disciples' minds.
He then began explaining the essence of being a Spiritual Cultivator, teaching them its core techniques, as well as how to nurture, fuse, and enhance spiritual plants.
Qi Chunde's words seemed to carry a mystical power, and everyone sat with intense focus, doing their best to absorb the knowledge. However, confusion soon began to appear on many faces.
As the lecture progressed, the disciples' expressions grew increasingly puzzled—especially when Qi Chunde introduced the concept of plant fusion, the ability to merge two completely different spiritual plants into one. Many found it incomprehensible. How could two entirely different plants be combined into a single entity?
While most were bewildered, Gu Mo found the concept completely logical. Plant fusion? Wasn't that just grafting? There was nothing difficult to understand about it.
Though Qi Chunde's explanation made it seem more mystical, the underlying principle remained the same.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: p@treon.com/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)