Immortal Cultivation: Starting as a Fortune Cultivator - Chapter 20

After completing the purpose of his outing!

Ye Qingxuan quickly returned to the Blessed Cultivators’ Quarter and made his way back to his own small courtyard.

He had just returned and was about to take out the alchemy furnace to try his hand at refining the Qi-Guiding Pill when an unfamiliar voice came from outside his courtyard:

“Is Junior Brother Ye Qingxuan home?”

Hearing this unknown voice, Ye Qingxuan was puzzled. He knew very few people within the Profound Heaven Sect. Who would come looking for him without reason?

Bearing this question in mind, Ye Qingxuan stood up, walked out of his room, and opened the courtyard gate. Seeing the man standing at his doorstep, he inquired, “Senior Brother, you are…?”

The man outside brightened upon seeing Ye Qingxuan open the door and smiled slightly. “Greetings, Junior Brother! I am Su Daobin. Please forgive this sudden and unannounced visit.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan asked curiously, “Senior Brother, what brings you to find me?”

Instead of answering directly, Su Daobin laughed and said, “Haha, is Junior Brother not going to invite me in for a cup of tea?”

His words made Ye Qingxuan realize his oversight. Having spent so much time alone, he had somewhat neglected these everyday social niceties. Of course, it was also related to his preference for quiet and his lack of skill in social interactions.

However, Ye Qingxuan wasn’t the type to completely isolate himself or be unreasonably standoffish. So, taking Su Daobin’s hint, he promptly responded, “My apologies, Senior Brother. Please, come in!”

With that, he gestured inside, stepping aside to let Su Daobin enter.

“Then I’ll be imposing on you, Junior Brother,” Su Daobin replied without hesitation and walked into the courtyard.

Ye Qingxuan didn’t mind.

After leading Su Daobin into the room, the two sat opposite each other. Ye Qingxuan poured a cup of hot tea for Su Daobin and asked again, “Senior Brother, if I may ask, what is the purpose of your visit this time?”

Facing the repeated question, Su Daobin took a slow sip of tea and explained, “No need to be anxious, Junior Brother. I came simply to pay you a visit, that’s all!”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan didn’t respond immediately but simply looked at Su Daobin quietly.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s silent gaze, Su Daobin gave an awkward light cough and said, “Junior Brother, you entered the Blessed Cultivators’ Quarter and immediately went into deep seclusion for five years, barely showing your face. I truly admire such dedication and focus. However, in cultivation, one must balance exertion with relaxation. Occasionally, you need to unwind to ease tension and pressure.”

The availability of slots for Blessed Cultivators was tied to the spirit veins emerging in the Profound Heaven Mountain Range and wasn’t an annual occurrence. The sect only released these slots after a certain number of new first-grade spirit veins had accumulated. The most recent batch of reserve disciples admitted to the Quarter was five years ago, which included Ye Qingxuan.

After that intake, Su Daobin had visited and acquainted himself with each new disciple, exchanging communication marks. Ye Qingxuan was the only exception. Over the past five years, Su Daobin had visited several times, but each time Ye Qingxuan was in seclusion with his courtyard’s protective formation active, preventing any meeting. This back-and-forth had, over time, become a minor obsession for him.

So, when Su Daobin unexpectedly learned that Ye Qingxuan had gone out, he hurried over. He happened to arrive just after Ye Qingxuan returned home, leading to the scene at the beginning.

Meanwhile, Ye Qingxuan, sitting opposite, felt somewhat dismissive of Su Daobin’s words about tension and pressure. His nature was simply like this; he felt perfectly content and fulfilled immersing himself in secluded cultivation. He didn’t experience the stress Su Daobin mentioned.

Nevertheless, recognizing Su Daobin’s good intentions, Ye Qingxuan still expressed his thanks: “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I will keep it in mind.”

While he agreed verbally, he wouldn’t easily shake his own path based on others’ words!

Su Daobin nodded. He could see that this junior brother’s nature was just like this. Dropping the preamble, he got straight to the point: “My purpose in coming here today is twofold: first, I wished to make your acquaintance, and second, I’d like to exchange communication marks with you, if that’s acceptable?”

Perhaps worried Ye Qingxuan might refuse, Su Daobin added an explanation: “We Blessed Cultivators, though we are destined to remain stationed in one place, cannot develop our Blessed Lands properly by working behind closed doors. It’s essential for us to communicate and learn from each other. This can help us avoid many pitfalls in the future!”

This was precisely why Su Daobin spent a modest amount of his time in the Quarter building connections with numerous fellow disciples.

The disciples in the Blessed Cultivators’ Quarter were all future Blessed Cultivators. Establishing connections with them meant that even after each was stationed in their respective remote locations, they could still exchange experiences and insights on developing their Blessed Lands.

Although Su Daobin’s fate as a Blessed Cultivator was largely sealed, he had no intention of simply resigning himself to it. Even as a Blessed Cultivator, he aimed to be the one who lived the longest. Living long meant there was always hope for new opportunities in the future—this was a belief Su Daobin held deeply.

Ye Qingxuan, who had initially considered refusing, hesitated for a moment upon hearing Su Daobin’s latter point and finally agreed: “In that case, I gladly accept your proposal.”

Thus, the two took out their respective disciple tokens and exchanged communication marks.

Although Ye Qingxuan preferred quiet, he wasn’t opposed to trying new things if they benefited his cultivation path. And clearly, Su Daobin’s words held some merit. While confident in himself, Ye Qingxuan wasn’t one to dismiss others’ opinions outright.

After exchanging marks, Su Daobin visibly became more enthusiastic. He asked almost without thinking, “Might I ask, Junior Brother, did you receive a slot for a newly born spirit site, or one to inherit a predecessor’s Blessed Land?”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan asked curiously, “There are two types of Blessed Land slots?”

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s lack of knowledge, Su Daobin smiled with a hint of pride. He took another sip of tea and explained, “It’s normal you wouldn’t know. Most Blessed Cultivator slots are for newly born spirit sites. Those who receive them will later form a contract with a spirit land located where a new first-grade spirit vein has emerged.”

“Besides that,” he continued, “there are a small number of Blessed Lands left behind by previous Blessed Cultivators after they pass away. These lands can be inherited by other cultivators who practice the Earth Origin Art. This is also the only chance for anyone to directly contract a high-grade Blessed Land.”

“However,” Su Daobin’s tone turned serious, “these slots are extremely rare and highly sought-after within the Profound Heaven Sect. Furthermore, disciples from the same clan as the deceased Blessed Cultivator have priority rights to the contract. Therefore, it’s very uncommon for such slots to become available to the general pool.”

Leaning in slightly, Su Daobin added mysteriously, “From what I know, currently within the entire Blessed Cultivators’ Quarter, there are only two individuals who hold this type of slot. And one of them entered the Quarter in the same batch as you, Junior Brother.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan’s interest was piqued. “Who is it?”

Pleased with Ye Qingxuan’s curious reaction, Su Daobin smiled and revealed a name: “Lin Fan!”

“Lin Fan?” Ye Qingxuan repeated the name silently to himself, but no face came to mind. He simply made a mental note of the name.

Su Daobin, noticing the time, stood up. “I didn’t expect to take up so much of your time, Junior Brother. I feel somewhat apologetic. I should take my leave now!”

Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan also rose to see him out. “You are too kind, Senior Brother. This conversation has been very informative for me. Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Although Su Daobin had taken some of his time, Ye Qingxuan felt he had gained from the interaction. When treated with goodwill, he naturally responded in kind.

Ye Qingxuan escorted Su Daobin to the gate and was about to turn back when Su Daobin, appreciating Ye Qingxuan’s courtesy, offered one more piece of advice:

“Junior Brother, even among first-grade spirit veins, the environments can vary greatly. Those who break through to the peak of Qi Refining first get to choose their spirit land node first. A good spirit land might save you a lot of trouble down the road! I’ll say no more. Farewell, Junior Brother.”

With those words, Su Daobin turned and left.

He had already been in the Blessed Cultivators’ Quarter for over thirty years and was on the verge of breaking through to the peak of Qi Refining. He would soon leave the Quarter to establish his own Blessed Land.

Before departing, seeing Ye Qingxuan’s consistent politeness and lack of annoyance towards him, and having guessed from their conversation that Ye Qingxuan likely came from a minor family background and thus lacked knowledge of many non-secretive pieces of information, Su Daobin decided on a whim to offer that final reminder. It was a gesture of goodwill. Whether it would truly help Ye Qingxuan or not, Su Daobin didn’t dwell on it too much.

After Su Daobin left, Ye Qingxuan felt deeply grateful for his visit. The information Su Daobin shared before leaving was genuinely helpful.

It further confirmed that his own decision was correct. Only by successfully refining the Spirit-Boosting Pills himself, and with the aid of a sufficient supply of them, could he gradually outpace the others, break through to the peak of Qi Refining first, and select a suitable spirit land to establish his Blessed Land!

Currently at only the third level of Qi Refining, Ye Qingxuan still had a long road ahead. For now, what he needed to do was follow his plan, step by step.