Old Spirit

"We thank Senior Hua Mei." After saying goodbye, they headed towards the sect library. The Immemorial Dragon Sect was a very large sect, and without cultivation one must walk several hours before reaching somewhere. Fang min and Li Chen walked for hours before they finally reached the sect library. This was a giant 5 story building with a big entrance. there was someone in a Blue Uniform sitting left of the entrance.

As Fang Min and Li Chen approached the entrance, the man in the blue uniform stood up and blocked their way, his expression stern. "Hold it right there," he commanded, pointing a finger at them. "Let me see your identification jades."

Fang Min and Li Chen quickly pulled out their jades and handed them over to the man. He examined them carefully, scrutinizing every detail before nodding and handing them back.

"New members? As you have read in the Information book This is the sect library, You can pick one spell from the first floor. The second floor is for blue division disciples, and so it goes according to divisions. I suggest you pick the Qi Gathering Spell, otherwise, you will suffer for the rest of your cultivation until you can gather enough spirit stones to buy it. You guys have 30 minutes. You may enter." The man in blue waved his and the huge door slowly opened. Fang Min and Li Chen entered.

Fang Min and Li Chen exchanged a glance before entering the sect library, feeling a bit uneasy about the man's strict demeanor. The library was a massive five-story building with an imposing entrance, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as they approached it.

The sect library was a vast and impressive structure, with towering shelves holding thousands of books. Fang Min and Li Chen stepped inside, marveling at the sight before them. The air was heavy with the smell of old books and the silence was only broken by the occasional sound of pages turning. As they walked further in, they couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of knowledge stored here. Fang Min's eyes darted around, taking in the titles of the books as he tried to decide which spell to choose.

He spotted a book titled "Flying Spell" and another one called "Arrow Spell". Fang Min's interest was piqued, and he was tempted to pick them up. He also came across a book called "Ancient Justice", but he remembered Hua Mei's words cautioning them to choose their spell wisely. So he hesitated for a moment before making his decision.

Li Chen found the Qi Gathering book and reached for it, slowly pulling it out of the shelf. The moment his hand touched the cover, a wave of energy flowed through his body, and he felt as if his mind was being flooded with information. The feeling lasted for several breaths before he finally withdrew his hand from the book.

"Incredible. just by touching it, I learned the Qi Gathering spell..." Li Chen said with excitement. After him, Fang Min also reached for the book. After he touched to book, a wave of information rushed to his mind. At this moment, Lin Xiaowen opened his eyes.

"Qi Gathering Spell? Is this what they call an incomplete technique? It's full of flaws," Lin Xiaowen commented with a frown. Fang Min, who had just finished absorbing the information, opened his eyes.

"Qi Gathering, amazing..." After Learning the Qi Gathering spell, they both left the library.

As they stepped out of the library, a gentle breeze brushed their faces, and the sun was setting, painting the sky with warm hues of orange and pink. Fang Min couldn't help but feel exhilarated by the new spell he had just learned. He felt a sense of power surging through his veins, and his heart was beating faster than ever before.

As they walked towards their room, they saw the man in blue waiting for them. He had a stern expression on his face as he looked at them. "What did you guys pick up from the library?" he asked in a sharp tone.

"We picked up the Qi Gathering spell," Li Chen replied, feeling a bit nervous under the man's piercing gaze.

The man's expression softened a bit as he nodded. "Good. Make sure you practice it well. It's the foundation of all cultivation, and if you can master it, you'll be able to progress quickly."

"You can pick up a single treasure from the treasure room," he said, "but choose it wisely. I suggest that you guys choose a defensive or movement treasure. It can save your life in a life-and-death situation." The man handed them a map that led to the treasure room, which was located on the other side of the sect.

"We thank senior brother!" Both of them said their goodbyes and looked at the map. After finding the treasure room, they headed southeast.

Fang Min and Li Chen walked for hours until they finally reached the treasure room of the sect, which was a massive 5-story building. As they approached the entrance, they saw a man in a blue uniform sitting there, looking stern and serious.

"Identification Jade," he said in a firm tone. Without hesitation, Fang Min and Li Chen handed him their identification jades, and the man examined them before allowing them to enter the treasure room.

"You may go in, you only have 30 minutes. Choose your treasure wisely." He already knew that they picked their spells. With the Identification Jade, he could see where they have been and who they were.

After entering the room. They saw hundreds of jades. Fang Min walked a bit and touched a jade. A surge of information invaded his mind. He saw a silver spear with a sharp end. After letting go of the jade, the image in his mind disappeared. He then touched another jade. This time he saw a wooden bow, but there were no arrows. He let go and touched another jade. This time he saw a white bead floating. this bead released waves of grey fog and rotated slowly. He didn't let go of the jade, and information about the bead slowly appeared.

"This is the Grey Fog Rotational Bead, it can hide the user from other cultivators of the same realm. Spirit stone cost: 3500." Fang Min was interested in this bead, but he wanted to check the other treasures as well. He let go of the bead's jade and touched another jade. This time a green ring appeared in his mind. There was a small green stone above the ring. After waiting a bit, the information started to appear.

"This is the Green God Protection Ring. It can protect the user from one life-threatening attack of the Qi Condensing stage. Spirit Stone cost: 4450." Fang Min remembered the words from the previous senior and decided to pick this jade. But before that, he checked out the remaining treasures until he had a little bit of time left. He quickly found the Ring's jade and picked it up. After picking up the jade, the jade suddenly cracked and turned to dust, but a green ring appeared on Fang Min's finger.

"Green God Protection Ring? This is a good choice. Maybe I can fool him into thinking that this ring developed a spirit." Lin Xiaowen revealed a smile.

"Fang Min, are you finished? Let's go, we don't have much time left." Li Chen said with an impatient tone.

"Yeah, I picked a protective ring, what did you select?" Fang Min asked.

"I selected these leather boots. They can increase my speed for a moment. Let's go" Li Chen said. After both of them left, the blue-uniformed man at the door looked at both of them.

"Good, one defensive and one movement treasure. Good choice. You guys can pick up 15 spirit stones from Hua Mei as new members. You get 15 Spirit stones every month. If you get punished, your spirit stones may be reduced. Now go into closed-door cultivation until you reach the first level of Qi Condensation." The man in blue said calmly.

"Yes, Senior Brother." Both of them bowed.

Both Fang Min and Li Chen said their goodbyes and left. Fang Min's Green God Protection Ring was automatic and didn't need any spiritual energy to operate, however, Li Chen's Leather Boots required spiritual energy, which they could use at the first level of Qi Condensation stage. After several hours, they arrived at the Purple Division's main building and entered closed-door cultivation.

Fang Min sat in a lotus position and tried to use the Qi Gathering Spell. He needed to chant this spell. After trying a few times, he succeeded. He saw a blue, fog-like thing in the air. It was slowly floating toward Fang Min. He then focused on his aperture. He saw a bridge. This bridge was about 10 meters long. According to the Sect Book, every step represented the levels of Qi Condensation. Fang Min stepped on the first segment. But a hidden pressure stopped him from moving forward. This pressure felt like a mountain was pressing on him.

"Fang Min absorbed more and more Qi from his surroundings, but still felt like it wasn't enough. He persevered, spending three whole days cultivating diligently. On the third day, as he focused on his Qi aperture, a faint blue aura appeared on his body. He took the first step once more, and the pressure from before returned. However, this time it felt weaker, as if he was slowly getting stronger."

Fang Min sensed that he was getting closer to the first level of Qi Condensation, and he continued to absorb Qi from his surroundings to strengthen his cultivation. Three days passed by in the blink of an eye, and on the third day, Fang Min noticed a faint blue aura surrounding his body. He tried taking the first step once again, and although he felt the pressure, it was significantly weaker than before.

With renewed motivation, Fang Min continued his cultivation for another four days, without eating or drinking anything. Surprisingly, he didn't feel any hunger or thirst, as his focus remained entirely on his aperture. This time, the blue aura around him was even more substantial, and he took the first step with confidence. The pressure was barely noticeable, and finally, Fang Min successfully entered the first level of Qi Condensation stage.

The moment that he completely took the step, his surroundings completely changed. He could now see the Qi in the surrounding without activating the Qi Gathering Spell. And he felt like if he activated the Qi gathering spell, it would be much stronger. He released a faint divine sense and surrounded the small room. Li Chen was still sitting and cultivating silently. He looked like he still didn't reach the Qi Condensation Stage. But right at this moment, Fang Min's pupils shrank. He heard a strange voice talking to him.

"That Qi Gathering Spell is incomplete." An old voice came out from the ring directly into Fang Min's mind.

The moment Fang Min heard the voice in his mind, he jolted up and scanned the room for any sign of an intruder. Finding no one, he cautiously approached the door and glanced outside. Nothing seemed amiss. Confused and slightly unnerved, he closed the door and sat back down.

"Who are you?" he thought, directing his mind towards the voice in the ring.

"Am I losing my sanity because I was in closed-door cultivation without eating or sleeping?" Fang Min slowly calmed down.

"I am the spirit within this ring, I have been dormant for a long time, but your Qi Gathering Spell has finally awakened me," the voice explained.

Fang Min was amazed and skeptical at the same time. "Is this even possible?" he wondered. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the voice was real and that the ring was more than just a simple treasure.

"What can you do?" Fang Min asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I can assist you in your cultivation journey, providing guidance and knowledge that you cannot find anywhere else," the spirit replied.

Fang Min was filled with excitement and gratitude. He had stumbled upon a treasure beyond his wildest dreams, and he was determined to make the most of it."

"I can help you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, and then you will have the power to release me. To be honest, I am from the Pitch Shadow Sect, so if you ask help from someone else, they are going to kill me."

"Hmm, give me time to think." Fang Min didn't know what to do.

"Okay, I accept! You said that the Qi Gathering Spell was incomplete, what do you mean by that?" After several minutes, Fang Min spoke.

"The Qi Gathering Spell they gave you is incomplete. I learned the complete version when I was in the Pitch Shadow Sect. I can give it to you." Lin Xiaowen said.

Fang Min's excitement grew as he spoke to the voice coming from the ring. "Okay, if you help me, I promise to release you after I reach the Nascent Soul Realm!" He waited anxiously for a response. After a while, information about the Qi Gathering Spell started to appear in his mind, but this time it was different. This was the complete Qi Gathering Spell. Fang Min sat down to try the spell, and to his surprise, it activated with ease. He no longer needed to practice as the blue fog around him condensed rapidly.

A week later, Fang Min focused on his aperture again. He stood on the first step of a bridge, covered in a very corporeal blue aura. As Fang Min took the second step, his body trembled slightly as the pressure increased. However, he remained steady and continued on to the third step, feeling the energy within his body surge. With each step, the blue aura around him became brighter and more intense. When he took the fourth step, a burst of energy emanated from his body, and he felt a surge of power unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were glowing with a bright blue light. He had finally reached the fourth level of the Qi Condensation Stage, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.