AZI Volume 2 Chapter 39

"Right, now that that's settled, what say—we talk about business?"

Seeing the shrewd smile on Nian Yao Yao's face, Long Hua already knows what it is that she intends to ask of him, and towards it—

"Cultivation methods, is it? Go ask your mother for them."

"I've tried, but the old hag isn't willing to give them."

"She probably has her reasons for that."

"Such as?"

Walking over to them, Nian Tao Tao looks at Long Hua with a sigh, and says—

"Being an Immortal, you should already know why I had declined my foolish daughter's plead."

The thought of nurturing Immortals to fight back against the Immortals had crossed Nian Tao Tao's mind in the past. But realizing the difficult state of this world, she knew it would be futile—in the end, the Bloodline Project became her focus.

"Has this world always been like this?"

"According to the ancestors' logs, it wasn't always like this, but at some point, things just became this way."

"And the reason wasn't recorded? How odd…"

"What exactly are you two talking about?"

Being left out of the loop, Nian Yao Yao looks between the two with irritation.

Getting his thoughts in order, Long Hua explains—

"Remember the energy your staff recently discovered? The Imm…- Practitioners, is what they are actually called, in any case, that energy is called spirit Qi. You're correct in your theory to assume that the ability to gather, and to cultivate spirit Qi—is what makes an Immortal an Immortal. This world divides Immortals into different levels, but in their world, they are divided into cultivation realms. I won't go too into detail on them right now, but basically your world is severely lacking in spirit Qi, which makes it difficult to cultivate. Even if I were to give you a cultivation method, and you managed to spread it, it won't produce the ideal result you're hoping for—due to the shortage of spirit Qi as a resource."

The thought of making cultivation a norm is still on Long Hua's mind, however—

(This is selfish of me, but right now, I don't want to have to fight someone for an already scarce resource.)

"Then…"

With her expression darkening, Nian Yao Yao sinks into thought. This means that she will have to come up with another alternative to dethrone the practicality of her mother's Moon Guards.

(…His words sound logical on the surface, but… It probably also has to do with him not wanting competition…)

Reading through the fine lines of Long Hua's words, Nian Yao Yao frowns.

"Again, I suggest you just give up, my foolish daughter."

"Too soon for me to do so. If I said fine, here and now, I'd only make myself look… Look even more like a clown."

"Oh?"

"Heh."

Simultaneously, Long Hua and Nian Tao Tao laughed aloud, whereas Tian Cheng inwardly remarks—

(So, the young Nian beast is actually aware of this?)

"Quit laughing!"

Grinding her teeth together, Nian Yao Yao feels extremely vexed towards her current streak of ill encounters—where seemingly everyone she meets is able to lead her by the nose.

"In any case, answer me this, Long Hua. If an individual is able to cultivate spirit Qi, how long would it take for them to become as strong as you?"

Raising an eye towards, Nian Yao Yao's question, Long Hua replies—

"Strong? Is that how I appear in your eyes? I'm not exactly omnipotent. In the practitioners' circle, people of my level are like cabbages; some are just riper than others."

"That doesn't exactly answer the question…"

Arranging his thoughts for a moment, Long Hua answers—

"Depends on their talent. They could take a month, or an entire year. Worst case scenario, they never reach my current level. Generally speaking, the more resources they have, the faster they will grow—even if they are not as talented. Other than that… The method they are using for cultivation is also something that must be taken into account, along with how attuned they are to the specific method."

"Sounds rather complicated. Is there any way to determine a person's talent?"

As Nian Yao Yao frowns, Long Hua adds—

"Appraisal of an individual's talent can be done through another practitioner, or through the use of a device. But the device in question… I don't see a reason for it to exist in this world."

"Will they be using the same cultivation method as you?"

"That would not be possible."

Inwardly, Tian Cheng shakes her head at Nian Yao Yao's question, while thinking—

(Foolish thought to have. Anything his shizun comes up with—is worth piles upon piles of resources, that most sects and clans couldn't possibly hope to take out.)

"Wh-?"

"Regardless, all this talk is pointless—when this world is so severely short on spirit Qi."

Despite her dissatisfactions, Nian Yao Yao knows that she is only wasting her time with her questions—when the core issue hasn't been resolved.

(I don't even know the name of my cultivation method, but knowing shizun, he probably tailored it specifically for me. Unless an individual is a perfect copy of me, they won't get very far with this method.)

"So, to the village then?"

With Long Hua having forcefully ended the topic, Nian Tao Tao suggests moving onto their main objective.

Replying with a nod, the four walk back to the others, and as they approach, Jing Yao asks—

"Done?"

"You make it sound like you couldn't wait to be rid of us, Jing."

"Because I am."

Shrugging her shoulders, Nian Yao Yao replies—

"How cold. Does that mean you're not coming along?"

"I've had my fill of thrills after last night. Plus, there's a lot of work waiting for me to finish."

"Alright then."

Glancing at Jing Yin, Nian Tao Tao asks—

"What of you, Yin?"

"My stamina is quite weak, so I'll stay back as well."

Towards Jing Yin choosing not to join the search for the village, mixed feelings arise in Jing Yao's heart. If the former doesn't plan to move together with Nian Yao Yao's group, then she will most probably be staying here with her.

Moving along, Long Hua asks—

"So? Where is the entrance exactly?"

"I recall seeing a manhole cover on the way over yesterday. Shouldn't be too far from where we are now. Once we are in the sewer network, we can officially start the search."

Receiving this answer from Nian Yao Yao, Long Hua asks—

"Any other preparations you need to make before that? Say, a gas mask?"

"Despite being a sewer, the scent is almost nonexistent—due to the city's advanced ventilation system."

"Oh? Didn't expect that."

Amidst this exchange, Tian Cheng glances at Jing Yao—who had a complicated expression on her face.

(Hm?)