Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Ancient Strengthening Method

Some Outer Disciples applied for these assignments voluntarily, believing their own aptitude was too poor to ever break through.

After leaving the Sect, these disciples would be dispatched to various Sect-owned enterprises.

For instance, Spirit Stone Mines, various Spiritual Material production sites, Marketplaces, and the like.

Although these were Sect enterprises, the Cultivators assigned to them faced certain risks.

The locations they guarded were quite valuable. And while Stewards were stationed there, they were only at the Qi Cultivation Middle or Late Stage. If any sudden incidents occurred, it was still extremely dangerous.

As a result, incidents of Outer Disciples going missing would occur every few months.

Once missing, it meant one of two things: either they had been killed, or they couldn’t bear the days stationed far from the Sect and had decided to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

The Sect couldn’t just ignore it. After all, these were their enterprises, so they had to send someone to investigate.

If the Sect deemed a situation to be dangerous, an Outer Sect Steward would be sent to investigate.

If it was judged to be a minor issue, Inner Sect Disciples would be sent to give them some practical experience.

...

As for Jiang Xu, he returned in disappointment.

He had it all planned out.

First, he would go to the Marketplace and sell all the Cold Ice Talismans he had drawn. Then, he would use all thirty-four Spirit Stones to buy Talisman Paper and Talismanic Ink.

With those thirty-four Spirit Stones, he could successfully create at least sixty more Cold Ice Talismans.

He would then sell forty of those sixty-plus talismans, and after earning eighty Spirit Stones, he would stop for a while to avoid arousing suspicion by selling too many.

He would then use those eighty Spirit Stones to buy a Magical Artifact and Qi Replenishing Pills.

That way, his Realm would be higher, and he’d have a Magical Artifact.

After laying low in the Marketplace for a while, once he felt it was safe, he would go to other Marketplaces and repeat the process to acquire more Spirit Stones.

Finally, he would use Spirit Stones to trade for an Exorcism Spell to control the Magical Artifact, and Elixirs that could increase his chances of breaking through his bottleneck and advancing to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.

...

But so much for that.

All of Jiang Xu’s plans had been shattered in an instant.

And now he had to worry about which mission he would have to complete...

’I was so naive. I never realized that in this world, you can’t just do whatever you want. I didn’t prepare in advance, and now I’m in this passive position.’

Jiang Xu began to ponder how he would handle the mandatory Sect mission that came once every three months.

’If I can’t leave the Sect, my best option is the Talisman Pavilion. I just don’t know why there aren’t any missions available there right now. Could they be too popular? Or is there some other reason?’

Jiang Xu’s mind was in turmoil. The sudden change had left him feeling extremely unsettled.

Just then, he let out a long sigh, calming his chaotic thoughts.

’This is a minor setback, not a life-threatening crisis. The first thing I need to do is calm this restless state of mind.’

After a long moment, Jiang Xu’s composure returned.

The first person who came to mind after he calmed down was Zong Ziqi.

’As an Inner Sect Disciple, Zong Ziqi must know much more than I do. Why not go ask him for advice?’

No sooner said than done. Jiang Xu immediately set off for the place where Zong Ziqi usually practiced his cultivation.

...

Zong Ziqi was in the middle of practicing his Body Cultivation Technique.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced, according to him, was called the *Ancient Strengthening Method*.

It was said to be one of the most common Body Refining Techniques from the Ancient Era.

But with the end of the Ancient Era, this technique was lost to time.

As for how Zong Ziqi obtained this lost Cultivation Technique?

According to him, it fell out of an old book in the Scripture Pavilion, and he just... took it.

When Jiang Xu heard that, he almost did a spit take.

It was just too cliché!

...

When Jiang Xu arrived at Zong Ziqi’s location, he saw that he was at a critical point in his cultivation.

Zong Ziqi had shown him the *Ancient Strengthening Method* before, and Jiang Xu, not one for false modesty, had accepted eagerly. He was quite curious what was so special about something from the Ancient Times.

After reading it, Jiang Xu discovered that the *Ancient Strengthening Method* was divided into three parts: a Visualization Method, a Breathing Technique, and a Guiding Technique.

The Visualization Method involved constructing an object in one’s mind.

Anything would do: a cat, a mouse, a rock, flowers, grass, and so on.

But basically, no one would visualize such things. The more powerful the object of visualization, the better. People chose things like the Unmoving Bright King, the Sixth Celestial Demon King, dragons, or phoenixes.

The *Ancient Strengthening Method* itself provided four relatively basic visualization diagrams for Cultivators to use as a reference.

It claimed that upon reaching the highest Realm, one could allow the Visualization Object to possess them, borrowing its power.

The Breathing Technique was a rhythm of breathing that, when combined with a Secret Technique, could instantly boost one’s combat power.

The Guiding Technique was equivalent to the Pile Skill that Jiang Xu practiced, tempering the body by performing a series of guiding movements.

Although it seemed incredibly powerful—much stronger than his *Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill*—Jiang Xu had no plans to practice it.

There was no other reason.

This thing just consumed way too many Spirit Stones!

Perhaps because the technique came from Ancient Times, the Spiritual Liquid, medicine packs, and other items required for its cultivation were extremely precious. Compared to ordinary Body Cultivation Techniques, it consumed several times more Spirit Stones.

So, even though Jiang Xu coveted it, he was powerless to do anything about it.

He could only secretly memorize it and hope for an opportunity in the future.

Zong Ziqi was currently practicing that very Guiding Technique. He continuously moved through a series of monstrously difficult postures, each more arduous than the last, and the strain on his face was obvious.

Spiritual Qi continuously gathered around his body, and the more difficult the posture, the faster he absorbed it.

This filled Jiang Xu, who was watching from the side, with envy.

’A good Spirit Root makes you one of the elite. Plenty of Spirit Stones makes you even more so. With both buffs, Zong Ziqi is simply the elite of the elite!’

In just one month, relying on his astonishing wealth and Spirit Root aptitude, Zong Ziqi had leaped to become a Body Cultivator at the Body Refining Early Stage.

His physique was already stronger than Jiang Xu’s.

Jiang Xu, meanwhile, had only cultivated his own technique to the second layer, the Bone Root Realm. He was still short by an entire Inner Viscera Realm before he could reach the True Qi Realm, which was equivalent to the Body Refining Early Stage.

’I used to think that having superior-grade Four Spirit Roots was pretty decent.

But now I realize I only had that misconception because I was surrounded by a bunch of losers and had never seen what real talent looks like...

A strong Spirit Root makes even Body Cultivation this fast? How are us trash-tier cultivators supposed to even live!’

Perhaps Jiang Xu’s muttering disturbed Zong Ziqi. He sped up his Guiding Technique movements, and after a moment, he finished the full set of eighty-one postures. He didn’t continue, instead stretching his body as he walked over to Jiang Xu.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, here to practice your sword so early?"

Jiang Xu’s face paled, and he hurriedly changed the subject.

"No, no, I’ve got something to do today, so I’m skipping Sword Dao... I actually came to ask you—about the Sect missions. Are there any that are easy to complete and also offer a high reward? You’re an Inner Sect Disciple, so you must have some inside info, right?"