8: The Book of "Dead Trees Come Back to Life"!

Everyone responded in succession, then scattered, excitedly picking through the bookshelves.

The Cultivation Techniques collected on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion could not be considered profound, but for these children who had just left the mundane world, they were already sacred texts leading to the path of immortality.

Most of the Family Disciples and children who had attended private schools rushed impatiently toward the Cultivation Technique Jade Slips that sounded powerful and domineering, or crowded around a few techniques that had been flipped through most frequently, quarreling endlessly.

Meanwhile, a few children of farmers and mine slaves followed quietly behind Chen Yuan, waiting for his introduction.

Gu Changsheng looked calmly at the peers who were blushing and arguing over a "Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain Fist," finding it ridiculous.

What use did mundane martial arts have for the path of immortality?

His goal was very clear.

Breathing techniques determined the speed of sensing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and advancing to the Qi Refining Stage. Qi Refining Cultivation Techniques determined the Foundation of future cultivation and the direction of the Dao.

This concerned his grand plan for longevity; he could not afford a single mistake.

He walked unhurriedly, his gaze finally falling on a breathing technique called "Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art." The pages were yellowed, obviously having been flipped through countless times.

A third-grade breathing method.

According to the fragmented information he had heard, this was the most mainstream choice for Outer Sect Disciples of the Taiqing Sect; it was upright and balanced, not prone to errors.

Its greatest characteristic was that performing breathing exercises at the mao hour every day, the moment the sun rose in the east, would multiply efficiency several times over.

High efficiency meant being able to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi faster and completing the transformation from the Fetal Breathing Realm to the Qi Refining Stage faster.

In this Immortal Sect full of competition everywhere, speed was an advantage. Speed meant more possibilities and more chances for survival.

He tucked this thin booklet into his embrace without the slightest hesitation.

Next was the Cultivation Technique for the Qi Refining Stage.

This was the most important thing.

Countless novels from his past life on Blue Star had told him that the importance of the first Cultivation Technique could never be overemphasized.

His gaze swept across the rows of bookshelves containing Cultivation Techniques.

"Burning Heaven Flame Technique," "Geng Metal Armor-Breaking Art," "Thick Earth Immovable Mountain"—each name sounded more Immortal Qi than the last.

But Gu Changsheng just passed them by calmly, one by one.

He was not looking for the most powerful one, nor the one that cultivated the fastest, but the one that was best for self-preservation and had the most potential.

Finally, his finger stopped at an old, yellowed classic lying alone on the bottom shelf, its cover somewhat faded.

The title had only five characters.

"Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture."

He opened the pages, and the introductory text made his heart skip a beat.

This Cultivation Technique required gathering nine wisps of "Wither and Flourish Vitality" during Qi Refining.

What was Wither and Flourish Vitality? It was to be drawn from a spirit wood at the moment of its withering and the sprouting of new buds, repeated nine times to obtain this strange Qi of Heaven and Earth.

The requirements were so harsh they were almost perverse.

The withering and rebirth of a spirit wood was a matter of luck, not something one could seek out, let alone guiding it at the exact moment of its Wither and Flourish, and having to repeat it nine times.

This was practically a joke.

What ordinary Disciple had the time and Opportunity to waste on this? They would likely run out of Lifespan before they could even gather the first wisp of "Wither and Flourish Vitality."

But the effects of the technique made Gu Changsheng unable to refuse.

Cultivating this scripture, every time one broke through a small Realm, one could increase their Lifespan by three years. Moreover, the magical power would be endless, and the recovery speed would far exceed that of Cultivators of the same rank.

Increasing Lifespan!

Fast magical power recovery!

These two phrases struck heavily at Gu Changsheng's heart.

For him, nothing was more important than living longer and being able to protect his life. Weak attack power could be compensated for with Magical Artifacts, and slow escape could be improved with movement techniques, but only Lifespan was the hard currency on the path of cultivation.

As for the harsh cultivation conditions...

Others might find it as difficult as ascending to heaven, but to him, possessing daily intelligence, it was merely a matter of spending more time searching and waiting.

Information asymmetry was his greatest trump card.

This was the one.

Gu Changsheng closed the classic, took the two Cultivation Techniques, and turned to walk toward the high platform.

His calm actions immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

"So fast to choose?"

"What is he holding? 'Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art'? That's quite standard."

"The other one... I can't see the name clearly, it looks so old. He didn't just grab it at random, did he?"

A few Disciples from cultivation Families gathered together, whispering, their words tinged with a bit of disdain.

Gu Longyue also looked over. She was still hesitating between a few water-attribute Cultivation Techniques and had not expected Gu Changsheng to have already made his choice. When she saw the old book in Gu Changsheng's hand, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

It seemed he had just randomly picked an unwanted Cultivation Technique.

Gu Changsheng ignored these gazes and walked straight to Chen Yuan, handing over the two Cultivation Techniques.

"Senior Brother, this Disciple has made his choice."

Chen Yuan took the Cultivation Techniques, first glancing at the "Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art," and nodded slightly; this was indeed a safe choice for new Disciples.

When he saw the other "Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture," his movements paused for a moment.

He raised his head and looked deeply at Gu Changsheng, his scrutinizing gaze seeming to want to see right through him.

The surrounding whispers gradually faded away, and everyone felt the change in atmosphere, looking curiously toward the high platform.

"Do you know the cultivation conditions for this technique?" Chen Yuan spoke, his tone devoid of joy or anger.

"This Disciple knows," Gu Changsheng replied crisply. "It requires gathering Wither and Flourish Vitality."

"Then why choose it?" Chen Yuan pressed. "Do you know that in the Sect's history, ninety-nine percent of the Outer Sect Disciples who chose this technique wasted their whole lives in the Fetal Breathing Realm, eventually dying of old age without even entering the gates of Qi Refining?"

Wow!

Chen Yuan's words caused the entire Reception Hall to erupt.

"What? Ninety-nine percent failed?"

"Is this guy crazy? With a medium-High Grade Spiritual Root, he actually chose a technique that can't even be started?"

"I thought he had good judgment, turns out he's an idiot!"

The earlier jealous gazes now all turned into gloating mockery.

Even Gu Longyue looked at her cousin with a gaze as if looking at an idiot. She felt that Gu Changsheng must have wanted to appear unique, but it backfired, and he had chosen a dead end.

Truly stupid to the extreme.

However, facing Chen Yuan's questioning and everyone's mockery, Gu Changsheng remained as calm as ever.

"This Disciple is willing to try."

His answer was simple and firm, without the slightest wavering.

Chen Yuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

It was a sincere smile, filled with appreciation.

"Not bad, quite sensible."

Chen Yuan handed the "Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture" back to him. "Your Spiritual Root is naturally close to the wood element, and you have an affinity with vegetation. Although this technique is extremely difficult to start, once you succeed, your future will be limitless. You have this Heart-Nature, not moved by external things, very good."

This praise caused all the mocking laughter in the hall to stop abruptly.

Those Disciples who had just been ridiculing Gu Changsheng were all stunned, their expressions colorful.

What was going on? The transmission Senior Brother not only did not rebuke him but actually praised him?

Could it be that this technique really had some outstanding features?

They were completely unable to understand.

Gu Longyue's little face also stiffened. She could not figure out why Gu Changsheng's stupid choice had actually won the Senior Brother's praise.

Why?

Gu Changsheng took the Cultivation Technique and bowed to Chen Yuan again.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

This was the result he wanted. To have an authority figure endorse his choice and shut everyone's mouths.

Now, no one would think it strange that he chose an obscure technique; they would only think he had "outstanding Heart-Nature" and "unique vision."

Trouble, reduced by another thing.

Subsequently, Gu Longyue also made her choice in a hurry. She picked the same "Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art" as Gu Changsheng, as well as a standard Qi Refining technique, "Clear Dew Marrow Washing Technique."

After everyone had finished picking, Chen Yuan led them to the Deacon Hall to collect their allowances for new Disciples.

Each person received one Storage Pouch, containing five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a bottle of Bigu Pills, and a set of brand-new cyan-white Outer Sect Disciple attire.

After receiving their items, everyone followed the deacon's instructions and headed to their respective residences.

Following the instructions on his token, Gu Changsheng walked alone toward the depths of the East Mountain.

He passed through a lush bamboo forest, and the view suddenly opened up. An elegant, independent small courtyard appeared before him, with a wooden plaque reading "Jia-1" hanging on the gate.

The Spiritual Qi in the courtyard was abundant, more than a notch richer than outside, making one feel refreshed with every breath.

This was the optimal choice made based on daily intelligence.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, closing the door behind him, cutting off everything from the outside.

The courtyard was not large, but it was fully equipped. There was a bedroom, a quiet room, and a well in the courtyard that drew mountain spring water, with an unknown green tree planted by the well, full of vitality.

It was more than ten thousand times better than the dilapidated wooden hut in the mine slave camp.

Gu Changsheng walked into the bedroom, placed the Storage Pouch on the table, and took out the set of cyan-white Disciple clothes to change into.

The fabric was refreshing, far incomparable to the coarse hemp of the mine slave camp. Although the child in the mirror was still thin, with this outfit, he looked quite handsome and refined.

He did not admire it for too long.

For him, appearance meant nothing.

He sat cross-legged on the cushion in the room and solemnly took out the thin "Clear Profound Qi Gathering Art" from his embrace.

The handwriting on it, although slightly different from that of his past life, was not too different and could be barely recognized, which was a small advantage.

Time was precious; not a moment could be wasted.

He slowly closed his eyes and, according to the method described in the book, began to attempt his first breathing exercise.