Cultivators could indeed fly—but only if they reached the Sky Master Realm, which was the third realm after the Earth Master Realm.
Before reaching that realm, they couldn't fly directly and could only rely on specific techniques.
Not all cultivators could reach the Sky Master Realm. It was difficult, even for inner disciples of the Sacred Cloud Sect.
If someone managed to reach the Sky Master Realm, they would become an elder of the sect.
However, everyone wanted to fly, so flying techniques that could be used before reaching the Sky Master Realm were highly sought after.
These techniques were known to be relatively easy to master, as they had been simplified repeatedly by generations of cultivators.
The problem was that the Sacred Cloud Sect only shared 10% of the technique, allowing people to comprehend it only up to 10%.
Because of that, they could only fly up to a height of ten meters.
That, of course, wasn't very impressive.
To obtain the full version of the technique, one had to either complete a specific mission assigned by the sect or pay a certain price. This rule applied to both outer disciples and non-disciples.
Only by becoming an inner disciple could one receive the complete technique for free.
'There's no such technique in the library,' Zhen thought.
He also wanted to fly, so he stepped forward and joined the queue to receive a copy of the technique.
The person distributing the technique was a bald man with Seventh Stage Cultivation—Tao Lin, known as Young Master Tao by the residents of Spring City. Not only was he from the city, but he was also the son of the city lord.
Zhen remained humble, not wanting to offend the NPCs, who almost always had an air of unapproachability.
When it was finally his turn in line, he even greeted Tao Lin with a sincere smile.
"May you live a long life, Young Master Tao," he said, mimicking what others had said.
Tao Lin smiled pleasantly and nodded at him.
"Take it," he said, handing Zhen a sheet of yellow paper.
Zhen quickly took it but didn't leave right away.
"Young Master Tao, what's the mission to get the complete technique?" Zhen asked.
He wouldn't be satisfied flying only ten meters high.
"Kill ten wild beasts and hand in one piece of each beast as proof. The beasts must be at least Level 6," Tao Lin replied.
Zhen nodded, not thinking it was too difficult, as he knew he had extraordinary combat strength thanks to his Dragon Qi.
In fact, he believed he could defeat Level 7 beasts, let alone Level 6 ones.
After walking away, he began reading the technique scroll.
DING!
(You have obtained 10% of the Flying Sword Technique, a Tier 4 technique!)
[Techniques:
- Sword Slash Technique (5%)
- Gravity Power Technique (1%)
- Flying Sword Technique (0%)
'System, how many System Points do I need to gain 10% comprehension of the Flying Sword Technique?' Zhen asked in his mind.
Each scripture and technique had different power levels and difficulty to comprehend. As such, the game set different prices to understand each one.
That was mentioned in the beginning notice.
This was a Tier 4 technique, but it wasn't particularly hard to master, so the cost per 1% comprehension shouldn't be too expensive.
(3 System Points per 1% comprehension!) the System replied.
'So 30 Points for 10%,' Zhen thought, tempted to buy it immediately just because he wanted to fly—and later fly even higher by obtaining the full version.
"Alright, help me comprehend 10% of this technique," Zhen said.
DING!
(You have exchanged 30 System Points for 10% comprehension of the Flying Sword Technique!)
[System Points: 35]
A notification appeared, and Zhen suddenly felt his brain process the technique by itself.
"This is such a strange feeling," he thought.
A moment later, he truly understood 10% of the technique—something that would usually take time in the real world while comprehending scriptures and techniques.
(Your Soul Power has increased by 5 Points!)
Another notification popped up.
[Soul Power: 215]
- Flying Sword Technique (10%)
"So even purchasing comprehension of a technique increases Soul Power!"
Zhen was rather surprised.
Of course, he didn't know whether his real Soul Power increased as well. If that were the case, then this game was absolutely insane—almost as if it brought cultivation into the real world.
Unfortunately, Earth had no Qi, so there was no Qi to absorb, and becoming a true cultivator was impossible.
'Now I need a sword,' he thought.
Flying using this technique didn't mean flying directly—it required a sword under one's feet. However, the requirements were minimal. Even a wooden sword was fine, as long as it had a complete sword shape.
In a trash bin, Zhen saw an old wooden sword that looked like it would break from a single hard hit.
He picked it up and went into a dark alley where no one was around.
He immediately activated the Flying Sword Technique.
His Qi seeped into the wooden sword, and he instantly felt it connect to his mind.
When he commanded it to fly, it flew up to a height of one meter.
Most importantly, his body felt strongly connected to the wooden sword—as if they were one entity.
He jumped onto it, and as soon as he stepped on it, the wooden sword snapped, and he fell to the ground.
Zhen couldn't laugh at his misfortune and felt too embarrassed to cry.
He left the alley and went to a sword shop, where he bought a Tier 1 Sword for 350 Spirit Coins, exchanging the rest of his System Points.
A Tier 1 weapon was barely considered a spiritual weapon, but it was made from sturdy materials—perfect for Qi Masters, whose strength was considered the foundation of all cultivators.
Zhen planned to go hunt wild beasts for a while—to obtain the full version of the Flying Sword Technique and earn more System Points.