Zhou Shu looked a little surprised, "The Tianliu Sect is so strong, that cultivators of the same level can easily suppress their opponents, and even fight one against two?"
"The Tianliu Sect is a big sect after all. Their mental methods, magic weapons and other aspects are far superior to the sects in the Qingyuan Mountains."
Hua Ruoan nodded, "The cultivators who watched the Jindan realm competition at that time said that the five major sects had basically no chance of winning. Among the ten Jindan, only Zhao Yueru from the Heyin School was able to injure one person due to her superb sword-wielding skills, while the other four Tianliu Sect cultivators were unharmed."
"It's really amazing."
Guessing the situation that day, Zhou Shu couldn't help but feel a little emotional and fascinated.
"But compared to the strength of the cultivators, I admire their business methods more."
Hua Ruoan seemed to be getting excited about the conversation and continued, "Since Yuan Li took over, the market has been booming. He has actively recruited independent cultivators and established various new rules, which have attracted cultivators from all sides. Qingxia Market has become one of the largest markets in Qingyuan Mountains. Even Ruyi Tower, which is famous throughout Dongsheng Province, has opened a branch here. It is the only one in Qingyuan Mountains and there is no such branch anywhere else. The current Qingxia Market is many times better than before."
After looking at Zhou Shu, he continued, "Speaking of Tianliu Sect, Tianliu Sect originated from Tianliu Mountain. It is said that it is a mountain that is thousands of feet high, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, with abundant spiritual energy. The Tianliu Cave in it is also a famous paradise in Dongsheng Province. There are 50,000 cultivators in the sect, including three in the Nascent Soul Realm and nearly 30 in the Golden Core Realm. Needless to say, the other cultivators are there, you should be able to imagine them."
Zhou Shu was secretly amazed. With such strength, it was no wonder that Tianliu Sect did not take the five major sects seriously.
Hua Ruoan looked solemn. "Just now you said you wanted to join a sect. Could it be that Manager Yuan recommended you to join the Tianliu Sect?"
Zhou Shu smiled slightly. "No, I want to join the Heyin Sect. How could a sect like the Tianliu Sect want a Qi Refining Realm cultivator with such poor aptitude like me?"
Hua Ruoan shook his head. "Don't underestimate yourself. I see that Manager Yuan thinks highly of you after the disappearance of the independent cultivator. If you were not born with broken meridians, he would have recommended you to join long ago. But even so, he still has some expectations of you, otherwise he would not have given you the Liushui Sutra."
Zhou Shu was quite sincere. "I am indeed very grateful to Manager Yuan."
Without the Liushui Sutra and Ruyi Tower, his cultivation would probably be much slower.
Hua Ruoan reminded him, "If you want to join the Heyin Sect, you should also tell him."
"I understand, that's for sure." Zhou Shu smiled and nodded.
Hua Ruoan thought for a moment, then said in a rather odd tone, "Actually, the Heyin Sect is quite good, very suitable for a cultivator like you. I think that girl from the Yan family should have introduced you there. I think she seems interested in you, hehe."
"Hehe, Manager Hua, you're joking."
The thought that Yan Yue might have some similar feelings made Zhou Shu feel a little pleased, but the thought was fleeting. He didn't have time to dwell on such matters. There was so much to do, and he couldn't waste a moment.
He bowed, "I've benefited greatly from listening to Manager Hua's talk. Thank you very much."
Hua Ruoan chuckled and clapped his hands. "What's there to thank me for? It's just a small matter. I'll be collecting more talisman materials these days. Brother Zhou, please take care of the swamp talisman."
"With the talisman materials, there will be no shortage of talismans." Zhou Shu nodded and took his leave.
As soon as Zhou Shu left, Hua Ruoan hurriedly took out the swamp talisman and examined it carefully again. His eyes sparkled as if they were filled with gold.
After leaving Sanyuanzhai, Zhou Shu went to see the steward, Yuan Li, but was stopped by the cultivator guarding the gate. They told him that Yuan Li was busy and not to disturb him unless it was important.
Zhou Shu didn't insist, so he turned to Shen Bailie and asked him to pass on the message.
Upon hearing that Zhou Shu was joining the Heyin Sect, Shen Bailie's face flickered with regret, but that regret quickly faded. In his view, Zhou Shu was just a Qi Refining cultivator with potential; he could win him over if he could, but if he couldn't, there was no need to force him.
After a brief chat, Zhou Shu bought enough talisman materials and returned to his residence.
This time, he planned to retreat for a period of time, aiming for the fourth level of Qi Refining while also making the necessary preparations for joining the sect.
He didn't need to leave his home, and in the pavilion area, he didn't have to worry about food.
He only had to pay five medium-grade orbs per month, and servants would deliver a full day's worth of food each day. These were spiritual morsels, mostly made from the flesh and blood of first-level demon beasts. While the taste wasn't as good as in a restaurant, they were excellent for nourishing the body.
Time passed.
Everything went smoothly,
and he reached the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm as he had hoped. The medicinal liquid, its original dark green, had turned a much lighter shade, like lake water.
Now, he no longer absorbed spiritual energy from the liquid for cultivation, but instead immersed his entire body in it, tempering his body.
While the medicinal power was less intense, it was still potent and vigorous. Soaking in it felt like being pierced by countless needles, piercing his heart. The pain was unbearable, and few could endure it.
Yet, he persevered for two hours every day, never slacking off.
He understood the necessity of this practice. After joining the sect, as an outer disciple, he would inevitably face numerous chores, and a strong physique was crucial. Furthermore, the competition within the sect was fierce, unlike the peaceful market, and a healthy physique could mitigate many potential dangers.
The rest of his time was spent practicing and drawing hydrotherapy talismans, as usual.
Besides deducing and calculating the lightning spear talisman, which he intended to use as a secret weapon, much of the time was also devoted to sword techniques.
Sword techniques are also a type of magic technique, but they possess the potential to surpass their predecessors.
In the world of immortal cultivation, countless practitioners aim to cultivate the sword, and sword techniques have been further developed and expanded by many, gradually forming their own distinct system.
This is no wonder: sword techniques are far superior to ordinary magic techniques in both power and brilliance, and possessing a fine flying sword is the eternal pursuit of countless male cultivators.
Zhou Shu was no different.
He might not be able to use sword techniques due to his limited energy and meridians, but it's always a good idea to learn about them beforehand. Furthermore, the Heyin Sect is primarily a sword-focused sect, so learning them is a must. The more he knows now, the better.
He clearly memorized all the sword techniques he learned on Tianyun Peak—six in total.
Feiyun Sword Technique, Songfeng Sword Technique, and Poshi Sword Technique are all first-level.
Liehuo Sword Technique and Soft Water Sword Technique are second-level.
The only third-tier sword technique was the Broken Jade Sword Technique, practiced by Liu Yuze.
And it was also the one Zhou Shu had seen the most. Liu Yuze often practiced swordsmanship at the top of Tianyun Peak, never shying away from Zhou Shu, even deliberately asking Zhou Shu to watch.
Zhou Shu could still vividly remember the scene of everything shattering with that strike of the sword, and he yearned for it.
So, he ignored the other sword techniques and began to deduce directly from the third-tier sword technique.
Due to his realm limitations, he couldn't deduce many aspects, but simply deducing the sword moves and sword power gave him a lot of inspiration.
Zhou Shu had other ideas about this sword technique.
At that time, Liu Yuze had practiced diligently, intending to comprehend the Broken Jade Sword, but he never did.
Perhaps, he could make up for it.
At least that's what he thought.