“Following curiosity so frequently often leads one to better life decisions. And in the path of immortality, better decisions almost always lead one to fortune.”

A week gone by and Old Bu finally came to collect a batch of beast cores.

The old man in robe was surprised to find out that Qai delivered him a dozen. He was expecting Qai to kill around 5 to 7 Spirit Beasts at most, or one kill a day.

‘That’s almost double than my initial estimate!’

And what truly made Old Bu happy was that 5 of the cores belong to level 2 Spirit Beasts while the rest belong to level 1.

“Are you trying to take me for a fool, you lazy bum!” Old Bu mocked.

“Senior, that’s really all I got. Spirit Beasts are pretty scarce around this area. I promise that I would double them next week.”

Qai’s face was ashen.

He feared that Old Bu might kill him so he explained his own troubles.

“Alright, since I am true to my words, you can ask a dozen of questions. But don’t expect that I will teach you anything.”

Qai felt relieved.

He took a deep breath and carefully thought of his questions. He knew he had to prioritize the most important thing since he had a limited beast core.

“Senior, for my first question, I’d like to know if this place is really an island,” he said.

“Yes, it is an island. Next question.”

Qai wanted to cry with the answer he got. There was not a single additional information he received.

‘What a sly old fellow. I better carefully reform my kind of question,’ he sighed.

“Senior, if this is a mere island, then is it possible that this is just a part of a bigger world. And if its true, then can you describe to me what kind of place is this island and the world we live in.”

Old Bu was surprised seeing that Qai immediately adjusted his questions. He smiled and decided to reward Qai a bit of information.

‘You’re smart after all.’

“First, the world is truly vast and the world we live in is a cultivation world where there are Immortals and Spirit Beasts which you are already aware of. Secondly, this island is located rather far from the nearest continent. While immortals can fly, the distance between here and the continent may take a year’s worth of travel. Besides, the ocean is filled with dangerous sea beast so flying across the ocean is not possible. And third, because this island is so far away that this place has declined into a mere place for ‘Trial by Fire’ among the inner disciples of a particular sect.”

’Continent!’

‘Trial by Fire!?’

Qai was all the more confused. His face bewildered.

“Alright, next question.”

Once again, Qai took a deep breath and threw in a question.

“Senior, can I also train to become an immortal?”

“That depends whether you have ’Spirit Roots.’ Unfortunately for you, I have no way to know. Not because I didn’t want to. But because my level is too low for that. However, there is a treasure that can detect one’s spiritual roots, unfortunately I don’t have one.”

‘Spirit Roots!?

The more Qai learned, the more he could not understand.

“Next question.”

“Senior, how come the Spirit Beasts I encountered have varying strengths. I understand that they have different abilities but I don’t get it why they appear to have some kind of ranks.”

“That’s because you are right with your conjecture. They indeed have levels. For now, you at least have to know that in this island, the strongest Spirit Beast is level 7. You can find them in the highest peak that you villagers call ’Evercloud’.”

‘Level 7!?’

Qai was supposed to ask the particular levels of the ones he slew when Old Bu suddenly continued.

“Oh by the way, the beast cores you gave me come mostly from level 1 with few level 2 Spirit Beasts.”

‘What!? If they were just levels 1 and 2, how strong could level 3 be? Not to mention level 7?’

Qai’s mind were already spinning as the new informations overloaded his thoughts.

His facial expression did not escape Old Bu’s notice.

“Hah, a frog in the well! I bet you now understand how vast this world is. You may have some strength to tangle with few Spirit Beasts but in the eyes of the true elite figures in these vast lands, they’re just mere ants. Next question.”

“Senior, compared to immortals, how strong are level 2 beasts?”

Qai obviously wanted to know how his strength would fare against immortals, so he was taking the Spirit Beasts as his measure.

Old Bu looked at Qai meaningfully and immediately followed the latter’s line of thought.

“To tell you the truth, immortals do not really call themselves immortals. Only the mortals call us immortals only because we cultivate a technique that extends our lifespan to hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands.”

Qai was beyond shocked.

If the empire’s method of training knights that could give one few dozens of life extension was already something unimaginable, how much more a technique granting hundreds or thousands of years!

“We are cultivators, precisely because we cultivate the flow of spiritual Qi energy present in this world.”

‘Qi energy!?’

“But that doesn’t mean that all of us can live that long. There are different levels among cultivators, just like the Spirit Beasts. And we call them realms or stages.”

Old Bu then explained the different realms.

“Qi Condensation stage is the first, then Foundation Establishment stage, then Core Formation stage and then Nascent Soul stage. Beyond that, I don’t know anyone who has reached that realm. It's much better for you not to know, for now.”

He also mentioned in passing that every realm or stage is further divided into minor levels.

“For you, at least you should know that there are 9 levels within Qi Condensation stage while the rest of the higher realms are divided into 3, early, mid and late levels. And as for level 1 and 2 Spirit Beasts, they are comparable to early and mid Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

Boom!

Qai’s mind would explode from the reality check. His mind was suddenly thrown into greater perspective.

“Boy, I think I said to much and already forgot count of your questions. Just treat it as good fortune on your part.”

“Senior, can I ask a final question?”

“Do you want to die that much? You should know that curiosity kills.”

“Forgive my rudeness, senior. But I just want to know why Qi Condensation seems different as compared to the rest.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you this as parting gift. But you better triple the beast cores next week.”

“Alright, senior,” Qai immediately gritted.

“I can see that you have some kind of body forging method. Qi Condesation stage is somehow a body refinement in itself and it guaranteed a cultivator who stepped into that realm 2 60-year life cycles. If an ordinary mortal can live a little over the first 60-year life cycle, then a Qi Condensation stage cultivator can live upto 120 years.”

Qai gasped as he listened.

He always thought that his training as a knight was something priceless in this world. Little did he know that there were similar or even greater methods in existence.

“However, it is different from your own body refinement. In Qi Condensation stage, what is being reformed are the meridians within the body. Because it is where the spiritual Qi energy flows. In the process, all the organs within the body are reformed as well. It’s like the body becomes the vessel of spiritual Qi energy, so it’s necessary to be reformed.

“So it’s like that.”

“But let me tell you that the true step into immortality is the Foundation Establishment stage where a cultivator’s lifespan is extended upto 5 60-year life cycles.”

“Thank you, senior. I promise to bring you the beast cores next time.”

“Oh and before I forget. Just a piece of advice. Let me warn you to not rely so much on the strength of your body against immortals. In a true battle between cultivators, we can kill an enemy even from a distance with our abilities and treasures. And that is why body forging method has been rarely cultivated.”