“Every immortal has his own secret. It may be a treasure, a weapon, a skill, a sacred art or the cultivation method itself.”

Qai’s strength was limited.

And even if he progressed any further, he felt it wouldn’t mean much.

In truth, when he reached the peak of Gold rank, it was as if he also reached the peak of the counterpart Qi Condensation stage.

And with the addition of the skills he mastered—not to mention his weapons—it was no wonder he could fight against level 1 and 2 Spirit Beasts.

His talent was already above extraordinary. Perhaps neither Mak nor Song would be able to do the same even if they eventually become Gold rank Knights as well.

It was already Qai’s fortune to achieve his current attainments.

So when he asked Old Bu to teach him a cultivation method, the latter was somehow taken aback.

“What audacity!”

Old Bu had a sneering look as he exclaimed.

“Not killing you is already an act of extreme generosity on my part. How could you think so much of yourself that you can ask me to teach you any cultivation method.”

Qai was startled. He even panicked.

The last thing he wanted to do was to offend Old Bu.

He had not been asking any questions for several weeks just to get on the good side of the immortal. Although he knew his place as a mere servant, he did not expect Old Bu to violently react.

“Let me open your mind, boy! In this world, there are millions of cultivation techniques in existence. And no one can claim which one is the best. However, no one as well will throw away a technique that easily. A cultivator’s first secret is his cultivation method. And even if I felt like teaching you, you must have Spirit Roots. Unfortunately for you, I have no way to know.”

Qai did not know what to do and just reacted according to his instincts. So he kowtowed before Old Bu and pleaded for mercy.

“Senior Immortal, please have pity on me. I may be a mere servant, but have also ambitions like anybody else.”

Old Bu’s lips twitched as it gradually curled into a slight smile.

“Senior, this world is full of dangers and only the strong will survive. I just wanted to become stronger. Whether I have Spirit Roots does not matter. I’m still willing to try. And in return, I would deliver a hundred of beast cores every week.”

Qai could not think of anything to offer that Old Bu might need other than beast cores. He never thought of asking Old Bu of their use. He just felt beast cores were like immortal’s sort of jewelry so he thought of offering them in return.

Old Bu harrumphed as he listened to Qai’s plea. Then he thought for a moment.

“Alright, I have a cultivation method I found here on this island that I never used. I want to see for myself its effect.”

A streak of light suddenly beamed from Old Bu’s pouch tucked in his belt. Old Bu caught it with his hand and a jade slip appeared.

Old Bu then placed it near his forehead and paused. After a moment, he began to speak.

“Come and sit. Let me explain first about this technique. It’s called ‘Transcending Autumn Arts.’ Now, don’t be fooled. Most of the cultivation techniques have mystifying names.

“Eh!?”

“Cultivation is a very slow and arduous process. It may take you months, even years just to feel the strand of spiritual Qi energy within your body. And this particular method might even be slower because it focuses more on cultivating one’s Spiritual Sense.”

‘That long? I thought becoming a knight was already difficult.’

“Senior, what is Spiritual Sense?”

When Qai asked, he kept other questions at the back of his mind.

“Spiritual Sense is the true basis of controlling divine treasures. The stronger the Spiritual Sense, the better the control. Take a look at this sword, I can control it in order for me to fly. Ordinarily, only the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators can use Spiritual Sense. Meaning, only cultivators in that stage can use flying swords. But according to to this technique, it will help you cultivate Spiritual Sense early. Now, my conjecture is that when you succeed in this technique, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use Spiritual Sense outright. What I think is, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, your Spiritual Sense would be greater than most cultivators of the same level.”

Qai, of course, hardly understood a thing from what Old Bu said. However, he committed every word into his memory.

“Remember first that Qi Condensation stage has 9 levels. With this method, upon reaching level 1, you will be able to learn a basic attack infused with spiritual Qi energy. At level 4, you will learn a movement skill. Now, movement skill is not only necessary when you assault an enemy. It also aids you when you try to escape from a strong foe. And finally, at level 7, you’ll be able to learn to form a defensive sphere encircling your body.”

“Thank you, senior.”

“Thank me later, I’ll teach you the incantation right now. When you have questions later, I’ll answer them based on the beast cores you deliver. And as you promised, I’m expecting a hundred of them every week. I suggest that you cultivate at night then hunt in the day.”

After Old Bu said those words, he began to impart the incantation and taught Qai of ways to feel the flow of spiritual Qi energy.

After that, Old Bu left.

It was still morning when Qai started to meditate. He was very excited to start cultivating so he decided not to hunt and simply cultivate the entire day.

The following morning, Qai opened his eyes bloodshot.

He didn’t feel any spiritual Qi energy.

Good thing Old Bu was generous enough to warn him about how arduous cultivation was so he did not feel dismayed at all.

Supposedly, the incantation allowed one to absorb the spiritual Qi energy. And by following Old Bu’s instructions, the method would also allow him to circulate the Qi around the body.

By circulating it through his body, it is assumed that it will open acupoints which will act as gateways for Qi to be absorbed. And upon obtaining a permanent Qi within the body, it should mean he has reached the very first level in Qi Condensation stage.

Qai followed the procedure to the letter but still failed.

When he saw it was already morning, he rose from his abode and began to hunt. Obviously, he didn’t want to break the promised beast cores he made to Old Bu.

Night came, and he repeated the cultivation process.

Morning came, and there he went hunting.

Every day he did the same thing. But he never dared fight any Spirit Beasts that he thought were level 3. Of course, he never forgot to occasionally deliver materials to his home.

He also asked some tips from Old Bu. Somehow, he can already sense the spiritual Qi energy in the surroundings but still failed to absorb any strand.

Before he knew it, another month passed.

Then another.

And another.

Then a year.

And still, he failed.

‘Maybe I really don’t have Spirit Roots.’

Qai turned twelve.

If there's any consolation, he can now completely utilize Intent in his attacks.

'Master rank Knight!'

He was supposed to be happy, but obviously, he was not.

His father twice offered a new set of armors and weapons. But Qai only accepted the armor. He reasoned out that though the new Guandao appeared much superior than the old one, it did not yet meet his requirements. Besides, he grew fond of the current Guandao he used.

Qai finally tried to embark on a trip to more dangerous areas with the purpose of testing his full Guandao Intent on a possible level 3 Spirit Beast—that was because level 1 Spirit Beasts had been a walk in the park while level 2 Spirit Beasts seemed to not pose any threat.

And during the battle, although it appeared that he could finally hurt his target, he still lacked the finishing blow.

Worse, he even injured his arm.

Bleeding, he couldn't but flee.

'Still a failure,' he thought.