Chapter 10: The Path of Cultivation

After Li Chunsong left, it was up to Outer Sect Steward Niu Yuanshan to oversee the grand proceedings.

But unlike the other stewards, he didn’t put on airs toward the ranked disciples.

In many people’s impressions, he was fair, tireless, and mild-tempered.

That was also why, when his undercover identity was exposed back then, many outer sect disciples refused to believe it, and even many Dao Gate players didn’t believe it.

Ahem.

Niu Yuanshan cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t the two of you bind your blood to the token first to recognize your master?”

“Once you’ve bound with the token, you’ll have identity authentication and officially become members of our Dao Gate.”

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang exchanged a glance, both of the young people feeling a faint excitement in their hearts.

For Han Shuangjiang, this was the first step toward changing the trajectory of her life.

For a certain transmigrator, he wasn’t sure whether Dao Gate would be a place where he could settle down and make a living, or whether stormy twists and turns awaited him next.

Their respective blood droplets fell onto the tokens and were quickly absorbed clean.

A system prompt sounded in Chu Huaixu’s ear.

“【Ding! Congratulations, player has successfully joined a sect and gained ‘Faction – Mirror Country Dao Gate’.】”

“【System is calculating reward settlement…】”

Hearing that pleasing system sound, he felt even more invigorated.

Back when he played the game, he had exerted every effort just to join one of the Four Great Sects, Spring–Autumn Mountain.

Other players might already be close to level 10, but he hadn’t joined a sect or obtained any cultivation method, so he remained a level‑0 account.

In this, it depended on the player’s personal choice.

Some sects were like diploma mills you could join just by paying.

Some sects required diligent study and entry through your own merit.

In the long run, it seemed that joining a stronger sect offered better future prospects.

But Borrowed Sword was still a game, and some players who started earlier and had begun cultivation and leveling could seize beginner-stage resources and opportunities sooner.

Chu Huaixu had seen players who had joined crappy sects at first but then experienced consecutive fortuitous encounters and still skyrocketed.

Precisely because of various uncertainties, the game was full of charm in the hearts of players.

However, now it was different.

He had joined Dao Gate without much effort.

He had even been initially resistant…

But it was worth mentioning that when players painstakingly joined powerful sects, the faction rewards were more generous.

If it was an ordinary sect, they would just be classified into a normal faction, and the reward was uniformly 1 point of random attribute.

In the entire Eastern Continent, only by joining one of the Four Great Sects could one gain extra faction rewards—1 point of Spirit Embryo attribute.

With Spirit Embryo attribute, players were no longer False Spirit Embryos.

As for those Eastern Continent players who couldn’t join the Four Great Sects, they could later obtain Spirit Embryo attribute through hidden quests and large mainline missions.

“Someone like Han Shuangjiang with a Profound Yin Body is very likely to have a max‑level Spirit Embryo and needs to fill the Spirit Embryo attribute up, that is, up to 10 points.”

“Before I transmigrated, no player had maxed this thing out; to be exact, the highest seemed to be 7 points.”

Chu Huaixu’s own Spring–Autumn Mountain account had already reached 6 points before the transmigration.

This was certainly still a gap compared to the true prodigies of the Xuanhuang Realm.

But among players, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

He even wrote this information into his “陪玩” profile to show that he was a top‑tier player, hoping to attract clients.

— Sisters, are you sure you don’t want to feel my Spirit Embryo?

After only three breaths, Chu Huaixu heard the system prompt again, telling him that his faction rewards had all arrived.

Seeing that the two had already used their blood to bind to the tokens, Niu Yuanshan lightly tapped his steward’s token and drew out a large stack of jade slips from the storage space inside.

All of them were cultivation methods for the Qi‑Opening Stage.

He quickly found the 《Ice Purity Art》 inside and handed it to Han Shuangjiang.

Chu Huaixu looked at the jade slip of the 《Ice Purity Art》 and cast an 【Information Probe】 on it.

The information he received was:

【《Ice Purity Art》: Qi‑Opening Stage cultivation method.

Compatibility: 0%.】

He curled his lips slightly and mocked inwardly, “This cultivation method has such a chaste name, and my compatibility is 0?”

“Looking down on me for being dirty, huh?”

He personally guessed that the compatibility between the 《Ice Purity Art》 and the Body of Profound Yin was probably close to one hundred percent.

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The Qi‑Opening Stage was a simple cultivation phase; truly talented people could breeze through any method.

For players, leveling up was never impossible—experience points required from level 0 to 9 weren’t high.

It’s just that the higher the method compatibility, the less experience was needed to level up.

These complex settings were meant to enhance the game’s playability and stir players’ curiosity in the early stages.

Niu Yuanshan clearly held this young cultivator in high regard.

So, this thick-browed, righteous Outer Sect Steward spoke warmly, “Here, these are all the Qi‑Opening Stage methods of the Outer Sect. Pick one. If anything’s unclear, just ask me—no need to rush.”

“Thank you, Steward,” Chu Huaixu replied politely.

While he was choosing, Niu Yuanshan considerately asked Han Shuangjiang, “It’s already late. He might take a while. You may return to rest if you’d like—it’s no trouble.”

Unexpectedly, Han Shuangjiang gently shook her head, her voice still cold and devoid of emotion: “I’ll wait for him.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixu glanced at her, then continued browsing the techniques.

He kept using 【Information Probe】 without pause.

“《Dominant God Art》, Compatibility 53%.”

“《Heaven-Earth Profound Technique》, Compatibility 49%.”

“《Eight Desolations Divine Power》, Compatibility 9%.”

These Qi‑Opening methods were clearly basic, but more than half of them had over-the-top names.

The problem was, he didn’t find a single one with over 60% compatibility.

“This one’s not bad, 《Peasant Technique》, Compatibility 78%, but what kind of name is that?”

By now, he had nearly gone through all the jade slips.

Niu Yuanshan and Han Shuangjiang just watched him crouch on the floor picking and choosing, without once asking the steward anything—nobody understood what he was doing.

As time ticked by, Niu Yuanshan felt he should take the initiative and offered help, “Is there one you’re interested in? I can explain it to you.”

“It’s fine, Steward Niu,” Chu Huaixu replied without looking up, and kept searching.

Another incense stick’s time passed, and Han Shuangjiang’s patience and curiosity were completely exhausted.

Tonight, for her, was an unusual yet exhausting night.

“How much longer will you take?” she asked.

Chu Huaixu turned to look at her. Since he was squatting, his upward gaze happened to catch her pair of astonishingly long jade legs, making them look even more slender.

“I didn’t ask you to wait for me. If you can’t, go back,” he snapped.

At that, Han Shuangjiang frowned slightly but said no more, nor did she leave.

Thick-browed Niu Yuanshan, standing nearby, heard the exchange and was deeply surprised.

He had thought this ice-cold beauty would’ve turned and walked away.

This made him silently marvel again.

Chu Huaixu had spent a long time as a play companion and had encountered too many women.

The reason he thrived in the industry was no mystery.

Don’t be fooled by Han Shuangjiang’s cold demeanor and hard-to-approach air—it was just a form of self-protection.

She had been abandoned by her parents as a child and sold to a brothel.

Born into such a background and raised in that kind of environment, her personality had naturally changed.

Abandonment led to insecurity.

Brothel girls were trained from a young age to be obedient, taught how to serve others.

The madam wanted “daughters” who obeyed. If you didn’t listen, the outcome was obvious.

So, this cold and elegant girl possibly had traces of servility on her.

Chu Huaixu certainly wanted to cling to the thigh of this World Protagonist.

But he had no interest in kneeling to lick her jade legs.

He ignored her and resumed his search.

At last, he found what he was looking for.

……