Chapter Sixty-One: There Are Flaws in the Cultivation System

“This... This is the Ice Soul of the Snow Mountain!” Chi Xiangdong stammered.

Su Yizhao snorted coldly and turned his gaze to the stage.

On the tray carried by the cultivator, there rested a snow-white sphere, about the size of a fist. It was slightly smaller than the one he kept in his storage ring.

“The Ice Soul of the Snow Mountain—its uses need no explanation from me. The starting bid is one million high-grade spirit stones, and each raise must not be less than one hundred thousand!”

A million high-grade spirit stones?

Su Yizhao suddenly felt that earning spirit stones was not so difficult after all; with a casual dig, one could pick them up effortlessly.

“One and a half million!”

“Two million!”

“Two million, one hundred thousand! I urgently need this item for alchemy. Fellow Daoists, please give me some face!” The aged voice rang out again from the Supreme Area.

As soon as the words fell, the bidding ceased.

“Congratulations, Alchemist Wu! Next, we’ll enter a brief lull, but I urge everyone to wait patiently. By tradition, the later lots are always the most exciting. Up next: the sixth-tier ‘Heavenly Sword Manual.’ Starting bid: three million high-grade spirit stones; each raise no less than three hundred thousand!”

“Heavenly Sword Manual!”

Su Yizhao suddenly sat upright.

And to his surprise, most of the cultivators in the hall did the same, straightening up in an instant.

“Five million!”

A cultivator spoke out, his tone brimming with confidence.

“Five million, three hundred thousand!”

“Five million, six hundred thousand!”

Voices called out rapid bids. Su Yizhao dared not hesitate any longer and shouted, “Ten million!”

Chi Xiangdong glanced at him sideways, looking thoroughly disappointed.

Too eager—this would invite unnecessary trouble!

The key point was, the Heavenly Sword Manual wasn’t actually worth that much!

But to his surprise, no one else raised the bid!

All twenty thousand cultivators present swept Su Yizhao with their spiritual senses, and Su Yizhao simply smiled good-naturedly.

A country bumpkin!

Everyone reached their conclusion at once.

Su Yizhao paid them no mind.

In the end, nothing changed; Su Yizhao, under Chi Xiangdong’s dazed gaze, successfully obtained the Heavenly Sword Manual.

The auction continued, and indeed, it was a series of climaxes, broadening his horizons.

Divine weapons, illusory treasures, pills, cultivation techniques—everything was there!

After an hour, they returned to the inn, sitting cross-legged together.

“Friend Chi, isn’t it time we had a proper talk?” Su Yizhao wasn’t in a hurry to cultivate; it was time to plan their journey ahead.

The ultimate goal was Xuantian Sect in Vast City.

But the distance from here to Vast City was unknown, and who knew how many cities they would pass through.

Most importantly, simply taking the gold token—would Xuantian Sect actually accept them?

Chi Xiangdong looked as if this was long overdue, but not the least bit flustered. “What does Fellow Su wish to know?”

“Let’s start with you,” Su Yizhao replied.

“With me?” Chi Xiangdong was mildly surprised, but then said, “Very well! Ahem!”

Seeing him cough twice and put on a serious expression, Su Yizhao became serious as well. The man’s face was weathered, clearly someone with a story.

Moreover, he must have seen much of the world; his story should be quite interesting, though Su Yizhao hoped it wouldn’t take too much time.

Su Yizhao adjusted his posture and waited for him to begin.

“Chi Xiangdong, male, twenty-one, early stage of the Sixth Spiritual Realm.”

Chi Xiangdong looked at him, as if waiting for further questions.

Su Yizhao was speechless. “That’s it?”

“That’s it!” Crisp and straightforward—a true man of few words!

Su Yizhao concluded.

But even for a straightforward man, wasn’t that a bit too brief?

“If you don’t want to talk about the past, then what about the future?”

“I’ll follow Fellow Su. East, west, wherever you point, if you want me to kill, I won’t just set fires; if you want me to chase dogs, I’ll never go after chickens...!”

Su Yizhao quickly interrupted, “Stop, stop—killing and fighting all the time, what a killjoy! Be serious. Where are we heading next?”

Chi Xiangdong looked at him with profound meaning. “Vast City, Xuantian Sect!”

“Just like that?”

“Of course not.” Chi Xiangdong replied, “If Fellow Su brings the gold token now, you’ll get in, but only as an ordinary outer disciple. Xuantian Sect has a million outer disciples—hardly fitting for someone of your caliber!”

A million outer disciples?

Su Yizhao drew a sharp breath.

“With your talent, even if you don’t make it as an elite disciple, you should at least enter the inner sect!” Chi Xiangdong looked expectant.

Su Yizhao suddenly asked, “Where are you from, Chi? How do you know so much?”

Chi Xiangdong gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Heh, I’m the second young master of a small clan, but an unwanted illegitimate child. Satisfied now?”

Seeing the shadow of painful memory on his face, Su Yizhao felt no sympathy.

An illegitimate child at least knows where home is, who their parents are—how could that not be enough?

“What are the requirements for Xuantian Sect’s inner disciples?”

“In the world, there are one hundred twenty-six counties, each with sixteen cities. Only the cream of the billions of young cultivators has even a sliver of hope!”

“And elite disciples?” Su Yizhao pressed.

“To be on the recommendation lists of the major powers!” Chi Xiangdong truly knew his stuff. “The number of slots depends on the power’s influence. All the powers recommend their cultivators, who then compete. Only about a hundred are admitted—it’s incredibly difficult!”

Su Yizhao was at a loss for words.

He only wanted to be a regular outer disciple, cultivating quietly.

But this companion seemed unwilling to let him do so!

Still, recalling that Li Xiumoon was in the Upper Realm, he knew reality wouldn’t allow him to keep a low profile.

“Fellow Su, your cultivation system has some issues. This path won’t let you reach the peak or become an elite disciple!” Chi Xiangdong said after a moment’s thought.

A trace of surprise flashed in Su Yizhao’s eyes.

Since advancing to mid-sixth realm, he’d been concealing his true cultivation at the peak of the fifth realm. If Chi Xiangdong knew he’d achieved this in just a few days, would he still ask such questions?

“What’s the issue?” he asked calmly.

Chi Xiangdong explained, “When I said I’m early sixth realm, I meant that my Qi, Body, and Soul are all at the early stage of the sixth realm. The vast majority of cultivators are like this, including your sect leader!”

“Impossible!” Su Yizhao denied firmly.

How could that be? In that great battle, Xuan Wujie and the others never showed any other cultivation system.

“Don’t be so quick to deny. What you see isn’t necessarily the truth; most of what you hear is false. The three sect leaders sealed their other aspects to prove their theories, and simply didn’t use them in battle!”

Su Yizhao asked, “If they don’t use them in battle, what’s the point of cultivating them?”

Chi Xiangdong smiled mysteriously. “That’s the difference between rogue cultivators and sect disciples. Breaking through all three aspects at once draws the attention of the Heavenly Dao, granting deeper insights!”

Breaking through all three aspects simultaneously?

Su Yizhao fell silent.

Currently, his soul was at the peak of the fourth realm, Body Refinement at the mid-fifth realm, and Qi cultivation already at mid-sixth realm.

So he had missed many opportunities for enlightenment?

But it seemed to make little difference!

“Don’t you feel there’s no difference, maybe even that you’re stronger?” Chi Xiangdong suddenly asked.

He nodded.

“That’s because you haven’t encountered true geniuses. For someone like me, even breaking through all at once, I haven’t gained much insight, nor can I master my techniques to perfection.”

“True geniuses master every technique to perfection, and even comprehend their own unique secret arts and divine abilities...”