Chapter 33: Cultivation, is at my fingertips (1/2)

Chapter 33: Cultivation, is at my fingertips

Soft Feather immediately broke in with, “Senior Song should join me in Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island, our Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island has ample resources, and powerful cultivation techniques. Moreover, with me there, Senior will be well taken care of!”

“Soft Feather, don’t hurry to interrupt, let me finish speaking.” reminded North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner.

Embarra.s.sed, Soft Feather withdrew.

“What are the differences between the two, if any?” Song Shuhang inquired.

North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner: “Each path has its own pros and cons. But to summarize, a sect provides many more advantages over being a loose cultivator. Therefore, let us first talk about joining a sect.”

“Joining a sect: there will be a specialized master guiding your cultivation, imparting his experience, preventing you from making mistakes during your cultivation, and this alone could save you a lot of time. In addition, as long as you have talent and are diligent, you will not lack resources, techniques, or cultivation caves. To be frank, this choice suits someone who wants to single-mindedly cultivate.” North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner listed off the various benefits of joining a sect.

“However… joining a sect means you would have to abide by the sect’s rules, and serve the sect. After all, nothing can be accomplished without responsibilities or standards. Since you are receiving so much help from the sect, it is only right that you repay them by helping the sect in any way you can. Especially a sect like Great Master Tong Xuan’s and some others’, the moment you enter you’d have to shave your head, as well as abide by all kinds of Buddhist rules and traditions. In addition, you’d even have to bid farewell to your family in the mortal world, and cultivate hard until your apprentices.h.i.+p ends. If your luck is bad, you won’t be able to see your parents again for your whole life.”

When he was young, North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner was nearly tricked into becoming a monk, so his hatred towards the Buddhist sects ran deep.

Roaming Cloud Monk Tong Xuan appeared, and sent a naive smile emoticon.

North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner immediately supplemented what he said with another line, “Wahaha, actually it’s not just Great Master Tong Xuan’s sect, all the other sects more or less require you to bid farewell to your parents. After all, sects aren’t scattered, they all require their disciples to live in the sect. If one doesn’t complete the apprentices.h.i.+p, they rarely get to move about outside.

Roaming Cloud Monk Tong Xuan sent a grinning emoticon. It looks like this great master’s previous naive smile was actually a veiled threat to North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner?

“How could something be received without giving anything in return, this is as it should be.” Song Shuhang understood this logic. In his heart, though, he already knew that joining a sect didn’t suit him.

At least it didn’t suit him currently; he wasn’t prepared to say his goodbyes to his family, and leave his home to go to a specialized place for cultivating. He still felt attachment to the mortal world.

“Senior Song, our Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island provides a lot more freedom in this aspect. As long as you can cultivate to 3rd Stage – Houtian Battle Emperor realm, you may leave Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island for a period of time every year. Furthermore, with me there, I can fight for even more freedom for Senior.” Soft Feather was still trying hard to endorse her Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island.

“Thank you.” Song Shuhang sincerely said.

However, 3rd Stage – Houtian Battle Emperor was really too high of a hurdle.

Soft Feather was labelled a genius in the group, but she began cultivating at a young age and should be in her twenties by now, right? Yet she was merely 3rd Stage – Houtian Battle Emperor level.

Song Shuhang believed that he definitely wasn’t a genius, if he reached that stage only forty or fifty years later, the distance between him and Daddy and Mommy Song may very well be the distance between heaven and earth, right?

“*Cough Cough!* Let me now tell you about loose cultivators, you should be able to tell, I myself am a loose cultivator.” North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner a.s.serted, “Compared to joining a sect, loose cultivators don’t have a teacher to instruct them in cultivation, they don’t have large amounts of resources, they also don’t have the fortune of using cultivation caves. Everything has to be relied on oneself. Perhaps the only advantage is unfettered freedom.”

In general, loose cultivators have it hard, North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner was considered one of the luckier ones amongst them. When he was younger he befriended the Su Clan’s Ah Qi, and received a lot of care from him. Later, under Ah Qi’s recommendation he joined the Nine Provinces (1) Group. In this group, he was like a fish back in the water. He was already at the 5th Stage – Spirit Emperor’s peak, and was only one step away from advancing to the next stage.

In comparison to being in a sect, an ordinary loose cultivator has no teacher, no resources, no information, no cultivation caves. After cultivating to the 2nd or 3rd stage, they would normally reach their limit, and when their life force is burned out they would return to dust.

“Then where do loose cultivators get cultivation techniques and resources?” Song Shuhang felt that loose cultivators simply have bleak futures.

“Haha, if you hadn’t joined the Nine Provinces (1) Group, I would have recommended that you find sect to join. After all, loose cultivators have it extremely hard, now isn’t like past days, trying to find a medicinal ingredient for concocting pills is way too difficult. However, Nine Provinces (1) Group is a very special group, the group leader here, Mt. Yellow’s True Monarch and several other powerful seniors would help group members out a little.”

“You would be able to receive some support from True Monarch and the others. This is also how the seniors in the group help lead the younger generation. Perhaps if ordinary group members require help, if you are able to help, you would receive compensation from helping. Just like this time with Soft Feather, you received two boxes of medicinal ingredients. But, of course, a generous failure lady like Soft Feather isn’t often found. You had better not expect to receive this much in rewards so easily every time.” North River’s Loose Pract.i.tioner bantered.

“Senior North River! I’m not a failure!” Spiritual b.u.t.terfly Island’s Soft Feather sent a furious emoticon.