Chapter Twenty-Five: Osmanthus Pavilion

Judging by the anxious look on the man's face as he left, He Song had a premonition that the fellow was unlikely to return alive. The mortality rate among rogue cultivators was no laughing matter.

As for the newcomers—a kindly old man and a lively, adorable young girl—He Song had grown rather familiar with them. The old man was called Su Jin, and the little girl was named Su Yan. They were grandfather and granddaughter. According to Su Jin, Su Yan was his biological granddaughter from the mortal world. Because she possessed a spiritual root, he had brought her from the mundane world to teach her cultivation himself. This was how most cultivation clans in the immortal realm began: a family line, bound by blood, with new cultivators emerging as more descendants awakened spiritual roots. In this way, yet another immortal clan might be born.

He Song pinched Su Yan’s cheek affectionately and promised, “You’re such a good girl, Yan—next time, I’ll bring you something tasty.” But his gaze shifted to Su Jin. “I visited a friend today; are you heading to the market, Senior Su?” Su Jin’s cultivation was at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, so it was only proper for He Song to address him as ‘senior.’

Despite his age and kindly appearance, Su Jin, like Lin Cong, made his living as a rogue cultivator. Lin Cong, lacking power, had to team up with others to hunt spirit beasts for spirit stones. Su Jin, on the other hand, was well-equipped, with powerful artifacts and talismans, and was no stranger to magical duels. Thus, he could hunt beasts alone, keeping all the spoils for himself, and earning far more than most.

When He Song mentioned “setting up a stall,” he was referring to Su Jin bringing the corpses of spirit beasts he had slain to the market to sell. “Yes, Yan wanted to go out and play, so I’m taking her to the stalls,” Su Jin replied with a doting look at his granddaughter, nodding to He Song before leaving.

He Song bowed in farewell. Su Yan, even as her grandfather led her away, kept glancing back at He Song, as though wondering if he really had any treats for her. As they walked farther, she continued to look back now and then, but He Song was oblivious.

He went inside, locked the door, and soon immersed himself once again in his studies of the introductory text on formation arts. Mastering formations was now his greatest priority. Once he grasped the basics and successfully set up a Spirit Gathering Array, his cultivation speed would soar.

When that day came, even if he never helped others set up arrays for high rewards, He Song could quietly amass wealth and advance his cultivation swiftly.

The path of formations was difficult to enter, but the rewards were immense. Take the Spirit Gathering Array as an example: helping someone set up such an array typically earned a reward of three hundred spirit stones. Three hundred spirit stones for a single array—equal to two years of He Song’s current income! Setting up one took little time, but the profit was staggering.

Why was this? First, formation masters were exceedingly rare; most people never even saw one. Second, once a Spirit Gathering Array or similar formation was set up, it could last almost indefinitely, needing only spirit stones for activation. Third, formation masters risked being targeted as easy prey if they revealed their skills in public, so few dared to do it unless necessary. If caught off guard, escape was nearly impossible.

He Song had already decided, as he studied his formation manual, not to offer his services to others. The rewards were high, but so were the risks. As someone pursuing immortality, He Song valued safety and stability above all; to risk everything for fleeting profit was a path to destruction, not his way.

Thus, even before purchasing the formation manual, He Song had made up his mind about how he would profit from his studies. With his method, he could make spirit stones flow to him without ever exposing himself by helping others set up arrays. The thought flashed through his mind, and he became even more absorbed in his study.

The days that followed fell into a nearly unchanging routine. Each morning, after finishing his cultivation, He Song would go to the fields he managed and spend half an hour casting the Spirit Rain Technique. Once done, if he had errands, he would tend to them; otherwise, he would return home to restore his spiritual power. Once fully recovered, he would devote himself to the study of formation arts. When mental fatigue set in, he would cultivate for a while, then return to his studies.

Thus, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Time flew by, swift as an arrow, and in what felt like a moment, another half month was gone.

One day, as He Song was deep in contemplation over his formation manual, a knock sounded at his door—thump, thump, thump. Before he could answer, Lin Cong’s excited voice came from outside: “He Song, I’ve finally broken through to mid-stage Qi Refinement! Today, I’m treating you—let’s drink our fill at the Osmanthus Pavilion!”

Hearing his old friend’s familiar voice, He Song’s face broke into a smile. A month ago, Lin Cong had told him he was entering seclusion to attempt a breakthrough. So much time had passed that He Song thought he might have failed. Yet now, Lin Cong had succeeded and come at once to share the news. This unexpected visit filled He Song with both surprise and delight—surprise at the month-long delay and joy that Lin Cong had truly advanced.

With Lin Cong’s breakthrough, He Song now had another mid-stage Qi Refinement friend and felt more deeply rooted in the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market. Moreover, Lin Cong’s success would help He Song better understand the bottleneck between early and mid-stage Qi Refinement.

He opened the door and invited Lin Cong in. The two sat at the table, and He Song clasped his hands in congratulations. “Congratulations on your progress, my friend. Foundation Establishment will be within reach before long.” With these words, he handed Lin Cong a steaming cup of tea.

Lin Cong’s joy deepened at He Song’s personal congratulations. They had known each other for many years, but He Song had always kept to himself, as though the outside world held nothing of interest for him. It had taken years of patient effort for Lin Cong to befriend his reclusive neighbor, and now they could sit together over tea and conversation.

To hear He Song’s heartfelt congratulation brought Lin Cong a sense of pride—he was now a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator! In the small Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, while there were many such cultivators, their status was still a tier above those at the early stage. A trace of heroic vigor flashed through Lin Cong’s mind, and his smile grew broader.

“Just a stroke of luck, nothing more,” he replied modestly. “So, my friend, do you have time now? Let’s not leave the Osmanthus Pavilion until we’re both drunk!”