"Clang clang—"
Liu Lingyu moved like a dragon, gracefully and lightly handling the metal in the backyard. The hefty iron poles seemed as soft as a cluster of flowers in her hands, truly embodying the phrase "lifting a heavy weight as if it were light."
With a dizzying display of skill, she completed the construction of a pavilion with a canvas roof supported by metal pillars.
Liu Lingyu invited everyone to sit and brought out the heavy tea sets one by one, placing them on the metal tea table.
"This is our daily practice at Wuyou Temple, tempering the body with heavy metals. After rigorous training, combined with Wuyou Temple's secret medicine, you can feel the essence of heaven and earth as described in legends..."
All present in the pavilion were from the spiritual community. Liu Lingyu, seated at the main position, spoke without reservation, directly revealing the Wuyou Temple's cultivation method.
"Using metal to temper the body—when you go to the hospital for a tetanus shot, you should qualify for a top-tier VIP discount, right?" As Ah Qing was curiously looking around, Professor Huang was the first to sarcastically comment on the Wuyou Temple's cultivation method.
"That's why we have secret medicine in our possession!" Liu Lingyu declared confidently.
Cultivation, this tricky thing, doesn't depend on wealth or personal dedication; it's purely about talent.
Although Liu Lingyu seemed at a disadvantage, she stubbornly bantered with Professor Huang to lure Ah Qing and revive the prestige of Wuyou Temple.
"Ouch... it's a bit cold on the butt!"
Ansheng sat down on the metal chair, a sly expression on his little fox face: "Do all of you at Wuyou Temple have ironclad butts? Sitting on a freezer in winter, and on a hotplate in summer..."
Placed outdoors, the metal stool certainly absorbs the essence of the cold winter wind, freezing the butt thoroughly, and in summer, it gets baked under the scorching sun until it feels as if the backside is being grilled like a pie.
Ansheng grumbled while also listening to Liu Lingyu talk about cultivation.
With Ansheng's current knowledge, he found many inaccuracies in what she said about the cultivation method.
This included one of the universally acknowledged truths in the Spirit Particle Academic Community: all living things are undergoing an evolution or transformation due to the resurgence of Spiritual Particles.
This isn't entirely wrong, but it's somewhat inappropriate.
Humans don't actually need to evolve; there's no so-called transformation because, nestled within the foundational Life Blueprint of humans, is the "Dragon People's gene data."
The moment humans are born, they fully inherit the [Dragon People's genes], coming into the world in their original form.
Although the Dragon People didn't leave the technology for Spiritual Ascension to humans, they did leave their [wisdom] to them.
The reason humans haven't undergone Spiritualization yet is that the density of Spiritual Particles on Blue Star isn't sufficient to activate the small gift from the Dragon People to their inheritors.
This includes Ah Qing and other cultivators who, for unknown reasons, prematurely enjoy the gifts of the dragon ancestors.
Ah Qing's communication with small animals or her clairvoyance stems from [wisdom].
However, unlike Unos, Ah Qing can't use [wisdom] for flying and teleportation or to conjure telekinetic waves.
Despite Liu Lingyu's numerous inaccuracies, Ansheng didn't interrupt from start to finish. Instead, he urged Ah Qing to listen carefully and learn new things.
Eventually, we will act a little, pretending that through relentless effort we can speak vaguely. You teach seriously, and I pretend to study hard, everyone will have a bright future.
"So, to say the least..."
"The cultivation method at your Wuyou Temple is a universal solution that only requires that so-called secret medicine?" Momo, having listened to Liu Lingyu and Professor Huang bickering for a while, raised her hand to ask Liu Lingyu.
"No... it's not universal, cultivation heavily depends on talent."
Liu Lingyu replied offhandedly, but after answering, she looked at Momo and said, "What, are you interested too?"
Momo shook her head, showing regret as she said: "I was just curious to ask. Wuyou Temple's cultivation method is not quite what I imagined."
"Initially, I thought if it suited, maybe I could ask the Taoist for a few spots for my parents..."
The little monk's abilities were indeed wondrous, but Momo was more concerned about whether her parents, always working out, might be able to truly cultivate, let alone that they might get hospitalized for rhabdomyolysis due to over-exercising.
"Everything speaks of fate, some things cannot be forced..."
Liu Lingyu seemed to realize Momo's thoughts and spoke with regret to comfort her.
From Momo's age, her parents, no matter how young, should be about forty years old.
Even if someone has talent at forty, it would likely have waned, and middle-aged people might not have the energy either.
Unless one chooses a path like Wang Yang, leaving worldly affairs to focus solely on cultivation, but not everyone has the means to detach from life.
Cultivation is expensive, and not just due to the exotic treasures for strengthening the body. Simply having the financial freedom without a job to support one's cultivation blocks over ninety-nine percent of earnest seekers.
"How about it, join our Wuyou Temple, and we can provide all the secret medicines you need for cultivation. You'll have a guaranteed future, joining us means becoming a Supreme Elder."
Liu Lingyu confidently promised something akin to a lifetime guarantee, looking at Ah Qing.
"It sounds interesting, but no..." Ah Qing thought and said: "It's too far from home. My parents still have a small business in Xia Dong that I need to return and inherit. I'm their only child, I can't move too far away..."
"Whoa! Such a cold refusal. Is your heart made of cold iron? You can even refuse longevity!"
Hearing this, Liu Lingyu couldn't help but let out a surprised "Whoa."
"Hmm..."
Ah Qing thought seriously for a while, then patted the head of the little Ansheng beside her, lifting him and saying:
"Sect Leader, what you said makes sense, but I've learned something from the little fox. We don't know if tomorrow or an accident comes first, but I know for sure that feeling great now is truly great."
"I love the little fox very much, but its life only lasts over a decade, and it spends every day happily. It lives a complete and joyful life!"
Ah Qing voiced the most straightforward thought in her heart.
Longevity is indeed very tempting, and judging by the abilities the Sect Leader displayed, she likely wasn't lying.
But having to leave home and possibly leave behind past friends makes Ah Qing reluctant to give up her interesting and fun friends for an uncertain possibility.
No matter how well the Sect Leader puts it, leaving for a monastic life is a commitment, not as free as before.
Otherwise, the old saying "once a teacher, always a teacher" wouldn't exist.
Ah Qing kept politely refusing, indicating that she didn't want to become a monk, but the Sect Leader kept persuading and tempting, so Ah Qing tried to be clear while not hurting her feelings.
"Am I... doomed to be a fox before one year old?"
"I feel like I can live quite a long time..." Suddenly lifted, Ansheng looked at Ah Qing with a face full of confusion and complained.
And after Ah Qing spoke up, the professors showed various degrees of strange expressions.
Professor Huang looked eager to speak, wanting to tell Ah Qing something.
Master Fuli lives happily every day, which actually has nothing to do with the lifespan of a fox. The real key is that Master Fuli can wield a heavy hammer made of Spiritual Particle Metal.
While you sleep, Master Fuli often makes a bloody mess in the moonlight, eliminating all who do not comply under that fearsome heavy hammer.
When Master Fuli is unhappy, he'll grab the hammer and go out to find some fun...