Am I the only good person in this cultivation world?

"Elder? Elder Xue? Old man Xue! Are you here or not?!"

At the pool at the entrance of Wanxiang Cliff, Chu Ge stood with his hands on his hips, shouting urgently into the distance.

"Who are you calling an old man! You brat, you're getting more and more rude, you've been corrupted by that Qin guy!"

"Elder Xue, you've finally replied to me."

Chu Ge sighed:

"It's been three days already, why hasn't this Junior Brother Yao come out yet? Even if you have a problem with my master, don't take it out on him."

"What's the rush?"

Elder Xue snorted coldly:

"This kid did struggle a bit the first two days, but he got into the zone on the third day. I observed that his energy was at its peak and his magical power was surging, so he should be at a crucial moment in his comprehension. I didn't disturb him. You can wait a little longer."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Chu Ge blinked:

"This junior brother seems to have mediocre cultivation, but he actually has some skills. No wonder Master is paying so much attention to him. I wonder what he can comprehend."

"...If someone doesn't want to tell you, then don't ask. You're a grown woman; surely I can teach you these basic social skills?"

"Okay, okay—hey, there's movement!"

Suddenly, ripples appeared on the calm water surface. With a pop, a jade pendant carrying a water droplet shot out. Runes appeared in all directions, and a light sword slashed back, splitting the pool in two. A figure walked from underwater towards the shore. It was Yao Han.

"Junior Brother Yao, you're finally out! I've been waiting for you for so long. I heard from the elders that you made quite a stir during your comprehension. I wonder what you've figured out? Is it a sword technique or a cultivation method? Or perhaps a pill formula?"

"..." Elder Xue almost wanted to jump out from the shadows and slap Chu Ge on the head.

"Junior brother is slow-witted and has taken up a little more time, making senior sister wait. I also want to thank this elder for not interrupting. This junior thanks you."

Yao Han bowed gracefully.

Huh?

Chu Ge opened his mouth in surprise and looked Yao Han up and down a few more times.

This junior brother Yao seems to have changed a bit.

But Chu Ge couldn't quite figure out exactly where the difference was.

If I had to pinpoint a reason, it might be my temperament.

Although this junior brother Yao was polite, he always seemed a bit too reserved and always had a frown on his face, making him look quite gloomy.

But now he has become much more open and generous. When he walks by, it's like a warm breeze. He is calm, composed, and unflappable, which makes people feel very comfortable.

"It's alright. Although you are not a disciple of my sect, you are still a young cultivator. I am very pleased to see that you juniors have gained something in the cliff."

Elder Xue's words echoed from afar, expressing his affirmation and approval of Yao Han.

The latter bowed to the sky before walking to Chu Ge's side.

"Junior Brother Yao Han, you still haven't told me what you've figured out?"

Yao Han smiled nonchalantly:

"What my junior brother comprehended was a martial arts manual."

"Uh-huh."

Chu Ge nodded:

"That's about what I thought. It should be a Five Elements cultivation method, right? Most of the fellow disciples in the temple who have gained some understanding of it have acquired cultivation methods or spells related to the Five Elements. Unorthodox methods are rare."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Senior Sister Chu. What Junior Brother has comprehended is not the Five Elements Technique, but the Body Refining Technique."

"Body tempering?" Chu Ge was taken aback.

"right."

Yao Han followed Chu Ge onto her flying carpet artifact, gazing into the distance, lost in memories.

"Dragon Qi Prosperity Technique"—that's the name of the cultivation method he comprehended at the Myriad Elephant Cliff. After memorizing the entire technique, he even learned its origin.

It is said that the original name of this method was "The Art of Prospering Popularity". Even the person who created it was not a cultivator, but a Taoist priest in the mortal world ten thousand years ago. He wrote it for the imperial court and talked about how to use people and leverage their power, and how to guide them according to their feelings, so as to help the dynasty prosper for generations.

Later, this book came into the possession of a highly accomplished cultivator, who gleaned its true meaning from between the lines, broke through his bottleneck, and drastically revised it, transforming it into a supreme cultivation technique.

Later, this technique changed hands several times and was repeatedly modified and improved by several generations, eventually becoming its current name.

Among these people who changed hands, there was one who was particularly famous. He was known as the True Lord of Candle Dragon. He was the Supreme Elder of the Huangsha Sect in the Central Plains 20,000 years ago and a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage. The "Dragon Qi Prosperity Technique" was one of his main cultivation methods. As for why it was left behind in the Myriad Phenomena Temple in the Eastern Ridge many years later, no one knows.

This technique is divided into eight levels, allowing cultivators to progress from Qi Refining all the way to the Nascent Soul realm. Based on a single strand of acquired true Qi, those who persist in its cultivation will have a physical strength far exceeding that of other cultivators of the same level. Upon reaching a high level, one's body will possess a golden skin and iron bones strong enough to withstand magical treasures, making one virtually indestructible. If one can further obtain the assistance of true dragon essence blood, one can transform true Qi into genuine dragon energy, stirring up clouds and rain with every gesture.

As for how to cultivate this initial stream of true qi, there are many theories involved.

The cultivation method provides two paths. The first path is derived by the True Lord Zhulong, who extracts a drop of his original essence blood from his body, merges it with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and his own metal-type magic power, and nurtures it in his dantian for forty-nine days. At that time, spiritual charm will emerge and true qi will appear.

The second path is the old path described in this book.

Instead of cultivating true qi in one step, one should first cultivate "human energy".

This so-called human energy is quite intriguing, and could even be described as mysterious and unpredictable.

Literally, "popularity" refers to reputation, but the "popularity" mentioned in the cultivation method is not limited to reputation.

Social interactions, acts of kindness and righteousness, punishing evil and eliminating wickedness, and rescuing people from danger can all accumulate "popularity".

In other words, as long as a cultivator's actions are good deeds related to people, they can accumulate "popularity" to some extent. Moreover, such accumulation is not affected by one's momentary evil thoughts and will not be lost, because there is no upper limit. It will only continuously strengthen true qi, improve cultivation, and give back to oneself.

To be honest, Yao Han still didn't quite understand how this popularity was cultivated. This thing was too mysterious and far less reliable than the method of the True Lord of Candle Dragon.

However, since these two paths are not contradictory, he plans to pursue them simultaneously, which will not do him any harm.

What other downsides could there be?

This is a cultivation technique that can lead to the Nascent Soul stage!

The Nascent Soul cultivation technique—such a tremendous opportunity—just fell into his lap, leaving him still reeling.

Moreover, this is a body-refining technique, which does not conflict with his Blazing Light Technique. Therefore, he can cultivate this technique while cultivating the Blazing Light Technique. From now on, he can be called a cultivator who cultivates both body and technique. The only problem is that it will take more time.

Just as he was still immersed in the joy of obtaining the cultivation technique, Chu Ge spoke up:

"Junior Brother Yao, I'll leave you here."