Chapter 339 - Both a Practitioner and a Cultivator (1/2)

After deciding to not adhere to the personality of 'Yu Jin' too tightly anymore, Leng Jin Yu naturally wouldn't just stop there. He had always felt that the younger generation and with them a sect would come the farthest if those older than them shared their experiences and views. Guarding those things like secrets when you had already attained a higher level … Wasn't that too selfish?

The sect gave to those people so when they achieved a higher stage they should naturally give back through teaching the younger disciples. At least that was always what he had believed and what he had done before his ascension. He would do the same now as much as he could even if Zhong Jing Yi couldn't be allowed to become a high-leveled cultivator.

”You're probably not too suited for fights so the other benefit I mentioned might be more important to you. You started studying alchemy, didn't you?”

Jing Yi nodded. ”Mn. I had to do something while we were on that mission in the Hei Dian Sect and I thought that alchemy would be the right thing since I wouldn't need to follow any … evil techniques.” Jing Yi frowned slightly. Actually, he had never seen any evil techniques or something like that while being in the Hei Dian Sect. They had seemed exceedingly normal to him.

In all honesty, if he compared how he had been received in the Hei Dian Sect with how he had been treated in the Yun Zou Sect the latter probably wouldn't do that good. On one hand, Niu Hai had immediately shown him around and Yue Lin had even taught him how to read, while on the other the disciples had often dumped more than one of their tasks on him. How was the former an evil and the latter a righteous sect? Didn't this just show that on both sides there were good and bad people? In the end, everyone decided for themselves what kind of person they wanted to be.

Leng Jin Yu nodded. ”That was a good decision. Alchemy is something that relies on spiritual energy. Only a cultivator would be able to learn it and someone with wood spiritual veins would be especially suited to it. So, in your case … learning alchemy really isn't a bad decision.” Leng Jin Yu smiled slightly.

Jing Yi froze and stopped walking. Had … senior martial brother Yu just smiled at him?

Leng Jin Yu also stopped walking and turned around with a puzzled expression. ”What is it?”

”Uh … Oh, nothing.” Jing Yi hurriedly stepped closer again.

Leng Jin Yu just turned back and continued to walk forward, without thinking about it further. ”Just like with the spirit veins that are needed to learn alchemy, becoming a practitioner will also be necessary if one wants to choose some paths. Beast taming and weapon forging are reliant on the sword energy you gather as a practitioner. So, naturally, if you are a cultivator, as well as a practitioner, you will have more possibilities to learn.”

”So, you can't learn these things without becoming a practitioner?”

Leng Jin Yu nodded. ”More or less. It's like with alchemy: In the beginning, it won't make a difference. Nobody needs to be a cultivator or practitioner to understand the theory and there will always be some simple things that can be done even without the corresponding energy. But if you want to attain greater heights on one of those paths, then you will have to choose the corresponding side in the beginning.”

”I see.” Jing Yi nodded. ”Thank you for telling me.”

He had never thought about learning any of these things. It wouldn't have been possible anyway. Where would he have gotten the opportunity after all? Even learning alchemy was something that had just arisen out of the situation his relationship with Qiu Ling caused. It was already lucky for him to have achieved a little bit on that path.