In truth, Lu Yang was not to blame for his inadequacy. Expecting someone at the Foundation Establishment stage to author a cultivation technique was simply demanding the impossible. Lacking both worldly exposure and experience, how could he possibly write one?
Not to mention Lu Yang himself, even the Immortal Fairy could not have done it.
As they walked toward the Scripture Pavilion, Lu Yang made casual conversation. "Fairy, what cultivation technique did you practice back then?"
"The *Mystic Ultimate Art*. A fairly ordinary technique, but it suited me quite well at the time. I relied on it to cultivate all the way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Then I discovered that it had a limit and could not lead to immortality. Having an epiphany, I comprehended the *Immortal Art*, changed my path, switched techniques, and attained the Dao to become an immortal.
"Once you reach the Tribulation Transcendence stage, you'll realize that the limit of every cultivation technique is the Tribulation Transcendence stage. After all, the limit of mortal beings is Tribulation Transcendence. Becoming an immortal defies the heavens, and only by breaking through the limit can one achieve it. Therefore, all previous cultivation techniques become useless. If you want to attain the Dao and become an immortal, your only choice is to tailor a technique to yourself, based on your own insights and circumstances.
"It was true for me, and it was true for the other four—Jiuchong, Ying Tian, and the rest.
"I ran into some difficulties writing mine, though, so I was a bit slower than them and ended up being the last to achieve immortality."
"I thought you would have named your technique the *Invincible Immortal Art*," Lu Yang muttered in a quiet jab.
The Immortal Fairy waved her hand with an air of magnanimity. "That wouldn't do. That's Immortal Ying Tian's technique. I couldn't go taking his spot."
Lu Yang was speechless.
*Immortal Ying Tian, what is wrong with you? Were you assimilated by the Immortal Fairy?*
He realized that compared to Immortal Jiuchong's *Immortal Art of Primal Chaos, Single Breath, Dual Poles, Four Symbols, Six Harmonies, Eight Desolations, Nine Earths, Ten Heavens, and Sole Supremacy* and Immortal Ying Tian's *Invincible Immortal Art*, the Immortal Fairy's technique was actually the most dignified in name.
Of course, it was also possible that the Immortal Fairy simply lacked culture, and seeing that she attained the Immortal Dao fruit, she casually named her technique the *Immortal Art*.
"What was Immortal Kirin's technique called?"
"The *Even More Invincible Immortal Art*."
"Actually, I wanted that name too, but Immortal Kirin was one step ahead of me and took my name as well."
*Considering that Immortal Kirin and Immortal Ying Tian were always arguing over who had the closest relationship with Old Man Heaven, giving his technique that name is quite justified...* Lu Yang did his best to rationalize Immortal Kirin's choice.
"What was Immortal Suiyue's technique called?"
"The *Everlasting Evergreen Art*."
Lu Yang gasped in admiration. As expected of the oldest of them, Immortal Suiyue—his naming skills were vastly superior to those other four illiterates.
The Immortal Fairy shook her head dismissively. "I think the name Immortal Suiyue picked was the worst. It sounds like any common art off the street.
"Back then, the techniques practiced by Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were called things like the *Undying Imperishable Scripture*, *Heaven's Deduction Dao Register*, or *Five Elements Rotation Art*. Immortal Suiyue's technique didn't stand out at all among them. How does that sound like an immortal's technique?"
Lu Yang thought to himself, *So the four of you have terrible taste in names and insist on dragging Immortal Suiyue down with you.*
*Wait, Immortal Ying Tian is an immortal who cares deeply about his reputation. How could he use a name like that?*
"Does Immortal Ying Tian's technique have another name?"
"Of course. Publicly, he calls his technique the *Innate Boundless Immortal Art*."
Gathering ancient secrets as he went, Lu Yang stepped into the Scripture Pavilion.
The first thing he did upon entering was find the book that recorded the Core Formation experiences of the senior brothers and sisters.
It was time to record his own Golden Core.
"Lu Yang, Invincible Core, first-grade Golden Core. Those who cultivate this core can clearly discern strength from weakness. An invincible conviction will spontaneously rise in the heart, making one feel completely unmatched, victorious in every battle, and invincible under heaven."
Originally, Lu Yang had considered heeding the Immortal Fairy's bad advice to add the sentence, *This Golden Core is truly the number one Golden Core under heaven*, but on second thought, Eldest Senior Sister's Golden Core was right there at the very front of the book, so he decided against it.
"Cultivation method: Leapfrog challenges, undefeated in a hundred battles, generate an invincible momentum, rise on this momentum, condense the qi of the dantian to form the core.
"Precaution 1: A leapfrog challenge means challenging one level up, not one level down.
"Precaution 2: This Golden Core may cause blind overconfidence.
"Precaution 3: The name of the Golden Core is for reference only; actual combat performance shall prevail."
"All done!" Lu Yang closed the book with satisfaction.
"Time to look at Golden Core stage techniques." Lu Yang walked up to the second floor.
The first floor held mortal books as well as the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment portions of major techniques.
The continuation of those techniques was on the second floor, which housed the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stage arts.
"*Mortal Realm Heavenly Art*: Body in the mortal realm, mind in the pure land. Only by sinking into the mortal dust, experiencing human suffering, the seven emotions, and the six desires, and then attaining complete enlightenment can one shatter the core to form the soul.
"I didn't expect the first book I saw to be this one."
"You've read it?" In the Immortal Fairy's era, there had been no concept of secular cultivation or reclusive cultivation.
"Eldest Senior Sister told me about it. In the past, weren't there many old beggars on the streets of Great Xia? Many cultivators practicing this art disguised themselves as old beggars and mingled among them. After all, being a beggar was the most efficient way to experience human suffering."
"In the past? Is that not the case anymore?" The Immortal Fairy caught the key phrase.
Lu Yang rolled his eyes. "With the development of the Great Xia Dynasty, increased grain yields, and the construction of welfare institutions, there are no more beggars. The old beggars on the streets now are all at the Golden Core stage.
"I reckon it won't be long before this bunch of Golden Core cultivators will have to find another way to experience the mortal realm.
"Eldest Senior Sister also mentioned that the imperial court is preparing to open several mines and send these Golden Core cultivators inside to dig for ore."
The Immortal Fairy was speechless.
"*Hundred Flowers Art*: At each stage, gather thirty-three varieties of rare flowers. Upon reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage, merge the ninety-nine rare flowers into a single bud. When the flower bud blooms, that is when you shatter the core to form the soul. Many female cultivators love this technique—it's easy to pick up and possesses great aesthetic appeal.
"However, as this technique grew in popularity, several of those rare flower varieties were harvested to near extinction. Only one person held the last few blossoms. He held an auction and sold those final flowers for astronomical prices.
"After a while, he claimed he still had a few flowers left and held another auction.
"Then after another while, he did it again.
"Only later did people discover that he was the very person who wrote the technique. He had gathered all those flowers in advance and released a few every so often just to make money.
"*True Comprehension of the Dao of the Sword*: This is the technique Master cultivates. Just like in Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, as long as one continuously comprehends the Dao of the sword, no cultivation bottlenecks exist. It is the technique best suited to our Sword Spiritual Root lineage.
"Back then, I wanted to cultivate this technique directly. Unfortunately, only one person in the world can cultivate it at any given time. Master already cultivates it, so I cannot."
The Immortal Fairy looked thoughtful. Based on her observations of Daoist Buyu's mastery over the Dao of the sword, he did not look like someone who would be halted at the threshold of the Tribulation Transcendence stage...
Chapter 339