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Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 23: A Thousand Origin City Alchemy Lecture

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The aftermath of the battle was dealt with very quickly. There was not a single ordinary person here. They were all cultivators.

When it came to clearing debris, each of them could do the work of heavy machinery. They were mobile, and they could even treat the injured. Something as trivial as cleaning up could be finished with a wave of the hand.

'If this world is full of people like this, no wonder civilization stagnates.'

The thought came naturally to Han Yujin, even though he had never given the matter much consideration.

By developing individual abilities alone, people could swiftly handle most things that were difficult in modern Earth society. Who would go through the trouble of developing technology for ordinary people, distributing it, and building infrastructure?

Wouldn't it be far more rewarding and beneficial to spend that time cultivating, gaining the same abilities, and living a long life?

And when those with exceptional power ruled over others, as seemed only natural, who could possibly reform the social structure, and how?

Even if some eccentric tried, wouldn't they be highly likely to be obstructed, have the benefits taken from them, or be suppressed by someone stronger?

'The only fields of civilization that can advance in a world like this must be those connected to cultivation.'

And that was not necessarily a problem.

Earth might be more pleasant to live on, but when it came to the power needed for survival, it could not even compare to the cultivation world.

'Maybe Earth is the true model of a castle built on sand.'

Compared to a cultivation world like this, Earth's history was quite short. There was no telling what changes might occur after several more thousands or tens of thousands of years.

Even as such thoughts continued, Han Yujin moved diligently to avoid suspicious looks and grasp the atmosphere of Thousand Origin City.

While the other cultivators were desperate to obtain valuables, such as Storage Pouches, from the corpses of dead cultivators, he was desperate for information.

"I hear the citywide art-formula restrictions are down."

"Then what about my merit points?"

"They say exchanging them for spiritual pills or cultivation method manuals will be difficult for at least seven days."

"Damn it. I was going to exchange mine for a Sublimation Pill this time..."

Many people grumbled like that. Han Yujin immediately guessed the nature of the city's art-formula restrictions.

They seemed to serve as a sort of central information processing system. He did not know whether they had other defensive roles, but they were clearly an essential means of operating the reward system by verifying each cultivator's identity and merits.

Only after examining the jade tablet hanging from his waist more closely did he realize that it was not merely a jade tablet, but a kind of magical artifact.

'That was close.'

He tried operating it in various ways, but perhaps because the city's art-formula restrictions were indeed down, it did not react at all. The jade tablet was clearly only a terminal. It could not produce any effect on its own.

As Han Yujin tested his deduction once more with his transcendent comprehension, a conversation nearby suddenly caught his attention.

"I heard there'll be some kind of public lecture on Formation Array Arts?"

"Oh, that news. Apparently, it won't just be Formation Array Arts. They'll hold lectures on all Four Cultivation Arts."

"To compensate for stopping merit point exchanges?"

"Most likely."

"Did they say whether there'll be a lecture related to spells?"

"I don't know about that..."

The Four Cultivation Arts referred to the four most highly regarded cultivation crafts: Formation Array Arts, alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman crafting.

'Is this my chance?!'

A lecture on the Four Cultivation Arts, open to everyone, was being held just as it had become difficult to verify identities and merits. The timing was so perfect that he almost wondered whether he could truly enjoy such an opportunity so easily.

But looking at it another way, it could not have suited Han Yujin's wishes more perfectly. His awakened ability had really come through for him.

'How helpful will it be?'

With his transcendent comprehension, it might prove less useful than expected. Still, he would surely learn something. Learning even one more dharma pattern would be an unquestionable gain.

With his heart pounding, he continued helping clean up the battlefield. Naturally, he did not stop listening in on the other cultivators or observing the situation around him.

It felt as though he would visit this world many more times.

* * *

Han Yujin chose a suitably deserted place and spent the night without incident.

He had worried that an issue related to his identity might arise, but with the city's art-formula restrictions disabled and all of Thousand Origin City in a state of disorder, no one paid him any attention.

When morning came, the public lectures on the Four Cultivation Arts began, just as the rumors had said. Since Core Formation Stage cultivators would personally conduct all four lectures, they did not seem likely to be shoddy.

The problem was that the lectures all began at almost the same time. Every cultivator who wanted to attend had to choose one.

'Is that only natural...?'

All four were famously difficult among the cultivation crafts. When even finding time to cultivate was difficult, who would dare try to learn all four as though they had an endless lifespan? Learning even one superficially would be overwhelming.

Perhaps Han Yujin himself would eventually have to choose one and focus on it.

In any case, after some consideration, he chose alchemy and headed toward the western square where its lecture would be held.

He chose alchemy because it was the craft most closely connected to his own cultivation. He was also drawn by word that this alchemy lecture would be highly practical.

Thousand Origin City was as enormous as the gigantic city walls that looked as though giants had built them. To reach the western square, he had to run at full speed with the Wind-Cloud Art for quite some time.

On the way, he saw quite a few Dharma Soul Stage cultivators flying while standing on clouds or flying swords. Han Yujin suddenly found it a little funny that he was treated as a prospective A-rank Hunter on Earth.

A considerable crowd had already gathered in the western square. As though his timing had been perfect, someone stepped onto a platform prepared to one side.

Using the Spirit Vision Art, he saw that she was a very young and beautiful woman. Her bearing was so lofty that no description suited her better than immortal fairy.

'Get a grip, Han Yujin. She's a Core Formation Stage monster.'

Just then, a pleasant feminine voice softly echoed across the square. It was not loud at all, yet everyone could hear it. It was clearly a spell.

"Fellow cultivators, thank you for turning out in such numbers today. You've really made me look good."

Strictly speaking, the Core Formation Stage female cultivator was the one offering something by lecturing. Still, since she had already decided to teach, it was only right that as many people as possible should listen. Her greeting reflected that way of thinking.

"I will skip the introduction. I doubt there are many who do not know me, and even if there are, it is not especially important to this lecture."

With that blunt opening, she began immediately. She said that today, she would go over the basics of alchemy, which only made Han Yujin glad.

He had read all the books on alchemy obtained from the Five Elements Sect ruins at least once, so the Core Formation Stage cultivator's lecture was not entirely unfamiliar to him.

As befitted a Core Formation Stage cultivator, she conducted the lecture using the empty air like a giant blackboard. No, she used it far more colorfully and effectively than an ordinary blackboard.

It was like watching exquisitely produced visual materials unfold before him.

Thanks to that, Han Yujin's comprehension had no difficulty taking hold. He also gained knowledge that was far more detailed and accurate than what he could obtain by simply reading books.

His thought that the lecture might not be helpful had been complete nonsense. At that very moment, he keenly realized that his transcendent comprehension was not perfect.

It was not that it was imperfect at understanding. Rather, there were more things than he had expected that could not be grasped merely by understanding what lay before him.

It was somewhat like understanding mathematical formulas.

Even if one encountered a mathematical formula and could calculate it precisely according to its symbols, one could not be said to have mastered it without knowing why the formula had been created, how it was derived, or how it could be creatively applied in different situations.

'This is why teachers are important.'

Over the cultivation world's long history, there had surely been many geniuses with comprehension equal to or greater than his own. Yet none of those geniuses would have dared to walk the path of cultivation through self-study alone.

He became completely absorbed in the lecture.

She had clearly said that she would go over the basics, but much of the knowledge presented hardly felt basic at all.

It did not seem that a Core Formation Stage cultivator was simply poor at teaching. The Four Cultivation Arts had been called difficult again and again, so perhaps explanations of this level truly were only the basics.

And from his initial impression, the content of this lecture seemed far superior to the alchemy knowledge he had obtained from the Five Elements Sect ruins.

'This really is an incredible opportunity.'

He almost felt exhilarated.

His transcendent comprehension was clearly not perfect, but it was still truly worthy of being called transcendent when it came to understanding the information before him. Despite the lecture's difficulty, he did not fall behind at all.

The many Entry Stage cultivators gathered here could not say the same.

From a certain point onward, most of their eyes became unfocused and their expressions blank. It was obvious that none of the lecture was reaching their ears, while all sorts of distracting thoughts filled their minds.

They looked like victims of believing the rumor that this lecture would be highly practical.

'Or perhaps this means that without understanding content at this level, they cannot learn any practical technique at all.'

Considering that alchemy produced results whose benefits were gained by consuming them, a solid foundation would certainly be necessary to eliminate the risk of harming oneself.

Han Yujin gave his head a small shake to clear away those thoughts, then focused more intently on the lecture.

* * *

It was the fourth day of the lecture.

Fortunately, Han Yujin had continued to spend his time in Thousand Origin City without any trouble. The situation might change once the city's art-formula restrictions were restored in a few more days, but for now, things were quite peaceful.

The alchemy lecture, however, was not very peaceful.

Where had the enormous crowd from the first day gone? Less than one eighth of them remained, leaving the Core Formation Stage female cultivator somewhat deflated as she lectured.

Her opening remark about how the large turnout made her look good might feel embarrassing by now.

Meanwhile, although Han Yujin had not seen it himself, he heard that the talisman crafting lecture was growing more popular by the day and was extremely well attended.

The material costs there were low, and failed results did not pose much risk of seriously harming a cultivator. At the same time, successful talismans were useful. Perhaps it was only natural that the lecture would be popular.

That was, in fact, why talisman crafting was counted among the Four Cultivation Arts.

In any case, the Core Formation Stage female cultivator took the platform again for today's alchemy lecture. Unlike on the first day, Han Yujin was able to sit near the platform.

"Today, I will teach you how to make restorative spiritual pills using the flesh and blood of any demonic beast."

That immediately caught his interest.

Restorative spiritual pills not only restored one's physical condition, but also partially restored the condition of the soul, increasing combat endurance.

Then, suddenly.

The Core Formation Stage female cultivator's gaze turned to Han Yujin, who sat near the platform. It was not a casual glance cast while lecturing, but a gaze carrying clear interest.

"Junior, what is your name?"

Only then did Han Yujin realize that he was the only Entry Stage cultivator at the alchemy lecture square.

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