Chapter 64 - 27: Four Seasons Valley, Twenty-four Solar Terms

Chapter 64: Chapter 27: Four Seasons Valley, Twenty-four Solar Terms

The difference in status between the Lower Vein and the Middle Vein was like night and day. The cultivation resources and future prospects for their disciples were worlds apart, and naturally, the difficulty of joining was on a completely different level.

Spirit Butterfly Mountain was currently still a Lower Vein, so its entry requirements were far less stringent than those of the Middle Vein peaks. This top-secret information about "joining a Lower Vein to ascend to the Middle" would have fetched at least a hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones from anyone else. Yet, Dong Hao had shared it with him without holding anything back. Jiang Xuan was keenly aware of the sincerity and friendship this gesture represented.

However, even though Dong Hao had considered every angle for him, Jiang Xuan didn’t want to pick any of the three options he’d been given.

’Dong Hao has misunderstood the most crucial point. He thinks my only outstanding Talent is in the Sword Dao, but he doesn’t know I have the professional panel. I can walk any of the world’s myriad paths; I don’t have to be confined to being a Sword Cultivator.’

’Right now, the path that will let me grow fastest and maximize my advantages isn’t a Sword Dao vein at all—it’s the lineage of Food Cultivators who specialize in Spiritual Cuisine.’

’Cultivation is the foundation of everything. And the key to Spirit Core Awakening lies in those four words: Refining Essence and Qi!’

...

By planning to become a Kitchen Apprentice and then advancing to a Gourmet, Jiang Xuan needed to join a lineage that specialized in Spiritual Cuisine and the culinary arts. Only then would his professional system perfectly align with his cultivation path. A head start would keep him ahead of the curve.

Dong Hao naturally noticed Jiang Xuan’s hesitation and sheepishness, but since he didn’t know about the professional panel, he mistook it for something else entirely.

"Brother Jiang, from your expression, don’t tell me you want to take a gamble and try for the Middle Vein?" he blurted out. Before Jiang Xuan could explain, Dong Hao’s face showed he understood completely. He clapped Jiang Xuan on the shoulder. "That’s only natural. The Middle Vein’s entry requirements are incredibly high, but once you’re in, the cultivation resources and status within the Sect are beyond anything the Lower Vein can offer. Faced with such an opportunity, I’d also feel unwilling to give up if I didn’t at least try."

As soon as he finished speaking, he launched into a detailed account of everything he’d learned about the Middle Vein peaks.

"Of the Shenxiao Sect’s thirty-three Central Vein Peaks, only seven accept cultivators with Spirit Roots below the Earth Level, but don’t think that makes them easy to get into." At this, Dong Hao threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. "Their requirements are actually even stricter. They just don’t filter by Spirit Root. Instead, they test for ethereal things like Comprehension, Spirituality, or even... fate."

"Take Illusory Moon Lake, for example. That lineage specializes in the Dream Dao and the Moon Law. They require disciples to have exceptional Spirituality and an innate Talent for sensing dreams. For their trial, a disciple must use the moon’s reflection in the water to create a Resonance with its celestial brilliance and form an exclusive Moon Mark. Not even one in a thousand cultivators can succeed."

"The Void Profound Realm specializes in the Path of Space. Their test is for innate spatial awareness, a Talent even rarer than one in ten thousand."

"Star Eye Temple is the most enigmatic. They specialize in Astrological Deduction. Their test assesses not only your Comprehension for divining the secrets of the heavens but also whether your own fortune is strong enough. To put it bluntly, you have to be blessed by fate."

"Four Seasons Valley’s requirements aren’t strange, just incredibly difficult. For their trial, disciples must taste grains from each of the four seasons and comprehend a wisp of the primal rhythm of their cycle. It’s something that depends entirely on Comprehension; there are no shortcuts."

As Dong Hao spoke, Jiang Xuan realized that while these Middle Veins didn’t filter by Spirit Root and seemingly offered a chance to disciples from the Lower Classes, they actually had even stricter requirements in other areas.

And of all these lineages, the one that truly caught Jiang Xuan’s attention was the last one Dong Hao mentioned: Four Seasons Valley.

"Comprehending the rhythm of the seasons by tasting their grains... Could this lineage follow the path of the Spirit Chef?" he couldn’t help but ask, a hint of urgency in his voice that he himself hadn’t noticed.

"It’s related, I suppose." Dong Hao paused, thinking for a moment before explaining, "The core of Four Seasons Valley’s cultivation is the cycle of the seasons and the Twenty-four Solar Terms. The Growth of grains is entirely dependent on the time of year and climate, which aligns perfectly with their doctrine. As a result, most disciples of this lineage also cultivate the path of Spirit Plants. With so many grain ingredients on hand, it’s only natural that some follow that path and become Spirit Chefs and Food Cultivators."

At these words, Jiang Xuan’s eyes instantly lit up. The idea that had been brewing deep inside him had finally found its perfect home.

’This is it. This is the place I’ve been searching for.’

Just as Jiang Xuan made up his mind to go check out Four Seasons Valley, Dong Hao glanced around. After making sure no one was listening, he lowered his voice and said, "I’d advise you against setting your sights on Four Seasons Valley. Rumor has it that their Core Cultivation Method has a fatal flaw, so no one dares to practice it. Any cultivator who joins Four Seasons Valley ends up practicing minor, derivative Magic that’s no more powerful than what you’d find in a Lower-Class Dharma Vein."

After struggling so hard to get into a Middle-Class Dharma Vein, only to be stuck with techniques from a Lower-Class Dharma Vein—it was no wonder Dong Hao was trying to talk him out of it.

But even knowing the pros and cons, after weighing his options, Jiang Xuan was still determined to go.

’Choosing a Dharma Vein is something for a hundred... no, ninety days from now. What I should be most concerned with at this moment is how to open more acupoints and steadily raise my Cultivation. If my Cultivation is too low, I won’t even be qualified to choose a Dharma Vein. In that respect, Four Seasons Valley—with its vast fields of Spirit Grain and its expertise in the way of the Spirit Chef—is the most suitable place for me right now.’

First, visit Four Seasons Valley, then investigate Spirit Butterfly Valley. This was the two-peak route Jiang Xuan decided on after considering all the information he had gathered.