My Twin Dao Companions Are Reincarnated Empresses

Between the Thousand Cuts Silent Harvest and the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture, Gu Yuan pondered for some time before finally choosing the latter.

Cultivating immortality was his goal. A firm foundation was a must.

His decision was firm, yet when he checked the price, 950 middle-grade spirit stones, he could not help but waver.

It was by no means a price he could not afford. Even so... wasn’t it supposed to be cheaper?

Cultivation techniques were expensive, but their prices depended on their grade. According to the information he had gathered, a High-Grade Spirit cultivation technique should not be this expensive.

After checking the prices of the other cultivation techniques displayed on the shelves, Gu Yuan finally understood what was going on.

His earlier information had been correct. The other techniques were indeed cheaper.

The reason for the disparity was simple. Metal Qi was an uncommon attribute, so cultivation techniques specialized in it were naturally more expensive.

Even then, the Thousand Cuts Silent Harvest was only 180 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

Both techniques were of the same attribute and could allow one to cultivate all the way to the peak of the Golden Core Realm, so what exactly was the difference? Was it only about grade?

Gu Yuan could not be certain. The brief introductions displayed alongside the techniques were not enough to tell him much, and he could not read the actual contents of the crystal slips while they remained locked.

But he could make a guess. The Thousand Cuts Silent Harvest probably carried some hidden risks. That would explain the large gap in price.

Whatever the reason, Gu Yuan had already made his decision.

He firmly chose the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture before making his way down to the first floor and approaching the elder.

The elder scanned the technique Gu Yuan had selected. A trace of surprise flashed across his face, but he did not comment on it and simply completed the necessary procedures.

Gu Yuan felt his heart ache as nearly all of his Spirit Stones disappeared.

Even so, the moment he received the crystal slip with its contents unlocked, a smile appeared on his face.

After four years in the Black Desolation Sect, he was finally graduating from the basic cultivation technique the sect had provided him for free.

Excited, Gu Yuan was ready to return to his house and begin cultivating the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture at once. Yet the moment he stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, he saw that a commotion had swept through the entire outer sect.

What’s going on? Gu Yuan wondered as he looked around.

”Is that announcement true? Does it mean we’re finally going to annihilate the Crimson Flame Sect?”

”It was posted in the Mission Hall, so naturally it’s true!”

The excited voices of two disciples hurrying toward the Mission Hall reached Gu Yuan’s ears, causing him to stop for a moment.

Is staying in the Black Desolation Sect really the right choice?

But... isn’t attacking better than being attacked?

Gu Yuan sighed, but his decision to stay remained unshaken.

In the end, curiosity got the better of him. Just like the other outer sect disciples, he headed toward the Mission Hall to find out what was happening.

”The second batch of disciples, led by Elder Hei Ming of the inner sect, shall depart from the sect after one incense stick’s time to support the Heavenly Twin Stars. Those who wish to participate must register immediately!”

After squeezing through the crowd, Gu Yuan suddenly heard the announcement from one of the deacons and halted.

He listened to the surrounding disciples discussing the matter, and soon pieced together what had happened.

His expression changed, and he immediately turned around, hurrying back toward his house.

The Heavenly Twin Stars had apparently sneaked into the Crimson Flame Sect alone and killed one of its famous elders. Yet, rather than retreating after accomplishing their objective, the two had remained inside the Crimson Flame Sect and continued fighting.

Fearing that the two would eventually be killed, the Sect Leader had sent Elder Luo Yunjin along with a group of inner sect disciples to bring them back. However, things didn’t go smoothly, and the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

The Crimson Flame Sect had activated its Sect Guardian Array.

Now, Elder Luo Yunjin, the Heavenly Twin Stars, and the other inner sect disciples were all trapped inside.

Enraged, the Sect Leader and the elders had decided to wage an all-out war against the Crimson Flame Sect.

The group now being sent was only the first batch of reinforcements. It included more than one elder, a large number of inner sect disciples, and even outer sect disciples. And judging from the situation, another batch of reinforcements would probably not be far behind.

This time, participation was still voluntary.

But what about the next batch? Would it still be voluntary then?

Wars between sects did not end in a day or two. Once they truly began, they could continue for months or even years. That meant there would be a third batch, a fourth batch, and perhaps even more after that.

Gu Yuan’s only hope was that participation would not eventually become mandatory, or that the Mission Hall would start selecting disciples themselves.

Regardless, since this whole matter had become connected to those twins, Gu Yuan naturally had no intention of getting involved... not that he would have participated in a sect war even if they were not involved.

...

Already back in his house, Gu Yuan sat cross-legged and threw all those unnecessary thoughts out of his mind before probing the crystal slip with his senses.

As he browsed through the contents of the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture, he could not help but compare it to the Nine Cycle Qi Manual. The difference was huge.

The Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture was far more vast and complex. Its circulation route through the body was completely different, as were the principles upon which the technique operated.

With the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture, a cultivator did not simply absorb Metal Qi from the surroundings. Every strand of Metal Qi entering the body also had to be repeatedly tempered, with impurities being compressed and expelled through continuous circulation.

Rather than an immortal cultivation technique, it felt almost like a martial art.

And Gu Yuan liked that.

After spending several hours studying and understanding the technique, Gu Yuan finally began practicing it.

The first step was not breaking through.

It was converting his cultivation from the Nine Cycle Qi Manual to the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture.

Although both techniques cultivated Metal Qi, the Metal Qi refined through the Nine Cycle Qi Manual was fundamentally different from that refined through the Hundred Tempering Metal Scripture.

Gu Yuan closed his eyes and concentrated on practicing the new technique.

He had only just begun when his eyes suddenly snapped open.

Why was this going so smoothly?

And so quickly?

According to what he had read, converting one’s cultivation from one technique to another should take anywhere from several days to several weeks.

Yet at his current level, he might not even need a single day.

Why was it different for him?

After thinking for a few seconds, a possibility suddenly appeared in his mind.

The Orb of Creation.

Most of the Metal Qi within his body had been accumulated through the Orb of Creation. Could the Qi absorbed by the Orb of Creation be different from the Metal Qi he had absorbed and refined himself?

Gu Yuan could not be certain.

He decided to investigate the matter properly later.

For now, he pushed the thought aside and once again concentrated on completely converting his cultivation.