Chapter 00178: The Unsettled Dao Cultivation Realm
# The Unsettled Dao Cultivation Realm
Chapter 178
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 178: The Unsettled Dao Cultivation Realm
Early the next morning, Yan Mei, feeling refreshed, packed up his tent and came to Ding Huan's side.
"Big Brother Ding, you can definitely trust my speed today; I won't hold you back."
Ding Huan smiled, "What stage of cultivation are you at?"
Yan Mei scratched his head in embarrassment and replied, "I come from the mortal realm. Although my family has some money, we couldn't buy any decent cultivation techniques. I've only been practicing a rather ordinary technique called the Right Yang Formula. Right now, I'm still at the Pulse Unblock and Qi Cultivation stage."
Upon hearing this, Ding Huan became curious, "Can you tell me how you cultivate?"
"Uh…" Yan Mei was momentarily taken aback by Ding Huan’s question.
Ding Huan's strength was far superior to his, so he must know more about cultivation.
Why did he still want him to explain?
Since Ding Huan asked, he continued, "It's about refining essence into qi. I'm currently refining essence into qi, just waiting to lay my foundation. I joined the Shuanghun Sect to set my foundation, after all. I've heard many people say that one's future potential hinges on how well they lay their foundation. If the foundation is weak, no matter how talented you are, your achievements will be limited."
Ding Huan listened, and it felt like a flood of knowledge burst in his mind.
Refining essence into qi, refining essence into qi… That's right.
This refining is part of the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Laying stages; unblocking the pulse is also a step in the Qi Cultivation phase.
There are countless methods for establishing a foundation.
Every person's understanding and innate ability vary, so the chosen foundation-laying methods differ.
The thicker the foundation laid, the higher the potential for future growth.
The more Ding Huan thought about it, the more ideas he had.
Different bits of knowledge and various past experiences began to mix together in his mind.
Coupled with his experiences from these years, it felt as though something was about to burst forth.
Ding Huan sighed deeply, feeling fortunate at that moment.
He was glad he hadn’t laid his foundation recklessly.
Unlike his brother Liu, who only thought about laying his foundation regardless of where he was.
Clearly, Liu had failed to lay his foundation again last night.
The fact that he hadn’t yet laid his foundation left him with infinite possibilities.
Once he laid his foundation, his future growth would be restricted by it.
Since that was the case, why should he still search for others' foundation-laying experiences and techniques? Why not seek out his own unique method? Only what suits him best is really the best and leads to the highest achievement.
At that moment, Ding Huan couldn’t help but admire Zhan Changjing from the Sisanxing Region.
This guy must have understood that only by establishing a foundation unique to himself could he step into a higher realm, which is why he created the Yun Dan Realm.
However, clearly, he lacked the foundational knowledge one gains after obtaining a skin scroll, not to mention more experience in refining essence into qi.
Even though he had established the Yun Dan Realm, his strength still lacked substantial change, much like trying to draw a skeleton on a flat piece of paper.
Thus, Zhan Changjing was not Ding Qi's match.
Only a perfected foundation could lead to the next step: refining qi into spirit and giving birth to the True Dan path.
The steward Qiong probably completed his foundation and wanted to cultivate the True Dan, hence his desire for the Star Bamboo.
Luckily, that item hadn’t fallen into that guy's hands; otherwise, he would have had to seek it out himself in the future.
Yan Mei, unaware that Ding Huan had comprehended his future path, continued explaining, “As someone from the mortal realm, to establish your foundation, you must find a good sect…”
Ding Huan patted Yan Mei's shoulder.
"We should pick up the pace and travel. I won’t be passing my technique to you; you have your own. Moreover, once you join a sect, you will gain new techniques as well. I can teach you a quick escape technique called Extreme Shadow Escape…”
Yan Mei's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he quickly expressed his thanks.
"Big Brother Huan, can I also learn it?" Liu interjected.
Ding Huan nodded. “Of course, you can learn alongside Yan Mei.”
“You… can talk?” Yan Mei stared at Liu, his tone stuttering.
He had heard that there were beasts in the Dao Cultivation Realm that could speak, but having a talking beast right beside him left him staggered.
Inside, Liu was immensely proud, but he merely replied coolly, “Foolish creature, I could talk long before anyone even thought about it; I just didn’t want to.”
“Y-yes…” Yan Mei was even beginning to forget that Ding Huan was to teach him an escape technique.
…
In the Zixia Valley.
Though it's called a valley, it’s really a mountain range, with the main peak, Mount Zixia, being one of the most renowned spiritual peaks in the Dao Cultivation Realm.
Countless sects existed in the Dao Cultivation Realm, and the Zixia Valley could barely be counted as average strength.
Its strength didn't quite match the territory it occupied.
These past years, Zixia Valley had not produced any exceptional disciples and seemed to decline day by day.
Liu Yinzhu returned with six others and felt deeply ashamed.
She had left with a steward and four disciples, but by the time she came back, the steward was gone, and only one disciple remained.
In the end, they had only recruited five new disciples.
"Elder Liu, you’re back!" Upon reaching the sect's gate, the elder in charge of guarding, Jia Sha, immediately approached to greet her.
Liu Yinzhu felt guilty as she said, "I’m sorry for the sect. Three of the disciples I took perished, and even the steward is lost, leaving only a handful of the recruits alive."
Surprisingly, Jia Sha did not seem surprised, as if he had known all along.
"Elder Liu, the dead are gone. You should hurry to see the sect leader," he urged.
Liu Yinzhu paused in confusion before turning to Jia Sha.
"Elder Jia, why do you seem so calm? I didn’t send any messages back!"
Jia Sha sighed, “In fact, you returning with seven people is much better than many other sects. Do you realize, this time, almost all sects that went to the mortal realm to recruit disciples suffered heavy losses? Only a few sects had anyone return, and those sects barely brought back a handful.”
“Ah…” Liu Yinzhu gasped in shock.
Although she suspected that the trip to recruit disciples might turn disastrous, the power of those monsters was truly strange.
Hearing the confirmation of such heavy losses still left her stunned.
Jia Sha sighed again. “For our Zixia Valley, your returning is the best news we have had in a while.”
“What’s wrong?” Liu Yinzhu sensed something was off.
Jia Sha explained, “Not long ago, the sect leader was severely injured, and the first guardian elder, Pu Jun, was betrayed and fell…”
“What?”
Liu Yinzhu felt her heart tremble.
Was Zixia Valley facing extinction? The sect leader was severely injured, and the first elder was dead?
"Hurry and see the sect leader. It’s uncertain whether he can pull through," Jia Sha said solemnly.
Without waiting for Jia Sha to speak further, Liu Yinzhu had already controlled her flying ship to rush into the sect, heading straight for Mount Zixia.
As Liu Yinzhu left, Jia Sha turned to Mo Huaping and instructed, “Your master is seeing the sect leader; take these new recruits to Elder Qin.”
“Yes.” Mo Huaping also felt extremely anxious.
Her master had previously hinted that the Dao Cultivation Realm was far from as peaceful as it appeared.
Now that the two pillars of the sect were falling, what future did Zixia Valley have?
…
"Sect Leader…" Before even reaching where the sect leader was healing, Liu Yinzhu called in haste.
For Liu Yinzhu, the person she trusted the most in Zixia Valley was none other than Sect Leader Gu Mo.
If it wasn’t for Gu Mo bringing her to Zixia Valley back in the day, she wouldn’t even have had the chance to become a sect elder, let alone live this long.
"Has Yinzhu returned?" came Gu Mo’s tired voice.
Upon entering the room, she saw Sect Leader Gu Mo lying on the bed, his face pale and exuding a faint aura of death.
Liu Yinzhu's eyes reddened; she had never imagined the sect leader would be this gravely injured.
"Please leave, Yinzhu can stay."
Gu Mo instructed the woman waiting by his side.
The woman hurriedly bent in response, “Yes.”
Afterward, she gave Liu Yinzhu a nod before exiting the room.
"I heard that barely one in ten of those who went to the mortal world to recruit disciples made it back. I thought you were amongst the lost, yet here you are,” Gu Mo said with a hint of emotion in his voice.
"Sect Leader, I’m sorry for the sect. Three of the disciples I took didn't make it back, and we lost the steward too. I only returned with five new recruits and the disciple Mo Huaping who originally accompanied me."
"Sigh, this is still good news."
Gu Mo sighed once more.
"Sect Leader, what happened to you and Elder Pu? Why were you so badly injured? How could Elder Pu have perished?" Liu Yinzhu questioned eagerly.
Gu Mo lamented, “This time, those who went to the mortal realm to recruit disciples barely returned; only a fraction made it. This incident has sent shockwaves throughout the Dao Cultivation Realm. Afterward, the sect alliance immediately gathered all sects at Zhenyundao City to discuss solutions…”
Liu Yinzhu instantly understood.
They must have encountered the Cold Fiend, which Ding Huan had resolved.
Other sects, however, had no way to fend off the threat.
Still, some elder sects had secretive ways to send messages, and before they perished, they had used blood rituals to transmit information back.
“After several days of discussions, no results were reached. Suddenly, the sect alliance leader received news of powerful beings from the Ascension Realm arriving, and he hurried to welcome them. I thought it pointless to remain in Zhenyundao City and decided to return with Elder Pu Jun. It was on our way back that we were ambushed. Most of the people we had with us were killed; I was the only one who returned severely injured.”
At this, Liu Yinzhu felt a jolt through her body, knowing the situation was far from simple.
As expected, Gu Mo continued, "I'm afraid I won't last much longer. Yinzhu, you are my most valued elder. I hope that after I am gone, you can take over as the leader of Zixia Valley. The location of Zixia Valley is too advantageous, yet its strength doesn’t match; that has always worried me."
Liu Yinzhu stared in disbelief.
Her? As the sect leader? How could that be?
"No, Sect Leader! My cultivation is too weak. How could I possibly take on the role of sect leader with my limited ability?" Liu Yinzhu vehemently declined.
Gu Mo coughed for a while before finally managing to say, "Yinzhu, you see things with a long-term perspective. Who in the sect has the qualifications to be sect leader based on cultivation alone? Thus, choosing a sect leader requires someone with insight and cunning, capable of dealing with Zixia Valley's challenges. It’s not an easy task. Those eyeing Zixia Valley are no weaklings, and yet Zixia Valley is the weakest. Your abilities may be slightly lacking, but at this moment, there’s no better choice for Zixia Valley. If we’re not careful, Zixia Valley could easily vanish into the annals of history. I refuse to accept that."
Hearing this, a figure suddenly emerged in Liu Yinzhu's mind, and she blurted out, "Sect Leader, I know someone who can definitely take over Zixia Valley's sect leader position."
(End of chapter, good night friends! A habitual plea for monthly votes!)
(Chapter Complete)