Chapter 85: Chapter 68: Grasping the Dao Inheritance in a Day, Devouring Myriad Spiritual Energies

For a Lower Cultivator, a Magical Artifact is like the difference between a fierce soldier of the Border Army with armor and a mount, and one without. They can create an enormous gap, and it’s no exaggeration to say they can determine life and death, victory and defeat.

The older generation of Cultivators often used to say, “Cultivation is the rice, and a Magical Artifact is the stove.”

As the saying goes, try to cook rice without a stove, and you’ll end up with a pot of uncooked grain.

These words truly capture the essence of the matter.

“Cultivators below the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer are, to put it bluntly, nothing more than consumables for the Sect and its Dharma Lineage.

They are discarded once they’re used up, and it’s no great loss if they are destroyed. They can be replaced at any time.”

Having served for many years in the Quenching Room on Red Flame Peak, Yang Xun had a clear understanding of the power dynamics between the Dharma Lineage and the Mortal Servants.

“Once you enter the Inner Peak, you will inevitably have to stand guard in the Resource Lands and perform the mundane tasks of harvesting and gathering.

Those places are exceptionally dangerous. After a hundred years of gestation, they are teeming with powerful Demons and Evil Objects. But on the other hand, they are also the perfect places for Sacrificial Refining Magical Artifacts.

These Magical Artifacts are all from a former Dharma Lineage in Beimang Ridge, the Heshan Sect. It was later wiped out by the Zhongyi Sect and has no Disciples left.

The incantations for their Sacrificial Refining have since circulated, so they shouldn’t be difficult to master.”

“Grandpa, you’ve been so thoughtful. You’ve considered every little thing for me.”

Jiang Yi’s gaze swept across the three Magical Artifacts, and feeling incredibly satisfied, he immediately bowed low.

“I am grateful for your grace in nurturing me, Grandpa, and I will remember it always.”

Yang Xun waved his hand, saying nothing, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He had suffered the pain of losing a son in his life and was particularly sensitive about such matters.

Now, Jiang Yi had revealed his profound Dao Wisdom. His future in Cultivation was boundless, and he even had a chance to strive for the Twelfth Layer Floors.

If someone with such aptitude were part of a Village Clan Direct Lineage, he would undoubtedly be seen as a talent capable of revitalizing the clan and receive its full support.

But in his heart, Yang Xun did not want Jiang Yi to become too entangled with the Lujiang Yang Clan.

For one, the clan was full of prying eyes, and word could easily leak, attracting the covetous attention of High Cultivators from the Branch Sects.

For another, ever since his own son in the Direct Lineage had died young, the clan’s support for him had been largely cut off, and the bonds of blood had grown thin over the years.

“Ah Yi, pack your things. We leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Yang Xun suppressed his thoughts, his gaze toward Jiang Yi gentle and filled with anticipation.

’Perhaps there really is something to this notion of fate,’ he thought.

’Otherwise, how could I have stumbled upon such fine, raw talent in my old age?’

“Okay, Grandpa. I’ll go let Brother He know in a little while, so he won’t be waiting around for me.”

From the three long boxes, Jiang Yi first chose the “Five Yin Pouch” in the Ink Jade Box as the item he would sacrificially refine.

The reason was simple: it could hold things!

’Once I make my fortune,’ Jiang Yi thought, ’I’ll definitely have to get myself a Sleeve Pouch or a Qiankun Bag.’

His thoughts then drifted, and he suddenly found himself wondering about Lu Xuan. Why was that good-for-nothing from the Village Clan Direct Lineage selling off his family’s assets?

’If he was short on cash, why hasn’t he come looking for his share of the talisman money we won at the Doufa Pavilion?’

’I’ll have someone take half of it to him later.’

Jiang Yi considered.

’Since Lu Xuan used his own grandfather as a sacrifice, he must have traded it for the Opportunity to become a disciple under a Zhao You Sect Elder.’

’I must stay far away from him in the future to avoid offending him, getting drawn into trouble, and being targeted again by those High Cultivators who feast on Daoist Cans.’

At this thought, Jiang Yi felt a prickling on his back and wished he could leave Sanhe District immediately.

He was terrified that one day a High Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer would descend from the sky, declare, “What fine material, perfect for a Daoist Can,”

and then grab him and refine him in an instant.

’Grandpa is right! The signs of chaos are already appearing outside. I must return to the sect as soon as possible and live peacefully.’

…

…

「Zhizhen Garden, Doufa Pavilion.」

Lu Xuan’s robes were bulging with items, his sleeves were stuffed to the brim, and he carried a round cloth bag slung over his shoulder.

He hurried up to the fifth floor and fell to his knees the moment he crossed the threshold.

“Your disciple, Lu Xuan, pays his respects to Master!”

Song Chou sat upright on a meditation cushion. When he saw Lu Xuan arrive, a warm smile spread across his face.

“Good disciple! Did I not tell you to attend to the funeral arrangements for your family? There is no need to come and pay your respects every morning and evening. But I will remember this filial devotion of yours.”

’As expected of a High Cultivator from the Zhao You Sect, so considerate of his disciple!’

Lu Xuan was deeply moved and pressed his forehead to the ground.

“This disciple is willing to abandon his home and business, asking only to enter the Zhao You Sect to cultivate! Hearing that Master will soon be traveling far, this disciple wishes to serve by your side…”

Song Chou narrowed his eyes. After the previous night’s turmoil, the sequence of events was gradually becoming clear.

Although he hadn’t been there in person, he and the True Gu Sect Elder surmised that the Taifu Sect must have lost an important artifact. It had fallen into the hands of Xuan Chanzi, one of the Zhongyi Sect Remnants, which in turn had led Lou Zhenxiao to seal off Beimang Ridge.

As for the so-called “Little Ancestor,” it was most likely just another name for that item.

Now, the esteemed True Master Jieyun had issued a decree to capture Xuan Chanzi and consolidate the northern and southern Dharma Lineages in preparation for a Sword-Fighting Convocation.

The many High Cultivators who had been driven to Longhua Mountain naturally scattered. Some joined the masses in hunting the Zhongyi Sect Remnants, while others returned to their own Sects to cultivate in seclusion.

“Disciple, it is not that I am unwilling to take you with me, but the Zhao You Sect only opens its gates in the spring or at the start of autumn. I cannot break the rules.”

Song Chou feigned difficulty. This “Medicinal Material” was of average quality, nothing more than a disciple in name only.

He had no intention of wasting effort training him; he would just casually pass down a Technique and let Lu Xuan mature on his own before returning to harvest him.

Lu Xuan said in a loud voice,

“Master! Your disciple has already sold off the family assets! Due to the haste, I only managed to exchange them for a million talisman coins!

I present them to you now, Master, as a token of my sincerity! I implore you, Master, on account of my heartfelt devotion, to take me into the sect to begin my Cultivation!”

HISS!

Song Chou drew in a sharp breath. ’This boy will make for some fine medicine!’

He wondered to himself, ’Could it be that my Ghost and God Capturing Skill has improved again?’

’To think it has bewitched Lu Xuan so completely that his mind is in utter chaos?’

“Then what about your family’s funeral arrangements? You won’t observe the mourning period for your grandfather?”

“Grandpa’s greatest wish in life was for me to join a Branch Sect Dharma Lineage and bring glory to our Dongping Lu Clan!”

Lu Xuan’s tone was resolute and unwavering.

Ever since his grandpa, Lu Ting, had died a violent death, he had inexplicably felt his Dao heart growing ever more solid.

In the past, he had always been hesitant and indecisive, but now he no longer wavered, his heart as firm as iron!

’Nothing matters but the Dao! I am destined to become a great talent!’

Overjoyed, Lu Xuan had simply sold off his grandpa’s entire private collection, accumulated over many years, at a low price, all to honor Song Chou and gain entry into the Zhao You Sect.

“A heart so dedicated to the Dao is truly rare. Very well, I accept.”

The corner of Song Chou’s eye glanced at the round cloth bag, and he was quite tempted.

A million talisman coins was a considerable sum, even for a Sect Elder.

“Thank you for your mercy, Master! This disciple is eternally grateful!”

Lu Xuan kowtowed again, his heart filled with joy.

’Once I cultivate to the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer and return to the clan, who would dare say a word about any of my supposed unfilial acts? They’ll still have to dedicate an entire page to me in the family records!’

…

…

“I slept so soundly the sky’s already dark… Meow.”

It had been a long time since True Master Xuanmiao had slept so soundly and peacefully.

’To think that I, a dignified Foundation Establishment True Master, an elder among cats and a noble of the Demon Dao with an extraordinarily profound Immortal Dao background,’ he thought.

’Even when I was captured and imprisoned by a Great Power of the Demon Dao, I was still treated to fine food and drink like an honored guest.’

’But in order to escape the Daoist Palace, I had to suffer endless hardship and exhaustion on the run. The mere memory is enough to bring a cat to tears.’

’Thankfully, I took this disciple, Xiao Jiang, to attend to me. From now on, I can finally enjoy a comfortable life.’

True Master Xuanmiao rolled over contentedly, then his ears suddenly pricked up, and his round eyes shot wide open.

He slowly turned his body and looked toward the spot in the room where the Spiritual Energy was converging.

“Hiss… Meow!”

He saw the youth in the Daoist Robe sitting cross-legged with a serene expression, his palms stacked one atop the other. All kinds of Spiritual Energy, their elemental affinities constantly shifting, were surging toward his upright figure like a great whale drinking the sea.

’Mixed Refining Origin, Commander of Ten Thousand Truths. Simply put, it means one is not constrained by the elemental affinity of Spiritual Energy and can refine any and all of it…’

True Master Xuanmiao felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer as he suddenly recalled his former master’s words.

The Qi Cultivation Chapter within that Dao Inheritance was so profound and abstruse that it could stump even a True Inheritance disciple considered Dao Material for an Ancestral Sect!

’Without several months of effort, it should be absolutely impossible to achieve the entry-level!’

’Xiao Jiang actually mastered it in a single day?’

’What kind of world-shocking, heaven-defying Dao Wisdom is this?!’

’Could it be that this True Master has acquired a Dao Material?’

True Master Xuanmiao’s amber eyes gradually widened into perfect circles. He leaped nimbly off the couch, his paw pads landing silently on the floor.

He squatted down in front of Jiang Yi, tilting his head to carefully examine the meditating, Daoist Robe-clad youth.

’Xiao Jiang… he really learned it.’

True Master Xuanmiao’s whiskers twitched with pride, and the tip of his tail flicked gently. He couldn’t help but admire his own discerning eye.

’Xiao Jiang’s fate might be a bit shallow, but in every other respect, he’s far superior to that loudmouth.’

’He is worthy of being the successor to the Dao Inheritance!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep