Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 577 Surpassing the Best, Proving the Dao in a Dream

"The transition from the acquired to the innate does not depend on the quality of the magic weapon, but on... the recognition of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, the essence of the Qiankun Cauldron is not a furnace for refining weapons, but a ritual object for praying to Heaven."

The Heavenly Emperor pointed to the Qiankun Cauldron and said.

Senior Sister Zhang nodded slightly, then asked with a puzzled look, "What's the difference between acquired and innate magic treasures?"

The Heavenly Emperor shook his head and said, "It's not written in this inscription, so I have no way of knowing. What's written here is actually the ritual and scriptures of the sacrifice."

Everyone looked at the Qiankun Cauldron and fell into deep thought.

It was Uncle Pang who spoke up: "No matter what, we still have to give it a try."

Zheng Fa thought so too. Although there was too little information available, he was not sure whether the power of the Zhuxian Sword Formation would be greatly enhanced after it was transformed from the acquired to the innate.

But at this juncture, any method that could potentially enhance the strength of the Nine Mountains Sect is of utmost importance.

"So all we need to do is prepare a festival?"

"It's not that simple." The Heavenly Emperor shook his head. "The first requirement for the ceremony is that someone recites the incantation, and we need to learn the inscriptions on it. The second one is more troublesome."

“The holding of the festival requires many spiritual materials and even ritual implements.”

"You want money?" Uncle Pang said generously. "Isn't the Nine Mountains Realm's current reserves enough?"

"It's not about money."

The Heavenly Emperor pointed to the inscription on the Qiankun Cauldron and said, "There is something called Xuanhuang Jade on this. Have you heard of it, Uncle-Master?"

"……do not know."

"This is a magical artifact called the Heavenly Ritual Flag. Do you know how to refine it, Uncle-Master?"

"..."

Uncle Pang fell silent, and now the others understood the crux of the matter.

Deciphering the text does not mean that one can truly grasp all the details about the festival, especially some special spiritual materials and magical artifacts.

"Between the First and Second Eras, there is a massive gap in the history of the Xuanwei Realm," the Heavenly Emperor said helplessly. "To recreate the ritual, we need to understand the meaning of every word, even every character, and to recreate the necessary spiritual materials and magical artifacts..."

“This…the First Era didn’t even leave many records.” Xiao Yuying frowned. “Even the same spiritual material has different names at different times. If we test them one by one, how long will it take?”

"That depends on whether I can obtain the relevant information in the Nine Luminaries Heaven."

……

Zheng Fa slowly awoke in the Purple Cloud Palace of the Nine Luminaries Heaven.

He looked around and found that there was no one around, and the area behind him was even more empty, with the prayer mat right next to the temple door.

...Now they've truly secured last place.

The position of this prayer cushion is actually dynamic—the deeper the listener's understanding and the more golden flowers they absorb, the more the prayer cushion can move forward.

Looking at the Lu Clan's elder's retreating figure, Zheng Fa understood his own backwardness.

At first, he focused on comprehending the runes on the golden flower, but later he was filming. Compared to others who listened attentively to the teachings, his progress was naturally the least.

At first, the differences in the number of people listening to the sermon were small, and their positions did not change much. However, now that more than a year has passed, the differences have become obvious.

He looked up at Hongjun Daoist, recalling the video lessons he had previously studied—although he was a dormant underachiever in Zixiao Palace, he was already secretly making waves in the modern world.

He had watched the presentation slides two or three times already.

This is the first time that Master Hongjun has given a lecture, and what he is mainly talking about is actually the method of cultivation.

Of course, his preaching was different from Zheng Fa's.

Not to mention that he is the Dao Ancestor, which of these three thousand guests of Zixiao is without a background? Most of them are born as immortals, so they don't need things like Qi Refining, Core Formation, Nascent Soul Condensation, or Spirit Transformation!
Hongjun Daoren began his story by talking about becoming an immortal.

"...Gold represents immortality; cinnabar represents perfection. The path to becoming a Golden Immortal lies in condensing the essence of cinnabar and gathering the origin. The five elements revolve, water and fire are in harmony, wind and thunder surge, forging an indestructible golden body."

Now, Master Hongjun has reached the Golden Immortal stage.

Zheng Fa listened attentively, but he was a little puzzled—what Hongjun Daoist was saying did not match the steps of his current cultivation.

In the Xuanwei Realm, after attaining the Dao Fruit, cultivation only has four stages: Loose Immortal, True Immortal, Golden Immortal, and Taiyi (or Daluo).

But Hongjun Daoren was different. He spoke of scattered immortals, and later there were earth immortals and heaven immortals, but there were no true immortals.

The Creation Daoist and the others couldn't understand, and their faces were full of confusion. Zheng Fa understood, but he was also puzzled.

Moreover, many methods of cultivation seem to have subtle differences.

For example, Zheng Fa had already comprehended the theory of the Five Elements' rotation as described by the Golden Immortals before he formed his elixir, and he had also experienced the balance of Yin and Yang before forming his elixir.

Listening to Hongjun's sermon, Zheng Fa had only one feeling: although they were all doing the same thing, the cultivation methods of later generations seemed to have reorganized the content of the sermon, with very different order and steps—it felt like university knowledge points had been simplified and put into elementary school textbooks.

Therefore, Zheng Fa was able to understand many things that were far beyond his level of understanding.

Hongjun Daoist was still speaking:
"In the Taiyi realm, one reflects upon the Three Flowers, refining Qi, Shen, and Jing into one, achieving the convergence of the Five Qi and the gathering of the Three Flowers at the crown. Only when the three treasures of Jing, Qi, and Shen are perfectly integrated and unobstructed, and the mysterious gate of heaven and earth is opened, can one become a Taiyi Golden Immortal."

This... is somewhat similar to his enlightenment when he transformed into a deity.

Of course, Hongjun Daoren's explanation was more profound, more essential, and even more complete than his. As Zheng Fa listened, he gradually became engrossed.

……

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder, who was standing in front, caught a glimpse of Zheng Fa's actions and couldn't help but secretly scoff.

He listened attentively to the teachings, but he couldn't help but pay more attention to Shi Nandang, this traitor—for the Lu clan, Shi Nandang was now their greatest enemy.

As the Grand Elder of the Lu Clan, he both feared and hated him.

Shi Nandang was awake and asleep as soon as he entered the Zixiao Palace. While laughing at him, he was also puzzled. Shi Nandang was definitely not a stupid person. How could he not know that this was a great opportunity?
Even if he doesn't want to listen to the Dao, does that mean he doesn't even want the Primordial Purple Qi?

Perhaps there's a deeper meaning behind this young man's actions.

Therefore, he had been secretly observing Shi Nandang's actions. When he saw that Shi Nandang seemed to have really woken up and was actually listening to the teachings attentively, he was relieved—now he knows how to work hard, why didn't he do it earlier?

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder turned his head, not wanting to waste any more time on Shi Nandang, but a golden light caught his eye out of the corner of his eye. This golden light was dazzling and almost illuminated half of his profile.

This is……

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder turned around in a daze and saw that Shi Nandang was completely engulfed by golden flowers. At first glance, he looked like a golden tree in full bloom.

The golden flowers falling from the roof seemed endless, filling the entire Zixiao Palace.

Now, half of the golden flowers in the main hall are rushing towards Zheng Fa and being absorbed by him.

In other places, the golden flowers appear much sparser.

Now, not only the Lu Clan's Grand Elder, but also the Creation Daoist and others paused their listening and turned to look at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa, however, remained engrossed in Hongjun Daoren's sermon. Although he knew much of these things, he was particularly interested in the essentials of becoming an immortal. For Zheng Fa, who now had one foot in the Dao Fruit, the content of this sermon came at just the right time!

As the golden flowers flowed into his body, Zheng Fa felt his entire body throbbing with joy.

His spirit, his physical body, and even the Jade Tablet of Creation all became increasingly smooth and resilient under the nourishment of the golden flowers.

The spiritual energy within his body surged like a flood, and his cultivation level was rapidly improving.

……

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder and the others only saw Zheng Fa's momentum growing stronger and stronger, and the futon beneath his buttocks propelled him forward through the crowd.

Soon, Zheng Fa sat down next to the Lu Clan's Grand Elder.

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder was startled and hurriedly turned around to try to comprehend the runes on the golden flowers around him—the location of the futon was related to the ownership of the Primordial Purple Qi. If Shi Nandang obtained the Primordial Purple Qi, would the Lu Clan still have a good life?

In any case, he couldn't let Shi Nandang get there first. The Lu Clan's Grand Elder was in a panic, and he mustered all his divine sense, trying to comprehend more of the runes on the golden flower.

But Shi Nandang's figure flashed past him for a moment, then passed him and rushed forward without even glancing at him.

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder reached out, trying to grab Shi Nandang, but Shi Nandang was already far away from him, looking like a golden fish darting swiftly through the crowd.

Only the Lu Clan's Grand Elder remained, sitting on a prayer mat, his lips trembling, his face ashen.

……

Zheng Fa's commotion aroused a sense of crisis among the Creation Daoist and others at the front.

The light in the eyes of the Daoist of Creation grew even brighter.

The Bodhi seed between the eyebrows of the White Lotus Monk looked like it was about to break.

As for the Golden-Winged Roc and the others, they turned their bodies around and focused intently on comprehending the rune diagrams.

But Zheng's speed was extremely fast—

On the one hand, he now understands most of what Hongjun preaches.

On the other hand, as he gained more and more understanding, he absorbed more and more golden flowers, and his cultivation level naturally rose accordingly.

With the two complementing each other, Zheng Fa's prayer mat was placed further and further forward in the Zixiao Palace.

Soon, he reached the center of the main hall, ruthlessly bypassing the White Bone Demon Ancestor and the Gu God, and gradually approached the Golden-Winged Roc.

The golden-winged roc's pale yellow eyes were filled with tension.

He dared not turn around, focusing only on comprehending the runes around him, gritting his teeth and keeping a straight face, even clenching his fists.

Anyone could see that he genuinely didn't want to be bypassed by Zheng Fa.

But Zheng Fa still slowly approached him, paused briefly beside him, and then flew away without looking back.

As the Golden-Winged Roc watched his retreating figure, its face glowed with alternating shades of blue and red. Suddenly, it let out a loud "waa!" and spat out a mouthful of blood essence.

"...He's gone mad with rage and gone mad?" The Lu Clan's Grand Elder hadn't expected the Golden-Winged Roc to be so arrogant.

Looking at the disheveled state of the Golden-Winged Roc, he inexplicably calmed down about Shi Nandang surpassing him.

The Lu Clan group watched as Shi Nandang's seat moved further and further forward, even gradually approaching the Creation Daoist and the White Lotus Monk.

Has his speed slowed down?

A disciple of the Lu clan asked in a telepathic message.

"It's slower than before."

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder also noticed this. Although Shi Nandang was still moving forward, his speed was much slower than before, and he even stopped completely when he was still more than two hundred meters away from the White Lotus Monk.

The eight Nascent Soul cultivators from the Lu Clan looked at each other, puzzled as to why Shi Nandang had suddenly stopped.

"His spiritual power can no longer increase." The Lu Clan's Grand Elder's expression changed slightly, his joy turning to worry. "This traitor is about to attain the Dao of a Loose Immortal!"

The Lu clansmen remained silent, looking at each other with fear on their faces.

Shi Nandang possesses the Holy Blood Seal, and has long been regarded by many people on Haori Mountain as the next Dao Fruit within the sect. Some disciples even directly call him Ancestor Shi.

However, these core members of the Lu clan felt that Shi was no match for Mu Wuyi, and that they could only usurp the name of their ancestor by taking advantage of the fact that there were no Dao fruits in the mountains.

But who could have imagined that after listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, Shi Nandang's spiritual power would increase so rapidly, to the point that he could be said to have taken a half-step into the Dao Fruit stage?
The Lu Clan's Grand Elder opened his mouth, only to find his tongue filled with bitterness.

……

Zheng Fa also discovered his own problem. Compared with other corpse-dissolving or demonic true spirits, his spiritual power accumulation was insufficient, and there was a huge gap between him and a loose immortal.

But after absorbing so many golden flowers, Zheng Fa felt like a giant balloon filled with water, and even felt a surge of spiritual energy.

He is now only one step away from becoming a detached immortal.

According to Zheng Fa's understanding of the Dao Fruit, combined with the content of Hongjun's sermon just now, what he needs is a ritual, just like when the Great Free Demon Ancestor proved himself to be the Demon Emperor.

Even in the Hao Ri Mountain classics such as the "Red Sky Jade Book", there are some corresponding rituals. As long as he follows them, he can attain the Dao and become a wandering immortal.

That is why he is now unable to absorb the golden flower, and the prayer mat is no longer moving forward.

Zheng Fa wasn't in a hurry. He continued to listen attentively to Hongjun's sermon, hoping to find the path and method to become a wandering immortal.

……

As the golden light emanating from Shi Nandang gradually dissipated, the Lu clan members all breathed a sigh of relief.

They were afraid that Shi Nandang would sit directly on the futon and obtain the Primordial Purple Qi, and they were also afraid that this person would attain immortality in the Purple Cloud Palace.

It now seems that Shi Nandang's ordeal has come to an end.

Can……

Looking at the distance between them and Shi Nandang, the Lu Clan's Grand Elder's expression darkened again, and he muttered, "Wasn't Shi Nandang sleeping the whole time?"

"I saw it too, they're sleeping so soundly."

"Then why did he progress so quickly?"

The other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Lu Clan were also baffled; this was truly strange.

Suddenly, an old man looked thoughtful, as if he had thought of something.

"Sixth Elder, what do you have to say?"

"I wonder if this is the secret of the sermon I heard today?"

"What mystery?"

"Should we listen to this while we're asleep?"

"..." The Lu Clan's Grand Elder was taken aback. "You mean, Shi Nandang appeared to be sleeping, but was actually comprehending the Dao?"

“That’s right!” The old man found it more and more reasonable. “This Shi Nandang was raised by our Lu clan. His cultivation method is the same as ours. How could we not know what he is capable of?”

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder nodded repeatedly as he listened. This was also the reason why many Lu Clan members were hostile to Shi Nandang—he was originally our dog, but now he's riding on our heads.
He also remembered that he had previously suspected that there was a reason why this child was sleeping.

"Perhaps this is the wonder of the Zixiao Palace: the best effect is achieved when one is asleep and listening to the teachings!"

Beside him, another Nascent Soul cultivator from the Lu Clan clapped his hands and said, "I heard a high monk from Leiyin Temple say that their Leiyin Temple has a method called 'attaining enlightenment in dreams,' which sounds exactly the same as what the Sixth Elder said!"

Once this person said it, the others felt it made even more sense, and after exchanging glances, they all had their own ideas.

"Sixth Elder, why don't you give it a try?"

The Sixth Elder did not refuse; he simply closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep a moment later.

It was a long time before he opened his eyes.

"How about it?"

The Grand Elder of the Lu Clan asked expectantly.

"I just realized I was a Loose Immortal in my dream, and I even obtained the Primordial Purple Qi..." the Sixth Elder murmured in a daze.

"and then?"

The Lu Clan's Grand Elder was anxious. Shouldn't you be radiating golden light and rushing forward?
"And then?" The sixth elder of the Lu clan blinked. "Then he woke up."

(End of this chapter)