The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 252 Six Pots
The door was pushed open halfway, and the Seven Fairies came out.

Ding Lin was stunned for a moment, his mind seemed to stagnate for a second, and he was slightly blank. Then, an immense and indescribable joy welled up from his heart.

It was the joy of something lost and then found again.

She's back, doesn't that mean...?

"When did your granddaughter return?" Ding Lin asked, using immense willpower to suppress the turmoil in his heart and maintain a calm demeanor.

The heart of a sage is inherent in everyone; it does not require external things or need to be sought from outside.

Of course this is true.

But how many people in the world can become saints? Most are just ordinary people. It's not that they don't need to seek help from the outside world, but that they don't have the opportunity to seek help from the outside world. Like Ding Lin before, they can't find help from the outside world, so they have to look inward for help and use this saying to comfort themselves. If they could really get help from the outside world, who wouldn't choose to hold on to it tightly, because it might be an opportunity to change their fate?

"When I returned just now, I saw that Brother Jin was still cultivating, and the maid was waiting by the pool. Brother Jin, I took the liberty of handing over the pool water for you first," said the Seventh Fairy.

"I see." Ding Lin nodded and walked towards the hut.

"I thought Brother Jin would be a while longer, so I went inside to tidy up. Who knew I'd be so busy I'd forget the time, making Brother Jin worry." The Seventh Fairy's face showed a hint of apology.

"My granddaughter has gone to so much trouble," Ding Lin said, but as he spoke, the secret manual kept flashing through his mind.

Before leaving, the Seven Fairies said that on this trip, they would bring back rubbings of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dippers and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends for him.

"Years have passed since we parted, and Brother Jin's aura has become even more profound," said the Seventh Fairy.

"Granddaughter..." Ding Lin stopped a few feet away from the Seventh Fairy in front of the house. As he spoke, his eyes suddenly narrowed. The Seventh Fairy hadn't concealed her aura. Compared to before she left, her aura was surging, clearly indicating that her cultivation had greatly improved. Ding Lin hadn't paid attention to this until now. "Granddaughter has already... reached the third step of the Nascent Soul stage?"

"I left last year and have only just returned today. I should have made some progress by now," said the Seventh Fairy, a smile appearing on her face. "Grandmother had already prepared the spiritual items for us to advance. In fact, I could have advanced when I passed away, but Grandmother was afraid that the trials I went through in the mortal realm would damage my mental state, so she made me hone my skills for a longer period of time. This time when I returned to Yaochi, I felt that my spirit was full and my energy was abundant, so I used the spiritual items. Grandmother also bestowed some Qi-replenishing pills upon me, which enabled me to leap two realms and reach the third step of the Nascent Soul stage."

The name 'Qi-replenishing pill' sounds ordinary, but it can only be made in Laozi's alchemy furnace and is also among the golden pills. Taking it can fill the Qi Sea and increase cultivation. One pill can increase cultivation by several decades, while the one given by the Queen Mother can only be described as 'some'.

When Ding Lin thought about his current predicament, he found himself speechless for a moment.

"Brother Jin, it's been a long time since we last met. Both of us have made progress in our cultivation, so we should celebrate. It just so happens that I brought back some immortal wine from Yaochi," said the Seventh Fairy, while gesturing an invitation.

Ding Lin's eyes lit up. He knew that the Seven Fairies wanted him to come into the Jade Chamber to talk. The "Great Celestial Immortal Technique" and its subsequent changes were not something that could be revealed to others.

There was, of course, no banquet inside the house.

Without delay, the Seventh Fairy Maiden conjured two jade slips, one yellow and one green, from a flash of light in her palm and handed them to Ding Lin.

"The yellow ones are the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, the blue ones are the Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends, and all the related classics are also contained in the jade slips," said the Seventh Fairy.

Ding Lin's eyes were burning, and he couldn't wait to reach out and take it. He could feel his palms burning hot. At this moment, his soul was excited, his thoughts were leaping with joy, and his spirituality had reached its peak.

Then, the instant his fingers touched the two jade slips, Ding Lin noticed something amiss.

The seven fairies seemed to hesitate for a moment. Only a moment.

If Ding Lin hadn't already achieved a dragon body, greatly enhanced his senses, and hadn't been actively cultivating his spirituality, this slight hesitation would have been completely unnoticed.

hesitate?

how come?
Didn't the Queen Mother of the West already agree? What's there to hesitate about, unless...

A flash of lightning flashed through my mind.

Ding Lin looked at the Seventh Fairy again. Her face was calm and indifferent, no different from usual. Ding Lin suddenly remembered the changes in the Seventh Fairy's cultivation this time. That's right, if she hadn't cultivated to the third step of the primordial spirit, how could she ask the Queen Mother for this supernatural power?

The matter is actually quite clear.

"Granddaughter..." Ding Lin began, but then suddenly stopped. Even if he asked, what could he possibly say?
Whether to express more gratitude or whether he is willing to give up this magical manual, it's better to pretend nothing happened and play dumb.

Besides all that, there is a dark side deep in his heart that he is unaware of now, but even if the truth comes out in the future, he can bear less guilt.

Ding Lin dared not think any further about this point; he felt somewhat ashamed.

"Hmm?" The seven fairies looked over.

"Thank you for your trouble, granddaughter." Ding Lin bowed.

"I was just running errands for you. If you want to thank me, Brother Jin, you can thank my fifth sister later." The Seventh Fairy's palm flashed with spiritual light again, and a row of six wine jugs were laid out on the ground. "Besides me, my six sisters never drink alcohol. When I went back this time, I accompanied my fifth sister and we also plundered these immortal wines together."

“Brother Jin, your time is precious. Before your remaining lifespan runs out, try your best to raise your cultivation to the next level. Every step you take will increase your foundation after you ascend to immortality. There is a limit to how much we can support you. The pot I gave you before, plus the six pots from the sisters, is all we can do.” said the Seventh Fairy.

Ding Lin remained silent. The six wine jugs were lined up in a row, and they were even clearer to see in the daytime than at night. These were all heavy expressions of gratitude.

"Thank you, granddaughter." Ding Lin bowed his head, his voice somewhat desolate.

“Brother Jin, your time is precious, so I won’t delay your cultivation any longer. Take these immortal wines and go.” The Seventh Fairy said, seemingly unaware of Ding Lin’s unusual behavior.

Ding Lin remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand to put away the six jugs of fine wine. He bowed to the Seven Fairies and then turned to walk outside.

Ding Lin paused for a moment at the threshold, then lifted his right foot.

Once you step over it, you'll be outside the door.

Ding Lin looked up and saw the dazzling sunlight outside, like thousands of steel needles shooting out, so hot that he couldn't open his eyes and could only see a blurry mass. Looking down, he could see the jade threshold, which was only a few inches high, clearly, but in his eyes it turned into a towering mountain that he could not cross.

Ding Lin's right foot hesitated to land.

"Brother Jin, let's go back." The Fifth Fairy's voice came from behind.

(End of this chapter)