The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 292 Spirit Treasure Technique
After trying for a long time, Ding Lin finally saw a light drizzle fall from a white cloud in the inner cave. There was no lightning or thunder, no dark clouds overhead—those were other laws. But having reached this point, he had grasped the law of rain.

"Crash!"

Inside the inner grotto, beside the chain representing the wind, another chain extends from the void.

The Fifth Law.

Ding Lin opened his eyes and, after comprehending the laws of wind and rain, felt that his understanding of the supernatural power of riding the clouds and mist had deepened.

The small building was filled with clouds.

Clouds and mist swirled around.

As soon as Ding Lin had a thought, a breeze began to blow.

Stirring the room, the originally dull and lifeless clouds began to move, swirling and changing shapes at will, rolling and unrolling like clouds.

Ding Lin had another thought, and the rain started to fall, a light drizzle blown by the wind.

Not only clouds and mist, but even rain can be imbued with thoughts and can take on any form at any time.

The small building is cramped and narrow, making it difficult to see clearly, but once you go outside, you can see the difference: the wind can make the clouds and mist spread for thousands of miles, and the rain can become an extension of the clouds.

If it were just the supernatural power of summoning wind and rain, while wind and rain would certainly carry more weight in the laws than clouds and fog, in terms of practicality, it would not be as good as riding the clouds and fog. However, in the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, each transformation can not only exist independently, but also depend on each other, combining wind, rain and clouds and fog, increasing the practicality and universality of the supernatural power by more than a hundred times.

Ding Lin gained new insights from all his thoughts.

That's how spiritual practice works; with each step forward, you can see a new world.

Ding Lin spread his senses. Now possessing five laws, he surpassed the stone monkey in the number of laws for the first time. Coupled with the uniqueness of his supernatural abilities, he easily discovered the stone monkey in the garden. He didn't change his appearance, but simply used an invisibility spell, his body perched on a tree branch, his monkey paws haphazardly chewing on a medium-sized fruit. Besides him, there were also heavenly soldiers in neat rows, and Xin Jia walking through the garden, looking up and carefully counting the number of fruits.

Before going into seclusion, Ding Lin entrusted the account books to Xin Jia, instructing him to update them regularly.

His senses expanded outwards, taking in half of the third heaven.

Besides the Peach Garden occupying this corner, the Third Heaven also contains a large number of other government offices, where officials in green robes and gray clothes move about, each performing their duties and busy with their own tasks.

Suddenly, a white cloud entered my senses and drifted towards the direction of the Peach Garden.

The clouds descended.

A fairy child jumped down from the white clouds.

After a while, Xin Jia requested an audience outside the small building.

Ding Lin waved his hand to break the barrier, letting Xin Jia in. The latter presented a gold-embossed invitation card to Ding Lin.

"General, the invitation to the Peach Banquet has arrived, inviting you to the banquet at Yaochi in seven days," Xin Jia said.

With a flick of his wrist, Ding Lin sent the invitation flying from Xin Jia's hand and landing on his desk. He unfolded the invitation, glanced at it, and saw that it was indeed just a simple invitation.

His eyes flickered as he recalled the Fifth Fairy's earlier warning.

"You received the invitation, right?" Ding Lin said.

"General Meng has promoted me to the rank of Captain, a sixth-rank official. Compared to previous years, I will be able to sit closer to the Jade Pool this year," Xin Jia said. He was an immortal who had been in the immortal realm for many years. It was customary for anyone who entered the immortal realm and reached the sixth rank to be invited. In previous years, Xin Jia was a centurion of the Heavenly River Navy, a sixth-rank official, and was naturally among those invited. He was actually quite familiar with the Peach Banquet. "I am not as good as you, General, as I have already been able to enter the hall and become a guest of the Jade Pool. In fact, it is more about those two peaches to prolong my life than to attend the banquet."

"What has been the precedent in previous years?" Ding Lin asked.

"In the Jade Pool, everything is adorned with crimson and purple, and naturally, peaches of immortality and fine wine are constantly available. As for us little immortals sitting outside, we are all given a share: a pot of fine wine, three three-thousand-year-old peaches, and a six-thousand-year-old peach as is customary."

“The Peach Banquet is held once every thousand years. Usually, every three or four thousand years, we are rewarded with a small purple-veined peach that is nine thousand years old. Calculating the time, the last time a purple-veined peach was bestowed was three thousand years ago,” Xin Jia said.

“The fruits of three thousand or six thousand years should not be of much use to you anymore,” Ding Lin said.

"Although it's a bit of a burden, it can still extend my life by several hundred years, so it's better than nothing. However, this year I have a purple-veined peach, which can extend my life by another three thousand years," Xin Jia said.

The peaches bestowed at the Peach Banquet naturally follow a pattern, neither too many nor too few, always precisely at the point when one's lifespan is about to run out—this is the way of immortality.

"So, the purple-veined peaches aren't the usual ones," Ding Lin said.

“Of course not to us lowly immortals, but General, you have already entered the inner sanctum, so naturally…” Xin Jia’s flattering voice suddenly stopped, his expression showing some surprise and doubt. He had realized what was going on. “General, you mean…”

"What's the state of the Peach Garden this year? Others may not know, but don't you? Even if you went to the banquet, you'd only get a few small fruits, let alone the Purple-Veined Peach," Ding Lin said. "I'm currently at a crucial stage in my cultivation. Although the thousand-odd heavenly soldiers in this garden seem obedient now, they're still relatively new. You..."

"Since the general has given the order, this humble general will obey and will work to transform these thousand-plus men into the general's true core force as soon as possible!" Xin Jia hesitated only slightly before quickly expressing his loyalty.

Ding Lin nodded in satisfaction, waved for Xin Jia to leave, and didn't mention any compensation. Perhaps Xin Jia had a few complaints in his heart now, but in a few days he would be even more grateful to him.

……

In the small building, Ding Lin was left alone again.

Seven days left.

If you want to comprehend the laws, this short time is already insufficient.

However, it cannot be wasted.

A flash of spiritual light appeared in Ding Lin's palm as he took out the token given to him by the man in green. As soon as he infused it with a trace of magic power, a mountain of books immediately appeared before his eyes: "The Spirit Treasure Manual"!
This little bit of time is perfect for trying to see if I can cultivate the "Lingbao Jue".

Countless words flowed before my eyes:
"The physical form cannot last forever; what can last is the movement of vital energy. Vital energy cannot circulate constantly; what circulates constantly is essence. When these three are blended into one, the path to immortality is not difficult to attain..."

……

"The Nine Heavens Divine Chapter has four main parts."

"First, cherish your form; second, preserve your spirit; third, value your vital energy; fourth, strengthen your foundation. A person's form is like a person's house; though they are a temporary union, how can we allow it to deteriorate and decay day by day? Otherwise, there would be no people living outdoors. Moreover, the form is where all spirits reside, where one's nature resides, and where intelligence is entrusted. Those who cultivate themselves rely on this to succeed, and must first cherish their form. For accumulated yang gives rise to spirit, and accumulated yin gives rise to form. Form and spirit cannot be separated for even a moment..."

……

"...The divine can control qi, therefore the third point is to value qi. The vastness of heaven and earth cannot be moved without qi, and the light of the sun and moon cannot be illuminated without qi. Humans and all things observe this. The difference lies in what is right and wrong. The tortoise and crane do not wither because they obtain the purity of qi. The pine and cypress do not fade because they obtain the strength of qi. Only humans obtain the right qi, but not in its entirety. The classic says: The three qi are the most honored of heaven and earth, and the nine qi are the root of all things. If a person can preserve the root of the nine qi, he will be in harmony with the honored three qi, and this is extremely precious..." A day later, Ding Lin opened his eyes. He had thoroughly memorized the manual. After becoming a Golden Immortal, his comprehension and memory had become even stronger. Coupled with the accumulation he had made for cultivating the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, he had mastered the manual in just one day.

Even Ding Lin himself was surprised by the speed.

The "Spiritual Treasure Technique"—well, this technique truly lives up to its name as a creation of a supreme innate treasure. Rather than a technique, it resembles a weapon-refining method, emphasizing the extraction of essence from spiritual materials, condensing the laws within, and then imprinting them onto the physical body.

It's not understanding, it's just simple acquisition.

Ding Lin closed his eyes, took out more than a dozen peaches and placed them in front of him. Then, following the description in the "Spirit Treasure Manual", he began to extract the life force and spiritual energy from the peaches. The abundant life force and spiritual energy moved out of the peaches and merged into his body.

Traditional cultivation methods no longer operate this way; the physical body is merely an auxiliary cultivation method. Even Ding Lin's six-toed golden dragon body was formed only after his magical power reached the One Yuan level.

The physical body is nurtured by 'essence', and although essence and energy can complement each other, they are ultimately two different characteristics. How can they be directly harmonized? Sure enough, when these vital energies circulate in the physical body, it's like putting wood into water; it can only moisten it, but they are still two completely different things. After a slight harmonization, they become clearly distinct.

Ding Lin was not disappointed. This technique was easy to cultivate, but it naturally required a very high level of physical fitness. As Qingyi had said, in the Northern Underworld, from the ancient times to the present day, there were only a handful of demons who could cultivate it.

It's strange that he has the physique for cultivation.

Ding Lin was about to stop the operation of the technique, but at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

A wisp of spiritual energy swept across his chest, likely from the middle dantian.

The next moment, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, all the spiritual energy that had entered the body converged towards it.

Ding Lin opened his eyes abruptly. In that short instant, the "Lingbao Jue" was boosted by the spiritual energy of the peaches to the level of the primordial spirit.

It seems that his previous slump in the mortal world had exhausted his bad luck. After becoming a Golden Immortal, everything went smoothly. First, he comprehended the laws. With the support of his knowledge from his previous life, he went from being mediocre to a genius in an instant. Now, even his physique is compatible with this niche cultivation technique.

Since it can be repaired, of course it should be repaired.

He can accumulate cultivation and magical power with the "Great Celestial Immortal Technique" and enhance his physical strength with the "Spiritual Treasure Technique". He can also plunder the laws by refining spiritual objects and the bloodline of the dragon race. The latter, stimulated by the former two, may evolve again and allow him to inherit something from the Ancestral Dragon.

These three paths, any one of which would be an easy route to heaven for an ordinary Golden Immortal, he can now advance on all three simultaneously.

Ding Lin's heart suddenly burned with excitement. His gaze fell upon the dozen or so peaches on the table, one of which had already shriveled, its spiritual energy nearly half gone. He had cultivated to the primordial spirit level in an instant using only half a peach—this *Spiritual Treasure Technique* was truly…

Wonderful!

Ding Lin took out some more peaches and eagerly began to eat them.

……

Three days later.

Ding Lin suddenly opened his eyes. It wasn't a reflection, but rather his physical body returning to perfection from yet another angle, with another layer added on top of his original Golden Immortal body.

A glimmer of divine light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

From another angle unseen from the outside, within the inner world, a nearly transparent, weak law extends from nothingness, almost touching the water's surface. In this world of immortals, upon reaching the Golden Immortal realm, life force approaches perfection, and life force is indeed the lowest level of law.

But no matter how low the position or how transparent it is, it is still a rule.

At this moment, there are already six laws within the inner world.

The Six Paths of Law.

He has reached the peak of the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm. He only needs to comprehend one more path to enter the late-stage Golden Immortal realm.

However, if one wishes to continue practicing the Lingbao Technique, there is no way to continue for the time being.

The peaches had lost their power, and Ding Lin had no other spiritual items.

Then, Ding Lin took stock of his assets. The cost of the "Spirit Treasure Technique" to the Golden Immortal level, plus the life force law he had just condensed, had cost him a total of thirteen peaches. Including the dozen or so he had given to Qingyi earlier, Ding Lin's peaches had dropped below three digits, leaving him with only eighty-six.

But Ding Lin was happy. These external possessions, which were no longer of much use to him, could be exchanged for a law, which was indeed worth more than the price.

There is only one day left until the Peach Banquet.

Just then, Ding Lin suddenly sensed a disturbance outside the building. Since mastering the ability to summon wind and rain, he could spread clouds and mist without much magical power, and he filled the entire Peach Garden with clouds and mist.

At this moment, magical fluctuations emanated from the garden of purple-veined peaches.

Ding Lin had a thought and immediately saw the calm-faced stone monkey. In the garden, seven female immortals were frozen in place in different poses. The seven female immortals had very similar faces. Ding Lin recognized two of them, the Fifth Fairy and the Seventh Fairy. Needless to say, the other five were the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother's other five granddaughters whom Ding Lin had never seen before.

"Little Seven, you might blame me now for delaying your mission, but after tomorrow, you'll know that I'm doing this for your own good," the stone monkey said earnestly to the Fifth Fairy.

Ding Lin's eyes flashed, but this was clearly not the time to dwell on it. He should not sit idly by, whether out of sentiment, reason, public interest, or private interest. The next moment, his figure disappeared from the small building.

In the garden, the water vapor around the Five Fairies rippled, and Ding Lin's figure appeared.

"You've certainly planted your spies all over this garden."

When the stone monkey saw Ding Lin appear, his eyes flashed. He had fought with Ding Lin before and knew that Ding Lin had a strange supernatural power that relied on clouds and mist. Now, after looking at the fog in the garden, he understood.

“You’ve come at the perfect time,” the stone monkey continued. “I remember you and Xiao Qi are also quite close. Heh, you’re lucky. If Xiao Qi hadn’t happened to be here, who would care if you died? I’ll give you a piece of advice: don’t go to the Peach Banquet tomorrow.”

"As for the immobilization spell on Xiao Qi and the others, don't lift it. I, Old Sun, will take full responsibility for any blame that may arise. It won't involve you. You don't need to ask any more questions. We'll see tomorrow. If nothing happens, that's best. If something does happen, I'll trouble you to protect Xiao Qi."

"I consider Xiao Qi a friend. If anything happens to her, I, Lao Sun, will definitely come after you!"

"Old Sun is off!"

Without offering any explanation, the stone monkey flashed and transformed into a streak of light, bursting out of the Peach Garden.

Ding Lin did not stop the stone monkey. He turned around and used a few points of magic to break the immobilization spell on the fairies.

(End of this chapter)