A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Duan Rong landed lightly on a hilltop and walked slowly toward a thatched hut not far away.

Chu Wushang was sitting on a small stool in front of the thatched hut, picking vegetables with a winnowing basket in his arms. He looked at Duan Rong, who was walking slowly towards him, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Even without using his divine sense to investigate, Chu Wushang could tell from Duan Rong's walking posture that Duan Rong had already achieved the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm.

Because Duan Rong's every step was neither hurried nor slow, landing precisely on the flow of air around him, his movements seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment, creating a sense of overall harmony.

Duan Rong approached, the afternoon sun shining on his face. Chu Wushang said, "I thought you would have achieved Great Perfection two months ago?!"

When Duan Rong last came, he was already close to achieving the third level of the Qi Cyclone Realm. Now, more than four months have passed since his last visit.

Duan Rong said, "I've been preoccupied with some trivial matters lately, which has caused some setbacks in my cultivation."

Chu Wushang chuckled lightly, a rare occurrence, and said, "Six months, from the first level of the Qi Cyclone Realm to the Great Perfection Realm. You call that lagging behind?! Kid, you really dare to say that?!"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I originally estimated that it would be completed two months ago. That's about what you expected, Mr. Chu. But then I got caught up in other matters and before I knew it, it was delayed by two months."

Chu Wushang said, "That's right. That's the truth. For you, it is indeed two months behind."

Duan Rong had no desire to continue arguing with Chu Wushang over word choices. He looked at Chu Wushang, feeling somewhat puzzled. Chu Wushang was usually taciturn, but perhaps he was in a good mood today, as he started chatting with him.

In fact, Duan Rong was unaware that although Chu Wushang was usually taciturn, he was also curious about Duan Rong's cultivation speed. Duan Rong himself was unaware of it, but in just over six months, he had cultivated from the first level of the Qi Cyclone Realm to the Great Perfection. Such a speed was something even the Ancestor could not achieve back then.

Duan Rong asked, "Mr. Chu, has the Ancestor returned?"

Chu Wushang said, "Go ahead. The Ancestor has been in the valley recently, and he was asking about you just a few days ago."

"Alright, I'll go right away." Duan Rong clasped his hands in a salute to Chu Wushang and then turned to leave.

At midday, the valley was quiet and still, with sunlight dancing through the pine needles. Duan Rong crossed the valley and arrived outside Lü Yinlin's cave.

"Disciple Duan Rong requests an audience with the Ancestor!" Duan Rong called out from outside the cave, clasping his hands in greeting.

In fact, as soon as he entered the valley, Lü Yinlin noticed him, not by using his divine sense to probe him, but by the footsteps and changes in his aura that echoed in the valley.

Duan Rong's footsteps had changed.

Footsteps are not only related to weight and speed; in fact, everyone's walking posture is different.

When your walking posture and footsteps change significantly, the sound of your footsteps will also change, but few people can perceive this subtle difference.

"Come in."

A deep, somber voice suddenly rang in Duan Rong's ears. It was none other than the voice of the patriarch, Lü Yinlin.

Duan Rong strolled in and walked to the depths of the cave, where he saw Lü Yinlin sitting on a stone chair, flipping through an ancient book written on bamboo slips.

Duan Rong immediately knelt down.

"Disciple Duan Rong pays respects to the Ancestor!"

Lu Yinlin raised his head, glanced at Duan Rong for the first time, and said calmly, "Get up."

Duan Rong stood up and stood there. Lü Yinlin said, "I heard from Chu Wushang that Qingzhu is pregnant?"

Duan Rong said, "Yes, it has been some time."

Lu Yinlin asked, "Is it a man or a woman?"

Duan Rong said, "It's a man."

Lu Yinlin nodded and then asked, "How are the mother and child?"

Duan Rong said, "Fortunately, I prescribed a medicine to calm the fetus and soothe the mind. After Qingzhu took it, her breathing improved, and the nausea subsided."

Lü Yinlin said, "That's good."

Suddenly, Lü Yinlin pulled out a yellowed booklet from the pile of bamboo slips and books on the stone table. He casually pushed it aside, and the booklet, as if possessed, floated to Duan Rong's front and hovered there.

Lu Yinlin said, "The first half of this booklet contains information I collected back then when I was trying to condense the Cave of Nether, recording all the steps I considered important. The last three pages are corrections I made to some details and omissions after I successfully condensed the Cave of Nether. Take a look and use it as a reference."

Duan Rong looked at the seemingly inconspicuous yellowed booklet floating in front of him, and immediately took it in his hand as if he had found a treasure. He then clasped his hands and said respectfully, "Thank you, Ancestor!"

He naturally knew the value of this booklet. It contained information collected by a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator when he condensed his Cave of Clarity, and it also included corrections to the details after his successful advancement.

Although everyone's path to achieving enlightenment is not exactly the same, this booklet can still serve as a guide, and as Lü Yinlin said, it is well worth referring to.

Lü Yinlin said, "Actually, it's about condensing the primordial void..."

Upon hearing Lü Yinlin's direct mention of the Condensation of the Cavern, Duan Rong immediately focused his attention and listened intently.

Lu Yinlin had already rolled up the bamboo slip in his hand and said, "There are three hurdles: the first hurdle is to break through the inner demons. The second hurdle is to use the origin of intent as a guide to comprehend the power of the laws. The third hurdle is to condense the power of the laws to form the Cave of Enlightenment."

"These three hurdles vary from person to person."

"Some people are stuck at the hurdle of inner demons for years, while others can break through it in an instant. Inner demons are not a matter of mindset; until the critical moment of cultivation, no one knows what truly troubles them."

As Lü Yinlin spoke, his eyes flickered slightly, as if the hurdle he had overcome in his cultivation years ago still haunted him. "Some people, though seemingly steadfast in their Dao heart and decisive in their actions, are bewitched by demonic influences at crucial junctures in their cultivation, lingering for years without breaking through..." "This second hurdle is equally difficult. It involves using the origin of one's intent as a guide to comprehend the power of the laws. Each person's understanding of the intent is different, and the power of the laws they comprehend will naturally differ as well. Some pass this hurdle quickly, while others remain trapped for ten or even twenty years... some even turning into withered bones..."

A deep, cold glint flashed in Duan Rong's eyes.

Lu Yinlin suddenly focused his gaze on him, his voice rising and falling as he said in a deep voice, “This second hurdle has its own special characteristics. It’s not a matter of the faster the better, and it cannot be generalized. Some people may have taken more than ten years to comprehend the power of the laws, but the power of the laws they comprehend has considerable growth potential. Some people may have broken through this hurdle in one or two years, but the power of the laws they comprehend has great flaws. From the moment they achieve this, they are destined to be stuck at the early stage of the Cave-Ming Realm for the rest of their lives, and will never be able to advance an inch further.”

"And most cultivators at the Cavern Realm fall into the latter category,"

"Throughout the entire Taiyi Sect, only Chu Qiushan and Chu Wushang are at the mid-stage of the Cave-Ming Realm. And only Gu Daoling is at the late-stage of the Cave-Ming Realm. How difficult it is to comprehend a law power that is flawless and has the potential for growth!"

Duan Rong was shaken, because just from listening to Lü Yinlin's words, he could feel how difficult it was to condense the Cave of Clarity. None of the three checkpoints were easy to pass.

Duan Rong asked, "May I ask, Ancestor, how can one determine whether the power of the laws one has comprehended is flawed or has the potential for growth?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yinlin smiled slightly and said, "When you comprehend it, you will know. Do you think that those who comprehend the power of laws with defects do so because they do not want to comprehend the power of laws with growth potential? It is not that they do not want to, but that they are unable to."

"The origin of the intent that achieves the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm is like a path leading to the gate of laws. The deeper the origin of the intent, the more vibrant the power of the laws it leads to."

"A superficial understanding, even if it allows one to barely enter the gate of laws, will usually result in flawed comprehension of the power of laws."

At this point, Lü Yinlin suddenly looked at Duan Rong and said, "You don't need to worry. The depth of your understanding far surpasses that of Chu Qiushan and Chu Wushang. It is also slightly better than that of Gu Daoling. Even compared to my own experience back then, it is not inferior."

A strange light flashed in Duan Rong's eyes.

He naturally knew that Lu Yinlin was referring to the essence of his mind after he came out of the Myriad Manifestations Cave, but since entering the ruins of gods and demons, his essence of mind had changed from the cloud of mind into the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl.

This five-colored wish-fulfilling bead has a slightly sinister quality: he couldn't even perceive the faint light it emitted.

Duan Rong almost blurted out this question just now, but he suppressed it. He decided to study the booklet that Lü Yinlin had given him first; perhaps the answer he was looking for was inside.

Although Lü Yinlin had entered his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness, the figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the sky at that time was still a gray phantom. This phantom was formed during his cultivation of the embryonic stage, so it didn't matter if Lü Yinlin saw it.

However, the gray phantom within his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness had now transformed into a clear, luminous body, radiant and dazzling, resembling that of an immortal or Buddha. Duan Rong had a feeling that it was best not to let the ancestor see this clear, luminous body.

Of course, if he couldn't find the answer to the question about the evil nature of the Five-Colored Wish-Fulfilling Pearl in this booklet, he would take the risk and ask Lü Yinlin about it.

Because if he doesn't understand the evil nature of the Five-Colored Wish-Fulfilling Pearl, and rashly enters the three gates of the Condensed Cave of Darkness, he might encounter unexpected accidents.

"And the final hurdle, condensing the Cave of Netherworld with the power of the laws, is equally difficult. Especially for those whose comprehension of the power of the laws is flawed, this hurdle is extremely dangerous; they might even explode and die!"

"Even if the power of the laws you comprehend has the potential for growth, you still need to be careful at this juncture. After all, you have only just comprehended the laws, but you must immediately use the power of the laws to condense the Cave of Enlightenment, which is like a novice going into battle. Although I wrote many detailed descriptions in that book, without actually reaching that point yourself, just looking at those words is ultimately like looking at flowers through a fog."

"Because no one can teach someone who hasn't yet grasped the power of the laws how to use it. They can only tell him a few key points, albeit vaguely. When it comes to condensing the Insightful Realm, you still have to make your own decisions on the spot, because everyone's understanding of the power of the laws is different, and therefore the Insightful Realm that is condensed will also be different. The key points written by others are just opinions for reference only."

Holding the yellowed booklet in his hand, Duan Rong suddenly felt that this Condensed Cave Realm was fraught with danger, and that every step was a test of life and death.

Duan Rong suddenly asked, "May I ask, Ancestor, how long did it take you to condense the Cave of Clarity back then?"

Lu Yinlin smiled slightly and said, "From entering the secret chamber for seclusion to finally achieving the Cave of Clarity and emerging from seclusion, it took me about three years."

"Three years?" Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly.

After listening to Lü Yinlin's explanation, Duan Rong felt that even if it took ten or twenty years to condense the Cave of Enlightenment, he would consider it normal.

He even felt that it was normal for the three passes to each take ten or thirty years to condense into a cavern.

Lu Yinlin was a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, and it took him three years to successfully condense his essence and emerge from seclusion. How long will it take him?

Upon thinking of this, Duan Rong frowned and asked, "Then why did the Ancestor want me to advance to the Cave Nether Realm in just one year?"

Lu Yinlin said, "Your understanding of the essence of the concept is no worse than mine back then. Moreover, I had no one to guide me back then. I collected information and explored on my own, and I took many detours during my three years of seclusion to condense my inner vision. But I wrote all of that down in that book."

"With these, you won't have to go through so many detours. A year is more than enough!"

Duan Rong's eyes widened in surprise. Only now did he finally understand what Lü Yinlin meant by "condensing the Cave of Clarity in one year."

It turns out that the year Lu Yinlin mentioned didn't include the time it took him to cultivate from the first level of the Qi Cyclone Realm to the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm. He was only referring to the time he spent in seclusion condensing his Cave Meditation Technique!

Indeed, in Lü Yinlin's eyes, cultivating from the first level of the Qi Cyclone Realm to the Great Perfection was nothing more than daily eating and drinking. It was not worth mentioning at all.

Only when he secludes himself to condense his inner light can it be considered a serious matter in his eyes.

Looking at Duan Rong's astonished expression, Lü Yinlin said, "Go. Study that booklet carefully. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me again."

Duan Rong bowed deeply and respectfully replied, "Yes."

At this moment, he bowed to Lü Yinlin with utmost sincerity, because he could sense that Lü Yinlin was teaching him everything he had ever known.

The kindness of imparting skills is greater than heaven.

"The disciple retire."

Duan Rong bowed respectfully, took a few steps back, and then turned and walked out of the cave. (End of Chapter)