Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 300 Human Pill
Seeing that Li Xiangming agreed to cultivate the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique, Fairy Green Cloud tossed him a jade slip.

Li Xiangming took it, probed it with his divine sense, and studied it carefully.

After a while, he put down the jade slip, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

The Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique was not created by Master Zhijing, but is a technique that has been passed down for thousands of years and has been collected by the Longyuan Sect. Countless people have practiced it.

Every hundred years, the Longyuan Sect would adjust the cultivation methods in its own scripture library.

What they did most often was to stuff in the practice notes of predecessors.

For example, the Lesser Xiaoxiang Manual, when passed down to Master Zhijing, contained a vast and complex system of knowledge.

Although the original text of Xiaoxiang Jue is only a few thousand words long, its annotations have more than a dozen versions, totaling more than a million words.

In addition, there are nearly a hundred unique spiritual practice notes.

Each cultivation note has something in common, but what makes them included in the Longyuan Sect is their diversity.

This also means that this jade slip records the various cultivation paths of the Xiaoxiang Manual.

Which one is better?
It's a matter of opinion.

Li Xiangming couldn't help but think of the Li family's Hunyuan Ruyi Jin.

In fact, the Li family's Hunyuan Ruyi Jin also included many of the elders' cultivation notes. Later generations continuously improved this Golden Elixir method based on these notes, selecting the most suitable cultivation method, which is why even a Qi Refining cultivator like him was qualified to cultivate it.

In short, the Hunyuan Ruyi Jin he cultivated was a refined version.

You don't need to understand too much; just cultivate according to the results of the family's selection process.

However, sects obviously wouldn't go that far. For a sect as large as the Dragon Abyss Sect, its core inheritance goes far beyond the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique. It's impossible for them to carefully select every technique before teaching it to their disciples.

What they did was to continuously add interesting notes on spiritual practice, preserve them alongside the original, and provide valuable reference for future generations.

As for how well they cultivate, that's their business.

The sect has already done everything it could to be benevolent.

Generally speaking, disciples who dare to choose a master have a lineage.

For example, the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique cultivated by Fairy Green Cloud is the same path that True Man Zhijing cultivates.

Now she is passing it on to Li Xiangming, which is in line with the same lineage, and she will not let Li Xiangming go astray.

In this way, the vast Xiaoxiang Manual loses its deceptiveness and becomes similar to the selected version.

But without a teacher, one can only rely on predecessors and grit one's teeth to continue practicing.

Fairy Green Clouds handed the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique to Li Xiangming and explained many precautions. After Li Xiangming understood them, she said in a deep voice, "My days are numbered. After the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique, there are three core spells that you need to master: the Surging Waves Splitting Palm, the Six Yin Void Divine Finger, and the Ice-Dissolving Soul-Melting Technique. Take this pill first."

As she spoke, Fairy Green Cloud flicked a dark red pill to Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming took the pill and examined it.

This pill is much smaller than the Ginseng and Coagulation Pill, only about the size of a little fingernail, and is no different from an ordinary pill.

The voice of Fairy Green Cloud continued: "This is the Xiaoxiang Pill, a pill specially created by a water-type alchemist when he was studying the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique. It can accelerate the cultivation of the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique."

"There's still this good stuff?"

Li Xiangming swallowed it without hesitation.

These days, he has been taking the elixirs and medicines given to him by Fairy Green Cloud, and he has gotten used to it.

He also wanted to master the Lesser Xiaoxiang Technique as soon as possible, and then cultivate subsequent spells.

Compared to the cultivation technique, he coveted the three magical arts even more.

Soon, the pill was catalyzed by him, and a powerful medicinal force surged through his dantian and meridians.

Accompanying this was a surge of intense, unfamiliar magical power.

Li Xiangming's expression changed, and he immediately opened his eyes: "Master, this pill..."

"Strictly speaking, it is not a pill."

As Fairy Green Cloud slowly rose, she interrupted, "The medicinal power you felt was actually an illusion. I also find it difficult to give you its correct name, but it has a nickname you may have heard of—the Human Pill!"

"Human pills?"

Li Xiangming broke out in a cold sweat in an instant.

All those who practice the Dharma under Heaven ultimately belong to the Dao.

Taoism emphasizes following the natural way and acting without action.

However, at the same time, Taoism also put forward the concept of attaining immortality and ascending to heaven.

In the Middle Ages, traditional Taoist practitioners adhered to the principle that Tao is always inactive yet accomplishes everything, cultivating themselves in a state of "doing nothing and doing nothing," hoping to attain Tao and become immortals through this practice.

But is it really that simple? "Wuwei" is the operating principle of the Dao. The Dao does nothing and can naturally evolve all things.

But not people. If a cultivator only meditates and breathes in spiritual energy, it won't work.

Let alone attaining immortality, even reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is a pipe dream.

If even Taoist disciples cannot become immortals, then isn't the concept of "immortal" just a deception and a fraud?

Therefore, Taoism in the medieval period also began to reflect on its practices.

Since the traditional "non-action" cannot lead to enlightenment and immortality.

Then try cultivating immortality with the attitude of "seeking the Tao"?

The so-called "seeking the Dao" means first seeking what you need for cultivation from the "Dao," and then, after completing your current path of cultivation and becoming stronger, giving back to the Dao.

As for whether or not one can become an immortal, I don't know.

In any case, according to the Taoist cultivation system, you are not qualified to become an immortal unless you reach the final realm.

Since that's the case, why not cultivate to the highest peak first and see what the summit is like?

Thus, in the late Middle Ages, a large number of cultivators, believing that "human will can conquer nature," sought cultivation resources from nature everywhere to replenish themselves.

Alchemy also flourished during this period.

However, since everyone wants something, conflicts of interest can easily arise between them.

Thus, the concept of sects also came into clearer form during this period.

At that time, every sect claimed to be the orthodox Taoist sect.

The pursuit of the Tao has gradually been incorporated into the core doctrines of Taoism.

However, some discordant voices have emerged. A small group of people, though from a Taoist background, are more radical and, with the mindset that "everything is attainable," attempt to cultivate immortality.

Their thoughts and actions, because they constantly crossed moral boundaries, made them a heretical sect that everyone condemned at the time.

Even today, heretical practices have not completely disappeared.

Because heretical practices are no longer a marker of a group of people, but have transformed into a concept.

For example, the Mang religion.

Hengyue Sect then listed the Mang Sect as an evil cult and called on other sects to crack down on Mang Sect disciples.

However, strictly speaking, Mangjiao cannot be called a cult.

The real cults are known for their practice of making elixirs that can kill people.

The so-called "human pill" is a "cultivation pill" specially refined by evil cultivators in order to break through their cultivation level.

Traditional cultivation pills, such as Qi Condensation Pills, are pills made by alchemists using various medicinal herbs and unique techniques.

Its purpose is to assist cultivators in their cultivation. Although it is called a cultivation pill, it cannot directly increase cultivation level. Instead, cultivators need to take it and refine it to stimulate the spiritual energy in the pill. Then, they need to use their cultivation techniques to guide this spiritual energy to the various spiritual apertures and slowly generate magical power.

The advantage of cultivation pills is that they reduce the step of a cultivator breathing in spiritual energy.

Therefore, it became very popular and became a mainstream elixir.

Human pills, on the other hand, are not made from medicinal herbs at all—each human pill requires a living person with cultivation.

The evil cultivator would preemptively seal the cultivator's dantian and then burn it to the size of a "meatball" the size of a little fingernail.

Because of the special method used, although most of the living person's magic power will escape during the refining process, a considerable amount will always remain in the end.

In other words, the Human Pill is the true cultivation pill, containing not spiritual energy, but pure magical power.

However, not everyone can absorb Ren Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine).

There are countless evil cultivators who, after ingesting the Human Elixir, exploded and died because they could not suppress the external magical power.

However, the risks and rewards are proportional. Once the magical power within is successfully refined, the cultivator's cultivation level will rise accordingly, greatly saving cultivation time.

In addition, there is the unique nature of the cultivation environment of cults—if you don't consume human pills, your cultivation will be slower and you might become someone else's human pill.

Therefore, the elixir of immortality is widely spread in cults and has become a cultivation method exclusive to evil practitioners.

However, this method of cultivation naturally cannot be recognized by the orthodox cultivation world.

Ren Dan, Ren Dan, first Ren, then Dan.

Eating this thing is the same as eating a person, isn't it?
Li Xiangming felt disgusted, as if he had been fed a dead fly. He stared intently at Fairy Green Cloud, wanting to say something.

But at this moment, the magical power within the elixir had begun to run rampant.

He trembled all over and had no choice but to suppress his mind and constantly use his own magical power to suppress this unfamiliar magical power.

(End of this chapter)