I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

Zhiyuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I see that the methods practiced by my two junior brothers seem to have unique advantages in strengthening the body and stimulating the potential of qi and blood. Perhaps they can be of some help to me in consolidating my foundation, cultivating my vital energy, and opening up my energy channels."

Seeing Ning Chen and Sun Wukong looking blank, Senior Brother Zhiyuan suddenly remembered that the two had only joined Fangcun Mountain a few months ago and had not yet received the true cultivation method passed down by the patriarch, so they had no concept of cultivation realms.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious. He had cultivated diligently for seventy years, yet he was still not as advanced as this monkey in front of him.

Zhiyuan then explained to the two of them the division of cultivation realms.

The "refining essence into qi" and "refining qi into spirit" that he mentioned are the basic realm divisions for the early stages of cultivation in the Journey to the West world.

Refining essence into qi is the process of transforming one's own essence and qi into a purer form of qi, thereby strengthening the body and prolonging life.

Refining Qi into Spirit involves further nourishing Qi, attempting to ignite the spiritual light in the sea of ​​consciousness, and condensing the embryonic form of the primordial spirit, which is the foundation for becoming an immortal.

Further on, there are even more profound realms such as refining the spirit to return to emptiness, refining emptiness to merge with the Dao, and ascending to immortality.

Daoist Zhiyuan has been stuck at the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage for decades without making any progress.

"So, Senior Brother is thinking of..."

Ning Chen vaguely guessed his intention.

Daoist Zhiyuan nodded and took out a warm jade slip from his sleeve. The jade slip was shimmering with spiritual light, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary object.

He placed the jade slip on the table and said solemnly.

"I know that what you practice is the martial arts of the mortal world, which is not the same as the Daoist arts, but I am willing to exchange a practical minor technique that I have comprehended on my own, the 'Clear Water Technique,' for the cultivation method that tempers the body."

"Although this technique is not for offensive purposes, it can gather and purify water vapor, condense it into dew, and also disperse filth and cleanse the area in a small way. It is quite useful for daily cultivation, maintaining the cave, and even traveling in the wild. I wonder what you think, Junior Brother?"

Ning Chen looked at the jade slip and quickly weighed the options in his mind.

Although the Yi Jin Jing, the Ladder Cloud Leap, and the Ape Strike Technique that he practiced were excellent, they were ultimately just ordinary martial arts.

Although Zhiyuan's "Clear Water Technique" is only an auxiliary spell, its value on Blue Star is priceless.

Ning Chen can use the "Clear Water Technique" to exchange for more mortal martial arts from Luo Guangtou, and he can also give it to other travelers to repay the favors he owes them.

He's guaranteed to make a profit on this deal!

Although he was more than willing, Ning Chen still spoke with a sincere expression.

"Senior Brother Zhiyuan, what I practice are indeed martial arts techniques circulating in the mortal world, called the Yi Jin Jing, the Ladder Cloud Leap, and the Ape Strike Technique. These techniques focus on strengthening muscles and bones, improving blood and qi, and enhancing agility. They do not directly help with understanding the Dao or increasing magical power, and I'm afraid they will be helpful for you to break through your bottleneck..."

Daoist Zhiyuan waved his hand to interrupt Ning Chen, his tone firm.

"It's alright. There are three thousand great paths, and all of them can be understood by analogy. I have been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time and need to examine myself from different angles. Your cultivation method takes a different approach and focuses on the body and blood. Perhaps it can give me some inspiration. Even if it is useless, I am willing to give it a try. Junior brother, you don't need to refuse."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Ning Chen stopped being coy.

The other party's offer to exchange Taoist techniques for mortal cultivation methods shows great sincerity; if I were to refuse, it would seem rather cold-hearted.

He stood up and bowed respectfully.

"In that case, junior brother, it would be impolite of me to refuse. I will now tell you all the incantations, qi circulation methods, and key points of cultivation for several techniques!"

At that moment, Ning Chen gave a detailed retelling of the contents of the Yi Jin Jing, the Ladder Cloud Leap, and the Ape Strike Technique, and answered the questions raised by his senior brother Zhiyuan.

Senior Brother Zhiyuan listened very attentively, nodding slightly from time to time with a smile on his face, clearly having gained something from these techniques.

After listening to the three methods of practice, he clapped his hands and sighed.

"The other two techniques are fine, but the Yi Jin Jing is almost a Dao, and it has been quite helpful to me... Thank you, Junior Brother. I only used one Qing Shui Jue to exchange for three techniques; I've really gotten a great deal out of you!"

"In that case, Junior Brother, please wait here again tomorrow!"

After saying this, Daoist Zhiyuan handed the jade slip containing the "Clear Water Manual" to Ning Chen, and then took his leave, satisfied.

Judging from his hurried steps, he clearly wanted to get back as soon as possible to practice the Yi Jin Jing.

After seeing Zhiyuan off, Ning Chen held the jade slip in his hand and immersed his divine sense into it.

A mantra of several hundred words flowed into my heart.

The incantation is written in ancient and simple language, but its meaning is clear. It mainly describes how to sense and guide the water elemental energy between heaven and earth, gather and purify it, and perform various minor water-related spells.

With his current comprehension value of 574 points, and since this "Clear Water Manual" wasn't some profound Dao, Ning Chen quickly grasped it completely.

He silently circulated the pure energy within his body, which had been transformed from ten years of cultivation, according to the instructions, visualizing it with his mind and making corresponding hand gestures.

A moment later, a faint, almost imperceptible blue light appeared on Ning Chen's fingertips.

Moisture in the air was drawn towards his fingertips, slowly gathering there and condensing into a crystal-clear, transparent droplet that exuded a refreshing scent before his eyes.

"It worked on the first try!"

Ning Chen was slightly pleased. This "Clear Water Technique" was very easy to cultivate, almost without any difficulty.

He could sense that the condensed water droplets were exceptionally pure, containing a faint spiritual energy, far superior to ordinary rainwater or spring water.

It has good effects when used for brewing tea, watering spiritual plants, or even cleaning wounds.

If you accumulate a larger amount, it can be used to dispel filth and clean the environment, making it even more practical.

This is indeed a true Daoist art. Although its rank is not high and its power is limited, it is the real beginning of drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and utilizing the power of laws, and it is fundamentally different from mortal martial arts.

Ning Chen realized that he had truly come into contact with the magic system of the Journey to the West world, even if it was only the most basic spells.

Having joined Fangcun Mountain for just over two months, Ning Chen was quite satisfied that he was able to cultivate Taoist techniques.

Sun Wukong leaned closer, looking at the drop of water on Ning Chen's fingertip, and blinked his golden eyes curiously.

"Junior Brother Ning, you've already mastered it? It looks pretty fun, but it doesn't have much power."

Ning Chen wiped away the water droplets and smiled.

"It's just a trivial skill, I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself in front of you, senior brother, but it's a start nonetheless!"

The monkey sought the path to immortality and had little interest in unorthodox methods like the Clear Water Technique, which was not a path of killing. He didn't even bother to learn it this time, and went straight to bed to sleep soundly.

Ning Chen felt the spiritual energy fluctuations brought about by the water vapor condensed in the "Clear Water Technique" and carefully considered them in his mind.

Although this spell is genuine, it offers no real benefit in combat, protection, or improving cultivation; for him, it is indeed somewhat useless.

Rather than letting it sit idle in my hands, I'd rather make it play a greater role...

Ning Chen's mind raced, and he remembered the Journey to the West mutual aid group.

He summoned a pale blue light screen, entered the mutual help group, and compiled the contents of the "Clear Water Technique" into text, along with explanations.

[Ning Chen]:

Brothers, today I stumbled upon a method called the "Clear Water Technique," which can gather and purify water vapor and condense water to cleanse dust. It is a legitimate Taoist technique. At the inn where I am staying, there is a down-on-his-luck Taoist priest who owes several months' rent and was almost kicked out. I took pity on him and waived part of his rent. The only thing this Taoist priest had that was worth something was this jade slip, so I gave it to him as payment.

I've taken a look, and even if one could cultivate it to a high level, it wouldn't be of much use. I'm posting it here for everyone to see; perhaps someone could find it useful.

By the way, this thing might have some value with Teacher Luo. I'm thinking of using it to exchange for a high-level cultivation technique. What do you all think?

As soon as the message was sent, the group chat immediately became lively.