Old Chen shook his head and said, "I'm just suspicious. I haven't reached the level of a Bodhisattva to point out their mistakes. That's quite difficult." He had deeply studied the Old Technique, and after sorting through some historical connections, he discovered certain issues. However, to pinpoint errors made by the immortals would be asking too much of Old Chen.

Still, having suspicions and identifying possible misdirections was enough to show Old Chen's diligence, especially considering the differences between then and now. The ancients were limited by their historical context.

Today is an era of information explosion, with cutting-edge technology emerging continuously. With such drastic changes, and given that Old Chen stood at the forefront of the Old Technique field, his perspective truly transcended traditional boundaries.

Wang Xuan urged him to speak about any problematic areas he found; this was crucial for him, as he would inevitably encounter traps laid by the ancients. Regardless of whether those ancients were alive or dead, their traps and schemes continued to have effects, requiring vigilant precautions.

"During the pre-Qin period, the root techniques were paramount, dazzling in their brilliance and influencing those who walked the path of the Old Technique even to this day," Old Chen explained, methodically clarifying the connections.

These root techniques involved gathering qi, meditation, and inner nourishment, holding immense and irreplaceable value for enhancing physical constitution and strengthening spirit.

Practitioners utilized these root techniques to enter the Inner Landscape, which directly led to a qualitative change in the Old Technique, crossing significant barriers and achieving true transcendence.

"The practitioners' other major accomplishment was alchemy, primarily focused on refining minerals in cauldrons, extracting essence to seek the ultimate elixir for immortality. During that time, records of the minerals used in alchemy were scarce, but they were undoubtedly rare treasures and divine materials."

Wang Xuan was surprised, thinking practitioners primarily concocted pills.

Old Chen clarified, "In the early days, they indeed refined secret minerals, melting down celestial materials that had fallen from the heavens, rather than focusing on herbs." It was only after the discovery of the Inner Landscape and the secret paths of heavenly medicine that practitioners began to consider refining those rare and wondrous herbs.

These heavenly medicines were not the same as those known in the current world. Old Chen previously mentioned a record stating that one must look closely in the bustling crowds and amidst the evening glow of the horizon to find such rare herbs.

It could be said that the discovery of the Inner Landscape and heavenly medicine by practitioners led to a qualitative leap in the Old Technique, propelling it to unprecedented heights.

During that period, which supreme practitioner didn't possess divine beasts or sacred birds? They would often set out in carriages pulled by mythical creatures or travel the East Sea riding on the backs of immortal phoenixes to visit friends.

When later generations reviewed this part of the history of the Old Technique, they could only sigh in amazement, finding it difficult to replicate that extraordinary spectacle. The divine beasts and celestial creatures of this world had mostly been captured or slain by those supreme practitioners.

"At that time, many top practitioners began to ascend to immortality, enduring thunderous tribulations. There was indeed a significant number, but as these individuals ascended, the brilliance of the practitioners dimmed swiftly, marking a sudden end."

Old Chen lamented that the pinnacle of the practitioners had just passed, only to fade directly into obscurity, prompting various doubts and associations.

"Considering what has happened to you and what I have experienced, I believe the Inner Landscape is profoundly deep, shrouded in mystery and somewhat terrifying. Moreover, heavenly medicines are exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain. The two secret paths have gradually been blocked; this is the fundamental reason for the decline of practitioners."

Old Chen expressed his suspicions, stating, "Later, the Qin Emperor sent the practitioner Xu Shu to seek out the elixir of immortality, but he could only venture into the sea to avoid disaster. He likely knew that finding it during this period was impossible."

The Qin Emperor sought immortality, but by that stage, success was no longer attainable.

"I suspect that some prominent figures among the practitioners faced problems, leading to their decline. Even those who ascended may have eventually realized something," Old Chen said seriously. Unfortunately, his realm was far too distant from those individuals; even after reading all ancient texts, he could only speculate without finding solid evidence.

Wang Xuan frowned, feeling that many events had transpired along the path of the Old Technique, creating a foggy atmosphere that necessitated continuous strengthening to approach and explore.

Old Chen continued, "By the time the practitioners began to fade, they started incorporating earthly herbs into their alchemical processes, mixing them with minerals. It was during this time that Daoism took over; they removed the special metals and stones from their recipes and began adding substantial amounts of herbs."

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According to Old Chen's understanding, with the changes of the times, later generations discovered certain issues and began to expand into other fields.

"Early Daoism emphasized the practice of heart and mind stillness, focusing on spiritual energy accumulation. Daoist texts suggest that the Great Way is utmost emptiness and tranquility, hoping to align the heart with the Great Way through this practice."

As he spoke, he sighed, "However, these paths were too lofty, demanding too much of one's character and spirit. Many people simply couldn't begin to walk this path. Just think about who proposed such a lofty approach: Laozi and Zhuangzi! The ‘Dao De Jing' mentions ‘reaching the utmost emptiness, holding fast to quietude,' while the ‘Zhuangzi: Human World' clearly explains the secret of ‘only the Dao gathers emptiness; emptiness is the stillness of the heart.' It's lamentable that ordinary people find it so difficult to follow this path."

Wang Xuan was taken aback; he wondered how credible his old colleague's claims were. He quickly checked his phone and found that indeed, early Daoist practices emphasized heart stillness and breath control, which later evolved into more guided techniques.

Sure enough, Old Chen went on to mention breath control: "The practice of heart stillness was set quite high, needing a specific path to be effective, hence the concept of breath control emerged, which refers to deep internal breathing techniques leading to mastery."

The Zhuangzi—Great Master once stated: "When they sleep, they do not dream; when they awaken, they have no worries; their food is not relished; their breath is deep. The breath of the true person is subtle, while the breath of the masses is coarse."

Later, Daoism underwent various enhancements, leading to more concrete practices like guidance and breath control. Without these, following the lofty paths of Laozi and Zhuangzi would be daunting; their texts set such high standards that most people would be unable to begin.

During this stage, Daoism advanced alchemical practices to new heights, using various secret methods to refine elixirs. Consuming these could transform one's yin essence into yang, illustrating the concept of pure yang in Daoism.

"The most significant discovery in this period was the finding of another secret path, comparable to the Inner Landscape and heavenly medicines, called ‘Seeking the Path'!" Seeking the Path is said to involve finding a real route that exists but is invisible to ordinary people.

If one could successfully find this path, its effects would rival those of entering the Inner Landscape or harvesting heavenly medicines. However, the passage of time has obscured these traces, and now no one can find it.

Wang Xuan was stunned; according to Old Chen, the Old Technique path is continually evolving, and even the brilliant root techniques might not be applicable anymore.

"The root techniques remain relevant; they are foundational and thus always brilliant. However, the latter parts of the pre-Qin bamboo slips can be used for reference but not delved into deeply. I suspect they were effective in pre-Qin times, but later problems arose."

Old Chen then discussed later Daoist methods, noting, "Early Daoist alchemy involved external substances, refining external elixirs. As Daoism grew and thrived, the methods of cultivation shifted, leading to the rise of internal alchemy."

"The internal breath and renewing breath are direct descriptions of internal alchemy," he explained. The term "internal" refers to the body, while "alchemy" signifies the combination of essence, qi, and spirit.

"In a sense, the Old Technique path experienced another transformation; internal alchemy evolved into golden elixirs, which can lead to the creation of the primordial infant," Old Chen reflected, citing prominent figures like Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Chen Tuan.

"Zhongli Quan studied the ‘Can Tong Qi' and combined it with Sima Chengzhen's ‘Zuo Wang Lun' to develop internal alchemy. His research is recorded in ‘Lingbao Bifa' and ‘Zhong Lü Chuan Dao Ji.'"

Old Chen spoke with great authority, capturing the rapt attention of both Wang Xuan and Qingmu.

"To reach new peaks and shine brightly, Lü Dongbin contributed significantly, leaving behind the ‘Lü Gong Golden Elixir Secret,' which advanced internal alchemy into the path of golden elixirs."

Wang Xuan began to understand why Old Chen had been hesitant to discuss realms; the Old Technique path is indeed complex, with multiple expansions and transformations, making it hard to clearly delineate different periods.

"Additionally, beyond the practice of golden elixirs, Daoism developed techniques such as talismans, which are diverse and possess immense power. The three main mountains symbolize this: Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, and Gezao Mountain."

"In the later stages of Daoism, another secret path was discovered, though its details are vague and poorly documented," Old Chen lamented.

"Isn't sword cultivation a later development after the golden elixir path?" Wang Xuan inquired.

"Yes," Old Chen nodded.

Wang Xuan pondered; if so, he could roughly estimate the age of the female sword immortal, recognizing she was likely a later addition, not one of the early legends.

Old Chen added, "I believe there are issues with the later paths as well; otherwise, they wouldn't have gradually faded and disappeared in modern times."

He then touched upon Buddhism, expressing some concern, "Most old monks abandon their physical bodies, which troubles me somewhat."

He felt it was somewhat taboo for those practicing the Old Technique; the notion of transforming into a rainbow and burning away the "stinking flesh" left him unsettled.

As for the so-called "flesh-bodied Bodhisattvas" in Buddhism, they merely left behind lifeless shells for future generations to venerate, lacking any transcendent qualities. Some remain stored in modern governmental archives.

"I'm sharing just the main outlines of the Old Technique and not touching on various schools, such as the powerful Red-Clad Female Immortal who likely coexisted with practitioners, probably unafraid of them and possibly having hunted down even the most elite ascended ones."

Old Chen concluded, "Thus, the most glorious era of the Old Technique has yet to arrive, waiting for people like you and me to rise!"

Seeing his serious demeanor, Qingmu thought his master might face some harsh consequences. If any of those ancients were still alive, wouldn't they target him instead?

Before he could finish his thoughts, Master Wang solemnly nodded and proclaimed, "It makes sense; there was the Old Testament in ancient times, and I'll establish the New Testament in the future."

Boom!

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, startling Old Chen, who quickly corrected himself, "Old Wang, do you understand the importance of respecting the ancients?"

Wang Xuan glanced outside; the clouds covered the stars and moon, and it had suddenly turned overcast with rain starting to fall. He didn't believe in such superstitions.

Old Chen soon realized it was just a change in weather and fell silent.

Wang Xuan asked, "Alright, Old Chen, could you summarize the levels of realms that apply to both ancient and modern times? How should they be classified?"

"The first level is Mist, the second level is Lighting the Lamp…" Old Chen began detailing the levels, explaining that these corresponded universally from the pre-Qin era to now, and should pose no problems or risks.