"From Shrimp Whisker Grass to Fish Dragon Grass, and then to Fish-Dragon, the process is incredibly lengthy, dependent on the right timing and favorable conditions. It could take decades, even centuries, and span across thousands of miles, yet it might still be impossible to find a single instance. The Yi Wood Spiritual Energy Soup that the Sect's Mountain Gate handed over to the White Sun Mansion was an attempt to forcibly catalyze this process, to artificially create Fish Dragon Grass. However, this method lacks the Innate Primordial Qi, and the Fish Dragon Grass produced in this way loses its Aura resonance with its kind, and can never transform into a Fish-Dragon. Similarly, if the process of Fish Dragon Grass transforming into a Fish-Dragon is disturbed, even if a Fish-Dragon is eventually obtained, it will be inherently deficient and will struggle to continue growing."
"It's a pity that these Fish Dragon Grass were picked too early by the Junior. If we had allowed those dozen or so Fish Dragon Grass to grow for several hundred years, letting their Aura resonate naturally, they would naturally gather Qi and give birth to a Fish-Dragon. Only then would the Fish-Dragon be considered a true top-grade product. Even if no one announced the news, just offering it to the Sect would earn at least 2,500 merits... Of course, that's easier said than done."
At this point, the Old Daoist's meaning was clear. He looked at Jin Huan and said, "This is the principle of transformation in the Fish-Dragon Lineage, Master Jin, what do you think?"
There was a long silence inside and outside the pavilion. Everyone seemed to be frozen in place, only the slender Fish-Dragon was carefree, swimming in the void, occasionally flicking its tail, passing in front of Jin Huan, adding an unspeakable irony.
For Jin Huan, this was the most direct humiliation. As the supreme leader of the White Sun Mansion, he had never suffered such an insult. At this moment, the two juniors outside the pavilion thought that Jin Huan was about to explode in anger, and even a direct break with the Old Daoist was not impossible.
But the reality was not that simple. After a long silence, Jin Huan finally spoke: "Brother Yu is right... I oversimplified the matter."
Lu Yang was still calm, but the two young men were dumbfounded. When had they ever seen the usually decisive Master Jin admit his mistake?
Yet, Yu Ci wasn't surprised at all. In fact, anyone who had witnessed the Divine Power displayed by the Old Taoist Priest the night before would be similarly prepared, let alone the fact that the Old Daoist had the unfathomable Lichen Sect backing him.
However, while Jin Huan couldn't throw a tantrum in front of the Old Daoist, he certainly wouldn't forget about Yu Ci. The glance he shot at Yu Ci afterwards made it clear that once they left the Still Heart Temple, Master Jin would definitely make life difficult for him.
From this moment on, for the White Sun Mansion, Yu Ci had risen from being a "prey" to an "enemy."
This was indeed a remarkable promotion!
Yu Ci just smiled and remained seated. Jin Huan, however, stood up and bid farewell to the Old Daoist: "Brother Yu, now that today's matter is settled, I won't disturb you any further. I'll take my leave. As for these two youngsters..."
"Let's stick to the rules."
The statement was cold and detached, yet more reliable than any promise. Jin Huan nodded, stepping out of the pavilion. The Old Daoist signaled for the Taoist who had led the way earlier, guiding Jin Chuan and Kuang Yan Qi to the guest rooms for rest. The turmoil previously stirred up by Yu Ci was thus raised high and gently set down.
The elders took it well, but the young ones found it hard to swallow, especially Jin Chuan. In his eyes, his great uncle's concession was a disgrace. The Old Daoist was one thing, but what did Yu Ci, who remained comfortably in his fishing pavilion, count for?
As the young ones were led away by the Taoist, they kept looking back, burning the detestable Taoist's face into their memories.
Watching the group leave the garden, Yu Ci breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, he heard the Old Daoist sigh again, just like before.
"For a hundred years, he ruled over the land, with a single word deciding the life and death of millions. Such a person... it's a pity that he doesn't even have the spirit of his youth... What a waste!"
What would he have been like in his spirited days? Yu Ci never asked the question, and the Old Daoist only sighed, his gaze returning to Yu Ci. "Junior, you've earned three hundred merits. What do you wish to exchange them for?"
Yu Ci thought for a moment but didn't respond directly. Instead, he asked another question: "What are the merits and information Taoist Yu mentioned earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Old Daoist Yu Zhou laughed. "You mean Merit Points... Junior, you are indeed clever. Very well, follow me."
With that, the Old Daoist led the way out of the garden, and Yu Ci, collecting the Fish-Dragon from the pavilion, followed behind.
The journey from the west courtyard to the central one didn't take long. Yu Ci followed the Old Daoist through halls and doors until they arrived at a small temple in the third section of the central hall. The flow of people here was noticeably more than elsewhere, bustling with activity. Yu Ci looked up at the plaque above the temple:
"One Mind Hall?"
The Old Daoist led him into the hall. The interior was oddly decorated, with no deities enshrined. Instead, there was a long scroll hanging in the center with the words "Boundless Merit." The walls on either side were white, covered with densely packed characters and drawings.
Upon closer inspection, these were not painted but were constantly shifting streams of light projected onto the walls, each character glowing brightly. Carefully distinguishing, the walls were divided into four columns. The first column on the left had the character "Recruit," the second "Distribute," the first on the right "Method," and the second "Material."
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Standing under the "Boundless Merit" scroll, the Old Daoist explained in a deep voice:
"The Path of Immortality is vast and difficult for lone travelers. We, as seekers of the Great Dao, face the trials of the heavens and earth. Few can truly succeed. Apart from self-cultivation and firm resolve, one must also gather all resources to increase the odds of victory. Wealth, companions, methods, and land are all part of this. However, the world is vast. In one's lifetime, it's hard to gather enough resources with individual strength. Therefore, the Sect established the One Mind Hall. It's designed for resource allocation among the Sect's cultivators, and even outside the Sect. It takes from those with surplus to aid those in need, pooling the strength of the entire Sect to ascend the Great Dao.
"To facilitate comparison and trade of different types of resources, the Sect quantifies all resources, using 'Merit Points' as the unit. Whether it's an object, a set of methods, or a piece of information, all can be converted into a certain number of Merit Points and displayed within the One Mind Hall for all Sect disciples to see."
"These two sides, each with four columns, are quite different. The 'Merit Points' notices issued by the Sect for resource gathering and disciple training are listed in the 'Quest Column' on the left. The rewards for completing these are high, but so is the difficulty. The 'Merit Points' notices issued by individuals within the Sect are listed on the 'Bulletin Board', with varying rewards and difficulties. As for the two columns on the right, the 'Object Column' lists the exchange rates between various cultivation materials and 'Merit Points', while the 'Method Column' lists the prices of various cultivation methods."
Yu Ci listened and observed, quickly grasping the workings of it all. He couldn't help but marvel at the strong mercantile spirit in this cultivation Sect, which seemed so detached from the mundane world. He turned around to see the Old Daoist gesturing for him to take a closer look.
In that case, Yu Ci wasn't shy. He first walked around the four columns, getting a general understanding of them, before settling down under the 'Method Column', according to his needs.
During his time in Sky Rift Valley, he gained many insights from Ye Tu, who had a solid theoretical foundation. This included the impressive "Concentric Circle Theory". Besides that, the young man reminded him to seize the opportunity to find a superior "Longevity Method", which was the orthodox path of cultivation.
Ye Tu's whimsical idea of having him join the Half-Mountain Island never came to fruition, but Yu Ci remembered the young man's advice. Especially half a month ago, when he accidentally converted all his Primordial Qi through the Divine Bronze Mirror, he realized that Ye Tu's advice was indeed the most pertinent.
He was indeed lacking a real "Longevity Method". Not to mention the elusive "Refining Method", even the "impurities" in the newly born True Qi every day showed that the "Nine Houses & Moon Method" he had practiced for over a decade was no longer suitable for his current situation.
Therefore, Yu Ci first stood under the 'Method Column'.
The first three rows of this column were all in golden characters, neatly arranged and very clear. The ink characters below changed with the flow of light, occasionally flipping, but the top three rows never moved. The first row listed the name of a method:
"Nine Degrees Scripture of the Heavenly Mansion’s Profound Mysteries"
Just reading the name of this scripture gave Yu Ci a jolt of excitement. He then looked at the required Merit Points for exchange, but what he saw were not numbers, but two big characters: Infinite!
Below the "Nine Degrees Scripture of the Heavenly Mansion’s Profound Mysteries" was the "Nine Degrees Real Text Refining Form", also suffixed with the word "Infinite". The third one was better, the method named "Feather Concealment Ascension Method" was no longer the despairing "Infinite", but a solid number: One Hundred Thousand!
Further down, the characters turned into ordinary ink color, and the first one was still a big one, the "Great Clear Elixir Formula", priced at ten thousand, which was still an unreachable number for Yu Ci. Below were various Elixir Formulas, with prices always around ten thousand or eight thousand, considered the first tier in the ink-colored entries.
Looking at these numbers, and thinking about the still unattained three hundred Merit Points, Yu Ci didn't know what his expression was like, but he guessed it couldn't be too good.
"So, Junior is quite interested in these methods, do you also aspire for immortality?"
At some point, Old Daoist Yu Zhou stood behind him. Yu Ci was not in a good mood and simply responded, "Yes."
"Great spirit!" The Old Daoist praised, but then he continued in a calm tone: "If you seek longevity methods, these three hundred merits are far from enough."
Yu Ci grimaced, but he still had a question: "Are all these golden ink entries longevity methods?"
The Old Daoist responded, "These are the profound methods that our sect relies on to stand in the world: 'The Heavenly Mansion's Mysterious Subtlety and True Nine Degrees Sutra' is the general outline of our sect's cultivation, 'The Nine Degrees True Text Refining Form Chapter' is the secret method for crossing the catastrophe, 'The Flying Feather Concealing Form Ascending Heaven Method' is the art of Vacuum Walking. When these three are combined, supplemented by the Elixir Formula and other methods from the lower square, they are the complete set of longevity methods you seek. If you cultivate according to this, you will have the chance to break free from the shackles of the mortal body and seek immortality."
"Secret method for crossing the catastrophe? Art of Vacuum Walking? Elixir Formula?"
Yu Ci seemed to have heard Ye Tu mention these before, but he couldn't remember clearly for a moment, so the Old Daoist explained to him:
"The Elixir Formula refers to the method of returning the elixir; the art of Vacuum Walking allows the cultivator to fly across the nine heavenly realms and transform; the secret method for crossing the catastrophe enables the authentic cultivator who has already attained the Dao to pass the jealousy of heaven and seek immortality in the world. The Elixir Formula, the art of Vacuum Walking, and the secret method for crossing the catastrophe, these three are indispensable, and only when the three are combined can they form a complete structure of a longevity method.
"Meanwhile, there's a requirement for 'consistency'. That is, the art of Vacuum Walking must correspond to the formed elixir, and the secret method for crossing the catastrophe must also adapt to the divine power of Taoism Immortal after attaining the Dao. Just like the relics in Buddhism, which are equivalent to the Golden Elixir Cultivator, but it is difficult to coordinate with the art of Vacuum Walking of the Daoist sect. This means that the Elixir Formula, the art of Vacuum Walking, and the secret method for crossing the catastrophe must progress layer by layer, harmoniously as one, which is the great way of cultivation..."
The Old Daoist explained it very clearly, but Yu Ci's face turned dark as he listened. According to him, to obtain a real "longevity method", one must acquire the Elixir Formula, the art of Vacuum Walking, and the secret method for crossing the catastrophe. Let alone the Elixir Formula and the art of Vacuum Walking, just looking at the price of the secret method for crossing the catastrophe, you can tell that this kind of thing is purely a gimmick and will never be open to a lone cultivator like him.
Is it so difficult to acquire a longevity method?
The Old Daoist stood aside and said leisurely, "Do you know the difficulty of immortality?"
**************
Master Jin could bear it, but I couldn't. I opened my mouth and shouted for clicks and collections!
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e