The several hundred sect rules might seem complex, but they essentially boil down to respecting one's teachers, valuing the Dao, and protecting mortals. The most important part of the novice's guide is a map of a desolate green mountain. However, the majority of this map indicates forbidden areas, with less than one-tenth of the places marked, which are the areas accessible to new disciples.
In the valley, there is a dining hall and a miscellaneous hall, responsible for all daily needs of the disciples. After a tiring day, Wei Yuan was quite hungry, his appetite large, for boys of his age were often insatiable. However, driven by curiosity, Wei Yuan picked up the bottle of Drinking Qi Pills.
Upon opening the elixir bottle, a faint sweet fragrance immediately filled the air. Wei Yuan poured out a cream-yellow elixir pill the size of a fingertip, with a faint cyan line around its waist. According to the sect's guidelines, consuming one Drinking Qi Pill would negate the need to eat for three days, as one would only need to drink clean water. Furthermore, the pill didn't only serve to stave off hunger; it also improved bodily functions, somewhat reminiscent of the effects of the Luck Technique, albeit less potent.
Wei Yuan tilted his head back to swallow the Drinking Qi Pill. Moments later, a warm sensation rose in his stomach, the feeling of hunger vanished, and his mind became much clearer, invigorated with a sense of lightning-fast thoughts.
As evening approached, Zhang Sheng hurried over and the master and apprentice began their evening lesson.
For the past three years, they had a one-hour evening session after dinner every day, where Zhang Sheng would resolve Wei Yuan's questions and doubts. Today, however, was different—it was Wei Yuan's first official lesson in cultivation.
The master and apprentice settled down in the cultivation room. Zhang Sheng lit a stick of incense, and the faint aroma quickly spread out; Wei Yuan felt as if his mental operations had accelerated, as refreshed as if he had just had a good sleep, his mind exceptionally sharp and agile.
Zhang Sheng said, "People think immortals live an enviable life, but they do not know how arduous the Immortal Path is, how many fall by the wayside. Today, I will talk to you about matters concerning the Immortal.
"Since ancient times, there has never been just one Immortal Path. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, subsequent generations have constantly innovated, resulting in a multitude of paths. Just our Dao Palace alone has six Paths to Immortality and three thousand Various Marvels Sect. The number of paths in Confucianism and Buddhism is slightly fewer but still not insignificant. The methods of the Mixed School are even more numerous, too many to count."
"On the Path to Immortality, the great realms can be divided into Body Refining, Dao Foundation, Dharma Image, Unity, and Imperial. The Dao Foundation is also known as the beginning of ascension to immortality, while Unity is the gateway to true immortality. This is true for all schools and sects. Our Dao Palace believes that the body is a vessel to cross the sea. To cultivate a Dao Foundation, one must first refine the mortal flesh into a Dao sprout, the Immortal Embryo—this is Body Refining. Within Body Refining, there are several small realms, each sect divides them differently, but ultimately, they are flesh, blood, bone, and spirit."
"Once Body Refining is greatly achieved, it will naturally resonate with heaven and earth, integrating the Immortal Embryo with the cosmos to forge the Dao Foundation. This is the first cornerstone laid on the Path to Immortality, the true beginning of cultivation, hence known as the beginning of ascension. Each person's cultivation method and luck are different, and so the Immortal Embryo is unique. Moreover, the timing, momentum, and earthly veins during the formation of the Dao Foundation also vary, resulting in a myriad of unique Dao Foundations. Every individual is distinct, and even fellow sect members can develop completely different Dao Foundations if the time of their respective formations differ by just a few months."
"Speaking of Dao Foundations, one cannot help but elaborate. There are perhaps close to a thousand distinct categories of Dao Foundations with formal records, if not eight hundred, and even within the same category, there are subtle distinctions. For example, if the Dao Foundation is an ancient bell, it makes a difference whether it is purple or red, whether it belongs to metal or fire. Whether the bell is decorated with bird and insect patterns or mountain and river patterns also affects its power. Since methods have their superior and inferior, Dao Foundations also have their strong and weak points. Therefore, over the centuries, predecessors have categorized the common Dao Foundations into the three ranks of Heaven, Earth, and Man."
"Human Rank Dao Foundations are the most common and numerous. For instance, among object types, ordinary objects such as tables, chairs, planks, bowls, pans, etc. Then there's the most basic Five Elements Qi among the Five Elements, and ordinary birds and beasts among living creatures. Human Rank Dao Foundations may not be strong, but because they are of various types, some rare Dao Foundations can be uniquely useful in certain circumstances, so they cannot simply be deemed weak. However, a major reason common Dao Foundations are categorized under Human Rank is that the hope of achieving Dharma Image is slim."
"Earth Rank Dao Foundations are much rarer, classified as such either because there is a significant increase in the chance of achieving Dharma Image or because they have special functions. For instance, various weapons among object types are generally Earth Rank. These types of Dao Foundations may not have a high likelihood of achieving Dharma Image, but they usually possess exceptional combat strength, thus are also classified as Earth Rank. For example, in the case of Five Elements Dao Foundations, if the primal Five Elements Qi transforms into the spiritual beasts of their respective elements, that is considered Earth Rank. Yin Yang Dao Foundations are exceedingly rare, and possess great power once cultivated, so even the initial Yin Yang Qi is Earth Rank."
"Above Earth Rank is Heaven Rank. Heavenly Rank Dao Foundations are exceedingly rare, and each individual who possesses one is a potential Master Dharma Image. Any sect would value them tremendously. Objects such as Sacred Instruments and Sacrificial Ritual Tools, which are related to the great fortune of the Human Clan, can only be obtained by those blessed with luck. There are also the Divine Beasts of the Five Elements, the Abnormal Phenomena of Yin and Yang, and the various deities and demons from the Mixed School, among others."
Zhang Sheng said all this in one breath and then paused briefly to let Wei Yuan absorb the information.
At that moment, Wei Yuan's ability to remember was such that he would never forget what he saw. Books that would take children in the mortal world months to memorize, he could recall firmly after just one reading. Zhang Sheng had spoken at length, and Wei Yuan had committed it all to memory. Half of this was due to Wei Yuan's own intelligence, and the other half was thanks to the combined effects of the Drinking Qi Pill, the small courtyard, and the Formation at the Mountain Gate.
Wei Yuan replayed Zhang Sheng's recent words in his mind and then asked curiously, "Master, what kind of Dao Foundation do you have?"
Zhang Sheng replied with a smile, "When I was initiated into the sect, I received favor from our ancestor, who bestowed upon me two streaks of Sword Qi. During my Body Refining, I had an epiphany, so the Dao Foundation I cultivated is that of three Immortal Swords. Under normal circumstances, one Immortal Sword can reach Heaven Rank. My Dao Foundation is somewhat different from the norm, so it is not classified within the grades."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan understood that above the Heaven Rank there was Superior, and Zhang Sheng was Superior rank. His master's modesty was, as always, unwavering.
Having discussed the Dao Foundation, and since the subsequent realms were still far off for Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng did not continue on the topic and began the formal teaching of the cultivation method.
The cultivation method Zhang Sheng imparted was naturally the Dao tradition of Xuan Yue True Monarch from Sky Blue Hall. However, Xuan Yue True Monarch was also the Hall Master of both Sky Blue Hall and Water Moon Palace, and had essentially cultivated both Dao traditions. He primarily followed the "Qianqing Zhengfa Time Control Scripture" from Sky Blue Hall, supplemented by the "Moonlight Thousand Forms Lunar Chapter" from Water Moon Palace.
There are many Body Refining Techniques at the Body Refining Realm in the cultivation world. Many smaller sects have just one technique that can barely cultivate a Dao Foundation, enabling them to establish a sect. Whereas Loose Cultivators wandering Jianghu mostly fail to even cultivate a Dao Foundation.
Taichu Palace has a multitude of paths for cultivation, with an incredibly vast array of Body Refining Techniques, as numerous as the stars. However, through generations of revisions and refinement by the predecessors of Taichu Palace, eliminating the superfluous and keeping the essence, six General Cultivation Methods have been developed for disciples with different roots and luck. These six General Cultivation Methods in their own right have long surpassed the ancient methods of each hall. Hence, now everyone in every hall completes Body Refining with the General Cultivation Method and only returns to their own hall's Dao tradition when about to forge their Dao Foundation.
The halls of Taichu Palace aren't just names—they have been adjusted to become environments most conducive to cultivating their specific paths. For example, the success rate of condensing a Dharma Image while cultivating Qianqing Zhengfa Time Control Scripture in Sky Blue Hall can increase by a whole twenty percent.
Even within the same Qianqing Zhengfa, Zhang Sheng's master, Master Fen Hai, took the path of the Five Elements, cultivating the Dharma Image Heavenly Fire Boiling Sea, a rare Abnormal Phenomenon where water and fire complement each other. The benefit of this is his extraordinary combat power—Master Fen Hai often resorts to 'reasoning' with others, relying on his mastery of the boiling sea technique. The downside, however, is that it's difficult to control the power, and it's easy to accidentally overdo it. Many of the grievances Master Fen Hai has accumulated are a result of this.
There are differences among the six General Body Refining Techniques, and their effects vary. Zhang Sheng had been contemplating for a long time which one to choose for Wei Yuan's Body Refining. Initially, considering Wei Yuan's stable and concentrated temperament, he thought to choose the "Earth Element Scripture," which requires a solid foundation and the most meticulous effort. Yet, just as he was about to pass on the teaching, Zhang Sheng had a sudden change of heart, remembering the circumstances of Wei Yuan's birth. His heart trembled, and he decided to instead impart the "Jade Toad Moon Gazing Diagram."
Of the six General Cultivation Methods, the "Jade Toad Moon Gazing Diagram" is most closely tied to luck, capable of absorbing some luck to complete the foundation. However, as luck is unpredictable, the outcomes can be good or bad, making cultivation far less stable than with the "Earth Element Scripture." Usually, disciples who mainly cultivate the "Jade Toad Moon Gazing Diagram" are those blessed with favorable positive luck, like Li Zhi. However, Wei Yuan's luck is otherworldly, and even Zhang Sheng couldn't determine if it was good or bad, making the choice of this method somewhat risky.