238: Chapter 237: Conditions of the Upper Realm 238: Chapter 237: Conditions of the Upper Realm The Xie Family fell into utter chaos.
The big tree had stood tall but then toppled, setting a record for the shortest establishment of a Jiang City family.
Innumerable cultivators investigated the scene yet failed to uncover any valuable clues; it was a death by sword, but weren’t there millions who wielded swords in the Cultivation World?
Such vendettas were absolutely forbidden on Anhe Daoist Sect’s territory, but ever since the southwest convened to discuss the Dao, some long-standing rules had begun to slowly relax, cohesion was lost, and the Daoist Sect became difficult to lead.
The focus of investigation ultimately zeroed in on internal strife within the upper echelons of the Anhe Daoist Sect because more than one servant heard the words “Chong Ling” very clearly, the implication of which was self-evident—an independent faction sending an assassin for retribution.
Xiaosong was not the mastermind in the Chong Ling incident; at best, he was an accomplice.
Now that he was dead, what about those true puppeteers behind the scenes?
Would the assassinations continue?
The investigation was lackluster from start to finish and could hardly proceed because there were constantly two factions at each other’s throats.
Some wanted to unearth the truth, so naturally, there were others who set obstructions, obscured the facts, and tripped others up.
The result was increasing chaos, with suspects spread throughout the entire Anhe Daoist Sect, forcing the higher-ups to halt the investigation, calm the situation, and downplay the incident.
…Hou Niao returned, having made a fortune.
The resources a Bridge Connection Realm cultivator needed to advance to the Upper Realm were no small sum; of course, he dared not sell those artifact treasures, but the Spirit Stones alone numbered over a thousand—a non-issue for well-off Anhe Daoists but a big deal for Hou Niao, who was used to living in hardship.
With his temperament, this was precisely the way to acquire Spirit Stones swiftly.
First, eliminate the lesser threats and reclaim some interest on his investment; then, once his Realm improved, target bigger challenges while concurrently unsettling these people, causing them unrest and insecurity.
In the evening at the inn, three friends had a small drink and chatted.
Hou Niao had no qualms about asking questions, as these two were among the few true friends he had, and there was no shame in it.
“Fellow senior brothers, regarding the preparations for the resources needed before advancing to Tongxuan, what have you both prepared?”
This junior brother Hou was an oddball, somehow stumbling his way to the threshold of the Heavenly Gate; you’d call him foolish, yet he could out-fight anyone; call him smart, but he often only half-understood some of the most basic elements of cultivation knowledge.
“Junior brother, I would’ve discussed it with you sooner or later; don’t spend all day and night honing your sword.
Honing that thing can produce Sword Consciousness, but it won’t raise your Realm.
Sword Consciousness is a Skill, Realm is a Law; do you still not understand which is more important?
Prioritize your Realm, live a hundred and eighty years longer, then you have a future.
Otherwise, even if you develop Sword Consciousness, if your Dantian can’t nourish a Flying Sword, what use is your Sword Consciousness?”
Rao Zongzhi, having spent some time with this junior brother, came to understand him a bit.
Put bluntly, there wasn’t much difference between him and a Loose Cultivator—he hadn’t undergone a systematic cultivation, nor had he the guidance of a mentor.
This was all due to his unique experiences, which always courted trouble, consciously or unconsciously excluding him from the system, to the extent that he never even had the chance to join in Jin City for systematic training.
But life is curious in its workings; if he had indeed been educated systematically, he may not have developed such astonishing swordsmanship or innate battle intuition.
Can one have the best of both worlds?
It’s hard to say for sure.
“Junior brother Hou, you are well aware of the state of your own Dantian Purple Mansion, and it’s not our place to interfere, but let me give you a rough idea of what I’ve prepared, and then you can find your own path accordingly.
That might be more suitable?”
After some thought, he decided to keep it vague; he didn’t want to mislead by sharing his own preparations.
Once a cultivator reached the Bridge Connection Realm, they had to start gearing up for the most important hurdle of their life—the first Realm of Tongtian’s three Realms, Tongxuan.
This was a major milestone, marking the distinction between cultivation and the mundane, flight and crawl, mana and spiritual power, as well as longevity and short life.
Ever since Hou Niao had advanced through the Bridge Connection, he hadn’t systematically come into contact with these matters, having been dispatched to the Southwest to engage in Daoist debates upon his return until now; moreover, many aspects of readiness for this realm were not mentioned in the cultivation techniques, not because the techniques were incomplete, but because there were too many choices available, entirely dependent on the individual situation of the cultivator, without any definitive consensus.
Therefore, truly good cultivation techniques would not spell out these aspects, aiming instead to let cultivators explore on their own so that they could align as closely as possible with their own circumstances.
“If one wishes to reach Tongxuan, there are three aspects to prepare for, and within these three aspects, there are countless subdivisions, involving each cultivator’s unique talents, Daoist lineage, the condition of their Purple Mansion, their fortuitous encounters, and their family wealth, all making their selections.
There is no uniform method for advancing to a higher realm.”
Hou Niao nodded with a wry smile, “I’ll listen to the poor man’s version.”
Rao Zongzhi glared at him, “All I have is the poor man’s version, because in the eyes of the Daoist Sect, the Quanzhen lineage is in itself a poor man’s cultivation.
The first aspect is certainly elixirs, one for refining the Dantian on a regular basis, and another for dealing with the potential exhaustion of the Dantian Spirit during advancement.
The essence of Dantian Spiritual Power has no limit, with no purest but only purer; theoretically, the cultivation world believes that the purer the Dantian Spirit, the easier it is to successfully advance.
Using elixirs during advancement is a contingency; the cultivation world does not advocate for their use as a necessity, preferring to rely on one’s own regular accumulation for completion.
However, if an improper method during advancement leads to exhaustion of the spirit, it is imperative to take elixirs, especially a Grand Elixir, to quickly replenish spiritual power.
The choice of Grand Elixirs could be the Tongtian Pill or Sa Qi Pills, etc.
For cultivators with limited means, the Tongtian Pill is sufficient.”
A thought crossed Hou Niao’s mind; the elixirs he had robbed from Daoist Xiaosong were not few, and once back, he would need to properly identify and assess them.
Yes, this trip had been worthwhile.
Rao Zongzhi continued, “Next is the challenge of Bitter Lungs; the most important hallmark of advancing to Tongxuan is the transformation of spiritual power into mana, which also purifies spiritual power, casting out an immense amount of fiery dryness to be expelled through breathing.
Even for a cultivator who has strengthened their organs, the lungs are quite susceptible to injury, hence the need for Bitter Lungs to clear the toxins and quench the fire.”
At this point, Rao Zongzhi sighed, “I once saw in the oldest Daoist scriptures of our sect that besides the Jinxiu Universe, there are other cultivation Holy Lands, where the spirit is not as volatile as in Jinxiu, and there is no mention of Bitter Lungs.”
Luo Linwang interjected from beside, “Don’t bother speaking of the useless; Holy Lands are for Saints who reside there.
We who are born in this universe must follow the rules of this universe.
Bitter Lungs are crucial and should not be taken lightly, thinking one’s body is sturdy enough to be unaffected.
Once the advancement process begins and becomes irreversible, you won’t be able to stop even if you wish to; there have been incidents where inadequate preparation has led to the lungs being utterly burnt away.
Many more have had their lungs injured, failing to fully reach the new realm and ending up as consumptive wraiths.
There are many materials for Bitter Lungs, each with its own marvel.
In this regard, I suggest sparing no expense and preparing the highest-quality materials for Bitter Lungs; this is not the time to save on spirit stones.”