Chapter 309: Two Completely Different Paths

With the misunderstanding resolved, Sun Wukong wanted to drag Su Chen to drink.

Su Chen hadn't seen Sun Wukong for many years and didn't refuse.

Drinking until they were excited, Sun Wukong insisted on dragging Su Chen to spar a bit, saying he wanted to test just how hard that "Great Luo physical body" of his really was.

Su Chen ignored him, and Sun Wukong, seeing Su Chen ignore him, said "boring," and turned to tease Qiao Ling.

Fortunately, although Sun Wukong had no proper form, he held no more malice toward Qiao Ling.

Learning that Qiao Ling had actively refused to become Tathagata, Sun Wukong actually felt a bit more appreciation for this junior.

The banquet dispersed, and it was already the second morning.

Su Chen led Qiao Ling away from the Water Curtain Cave, heading east, arriving at Su Chen's cave dwelling on Flower Fruit Mountain.

When he left years ago, he had set up a seal, and now that he had returned, the restriction remained.

Su Chen led Qiao Ling into a stone chamber deep within the cave dwelling.

The stone chamber was not large, the four walls were smooth, and two meditation cushions were placed inside; Su Chen pointed, and a green lamp lit up on the stone wall.

Afterward, Su Chen waved his hand, and more than a dozen restrictions flew from his fingertips, sinking into the four walls.

The entrance to the stone chamber was sealed by a pale green curtain of light.

"Sit," Su Chen said, pointing to the cushion.

Qiao Ling sat cross-legged as instructed.

Su Chen sat down opposite him and said: "Qiao Ling, you have followed me for six years; I have only taught you breathing techniques and have never passed on any true cultivation methods to you. You know why."

Qiao Ling thought slightly: "I think Master was testing me."

Su Chen nodded and said: "You could say that. In the path of cultivation, the most taboo thing is not insufficient aptitude, but an unstable heart. You have the residual rhyme of Tathagata's Dao Fruit on you; that thing is like a seed buried in the ground, and once a crack appears in your Dao heart, it will take advantage of the weakness and swallow you whole."

"You walked out of the Moyie Kingdom, severed the ties of the mortal world, and saw with your own eyes the attitude of the Fomen toward you. Now that your state of mind is stable, I can formally pass on cultivation methods to you."

Qiao Ling straightened his back, his expression solemn.

Su Chen was not in a hurry to talk about the cultivation method, but first asked a question.

"Do you think, with the Fomen's style of doing things, they will let you go?"

Qiao Ling was silent for two breaths.

"No."

"Tell me why."

"I have Tathagata's Dao Fruit on me," Qiao Ling said, his voice calm. "To the Fomen, I am not a person, but an object waiting to be recovered. They don't want Qiao Ling, they want Tathagata. As long as I am alive, they will not stop."

Su Chen nodded.

"You have thought it through clearly. The Fomen has two Saints sitting in command, several Semi-Sages, and quite a few Great Luo Golden Immortals. I can protect you for a while, but I cannot protect you for a lifetime. That Dao Fruit seed on you will sooner or later become a clue for the Fomen to find you."

The light of the green lamp flickered on Qiao Ling's face.

"Therefore," Su Chen looked at him, "you must become strong yourself. Strong enough that even if they find you, they can do nothing to you."

"Master, please pass on the cultivation method to me," Qiao Ling lowered his head.

Su Chen did not answer immediately.

He extended his right hand, palm facing up.

A pure magic power gathered in his palm, condensing into a golden ball of light the size of a fist.

Inside the ball of light, five colors flowed, and one could vaguely see the Dao rhymes of the five elements—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—intertwining.

"This is the first path I have prepared for you."

Su Chen suspended the golden ball of light above the stone table.

"The 'True Explanation of the Hunyuan Jin Dan,' the Jin Dan Great Dao. This is the inheritance of my sect, following the path of evolving all laws with the Jin Dan and proving the Dao by returning to the origin through the five elements. This path is upright and bright, the foundation is solid, and every step has a trace to follow. If your aptitude is good enough and your opportunities deep enough, cultivating to the extreme, you can prove the Semi-Sage Realm. If you can obtain the opportunity to become a Saint in the future, the Hunyuan Great Dao is also possible."

Qiao Ling looked at the ball of light with five colors flowing, light shining in the depths of his eyes.

Semi-Sage, that was already among the most top-tier existences in the Three Realms.

"How does one cultivate this path?" Qiao Ling asked.

"Two ways of cultivation," Su Chen held up two fingers. "The orthodox path is to take it one step at a time, contemplating the Great Dao of heaven and earth, tempering the Jin Dan with one's own comprehension, a slow and steady effort. How much you achieve depends entirely on your own comprehension and perseverance. Your talent is excellent, and taking this path won't be too slow, but it definitely won't be too fast."

"The strange path is like me, collecting five-element spiritual objects to temper the Jin Dan, using external objects to make up for one's own deficiencies; the speed will be much faster. But this path depends on opportunities, and the level of cultivation depends entirely on what grade of five-element spiritual objects you can find."

Qiao Ling pondered for a moment and asked a key question.

"Master, if I cultivate this path, how long will it take to possess the strength to confront Lingshan?"

Su Chen did not paint a rosy picture for him.

"If it's the orthodox path, with your foundation, proving the Jin Xian within ten thousand years is not difficult; Tai Yi Jin Xian might take tens of thousands of years, and as for Great Luo... there is no fixed number."

Qiao Ling's expression did not change, but Su Chen noticed his fingers tightening slightly.

"Moreover," Su Chen added, "this path has a problem. Now that the opportunity to become a Saint in the Three Realms has been locked by the Dao Ancestor with the Hongmeng Purple Qi, wanting to become a Saint through the Jin Dan Great Dao is almost impossible. Semi-Sage is the end of this path."

Qiao Ling took a deep breath and raised his head.

"Master, you said there were two paths."

Su Chen looked at him, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He turned his right hand, and the five-colored ball of light representing the Jin Dan Great Dao was collected into his palm.

Immediately after.

"Hum..."

A low hum came from within Su Chen's body.

The next moment, a black pagoda the size of a palm rose from his palm, slowly floating in mid-air.

The pagoda was pitch black, nine stories high, with dense innate patterns carved on each story.

A terrifying aura of destruction and ending permeated from within the pagoda, surging toward all directions like a tide.

Qiao Ling felt all the blood in his body flowing backward, a tremor from the depths of his soul making him almost unable to breathe.

The more than a dozen restrictions set by Su Chen trembled violently under the impact of this aura, barely locking it within the stone chamber.

"What is this..." Qiao Ling's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"An innate supreme treasure of the highest grade," Su Chen said, his tone calm. "The Nine Demon Pagoda. The natal magic treasure of the ancient Demon Ancestor Luo Hou."

"This is the second path I spoke of," Su Chen looked at him, his gaze deep. "Cultivate the Demon Dao, inherit the Demon Ancestor's position."

The gray light emitted by the Nine Demon Pagoda shone on Qiao Ling's face, alternating between light and dark, as if two completely different destinies were clashing on him.

"After the Demon Ancestor fell, the luck of the Demon Dao was ownerless. If you can inherit the Demon Dao inheritance and succeed to the Demon Ancestor's position, you can add the luck of the entire Demon Dao to yourself. By then, even if you cannot become a Saint, you will be a leader among the Semi-Sages."

Su Chen's voice echoed in the dim stone chamber.

"It is even possible to catch a glimpse of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit."

Qiao Ling stared fixedly at the nine-story black pagoda.

He could feel the rejection of the destruction and ending power toward him, but he also felt that, beneath the rejection, there seemed to be a strange sense of affinity, as if it were summoning him. ===== CHAPTER 310 =====