Chapter 85: Sitting and Discussing the Dao

Sanyin Temple, alchemy room.

"What kind of business is this, sigh."

Chen Ci could not help but sigh. He, Chen, had always been kind to others, never liking to fight in his life, preferring to resolve conflicts, yet today he had contended with someone, and it was hard to say if they would become enemies.

No wonder they say peers are rivals.

The main thing is, while the gains seem many, they are actually rather few.

A Baiyang Ancient Sword, which counts as an old acquaintance.

A Golden Rope Dharma Artifact; the Prohibitions inside are not top-tier. Although it has nine layers, its power is mediocre, perhaps comparable to only one or two strands of Five Yin Black Evil.

A jade tablet carved with a flying crane pecking pattern, which houses a beast soul inside. Chen Ci sensed its usage slightly and knew it was similar to his own Yin Horse Pagoda Lock, but it was more clever to use; it was not for frontal combat, but could have miraculous effects if suddenly summoned to peck at an opponent's face during a duel.

Chen Ci toyed with the jade tablet for a few moments, handed it to Lin Banshan, and thanked him: "I must thank Daoist Lin for holding the line for me on this trip."

Although Lin Banshan did not directly strike, his standing to the side did indeed suppress the situation; otherwise, this matter truly could not have ended well.

Lin Banshan gave a dark laugh and took the jade tablet: "Then I shall accept it without false modesty."

Chen Ci planned to send this Golden Rope to Fuhu Altar next time along with the Essence Refining; he had to let the people above know what he had done, otherwise, wouldn't it have been for nothing?

It was time to advance within the He Mountain Sect.

Calculating it this way, in the end, he only obtained a Spirit Iron Treasure Sword, worth twelve catties of Five Elements Divine Sand; it couldn't be called a loss, but it just felt a bit not worth it.

Sigh.

"Why does Brother Chen sigh?"

Lin Banshan put away the jade tablet and smiled lightly: "Cultivation levels have their highs and lows, and status also has its highs and lows. We low-level Apprentices in the sect are merely seeking Great Dao methods, Spirit Pills, and Dharma Artifacts. If we don't do more things and do them well, how would the sect bestow them for nothing? Once we advance further in the future, it will be fine."

"The logic is sound, it's just that sometimes I feel a sense of being unable to help myself."

Chen Ci put away the ancient sword and the Golden Rope, smiled upon hearing this, and changed the subject: "Regardless, I still thank Daoist Lin for today's matter. As for holding the line, as long as I am in Changping County, I will certainly not refuse."

Borrowing and returning makes it easy to borrow again; today he borrowed a line-holding from Lin Banshan, and in the future, he would have to return the favor.

"That is easy to say. I have only had slight contact with the people of Ma Family Village. If we can negotiate, there is no need to resort to weapons, but if we cannot reach an agreement, I expect I will still have to trouble Brother Chen once."

Lin Banshan shook his head, pondered for a moment, but still spoke: "However, I do have one thing I would like to ask for advice on today. I wonder if it is possible?"

Ask for advice?

Chen Ci thought for a moment and replied: "Please speak, Daoist Lin."

"Today, I observed your duel, and there seemed to be some kind of change in your Five Yin Evil Qi Bag."

Lin Banshan looked hesitant, as what he was about to say was quite presumptuous, but since it concerned cultivation, he could only continue to ask: "Could you teach me a thing or two about this change? Of course, if it is not possible, then let it be."

The change in the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag?

So he had noticed that strand of Five Yin Gold Evil.

Chen Ci suddenly realized, stroked the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag, but did not speak immediately.

To be honest, Lin Banshan's action was already somewhat overstepping, counting as probing the details of Chen Ci's cultivation. Not to mention whether it would have an impact, but what cultivator is willing to leak what they have gained from their cultivation?

However, the Great Dao is confusing. Besides not having high-grade methods to practice, low-level cultivators also face the difficulty of having no famous masters to guide them. Exploring alone might lead to taking the wrong path halfway, making the already narrow path to Longevity even narrower.

Many of the embryonic forms of cultivation sects were born from this.

Chen Ci tapped the table and suddenly said: "Brother Lin, shall we discuss the Dao?"

"We shall."

Lin Banshan also exhaled a breath of turbid air, his expression becoming more solemn.

The so-called sitting and discussing the Dao is to share what one has with others.

But since it is discussing the Dao, exchanging insights and experiences, if someone hides their secrets, others won't know; once there is gain and loss, this heart cannot be shared either.

Can you force someone to forget what has already been said?

"Brother Lin, please ask."

Since he had decided to discuss the Dao, Chen Ci was not petty, so he let Lin Banshan speak first.

"Brother Chen, in the path of cultivation, regardless of artifacts or methods, the transmitted scriptures all have fixed numbers. If you are off by a hair, it is not easy to succeed, and you might even lose all your previous efforts."

Lin Banshan frowned slightly: "But the elders in the sect also say that a thousand people get one method, and a thousand people have a thousand methods. I have tried several times, but each time I fell short of success, and I dared not change it rashly. Today, seeing Brother Chen innovate, I asked presumptuously."

Cultivating the Dao consumes a great deal of time. Unless one is a Direct Disciple or one's own children and grandchildren, few experts are willing to personally point things out everywhere; being able to offer a few words of guidance is already not easy.

Although Chen Ci's Five Yin Evil Qi Bag had changed, he could not say it was his own doing, or the miraculous effect of the Gold Finger panel, so he told Lin Banshan his insights on Five Elements changes and nourishing evil qi. Whether it was right or wrong, he could only rely on himself to distinguish, and afterward, he even took out the "Baiyang Sword Solution" for him to view.

"The change in my Dharma Artifact is firstly because my cultivation broke through. After breaking through the Thirty-six Apertures, I seemed to have some realization, and it happened naturally. If you, Brother Lin, break through the Seventy-two Apertures, you might also have this kind of realization."

Chen Ci added: "Secondly, when I was researching my own Dharma Artifact, I put the heart of gain and loss aside and dared to try. But to tell you the truth, the foundation of my Dharma Artifact was damaged, and it was only by luck that I succeeded."

After hearing what Chen Ci said, Lin Banshan pondered for a long time before slowly sighing: "A single sentence of true inheritance is worth ten thousand books of false transmission. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Chen. However, few people can see through the two words 'gain and loss'. I have been refining my Dharma Artifact for over twenty years, nearly half of my life's savings. Even if I muster the courage to try, I always hesitate at the final step, fearing that half a lifetime of hard work will be destroyed in an instant."

After a moment of silence, Lin Banshan sorted out his thoughts and smiled: "Brother Chen, please."

Chen Ci did not stand on ceremony and said: "I would like to ask for some knowledge on alchemy cultivation. Besides the fact that alchemy methods are difficult to cultivate, even for the most basic Bigu Pill, I inexplicably feel that the success rate is slightly low."

Chen Ci was not talking nonsense; he truly felt that the success rate of his entry-level medicine absorption incantation for extracting the essence of the five grains was a bit low. If low-level alchemists were all like this, and one person could only produce two or three Bigu Pills needed by cultivators in a month, that would be too few, and it wouldn't be enough for market consumption.

But if one says that once alchemy cultivation is high, the success rate of Bigu Pills will go up, that is not quite right either.

Once alchemy cultivation is improved, who would still refine Bigu Pills? Shouldn't they be refining Spirit Pills?

There must be something here that Chen Ci does not know.

Lin Banshan thought for a moment and asked: "Brother Chen, are you practicing the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method?"

"Yes."

"Then that is correct. Brother Chen actually understands the reason, but you haven't figured it out for a moment."

Lin Banshan smiled: "It is exactly that a thousand people get one method, and a thousand people have a thousand methods. Since the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method spread throughout the world, over these several kalpas, there have always been alchemy geniuses who studied its mysteries and, using it as a general outline, made improvements.

Taking the medicine absorption method as an example, it can absorb the world's herbs and alchemy materials, but except for a few major alchemy sects, the vast majority of alchemists in the world are only proficient in a few alchemy formulas. This medicine absorption method is too widely applicable, which is actually not good. Thus, they gradually researched medicine absorption incantations corresponding to specific alchemy materials. Just like the Bigu Pill, there is a corresponding Five Grains Medicine Absorption Method. Although it can only extract the essence of the five grains, the success rate is much higher than the method in the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method. It can be considered a trade-off."

After a pause, Lin Banshan said apologetically: "However, these improved alchemy incantations are all secret transmissions within various sects and factions. Even itinerant alchemists only pass them down orally to their own children; others find it hard to know."

This is actually common knowledge for cultivators in the cultivation world who have alchemy inheritance. As long as they specialize in one alchemy formula, after two or three generations, they can always slightly improve the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method.

It is just that within the He Mountain Sect where Chen Ci is located, there are not many cultivators who can settle their minds to study pill methods; if it were not for the fact that the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method is widely circulated, it is estimated that the great experts of the He Mountain Sect would not even bother to seize it back and place it within the sect.

"A pill-absorbing incantation corresponding to specific pill materials?"

Once Chen Ci heard this, he understood the principle behind it, yet he felt helpless; this was just like the Five Yin Gold Evil he had researched, which counted as the unique foundation of every cultivator, and others would have nowhere to learn it even if they wanted to.

Good news: In the future, he would be able to refine all the pill formulas in the world; the future is promising.

Bad news: He would have to grind until he explodes!

Lin Banshan pondered for a moment, took a small booklet out from his bosom, and handed it to Chen Ci: "These are some pre-treatment methods for ordinary pill materials within my sect, which can also slightly increase the success rate of the Small Heavens Pill Absorption Method, though not by much. As for the incantations, those are secret transmissions of the sect, and I dare not leak even a shred."

Pausing for a moment, Lin Banshan felt that he was still taking advantage of Chen Ci; after all, what he had said was not actually considered a secret within the circle of alchemists, but what Chen Ci had described was genuine cultivation insight, and their values could not be measured equally.

"Brother Chen, is there any more Dao discussion?"

When sitting and discussing the Dao, the participants naturally have a scale in their hearts; unless they were not to associate in the future, it is better to be a bit more free and easy.

Chen Ci took the booklet, did not even flip through it, placed it on the table, and smiled: "This is enough. I give you the artifact method, and you give me the pill method. However, Brother Lin, if you are interested, we could chat about where you came from. After all, Xishan Prefecture is not a prosperous place to begin with, and Changping County is even more remote among the remote. Since you, Brother Lin, come from the East Sea, how did you end up in this tiny corner of the world?"

Lin Banshan looked at Chen Ci and knew what Chen Ci meant.

Since the two were opening their hearts to each other, they also had to reveal their backgrounds. He knew Chen Ci's roots, but Chen Ci did not know his. In the past, it was just a casual acquaintance, so it did not matter, but now it would not do.

"There is nothing that cannot be said."

Lin Banshan smiled: "I actually came from the Liangjiang Sea Market. I was originally busy with some sect business at the Shanze Market in Dongshan Prefecture, but there was some trouble at the local altar, so I traveled up along the Liuyun River to see if there were any new business opportunities, and as a result, I arrived in the territory of Changping County."

"As for the Liangjiang Sea Market, if you have time in the future, Brother Chen, you can travel down along the Liuyun River, pass by Quanshan and the capital of the Liang Kingdom, and finally, you will be able to see it at the river mouth. Compared to Xishan Prefecture—"

Lin Banshan seemed to sigh with emotion: "That place can truly be considered a flourishing age of cultivation."

(End of this chapter)