Chapter 402

Hearing this, Qian Chen immediately perked up.

This evening banquet was quite boring. The two aristocratic disciples beside him were playing mysterious, talking about things that were profound and obscure. If they talked about the profound principles of the Dao in the misty mountains, even the Supreme Dao Ancestor couldn't compare to them.

Qian Chen watched Huan and Chu confronting each other, the smell of gunpowder between their words extremely heavy, while listening to the two aristocratic disciples beside him talking about 'being' and 'nothingness.'

Those two cited the Daoist scriptures word by word. One said, 'All things in the world are born from being, and being is born from nothingness,' and then talked at length about the profound principles of the Dao within 'nothingness,' the attachment of yin and yang, and the formation of all things, as if they had seen it with their own eyes. Then they talked at length about their insights into observing 'nothingness' quietly, wandering outside the spirit, and even transcending all 'being.'

Another summarized the theory of yin and yang transformation, also talking at length about profound etiquette, starting from the superiority and inferiority of men and women, talking about 'yang' being rigid and upright above, and 'yin' being soft and compliant below, being born from nothingness, coming from nature, and the principles of nature being the hierarchy of honor and inferiority.

In a trance, Qian Chen thought he had returned to the hands of the Supreme, recalling the sound of preaching remaining in his thoughts. Beside him, it was as if there were various Daoist Lords and Daoist Venerables, defining the principles of the universe and opening up the laws and principles of many worlds.

Looking closely, it turned out that neither of them had formed a core, and their foundation establishment was not solid either.

The vital energy between heaven and earth, their spiritual perception only detected five or six types. Looking at it this way, for them, the origin of heaven and earth being 'nothingness' was not without reason. After all, ninety-nine percent of the vital energy of heaven and earth was non-existent to them, wasn't it?

Talking about profound principles like this, the people beside them nodded frequently, clearly each one of them having high realms and being different from the vulgar.

Like Qian Chen, who had gained nothing from 'nothingness' and the 'Dao,' and until now, only knew how to use yin and yang qi to create dozens of types of vital energy between heaven and earth, barely managing to turn stones into gold and change matter, and even when the Five-Colored Divine Light was used with full force, could only create a world where the five elements rotate and transform for an instant, while his understanding of the origin of the Great Dao was still ignorant, and he only had a superficial understanding of yin and yang and the five elements, his aptitude was extremely dull and not very worth cultivating.

After all, Qian Chen looked up at heaven and earth and looked down at all things, and the principles he obtained were not even one ten-thousandth of them.

Until now, his spiritual perception could only feel one thousand six hundred types of vital energy, which was far from the three thousand types recorded in the "Heavenly Evolution Five Virtues Profound Scripture" written by Daoist Lord Zou Yan, let alone the twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty types of heaven and earth vital energy recorded in the "One Origin Creation Theory" described by the Supreme.

"It's truly profound and mysterious!" Qian Chen sighed: "Fortunately, there are those two, Huan and Chu. If there aren't a few fights at this banquet, how can it be called interesting?"

"Brother Wang, these two must be going to the Vermilion Bird Bridge to compete. Let's find a better position first, so as not to miss the excitement!" Qian Chen said with a smile.

Wang Longxiang was slightly stunned, then shook his head and said: "The competition should be held there!" Qian Chen looked in the direction he pointed and saw that he was pointing to a hall in the building. Qian Chen raised his eyebrows: "That place seems a bit narrow, and the restrictions are not very strong either. I'm afraid a single thunder technique would destroy it. How can it withstand cultivators fighting?"

Wang Longxiang shook his head slightly and said: "Their competition is not a real fight, but a literary competition."

"Literary competition? Can cultivators also have a literary competition to decide who is better?"

Several immortal sect disciples following behind Chu Wengong heard Qian Chen's words and immediately turned their heads.

He looked Wang Longxiang up and down, clearly recognizing him, his eyes full of wariness, and then looked at Qian Chen, his eyes falling on the green bamboo acting as a flying sword at his waist. This person was first startled, then looked a few more times, and finally recognized that there was not a trace of spiritual light or magic restriction on the green bamboo, and it even carried a faint aura of green wood, clearly an ordinary green bamboo that had just been snapped off. A trace of contempt appeared in his eyes.

Qian Chen had no magic treasure spiritual light on his whole body, poor in a unique way.

This thin and tall immortal sect disciple scanned Qian Chen blandly and said: "The struggle of the Great Dao is not in the struggle of blood and qi. If jade falls to the ground and hits a stone, the jade shatters and the stone remains intact, does that mean the stone is better than the jade? When we cultivators establish our foundation, we only breathe in vital energy and regulate our bodies, being bright within. Most of them can't even beat some ordinary people with a few skills. Does that mean ordinary people are better than foundation-establishment cultivators? What we are comparing is Daoist practice and the future of the Great Dao. The means of fighting are only one of them. Most of those with a good magic treasure occupy the upper hand, and if they lose the magic treasure, the outcome is hard to tell."

"If we compare who is better based on this, wouldn't those with magic treasures be superior? Is our cultivation evaluated by the quality of the magic treasures on our bodies?"

"Well said!" Qian Chen praised. It was his narrow-mindedness! His heart was filled with many bad thoughts.

Every time he had a conflict with someone, he always thought about solving the problem from the enemy, holding the attitude of eliminating problems with 'swords' and 'slaughter.' So, whenever he talked about comparing who was better, he thought of fighting and sword fighting... He didn't expect the cultivation civilization of Southern Jin to have progressed to this extent, not evaluating cultivation by strength. Holding these principles to discuss, Qian Chen was convinced. Even if he could wipe out ninety-nine percent of the cultivators in the building with a light sword stroke now, in terms of cultivation principles, he hadn't necessarily won.

Even if this person was killed by him, from the perspective of the realm, wouldn't Qian Chen still have lost?

For such cultivators, he could kill many with one sword, and Qian Chen was convinced he had lost...

It's a pity that there are too many people in the world like Qian Chen who are obsessed with strength. Everyone holds the attitude of not solving problems, but only solving the people who have problems, killing each other in the cultivation world. If everyone had this kind of realm, it would be much easier for Qian Chen to solve problems in the future!

So, it's not them who are wrong, but the cultivation world!

The group arrived at the hall. Huan and Chu sat on the left and right. Before long, a young cultivator with a flute in his hand, who was exceptionally elegant, brought many people into the hall and smiled: "I heard that the two fellow Daoists want to compare who is better. Several elders usually don't allow such nonsense, so I'm afraid they won't come to evaluate... Why don't we evaluate and discuss it publicly?"

Chu Wengong glanced at Huan Xuan, snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and knelt down.

Huan Xuan opened his mouth and said: "Since Xie Lingyun is evaluating and discussing publicly, and Wang Longxiang is on the side, and your immortal sects have also come with many people, no one can question it. Dao, Law, Technique, and Momentum, let's set the rules one by one!"

Chu Wengong didn't say much either, snorted through his nose: "Fine!"

Xie Lingyun looked curiously at Qian Chen beside Wang Longxiang, then said: "The evaluation and discussion are still based on the nine ranks, with 'Dao' as the head. First, discuss the Daoist practice of the pill rank, then discuss the cultivation and magic power. I invite the two fellow Daoists to release their Jin Dan phenomena for us to observe!"

The Jin Dan phenomenon is to mobilize the qi, enter meditation, and concentrate the spirit, making the inner scene of the Jin Dan's operation naturally manifest as an image.

The Jin Dan realm projects the surrounding heaven and earth, and the pill formed reflects the heaven and earth outside, which is also a kind of outer scene.

If one says this method is not unreasonable, the inner scene of the Jin Dan naturally manifests, and it will inevitably reveal some of the essence of the pill formed. Experienced cultivators can often see the quality and foundation of others' Golden Cores through this.

Since the decline of the Immortal Han, and the popularity of the nine-rank system, the evaluation of grades has been popular in the Central Lands. Whether it is the Dao foundation, Jin Dan, Yin Spirit, Yang Spirit, and other meritorious fruits, or external paths of cultivation such as arrays, alchemy, and weapon refining, or even magic treasures, pills, and other cultivation resources, and even calligraphy, painting, Go, and music, all have evaluations and grades, also divided into nine ranks.

The spiritual pill of vital energy refined by Qian Chen was evaluated by an alchemist when he exhibited that gourd at the Chaotian Palace treasure gathering, and it was given a high evaluation of middle-grade upper, which is the fourth rank.

And that first-turn spiritual pill later was even a second-rank grade among the supreme grades.

As for the higher second-turn, third-turn, and even the nine-turn golden pills refined by the Supreme himself, Qian Chen didn't know how they would evaluate them! All from the first to the ninth rank are spiritual pills, so I suppose they should open a grade for immortal pills and continue to comment!

"Then let you see it!"

Chu Wengong entered meditation and concentrated his spirit. After only a few breaths, a group of pill qi flew out from the back of his head, like a flying spring and flowing water.

Someone beside Qian Chen nodded slightly: "The pill qi is like a spring, the water color is clear but not white, transparent without yin turbidity, light fragrance without odor, deeply obtaining clarity, coldness, fragrance, softness, sweetness, purity, and buoyancy. It can be called supreme grade! I heard that Chu Wengong established his foundation at the first rank and spent ninety years to form a core. I think it's true."

"Although Huan Xuan has a good reputation, I heard that his bone structure is extraordinary and his aptitude is excellent, but he only formed a core after seventy years of foundation establishment. I'm afraid his foundation is not solid, and his pill qi is not as good as Chu Wengong's."

Huan Xuan also entered meditation. It was several moments later than Chu Wengong when he revealed his pill qi.

His pill qi was like flying clouds carrying fire-red flowing clouds. Xie Lingyun, Wang Longxiang, and several other Core Formation cultivators of the twenty-eight characters of the Divine Land were all people with extraordinary vision. Just by looking at the pill qi of the two, they could see that Chu Wengong had already matured in the pill realm, with at least ten years of accumulation, so the pill qi appeared slightly heavy. One obtained the purity of water, the pill qi was pure and the spirituality was contained within; the other obtained the lightness of flying clouds, soft without scattering, and the flowing fire was like clouds, with the fire element extremely prosperous.

Both were supreme-grade pill qi!

Xie Lingyun nodded slightly: "Flying springs and flowing clouds are both supreme grade!"

Someone beside him shook his head and said: "Although both are supreme grade, they can also be divided into high and low. Those with pill qi like clouds, and those with hazy and gloomy phases are lower-lower, mixed and impure, with dense turbid qi; those with mist-like flowing clouds are middle-lower, scattered without condensing, and the pill qi is light and floating; those like auspicious clouds are middle-upper, the pill qi is like clouds, dense without scattering, and those with exotic phases of flowing clouds can add another rank, with fire essence hidden in the fire, but even so, it is only upper-lower grade."

"And those with pill qi like water, muddy water and turbid mud are lower-lower; water without mixed colors, yellow, red, green, black, etc., are middle-lower; water without mixed colors, flying springs and flowing fluorescence are supreme grade; and it also has the clarity, coldness, fragrance, softness, sweetness, purity, and buoyancy of flying springs, and the spring is three feet high, while the flowing cloud pill qi is only one and a half feet high. Who wins and who loses is clear at a glance."

This was clearly a comment from someone in the immortal sect. In the commandery aristocratic families, someone was angry and said: "Flying springs and flowing clouds are both upper-lower grades, and both are lacking from the upper-middle. Since they are the same grade, why divide them into high and low? Moreover, Chu Wengong has formed a core for ten years, while Huan Xuan has just formed a core. There is a difference in the accumulation of pill qi, which is natural. How can this determine the outcome?"

"Since there is a difference, how can it not be determined?" People on the immortal sect side also started shouting.

The two sides argued louder and louder. Xie Lingyun waved his sleeves impatiently: "Pill qi is only the initial grade, and the outer scene has not yet appeared. Why argue?"

Under his scolding, everyone stopped arguing and continued to wait for the exotic outer scenes of the two to manifest.

At this time, the Jin Dan outer scenes of the two also began to gradually sprout. In the flying spring above Chu Wengong's head, a moon color manifested, reflected in the pill qi spring water. Only seeing the sparkling light, a full moon was changing in ten thousand ways, manifesting the exotic scene of the flying spring reflecting the moon.

Inside the room, the ground was full of clear brilliance, which was extremely eye-catching.

Xie Lingyun nodded slightly: "Chu fellow Daoist has deeply obtained the mystery of the 'Supreme Concealing Moon Art' of Qingxu Mountain..."