[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dao-dust-pearl":3,"chapter-the-dao-dust-pearl-the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-68":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dao Dust Pearl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2359569,4614,"Chapter 68","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>After Lixia, the yang energy of heaven and earth grew heavier, but until the peak of yang at Duanwu, the poisonous insects and dragons in the Great Marsh would never hibernate; instead, during this period, driven by their instincts, they grew increasingly agitated, and the depths of the Jiuzhen Great Marsh became ever more perilous... After Qian Chen returned to the lake outside Jiaobu Town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each day he still rode his Flying Cloud Pouch into the azure heavens to gather qi, diligently cultivating without pause; besides his true qi improving daily, his refinement of the external qi golden core also grew ever more proficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after three or five days did the message talisman Qian Chen had given Cui Dan ignite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit message talisman transmitted the silent thoughts of Cui Dan, who held the talisman, directly into Qian Chen’s spiritual perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan, leveraging the Cui family’s prestige, had indeed befriended many local scions of aristocratic families and sects; during this time, he had not forgotten Qian Chen’s request and had quietly inquired. Now he had some leads, and thus burned the talisman to inform Qian Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen naturally did not delay; he descended from the sky, spent three quarters of an hour refining the gathered qi, then rose and rode his Flying Cloud Pouch toward the county magistrate’s office...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan was waiting in the courtyard; seeing a blessed cloud descend, he hurried forward and said: “The matter you entrusted me to investigate has made some progress... I currently have several fellow disciples from major local sects here, whom I’d like to introduce to you... As for matters concerning the Jiuzhen Great Marsh, they are the most familiar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking softly, Cui Dan added: “I’ve cautiously inquired, and these sects indeed control several decent yin earth veins, but their locations are inevitably remote and perilous... Moreover, I didn’t know what type of earth yin qi you required, so I invited them here—should you be interested, you may exchange for information on the yin earth veins you need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen smiled faintly: “That is perfectly acceptable... Thank you, Brother Cui!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two entered the inner chamber, where Qian Chen saw the two women who had previously flown past overhead—both were present. Cui Dan stepped forward and introduced: “These two are the true disciples of the White Deer Gate, Senior Sisters Guan Pingxuan and Yan Cai... Sister Guan, this is Elder Qian Chen... His alchemical skill is peerless; I once witnessed the external phenomenon when he formed his elixir—transforming earth yin qi into auspicious energy, the elixir taking the form of a lingzhi mushroom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earlier, Elder Qian also aided the villagers of nearby Sanyang Village... The act of casting an elixir to save the tree, which Sister Yan inquired about, was indeed his doing—the tree bore plums capable of regenerating flesh and bone, equivalent to a high-grade spirit herb, yet it was merely the result of his casual elixir casting, revealing his extraordinary nature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Cai, upon seeing Qian Chen, let out a soft gasp, then realized her impropriety and lowered her head in embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guan Pingxuan regarded Qian Chen openly for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Brother Qian, your body does not seem to be formed from qi, but is your original flesh and blood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan, overhearing this, frowned inwardly: “I’ve hinted so clearly, yet she still lacks discernment! Sigh! Elder Qian is far too humble—he always manifests only as a Qi Refining cultivator; had I not personally seen him use his Golden Core magic power to subdue that heretical demon from Meishan Sect... I too would have completely missed this opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen nodded slightly: “My body is indeed not formed from qi, but originates from my parents’ essence and blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Pingxuan, seemingly intending to guide Cui Dan, asked pointedly: “Brother Qian, since you’ve befriended the Qinghe Cui family, you must be from an aristocratic lineage—perhaps from the Wu-Yue Qian family, or a branch of the Wu-Yue Sword Pavilion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Qian clan traces back to antiquity, descended from Peng Zu... Yet aside from the Wu-Yue branch, all other humble families are excluded from the Clan Genealogies. Without inheriting the ancient Peng Zu lineage, they are clearly false claimants. The humble Wei family of Jiaobu Town even pretends Peng Zu is their ancestor—in our eyes, they are a laughingstock!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Wu-Yue Qian family leads the Sword Pavilion and, alongside the Yanling Wu family, forms the orthodox lineage of the Wu-Yue Sword Pavilion—undoubtedly legitimate.” Qian Chen smiled: “But my Qian surname has no such lineage—I’m merely an ordinary commoner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh,” Guan Pingxuan nodded slightly. “The Shenzhou  has seen seas turn to mulberry fields; countless noble bloodlines have descended into the common folk. Not being from an aristocratic family is common enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan quickly intervened: “Since the Supreme Dao Master, Daoist sects have accepted disciples regardless of birth—once, even the Dao Master himself was a shepherd boy. Daoist transmission values only character and talent, not status.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Cui,” Guan Pingxuan interrupted, “the Dao Ancestor was born into the Ying lineage of the ancient Three Sovereigns’ aristocracy. Though he once tended goats, the green ox he herded was the Eastern Azure Dragon incarnate, and primordial unextinguished spiritual light descended upon him—clearly his bloodline was noble, his origin extraordinary...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was born with white hair and white eyebrows, like an elder, manifesting prodigious signs from birth—how could he be an unknown?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though he wandered among the wilds, as a youth he rode a green ox transformed from the Azure Dragon; later, primordial spiritual light entered his embrace... After eighty-one reincarnations, he entered noble aristocratic bloodlines, endured countless calamities, slew countless demons, witches, and ghosts, and finally attained the Dao, honored as the Dao Ancestor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen heard this version of the Supreme One’s origin for the first time, filled with new details—such as the Azure Dragon transforming into the ox. In the Louguan Sect’s legend, the ox gained the opportunity to become the Azure Dragon only after accompanying the Dao Ancestor, and now it was a divine lord of heaven and a great demon sage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he heard a reversed version: the Azure Dragon had transformed into the ox first, accompanying the Dao Ancestor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white hair and eyebrows—he suspected the Supreme One was trolling him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the “primordial spiritual light” that manifested the Dao—Qian Chen felt a faint embarrassment. His mind was cluttered with nonsense: besides orthodox Daoist canons and ancient sages’ treasures, he carried countless novel and movie tropes. Judging by the Supreme One’s obvious poisoning, he must have been corrupted in childhood, before his worldview had formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attainment of Dao Ancestor status came from his own brilliance—barely related to this “Dao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Qian Chen could personally attest—he never willingly threw himself at the Dao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing others recount stories of himself and the Supreme One, Qian Chen felt a strange sensation...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Guan Pingxuan continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now the Zhao Commandery Li clan and the Longxi Li clan are both descendants of the Dao Ancestor. The Daoist Supreme One’s sect has retreated into quietude, the Lingbao sect has vanished overseas—both are elusive, hard to trace. But the Yuanshi Sect holds the Daoist world’s reins, and the Zhengyi Sect oversees all ghosts and spirits of the realm, governs the Three Mountains—this is orthodoxy. The Zhang family has held the Zhengyi Dragon-Tiger Altar for generations, aided by clans like Yan, Yang, Lu, and Ren... In the Dao Academy, whether inner or outer disciples, most are from aristocratic families—how can you claim disciples are chosen solely by character and talent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan’s smile was beginning to crack—he was utterly baffled. Was he the aristocrat, or was this Sister Guan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Deer Gate was founded by the Nascent Soul True Immortal Bai Lu, who was originally a cultivator without sect. Initially, the White Deer Gate accepted all disciples, but after Bai Lu’s ascension, subsequent Nascent Soul True Persons lived long lives, and as their bloodlines multiplied, several cultivation aristocratic families emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, the inner true disciples became the exclusive domain of these cultivation families. Even a few scattered master-disciple lineages gradually either were co-opted by the aristocrats or driven out by interlinked families through marriage alliances—forced to leave the sect and become wandering cultivators...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the fate of many small sects: initially open-minded, but as resources became monopolized—especially as cultivators lived longer, with ancestral elders protecting them—family power grew rapidly, and internal breeding turned the sect into the private domain of a few aristocratic clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Buddhist sects, most major Daoist schools either maintained strict precepts, practiced asceticism, or pursued non-action, leaving few descendants; many ascended as pure yang beings. Their transmission relied primarily on master-disciple succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even demon sects and shaman cults were not lacking in aristocratic families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a few non-aristocratic masters rose to prominence, they were quickly co-opted by the clans. Bloodline loyalty is human nature; once longevity extended and bloodlines multiplied, even those unwilling to found families gradually became aristocrats. In contrast, Daoist true transmissions, with the prospect of ascension and immortality, actively avoided leaving descendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when two cultivators fell in love and became Dao partners, they hoped to ascend together as divine lovers...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they had children, they wished their offspring to share immortality. Such entanglements often blocked the Dao path. Qian Chen, during his time at Louguan, knew several who ascended with families in tow—exhausting immense effort, enduring tenfold tribulations...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In secular society, aristocratic clans at least centered on the “family,” while major sects had strict rules and oversight from celestial Nascent Soul True Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, even Dao Lords—if parasitic aristocratic families grew too powerful, the heavens would send down magic treasures and lineages to elevate disciples unconnected to the clans as Sect Masters, and incidentally purge them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in small sects, cultivation aristocrats were like parasites, often usurping the entire sect within a few generations, turning it into the private property of a few families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reportedly, the atmosphere overseas was better—there, wandering cultivators were numerous, and cultivation transmissions were far less stable than in the Central Lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Cui Dan, Sister Guan was an aristocratic family embedded within the White Deer Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their rise was swift, their fall sudden... Born from common folk, they would ultimately return to common folk—why did they cling so fiercely to clan distinctions? It was truly baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Guan continued: “Since you are not from an aristocratic family, what Dao lineage do you hail from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen could not say he was a “remnant” of Louguan Dao; he evaded: “I’m merely a wandering cultivator who, by chance, inherited an ancient Daoist text and relics, continuing the legacy of the Supreme One.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are a wandering cultivator?” Sister Guan remarked. Seeing Cui Dan offer no reaction, and her junior sister tugging her sleeve, she smiled faintly and dropped the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this Cui clan member remained obstinate, why should she further offend him? She had no shortage of connections with wandering cultivators—she’d treat him as a fellow cultivator out of respect for the Qinghe Cui family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, Sister Guan ceased her aggressive questioning and revealed a more expansive demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She asked: “Brother Cui mentioned you seek a yin earth vein to refine a spirit elixir. The White Deer Mountain, where our White Deer Gate resides, lies near the Great Marsh; our disciples have long ventured deep into the Marsh to slay demons, subdue evil, or gather spirit herbs—we know something of its dangers and yin qi. What type of earth yin qi do you require? Are there any restrictions or taboos?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1932,"2026-06-21T05:39:58.326Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d870bec9c7cf6b2217d1e53774a2280c50154bd2244acc1de76863fd9944bdc8","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-69","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-67",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dao-dust-pearl-cover.jpg"]