Chapter 241: with translation of chapter title

"Senior brother, that move was really impressive!" Yue Tong, watching a peak‑level minor demon being swiftly dealt with by Yan Buji's technique in three swift strikes, couldn't help but be amazed.

Even though he had seen Yan Buji's skill back in the Kan Dao Huang Du, he never expected that Yan Buji's eighth‑layer Lianqi strength could handle a peak‑level minor demon so easily now.

This must be a true battle genius, right?

Yan Buji lifted the demon‑refining gourd, captured the minor demon's corpse, and smiled, "Junior brother, you are too modest. Ahead lies the Xun Dao territory; what guidance do you have for me?"

Yue Tong smiled, "The Xun Dao places great emphasis on the Buddhist sect. Earlier, a group of ascetic monks from the Vajra Temple entered the Kan Dao region; they're probably all dead now. However, when we go there, we must not act under a Daoist identity."

"A conflict between Buddhism and Daoism, then?"

"Not exactly; the main issue is that Buddhist followers cannot tolerate Daoist priests, whereas the senior monks hold little prejudice against Daoists."

Yan Buji sneered, "If the Buddhist sect weren't deliberately suppressing them, would those foolish followers act so?"

"Indeed, hehe, let's go."

Although Yan Buji practiced as a Daoist for a few years, he actually holds no prejudice against the Buddhist sect.

At least half of his Martial Dao cultivation stems from Buddhism, including his high‑quality jade‑like physique, which he refined using the Bright King technique.

In truth, Yan Buji can be considered deeply versed in Buddhist teachings.

Yue Tong thought for a moment and asked, "I haven't asked you, senior brother: what are your plans for going to Xun Dao?"

"Plans?... Actually none. I just want to find a good place to cultivate and avoid getting tangled in trouble," Yan Buji said.

He was fine at Qingfeng Temple; if it weren't for the incident in the Kan Dao Huang Du, he could have just packed up and left without issue.

The point is, after hearing Yue Tong's words, he realized the myriad schemes in the Kan Dao Huang Du were far‑reaching; although it's unlikely anyone targets a single Lianqi Phase cultivator, it's wise to stay cautious.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall; if Kan Dao becomes untenable, he will head for the nearest Xun Dao. Departing from the Huang Du, the journey to Xun Dao is only a few months.

Yan Buji's thinking is simple: since Kun Dao, Gen Dao, and Kan Dao are untenable, he might go elsewhere to see if there are opportunities to gather Spiritual Material.

Use Xun Dao as a transit point and observe the situation.

The crucial matter is to quickly convert the techniques he has acquired into power; his basic methods have no room for improvement, and he still needs to prepare to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Oh, by the way, Junior brother Yue Tong, have you heard of the Human Origin Pill?"

"Human Origin Great Pill? Is that produced by Ren Yan Lou?" Yue Tong looked puzzled.

Yan Buji nodded, "I've heard this thing can let a person ignore bottlenecks and directly break through the Foundation Establishment Stage."

Yue Tong pursed his lips, "The item is indeed real, but it's one of the Three‑Talent Celestial Pills; taking a single one isn't a good idea. It can break through the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet if you don't consume the Earth Origin Great Pill in the later part of Foundation, your magical energy won't liquefy, preventing a breakthrough to the Core Formation Stage. Skipping the Heaven Origin Great Pill in the Core Formation Stage means you can't condense into a pill, so overall it's of limited use."

"Is that really the case? What exactly are the Earth Origin Great Pill and the Heaven Origin Great Pill?"

"Heh heh, the Earth Origin Great Pill is actually a jewel condensed from Earth Vein Power, also called an Earth Vein Jewel. Many late‑Foundation demonic cultivators, unable to find a method, seek an Earth Vein, draw its power, and forge an Earth Vein Jewel to break through the Core Formation Stage. Yet even then, breaking the Golden Core still requires the Human Origin Great Pill and the Heaven Origin Great Pill to complete the Three‑Talent combination for a breakthrough," Yue Tong said with a smile.

"Huh? So the Earth Origin Great Pill is just Earth Vein Power? Then the Heaven Origin Great Pill must involve going up to the heavens, right?"

"The Heaven Origin Great Pill is different; it requires gathering the qi of the Nine Heavens and refining it with secret methods. I've only heard of it and never seen a real Heaven Origin Great Pill."

Yan Buji nodded, a thought forming in his mind.

Given the high difficulty of obtaining the great pills later, Yan Buji could only keep them as a backup option.

In fact, Yan Buji isn't greedy; he already possesses three Human Origin Great Pills, so if he truly wants to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage, he doesn't need to search for any Foundation Pill.

But this means the cultivation path without the two unacquired great pills is cut off—who could endure that?

Cultivators fight for life, seeking longevity; if they cling to the notion of dying rather than breaking through and forcefully charge through a barrier, that's truly foolish.

Why wouldn't I use a safer method? Unless faced with a situation where breaking through is absolutely necessary, Yan Buji would never employ this highly risky approach to break through the Foundation Pill.

Of course, that's all talk for later.

Shortly thereafter, the two arrived together in the Xun Dao territory.

Yue Tong clasped his hands and said, "Mountains high and waters long, senior brother—if you have any matters in the future, you may come to the town beneath the Wan Fo Sect mountain in Xun Dao to find me; I await your arrival respectfully."

"I dare not, junior brother, you go ahead."

"Take care."

"Take care."

Yan Buji saw Yue Tong leave directly and nodded.

Anyway, whether he stayed or not, he'd eventually look for a chance to act alone; Yue Tong's background is odd, his strength low yet he knows many major affairs, so traveling together would inevitably involve issues beyond his handling.

After some time.

Yan Buji found a mountain forest with slightly dense spiritual energy and began cultivating there.

At present, Yan Buji needs to comprehend the five‑element techniques he obtained; merely understanding them has already taken him nearly five years.

He grasps one volume per year; the pace isn't fast, and unless he had previously made up for deficiencies, his cultivation insight would have risen considerably, he might still not have clarified the characteristics and cultivation methods of these five techniques.

"The Swallow Flame Technique, like the other four methods, is certainly a simplified version above the Lianqi Phase. Though it also has ten layers, it doesn't conflict much with my Spiritual Fire Manual; the main task is to find a form of Heaven‑Earth Spiritual Fire to nurture with one's own magical power, and these ancillary minor techniques are inferior to simply using the Sculpt Fire Manual," Yan Buji thought.

The Sculpt Fire Manual was a technique he acquired earlier within the Kan Dao Lingyu; at first he watched the fiery sect cultivators wield it masterfully. Because his own Spiritual Fire was too weak, he studied it extensively without applying it, yet the Sculpt Fire Manual is indeed powerful, greatly enhancing flame‑control skills.

"The Tide‑Birth Manual is a water‑type technique that simply increases magical power and does not affect the Gentle Water Manual; Geng Metal Essence can cultivate a breath of Geng metal qi, which can be incorporated into the Golden Wheel Technique; the Dust‑Sand method is a variant of the earth type, using sand for cultivation, allowing control of sand and gravel while also forging a sand giant—a top‑tier Lianqi Phase technique. Though its attributes differ from the Heavy Mountain Technique, the modification difficulty is minor."

Yan Buji examined the Tree‑Person Technique carefully: "This is the biggest trouble; the Tree‑Person Technique requires cultivation with Heaven‑Earth Spiritual Plants, something unheard of. My Planting Tree Manual focuses on longevity, which creates the greatest conflict."

Yan Buji's expression turned odd, because to replace his basic five‑element techniques, the best approach is to integrate the five methods into his own system, minimizing impact and keeping it most controllable.