Chapter 293: The Five Dragon Gorge Realm

"Master!"

Bi Yun, in front of outsiders, still showed great respect to Xiao Yaozi; she bowed to him and said, "Please, Elder, tell me where this Black-and-White Lotus Root can be found—even if it's a mountain of knives and sea of fire, I'll get one for my disciple!"

Xiao Yaozi glared at her. "You can't go."

"This Black-and-White Lotus Root exists in only one place!"

"That is the Five Dragon Gorge Realm, within Xishu Commandery!"

"Legend says that within this realm lies a black pond, and within that pond grows the Black-and-White Lotus Root!"

"But… there is only one such root!"

"And it only ripens once every six hundred years—that is, once every ten jiazi cycles!"

"Once ripe, only a single segment of the lotus root may be harvested!"

"Extremely rare!"

"However, it is said that when the realm opens, only Foundation Establishment cultivators may enter—so you cannot go in!"

Xiao Yaozi glanced at Bi Yun again.

Bi Yun asked, "When will the Five Dragon Gorge Realm open?"

"How many years remain?"

The old man shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't paid much attention to it."

"I'll look it up later."

"But the only trouble is—the realm is under the control of the Liang royal family!"

Xiao Yaozi and Bi Yun chatted idly.

He Pingsheng, however, grew more and more troubled as he listened.

Xiao Yaozi asked, "Xu Kunlun, what troubles you?"

He Pingsheng bowed. "I do have one question."

Xiao Yaozi said, "Go ahead."

He Pingsheng said, "There is a Mi family on Tianqiang Mountain—Mi Cangyuan, their patriarch, is also a Golden Core cultivator who has attained Dao insight. How is it he managed to awaken Dao at the Golden Core stage?"

"According to what you've said, he almost certainly couldn't have obtained the Dao-Completing Pill's ingredients!"

Although Mi Cangyuan possesses the Dao-Grinding Stone, it cannot be used casually.

If your Dao root is inherently deficient, you cannot use the Dao-Grinding Stone to compensate.

The first step is Dao-completion—repairing the deficiency.

Using the Dao-Grinding Stone to polish your Dao method is a matter for the second step.

"That's right!" Qiao Hui Zhu suddenly realized this issue.

"Mi family? Mi Cangyuan?" Xiao Yaozi paused, then said, "I know who you mean—I've heard of him."

"He almost certainly couldn't get the Dao-Completing Pill, but how he achieved Dao insight at the Golden Core stage—I don't know."

"If you're familiar with Mi Cangyuan, you might ask him."

"Mm." He Pingsheng nodded.

"Enough!" Xiao Yaozi swept his sleeve. "Let's drop this for now."

"Boy, I'll ask you this—"

"How did you knock down my two grand-disciples?"

He Pingsheng's face twisted in dismay: So this is still a problem?

Why bring it up again?

Xiao Yaozi added, "Just tell the truth—I won't hold it against you."

Fine.

No need to hide it.

"This… I once cultivated a spirit-refining technique, so my spiritual sense is strong."

"I won because I immobilized them both with my spiritual sense beforehand."

"They had no way to resist, so naturally…"

He Pingsheng spread his hands.

No need to say more.

"I see," said Xiao Yaozi. "Just as I suspected."

"Good, good…" He asked, "What is your elemental affinity?"

He Pingsheng replied, "I have the Five Elements affinity."

"Five…?" Xiao Yaozi's eyes widened in surprise. "Excellent affinity. Cultivate well—by Nascent Soul, you'll be impressive!"

"I'm off!"

Without further words, Xiao Yaozi, with Qiao Hui Zhu and Bi Yun Immortal, departed.

…

After Xiao Yaozi left, He Pingsheng also rose and left Hongshi City.

He piloted the Eight Treasures Boat toward Tianqiang Mountain.

He needed to ask Mi Cangyuan about the Golden Core Dao Path.

Tianqiang Mountain!

Mi family!

Mi Cangyuan was not at home.

But Qi Suyin was.

She wore a bright red Dao robe, dignified and beautiful.

Seeing He Pingsheng, Qi Suyin's face lit up. "My benefactor—quick, please sit!"

"I'll brew you some Snow Lotus tea!"

"Taste it first!"

"Old Mi went up the snowy mountain to gather snow lotuses—he's not here now."

"But it doesn't matter—he'll return by sunset."

Qi Suyin personally brewed tea for He Pingsheng.

A faint, fragrant aroma drifted through the air.

As He Pingsheng sipped tea, he opened his spiritual sense, surveying every corner of the Mi household.

There were few disciples—only dozens—but each one moved with ease and freedom, unbound by constraint.

In that instant, He Pingsheng suddenly envied Mi Cangyuan's life.

Sometimes, stillness is good.

Especially the stillness atop this snowy mountain—it offered a different kind of beauty.

When the sun set behind the mountains, Mi Cangyuan returned.

Seeing He Pingsheng, he was delighted. "Brother Xu—you've come…"

"Master Mi!" He Pingsheng bowed. "I've come to ask you a question."

"Mm."

Mi Cangyuan swept his sleeve and sat down.

Qi Suyin quietly withdrew.

The small room now held only him and Mi Cangyuan.

Mi Cangyuan said, "Brother Xu, ask freely."

"Thank you, Master," He Pingsheng took a deep breath. "My wife recently achieved Core Formation—and like you, she attained the Golden Core Dao Path."

"Ah?" Mi Cangyuan was startled. "That's wonderful!"

"You want to ask me…"

"Yes," He Pingsheng said. "We can't obtain the ingredients for the Dao-Completing Pill, so I've come to ask—how did you originally repair your innate Dao root deficiency?"

"And how did you awaken Dao at the Golden Core stage?"

Mi Cangyuan frowned, sipped tea, and said, "That is indeed a major question."

"Brother Xu, I'll be honest—my situation was different."

"After I achieved the Golden Core Dao Path, I couldn't find the Dao-Completing Pill, but I didn't rush to awaken Dao."

"Because if your Dao root is inherently deficient, awakening Dao would only harm it."

"At that time, I met Suyin."

"Suyin's cultivation was still very low."

"I promised her I'd spend my life with her, so I halted my cultivation and waited for her to advance."

"I waited for one jiazi—sixty years."

"In those sixty years, my Dao root repaired itself."

"In truth, every person's Dao root works this way—it doesn't improve with cultivation level, but with time."

"As long as time passes, it will repair itself."

Hearing this, He Pingsheng understood at once.

Self-repair.

In other words, if Qiao Hui Zhu's Dao root were left untouched, it too would repair itself.

However, it would take sixty years.

Sixty years?

Sixty years!

Given Qiao Huizhu's current talent, wouldn't sixty years be enough to bring her to the Nascent Soul realm?

What's the point of completing it only after reaching Nascent Soul?

It's as good as nothing.