Chapter 665: Single-Hearted Bitter Cultivation (Combined Chapter)

Mount Mount Dongxuan, a small grotto-heaven at the three-hundred-and-sixty-third step.

Li Yuan presented his inner-disciple token and knocked; once granted permission, he stepped inside, and the moment he entered, he saw clouds of colored mists stretching across the sky.

This small grotto-heaven belonged to the "Cloud-Mist District."

True to its name, it was a grotto-heaven rich in clouds and colored mists.

"What a sea of clouds!"

Li Yuan looked around and could not help sighing in admiration.

Apart from clouds and colored mists of every hue, this small grotto-heaven held nothing else; stepping inside was like wading into a sea of clouds—above, below, to every side, all he saw were clouds and mists of every kind.

"Junior Brother Li!"

Li Yuan was still taking it all in when the mist before him suddenly parted, revealing a handsome-featured Daoist in a deep-blue Daoist robe who cupped his hands in greeting.

This handsome Daoist was named Wang Wang Jingyi; he was the master of this Cloud-Mist small grotto-heaven, an auditing disciple of Mount Mount Dongxuan, and the third Mount Mount Dongxuan disciple Li Yuan had seen since entering the mountain.

'A top-grade spirit-treasure-grade Nine-Smoke Gauze!'

Li Yuan's peripheral glance swept over the nine-colored clouds wreathing the Daoist's body, and he cupped his hands in return.

"I've heard Junior Brother Li speak of Junior Brother Li's heaven-bestowed talent; now that I see you in person, the reputation is indeed well deserved!"

Wang Wang Jingyi gave Li Yuan an unobtrusive once-over, then with a smile invited him inside.

Li Yuan followed him into the sea of clouds.

All around, the colored mists wove together, the spiritual Qi was abundant, and the scenery—so unlike that of other small grotto-heavens—made him click his tongue in wonder.

Wang Wang Jingyi led the way ahead, introducing the various spirit-materials of the Cloud-Mist District as they went.

The Cloud-Mist District abounded in all manner of spirit-clouds; such spirit-clouds were superior spirit-materials for refining many dharma treasures—for instance, treasures like the Nine-Smoke Gauze, the Cloud-Mist Daoist Robe, and the Cloud-Light Divine Water all required spirit-clouds.

But besides spirit-clouds, there were also many other spirit-materials, such as the "Cloud-Aurora Qi," "Wind-Aurora Qi," and "Fire-Aurora Qi" that gourd Dao-soldiers took daily and needed for advancement.

Before long, the two arrived at a palace standing tall within the sea of clouds.

This palace was entirely nine-colored, clearly forged from cloud-mist; divine patterns flowed within it, intricate and strictly ordered—it was not merely a traveling palace, but also a dharma treasure.

【Cloud-Aurora Palace (Thirteenth Tier)】

【???】

Li Yuan swept a glance, and the image of this treasure had already been reflected clearly in his Weapon-Soldier Register.

The Cloud-Aurora Palace was similar to the Nine-Smoke Gauze as a traveling-type dharma treasure, but far more intricate and exquisite; the latter was at most a single sheet of cloud, whereas this palace gathered together thousands upon thousands of clouds and mists, with all manner of divine patterns and divine prohibitions.

It was unmistakably already a divine treasure.

The grades of dharma treasures were divided by "Qi Jin Zhong" tiers—one layer of weapon-prohibition made a dharma treasure, nine layers made a top-grade dharma treasure, and an ultimate-grade dharma treasure had eighteen layers of weapon-prohibition.

Spirit-treasures had thirty-six, top-grade spirit-treasures seventy-two, ultimate-grade spirit-treasures one hundred and eight.

Once that number was broken through and the weapon-prohibitions unified into one, it became a divine treasure.

Of course, weapon-prohibitions only concerned the tier; actual power still depended on how many divine prohibitions were contained within.

A spirit-treasure-grade Nine-Smoke Gauze with three divine prohibitions was not necessarily inferior to an ultimate-grade dharma-treasure-grade Nine-Smoke Gauze with nine divine prohibitions.

"This is the Cloud-Aurora Palace, refined by Wang over the years from gathered cloud-mist divine patterns; it can barely count as a treasure."

Wang Wang Jingyi smiled and raised a hand, inviting Li Yuan inside.

Wang Wang Jingyi spoke modestly, but how could Li Yuan fail to read his meaning? He immediately sighed in admiration: "Senior Brother is too modest; this treasure is truly wonderfully profound—any who see it cannot help but envy it."

"Junior Brother overpraises!"

A newly admitted inner disciple was still an inner disciple; hearing Li Yuan's praise, Wang Wang Jingyi was naturally in excellent spirits, and invited him inside, where he poured cups of top-grade spirit-tea.

After a few exchanges of pleasantries, Li Yuan stated his purpose:

"Senior Brother, this junior brother has come not only to purchase some Cloud-Aurora Qi, but also to buy a top-quality spirit-cloud, for refining a Nine-Smoke Gauze."

"Refining a Nine-Smoke Gauze?"

Wang Wang Jingyi was not surprised—among Mount Mount Dongxuan disciples, from true inheritors down to nominal ones, there was not a single one who did not practice the Nine-Smoke Gauze; that was exactly the trade he dealt in.

"Mm…"

After a brief hesitation, Wang Wang Jingyi raised a hand and produced a list, on which were more than four hundred kinds of spirit-clouds, each annotated with its use and price:

"Junior Brother may pick one or two first."

The grade of a spirit-material, to a certain extent, influenced the grade of the dharma treasure; the more superior the spirit-material, the more divine prohibitions and divine patterns it could bear.

Take the same Nine-Smoke Gauze: if one used top-grade spirit-material, it could be refined up to one hundred and eight layers of weapon-prohibition; if one used low-grade spirit-material, no matter how much one washed and tempered it, it would struggle to advance to spirit-treasure grade.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan flipped through the list, calculating and choosing.

If possible, he naturally wanted the most expensive spirit-cloud, but the price was truly more than he could accept.

For instance, the most expensive on the list, the "Supreme-Splendor Cloud Qi," was priced as high as one Da Gong!

"This Supreme-Splendor Cloud Qi?"

Li Yuan could not help asking.

"This cloud qi is gathered from the circulating cloud qi of the heavens; it is a topmost-grade spirit-cloud, and its marvels cannot be told in a word or two…"

Wang Wang Jingyi lowered his voice:

"Let me put it this way—even the celebration-clouds of several true-inheritor senior brothers, and even of the Master himself, contain this qi…"

"So that's how it is!"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up slightly.

As for celebration-clouds, he had read about them in a senior brother's travelogue in the Scripture-Storing Pavilion.

That senior brother, no one knew how many generations he had been admitted, had even taken part in the great event of opening up the Opening Gui Xu; the travelogue recorded some of his experiences.

Among them were quite a few records concerning Lord Lord Tianyu's "Universe-Spanning Celebration-Cloud," described in words of endless reverence and worship, which left a deep impression on him.

"Dodging through the void and breaking through realms, protecting the Dao and shielding the body, concealing heavenly secrets, suppressing fortune…"

Li Yuan turned the thought over in his mind, but after looking at the price, he shook his head and gave up — one Da Gong, he really couldn't bear to part with it.

"The base material of a magic treasure can be refined, and it can also be further refined later. Once Junior Brother advances to True Transmission in the future, buying this Lingyun then won't be too late."

Wang Wang Jingyi felt it was a pity in his heart, but the smile on his face was sincere, as if he truly believed Li Yuan would one day become a True Transmission disciple.

"I'll borrow Senior Brother's auspicious words, but as for the True Transmission seat…"

Li Yuan gave a wry smile. He wouldn't believe such words. He cast one reluctant glance at the top-grade Lingyun on the list, and after much deliberation, he still chose a 'Nine Smoke Cloud'.

As the name suggests, this was a Lingyun specifically used to refine the Nine Smoke Luo, belonging to the upper-grade Lingyun.

In theory, using this cloud to refine the Nine Smoke Luo could support this treasure's advancement to a top-grade Lingbao.

"Two Nine Smoke Clouds, ten Xiao Gong, three thousand jin of Cloud Gang, half a Xiao Gong… mm, ten Xiao Gong in total. Consider that Cloud Gang a gift from Senior Brother."

Wang Wang Jingyi voluntarily rounded off the fraction.

"Then many thanks, Senior Brother."

After tallying the goods, Li Yuan rose and took his leave.

……

"Entering the sect straight into the inner chamber — truly enviable."

After watching Li Yuan depart, Wang Wang Jingyi returned to the Cloud Gang Hall. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.

Inner chamber disciples received twelve Xiao Gong per year, six more than auditing disciples — that wasn't much, but the former could receive one Da Gong every hundred years!

And for veteran disciples like them, the biggest gap lay in 'entering the inner chamber'.

When the Master preached the Dao, they could only audit, but inner chamber disciples could enter the hall and ask questions directly…

"Entering the inner chamber — difficult indeed!"

After sipping his tea, Wang Wang Jingyi was in a rather good mood. The Nine Smoke Clouds wouldn't earn him many Xiao Gong, but future advancements would require more Nine Smoke Clouds — that was also a considerable income.

Setting down his teacup, he took out his Tongshi Ball, skillfully opened the friends interface, and switched to the 'Auditing Registration' interface.

【A certain Li traveled far to Bei Chen Fa Jie, and by chance helped Junior Brother Yu behead a Ban Liu Jing nine-headed serpent, obtaining a gourd full of nine-headed serpent blood. Any fellow disciples in need, come find me quickly!】

Upon opening this interface, Wang Wang Jingyi was startled. When he clicked on the light-shadow Li Li Xuanyong had posted to this interface, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

The blood of a Ban Liu Jing spirit beast was already extremely valuable, let alone the blood of a nightmare nine-headed serpent from the royal clan of Opening Gui Xu exotic beasts. Such a large gourd would be worth at least two or three Da Gong!

"Junior Brother Yu treats him far too well!"

Seeing the fellow disciples in the interface stirring up a fuss to buy the serpent blood, Wang Wang Jingyi grew even more envious.

Li Li Xuanyong was only a registered disciple; whether in talent or family background, he was far inferior to Wang Wang Jingyi. But just because he was on good terms with Yu Yu Wangxian, his cultivation progress was actually not much slower than Wang Wang Jingyi's had been back then.

"Yu Yu Wangxian, ah…"

Thinking of that big-bearded man, Wang Wang Jingyi couldn't even muster the emotion of envy anymore.

Among the disciples of Mount Mount Dongxuan, those who had cultivated Dharma Heavens were not few, whether registered or auditing — but how many could reverse creation itself, transforming an acquired talent into a congenital Dao body?

As for him, his talent had transformed several times yet only barely reached sixth rank. The distance to the 'seventh-rank Divine Demon Talent' that nurtured a divine body seemed to be only one rank, but in reality the gap was enormous — let alone a congenital Dao body.

"This Junior Brother Li also has Divine Demon-level talent. I wonder what Dharma body he has nurtured?"

Wang Wang Jingyi silently closed the Tongshi Ball, his thoughts drifting:

"Congenital Supreme Yang Dao Body, ah…"

……

……

Whooo—

Whooo—

On the Qi-Gathering Platform, Li Yuan sat cross-legged. A swirl of nine-colored cloud-rainbow flowed around his body like water-waves, sometimes transforming into various forms — dragon or tiger, eagle or bird, blade or weapon — shifting and reshaping at will according to his thoughts.

"Refining treasures is even simpler than I imagined."

Li Yuan extended his hand. The nine-colored cloud-rainbow gathered in his palm, winding around his fingers like a little snake. Sensing the three great divine prohibitions flowing within in perfect harmony, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Treasure refinement complete!"

Master Li's treasure refinement went very smoothly.

This might be thanks to his rich experience in form-changing combinations. At least, combining divine patterns into prohibitions posed no difficulty for him; he even felt he had quite a talent for the path of treasure refinement.

"Too bad treasure-refinement arts require massive investment. I'll have to wait until I have a stable source of income before cultivating it."

Li Yuan toyed with the cloud-rainbow in his hand, deeply feeling that cultivating treasure-refinement arts was no easy matter.

The Nine Smoke Luo had only three kinds of divine prohibitions: 'Cloud', 'Gang', and 'Qi'. Driven by magic power, it could soar through the air, gathering and dispersing formlessly, and possessed the ability to transform Gang into body protection.

But this was only refinement-complete; it was far from perfection.

Normally, upgrading the Nine Smoke Luo's prohibitions would damage its body, requiring Lingyun to be refined in to replenish it. By his estimate, refining it to one hundred and eight layers of prohibitions would require consuming at least twenty or thirty Lingyun.

"One layer of prohibitions, ten thousand li in a day — the defensive power is admittedly mediocre compared to the Dharma Robe on my body, but for a three-prohibition travel treasure, having one is already not bad."

Li Yuan loosened his hand, and the cloud-rainbow had already sunk into the Dharma Robe he wore.

He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment. The cloud-rainbow gathered and dispersed formlessly, clinging tightly to his skin like an invisible barrier, yet not affecting his Tun Tu Fa of magic power — truly wondrous.

Compared to Dharma Arts, driving a magic treasure consumed far less magic power, making it very useful for body protection and combat. The only downside was that nurturing a magic treasure required magic power, and so did the treasure's advancement.

Li Yuan swallowed an Shan Xuan Shui Dan, attempted to circulate magic power, and performed Xing Gong once.

During Xing Gong, he focused his perception and could faintly sense the Nine Smoke Luo slowly drawing in spiritual Qi, using it to nourish the three great divine prohibitions within his body, slowly pushing forward its own advancement.

"Compared to normal Xing Gong, magic power growth is reduced by roughly one-thousandth…"

Li Yuan's control over himself was minute; no matter how slight the change, he understood it completely. After Xing Gong, he already knew exactly how much impact nurturing one additional magic treasure had on himself.

"One-thousandth isn't much. Calculating, a thousand years of bitter cultivation would only lose one year. But the Nine Smoke Luo only has one layer of prohibitions — if it were one hundred and eight layers, wouldn't magic power progress shrink by a tenth?"

"One hundred and eight layers is only a top-grade Lingbao. What if it were a Divine Treasure, a top-grade Divine Treasure, or even a Quasi-Dao Treasure?"

"And this is just one item. If there were several more, what then?"

Li Yuan did a rough calculation, frowning slightly, yet feeling quite a few things click into place in his heart.

Why refining treasures is a thankless task, why the books mention that more treasures are not necessarily better, why many cultivators even possess only a single natal spirit treasure.

"No wonder gourd Dao soldiers are not well-liked. If cultivators can't even afford to raise treasures, how could they squander magic power to raise Dao soldiers?"

Lin Li glanced at the black-skinned little gourd not far away, which was breathing in and out 'Cloud Gang.' Gourd Dao soldiers could slowly harvest divine patterns and store them, and the gourd sword Qi refined from breathing in all manner of gang Qi was also quite powerful in might—by every measure, an upper-grade Dao soldier.

But add the drawback of consuming cultivation progress, and to the disciples of Mount Mount Dongxuan at least, it became a lower-grade one.

"Refining treasures requires Yao Shen Zhong. As for gourd Dao soldiers, at most these two, no more. The realm is the foundation."

Lin Li turned the thought over in his mind, felt the treasure light on his body, and nodded slightly:

"With the 'Sea-Suppressing Shan Xuan Turtle Armor' and 'Two-Colored Azure Dragon Armor' augmenting me, my defense is already not weak. Once the Daoist robe and Nine-Smoke Veil are refined, it will be even more secure. At the very least, ordinary second-realm spells shouldn't be able to wound me."

"The Nine-Smoke Veil is already complete; I only need to nurture it with magic power for steady improvement. Next, I need to cultivate 'Shan Xuan Gang Zhong Shui.'"

Lin Li let out a long breath.

He greatly enjoyed this feeling of proceeding step by step, of constantly making progress and improving—it gave him an inexpressible sense of fulfillment.

"Buzz~"

Lin Li was about to return to the bamboo tower to refine his arts when the Tongshiqiu suddenly trembled lightly. He focused slightly and discovered the 'Visiting Friends' interface was flickering.

"Qi Yun? Looks like he hasn't gone into closed-door cultivation yet, otherwise the response wouldn't be this fast."

Lin Li guessed inwardly.

When he heard from Ling Yin that Qi Yun was about to enter closed-door cultivation to refine the 'Fa Tian,' he had wanted to make friends with him in advance.

Especially after learning that this person was one of the three registered auditing disciples cultivating the 'Dongji Qing Emperor Longevity Scripture,' he paid even more attention.

The 'Shan Xuan Teng She Ti' of a peak fifth-realm expert was simply too valuable to him.

……

Mount Mount Dongxuan, five-hundred-step platform lesser grotto-heaven.

This was an unowned lesser grotto-heaven. Within it there were no spirit fields, no mountains or rivers converging—only a single, immensely vast stone platform like a continent.

On the platform, seemingly cast from Bai Yu, endless divine patterns flowed and interwove into formations, bearing archways of varying heights and colors.

This was the Domain Gate Area.

Buzz~

In an instant, a pale-blue massive domain gate trembled lightly, and a Daoist in blue robes stepped leisurely into the place.

"Halt!"

Like thunder exploding in the void, the sound waves were like thunder, audible hundreds of miles away.

"Registered disciple Qi Yun, returning to the mountain for closed-door cultivation."

The blue-robed Daoist produced an iron token and waved it, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

The Domain Gate Area was a vital point for Mount Mount Dongxuan's travel between domains, and its guard was extremely strict. Anyone who was not a disciple of Mount Mount Dongxuan and entered without the token would be instantly suppressed and slain by the 'Shan Xuan Ji Dao Soldiers' guarding the domain gates.

Let alone that he had not yet refined the Fa Tian—even if he had, he still could not withstand these Shan Xuan Ji Dao Soldiers.

There was no other reason: these were Lord Lord Tianyu's Dao soldiers!

"You may enter!"

Thunder exploded again in the void.

"Many thanks, guards."

Qi Yun cupped his hands again and put away the token.

He looked up. On the massive platform, domain gates stood in great numbers; occasionally a few people came and went, but most of the time it was very quiet.

And those Shan Xuan Ji Dao soldiers…

His peripheral vision swept over the two solemn and majestic giant human faces in the sky, and awe welled up in Qi Yun's heart.

The Shan Xuan Ji Dao soldiers were top-grade Dao soldiers of Daluo Mountain. Before the Dao Lord achieved his Dao, he had refined three thousand of them. Ten thousand years ago they were already renowned, and now, over ten thousand years later, they were even more awe-inspiring to behold.

'They say among the domain gates there is the 'Gate of Myriad Wonders' refined by the Dao Lord presiding over them—a pity I could not see it in person… That is the legendary Fa You Yuan Ling.'

Qi Yun muttered to himself as he walked out of the Domain Gate Area.

Just as he was about to return to his cave abode for closed-door cultivation, he suddenly thought of something and took out the Tongshiqiu from the 'Fa Fa Jie.' Before he could open it, he heard a buzzing tremor—many people were contacting him.

There were family elders in Ziwei Heaven, merchants in Tian Shi Yuan who cooperated with him, fellow Daoists who joined him in exploring the Opening Gui Xu, and most of the messages came from the 'Auditing Registered' interface.

"Junior Brother Yu slew a Zhun Liu Jing nightmare nine-headed serpent?"

"Junior Sister Yu is recruiting people to explore a demon-refining ground?"

"In a You Jing belonging to Taiwei Yuan, a near-sixth-realm ominous land has emerged?"

"Many holy land Dao children in Tian Shi Yuan are putting up bounties for traces of the 'Blood Phoenix'—one hundred million Yuan coins…"

……

Qi Yun walked unhurriedly toward his cave abode, browsing through the various messages.

He had a pile of interfaces similar to 'Auditing Registered,' but the one he paid most attention to was naturally the information from his fellow senior brothers and junior brothers.

【…In Tian Shi Yuan, a Ru Dao Jing youth received the acknowledgment of the guiding divine fire left behind by 'Martial Uncle Tian Ying,' and ultimately entered Mount Mount Dongxuan. Upon joining he became an inner disciple, led in by Fayin Fayin Tongzi…】

【…The disciple registry shows this youth is named Lin Li, with god-demon grade aptitude. Upon joining, he comprehended a great scripture in the Sea of Divine Patterns, suspected to be the 'Dongji Qing Emperor Longevity Scripture'…】

"Inner disciple upon joining?!"

Qi Yun was startled. This piece of intelligence did not come from the 'Auditing Registered' interface, but from a true-transmission senior brother he knew—'Master Master Fuyuan.'

Only true-transmission disciples were qualified to browse all disciple information in the registry.

"Lin Li?"

Qi Yun looked at the familiar name, suddenly recalled something, and scrolled down:

"He actually took the initiative to add me as a friend?"

Qi Yun was quite surprised.

He was a registered disciple who, after reaching Xiu Cheng Wu Jing, was introduced by that Master Master Fuyuan and only managed to enter Mount Mount Dongxuan's gates by offering an extremely rare heavenly material and earthly treasure. In a sense, he was not an orthodox disciple of Mount Mount Dongxuan.

On ordinary days, although he did interact with the other senior and junior brothers, his name was never prominent…

"Wait, is it because of the Dongji Green Emperor Longevity Scripture?"

Qi Yun suddenly understood.

He was a registered disciple who had entered through a true transmission's introduction, offering a treasure at the door, and the 'Mysterious Yellow Mother Qi Source Root' he had offered back then was of extremely high value, so he had exchanged it for a copy of the Dongji Green Emperor Longevity Scripture.

Apart from this, he should have had no other notable deeds on Mount Mount Dongxuan.

"God-and-Demon endowment, inner disciple, upon entering the door comprehended the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture… top-tier talent, astonishing comprehension, one blessed with great fortune!"

After a brief calculation in his heart, Qi Yun still accepted Li Yuan's friend request, deliberating on how he should converse with this newly admitted inner junior brother.

He was not the type to cultivate in single-minded seclusion; over the years he had run back and forth more than a little for cultivation resources, and naturally had seen many such youthful, world-shaking prodigies who had risen to sudden glory.

But while he was still deliberating, a divine sense already came from the other end, as if that Junior Brother Li had been waiting for him all along.

"Senior Brother Qi Yun, Li Yuan apologizes for the disturbance."

A warm, gentle light rose within the communication sphere, weaving into a shadow at the bottom of his eyes; within the light and shadow was a young Daoist wearing the robes of Mount Mount Dongxuan, cupping his hands in a bow, his manner respectful and cautious.

"Junior Brother Li, my greetings."

Seeing that he did not seem the arrogant sort, Qi Yun returned the courtesy:

"Junior Brother seeks me out — is there some important matter?"

"To answer Senior Brother Qi, when Junior Brother entered the sect he was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture. A few days ago in the Scripture Depository, on the recommendation of the scripture worms, I borrowed the cultivation notes Senior Brother had left there, and could not help but be struck with awe at their brilliance…"

"Therefore I take the liberty of intruding; I hope Senior Brother Qi will not begrudge his guidance!"

Across the light and shadow, Li Yuan bowed deeply, his long sleeves brushing the ground.

"Junior Brother Li need not be so formal."

Qi Yun had not expected him to open with such a grand bow, and was caught off guard, unable to stop him in time.

But he was at the critical juncture of refining the Dharma Heaven, and truly had no mind to instruct others.

Yet this Junior Brother Li's observance of etiquette was too thorough, making it somewhat difficult for him to refuse.

After all, this was no Second-Realm cultivator from among the myriad realms, but an inner disciple of Mount Mount Dongxuan, a world-shaking prodigy with a God-and-Demon endowment — one who, barring an untimely fall, would surely refine the Dharma Heaven.

"…To be frank with Junior Brother, this time Senior Brother has returned to Huishan to enter closed-door seclusion to refine a treasure; I'm afraid I won't have much leisure…"

Qi Yun paused, then said:

"Before entering seclusion, I do have some time. If Junior Brother does not mind, you may come sit for a while at Senior Brother's cave dwelling; there is no need to speak of any seeking of guidance…"

"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

On the other end of the light and shadow, Li Yuan was also rather surprised, not having expected this Senior Brother Qi, who was about to refine the Dharma Heaven, to be so easy to talk to.

You see, his going straight to the point to ask for guidance was precisely to make Qi Yun refuse…

"Junior Brother need not be so polite. Qi lives in the 126th-tier minor grotto-heaven…"

Though he did not know what this Senior Brother Qi was thinking, Daoist Li's skill at climbing the pole one offered him was already maxed out; he immediately gave his sleeves a light shake, bowed solemnly, and said:

"After Junior Brother bathes and changes, I shall pay my respects to Senior Brother early tomorrow morning!"

Bathe and change…

After the light and shadow dispersed, Qi Yun first froze, then felt both surprised and a headache coming on.

Bathing and changing was an extremely high form of visitation etiquette for cultivators — as when a Dao Lord was to preach the Dao, the disciples would necessarily bathe and change, burn incense, and offer prayers.

But when had one ever seen an inner disciple bathe and change to pay respects to a registered disciple…

"This Junior Brother Li is quite a handful…"

Putting away the communication sphere, Qi Yun pondered inwardly.

He had originally meant to chat a few casual words and send him off, but now he was already mulling over what he should talk about…

…

A sleepless night, busy refining the Dharma.

Until the sky was about to brighten, a wisp of dim light bloomed on the third floor of the bamboo tower; Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes, spread his palm, and with a 'hum—',

a drop of water, black as ink, seeped out from his palm — it was precisely the 'Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water' he had refined by condensing various divine patterns into prohibitions.

"The Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water truly lives up to its record in the Black-Bottomed Dark Abyss Scripture — it is a Fa Shang Pin water art, and its magic prohibitions actually have no upper limit…"

Playing with the drop of Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water in his hand, Li Yuan was secretly astonished.

Magical treasures have artifact prohibitions, magical arts have magic prohibitions; the higher the grade, the greater the might. The Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water's magic prohibitions have no upper limit, which means that as long as one cultivates single-mindedly, its might can grow ever stronger.

And the grade of this art's magic prohibitions can be seen from the quantity alone.

The Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water secret manual also mentions that the cultivation of the Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water is to push qualitative change through quantitative change — from the first drop, to a pool, to a lake, to a river, to a sea…

"The Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water is born from the gathering of the essence-qi of water; its weight is like a small mountain. A pool of Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water could probably crush a Third-Realm cultivator to death…"

Feeling the weight of this drop of Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water, Li Yuan keenly perceived what it meant that human effort has its limits while Heaven and Earth are boundless.

He had altered ten thousand forms, cultivated the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture, and Wan Xing Ru Xue had further transformed into the true form of the Kun Peng. Before he had refined magic power, he already possessed the strength to move mountains; the strength of his body was such that even Third-Realm cultivators might not compare.

But compared to the power of Heaven and Earth channeled through magical arts…

"Let alone a pool — even gathering a single waterfall of Shan Xuan Water, I fear I wouldn't be able to bear it either."

Li Yuan flicked his finger.

The water-drop pierced the air soundlessly, its speed incomparably swift — several li in a single breath. When it landed on a distant barren mountain, there was a tremendous 'Boom—' and half of the barren mountain had already collapsed.

The Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water, true to its name, has as its core divine prohibitions 'Shan Xuan,' 'Gang,' 'Zhong,' and 'Shui.' Not only is it incomparably heavy, it also flies soundlessly, its speed incomparably swift.

Even more terrifyingly, a single drop of this water covers several li in an instant; a waterfall would cover dozens or hundreds of li in an instant; and a river or a sea would multiply its speed by who knows how much more.

"If one had a sea of it, wouldn't it be able to smash groups of Fifth-Realm cultivators to death?"

Li Yuan raised his hand to collect this drop of Shan Xuan Gang Heavy Water, and seeing the sky had brightened, rose and walked down the bamboo tower. Li Yi had long since boiled a great vat of medicinal bath water.

Daoist Li united knowledge and action.

When he said bathe and change, he meant bathe and change.

(End of this chapter)