"Greetings, Master."
Having returned from his trials, Liu Zhijian felt thoroughly transformed, as if he had shed his old skin.
He was no longer the tired angler with a face full of hardship; a single glance revealed him to be full of spirit, glowing with vigor and vitality.
"Mm."
Li Chengxuan nodded slightly, naturally most concerned about his meridian-opening progress. "How is your cultivation of the meridian-opening method coming along?"
Liu Zhijian was in high spirits. "I haven't disappointed Master's expectations. I have successfully opened my meridians and returned to the innate state."
Li Chengxuan was somewhat surprised, yet it also felt entirely within reason.
The [Dripping Water Pierces Stone Meridian-Opening Method] was extraordinarily slow to cultivate.
However, the [Kan Water] presence surrounding Liu Zhijian was dense and rich, and he had even drawn out the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao's consciousness before.
A mere meridian-opening naturally would not be an obstacle for him.
Relieved, Li Chengxuan asked about what he had seen and experienced after going down the mountain.
Liu Zhijian organized his thoughts briefly and recounted everything he had witnessed and experienced.
The most thrilling part was naturally the expedition to the flood dragon's abandoned dwelling.
Everyone had displayed their own unique tricks, with unexpected turns unfolding constantly.
Li Chengxuan smiled upon hearing this. "I have heard of this vicious flood dragon. Years ago, it brought disaster to the region until it was slain by Mount Taixuan's last Foundation Establishment Master."
Liu Zhijian suddenly came to a realization. He was not surprised; instead, he felt that this was exactly how it should be.
His sect was indeed one that punished evil and promoted good, not some demonic sect!
Liu Zhijian continued his story.
After leaving the flood dragon cave dwelling, Deng Gang managed to absorb qi and enter the Dao using the flood dragon's precious blood, becoming a Qi Refining cultivator.
With nowhere to go for the time being, the two simply joined forces to slay the fierce bandits of Mount Yandang, claiming the mountain to rule as kings while raising their banner to gather refugees.
It had to be said that while Liu Zhijian might have been ordinary on Earth, in the cultivation world, he was the absolute pinnacle of morality.
Li Chengxuan listened without committing to an opinion, asking, "Entering the Dao by absorbing flood dragon blood qi—which Dao lineage is that?"
Liu Zhijian had concealed his own origin from Mount Taixuan, so he naturally had not pried into another's cultivation secrets. He shook his head and said, "This disciple does not know, but it appears to be a body refinement path."
"Body refinement..."
Li Chengxuan frowned slightly, bowing his head in thought. "[Blood Qi]?! [Body Kui]?! Regrettably, since he absorbed qi to enter the Dao, it means the [Merit] that can be accumulated is reduced by another portion."
Liu Zhijian added, "There was also a hunchbacked old man on the mountain named Luo. He was originally a guard for the Fubo Gang's chief and seems to possess a unique bloodline, capable of transforming into a half-demon with formidable combat power."
Li Chengxuan did not take it to heart, explaining, "A thousand years ago, Nanya Province was the territory of the demon race, until it was conquered by our Old Method cultivators."
"Thus, even to this day, many mortal civilians carry demon bloodlines passed down through generations. However, most are extremely diluted, manifesting at most as slight abnormalities in physical appearance."
After covering Liu Zhijian's trials, Li Chengxuan also briefly brought up various matters regarding Earth.
In particular, the matter of Duanmu Ren refusing to cultivate.
Hearing this, Liu Zhijian's expression remained calm as he smiled and said, "What he said was very right, and what he did wasn't wrong either."
"Over there, I indeed lived an unsatisfactory life."
"Now that there's an opportunity to start from scratch under a brand-new set of rules, I am naturally willing."
Li Chengxuan nodded and asked, "Now that you have successfully opened your meridians, you can be considered to have set half a foot onto the path of cultivation. Do you wish to go back and take a look?"
Without hesitation, Liu Zhijian directly shook his head. "There is no need."
"I no longer have any family or friends over there. Even if I go back, what could I possibly do?"
Pausing, he smiled again. "Besides, I have only succeeded in opening my meridians and entering the Embryonic Breathing realm. Next, I still need to gather qi and absorb qi."
"To rush home in glory before accomplishing anything—no matter how others view it, I personally despise that kind of person."
Li Chengxuan listened and nodded with a smile.
It was quite amusing when he thought about it.
Of the two people he had chosen, Liu Zhijian did not want to return after arriving, while Duanmu Ren was unwilling to come at all.
The complexity of the human heart truly was the hardest thing to calculate.
After chatting casually, Li Chengxuan put away his smile and began discussing Liu Zhijian's upcoming cultivation. "Giving up the [Kan Water] Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth in the flood dragon cave dwelling means wasting years of painstaking effort for nothing. Do you truly not regret it?"
"If you regret it, I can go ask around; perhaps I can trade for it."
"There is no need."
Liu Zhijian shook his head. "There are many cheap fish in the market, but I don't like them. I would still rather catch them with my own hands."
Seeing his firm determination, Li Chengxuan did not press the matter and continued, "[Kan Water] is the proper aspect of Water Virtue, present in rivers and streams as water flowing endlessly without pause."
"Since ancient times, it has been a prominent Dao lineage in the world."
"It was not until the great war a thousand years ago, when the Old Method retreated to Nanya Province, that it gradually declined and ceased to be prominent in the world."
"In particular, Nanya Province is surrounded by sea on four sides and enveloped by [Heshui Water]. Thus, the [Kan Water] imagery is lacking, with only the White Dragon River being worthy of mention."
"If you wish to gather qi, you naturally can only gather that thread of [Clear Qi Above the River] from the White Dragon River."
"Our sect's ancient texts contain numerous records regarding this thread of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. You can consult them often in your future cultivation."
Speaking up to this point, he paused before adding, "Looking at it this way, it might not be a bad thing that you did not take that thread of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth from the flood dragon cave dwelling."
"Otherwise, you would have had to fumble through your cultivation entirely on your own."
Since it concerned his own Dao path, Liu Zhijian had naturally given it much thought. Relieved, he said, "When I chose the flood dragon's precious blood back then, besides honoring my friendship with Deng Gang, I was also thinking that Master had already set out a cultivation path for me."
"My cultivation is shallow and I haven't read much Dao theory. If I acted on my own initiative, I might step right into a pit and suffer great misfortune later on."
"It's better to play it safe."
"Since there is a broad highway to walk, there is no need to try to be clever and take shortcuts."
Li Chengxuan nodded again upon hearing this. "From the moment you chose your meridian-opening method, I could see your temperament."
"[Kan Water] encompasses many imageries, and there are many Immortal Foundations that can be cultivated through it."
"Since you are gathering [Clear Qi Above the River], it fits perfectly for you to cultivate [Old Man on the Stream] in the future."
This was precisely the benefit of joining a sect.
Opening meridians, gathering qi, and Foundation Establishment all had clear paths to follow.
Unlike rogue cultivators who simply practiced whatever meridian-opening method they could find, or skipped it entirely if they had none.
If they were lucky enough to find Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, they wouldn't care whether it was orthodox or not—just having it was good enough—so they would absorb qi and enter the Dao in a daze of confusion.
However, there was an advantage to that as well.
Rogue cultivators were generally destined never to achieve [Foundation Establishment], which saved them a lot of worries.
They didn't need to be like Liu Zhijian, who had to start planning early which Immortal Foundation to cultivate when he had only just opened his meridians.
Liu Zhijian noted it down earnestly, then asked cautiously, "This disciple likes fishing, so I naturally have no resistance toward this [Old Man on the Stream]."
"However, doesn't Purple Palace Golden Core emphasize the harmony of imagery?!"
"My gathering of [Clear Qi Above the River] seems to have a slight discrepancy with [Old Man on the Stream]."
Li Chengxuan was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Liu Zhijian to have thought things through to this extent. He explained patiently, "There is a reason behind this."
"As I mentioned before, [Kan Water] has always been a prominent Dao lineage."
"In ancient times, there was a [Kan Water] cultivator who attained a [Fruit Status] to become a Perfected Lord, and later even reached the level of an immortal, raising the presence of five Immortal Foundations to supreme heights."
"Back then, this Immortal Foundation was called [Immortal by the River]."
"Later cultivators naturally lacked the Dao wisdom of an immortal and could not cultivate such an overbearing Immortal Foundation. They could only settle for the next best thing and cultivate [Old Man on the Stream]."
"If your cultivation achieves success in the future and you elevate this Immortal Foundation to supreme heights, it may not be impossible to recreate the glorious era of [Kan Water]."
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