Chapter 277 - 283: On the Dao

Words : 1457 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

"Fellow Daoist, your talent is truly extraordinary; this old Alchemist of Shen Leishan sincerely admires you!" the old Alchemist said with heartfelt admiration. "It is rare for all of us to gather together, why don't we have a discussion about the Tao; what do you say?" the third-grade Alchemist from Sun Family of Pill Mountain also spoke up. "What Sun Daoist has said is very true!" The eyes of the second-grade Alchemists instantly lit up, thinking that perhaps after this lecture, they might have an epiphany and breakthrough in the art of alchemy? And so, they voiced their agreement one after another. Even more forthright, someone directly said, "I shall cast a brick to attract jade; I hope my fellow Daoists will not find my contribution lacking." Without giving others the chance to object, he began to share his understanding of Alchemy, and spoke of his own valuable experience and insights. It's likely that apart from that one secret skill, he shared everything else about Alchemy. Even Li Zhirui, a third-grade Alchemy Master, gained something from it. Li Zhirui silently sighed in his heart; he had no choice but to accept this cause and effect! Moreover, to repay this karmic debt, he must also bring out his true skills. The other Alchemists present felt the same, but if everyone did as he did, they could cancel out the cause and effect with each other. If someone was unwilling, they would probably be thrown out by everyone together and would offend the several dozen Golden Core cultivators present, alongside owing the karmic debt of the lecture given before. You should know that right after that Golden Core gave his lecture, Li Zhirui specifically cast spells to shield people like Li Shiqing from listening, precisely to avoid taking on this karmic debt. The other Golden Cores did the same, actively excluding their juniors from behind them. Li Zhirui crushed the myriad thoughts in his mind into dust and continued to listen attentively to the Golden Cores' lectures. Under the circumstance that they nearly took out all of their foundations, Li Zhirui's level in Alchemy also kept rising. He even learned a new Alchemy method, named Hidden Pill Skill. Once this method is applied, it allows a Spirit Pill to contain more Spiritual Energy, thereby enhancing the medicinal effect. After all these second-grade Alchemists had finished speaking—yes, not a single one of the dozens of Golden Core cultivators hid anything, and all brought out their secret skills! Actually, when you think about it, it's normal. If they didn't bring out something good, how could they possibly get Li Zhirui and the others to share the methods of a third-grade Alchemist? After all, this might be their best chance at approaching the level of a third-grade Alchemy Master. If they missed it, it would be nearly impossible to come across such an opportunity again in the future! When the last Golden Core finished speaking, and after everyone had digested his words, their eyes turned to Li Zhirui and the other two with eager anticipation. "Since I was the one who suggested it, I'll start," the Golden Core from the Sun Family smiled. "The Water-Fire Cauldron forms the pill embryo, all depending on wielding the Li and Kan, as Gold and Wood race against each other..." A hint of astonishment crossed Li Zhirui's eyes; this was not only an Alchemy Method, but also a Cultivation Technique. However, his words were incomplete and could not be practiced, but even this fragmentary phrase was enough to reveal the extraordinariness of the technique, because it directly pointed to the Nascent Soul! You must understand, the Li family's inherited Wanling Sutra only contains the Golden Core volume. The Nascent Soul volume is lost, and Wanling Gate might still have it; as for even further cultivation methods, the Li family has no news whatsoever. That's to say, the highest cultivation level in the Li family currently is only early-stage Golden Core, a far cry from Breaking the Pill into a Baby. That's why they hadn't been in a hurry to search for the subsequent techniques. The Li family definitely wants to find the later parts of the Wanling Sutra, but if it proves impossible, they'll have to switch to another Cultivation Technique! By then, the Wanling Sutra's associated Contracted Spirit Beasts would still exist, since they are imprinted in the Spiritual Soul. But effects such as transferring Mana after a breakthrough in realm to the other party would no longer exist. Li Zhirui had originally planned to return to Bailang County after his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, to check if there was any news of the disciples from Wanling Gate, but who could have expected so many things to happen afterwards? He had no choice but to wait for the great war between the immortals and the demons to end. Yet just as it concluded, Shen Leishan decided to take action against the Devil Race of the Great Void Province, leading to further delays in his plans, and until now, he still hadn't set out. But on second thought! Having listened attentively to the teachings of the Sun Family's Jindan, Li Zhirui felt a faint sense of enlightenment and sensed that his level of Alchemy had improved slightly. He wasn't the only one; many among the crowd with Golden Cores showed happy expressions, seemingly having gained substantial benefits, giving them hope for a breakthrough. "This is Li's home ground, so it would be best for you to wrap things up," said the old Alchemist with a faint smile after everyone had opened their eyes. "As you all know, the art of Alchemy is about extracting the essence of Spiritual Medicine and then harmonizing it with sovereigns, ministers, assistants..." If the teachings of the Sun Family's Jindan were considered profound and sophisticated, then the Tao of Alchemy he spoke of was extremely basic and common. However, in Li Zhirui's view, the old man's teachings were even more impressive, as he was truly imparting his own Alchemy experience. If they could fully grasp his insights, there would definitely be several more third-grade Alchemists among the Golden Core Cultivators present! Therefore, as everyone emerged from their meditative realizations, they all stood up to express their respect, saying, "Li, your great kindness! Please accept our bow!" Li Zhirui secretly worried, for it was now his turn to impart knowledge! The topics discussed by the others were becoming increasingly important; how could he not bring out some of his most treasured skills? After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke, "My method of Alchemy differs from that of my fellow Daoists, but though paths in the Great Tao may vary, they lead to the same destination. I hope everyone here can gain something after listening." He emulated the old Alchemist's style of teaching and started from the Basics of Pill Concocting, incorporating his unique insights and techniques on Alchemy. Of course, some content was merely touched upon briefly as he would need at least ten days and a half a month to go through everything in detail. Even so, everyone was quite satisfied, as Li Zhirui had taught them a little trick for removing the toxicity from pills, which wouldn't increase the difficulty of Alchemy! "A single word from the Daoist friend brings about a thousand realizations; I am truly ashamed of my own inferiority." The Sun Family's Jindan also said, "If the Daoist friend would not mind, I would like to visit you in the future to discuss the Tao with you." "Thank you for imparting the methods!" The other Golden Core Cultivators also spoke up, expressing their gratitude to Li Zhirui. Although the Li family had other motives for hosting the pill appraisal conference, if not for this opportunity, they would not have had the chance to gain insights that could lead to a third-grade breakthrough in Alchemy. And regardless of whether they would be able to concoct third-grade Spirit Pills in the future, the Methods Li Zhirui spoke of were greatly beneficial to them. So even though they also shared their knowledge, they could only repay part of the karmic debt; the remaining debt might not be much, but it was certainly no problem to consider it a favor owed. The Golden Core Cultivator from the Green Bamboo Sect at the side heaved a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: Thankfully, the sect did not act against the Li family, for just the favors of these Golden Cores would be enough to put the Green Bamboo Sect in a very difficult position.

Chapter 277 - 283: On the Dao

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