Longzang

Chapter 93 Unexpected Turn of Events (Bonus Chapter 4)

Just as Wei Yuan was puzzled, Xuan Yue Zhenjun's voice gradually returned to normal from its distortion: "...If you practice the 'Qianqing Zhengfa Yushi Jing', it may not be able to unleash the full potential of your Dao foundation. I have another book, 'Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian', which is infinitely varied and perfectly suited to you."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan didn't think much of it, but the other True Immortals were all greatly surprised. They all knew that True Lord Xuan Yue was supposed to impart the *Qianqing Zhengfa Yushi Jing*, a unique Daoist path of the Tianqing Palace, majestic and powerful, and the very technique that True Lord Xuan Yue relied on to make his name. Why had it suddenly changed to the *Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian*?
It's not that the "Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian" is bad; in terms of its myriad variations, this method is rarely matched. However, in terms of combat, offense, and defense, it is ultimately inferior to the Qianqing Zhengfa.

The True Persons of Tianqing Palace were all puzzled, while the Three True Persons of Shuiyue Palace were overjoyed. True Person Lanhua kept looking Wei Yuan up and down, his wicked intentions written all over his face.

Master Fenhai's face turned green, and he asked, "Why not impart the Qianqing Orthodox Dharma?"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun paused for a moment before saying, "The 'Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian' is even more suitable."

True Immortal Fenhai was clearly dissatisfied, but True Lord Xuanyue's attitude was exceptionally firm; he was determined to impart the Myriad Manifestations of Moonlight. Fenhai was unwilling to give up and tried to say a few more words, but seeing that the True Lord was about to teach him how to respect his master, he reluctantly shut his mouth. Fortunately, although he switched to cultivating the Myriad Manifestations of Moonlight, Wei Yuan remained a disciple of the Azure Sky Palace and did not transfer to the Water Moon Palace.

For Wei Yuan, it didn't really matter which technique he cultivated, since he didn't understand it anyway, and naturally he would follow the True Lord's arrangements. However, the words "Moonlight" in the technique's name made his heart tremble.

At that moment, True Lord Xuan Yue sent a wisp of Daoist essence into Wei Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness, saying, "This wisp of Daoist essence will help you comprehend the true meaning of this text. The cultivation method and techniques are contained in the Water Moon Palace, with one original text and three copies. The original text contains the insights of Immortal Lord Dao Tan, who pioneered this path. Although the copies do not contain the insights of an Immortal Lord, the predecessors of past generations have left behind many Daoist insights, which are actually no less valuable than the original text. Tomorrow, you should first go to the Water Moon Palace to study the original text. After you have memorized it, you can take a copy with you. However, you must not pass it on to outsiders, nor take it out of the palace. Do you understand?"

Wei Yuan bowed in thanks, and Xuan Yue Zhenjun then instructed Zhang Sheng to teach Wei Yuan the cultivation of the Dao Foundation Realm.

Although Zhang Sheng's main focus was on the "Qianqing Zhengfa Yushi Jing," he had also studied the "Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian," and had some knowledge of both paths, making him more than capable of teaching Wei Yuan.

As the two emerged from the Azure Sky Palace, Wei Yuan glanced back. For some reason, he felt the palace seemed to have darkened slightly. However, none of the True Immortals noticed anything amiss, and True Monarch Xuan Yue didn't find anything unusual either. Wei Yuan concluded that he was simply imagining things.

Leaving the Azure Sky Palace, Zhang Sheng immediately took Wei Yuan to the Water Moon Palace. Unlike the Azure Sky Palace, which was built on a cliff, the Water Moon Palace was built halfway up a mountain. Of the twelve palaces in the Taichu Palace, only three were built on the ground, and the Water Moon Palace was one of them.

Although not a suspended peak, the mountain where the Water Moon Palace is located is extremely beautiful, with many flowering trees of various colors such as blue and yellow, but predominantly blue. Each tree constantly emits wisps of pure fragrance, which becomes stronger as you go up. When you reach the main gate of the Water Moon Palace, it is clearly noon, but the sky is hazy, the sunlight is no longer strong, and the surrounding light is like that of early morning or evening.

After Zhang Sheng introduced himself to the temple's guards, he led Wei Yuan into the main hall. Upon entering, the sky above transformed into a night sky, with a huge, full moon hanging high, its rich, watery light constantly showering down.

Upon entering the Water Moon Palace, Wei Yuan instinctively wanted to lie down on the ground and tilt his head back to take a big gulp.

Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan to first pay homage to the ancestral masters of the Water Moon Palace in the main hall, and then they entered the back hall. Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan to a jade futon and had him sit down. There was only an empty wall in front of the futon.

Zhang Sheng lit three sticks of incense at the altar beside the hall and silently chanted incantations. The hall grew increasingly dark, and the stone wall in front of Wei Yuan gradually turned a translucent white. A wisp of cool, ethereal, and almost imperceptible Daoist aura emerged, followed by large swaths of text appearing on the stone wall. Wei Yuan was immersed in the Daoist aura, as if bathed in the ancient moonlight. The moonlight of the Taiyin (Moon) is unchanging throughout the ages, yet constantly changing; the moonlight of the next moment is different from that of the present. Between change and constancy, between ancient and modern times, lies boundless mystery.

This jade disc can bear the Daoist essence of an immortal, making it far superior to ordinary jade books. However, it is made from a single piece of jade and is difficult to move.

Countless characters on the jade wall flickered in and out, recounting the Great Dao of Taiyin. Wei Yuan had long forgotten the time, and by the time he had memorized the entire text, it was already the next morning. When Wei Yuan got up, he felt slightly dizzy; in just one night, his primordial spirit had been almost completely depleted.

Zhang Sheng, holding a jade tablet in his arms, was already waiting at the door. This jade tablet was one of the copies of "The Myriad Manifestations of the Lunar Moon," and because it only needed to contain the Daoist essence of the True Lord, it was much smaller and could be carried with him.

After a short while, Wei Yuan returned to his residence. Zhang Sheng put down the jade tablet and began to explain the cultivation of the Dao Foundation Realm to Wei Yuan.

The Primordial Palace further subdivides the Foundation Realm into three smaller realms, the first being Foundation Consolidation. As the name suggests, this smaller realm mainly focuses on stabilizing the newly formed Foundation, then striving to perfect it, tapping out all the potential of the Foundation, and planting the seed of a Dharma Image by burying one's own primordial spirit into the Foundation.

The second realm is called Susheng. In this realm, one must continuously nourish the foundation of the Dao with the primordial energy of heaven and earth, so that the seed of the Dharma form can grow and sprout, giving birth to the prototype of the Dharma form.

The final stage is the cultivation of spirit, in which the Dharma form will give birth to its own divine essence. When the divine essence is fully formed, the Dharma form will be realized.

These three minor realms are commonly known as the early, middle, and late stages. At each minor realm, the cultivator's strength will increase significantly, especially at the Spirit Nourishing stage, where the Dharma Aspect and Divine Charm have already emerged, and even ordinary Dao techniques will exhibit various miraculous effects.

However, upon reaching this stage of cultivation, great dangers begin to appear. Most people can naturally complete the first two stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but the Spirit Nourishing Realm is different. Achieving a naturally formed divine essence is extremely difficult, and even a slight deviation in the resulting Dharma Body is like a deformed infant, easily leading to death and the annihilation of one's Dao. Even among the disciples of the Primordial Palace, many know that achieving a Dharma Body is difficult and are forced to remain in the Spirit Nourishing Realm until their lifespan is nearing its end before risking a breakthrough.

After Zhang Sheng explained the division of the three realms of the Foundation Establishment stage, Wei Yuan realized that the Liao clan's young master's death that day was somewhat aggrieved. He had been too arrogant at the time, seeing that Wei Yuan was not yet at the Foundation Establishment stage, and thus allowed Wei Yuan to get close. However, he did not expect that with the blessing of the Madman of Heaven and Earth, Wei Yuan's physical strength had far surpassed his own. Otherwise, if Kanbida had kept his distance, Wei Yuan, who had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, would have had virtually no chance of killing him quickly, and would most likely have been saved by Xue Ying.

After imparting the Daoist teachings, Zhang Sheng said, "I need to go into seclusion to heal my injuries. You can cultivate on your own for the next few days. In addition, now that your Daoist foundation is established, you can go and take a look at the Mission Hall and the Merit Hall to familiarize yourself with them. You can exchange merit points for anything you want. Palace Master Pei's summons is still some time away. Someone will come to guide you when the time comes, so I won't go."

After saying this, Zhang Sheng rode away on his sword and returned to his cave to heal his wounds. The wisp of primordial spirit within Zhang Sheng's sword energy had been destroyed by the Snow Eagle's Dharma Image, and this injury would take at least several months to recover from.

After Zhang Sheng left, Wei Yuan spent half a day reading through the cultivation technique again, figuring out many subtle and profound meanings, before heading towards the Hall of Merit.

(End of this chapter)