I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 10 Riding the Clouds and Leaping Over the Waves, Drinking Wine and Discussing the Dao

"call……"

Ying Chan slowly finished his practice, and a wisp of white smoke rose from the top of his head, merging into the mountain mist.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the sun was already setting in the west.

"How are you feeling, Senior Brother?" Li Xuanying, still standing to the side, asked upon seeing this, "Is there anything wrong?"

Ying Chan shook his head.

His martial arts skills were considerable, making him more sensitive to changes in his body. At this moment, he could feel that after just one session of practice, his physique and blood circulation had improved, and a completely new change was taking place deep within his body—

It was a kind of vitality that came from within, completely different from martial arts training.

"As expected of the Daoist Academy's profound skills," Ying Chan said sincerely. "Truly wondrous."

"The body is the foundation of spiritual practice."

"At our stage, there is also the concept of refining essence into qi, which we must pay even more attention to."

"That's why the Daoist academy passed down this Qian Yuan Foundation Building Technique. Cultivating the Qian Yuan Foundation Building Technique is not only for strengthening the body, but also for laying the foundation for cultivation. One must not slack off in the slightest..."

Li Xuanying suddenly launched into a long and eloquent discourse, offering a lengthy explanation of his principles.

Ying Chan was somewhat surprised, but in the end, he said, "That's what Senior Brother Xu said when he was here."

Ying Chan burst out laughing.

"It seems that Xuan Ying has great respect for this Senior Brother Xu?"

"Of course I admire him."

Li Xuanying said, "Senior Brother Xu is the most steadfast person I have ever met in his pursuit of the Dao. He will not be defeated by any difficulties, nor will he be complacent about any achievements. He has always been able to steadfastly follow the Dao..."

"I learned a lot from Senior Brother Xu."

"Oh?" Ying Chan asked, "Could you tell me about it?"

Li Xuanying was naturally delighted, and when he talked about this Senior Brother Xu, he went on and on.

Seeing this, Ying Chan said, "Why don't we sit down in the pavilion and have a long talk?"

Li Xuanying thought for a moment, then said, "I have a better place. Senior brother, come with me."

Ying Chan was quite surprised, and then followed Li Xuanying out of the courtyard.

The two crossed the stone path and walked straight to the lakeside, where Ying Chan's pace immediately slowed down.

The green mountains are shrouded in darkness, the red sun is setting in the west, but the evening glow spreads across the sky, becoming the most magnificent colors of twilight, and all of them are reflected in the lake before us.

The water's surface shimmered, blending seamlessly with the sky.

Ying Chan finally understood why Xiaqi Lake was named that way.

Li Xuanying approached the lakeside, where two rattan chairs were placed.

The two sat on chairs, their figures reflected in the lake, seemingly riding on the waves amidst the rosy clouds.

"What do you think, senior brother?"

"Unfortunately, there's no wine."

Li Xuanying laughed heartily, then suddenly bent down to fiddle with something.

A short while later, he brushed away a layer of soil and dug out a small jar.

"Senior brother, please go ahead."

Ying Chan took it in his hand, raising an eyebrow: "What is this?"

“Senior Brother Xu also loves wine,” Li Xuanying said. “He buried a lot of fine wine here, and he didn’t finish it all when he left.”

"Although I cannot drink with you, I still remember you."

"Oh?" Ying Chan held the small jar and suddenly had a strange feeling that someone else, who had missed a few years, was inviting him to drink together.

How can this be refused?

He unsealed the jar, and instantly a rich fragrance filled the air.

The lakeside was damp and shady, which was not a good place to bury wine, but I don't know what method Senior Brother Xu used, but it seemed that he was not affected at all.

Ying Chan raised his head and took a big gulp, immediately feeling refreshed. He couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Truly fine wine!"

Li Xuanying said, "If Senior Brother likes it, there's more here. Senior Brother Xu certainly won't mind."

"If all else fails, we can find some good wine another day and bury it here again." "That makes perfect sense."

Ying Chan repeatedly said "good," and then took another sip of wine before saying, "Xuanying, let's continue talking about Senior Brother Xu."

"Senior Brother Xu's aptitude is not good."

Li Xuanying pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I heard that Senior Brother Xu's ancestors also cultivated in the Taoist academy, but they were of mediocre talent and ultimately failed to achieve anything..."

The beginning of this story is not particularly surprising.

Xu Zu, who was of average talent, had a friend who was exceptionally gifted.

In his later years, a friend who had become Gendo Kojin left him a keepsake that would bring blessings to his descendants.

If you bring this token to Xuandu, you can become a disciple of this high-ranking immortal.

Xu Yuan came with the token, but his talent was inferior to that of his ancestor. At that time, even this high-ranking immortal did not have any expectations for him and even thought that he was wasting his life. He advised him to keep the token and return to the mortal world.

Upon hearing this, Ying Chan was astonished.

Given the style and principles of the Xuandu Sect and the Taoist Academy, the fact that they would refuse someone who aspires to the Tao suggests that this Senior Brother Xu's aptitude is probably not just 'poor'.

"But given Senior Brother Xu's unwavering devotion to the Dao, it is impossible for him to back down."

Li Xuanying said, "After entering the Taoist academy, Senior Brother Xu suffered countless setbacks, yet he remained steadfast in his pursuit of the Tao."

"As expected, hard work pays off. Two months ago, Senior Brother Xu finally unleashed his accumulated strength, opened up the meridians of heaven and earth, built the foundation of the Great Dao, and rightfully joined the Xuandu Sect."

Just by listening to these few words, one can imagine how much hardship was omitted.

"We should be like this."

He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

As the sun sets and the moon rises, the evening glow on the lake has been replaced by the moonlight.

Their casual conversation did not end with Senior Brother Xu joining the sect; instead, it became even more extensive.

“My younger brother was eight years old, still a child, when he was brought to the Taoist temple.”

“At that time, I was young and tired of the hardships of cultivation and hated the obscurity of the scriptures. I was unwilling to study the Tao diligently and wasted two years without being able to enter the gate.”

"Fortunately, the academy master refused to abandon me and transferred me to the 26th courtyard of the Jia class, where I lived next to Senior Brother Xu."

"Influenced by him, I gradually realized my mistakes and began to work diligently."

"Now that Senior Brother Xu is gone, I am still able to uphold my beliefs and practice them steadfastly."

"Within two or three years, I should be able to keep up with Senior Brother Xu."

Li Xuanying glanced at Ying Chan and said, "Once you, Senior Brother, also join our sect, I will definitely introduce you to Senior Brother Xu."

Ying Chan shook his head and smiled: "I've only just begun."

“Learning Taoist arts is a difficult process, and I have also deeply felt this,” Li Xuanying said. “If you don’t mind, senior brother, you are welcome to ask me any questions you may have.”

"I will answer any questions you may have."

Ying Chan was slightly taken aback.

Although he was modest, he showed no fear of the difficulties of spiritual practice.

Seeing that Xuan Ying had misunderstood, he didn't bother to explain. After a moment's thought, he simply went with the flow and asked, "To be honest..."

“When I first entered the Taoist academy, I was like a blank sheet of paper. Although I talked about seeking the Tao and cultivating myself, I didn’t even know what cultivation meant.”

"Xuanying, could you please enlighten me?"

"Senior brother is learning the Cloud Seal script?"

"In fact, once you enter the path of cultivation, the Daoist scriptures will reveal the secrets."

Li Xuanying said, "However, since Senior Brother has asked, I will humbly offer my explanation, despite my limited knowledge."

"Taoist cultivation can be summed up in just sixteen characters."

"Refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, refine spirit to return to emptiness, refine emptiness to unite with the Dao."

"But if we analyze it, it's not that simple."

“In the past, when the academy master lectured, he mentioned these sixteen characters, which actually run through the entire text. Even the phrase ‘refining essence into qi’ does not only refer to the four realms of refining qi, profound light, fierce energy, and golden elixir…”

(End of this chapter)