Chapter 350: Chapter 348: The Dissipation of Skills (For Elvin2016 Silver Alliance Congratulation) _1
He he!
Just at that moment, three Ghost Kings descended from the sky, obviously quite pleased with themselves, each holding two Golden Cores in their hands.
Upon seeing these two Golden Cores, Yu Hua’s eyelids twitched, knowing that the two fellow Masters had met their demise.
Fang Xi, upon witnessing this, simply smiled faintly and shook out the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
Although these Ghost Kings longed for the blood feast below, they ultimately couldn’t resist their banner master and were enveloped by strands of Ghost Mist and absorbed into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
Yu Hua suddenly came to a startling realization.
While his skills were impressive, they were nowhere near as profound as Master Kun’s.
In front of this figure, was he not just as insignificant as a clay chicken or pottery dog?
With that thought, what was there to hesitate about giving up the Golden Core?
With that thought, Yu Hua immediately slapped his dantian, and a Golden Core surrounded by blood light emerged.
He held up the Golden Core and bowed deeply again, "I entreat my benefactor to impart your teachings!"
The Golden Core cultivated by legalists differs from that of cultivators. Although taking it away would greatly damage one’s primordial energy, just like monster beasts losing their inner core, one wouldn’t die.
For an ordinary cultivator, this would certainly be an intolerable situation.
But with a steadfast Dao heart, Yu Hua, having traveled far and wide, had broadened his horizons and knew that he had encountered a rare opportunity he must not shrink away from.
"Ha ha...
Fang Xi reached out his hand and took the ’Boundless Blood Sea Pill,’ played with it for a while, and then threw it back into the perplexed Yu Hua’s embrace.
He had already acquired a Boundless Blood Sea Pill from the Skinless Temple Master, and obtaining another would serve no purpose.
Besides, his previous claim about discarding the Golden Core was not false.
The ’Blood Skin Skills’ and the ’Snatch Skills’ differ; the Golden Cores they produce are based on the sea of qi and the dantian.
If he were to practice the Qi Refining techniques of the Southern Wilderness, who knows what problems could arise.
However, Fang Xi was quite pleased to have another test subject.
If Yu Hua couldn’t bear to part with his own cultivation, then he was free to attempt dual cultivation. Fang Xi was actually quite looking forward to seeing the results.
"I pay my respects to Master!"
Yu Hua quickly seized the opportunity, knelt down immediately, and kowtowed nine times.
"Enough... Do not call me Master; ’Teacher’ will suffice... Teacher, one who imparts knowledge, accepts discipleship, and resolves doubts. What doubts do you hold in your heart?"
Fang Xi smiled gently and helped Yu Hua to his feet.
"Disciple wishes to ask Teacher, must all Dao methods... require consuming humans?" Yu Hua asked the core question directly.
"Certainly not necessary. The Yanmo Dao methods belong to the Demon Path... If one follows the Immortal Path, one only seeks spiritual insight and may attain it through quiet cultivation."
Fang Xi’s straightforward answer nevertheless moved Yu Hua to the point of moistening his eyes.
In the Red Sun Realm, as the practitioners strove for powerful magic and breakthroughs in their realms, they were becoming less and less human.
And all of this, was it really the fault of the Yanmo Taoist Master?
But had it not been for the Yanmo Taoist Master’s teachings, how could mortals withstand the evil spirits and strange occurrences?
He didn’t know what to make of his feelings. He just felt a complex indescribable emotion.
"As for the true differences between the Immortal and Demon Paths, you will understand once you begin cultivation..."
Fang Xi said with a smile: "Just right... Find a residence in the city to settle in. I will start teaching you the Immortal techniques tomorrow..."
"Teacher... Given the magnitude of events that have transpired here, it must have come to the attention of the Taoist Palace. Should we not lay low for the time being?"
Yu Hua asked hesitantly.
"No need, I’m actually hoping that the Junior Master comes looking for me!"
Fang Xi laughed heartily.
He accepted Yu Hua as a disciple not only to bring a seed of hope to this tragic world but mainly to fish for something bigger.
The target? Naturally, it was that Junior Master...
In fact, ever since the Pill Energy Conference, his Externalization had been seeking an opportunity, but at the time, being alone and without strong support, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
But now, having advanced to the later stages of Core Formation and assimilated the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, thus greatly increasing his combat power, everything fell into place.
Fang Xi was also very interested in that grand divine technique.
If he had known the inside story last time, he would have done much more.
However, during the Pill Energy Conference, Fang Xi had not yet extracted the soul of Elder Bai, and thus was unaware of so much detail. He only knew that a power was opposing him, so he disrupted their plans as a form of revenge and then made a grand exit.
Having later gleaned information through soul extraction, he felt somewhat regretful.
But as long as that Junior Master remained, there was still a chance for redemption.
...
Afterward, Fang Xi and Yu Hua settled down in the small town.
Yu Hua carried a substantial amount of gold and silver with him and directly rented a large mansion.
The owner of the mansion was someone who feigned elegance. The garden was exquisitely arranged, with artificial mountains and springs, rare flowers and plants, and a few white cranes strolling leisurely among them.
Inside a small pavilion.
Fang Xi sat cross-legged, looking down at Yu Hua below: "The Red Sun Realm categorizes realms into Prime Taoist, Taoist, and Yushi... while Immortal techniques are merely Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation... yet there are similarities. They all pertain to the Great Dao with different paths leading to the same conclusion. Today, your teacher shall impart to you—Mixed Origin Skills!"
These Mixed Origin Skills, the Qi Refining technique of the Mixed Origin Sect, weren’t particularly treasured.
Fang Xi didn’t even remember from which unfortunate soul’s Storage Bag he had found the technique.
Nevertheless, as Qi Refining techniques from a Nascent Soul major sect, they naturally have their own mysteries.
First, it is an attribute-less cultivation technique, which does not limit any Spiritual Root. Even those with special Spiritual Roots and such talents can cultivate it, and the progress is quite commendable.
Second, it allows for seamless transition into any other cultivation technique after a major breakthrough in realm.
For those who wish to widely disseminate their teachings, it is indeed too troublesome to distinguish the attributes of Spiritual Roots and tailor instruction accordingly.
For this reason, Fang Xi chose the ’Mixed Origin Skills’.
Seeing that Yu Hua was listening attentively, he didn’t waste words. First, he recited the first layer of the Mixed Origin Skills’ technique for absorbing Qi, instructing Yu Hua to memorize it, then explained it word by word.
With a cultivation level already at the Magic Power Golden Core, although it was a crash-course version, he wasn’t a novice who knew nothing about cultivation, but instead, he understood quickly and could apply the principles broadly.
It didn’t take long for him to become familiar with the first layer’s incantation.
Even, by the second day, Fang Xi discovered that Yu Hua had successfully absorbed Qi into his body and entered the first layer of the Mixed Origin Skills!
"This is..."
Fang Xi was somewhat incredulous and immediately began a detailed inspection with his Divine Consciousness.
Although Yu Hua had a Spiritual Root, it was only a medium-grade one; by normal reasoning, he should not have such rapid progress.
Unless...
"After much contemplation, I have decided to discard the Boundless Blood Sea Pill..."
Yu Hua reported respectfully, "However, it seems that the Magic Power cultivated from the Blood Skin Skills can be first transformed into Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and then into the Magic Power of the Mixed Origin Skills. Thus, I chose to convert my own Magic Power into ’Mixed Origin Skills’ Magic Power... and successfully achieved a breakthrough overnight."
"I see."
Fang Xi nodded, feeling slightly moved.
This dispersal of one’s cultivation was not like his previous adjustment of techniques.
It was about reverting the Magic Power from the ’Boundless Blood Sea Pill’ bit by bit into the purest Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi and then transforming it into Mixed Origin Skills Magic Power!
As it eliminated the step of drawing spiritual energy from the outside, it was akin to taking pills that boosted Magic Power every day, without the worry of pill toxicity, and with hardly any reliance on external Spiritual Veins.
However, the loss incurred in this process was significant; by the time he completely dispersed his power, Yu Hua’s ’Boundless Blood Sea Pill’ would also be utterly exhausted, and by then, he would likely be far from reaching Core Formation...
’But for him, it seems to be a blessing in disguise, considering the Boundless Blood Sea Pill was too hasty in its effects and came with many hidden dangers... such as if he confronted a direct disciple of the Taoist Palace, their mere move could... obliterate his Golden Core!’
’Now, having completely dispersed it and transformed it into pure Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi, though there are some losses, the Magic Power he cultivates step by step from the Mixed Origin Skills is fundamentally solid and no longer susceptible to external influences.’
Having made up his mind, Fang Xi showed a smile, "Well... since you have such determination, today I will pass onto you the ten layers of ’Mixed Origin Skills’. I hope you progress swiftly and establish your Foundation soon!"
...
In the blink of an eye, a hundred days had passed.
Fang Xi also witnessed Yu Hua gradually dispersing the ’Boundless Blood Sea Pill’, making rapid advances in his Qi Refining cultivation.
Until this day, he broke through to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, achieving perfection!
"Although it is far from the rapid progress of the Demon Path, in terms of the Immortal Path, the progress is simply unthinkable... but considering he’s a Golden Core starting over, it makes sense."
Fang Xi found that Yu Hua’s breakthroughs encountered no bottlenecks whatsoever, which was probably one of the benefits of starting over.
This person, should he achieve Foundation Establishment, probably wouldn’t need a Foundation Establishment Pill either.
But according to Fang Xi’s estimate, once Yu Hua approached the later stages of Foundation Establishment, the accumulations of his original Golden Core would be completely depleted.
Then, he would revert to the common progression speed of cultivators in the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm.
"I’ve finished explaining the secrets of Foundation Establishment... go cultivate on your own. When the time comes, immediately establish your Foundation without hesitation..."
That day, after finishing his lecture, Fang Xi waved his hand.
But Yu Hua bowed solemnly, "Thanks to the teacher’s guidance over these days, in this life, my sole wish is to promote the Immortal Path..."
The Mixed Origin Skills only require absorbing spiritual energy, without the need for various cruel acts.
In Yu Hua’s view, this is the true method of cultivation.
And the person imparting the technique, Fang Xi, is also a personage akin to an ancestral master of the true Immortal Path.
Indeed, if the teachings of the Immortal Path were to spread, after a thousand years, Fang Xi could earn himself a title akin to Ancestral Master or Taoist Master in this realm.
"Since I am imparting the technique, everything else is up to you."
Fang Xi waved his hand, indifferent to such distinctions.
Titles like those can’t be eaten... they are of little use to him.
...
Yu Hua returned to his dwelling, sat cross-legged, and suddenly it was night.
Looking out at the bright moon through the window, feeling inspired, he decided to sit cross-legged and initiated the process of Foundation Establishment.
This time, he was attempting a proper Foundation Establishment, which at the very least required a hundred days of closed-door arduous cultivation.
After sensing all this, Fang Xi lifted his hand, and several small flags fell around Yu Hua’s dwelling, forming a small array.
...
Time flies by in the blink of an eye, and a hundred days passed in an instant.
"Yu Hua should be about to solidify his Magic Power and rejuvenate his body," Fang Xi contemplated as he sipped his drink in the pavilion, estimating Yu Hua’s cultivation progress.
Just then, he sighed, "I’ve waited so long for this moment, and it’s finally here... Huh? Something’s not right..."
He ceased to hide his own presence, emanating formidable Magic Power.
Before long, a person descended into the garden, emitting an unusual aura, almost indistinguishable from a roadside stone, it was Hua Feiye, the Temple Master of Ruthless Temple!
Upon seeing Fang Xi, she was slightly shocked, "Sir, who might you be?"
Previously, when Fang Xi interacted with Hua Feiye, he used an external incarnation. Now that Hua Feiye saw his true self, she was somewhat unable to recognize him.