Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Return to the Sect
 

Hermit Cave.

Zhou Yi had named the cave abode, placing within it the hopes of his heart.

He took out the Jade Dew Art from his storage bag, a spell he had obtained from the tomb of a cultivator. It was one of the most fundamental Wood-attribute Cultivation Techniques.

“Jade Dew Art nurtures Wood-attribute Spiritual Medicine. Recultivating the Jade Dew Art will be much faster compared to other attributes,” he reflected.

Since he had already planned, Zhou Yi didn’t hesitate. With an unending lifespan, even making a mistake wouldn’t matter.

His Mana as a Qi Refinement Great Perfection swiftly declined, and after a moment, it dropped by twelve layers. As the Mana dissipated, his body seemed to age slightly, but the tremor of the Longevity Dao Fruit quickly reversed it back to youth.

“Just as I thought, if a Nascent Soul ancestor wants to recultivate, they must…” Devise a Nascent Soul before the age of one hundred fifty!”

Half a day later.

Having dispersed the last trace of his Mana, Zhou Yi once again became an ordinary mortal.

“My Divine Sense is still usable. The Mountain and River Cauldron requires Mana to activate, but the strength of my flesh is rather terrifying now; even an inferior flying sword could be snapped!”

Back in the day, Zhou Yi devoted himself to practicing the Outer Sect Body Tempering Technique and reached the Marrow Cleansing realm, which allowed him to squeeze mundane steel.

“So, does the Art of Body Refinement not get affected by Spiritual Energy? Maybe only I can do this. After all, without a Spirit Root or a Golden Core, those old monsters would just explode if they dispersed their powers!”

“Sss, another reason not to sever the ancestral lineage.”

“Immeasurable Heavenly Honored One!”

Zhou Yi chanted the calming scriptures repeatedly, suppressing the desires within his heart since without Spiritual Energy, further progress in Body Cultivation was impossible.

“Let everything be as it is, no matter the external winds and rains, the unpredictability of the world. I just need to follow my own path steadfastly, step by step, and one day I’ll reach the highest peak in the world!”

“Begin cultivating the Jade Dew Art.”

Zhou Yi took out a Spirit Wood Pill, transforming it into rich Wood Spiritual Energy, circulating it through his meridians.

…

Dew turns to frost, time flies swiftly.

In cultivation, there are no years.

Besides cultivating the Jade Dew Art and the Spirit Refinement Art daily, Zhou Yi also pondered over the Lightning Method, Formation arts, and incidentally ripened Spiritual Medicine.

The gentle nature of the Ox, the slick Tortoise Prime Minister, and the Spirit Ginseng Child, clever and bizarre spirits, three demons with vastly different personalities, managed to come together in conversation, especially after learning to play Fight the Landlord, filling the cave with a jovial atmosphere.

With an unlimited supply of Wood-attribute Spiritual Medicine, Zhou Yi’s Qi Cultivation speed was incredibly fast.

Six years later.

Having reached the third layer of Qi Cultivation, Zhou Yi could now control the cave’s Formation, commanding the Ox to return to the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Hundreds of people lived outside Mo Cloud Cave. Though the creatures inside the cave dared not harm humans because of the Ox’s rules, demons from other mountains harbored no such reservations.

Another twenty-two years passed.

Reaching the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation, Zhou arrived at his three hundredth birthday; he celebrated outside for half a year, then returned to the cave to continue his arduous closed-door cultivation.

Three years later.

He was promoted back to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. After consecutively consuming nine Foundation Establishment Pills, he broke through to Qi Refinement Great Perfection, and with the tenth pill, he successfully ascended to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

“The speed of this cultivation is much faster than anticipated!”

“Only thirty years, the Nine Revolutions Spirit Refinement Art hasn’t even completed the first revolution, and the Lightning Method hasn’t taken shape…”

Zhou Yi carefully analyzed the reasons for this, his powerful Divine Sense, resilient meridians, and the experience he had from his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, all of which could shorten the time needed to recultivate.

If a Nascent Soul ancestor were demoted and didn’t die of old age, they could probably return to the Foundation Establishment within a year or two.

“First, I’ll take a trip to Dan Ding Sect to get a hold of the Blood Burning Escape Technique. Even if I meet with a True Lord seeking my life, I’ll have a chance to survive.”

…

Daze Marketplace.

The enforcer stationed there had changed to Real Person Xuan Chi, but Zhou Yi proactively visited, and who would refuse free merit?

“Congratulations to fellow Daoist on achieving Foundation Establishment. May I ask where you cultivated?”

“Zhou Shen, a Loose Cultivator from overseas.”

What followed was the familiar process of returning to Dan Ding Sect and obtaining the Identity Token.

Zhou Yi input the Jade Dew Art Mana into the Token, and seeing it successfully activate his identity, a sigh of relief escaped him.

Due to someone else occupying the cave on Small Spring Peak, he chose a place called Hundred Flowers Valley. There were more than ten cave abodes in the valley, and currently, only one was occupied.

The third floor also had familiar faces.

Pretending to have just met them, Zhou Yi greeted each one in turn, and from the starter spells, he chose the Blood Burning Escape Technique.

Chen Yu was puzzled. “Junior Brother Zhou, you’re not choosing a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique?”

“I was once fortunate enough to receive the Inheritance from a senior, and I have already obtained the Foundation Establishment Technique.”

When Zhou Yi took on the internal affairs of the sect, an accident occurred. He originally planned to spend a year reflecting at the Cliff of Regret and then return to the Hermit Cave to dissipate his cultivation and start over; however, this option was no longer available.

Since he was pretending to be a novice in the sect, he couldn’t directly ask questions. After pondering for a moment, he chose the task of teaching scriptures to disciples.

“It must have been a drastic change at the Cliff of Regret!”

…

Hundred Flowers Valley.

True to its name, the valley was adorned with dazzling purples and bright reds, a sea of flowers in full bloom.

Zhou Yi guided his flying light into the valley and saw from afar a figure in a purple robe, gardening with a hoe.

The aura was contained without being displayed, and not a spell was cast—just the strength of their body swinging the hoe.

As he drew nearer, Zhou Yi had a peculiar expression; it was someone he had almost forgotten.

Real Person Xuan Yu.

Zhou Yi descended from his flying light and greeted with a clasped fist, “Taoist Zhou Shen, greets Sister Xuan Yu.”

Xuan Yu put down her hoe, stood up, and looked over, her cold demeanor unchanged from more than forty years ago.

“Do I seem unfamiliar to Brother Zhou?”

Zhou Yi said, “I’ve just joined the Dan Ding Sect.”

Xuan Yu asked in confusion, “Then how do you know who I am?”

Zhou Yi explained, “Sixty years ago, I bought alchemical pills at the Tianyang Abyss when Real Person Xuan Yu was in charge of the Marketplace. I caught a glimpse of you from afar.”

“Just like that, sixty years have flown by.”

Xuan Yu sighed and, carrying her hoe, walked away. Soon after, her voice drifted back, “Brother, while practicing your spells, please be careful not to harm the flowers in the valley; it took me more than twenty years to cultivate this scene.”

“Understood.”

Zhou Yi watched Xuan Yu’s figure, sensing her loneliness, decline, and isolation. His plan to overpower Xuan Yu with his Divine Skills suddenly seemed less appealing.

…

A month later.

Zhou Yi’s mana transformed into the Five Spirits True Sutra as he guided his flying light toward the Scripture Hall.

The Dan Ding Sect had three Scripture Halls located on Reflecting Sun Peak, Enlightening Dao Peak, and Divine Fire Peak. The speakers there were Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul respectively, but Zhou Yi had never attended their lectures.

Listening to lectures did not require contributions, but he was afraid that the True Lords giving the lectures had secret techniques to discern identity.

Reflecting Sun Peak.

The Scripture Hall was already filled with disciples seated on meditation cushions, waiting respectfully for the arrival of the True Lord to lecture. Those who arrived late could only listen from the outside square, but fortunately, cultivators have keen senses, so they didn’t worry about missing out.

Zhou Yi stopped his flying light in the air to look around and noticed that the fellow disciples were focused, without any whispering or chatting.

The occasional impatient disciple, restless for the True Lord to begin lecturing, fidgeted in their seats.

Smack!

A glimmer of spiritual light fell, striking precisely on a disciple’s arm, causing heart-piercing pain without leaving a scar.

The voice of the Enforcement Real Person sounded, “Quiet down!”

“If the students are this disciplined, then I will gladly teach for a year.”

Zhou Yi nodded to himself and flew his light into the Scripture Hall, landing on a jade dais at the front.

“Today, I will discuss the Lightning Method…”

He started from the Five Thunder Technique, going from simple to complex, from conserving mana to speeding up spellcasting, and casually shared a few tips that enchanted the disciples.

The Enforcement Real Person initially meditated with closed eyes, but as he listened, his eyes widened with interest, contemplating questions to ask on the spot.

“Incredibly exquisite Lightning Method!”

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yi stopped lecturing and closed his eyes to meditate, discovering new insights into the “Essence of Lightning Method” while teaching the disciples.

“Perhaps this is an opportunity to successfully form a shape!”

Just three to five days of lecturing, and Zhou Yi’s reputation spread.

Disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm all heard that a new Real Person, Zhou, had come to the Scripture Hall, skilled in the profound Lightning Method, and he did not hold back any secrets. Some of the tips he casually mentioned were not even recorded in the sect’s scriptures.

Half a month later.

Zhou Yi looked at the thousands of disciples inside and outside, feeling a slight sense of pride.

“Today, we continue with the Lightning Method. Yesterday, a disciple asked if those without a Thunder-property Spirit Root or Spiritual Body in the Qi Refinement Realm could instantaneously cast Lightning Spells. Of course, it’s possible, just need to grasp these few points…”