Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 29 Enlightenment in a Dream, A Self-Contained System

As soon as Su Ji entered the Zhang family's courtyard, a medicinal fragrance wafted over, causing even his soul to tremble.

"As expected of a spiritual medicine, the primordial energy contained within has undergone a qualitative change, becoming spiritual energy suitable for all living things."

Vital energy is generated from the harmonious interaction of Yin and Yang.

Just as pure oxygen can cause poisoning, directly absorbing pure vital energy will only harm the body and offer no benefits.

As a result, even though Su Ji knew that Yuan Qi was the foundation of the Dao of Truth, he never dared to use the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth on his physical body.

Spiritual energy is quite special; it contains primordial energy and also contains some subtle substances that only all things possess, also known as the primordial energy of living beings.

As all things grow, they not only absorb the essence of the sun and moon, but also the vital energy of heaven and earth, thus generating a unique spiritual energy.

Animals use most of their spiritual energy on their life spirit, becoming increasingly intelligent as they grow until they reach a critical point.

Plants and trees have no intelligence, so spiritual energy is condensed in their bodies in a peculiar way. Generally speaking, the older the medicinal herb, the more abundant its spiritual energy.

However, spiritual energy also has different attributes. Some people use alchemy to harmonize it, while others use spiritual cuisine to cook it...

The local deity must have taught Zhang some simple methods of preparing spiritual food. Cooking the two spiritual herbs with some other ingredients would definitely be much more effective than eating them directly.

Sure enough, Su Ji focused his attention and looked into the room, where he saw Zhang Xiaolian sleeping with rosy cheeks, looking full of vitality.

Ordinary families can't even afford to eat meat three times a month, let alone the impoverished Zhang family. Zhang Xiaolian has been able to eat her fill and stay warm since she was a child, which is already much better than many people.

However, eating only grains is definitely not enough for nutrition. Zhang Xiaolian had been looking rather pale and thin before, but after eating the elixir given to her by the Earth God, she immediately became different.

Su Ji couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of a spiritual dish. With the ability of the Heavenly Calculation, it shouldn't be difficult for him to deduce a pot of spiritual dishes, right?"

Alchemy is a specialty of cultivators. Since Su Ji is not a reincarnated cultivator, he can only enjoy spiritual meals made primarily of chicken blood vine and century-old Ganoderma lucidum.

While Su Ji was chatting with the local earth god, Yan Tianchou was present the whole time. Based on the information he had gathered, he said, "Spiritual food is far gentler than elixirs. Ordinary people don't have the ability of cultivators to withstand the toxicity of elixirs, but they can enjoy spiritual food..."

Spiritual energy is composed of vital energy and subtle substances within living organisms. Replenishing the body's deficiencies is only its basic purpose; strengthening the body and spirit is of paramount importance.

These things aren't urgent. At the very least, we need to obtain the cultivation techniques for the Earth Soul Spirit so as not to waste the spiritual energy of the Chicken Blood Vine and the Hundred-Year-Old Lingzhi.

Therefore, Su Ji focused his attention on the original plan.

"Since the Earth God has given me two kinds of spiritual medicine, then I will give him sandalwood!"

Su Ji and Yan Tianchou are just speculations; whether the real dream can continue indefinitely is still uncertain.

Success would naturally bring joy, and not only would Su Ji benefit, but Zhang Xiaolian would also be able to benefit.

If it fails, consider it a gift for Zhang Xiaolian.

Although the sandalwood incense is tangible but intangible, it did not enter Zhang Xiaolian's dream along with Su Ji.

Su Ji has his own way of dealing with this matter. Last night, the Earth God saw the moonlight fly into the real dream through the window, and the spirit sandalwood should also work.

"Sandalwood incense that can keep one alert and enhance one's understanding?"

The word "gift" was unfamiliar to Zhang Xiaolian.

Although she can materialize everything she wants in her dreams, these items not only cannot be brought into reality, but are not real gifts either.

Not long ago, Zhang Xiaolian received a gift from the Earth God, and now she has received another gift from the ancient golden toad. Her heart is filled with happiness.

Then, Zhang Xiaolian asked with some doubt, "Can sandalwood incense also enter my dreams?"

As expected, even with Zhang Xiaolian's best efforts, Ling Tanxiang still couldn't enter the real dream world.

For a moment, Su Ji was also a little confused.

At this point, Yan Tianchou made a suggestion: "The Taiyin Heavenly Light that can enter the real dream is a kind of energy. Although the Spirit Sandalwood Incense has form but no substance, it is still an object. Perhaps it needs to be lit in order to enter the real dream."

Su Ji suddenly realized something, and after making some preparations, he lit the sandalwood incense with the earth's yang energy.

Instantly, the sandalwood incense transformed into wisps of fragrance that drifted away. Su Ji's celestial soul and spirit only smelled a trace of it, yet they had the illusion of "sharpened hearing and eyesight".

"call……"

As Su Ji circulated the Yin-Yang microcosm of his Heavenly Soul and Spirit, a gentle breeze arose, carrying the scent of sandalwood towards the window in reality.

The next instant, the sandalwood fragrance vanished without a trace in the real-world window, and even after entering the room, not a trace of the fragrance could be smelled.

Su Ji understood that the fragrance of sandalwood had finally crossed the window between reality and dreams and entered the real dream.

Yan Tianchou quickly wrote down: "In a true dream, unless there is a corresponding tangible object, one can only enter it in a formless and intangible state..."

Su Ji had other plans and had no time to wait for the sandalwood incense to burn out. So, following Yan Tianchou's suggestion, he instantly transformed all the sandalwood incense into fragrance.

As the breeze carried all the sandalwood fragrance into the window, Su Ji quickly fell into a trance-like state and soon returned to Zhang Xiaolian's dream.

"call……"

As the fragrance of sandalwood wafted in from the window, Zhang Xiaolian seemed to be enveloped in a veil of smoke-like mist. The mercury-like moonlight streaming in made the scene even more dreamlike. With the aid of the sandalwood fragrance, Zhang Xiaolian quickly entered a state of cultivation. Her skin became even whiter and more delicate under the moonlight, and she gradually exuded an ethereal, fairy-like aura.

"..." Yan Tianchou immediately began to record everything. The more information he obtained, the easier it would be to deduce the "Dong Shen Tong Xuan Fa" in the future.

Su Ji, as always, pretended to be profound, but instead of doing nothing, he began to ponder the mysteries surrounding Zhang Xiaolian.

Indeed, just as Su Jin can comprehend the mysteries of the universe by observing the yin and yang of heaven and earth, he can also listen in and comprehend the legacy of Zhang Xiaolian's past life.

As the scent of sandalwood emanating from Zhang Xiaolian diminished, Su Ji's gaze grew ever brighter.

When Su Ji was trying to comprehend the mysteries of Yin and Yang in the universe, he felt that these mysteries were complex and profound, and that it would take a long time to gain any insights.

However, Zhang Xiaolian's mystery is not only pure and flawless, but also possesses a unique and well-structured beauty, as if it were a system in itself.

"A self-contained system?"

Just like the original form of Yantianchou, which was simply binary code consisting of 0s and 1s, it was able to form an intelligent program. Now, with the help of "Yin Yang Yi", it has been upgraded and transformed into Lingfa Intelligence.

"Both the local deity and the Heavenly Calculation Master advised me to lay a solid foundation. Is what I lack the mysterious and self-contained system?"

When Su Ji was trying to comprehend the mysteries, he was probably just building a foundation with "stones" of different sizes and types. Even if he could fill in the gaps as much as possible, he would still leave all sorts of gaps.

Now that Su Ji has witnessed an even more superior and profound structure, he naturally cannot let it go: "A tall building rises from the ground. If we lay the foundation according to the profound structure on Zhang Xiaolian's body, wouldn't we obtain the foundation of a Xuanxian Dao?"

Su Jigang immediately rejected the idea upon realizing this.

Zhang Xiaolian's mysterious structure comes from her past life and is a path that belongs only to her.

Even if he, an outsider, learns this mysterious structure, he might still "try to draw a tiger but end up with a dog instead." Once he reaches the level of Zhang Xiaolian's previous life, who will he be able to "copy" from?
Furthermore, if Zhang Xiaolian's path only involves the Yin Way, where did the other half of the Yang Way in the "Small Yin Yang Method" come from?
Suddenly, Su Ji felt as if he had been enlightened: "Yes! The task of deducing magical spells and supernatural powers can be left to Yan Tianchou. I still need to forge my own path!"

Now, the mysteries he has comprehended are unrelated, and may even conflict with each other, let alone give rise to a spell.

Zhang Xiaolian did nothing but visualize the mysteries left over from her previous life, and was able to naturally cast the mid-grade spell 'Moonlight Manifestation'. This must be because Zhang Xiaolian's mysteries are self-contained.

Perhaps it was because the sandalwood fragrance enhanced his understanding, or perhaps it was because Su Ji sorted out his thoughts, but for a moment, inspiration in his mind seemed to gush forth like a geyser.

"The profound mystery is like the primordial energy of heaven and earth. No matter how good or exquisite it is, it is difficult to be of great use before it is transformed into spiritual energy."

"Only by cleverly combining the primordial energy of heaven and earth to form spiritual energy can ordinary plants become the most suitable spiritual medicines for living beings!"

Perhaps only one lucky herb is born out of thousands of ordinary plants; it may require fate or some kind of coincidence.

The first thing Su Ji thought of was that "pillar of support," which contained a trace of the principles of heaven and earth contained in the "Sun and Moon Vacuum Method."

"This principle of heaven and earth is too profound, making my cultivation level far behind my current realm. So I have always kept it on a high shelf. Even when I recall it, it is just a background element..."

"Now I finally understand that this trace of the principle of heaven and earth is the foundation of the mysterious 'spiritual medicine' Dao. As long as we develop a mysterious system based on this, wouldn't we have found a path?"

For a moment, Su Ji was filled with excitement. He looked up and gazed into the distance, feeling that the road beneath his feet was so clear.

It was a towering tree, its branches and leaves lush and full of mysteries, its mystical energy flowing like nutrients, and its magical spells blooming like countless flowers... Everything was centered around the trunk, which was like the principle of heaven and earth.

That is also the path to immortality...

Su Ji looked toward the end of the road and seemed to see a blurry fairy figure.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Ji had become somewhat infatuated.

After a long while, Su Ji slowly woke up, a smile appearing on his lips: "Yes, magic and supernatural powers are important, profound and mysterious energy is important, but the principles of heaven and earth are even more important."

"When I first began cultivating, I grasped a trace of the principles of heaven and earth, but I mistakenly thought it was not that precious. Now I realize that this trace of the principles of heaven and earth actually points directly to the path of immortality!"

The local deity believed that Su Ji was a cultivator in his previous life and thought that Su Ji should know the value of the principles of heaven and earth, so he didn't say anything else, only instructing Su Ji to lay a solid foundation.

Moreover, the principles of heaven and earth also vary in size and quantity. Only by cultivating a sapling into a tree can one truly embark on the path of immortality.

Time flies when you're practicing meditation, and a whole night passes just like that.

During the day, Su Ji handed over the patrol duties entirely to Yan Tianchou, while he himself became completely immersed in the principles of heaven and earth.

After last night's enlightenment and today's summarization and organization, Su Ji's Dao of Profound Mystery has finally formed its own system.

Unbeknownst to them, just like Zhang Xiaolian the night before, as long as they comprehended the profound mysteries, profound energy would gather around them.

Yan Tianchou immediately began to calculate: "You have already reached the realm of 'a self-contained system, with profound energy flowing naturally.' If you absorb profound energy at high altitudes, you may be able to increase your cultivation speed by 20%..."

Twenty percent may not seem like much, but it is actually a huge improvement.

Yan Tianchou further reminded, "Now that your Dao foundation is solid, if you focus all your efforts on improving your cultivation, you can reach the threshold of transforming the Yin-Yang Small Heavenly Circuit into the Yin-Yang Large Heavenly Circuit in nineteen days..."

Su Ji made no comment, but instead pointed his finger into the air.

Immediately, a mysterious spell was created.

This is described as "a self-contained system, naturally generated profound energy, mysterious and natural, with spells arising spontaneously."

I've changed the title; it's more balanced and interesting now.
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(End of this chapter)