Duosheng Danyuan

If the *Secret Method of Longevity and Elixir of Immortality* (hereinafter referred to as *The Elixir Secret*) is a textbook, then the fragment of the cultivation method I recently discovered is the unedited version of that textbook. Although I cannot yet judge the correctness of the textbook itself, I can discover an obvious problem by comparing the two.

"The Secret of Elixir" is a censored cultivation method. While retaining the basic information about cultivation, it strips away all other extra information, leaving only the most concise and straightforward description of the method of generating the elixir, even if this description is suspected of being taken out of context.

"But Zeng Yixi's words make sense. If the 'Secret of Alchemy' itself really has problems, then Jianshan and Huaizhen would have no need to simply cut down the existing techniques. Wouldn't it have been more convenient to just rewrite a technique that includes a rationalized version of 'Refining the Heart and Purifying the Pool'?"

As I pondered, I began to consider the relationship between the "Secrets of Alchemy" and the unedited version of the cultivation technique.

In a daze, a reasonable but completely unproven conjecture sprouted in my mind.

"In the world of cultivation, the person with the highest authority over disciples should be the sect leader. The difference between this 'Secrets of Alchemy' and the unedited cultivation method should be the difference in the authors. Elder Huaizhen has mentioned several times the three generations of sect leaders of the Life Alchemy Academy... Could it be that the 'Secrets of Alchemy' was written by the current sect leader, while the unedited version was written by the previous one...?"

However, speculation is just speculation, lacking sufficient evidence to support it. All I can do for now is write this idea down. Thanks to the benefits of cultivating immortality, even without pen and paper, I have no need to worry about forgetting this speculation.

After thinking it over, I turned my attention to the hospital bills.

"It shouldn't be just this X-ray that's unusual. All products of the fictional world within the Tranquil Abode should, in principle, be..."

With that thought in mind, I picked up the payment list from the chairman's table again. Sure enough, this time, all the payment lists began to change in my hands, turning into slips of paper recording key points of cultivation.

—One of the notes—

Cultivation is a long and arduous journey. Although the master always says that everyone has their own destiny, the progress of cultivation is actually traceable.

The elder who passed on the skills taught us that animals with spiritual roots can also cultivate. They are called spirits, and they usually take human form after reaching the Golden Core stage, except for monkeys.

If humans are the most intelligent of all things, then monkeys are the most intelligent of all things below humans. Monkeys with spiritual roots can transform into human form at the initial stage of Qi Refining, and their cultivation speed, cultivation level, and lifespan are similar to those of humans.

Moreover, what's most surprising is that a monkey's spiritual roots are not as diverse as those of humans; a first-grade root is a first-grade root, and a ninth-grade root is a ninth-grade root. There are no mixed effects, nor is there any such thing as a one-in-a-million attribute. Therefore, in a safe environment with abundant spiritual energy, a monkey's cultivation speed is standardized and uniform.

Linggui Valley, one of the five major immortal sects, once conducted research, which was confirmed by several immortal venerables, and arrived at a conclusion that shocked the cultivation world: the cultivation speed of monkey spirits is very likely to be the most standard human cultivation speed under the same spiritual root quality.

Haha, at first I just took it as a joke, until later, when the sect started to push us inner disciples to train at the same pace as the monkey spirit, I realized it was true!

In order to avoid being banished to the outer sect by my master, I must remember the cultivation speed of a monkey spirit with a third-grade spiritual root. I also need to stay with Cuihua! Damn it, how come these monkeys cultivate so fast?

—The following is a record of the monkey spirit's cultivation speed by the note's owner—

Qi Refining, five years → Foundation Establishment, twenty years → Core Formation, one hundred years → Golden Core, two hundred years → Nascent Soul, four hundred years → Deity Transformation.

The monkey spirit that has reached the Nascent Soul stage is no longer allowed to be recorded. Hehe, I can understand. It's already a Celestial Lord, and it's about to become a Celestial Venerable. It's normal for it to be a bit arrogant.

Waaaaah, when will I ever reach the Golden Core stage?

——Divider——

"So this is the clue related to cultivation time. Five years to reach Foundation Establishment...tsk haha, all ten of us reached Foundation Establishment in a single day. Shengdan Academy..." I murmured to myself as I continued to flip through the note.

Time flew by, and by the time I had read all the notes, it was already three in the afternoon. Looking at the clock on the table, I hesitated for a moment, but still decided to head to Mingling Residence. Just as I had told Lin Xu before, now was indeed an opportunity. The elders' attention was all drawn to Su Wanqing, and this time frame was the best chance if we wanted to explore anything.

So, after tidying up my clothes and hair, I left the room and went to the gate of the thatched hut, heading alone towards the dwelling of the caterpillar.

It was still afternoon, and the faint light symbolizing safety had not yet been lit. I glanced at the sky and hurried toward the entrance of the Tranquil Abode.

Jingxi Lodge is not far from the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion, but the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion is very far from Mingling Residence. Yesterday, when I toured the courtyard, the walk took at least an hour. Last night, I only saw eerie lights on the road from Mingling Residence to the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion and from the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion to Jingxi Lodge, but I am not sure whether Mingling Residence itself is also protected by eerie lights.

Therefore, the safest course of action for me is to return to the entrance of the Retreat before sunset, or at least to the Ancient Elixir Scripture Pavilion. And to achieve this, I certainly cannot continue to walk carelessly with the main group as I did yesterday.

If I were to run there, not only would time be tight, but in a more urgent situation, my chances of survival would be greatly reduced due to exhaustion. Yes, I'm referring to that senior brother who might appear at any moment and wanders around during class time at the Refining Heart Hall.

Fortunately, some of the things I found were useful.

"Finally out."

I quickly walked out of the entrance of the Tranquil Abode. I turned back to make sure I had walked a certain distance from the gate before daring to take out a piece of paper from my pocket.

After all, the rules that appeared in the living room weren't titled "The Hut Rules," but rather "The Quiet Abode Rules."

Naturally, the second rule in the "Rules of the Retreat"—Do not practice—should apply to the entire Retreat, not just to the hut itself.

I opened the slip of paper in my hand and began to recite the incantation of the exercise.

—Introduction and Beginner's Guide to Rapid Walking—

The Rapid Walking Technique is one of the essential training methods for the Body Tempering stage at the Shengdan Academy. It emphasizes the coordinated movement of the heart and lungs and the harmony of qi and strength. It is an introductory technique provided to cultivators before the Qi Refining stage to temper their spiritual roots and strengthen their bodies.

Note that the practitioner's own cultivation level must reach the Great Perfection of Body Tempering. For those practicing this technique for the first time, heart and lung tears and limb exhaustion are normal reactions. As long as the spiritual energy is not disordered, there will be no major problems. If the spiritual energy becomes disordered or spiritual energy leaks out, please stop practicing this technique immediately. Methods include, but are not limited to, temporarily blocking the spiritual root, sealing the seven orifices, and severing the spiritual thread between the soul and spirit.

Once the practitioner reaches the Qi Refining stage, the technique can be fully mastered.

The following are the incantations for the exercise.

......

——Divider——

As soon as I finished reciting the incantation, a warm feeling indeed arose in my abdomen. What surprised me even more was that this warmth did not simply spread in my abdomen. When I consciously controlled this warm current, it actually began to travel through my internal organs and even spread to my legs.

"Is this what cultivation feels like?" I raised my right hand and looked at my palm in surprise, feeling the faint, tactile sensation. If I wasn't mistaken, this was the feeling of spiritual energy coursing through the meridians as described in the "Secrets of Alchemy".

However, I didn't enjoy this wonderful feeling for long before I felt a strange soreness in my biceps, as if I hadn't exercised in a long time and suddenly lifted a hundred dumbbells.

Time was of the essence, so I didn't dwell on why my legs were bearing the brunt of the weight while my hands were exhausted. Before the gate of the Quiet Abode, I looked around to confirm my direction, and then began to lean towards the Mingling Residence.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

With a sudden burst of strength, I instantly flashed to the path a hundred meters away.

"Whoa..." Turning around, looking at the gate of the Tranquil Abode a hundred meters away, my mouth gaped slightly, and my body felt and controlled this power even more deeply.

This is to be expected. According to the cultivation manual, the Rapid Step Technique is merely a physical skill learned before the Qi Refining stage and at the Great Perfection of the Body Tempering stage. With my current Foundation Establishment physique, officially certified by the Transmission Elder, it's not surprising that I can master such a low-level technique with ease; it was exactly what I expected.

However, for a modern person like me who is a materialist and atheist, spiritual practice is something that will always feel novel and exciting no matter how I look at it or how many times I see it. Just like yesterday when I witnessed Elder Jianchen riding the wind through the void, I can't suppress the instinctive excitement in my heart at this moment.

Excited, I sped off towards the larvae's dwelling.

About fifteen minutes later, I stopped practicing my rapid walking technique. Standing not far from the entrance of Mingling Residence, I bent over, placed my hands on my thighs, and gasped for breath.

Although the Quick Step technique did initially allow me to instantly sprint over a hundred meters, as I became more proficient in its application, the speed boost it provided gradually decreased. Like a honeymoon period or a miracle drug, after the initial significant effects, the speed boost from the Quick Step technique slowly declined and gradually stabilized.

In addition, I wasn't very familiar with the layout of the inner gate of Shengdan Academy, and after taking two detours, it took me a quarter of an hour to finally reach the entrance of Mingling Residence.

"Wow, wow..." I stammered to myself, feeling the tearing sensation in my heart and lungs and the metallic taste rising in my throat.

Just as the manual described, even though I am now at the Foundation Establishment stage, all the side effects of the Rapid Walking Technique on my first use came true. However, this discomfort did not last long. After about two or three minutes, I recovered and staggered towards Mingling Residence.

"etc!"

"Who?"

Just as I was about to enter Mingling Residence, a familiar female voice suddenly came from behind me. I turned around and saw that it was Zeng Yixi.

"It really is you! What are you doing here?" Zeng Yixi ran up to me quickly, her breathing slightly disordered as she spoke.

I glanced at her sweat-dampened collar and realized she had run all the way here.

"Just browsing around."

"That's bullshit," Zeng Yixi rolled her eyes at my dismissive attitude, her lips twitching slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and asked me seriously, "Why did you come here?"

Seeing Zeng Yixi's persistence, I sighed helplessly and said, "I hope you can answer the same question first."

"Alright," Zeng Yixi waved his hand, took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his temples, and said, "Didn't Elder Jianshan say that ambitious disciples should come to Mingling Residence to cultivate on their own? I'm not ambitious, I just think this is a good opportunity to get clues. You know, that idiot Qian Zhe hides even the smallest clues. If that scoundrel gets some important clue and we don't know anything, that would be terrible."

"So, you came here looking for clues so you can exchange them with Qian Zhe later?" I said calmly.

"No, it's not that... I just wanted to take advantage of this free time to look for more clues, that's all."

"oh."

"So, why did you come?"

"Just like you."

"you!"

"Really, believe it or not." With that, I turned around and headed straight for Mingling Residence.

"Hey, what did you get?" Zeng Yixi's voice came from behind me again.