Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

After walking a distance, Tao Pili handed the jade token to Lu Qian and suddenly said, "When you encounter someone surnamed Mu at Zhou Tian Academy, remember to be careful."

Lu Qian was taken aback at first, then understood what Tao Pili meant and quickly asked, "You mean him...?"

Tao Pili nodded. "One should always be wary of others! Even if he's from the Xuantian Palace, it's best not to let him know!"

Not long after, a streak of light suddenly flashed across the sky, gradually approaching before stopping, revealing a burly man with a cold face, flowing black hair, and a black iron sword hanging at his waist. He exuded a rugged aura, and after taking a few steps closer, he greeted, "Elder Tao!"

Tao Pili said to Lu Qian, "This is the Foundation Establishment instructor I arranged for you, Xie Xunzhen. Although he doesn't look like much, he has rich practical experience. He fought his way up from the subordinate forces of the Canglan Holy Land, so he is barely qualified to teach you."

Even after hearing Tao Pili's negative assessment of him, Xie Xunzhen remained indifferent, as if the person Tao Pili was talking about had nothing to do with him and he was completely unconcerned.

Lu Qian, naturally, dared not be as casual as Tao Pili, and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Instructor!"

Xie Xunzhen nodded calmly, "I will naturally tell you the rules that I need to tell you. Feel free to ask me anything or make any requests. If it's something beyond my ability, I will tell Elder Tao."

Tao Pili agreed, saying, "From now on, just do as he says. I'll take care of anything that comes up."

After saying this, Tao Pili soared into the sky and flew away.

With his only acquaintance gone, Lu Qian felt a bit uneasy, but he quickly calmed down, relaxed, and followed Xie Xunzhen on his way.

"Let me introduce this place to you first. Also, remember the directions and some special places. Try to solve any problems on your own. If you really can't solve them, then come find me."

Xie Xunzhen remained as aloof as before, but still led Lu Qian around the Xuan Tian Palace, casually handing him a storage bag and a jade slip. "There are some things in the storage bag, basic benefits of the Zhou Tian Academy. The jade slip contains some information; you'd better memorize it!"

Lu Qian first checked the information in the jade slip, and then checked the storage bag. He found a set of magic robes, three bottles of Qingling Pills, and some Huangya Pills, all of which seemed to be useful.

The information in the jade slip reveals that this robe is called the Canglan Robe. It is the most basic style and has the ability to cleanse and protect the body. It does not need to be washed normally. It can automatically protect the body when danger approaches. It can withstand attacks at the Qi Refining level for a quarter of an hour. If there is an attack at the Foundation Establishment level, it can also withstand at least one.

Even the most basic Canglan robe, if sold outside, could fetch a thousand spirit stones, or even more. But here it's just something like a school uniform that's casually handed out, which shows how wealthy and powerful the Canglan Holy Land is.

As for the Qingling Pill, it is a common meridian-protecting pill. The Huangya Pill is also a pill that Lu Qian can use at his current level of cultivation. They can all be considered useful.

"The Zhou Tian Academy can provide all cultivation-related resources, such as pills needed for your current cultivation level. As long as you use them yourself, they are free. However, you should take pills in moderation, otherwise the accumulated pill toxins will also affect your potential."

Xie Xunzhen then changed the subject, saying, "However, what we provide for free are only the most basic pills. If you want more special pills for cultivation or to break through bottlenecks, you'll need to exchange them for Dao cultivation points."

The so-called Dao Gong is about the same as the contribution value of the Canghai Sect. However, the Dao Gong of the Canglan Holy Land is much more valuable than the contribution value of the Canghai Sect. It can be exchanged for almost anything, and these are all things that are extremely rare in the outside world.

For alchemy inheritances that Lu Qian longs for, if they are low-level, he can look at them at will without spending anything. Only inheritances of the second level and above require Dao merit to exchange for. Including alchemy inheritances of the third and fourth levels and above, they can all be exchanged for with Dao merit.

There are several ways to acquire Daoist skills, but none of them are easy. These include improving alchemical formulas, refining cultivation techniques, cultivating new spiritual plants with special functions, and devising ways to break other cultivation methods. None of these are easy.

In comparison, the easiest way is to challenge the Tower of Ten Thousand Laws. You can gain Dao Merit on your first successful challenge, and you can also gain Dao Merit by maintaining a certain ranking.

However, the ease with which this method of obtaining Taoist skills is compared to other methods is actually not that easy.

The Tower of Ten Thousand Laws tests a cultivator's combat power, or fighting ability. Once inside, everyone's cultivation level is suppressed to the same degree, and the use of talismans and pills is prohibited. Even some techniques that temporarily increase combat power are forbidden. The only thing that can be used is the standard magic weapon provided by the Spirit of Ten Thousand Laws.

To pass the Tower of Ten Thousand Laws, one must possess combat power exceeding their current realm. Only after passing it will rankings be calculated. To stand out among the geniuses of the Canglan Holy Land, one must achieve a relatively high ranking. Neither of these two things is easy.

The conventional ways of obtaining Taoist skills are not easy, so Zhou Tian Academy will issue training missions every six months, which everyone must participate in. Upon completion, there will be Taoist skill rewards.

The difficulty of the training missions is related to the current cultivation level. Generally speaking, they can be completed after putting in a certain amount of effort. There are also protectors following in the shadows, so it is relatively safe under normal circumstances. However, there are also abnormal situations. Occasionally, hostile sects will send people to assassinate, and sometimes the mission situation is not investigated clearly, resulting in unexpected situations. Therefore, there are occasional casualties.

Therefore, although the effects of Taoist cultivation are great, it is by no means something that can be easily obtained. One must either be exceptionally talented or work extremely hard.

"If you want to experiment with spells, you can go to the arena, where there are specialized puppets."

Xie Xunzhen pointed to a place, "If you want to spar with someone or have a duel, you can go to the fighting arena. Anyway, you all have the Canglan Robe, so as long as you are careful, you should not get hurt."

Curious, Lu Qian asked, "Does the Holy Land still allow duels between disciples?"

Xie Xunzhen looked at Lu Qian as if he were a fool. "Everyone has selfish desires and conflicts. If there are truly unsolvable conflicts, then of course they will be decided by a contest of magic! Just because the Holy Land doesn't allow it, does that mean such things won't happen?"

Lu Qian immediately understood. "It seems that while the Holy Land outwardly discourages duels between disciples, it doesn't actually interfere much... And sparring between disciples is certainly fine, but what's the difference between a duel and a spar? So it's a gray area, something to be handled on a case-by-case basis."

From the perspective of the sect's interests, no one would want internal strife among its disciples. However, everyone has their own will. It's not just a conflict; even fellow disciples can develop into mortal enemies. If things really get out of hand, a duel or a fight to the death is possible.

If Lu Qian were to return to the Canghai Sect and encounter Zhang Baoshan and Wu Ling'er, would he be able to remain calm? A duel, or even a fight to the death, would seem like a good option, at least it wouldn't affect the sect's mission or involve others.