Qin Sang sat high upon the Immortal Terrace.
The disciples put away the Beast King Banners and stood silently in attendance on both sides.
The grand ceremony was drawing to a close.
Yet the look of anticipation on the faces of the cultivators at the foot of the mountain only grew stronger.
By custom, the founding patriarch of a newly established sect would set up an altar on the day of the ceremony to preach the Dao as an expression of gratitude to the guests.
Unfortunately, such opportunities were rare.
Those with the qualification and capability to found a sect, and the confidence to host a grand ceremony with invitations extended far and wide, could be counted on one hand.
For rogue cultivators, even hearing a Golden Core Master preach in person was an enviable stroke of fortune.
As for a Nascent Soul Patriarch mounting an altar to preach the Dao, even disciples of illustrious sects seldom encountered such an occasion.
At this moment, the razor-sharp sword intent radiating from Qin Sang had vanished, his aura withdrawn inward until he appeared like an ordinary mortal.
He gave a slight nod before speaking. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly into everyone's ears—even the cultivators standing at the very periphery at the mountain's base.
"Fellow Daoists, you have spared no effort to travel here and witness this ceremony. Qin offers his sincere thanks. Having nothing else of equal value to return, I can only offer some humble insights on cultivation to share and explore with you all."
As he reached his final words, Qin Sang's gaze settled upon the Nascent Soul cultivators gathered on the Immortal Terrace.
At these words, all ten thousand cultivators below took on solemn expressions and sat properly in orderly posture.
In an instant, the vast Qingyang Temple fell utterly silent, save for the gentle blowing of a cool breeze.
On the Immortal Terrace, the Nascent Soul experts also straightened their postures, according Qin Sang the utmost respect.
Yet beyond their expectations, Qin Sang actually began all the way from the Qi Refining stage.
Fortunately, none of the Nascent Soul cultivators grew impatient; they listened patiently to his teachings, waiting for what would come later.
The cultivators below, especially the rogue cultivators, were overjoyed. None had expected the Master of Qingyang Temple to be so considerate and generous.
Qin Sang's discourse was concise and incisive, grasping the core essentials and touching only on key principles. How much one could comprehend depended entirely on the listener's inherent talent.
Qin Sang soon finished covering the Qi Refining stage and turned to Foundation Establishment.
In truth, Qin Sang possessed no profound comprehension of Foundation Establishment; he had forcibly broken through back then by consuming the elixir bestowed by Dongyang Bo.
Yet with his current realm, looking back upon Foundation Establishment required effortless ease to articulate unique and discerning insights.
When it came to the Golden Core stage, however, things were quite different.
In the entire immortal cultivation realm, it was likely difficult to find anyone whose journey to forming a core had been more tortuous or deeply etched into memory than his own.
The Golden Core conformed subtly to the principles of Yin and Yang: those who understood found it effortless, while those who did not remained bewildered; without someone to offer guidance, one might never grasp it till the day they died.
Those who gained some enlightenment finally realized what an extraordinary opportunity they had encountered today. Ecstatic with gratitude, they cast aside all concern for the eyes around them and prostrated themselves toward the ethereal figure atop the Immortal Terrace.
As Qin Sang continued his discourse, more and more people knelt upon the ground.
Li Yufu and the others attending beside the terrace kept their eyes fixed on the base of the mountain, paying particular attention to the rogue cultivators and busily noting things down.
The great Dharma could not be imparted lightly, so regarding what lay beyond the Golden Core, Qin Sang spoke with great brevity.
Even so, Qin Sang had spent almost his entire Golden Core stage in the Canglang Ocean, where the heritage differed noticeably from the Beichen Realm. As a result, certain parts sounded remarkably novel to the Beichen cultivators.
What was more, Qin Sang had absorbed portions of the demon and Witch Clan heritages.
Certain perspectives were angles that even Nascent Soul cultivators and Transformation stage great demons had never conceived.
The Nascent Soul experts listened with rapt attention, no longer simply giving face to Qin Sang; they were genuinely listening with all their focus and pondering deeply.
Si Di and Yao Jing subtly exchanged a glance, filled with astonishment, for even they had found inspiration in his words.
There were no comparable legacies in the Beichen Realm. Could Qin Sang have obtained this from some ancient secret realm?
If Qin Sang had derived all of this through his own enlightenment out of thin air, then he truly was an unprecedented genius!
Qin Sang naturally had no intention of explaining anything, letting them speculate as they pleased.
Gradually, subtle shifts appeared on the faces of the Nascent Soul cultivators—some lost in contemplation, others furrowing their brows.
For Qin Sang always stopped just short of revealing everything, like presenting a door that seemed ready to yield with a simple push, behind which clearly lay an even vaster and more mesmerizing world. Whether Qin Sang had simply not penetrated further or was intentionally keeping them in suspense, it left their hearts burning with curiosity.
The Golden Core cultivators below were even worse off: scratching their ears and cheeks in anxiety, looking left and right in search of peers to exchange notes and realizations.
Yet they could find no fault with Qin Sang. Anything more specific was rightfully the secret transmission of his own sect.
That Qin Sang had even pointed out the existence of this door was already an act of immense benevolence.
The Nascent Soul experts suppressed their wandering thoughts and watched Qin Sang as he spoke eloquently, their expressions growing all the more earnest. Qin Sang was about to reach the Nascent Soul realm, and surely he would offer singular insights on that as well!
Unexpectedly, right at this juncture, Qin Sang came to an abrupt halt!
He had achieved Nascent Soul less than a century ago and had yet to fully grasp it himself; trying to lecture experts would only be making a fool of himself, especially when the terrace was not lacking in mid Nascent Soul masters.
Yet relying solely on what shallow insights he had offered so far was insufficient. Bringing the lecture to a close right now would certainly make him a laughingstock.
Qin Sang simply chose to conceal his limitations, shifting the topic to speak of the Dao of the sword!
When it came to swordsmanship, Qin Sang possessed absolute confidence!
Both the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter and the Qingzhu Sword Scripture were exquisitely profound.
Qin Sang decided to focus primarily on the Qingzhu Sword Scripture.
The Qingzhu Sword Scripture had been created by Qingzhu based on the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter. Qin Sang often brought it out to comprehend the true essence of the sword scripture, which had greatly benefited his own cultivation.
Shangguan Lifeng had known beforehand the subject of Qin Sang's sermon, and he immediately sent voice transmissions to the sword-cultivating disciples, bidding them clear their minds of all stray thoughts and listen closely.
After a brief pang of disappointment, the Nascent Soul experts showed keen interest upon hearing such wondrous insights into the sword Dao.
As for the cultivators at the foot of the mountain, barely any could understand, but all of them exerted every effort to commit Qin Sang's every word to memory.
Throughout the vast Qingyang Temple, only Qin Sang's voice resonated.
The sky was clear, the air crisp, and a gentle breeze blew pleasantly.
Enraptured by the profound and ethereal mysteries of the Immortal Dao and Sword Dao, the cultivators lost all track of time.
Only when the four words "We end here" rang out did they start awake, yet they remained deeply intoxicated by the lingering atmosphere, unable to pull themselves free.
Qin Sang's voice seemed still to linger in their ears.
Some even discovered that their stubbornly entrenched bottlenecks showed a faint trace of loosening!
"Our deepest thanks to Temple Master Qin for the grace of his teaching!"
Someone called out in a loud voice.
A vast swathe of cultivators below dropped to their knees at once, shouting in unison.
The wave of voices surged like crashing waves, echoing through the mountains for a long time!
On the Immortal Terrace.
The Nascent Soul cultivators stood, cupping their hands in gratitude toward Qin Sang; today, they too had reaped no small harvest.
Qin Sang accepted their thanks with calm poise, then gave a wave of his sleeve.
Mist and clouds converged, shrouding the Immortal Terrace from view.
The grand ceremony was over!
The cultivators below were left wanting more, reluctant to disperse for a long time.
At this time, Li Yufu and the others hurried down the mountain, splitting up to carry out their tasks.
During Qin Sang's lecture, anyone capable of immediate enlightenment had to possess superior talent. The sect disciples aside, any rogue cultivators who stood out were exceptional talents that Qingyang Temple could not afford to pass up.
Qingyang Temple was newly established, precisely when it needed to recruit disciples far and wide.
Of course, Qin Sang did not claim to possess the divine ability to teach all without distinction, nor would he accept disciples blindly; he had long since drawn up several criteria.
Some took their leave; others remained behind.
Qingyang Temple gradually settled back into tranquility. Disciples looked at one another with joy spilling across their faces, before turning with deep reverence to gaze upon the characters carved by sword intent upon the main peak: "Qingyang Temple."
Leaving aside the minor affairs down below,
atop the Immortal Terrace, the Nascent Soul cultivators took Qin Sang's sermon as a starting point to discuss the mysteries of cultivation and debate the Dao.
Chapter 1360