Aid and Discernment

Watching the Xuanist depart, Chen Chuan knew that the man would likely not show himself again for at least the remainder of his cultivation period. After a moment of contemplation, he reached into his pocket and retrieved the pill that Xuan Daoist Wuwei had left behind. It was exceptionally light, resembling a wisp of condensed smoke, though it felt slightly diminished compared to before. Seeing this, he had already formed a conclusion: the apparition he had just seen was indeed connected to Xuan Daoist Wuwei. Back then, the Daoist had told him, "Having received his aid, a gift is left in return," leaving this very pill behind. At first, Chen Chuan had not known its purpose. Now, it appeared capable of illuminating the spiritual fields left behind by members of the Xuan Cult, manifesting figures from the past and allowing him to converse with them. Whether the apparition that had appeared this time was truly a Xuanist who had once lived here, or merely a borrowed shade gathered by Xuan Daoist Wuwei himself, he could not say for sure. Judging by the man's parting words and everything that had transpired here, he leaned toward the latter possibility. Furthermore, Chen Chuan was not an initiate of the Xuan Cult; there was no reason for another Xuan Cult elder to speak so extensively with him. His thoughts turned further. Since this pill possessed such an effect, could it be used in other relevant locations in the future—places where members of the Xuan Cult had once resided? If so, he might visit the various temples and shrines left behind by the Xuan Cult across the land whenever he found the leisure. With these thoughts settled, he put the pill away and stepped into the grotto. Rather than cultivating immediately, he headed toward the cavern below. The Xuanist had mentioned items hidden down there, and Chen Chuan intended to inspect them first. Making his way downward, he passed the jade pool he had visited previously. Reaching the far end, he found the passage bifurcated into two tunnels. Taking the left path first, he walked roughly a hundred paces before emerging into a cavernous hall. In its center stood a jade pillar adorned with carvings of various immortals, spirits, and demons. The pillar was thick, its carvings rough and bold, possessing a distinctive style. Standing only half as tall as a man, it looked as though it had been severed from a much larger column. At the very top rested a thin-walled celadon bowl containing what seemed to be a thin layer of liquid. Looking up, he saw a coiled serpent-dragon carved into the ceiling, its head pointing downward. At that moment, a drop of jade liquid slipped from its snout and fell into the bowl with a crisp clink. A moment later, another drop fell. By rights, the bowl should have filled quickly under such conditions, yet only a shallow film remained at the bottom. According to the Xuanist, this bowl had held elixir fluid for many years, gathered from the refined essence of the surrounding mountains and waters. Obtaining this substance had been one of the primary reasons the Xuan Cult practitioners had come here in the first place. Drinking this liquid was said to awaken one's potential and harmonize their divergent meridians. Stepping forward, Chen Chuan noticed an earring-like loop on the back of the jade pillar, strung with a jade plaque on a jade chain. Reaching out to examine it, he saw a vertical inscription in ancient seal script from the old era: *The descendants of our sect may take and drink.* After reading it, he pondered briefly and refrained from touching it. Leaving the hall, he walked toward the cavern opposite. Inside, clay jars were arranged along the rock walls, packed so tightly they almost filled the entire space. Several had clearly been unsealed already. Stepping closer to look, he discovered they contained the congealed fat he had seen before. If the remaining jars were filled with the same substance, the quantity was truly substantial. Surveying the chamber, he noticed an alcove near the right corner holding a jade display frame, upon which hung a dark robe. His interest piqued, he walked over to inspect it and found esoteric ritual patterns traced across the fabric, accompanied by dense annotations of text that subtly aligned with the ritual patterns he had observed on his way here. Looking closer, he realized that the garment seemed to depict the entire layout of the surrounding esoteric ritual. He stared intently at it. If one understood these patterns and texts, they could theoretically replicate the surrounding esoteric ritual. It was remarkably valuable. While he was not completely ignorant of rituals, the sheer complexity before him far exceeded his understanding. Yet as he studied it, a realization struck him: *So it can be done like this...* According to this ritual, so long as there was enough congealed fat to activate it, using this dark robe as a central anchor would allow the entire ritual to operate at maximum efficiency. Not only would it confer an enhancement upon him, but it would also keep the fissure open continuously while the ritual ran. During his cultivation in the first and second stages, whenever the fissure threatened to close, he had drawn the Xuejun Saber to cut it open anew so as to maintain an unbroken flow. While the Xuejun Saber was sturdy enough to endure such use, doing so was always a distraction. Though it had not posed much of an obstacle before, this final stage was different from the first two. It was the most difficult level. He had to give it his all, free from even the slightest distraction. Keeping the fissure continuously stable would be of immense help. Furthermore, the text and ritual patterns on the dark robe indicated that a fissure connecting to the world beyond had originally existed here. Its current absence suggested it had closed for some reason, which was likely why the Xuan Cult practitioners had abandoned the site. Here, however, that was no issue at all. The Xuanist had said there were things here to aid him, and indeed, these items would prove genuinely useful. Chen Chuan reached out and took down the dark robe. Then, focusing his gaze, he caused the jars to float into the air one after another. Turning around, he walked out to the pool. He poured the congealed fat from the jars into the basin. After emptying half of them, the jade-white fat reached nearly to the brim. Seeing that it was enough, he stepped over to the nearby jade bowl, scooped several handfuls of sand, and scattered them across the bottom. Soon, as the sand dissolved the congealed fat, the pool began to roil as if boiling, and billowing plumes of steam rose upward. The commotion was far greater than before. As the rising vapor thickened enough to engulf a person's figure, he could feel the entire Jade Peak tremble faintly. After waiting a moment to ensure nothing was amiss, Chen Chuan carried the dark robe back out. As for that bowl of spiritual fluid, he had no intention of taking it. What lay before him was more than sufficient, and he doubted the liquid could further enhance his potential. Even if it could, according to the Xuan Cult's ways, any benefit received came with a corresponding burden. It was hard to say how much effect drinking it would have, but it would almost certainly embroil him in additional entanglements. Moreover, the jade plaque explicitly stated that it was reserved for destined descendants of the Xuan Cult. Since he was not a member, there was no need to greedily take everything. Returning to the upper level, he saw a vast cloud of mist rising from the peak's summit, canopying over the entire mountain like an umbrella. Strands of water droplets fell like strings of beads, plunging all the way to the mountain's base and stirring up even denser sheets of mist. Looking into the distance, he could see the winding river rumbling beneath his feet. Whenever it met an obstacle, it surged with a roar before bending outward, churning and darting like a living creature to link the surrounding mountain ranges together. The scale of this esoteric ritual was even greater than he had imagined. Beyond providing enhancement and maintaining the fissure, this ritual could also offer excellent protection against external incursions. However, according to the ritual diagrams, there was still one more step to take. He returned to the grotto. The moment he stepped inside, he felt the dark robe in his hands vibrate faintly. Made of certain special materials, it served as the ritual's central anchor, and this grotto was precisely the anchor's locus. Stepping to the side, he took off his hat. After several months here, his hair had grown considerably. Sweeping it back, he tied it loosely with a cord, draped the dark robe over his shoulders, and stood facing forward. Now, it was time to begin the final pass. He drew the Xuejun Saber and slashed forward. The fissure split open instantly, dazzling light illuminating the entire grotto. Blade in hand, he stepped through and took his stance on the other side. With a shift of his intent, he summoned forth his Spiritual Visage. Following the completion of the second stage, the Spiritual Visage had grown to eighteen or nineteen meters tall. This was a height that many Fourth Limit practitioners spent a lifetime striving for, achieved only when they hovered near the threshold of mutation. Yet for him, he had not even reached the realm of the Longevity View. In actual combat, the Spiritual Visage could transform between large and small, true and illusory, according to the fighter's will. But this height was its true form, and the strength it represented was its most genuine manifestation. Looking within the Spiritual Visage, intricate, twisting threads of light intertwined throughout its entire form, distributed across its whole body. This was the reflection of his own mutated tissue, all-encompassing and leaving nothing untouched. It was precisely this towering, solid Spiritual Visage that allowed him to glimpse the highest tier. Yet the highest Heavenly Pass the Xuanist had spoken of was not truly the ultimate limit; the world on the other side appeared boundless. This tier was merely the highest a practitioner could reach at this stage, and even that was theoretically accessible only in principle. During a breakthrough, even stronger taint would descend—a fact mentioned in the techniques of both the Xuan Cult and Wansong Company. The Xuan Cult referred to these as otherworldly malevolent spirits. These entities were a step above the previous taints, for as a practitioner's realm advanced, the taint that sought to encroach upon them grew correspondingly more formidable. In that case, he would put it to the test. Chen Chuan tilted his head upward. At the same time, his Spiritual Visage mirrored the motion, lifting its gaze. The third eye upon its brow snapped open, instantly unleashing a radiant beam that shot straight into the dense fog of light above.