Universe

Upon hearing this, Li Qi also wanted to go and take a look, to see what he could find, just in case he gained something.

However, Shen Shuibi stopped her.

"What use is this fingerprint to you? You can't understand it now, but once you can, you won't lack this kind of thing, will you?" Shen Shuibi was a little puzzled by Li Qi's choice.

"You possess four strands of divine energy bestowed upon you by the Great Shaman, which are genuine Great Shaman origins. Once you are able to study them in the future, your teacher will definitely take you under his wing and teach you slowly. These things will be within your grasp in the future, so why are you in such a hurry now?"

After listening to Shen Shuibi's words, Li Qi couldn't help but sigh again.

The governor of White Snake Prefecture and his officials were fighting over an owl that was rotting and dead.

Shen Shuibi and Li Qi are like phoenixes high above, only perching on parasol trees, only eating lotus seeds, and only drinking from sweet springs, yet these things are still delivered to them.

No wonder everyone else was so frightened when they heard the name of Wushen Mountain.

This world is truly divided into high and low classes.

That makes sense. In the world of cultivation, each level of cultivation is a different realm than the previous one, which doesn't really qualify as a species.

Since Shen Shuibi had already said that such a fingerprint was not of much use and meant nothing to the two of them, Li Qi naturally didn't care.

Shen Shuibi wouldn't lie to him.

So Li Qi simply sat down and continued reading.

We still have to study; studying is the only way out.

This reading took a full four days.

Four days later, the prefect finally returned.

Some people didn't even make it back.

Li Qi secretly wondered if the owls had fought each other and some had died while fighting over the dead mouse.

Or is it simply that we couldn't make it in time?

I don't know, but it doesn't matter.

This is the kind of scene often seen in novels, where a fortuitous encounter occurs, and everyone rushes inside to fight and vie for it.

Unfortunately, Li Qi had no intention of going to such a place to die.

Just as Shen Shuibi said, in the eyes of these people, he was a 100% chosen one.

What these people considered a once-in-a-lifetime adventure was nothing more than a dead rat on the ground to Li Qi, whom he wouldn't even bother to glance at.

The world is more diverse than we imagine.

The former boatmen could bully even a few turnips.

But now, even the governor of a prefecture has to treat him with utmost respect.

He basically did nothing. Although he was called a "Shaman" (a high-ranking official), he didn't even reach the required rank. The only difference was that he had a "Da Teacher Zhu.

To rise to the top in one step...

But then again, Li Qi surprisingly didn't feel particularly smug.

Because, after experiencing time travel, three years of hardship, various daily interactions with Shen Shuibi, and the great battle a few days ago.

All of this made Li Qi realize that the praise he was receiving was nothing but empty words.

The moment I first witnessed the energy of heaven and earth, the energy of the city, I was overwhelmed by its grandeur and awe.

Then comes the first time when the duty of the Shaman is fulfilled, and communication with the spirits is achieved, thus reaching harmony between Human-Ghost.

Then, I witnessed the Daoist aura and various energies that emerged during the battle between Ri Ning and others.

All of this has made Li Qi unfazed by the current situation.

Ultimately, true wealth and status must be earned through one's own efforts.

Knowing oneself is perhaps what Shen Shuibi meant by "remaining calm in the face of change, and unperturbed by honor or disgrace."

Therefore, for the past four days, Li Qi has Anxin on reading and cultivating, making steady progress step by step.

Anyway, his teacher has already given him the real Technique Method, so he can just practice slowly.

His Shaman is far less rapid than martial arts cultivation, but it is becoming increasingly profound.

After the governor returned, he did not break camp, but instead stayed to wait for the others.

During this period, there were naturally daily banquets.

Li Qi did not refuse the banquet, but after returning home he remained calm and focused on his spiritual practice and studies.

His performance surprised the officials, who put aside their contempt and dared not treat Li Qi with the mere etiquette of a nobleman. Instead, they praised his composure.

However, it's hard to say how genuine that praise is.

But Li Qi didn't care.

He cultivates himself, not for the praise of these people.

And so they waited for another seven days.

Seven days later, people returned one after another, all safe and sound.

Someone was taken in while insane, and all their cultivation was destroyed.

Li Qi asked Shen Shuibi curiously why her cultivation had been completely destroyed.

Shen Shuibi didn't seem to care much and casually replied, "Because after carefully studying the Great Diviner's Daoist teachings, he discovered that the Great Diviner's understanding of the Dao was different from his own. Under such worry and fear, his Dao heart collapsed, right?"

"This kind of person has no future. The path is his own. Even if it is the path of a great diviner, it is only suitable for him. He is so worried because his own path is different from that of a great being. He might as well die."

The rabbit didn't feel sorry for him; she seemed to look down on this kind of person.

On the contrary, she seems to really like her type.

Good thing.

With the matter settled, the cultivators and officials who had achieved their goals all took their leave, leaving only Xia Li Qi Shen Shuibi, and the prefect to travel together to the capital of White Snake Prefecture.

Li Qi wanted to refuse and leave alone with Shen Shuibi.

However, the prefect tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Why is there such a hurry for you to leave, young master? You have given us this fortuitous opportunity, how can we just treat you to a banquet? Why don't you come with me to the capital of White Snake Prefecture? There, we will prepare generous gifts for you."

Li Qi agreed.

Who doesn't love a generous gift?

So the carriage set off again.

Less than two Chen after setting off, the prefect invited Li Qi to meet him alone.

Li Qi had no objection and went to the prefect's side.

The long table inside the carriage had been removed.

Instead, sandalwood tables and desks were installed.

The two sat facing each other.

"Young master, do you know what generous gift I have prepared for you?" the governor asked, pouring Li Qi a cup of tea.

"How would I know? Prefect, there's no need to keep me in suspense." Li Qi accepted the gift with both hands, displaying impeccable manners.

"Then I won't hide it from you. As a disciple of the Wushen Mountain, you should know about the outer realms," the governor said confidently, as if Li Qi were certain he knew.

Does Li Qi know?

Of course he knows; that's where he came from.

But... what does the other party mean?

Li Qi frowned, remaining silent and waiting for further developments.

"Judging from your expression, young master, you must know. I suppose even for the disciples of Wushen Mountain, the qualifications to enter the outer realms before reaching a certain rank are still rare, right?" The prefect smiled.

"Young master has given me a fortuitous opportunity, and I will return the favor by giving you a fortuitous opportunity in return. I have a letter from the Great Deer Kingdom Lord that can recommend a talented person to enter the outer realms, which will definitely be of great benefit to you."

"This place beyond the realm is called the Wandering Realm. It is an eighth-grade world, and the world's ruler is only an eighth-grade being. This should not be a problem for you, young master. This world has long been a resource domain of the Great Deer Kingdom and has long been tamed. I dare not say much about its resources, but you certainly have no shortage of them. However, the different Daoist charm of this other world will definitely be of great help to you in advancing to the next grade."

The governor said this.

The conversation did not last long; in fact, it was the governor trying to reciprocate and give Li Qi a fortuitous opportunity of his own.

Li Qi understood that this was probably not just a matter of reciprocity, but also an investment and gesture of goodwill from the governor.

After all, the governor of White Snake Prefecture could distinguish between an owl like himself who catches a dead mouse and a phoenix that would likely take flight in the future. There was no harm in befriending him now.

Li Qi would not refuse this generous gift, since no matter how he thought about it, the other party had no reason to harm him.

If you really want to harm him, the prefect is a sixth-rank official, on the same level as the Curse Demon King and the Bear Kill King.

That kind of existence is truly harmful to oneself...

That's probably the only option; death is inevitable.

So Li Qi readily accepted, but he still needed to go back and consult Shen Shuibi.

After this conversation, Li Qi went back and found Shen Shuibi.

"Miss Shen, what is 'outer realm'?" Li Qi asked Shen Shuibi.

"Huh? Aren't you from beyond the realm?" Shen Shuibi asked in surprise.

No, the fact that I am an Outer Dao has already spread, hasn't it?

Li Qi slapped his forehead. "But I don't know anything about what's going on outside the realm... Miss Shen, please tell me."

"Hmm... let me think... there's really nothing special about it."

Shen Shuibi for a moment, then explained to Li Qi.

The term "outside the realm" refers to other worlds beyond this one.

Here, we need to introduce the concept of 'universe'.

The four directions and the top and bottom are called "Yu" (宇), and the past and present are called "Zhou" (宙). Yu is all space, and Zhou is all time.

The universe is vast and boundless, and within it are countless realms, each born according to a different 'Tao', interacting with each other through qi, and giving birth to all things.

"Outside the domain" refers to other places outside one's own world.

Shen Shuibi said, "According to the Ninth Rank Classification Method proposed by the sage, different worlds are also divided into nine ranks. The strongest that this world can support is the dividing line. Any world that can support the appearance of a ninth-rank world is Ninth Rank World."

"As you can see, our world can support multiple First-Rank beings, and there are even Saints, True Immortal, and Witch Gods who surpass the First Rank. Therefore, our world can be called 'All Under Heaven'."

"This name means that we are the only 'world' under the heavens. So far, we have explored countless realms beyond the heavens, and for the time being, we are the only 'world'. But I heard the Your Highness say that the True Immortal all say that although there are no traces in the universe, there are traces of other 'worlds' in the light of time. It seems that there are other worlds."

"The influence of 'Tianxia' can extend to countless worlds beyond. You can even hear the same rumors and myths in many other worlds. You must be the same, right? You can read as soon as you arrive and have a vague understanding of some existences. It must be that the world you came from has been influenced by this Tianxia, and the legend of Tianxia is also circulating there."

"Ahem, I've digressed. Anyway, that's the gist of it. Most of these outer realms are like this. They are basically subordinate to the world. They also have the concept of 'ascension,' which means using one's own power to break through the world's shackles and go to a higher-level world. As for the destination of ascension, that is naturally our 'world.'"

"Correspondingly, our world can also venture beyond its borders. Sometimes it's to conquer some natives, and sometimes it's to collect resources. After all, although the world is vast and resources are abundant, no one will complain about not having enough money..."

"This time, it should be an outer realm controlled by the Great Deer Kingdom itself, right? Since it's only an eighth-grade world, it means that the strongest beings that the world can support are only eighth-grade, so there shouldn't be any danger. Go, going to an outer realm will definitely be of great benefit to your advancement." Shen Shuibi concluded.

Therefore, Li Qi felt relieved and continued his cultivation.

Anyway, there's no need to travel on my own now. When we get to White Snake Prefecture, I'll have plenty of time. I might as well use it to cultivate and study, and strive to reach the next level as soon as possible.

During the time Li Qi was cultivating.

Shen Shuibi was also busy.

She had enough savings and was ready to buy the product.

Since abandoning his martial arts skills a few months ago, Rabbit has been preparing to rebuild his abilities.

After what happened with Yang Ning, once the two demons were dead and Li Qi was taken away by Great Shaman, she went to ask Yang Ning for some other resources.

Finally, today, everything is finally ready.

"Hmm, that brings me back to the ninth rank. At least I have some ability to protect myself now." Shen Shuibi hummed a song as she busied herself around the Pill Furnace.

Knead the medicinal cake, filter the liquid, prepare the ritual, and then light the Pill Furnace.

Alchemy is an important part of Daoist cultivation. In fact, there is a specific lineage of cultivation in Daoism that is called the "Path of the Golden Elixir".

This "elixir" refers not only to the pills taken orally, but also to the practitioner himself.

As the saying goes, the way of the Golden Elixir begins with self-cultivation.

The celestial pole is the center of the heavens, which remains unmoved throughout eternity. All the stars revolve around it, and each rotation is called a "cycle of the heavens".

Mount Luofu uses the analogy of the elixir of immortality to describe the process of refining oneself to perfection. One must remain unmoved by appearances and have an unwavering mind to achieve true self-cultivation. One should temper oneself as the 'extreme' of all things.

This is the key point of Shen Shuibi's cultivation, and also the core of the Cultivation Method of Mount Luofu:

You are the center of the universe, and everything revolves around you.

Such spiritual practice prioritizes one's character and then one's resources, which is why Shen Shuibi has been stuck.

If she hadn't broken her own Immaculate Body at the last moment, then given her temperament, she was already a fifth-grade cultivator. As long as she replenished her alchemy resources, advancing to the next level would have been a natural progression.

However, things are not so simple once the Immaculate Body is damaged.

It is said that her Immaculate Body has been repaired, but a broken mirror cannot be mended. Once it has been damaged, it can no longer be perfect. Therefore, she still has to nurture her Immaculate Body step by step.

But she wasn't in a hurry at all.

Now that the Your Highness is safe and sound, there's nothing more to kill her; all that's left is to wait patiently.

For her, time is worthless.

To enter the ranks of Daoism, one needs to refine a 'Golden Elixir'.

This thing doesn't exist in a physical form, but rather refers to a state of being experienced by a practitioner.

The Golden Elixir doesn't actually contain a golden bead inside the body; if it does, it's just a stone.

The Golden Elixir refers to the state of one's primordial spirit when one introspects, where the Primordial Spirit is condensed and flawless, forming a unified whole and radiating brilliant golden light.

In this state, the True Qi cultivated through practice is not leaked, and it can also resist external energy, thus prolonging life and enabling one to perform some Divine Ability.

However, Shen Shuibi could no longer do that. Her body and Primordial Spirit were covered in cracks caused by injuries. Originally, she had the Immaculate Body to protect her, but now that Immaculate Body was cracked. Even if the Great Diviner forcibly restored her, it would be far from the word 'perfect' and could only be used with difficulty.

In that case, if you want to recover quickly, you have to take another path.

That is Outer Elixir.

That is, what she is currently refining in the Pill Furnace.

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