Divine Beast

Storage artifacts are out of the question; the master can recall them at any time. Who supplies medicinal cuisine by the vat? This should at least be something that will be eaten into this dumb turtle's belly, right?

Moreover—eating a White Tiger, this turtle will compete with her for it. Now, judging by the situation, this turtle is going to treat her to medicinal cuisine? So this turtle has more than one vat? The snake's heart ached.

The tip of her tail trembled rapidly, and her voice quivered, "Medicinal cuisine, where did it come from?"

"Roar!"

Su He said as a matter of course, "I snatched it!"

?

The trembling snake dumbfoundedly raised its head and quietly retreated. Can this thing be snatched? Aren't you afraid of being struck dead by a senior from the sect? But she retreated two body lengths without any punishment descending from the sky.

The Green Snake's eyes lit up, so... can one also rob within the sect? Just like at Listening Sea Lake? Just as she was about to try, a voice came over, "Fellow Daoist Green Snake, don't listen to his nonsense!"

The Fat Daoist walked down from the high platform. Pointing at the "Su" character on Su He's Turtle Shell's Mountain, he said, "That's a message left by the Sect Leader's Wife. Try changing to someone else and robbing the Tranquil Peace Hall. If you dare to go, you won't even be able to walk out of the kitchen door, and your next meal of medicinal cuisine will be Snake Soup."

This turtle is truly lucky. Not only did it eat Lu Ming's White Tiger without any consequences, but it also has the Sect Leader's Wife protecting it. Even if it were just an exotic beast, it could act with impunity in the Azure Origin Sect.

The Green Snake nodded, her expression somewhat sheepish. Suddenly, she realized, "You can understand beast language?"

The Fat Daoist laughed heartily, surveyed all the disciples, and used this as a springboard to get straight to the point, beginning today's lecture.

"My name is Ge Feng. You can all call me Fat Senior Brother. The Daoist magic I cultivate is called the 'Beast Transformation Scripture.' One beast form per realm. I can obtain a beast form in each Great Realm, hence I can understand beast language."

He took a step forward, transformed, and became a wild boar with fierce bristles and ferocious fangs. It smashed a giant rock three zhang high in the training ground with a charge, rolled in the flying dust, and then transformed back into the Fat Daoist.

He surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction, taking in the shock of the disciples.

He did not disturb them. Only after they gradually recovered did he ascend the high platform and begin his lecture: "You have all embarked on the Dao path. Do you know the realms of cultivation?"

A simple and honest disciple raised his hand: "I heard from the old Daoist at my doorstep that there's Essence Refining Qi Transformation, Qi Refining Spirit Transformation, Spirit Refining Return to Emptiness, and... and I forgot the rest."

The crowd burst into laughter. Another disciple said with a smile, "That's not right! Master said that the path of cultivation has many realms. Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core... layer by layer, realm by realm, endless!"

Everyone listened with longing.

Another disciple retorted, "But I heard it's about No Leakage, Sarira, Nirvana, and things like that."

Ge Feng did not interrupt. After they had spoken freely, he said, "You are all right, and yet you are all wrong! Some are fabricated by storytellers, and some are ancient realm divisions that cultivators have long abandoned.

The path of cultivation has spanned thousands, even tens of thousands, of years from antiquity to the present. It is constantly renewed and constantly changing, so how can there be fixed and unchanging realms? Perhaps while we are chatting, some great being has already opened up a realm in the extreme cold of the Nine Heavens that no one has known before."

He put down his teacup and said passionately, "The world today is not what it used to be. The division of realms naturally changes. The current division of realms is completely different from that of ancient times, unrecognizable. But no matter what, cultivation is the process of discarding falsehood and preserving truth, seeking the Great Dao. Regardless of how the realms are divided, they all lead to the same destination. Find your own Dao and walk it resolutely!"

"Even if your Dao has never been walked by anyone, and the road ahead is long and its destination unknown! Just like the Beast Transformation Scripture I cultivate, it was created by a great being with immense willpower and talent, imitating Divine Beasts when the Dao path was severed in ancient times."

"Divine Beasts?" someone exclaimed. These were all new disciples who had only seen the world after entering the Azure Origin Sect. Fish that floated, birds that manipulated water, monkeys that escaped into the earth... things they had never heard of.

Is this a Divine Beast? Everyone subconsciously looked at Su He.

Ge Feng smiled and shook his head, "Ordinary people can't see Divine Beasts anymore."

"Strictly speaking, our current cultivation is inspired by Divine Beasts." He pointed at his heart, projecting his Heart Aperture. It was a Profound Yellow space, with something floating up and down within, but it was blurred out, making it impossible to see clearly.

"In ancient times, humans did not cultivate the Heart Aperture. The realm divisions at that time are already impossible to ascertain. We only know that the cultivation world once faced a crisis of a severed Dao path. At that time, a great being discovered the method of Divine Beasts purifying their bloodlines and returning to their ancestors for cultivation. This is how the current cultivation realms came to be."

"'Mortal Shedding,' 'Demon Transformation,' and 'Heaven-Treading' are the three major realms of current cultivation. The latter two, needless to say, are still far from us. The Mortal Shedding realm has seven steps: Heart Aperture, Divine Treasure, True Blood, Will Aperture, Bone Offering, Spirit Awakening, and Essence Gathering.

"The Heart Aperture realm requires no further explanation. You need to cultivate, nurture yourselves, and temper your bodies. When you reach the extreme, you can use your qi and blood to blast open the Heart Aperture. The most important step in cultivation after opening the Heart Aperture is the second step: condensing the Divine Treasure of the Heart Aperture!"

He pointed at the blurred object in the projection of his Heart Aperture.

"Depending on the cultivation technique and one's disposition, different people can condense different Divine Treasures in their Heart Apertures. This is the foundation of cultivation! And it is the most important knowledge that humans learned from Divine Beasts."

He pointed at the Green Snake and the goat in the field: "In fact, demonic beasts are also like this. By consuming Demon Transformation Fruits, they condense a human form in their Heart Apertures—strictly speaking, this is not a human, but an Innate Dao Body, one of the most suitable forms for cultivation in the world. It's just that the Innate Dao Body happens to be in human form."

"Humans themselves are the Dao Body and do not need this extra step. Cultivation is about condensing the most suitable 'Dao' for oneself in the Heart Aperture: Water, Fire, Lightning, Blades, Spears, Swords, Halberds..."

The audience below was extremely quiet, afraid of missing even a single word. Su He had long ago activated the recording function of Turtle Shell's Mountain and recorded everything.

Ge Feng said leisurely, "This method of condensing 'Dao' in the Heart Aperture was first used by Divine Beasts. They condensed the forms of their ancestors or perfect Divine Beast bodies in their Heart Apertures, purifying their own bloodlines with their Dao charm, and step by step embarked on the path of returning to their ancestors, or even surpassing their ancestors."

"Therefore, beast races with Divine Beast bloodlines, if they can open their Heart Apertures, will naturally have a phantom image of the Divine Beast source of that bloodline in their Heart Apertures. Occasionally, beast races swallow Demon Transformation Fruits but cannot transform into human form because their bloodline is noble. The Innate Dao Body in their Heart Apertures is not human-shaped. It is a Divine Beast!"

"Human form is the most suitable and universal Dao Body, but it is not the only one. Snakes and fish have Dragon forms, birds have Phoenix forms, and beasts have Qilin forms. Such beast races are extremely rare!"

The Green Snake turned her head frame by frame to look at the stunned Su He, with undisguised envy in her eyes: "Turtle, Turtle!"

I thought you ate a defective Demon Transformation Fruit and pitifully couldn't transform into a human. Turns out you were quietly walking the path of a Second Generation Ancestor.

Although Ge Feng didn't explicitly say it, the Green Snake understood. A 'Dao' like Su He's, which was a Divine Beast in his Heart Aperture, was the most suitable for them. The Green Snake, on the other hand, simply didn't have a suitable Divine Beast, so she settled for the most universal Innate Dao Body.

Snakes could also transform into dragons, but clearly, her bloodline was insufficient to activate the Divine Beast inheritance.

"Divine Beast..." the Green Snake murmured to herself.

Ge Feng chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Green Snake, there's no need to be concerned. Whether the Divine Treasure of the Heart Aperture is human or Divine Beast, there is no hierarchy. What is most suitable for oneself is the best. Besides, beast races that can transform into human form are already few and far between, and those that can become Divine Beasts are even rarer, appearing once in a thousand years. Instead of disturbing your mind, it's better to cultivate diligently and consolidate your Dao path."

"There isn't?" The Green Snake tilted her head slightly, her eyes lost in thought, and pointed her tail at Su He: "Turtle!"

Ge Feng smiled, "I know it's a turtle, and a rare Big Turtle at that—Turtle... Turtle!"

He suddenly reacted and his voice broke.