"Tianshi Manor, the Shangqing Sect, and the Maoshan Sect all sent people. The three giants of Orthodox Unity Dao all had elders above the Dao Palace Realm come personally."
"The Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow Clan had also sent an expert, though he was from their Jiujiang branch. He too was at the Dao Palace Realm."
"An expert from the Shu Region Immortal Sword Sect has also arrived. It is said they came this time to exchange for natural treasures suitable for forging swords."
Mount Sanqing was wreathed in rosy mist and swirling clouds. The Thirteen Peaks presented an incomparably magnificent sight, each with its own unique splendor. This gathering of cultivators carried considerable influence. Not only had elders from the three major southern Orthodox Unity Dao sects arrived, but cultivators from the Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow Clan and the Shu Mountain Earth Sword Sect had also come in person. Even experts from the northern Quanzhen Sect had crossed southward.
A large number of cultivators suddenly descended upon Mount Sanqing. Every Daoist palace and side courtyard was occupied, and the once sparsely populated Three Pure Palace became lively all at once.
The tranquility of Three Pure Palace had been shattered. Noisy discussions and clamor filled the air, with far too many people coming and going. From Daoist boys who had yet to enter the path to great figures of the Four Extremities Realm, people from every sect and faction across the Central Plains had gathered here.
That was right, only the various powers of the Central Plains. Although this cultivator gathering was indeed sizable, the current state of affairs made large-scale gatherings among cultivators rare.
As for gatherings weighty enough to affect all of Huaxia, only ancient experts of the Immortal Platform Realm were qualified to convene them.
Such people were the true ancestor-level figures of the top powers. Each one remained in secluded cultivation, enduring hardship. How could they possibly waste time holding some gathering during the absolute low point of the Age of Dao Hardship?
On one of Three Pure Palace's Low Mountains, Yan Kuan stood alone like a man detached from the mortal world. The surrounding noise seemed unable to reach his ears as he quietly watched people and events that had nothing to do with him.
"There is a great figure of the Four Extremities Realm preaching the Dao within the Three Purities Dao Palace. Unfortunately, only cultivators who have truly opened their Sea of Bitterness may enter and listen."
Yan Kuan's heart stirred when he heard the news, and he followed several Wheel Sea Realm cultivators into the Three Purities Dao Palace.
The Three Purities Dao Palace was said to have been built during the Tang Dynasty. At first, it had merely been the Laojun Daoist Temple, dedicated to Supreme One Lao Jun, Laozi's incarnation. It underwent countless renovations over the years and was only renamed Three Pure Palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Yan Kuan walked to a cushion near the rear of the Three Purities Dao Palace plaza and sat down, listening attentively to the profound Dao Sound of the prominent figures ahead as they discussed cultivation.
Cultivation was difficult in the present age. Immortal Platform Realm experts had long since vanished without a trace, while Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators were as elusive as dragons whose heads could be seen but whose tails could not. Only the Four Extremities Realm remained active in the world, representing the current pinnacle of cultivation. They were generally elders of major factions, or even sect leaders.
Those who could cultivate to the Four Extremities Realm in this era might have had a chance to glimpse the Immortal Platform after the great changes in heaven and earth. Of course, that depended on whether they could live until then.
After sitting cross-legged on the cushion and listening to the so-called Dao Palace Realm and Four Extremities Realm experts preach for a while, Yan Kuan lost interest.
The internet had yet to develop in this era, and conservative sectarian thinking ran deep. The prestigious sects and these so-called experts were even worse. Moreover, cultivators loved speaking in riddles, making everything sound vague and mysterious while somehow seeming lofty and profound.
Yan Kuan listened carefully for a while. There was indeed some substance in what they said. If ordinary cultivators followed their teachings step by step, they might be able to cultivate to the great completion of the Wheel Sea Realm. But that was only if they possessed the scripture and resources for every stage.
Yan Kuan naturally lacked none of those things, but he found what these so-called experts taught rather elementary. Even his own understanding and interpretation of the Wheel Sea Realm surpassed their teachings. There was truly no need to waste any more time listening.
The moment the thought arose, he acted on it. He quietly rose from his cushion and left the Three Purities Dao Palace alongside several cultivators who also intended to depart.
Outside the Three Purities Dao Palace, many cultivators had set up stalls for trade. The bustle there was even more eye-catching than that within the Dao Palace.
Many people had experience with this sort of cultivator gathering. Such events were generally hosted in rotation by the major powers, their purpose being either to select talents or to build prestige for their sect's outstanding younger generation.
First came the gathering and Dao lectures, followed by martial demonstrations and contests among the younger generation. To ordinary independent cultivators attending such an event for the first time, the first two held considerable appeal. But to true veterans, these temporary stalls for trading were the real reason they had come.
Cultivation was difficult in the Age of Dao Hardship. There were not many cultivators within Huaxia to begin with, and even fewer independent cultivators and wandering practitioners who could gather together to exchange what they had.
Independent cultivators came from poor backgrounds. Unlike sects, which possessed their own lands and could obtain relatively systematic cultivation resources, they all lived difficult lives. Yet everyone generally had a few things on hand. Trading with one another could help them progress, and that was the true reason most independent cultivators had come here.
Yan Kuan followed several cultivators into the bustling market area. This temporary marketplace contained at least a hundred different stalls. Hawking cries in accents from all corners of the land mingled together, making it seem even livelier than Panjiayao in Jingcheng.
Yan Kuan drifted between the stalls, his Fiery Golden Eyes flickering secretly as he swept his gaze across them. The goods displayed at these stalls were generally not numerous, with scattered medicinal herbs and various precious materials laid out here and there.
Yan Kuan noticed ancient Daoist books at several stalls, casually piled together as though they were not valued. Few people seemed interested in them.
After asking around, he learned the details. Most of the Daoist books displayed at old stalls were genuine, but those brought out for sale were generally only Wheel Sea Realm texts.
Those attending a cultivator gathering were either genuine cultivators or descendants of cultivators. Most already carried inheritances of their own and naturally had little interest in these Daoist books.
In this Age of Dao Hardship, cultivating one's own method was already difficult enough. Who would spare the energy to study other Daoist books? Moreover, many of the Daoist books put up for sale had missing or damaged pages, making them even less valuable. Perhaps only major sects would collect them to bolster their foundations.
Yan Kuan's heart stirred when he heard this. Wheel Sea Realm Daoist books were useless to most cultivators, but he was different.
Although his Wheel Sea Chapter cultivation method was profound, it was still far inferior to a true supreme Ancient Scripture. Yet he currently had no way to obtain a complete Ancient Scripture and could only rely on his own cheat ability to deduce and optimize it.
The evolution of the Burning Art required powerful Heavenly Flames, but the two flames he had acquired were both too powerful for him to refine into Fire Seeds. That left him only one path: collect all kinds of Wheel Sea Realm texts and continuously optimize them, eventually producing the Wheel Sea Realm cultivation chapter best suited to him.
The instant the thought came to him, Yan Kuan acted. Before long, beside an outer stall, a short black-robed man resembling a dwarf sat cross-legged and placed several small porcelain bottles upon a piece of cloth.
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