Parting Period

Kinoe stared at the scroll of the Record of Becoming Immortal for a long time without moving.

He clearly saw the process of a spirited youth falling step by step onto the path he once despised the most.

"He in the past, me today."

"I wonder if later I..."

This scroll affected Kinoe more directly and seemed to have a greater impact than the old man's warnings.

The Great Dao was long, like walking on a cliff edge.

Not a single step could be retreated.

He placed the scroll on the table and glanced at the sword, not picking it up immediately.

Instead, he tidied up the other items. Comparing them with the cultivation records, it seemed the elixir furnace was the most precious item among everything. The texts in the world were divided into five levels, the Daoist Sect had five types of methods, and the spiritual items in this world were also roughly divided into five ranks, with each school and sect having its own way of naming them.

Some called them Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow, with the highest being Immortal.

Some used Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding for naming.

Others went from Five to One, with the first rank being the highest.

Most top-tier items were only in the hands of Immortals and Gods, while only two levels circulated in the human world.

The first level was ordinary magic treasures, usable after cultivating Primordial Prenatal Qi.

In ordinary Daoist lineages, these were considered treasures that could stabilize a sect.

The other level was where True Persons, who had gathered the five energies in their chests, could fully unleash their power.

This elixir furnace belonged to Tantai Guochu, who was once friends with the Mountain God. It was considered top-tier among magic treasures. Even the elixir furnaces used by ordinary True Person cultivators were only at this level. It could refine Primordial Qi, remove impurities and medicinal toxins, purify medicinal properties, and was inscribed with several talismans, capable of containing a vast amount of medicinal power.

It also came with three types of medicinal recipes.

The Qi Nourishing Elixir: Ordinary cultivators could consume this to accumulate Primordial Qi; it could also be used to condition the body and had remarkable effects on illnesses.

Spirit Recovery Fluid: Could replenish the loss of Primordial Spirit and quickly restore one's state after casting spells.

Hundred Herb Elixir: Named after a hundred herbs, drawing inspiration from Shen Nong tasting a hundred herbs in the past. It could neutralize all toxins not caused by spells or supernatural abilities, and also had a significant weakening effect on the toxic damage caused by spells and supernatural abilities.

All three were inscribed on the elixir cauldron.

One only needed to add herbs and activate the magic treasure, and its material and properties would refine the medicinal properties.

Then, under the effect of the formation, impurities would be removed, and the elixir would be formed. Naturally, it wouldn't produce elixirs of extremely high quality, but these were meant to be portable pills for traveling cultivators. The material quality of the ingredients themselves determined the upper limit; no matter how skilled one's alchemy was, the difference wouldn't be significant.

However, the Record of Becoming Immortal also mentioned that some Daoist masters, during alchemy, could condense their essence and energy to form human or horse-like beings that could wander around and develop sentience.

As for the package, it contained pieces of white jade-like crystals.

They could be used for setting up formations, as well as basic materials for alchemy and artifact forging.

One could trade with other cultivators using these.

Cultivators were not bound by countries; the world was vast, and they could go anywhere. There wasn't a currency system strong enough to be universally recognized by all cultivators, so they still preferred bartering. Additionally, there were three special round coins with a bronze luster.

According to the Record of Becoming Immortal, these were Heavenly Emperor Coins imprinted by the Heavenly Emperor.

If one encountered an immortal traveling the mortal world, these could be exchanged for some karmic affinity.

Therefore, it was a hard currency.

Most cultivators, even if they didn't find something they needed, wouldn't refuse an exchange for Heavenly Emperor Coins.

Kinoe once again caressed and manipulated the Black Iron Sword Box. Under a faint spiritual glow, he finally stored all the items on the table inside. The three Heavenly Emperor Coins were kept on his person, as wearing them offered protection against evil and misfortune. Finally, he reached out and took the sword. The blade was slender, densely wrapped with faded red ropes, appearing to be used for warding off evil and demons, giving it an ominous look.

Kinoe untied the red rope and drew the sword.

The youth stared at the sword for a long time, sighing.

"It's... completely rusted."

"How could a sword like this still howl at night?"

He didn't know if it was the person or the sword that had rusted.

"I must take this as a warning."

Kinoe arrived at the edge of the village and gathered some dry branches.

Winter was cold and damp, making the dry branches difficult to ignite.

Kinoe thought for a moment and recalled a method from a folk lineage mentioned in the records. He raised his left hand, pressing his thumb against the second joint of his middle finger, slightly curving his palm to gather his own Primordial Qi.

Using this Primordial Qi as an altar—

"Disciple prays to the observing spirits, all things revere the fire god, surrounding ghosts and demons turn to dust."

His Primordial Qi seemed to be drawn out.

In an instant, his fingertips burned as if with fire.

Kinoe instinctively pointed forward, and a flash of fire erupted. The pile of damp winter branches ignited with flames.

Warmth rose, the fire blazed brightly, and the heat drove away the winter chill, causing the surrounding snow to melt slightly.

"This... is a spell."

Even if it's just the methods of a small sect.

Qi WuHuo sighed to himself, tearing off the latter half of the Record of Becoming Immortal, the part detailing his madness after hitting a bottleneck. He squatted down and tossed the pages of frenzied writing into the fire. All his obsessions, regrets, and malice eventually turned to ash. Qi WuHuo reached out and retrieved the rust-covered sword, his fingers brushing its surface. Then, he turned and plunged the sword back into the flames.

Burning books and burying sword souls with fire.

A preposterous dream chasing immortality.

"I won't become like you."

Qi WuHuo's face was illuminated by the firelight, his eyes serene as he spoke, just as Tantai Xuan had said after killing an Evil Cultivator back then.

Perhaps cultivators throughout the ages are all like this.

He stood up, his robes fluttering slightly, and turned to leave.

The young man walked further and further away.

As the wind blew, the sword let out a continuous wail, just like in the past.

Remember the ambition to grasp clouds in youth, once vowing to be the foremost in the mortal world.

Then it exploded in the fire.

This volume of the Record of Becoming Immortal meticulously details the crucial points of the first stage of cultivation, Gathering and Refining Primordial Essence, as well as various supernatural abilities. Unsure if these crucial points were problematic, Qi WuHuo treated them as insights from other mountains, merely studying them without practicing. As for the methods and supernatural abilities, he sought the elder's guidance, asking if he could cultivate them.

The elder was flipping through this so-called Record of Becoming Immortal at the time and sighed, "Cultivating too many things is not good."

"It's good that you have this concern. The supernatural abilities of each family's lineage are all built upon the style of their respective families and possess their own characteristics and tendencies. The circulation of their Qi and the nature of one's own Primordial Prenatal Qi are adjusted to fit their spells. That's why there's a so-called Core Daoist Canon. If you practice the elixir methods of the Spiritual Treasure School but use the supernatural abilities of the Mysterious Profound Gate, there will inevitably be some incompatibilities."

"This is why some people collect numerous supernatural abilities but are unable to cultivate them."

Qi WuHuo said, "Then I..."

The elder stroked his beard and chuckled, "Didn't I tell you? What I've taught you doesn't fall into any of the five categories, so you don't need to worry."

"The Dao is continuous and nameless, returning to nothingness. This is called the formless form, the image-less image."

"Since there are originally no forms or images, why must you be bound by them?"

The elder put down the Record of Becoming Immortal, his tone calm and natural:

"All the methods in the world, all the supernatural abilities of various sects, if you wish to learn them, you can use them all. There's no need to worry."

"My lineage."

"All methods are permissible, all prohibitions are lifted."

Only then did Qi WuHuo feel at ease. Of course, he understood that the elder's "all prohibitions are lifted" referred to his own cultivation, and he must not stray into evil paths. As for the people in the town, apart from Li Puyü, everyone else regarded him with either respect or fear. Qi WuHuo studied the supernatural abilities recorded in the Record of Becoming Immortal at home and interacted with the spiritual items in the mountains.

Discussing the five arts of the Daoist Sect.

The mountains involved cultivation through breathing exercises, dietary supplements, and talismans.

Medicine involved healing the sick, aiding people, and the circulation of Blood Essence.

Destiny involved astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, and Zi Wei Dou Shu. Divination involved the Six Rens Oracle and the Qimen Dunjia.

Physiognomy involved reading people's fortunes and the fortunes of stars, as well as the feng shui of mountains and rivers.

Even a Daoist at the stage of refining Primordial Essence should possess such qualities. Although Qi WuHuo's dreams were limited by his understanding of the world and he didn't delve deeply into cultivation, these things had already spread. He had seen the basic texts in his dreams and even studied them when he was sent down.

Combined with his interactions with the Mountain God, Elder Tao, and other Earthly Deities.

With sufficient accumulation and guidance, and constant study of the Daoist Canon, he made some progress.

Time passed quickly, and more than a month had gone by without him realizing it.

One day, after drinking tea, Qi WuHuo was discussing escape techniques with Elder Tao when suddenly a thunderous roar shook the heavens.

Elder Tao paused and stroked his beard, sighing, "The Mountain God is about to break through."

Qi WuHuo's actions faltered slightly.

Looking into the distance, the Primordial Qi gathered like surging waves, stretching for hundreds of miles, a truly magnificent spectacle!

A voice came from far away:

"WuHuo, come and gather."