Re-entering the Immortal Dynasty, Foundation Establishment Achieved

Perhaps it was because of Han Sha, or perhaps after having his roots and potential tested, Fang Da'ao felt a sense of urgency. After returning, he ate a little and immediately began to temper and refine himself.

Qu Xiaoyao also ran to the table early, holding a brush in her small hand, writing characters stroke by stroke, her small face tensed, very serious. After finishing writing, she went to identify medicinal herbs.

Chen Qing stood in the courtyard, watching the busy figures of Fang Da'ao and Qu Xiaoyao, feeling gratified.

Although Fang Da'ao's talent was not top-tier, he made up for it with diligence. He persisted in practicing his fists daily and was now subtly touching the threshold of Yellow Court Initial Opening. As for Qu Xiaoyao, despite her young age, she was clever and had a knack for identifying herbs and drawing Talismans.

Hoo hoo hoo—

Fang Da'ao, shirtless, moved with whistling punches, his body slick with sweat, yet he felt no fatigue. Instead, he grew more energetic the more he practiced.

Chen Qing watched for a good while, but couldn't help but sigh. If not for the missing details about the initial sensation of Qi in the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, Da'ao could have attempted to enter the First Realm as soon as his Dantian felt warm.

"Uncle-Master, were there any deviations in the Crane Style I just practiced?"

A few breaths later, Fang Da'ao stopped and stood upright, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and asked for guidance.

Chen Qing said, "Your stance has captured seventy percent of its spirit, but your breathing needs to be more prolonged. The Crane Style emphasizes lightness and elegance. You are using too much force, which detracts from its essence."

As he spoke, his body unfolded, like a crane standing atop a pine tree. With each inhale and exhale, his sleeves moved without wind, truly possessing a hint of a crane's wings flapping. He demonstrated it on the spot.

Fang Da'ao watched, dumbfounded, then said with shame, "When Uncle-Master performs it, it's like a crane in a painting. I am still far from that..."

Chen Qing smiled, "Cultivation takes time. You have already made significant progress. Moreover, often, understanding the essence and realm of a technique is just as important as hard practice." He seemed to recall something and asked, "Da'ao, do you know why the first realm of cultivation is called 'Yellow Court Initial Opening'?"

Fang Da'ao was taken aback and scratched his head. "Grandmaster said that the Yellow Court is another name for the Dantian. Opening the Yellow Court is about laying the foundation for cultivation, establishing the basis for practice."

"Correct, but not entirely," Chen Qing suddenly remembered his dream experience. "The Yellow Court is the root of life and the source of creation. The human body is like the universe, and the Yellow Court is its center. The so-called 'Initial Opening' is not just about opening the Dantian, but about opening one's own small world. The path of cultivation is a process of exploring this world step by step, from the inside out."

These words were his new interpretation of the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, combined with his dream insights and the Visualization Diagrams of the Great Mountain and Hundred Rivers.

Fang Da'ao listened, understanding only half of it, but his eyes gradually began to shine.

Qu Xiaoyao, standing nearby, also put down the herbs in her hand and listened attentively with her big eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Qing's heart stirred.

"Teaching disciples and clarifying the principles of cultivation should also yield Dao Marks..."

As night fell, Chen Qing sat cross-legged on his bed.

"It's time to enter the dream again. This time, besides continuing to improve my cultivation, I also need to pay attention to the art of painting."

With this thought, he closed his eyes and focused, his consciousness gradually sinking into the misty dream world.

The stone platform was still there.

Chen Qing opened the book and his gaze fell on the ink marks on the first page. The original eleven ink marks had increased to thirteen!

"As expected, guiding Da'ao and Xiao Yao earned me two more Dao Marks."

Dao Marks originated from the enlightenment of the human heart, and the enlightenment of the human heart stemmed from teaching and inheritance. He guided Fang Da'ao in the essentials of boxing and breathing, and taught Qu Xiaoyao to identify herbs. Both of them gained something, thus feeding back Dao Marks.

"It seems that as long as I diligently teach my disciples, Dao Marks will grow steadily."

His gaze shifted, and a thought suddenly arose in his mind—

"Since the source of Dao Marks is stable, should I add some life experiences to 'Chen Xu' and see what changes occur in the dream world?"

This thought, once it arose, became increasingly intense.

After all, the dream world was too real. If he could use Dao Marks to complete 'Chen Xu's' life experiences, perhaps he could explore more secrets and even gain feedback from a higher realm!

But he quickly calmed down.

"There are too many things to do now, and many things are still unconfirmed. It may not be wise to rashly consume Dao Marks."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Qing decided to set this idea aside for the time being.

"I will focus on improving my strength first. Once I accumulate more Dao Marks, I will try again."

With this resolve, he no longer hesitated. He turned to the page where 'Chen Xu's' life experiences were recorded and silently recited—

"Enter dream!"

When Chen Qing opened his eyes, he found himself sitting cross-legged in an elegant quiet room.

Outside the window, the autumn wind rustled, and fallen leaves swirled.

"It was spring blossoms last time, so has a long time passed since the last dream?"

Immediately after, he sensed that within the Dantian of this dream body, the Supreme Harmony Qi flowed like a gentle stream, his internal breath was condensed like mercury, and his Magical Power was abundant and solid, showing signs of aggregation.

"True Qi forming a stream! This is the mark of the middle stage of the Second Realm!" Chen Qing's heart trembled with joy. "As expected, the lingering obsession left when my soul departed last time had an effect! This dream body has been cultivating diligently during the time that was skipped!"

He immediately closed his eyes to examine himself internally.

"According to the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, the Second Realm, 'Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment,' has different focuses in its early, middle, late, and perfected stages."

"Early stage: Supreme Harmony is born, Qi flows through the main meridians."

"Middle stage: True Qi forms a stream, bones gain a jade-like luster."

"Late stage: Condensing Qi into Destiny Talisman, meridians are like glazed glass."

"Perfected stage: Qi sea forms a vortex, spiritual light shines through the Heavenly Spirit."

"Currently, the dream body is in the middle stage. It's perfect for me to revisit the early stage experience in my memory and then comprehend the mysteries of the middle stage!"

Chen Qing's heart surged with excitement. He then thought, My cultivation has improved, but what about the techniques? When my consciousness withdrew, I had my dream-self study the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll to perfect the Great Mountain Heavenly Art. Did that yield any results?

He delved deep into his dream-self's memories, ignoring any scattered thoughts and focusing solely on sorting through his cultivation gains over the years. When he touched upon his insights from the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, his heart jolted!

The originally incomplete cultivation tenets for the First Realm had been more than half restored. The obscure crucial points and vague annotations on the remnant scroll had become clear and understandable!

For example, after "Blood and Qi flow like a stream, requiring nurturing of the meridians," the original simple phrase "guide it with intent" now had a detailed annotation—

"When first opening the Yellow Court, blood and Qi surge. One must guide it using visualization. First, observe the steadiness of the mountains, then feel the surge of the ocean tides. This will make the blood and Qi as stable as mountains and as continuous as ocean waves, thereby solidifying the foundation."

Another example, at the crucial point "Bones grow jade patterns, impurities turn into blemishes," there was originally only a warning, but now a solution was added—

"If stones form blemishes on the bones, one can seek Earth Vein Jade Marrow for tempering. Supplement this with a medicinal bath brewed from Marrow Cleansing Grass. Soak for seven consecutive days to eliminate the blemishes and restore the jade-like quality."

And so on, examples were everywhere!

Chen Qing grew more shocked the more he recalled!

"Although the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll is more complete than the techniques of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty, it is still a remnant scroll with many missing details. During cultivation, one had to rely entirely on the master's oral teachings and personal exploration. Now, 'Chen Xu' has completed more than half of it!" He then thought, That's right. This person possesses excellent talent and insight. Coupled with a tranquil state for contemplation, it's only natural that he achieved twice the result with half the effort.

He then looked at the nearly completed key points of the First Realm, feeling even more delighted.

"These restored tenets are perfect for teaching the Great Claws and Small Rays how to begin. They can also serve as the foundation for the Hidden Star Gate!"

Looking at the Great Mountain Heavenly Art, he was even more surprised.

Although the cultivation tenets for the First Realm of this technique still appeared crude, they had already integrated the essence of the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll:

The original emphasis was solely on "The heaviness of the mountains requires a fierce Qi to break through," but now it added, "Fierceness cannot last; it must be supplemented by continuous breath," incorporating the idea of "combining hardness and softness."

If, in time, I can completely perfect the Great Mountain Heavenly Art and pass it down to the world, wouldn't our Hidden Star Gate have another foundational technique? We could even become like the great sects, developing specialized branches!

However, amidst his excitement, Chen Qing quickly calmed down.

It's still something gained in a dream. I need to verify it before passing it on to my disciples.

As he was thinking, a strange scripture suddenly emerged from the depths of his heart:

"The sea embraces a hundred rivers, vast and boundless; clouds steam and glow, transforming into myriad energies..."

"Water Element, though soft, can pierce stone; clouds and mist, though formless, can obscure the sky..."

"Cultivating this technique requires being as vast and inclusive as the boundless ocean, embracing all things; and as changeable as the clouds and mist, unrestrained. Therefore, this technique can be called the Vast Scripture."

"Vast Scripture?!" Chen Qing suddenly snapped back to reality. Isn't this the cultivation technique Xu Zhaoying practices? Where did my dream-self learn it from?

As he pondered, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching outside the door.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you in seclusion?"

A female voice rang out. It was Xu Zhaoying.

Chen Qing collected his thoughts and got up to open the door.

Outside, Xu Zhaoying stood in white, holding a long sword. Her features were as beautiful as a painting, yet they exuded a sharp aura. Her gaze swept over Chen Qing, and she showed a slight surprise, "Fellow Daoist's cultivation has improved again?"

"I had a minor realization," Chen Qing replied vaguely, secretly sorting through his memories. He was then inwardly startled.

It had been a year and a half since his last dream. During this time, because Xu Zhaoying frequently visited to discuss Dao, their exchanges allowed him to memorize parts of the Vast Scripture.

"As expected of you," Xu Zhaoying said with a smile. "Elder Lü was right; you truly are a cultivation fanatic. You don't even care about major events like the Princess's return."

Alas, the plight of a newcomer