A Book of Methods in the Dream

"Since it's a dream, it makes perfect sense that time flows differently!"

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, white mist surged in his heart, conveying a bit of information. Chen Qing froze, then suddenly understood.

"Each time I enter a dream, one moment passes in the outside world, while seven days pass inside the dream. But the point at which I enter may be random, and the dream may not continue from where the last one ended. If I spend a Dao Mark to leave a wedge, I can pick up where the previous dream left off. Or, if I want to spend more than seven days in a single dream, I can also use a Dao Mark to extend the time... Hmm, there's no need for that just yet."

Feeling the newly absorbed spiritual energy coursing through every limb and bone, showing signs of breaking free and dispersing, Chen Qing immediately gathered his mind and focused on guiding it through a complete cycle, finally settling it into his dantian.

For a moment, his sea of qi grew ever fuller, and the golden light three inches below his navel seemed to grow brighter!

"Master once said that in ancient times, cultivators relied entirely on aptitude and insight to break through. Heaven and earth were rich in spiritual energy, so there was no need to spend effort accumulating it. That golden light below the navel indicates one's potential for Foundation Establishment. The brighter and larger it grows, the higher one's aptitude!"

"Now, spiritual energy is scarce throughout heaven and earth, so breaking through requires external aids. Every major and minor realm calls for corresponding heavenly treasures, medicinal herbs, and pills."

"If I can receive spiritual energy from my dreams every time, perhaps I can save on resources and leave them for the sect disciples to use."

After guiding the spiritual energy into his dantian, Chen Qing recalled the experiences of "Chen Xu" in the dream.

Seven days was neither a long nor a short time, but trapped in the tiny confines of a prison, he had gained little.

"I wonder if the Primordial Immortal Dynasty truly existed in history. If it did, gathering more information would make things much easier in the dream. But this world's history supposedly stretches back over a hundred thousand years. Verifying the existence of an immortal dynasty across such an immense span of time would be no easy task."

He savored the feeling of spiritual energy overflowing in the dream. "The spiritual energy in that era was incredibly abundant. Absorbing it was effortless, and Chen Xu came from an extraordinary background. Though his cultivation had been crippled, he most likely had the foundation of the Second Realm. Experiencing his dreams more often might help me break through..."

At this thought, Chen Qing recalled the key principles of the realms as his master had explained them:

The path of cultivation lies in cultivating both life and soul. Cultivating the soul means tempering one's mind and nature and understanding one's origin; cultivating life means refining the body and strengthening its foundation. Thus, the path of cultivation cannot separate soul from life, nor life from soul.

The First Realm of cultivation, "Yellow Court Initial Opening," strengthens the internal organs and the body, nurtures strength, opens the dantian, and develops the hidden storehouse of vital essence.

The Second Realm, "Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment," draws qi through the marrow, plants talismans to cleanse impurities, nurtures Supreme Harmony Qi, and condenses one's life-bound spirit talisman.

The Third Realm, "Mysterious Unity," proceeds from life to soul, condenses the Yin Spirit, and cultivates life and soul together, so that body and spirit are both separated and reunited.

These three realms are also known as the "Initial Cultivation Three Realms," collectively called "Foundation Establishment and Body Refinement." Their purpose is to temper the body into a vessel for crossing the world and to lay the groundwork for cultivating the soul.

"I've reached the peak of the First Realm, while Master is in the middle stage of the Second. I've heard that Grandmaster used a secret method to reach the Third Realm. By rights, a cultivator in the Second Realm should live two hundred years, and one in the Third Realm three hundred, yet neither of them got to enjoy their full lifespan..."

As he pondered, he suddenly heard a sound outside the window. Chen Qing looked over and saw Fang Da'ao tiptoeing toward the rear courtyard.

Frowning, he quietly followed.

A few steps later, he reached the open space in the rear courtyard and saw Fang Da'ao practicing the bear form of the Five Animal Guidance Technique, his fists whooshing through the air.

"Is he under pressure and sneaking out to train?" Chen Qing thought. "But if he only hammers away at his body without medicinal baths and nourishing food to support him, he'll damage his foundation instead."

Fang Da'ao and the others were all in their teens. Though they had spent years tempering their bodies, they had yet to reach the stage where their essence was full and their qi stable. They had not truly begun cultivating and were not even First Realm cultivators. With their mortal bodies, they could not keep training so brutally.

With that in mind, Chen Qing spoke up. "The path of cultivation values both body and mind. Our Hidden Star Gate's guidance technique can still strengthen the body after one enters the First Realm, but it must be practiced gradually. Haste makes waste."

Fang Da'ao froze at the sound of his voice, then sheepishly scratched his head. "Uncle-Master, you caught me sneaking out to train on my first try..."

"You think that little trick could fool me?" Chen Qing approached and cautioned him, "Training your body and practicing martial arts without medicinal food to support you will only drain your qi and blood. The more you train, the weaker you'll get. That's why people say that scholars can be poor, but martial artists need money. You can't train your body without money and medicine."

"Han Sha is gone, and Xiaoyao's still young. If I don't work harder, how can I revive the sect?" Fang Da'ao said, then hesitated before adding, "Besides, when I woke up just now, I felt warmth in my belly. I remembered Grandmaster saying that the sign of entering the First Realm is a warm current in the dantian, followed by a great increase in strength. I thought, what if the feeling had come and I missed my chance? That's why I..."

"Your dantian felt warm?" Chen Qing was delighted at first, but then his expression turned serious. "Cultivation does rely on opportunity to break through, but Foundation Establishment depends on steady accumulation. When the time is right, the breakthrough will come as naturally as water flowing over a dam!"

Fang Da'ao seemed thoughtful. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Uncle-Master, from what you just said, can I keep practicing with the Five Animal Guidance Technique after entering the First Realm?"

Chen Qing nodded. "That's right. The Five Animal Guidance Technique isn't a secret art. Every sect has something similar. What makes our Hidden Star Gate's version distinctive is its visualization, breathing method, the route the qi takes through the body, and the medicinal formulas that support it."

Fang Da'ao took a moment to digest that, then asked, "But my aptitude is dull. I'm nowhere near Han Sha, and I'm afraid I can't master the orthodox methods of the Mystic Sect. Won't the next generation of the sect decline? Wouldn't it be better for you to go down the mountain and find someone with exceptional aptitude and talent to inherit the legacy?"

Cultivation seeds weren't so easy to find!

Besides, my own talent is only average...

After a moment's thought, Chen Qing said, "The methods of cultivation have been handed down since ancient times and have steadily improved. Today, not only are there major realms, but each realm is further divided into early, middle, and late stages, as well as perfection. These divisions weren't made arbitrarily. They reflect a gradual path, refined and annotated by generations of cultivators. Every stage has clear requirements and corresponding medicinal ingredients. The purpose is to lower the barriers and difficulty of cultivation. You need only focus on your training, and you'll naturally make progress."

"I understand!" Fang Da'ao's eyes lit up. He was full of energy again, but he also took the advice to heart and went back inside to catch up on his sleep.

After Fang Da'ao left, Chen Qing could only sigh to himself.

What he had said was true, but the Hidden Star Gate's core cultivation method was a remnant scroll.

Where was it incomplete?

The cultivation instructions were vague, the medicinal formulas incomplete, and even the Visualization Diagram was missing half a page! If not for that, why would progress be so slow? Why would they need to demand so much in aptitude and insight? It was because the necessary conditions were lacking, so they had to make up for it with talent!

"I think I understand Master a little better now. Managing a sect really does require a few comforting words. But reassurance alone isn't a long-term solution. Once Da'ao and the others enter the First Realm, the problems will surface sooner or later."

A few hours later, this worry grew stronger when Chen Qing found Qu Xiaoyao acting completely out of character. She was earnestly studying her characters with fierce determination, no longer as carefree and easygoing as before. Clearly, she was feeling the pressure too.

So even as he kept busy during the day, he was troubled from time to time, and didn't get a chance to catch his breath until nightfall.

"Better to explore the dream-entering method in the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record first. In the Hidden Star Gate's current state, following the usual path makes it far too hard to turn things around. If there's a chance for a reversal, it might lie in the dream. Hmm?"

When he entered the dream platform and opened the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record again, he found that the ink marks on the first page had increased from ten to eleven.

"This extra mark..."

The moment his finger brushed it, Chen Qing understood.

"Sure enough, it came from advising Da'ao. He gained insight, and I gained something in my dream. Now I have a steady way to obtain Dao Marks. I was worried I'd have to use them sparingly, but I can relax a little now."

Thinking this, he silently recited, "Enter the dream," and his consciousness was swept into the pages once more.

"Last time, I dreamed for seven days and was trapped in prison. I woke just as I was about to be released. But since each entry can happen at a different point in time, who knows how much time has passed this time..."

Chen Qing opened his eyes. Instead of the dark, damp ceiling of the prison, he saw bright sunlight and dappled shadows beneath the trees.

A gentle breeze brushed his face, bringing a rare sense of ease.

He instinctively drew a deep breath. A fresh fragrance filled his lungs, carrying an indescribable resonance!

Chen Qing froze, then immediately understood!

This was spiritual energy in astonishingly dense concentration!

"Even a casual breath is mixed with so much spiritual energy. What a wonderful era! But where am I? Mm!"

Suddenly, his head throbbed violently as countless fragments of memory flooded in!

A moment later, Chen Qing exhaled slowly and looked toward a cluster of houses in the distance. "The point at which I enter the dream really isn't continuous. Seven years have already passed since I left last time!"

Those fragments were the memories "Chen Xu" had accumulated over the past seven years.

Seven years ago, "Chen Xu" had escaped the Mysterious Prison thanks to a single remark from the Tenth Princess, and had been brought to Tingfeng City.

This city was the Tenth Princess's fiefdom.

Officially, the princess had recruited a group of cultivators with clean backgrounds, some cultivation experience, and relatively young ages to serve as her guards. In truth, she wanted them to "test techniques."

"Before the Primordial Immortal Dynasty was founded, the Hundred Races fought for supremacy, and the human race rose to prominence when its ancient sages opened the path of cultivation. But later generations lacked the talent and Root Bone of those pioneers. On top of that, cultivation methods were still in their infancy and full of unclear, muddled details. Learning them naturally yielded half the results for twice the effort, with little progress. So various methods of alteration and improvement arose, and many sects and Aristocratic Clans were born from them."

When they arrived in the city, its lord, Xu Ruohuai, had explained all this to them.

At the time, the city lord had even said frankly, "A descendant of the Immortal Emperor like Princess Xiyao is born with extraordinary qualities. Her soul and Root Bone are exceptionally strong, so ordinary cultivation methods are actually harder for her. That is why we need you to test techniques! Adjust the methods so the princess can study them and cultivate!"

"Keeping cultivators around solely to test techniques, trying out the strengths and weaknesses of all kinds of methods—that's truly extravagant." Chen Qing shook his head and set aside the memory. "Still, it's a case of the day's thoughts appearing in the night's dreams. During the day, Da'ao and Xiaoyao were troubled by their slow progress, and so was I. Who would've thought the ancients in my dream would be stuck on the same problem, albeit for entirely different reasons? One had an incomplete cultivation method, while the other..."

He suddenly froze and narrowed his eyes in thought. "If they're testing techniques for the princess, how is that any different from testing them for my junior disciples or my real body? This is a dream. This body and identity are made up. There's no need to worry about anything!"

According to the memories, he had pointed out a flaw in the princess's cultivation that day and had been selected as the fourth test subject. But after he was chosen, the Tenth Princess never appeared to ask about the flaw. Since "Chen Xu" had arrived in Tingfeng City, he had been settled in a mountain villa and left alone for a long time.

"She isn't in a hurry, so neither am I. Besides, this is a dream that comes and goes. It makes sense."

More than anything about the princess, Chen Qing was interested in how "Chen Xu" had cultivated over the past seven years. After arriving at the villa, his dream-self had chosen the Great Mountain Heavenly Art as his primary method, and now he had reached the peak of the First Realm.

"Although this dream body had quickly opened its meridians before, its foundation was still at the First Realm. Now that I'm cultivating a new method, I've had to start from the beginning again. But this Great Mountain Heavenly Art..."

After recalling the whole method, Chen Qing looked astonished.

The method was crude, and it listed only three realms! There were no detailed divisions of the realms, no essential annotations, and not even a pill formula or medicinal guide to aid cultivation. In terms of content, it was even more incomplete than the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll!

With seventeen years of painstaking experience cultivating the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, Chen Qing could easily spot its many flaws and areas for improvement.

"With so many gaps, he still reached perfection in seven years? Was it because Chen Xu had a solid foundation, or because spiritual energy was so abundant?"

Puzzled, he thought back more deeply and finally discovered what made this method unusual—

The opening of the Great Mountain Heavenly Art was a complete Visualization Diagram. In the image, a strange peak soared straight into the clouds. Just recalling it made Chen Qing's mind tremble, as if his spirit were about to fly out through the crown of his head!

"Just remembering it makes my mind tremble. The grade of this Visualization Diagram must be extremely high!"

Realizing that the original cultivation manual was in "Chen Xu's" room, Chen Qing couldn't sit still. He immediately got up to go back, but after only two steps, a short, stocky figure blocked his way.

"Chen Xu, I've finally found you!" The newcomer was clearly familiar with "Chen Xu." "They're assessing our cultivation insights again today! We have to hurry and escape! We need to get out of here if we want to stay alive!"

"Escape?"

Chen Qing froze, then shook his head.

"Why escape in a dream?"