Sitting and Discussing the Dao

The Little Fox wanted to eat pills, and Li Jiusheng naturally obliged.

Knowing Li Jiusheng kept a little pet, Li Qingshan would have the alchemy room send over a batch of fresh pills every few days, all stored in the tea room.

When the Little Fox came to the tea room, Li Jiusheng picked out a few of her favorite pills and handed them to her, and she quieted down.

Li Jiusheng, meanwhile, selected a secret technique from the storage magical treasures of the two brothers in black and began to study it in silence.

These two brothers had stolen secret techniques from the major top sects in the Old Land, intending to take them out of the Old Land and sell them in the Outer Domain to achieve financial freedom. They never expected to end up benefiting Li Jiusheng.

This time, Li Jiusheng chose a cultivation method from the Primordial Stream Sect called [Primordial Stream God Finger].

This finger technique was one of the most powerful basic cultivation methods of the Primordial Stream Sect, but it was extremely difficult to practice because it required exceptionally high comprehension.

No one in the Primordial Stream Sect had successfully cultivated it in recent years, to the point that the world had forgotten the power of [Primordial Stream God Finger].

[Primordial Stream God Finger] transformed the Dao with the fingertip; the higher the Dao comprehended, the greater the power of the finger strike.

Li Jiusheng flipped through this secret technique, immersing himself in it, nodding at times, shaking his head at others, all while practicing various finger movements.

At this moment, the clamor of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

No matter what changes occurred in that secret realm, no matter how turbulent the situation became, it could not disturb Li Jiusheng, who was immersed in his enlightenment.

Even the Little Fox, after finishing her pills and wanting to play with Li Jiusheng, couldn't wake him from his state of enlightenment.

The Little Fox was very sensible. Knowing that Li Jiusheng was in a state of enlightenment during his cultivation, she stayed by his side, watching silently, and also preventing others from disturbing him.

"You are comprehending [Primordial Stream God Finger], have fallen into enlightenment, activated heaven-defying comprehension, and comprehended [Primordial Stream God Finger]."

Li Jiusheng was in a state of enlightenment, with inspiration flowing, constantly sensing the charm of [Primordial Stream God Finger]. He subconsciously circulated energy to his fingertips, and a mysterious aura of the Great Dao emanated, with a line of text appearing before his eyes, informing Li Jiusheng that he had already entered the threshold.

But he paid no attention, lost in the moment, unable to extricate himself.

Inside the tea room, Li Jiusheng sat in meditation for a whole night.

As the dawn broke, at the moment when the sun rose and the moon set, Li Jiusheng opened his eyes and looked out the window. At this moment, the morning sun and the waning moon coexisted between heaven and earth. His eyes flickered with light, and he saw the flow of yin and yang, the rise and fall of all things, life and death, all contained within a single finger.

Li Jiusheng laughed heartily, extended a slender finger as pure and white as jade, and condensed profound black and white energies at his fingertip. They spun slowly, transforming into a yin-yang diagram, with light and shadow intertwined.

"It's done." The smile on Li Jiusheng's face grew wider. He stood up and walked out of the tea room, pointing a finger towards the distant waterfall.

BOOM!!!

A finger of black and white light streaked through the waterfall, erupting with a deafening sound. It cleaved the crashing waterfall in half for dozens of seconds before it returned to normal.

"Could a Great Grandmaster block this strike?" Li Jiusheng muttered to himself, happily picking up the Little Fox behind him and giving her a big hug.

The Little Fox happily nuzzled against Li Jiusheng.

She wasn't foolish; she knew Li Jiusheng had comprehended a formidable cultivation method. The stronger Li Jiusheng became, the stronger she would naturally become by following him.

The path of cultivation requires both exertion and rest to be the true way.

Having consecutively obtained [Savage Force] and [Primordial Stream God Finger], and having raised his cultivation to the late stage of the Grandmaster realm, Li Jiusheng felt it was time to consolidate his gains.

So, for the next two days, he took the Little Fox into the mountains and forests to play freely.

They climbed high mountains to admire the snow, descended cliffs to the secluded valleys, hunted wild deer for barbecue, and rode the clouds to the heavens, enjoying themselves immensely.

Two days later, Li Qingshan arrived and said with a smile, "Brother, your life is truly enviable."

Li Jiusheng smiled and replied, "Everyone in the world can live a life like mine. It's simply a matter of taking things less seriously, having fewer obsessions, and lowering desires."

Li Qingshan chuckled, "Easier said than done, and extremely difficult. The greed, anger, and ignorance spoken of in Buddhism are things people cannot let go of."

Li Jiusheng chuckled lightly and, walking with Li Qingshan along the cliff edge, asked, "What's the situation with that ruin now?"

Li Qingshan said in a low voice, "In the past few days, many people have gone to explore the ruin, even venturing deep inside, but all have come back with nothing."

"Coming back with nothing means they all came out safely?" Li Jiusheng asked.

"Yes, they all came out safely." Li Qingshan nodded.

"That's not normal," Li Jiusheng stated definitively. It was described as so dangerous before, yet now everyone who entered came out unharmed. Although there were no casualties, the whole situation felt strange.

"It's not normal. Originally, some Grandmasters and Venerables were planning to go in, but now it seems they will wait and see for a few more days," Li Qingshan said.

"Have you found any trace of Emperor Wu of Zhou?" Li Jiusheng also asked in a low voice, his expression serious.

Emperor Wu of Zhou had possessed a sect elder's primordial spirit and arrived stealthily. If his whereabouts could be found, and Li Qingshan could kill him and destroy his primordial spirit, then Emperor Wu of Zhou, who was currently recovering from his injuries, would truly fall from the Ancestor Realm.

Li Qingshan regretted, "Emperor Wu of Zhou seems to have sensed something and is hiding very deeply, never showing himself. I've been searching every day during this time, but with no success."

Li Jiusheng said, "No rush. Emperor Wu of Zhou is, after all, an Ancestor. He will have a spiritual premonition when facing a life-or-death tribulation. But as long as he wants to obtain the Grandmaster Pure Land from this ruin, he will show himself sooner or later."

"Yes, I will wait patiently," Li Qingshan nodded.

"Have the Wang Family members caused any trouble these past few days?" Li Jiusheng asked.

Li Qingshan replied, "The Wang Family members were arrogant and overbearing for a while when they first arrived. For the past two days, they've been at the ruin and haven't come to Shangqing Palace. However, an elder from the Wang Family suddenly approached me yesterday, saying that four Wang Family disciples had gone missing and asked for our help in finding them."

Li Jiusheng's heart stirred. He knew these four were the ones who had infiltrated the Scripture Repository Pavilion and stolen the Savage Force. He had already buried them in the mountains and wilds, turning them into fertilizer. The Wang Family would never find them.

"They are lost, what does that have to do with us?" Li Jiusheng said dismissively. Why waste energy on that?

Li Qingshan smiled nonchalantly, "Brother is right."

"Oh, right. I've been having some doubts recently while practicing the Grass and Wood Sword Technique and the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, and I was hoping you could offer some guidance, senior brother," Li Qingshan suddenly said, cupping his fists in a sincere gesture.

"You are a Venerable, and I am merely a small Grandmaster. How can I possibly offer guidance?" Li Jiusheng asked, confused.

"The wise lead the way. Senior brother, your comprehension of these two sword techniques must be very deep, so I hope you won't hesitate to impart your wisdom," Li Qingshan insisted, shaking his head and earnestly pleading.

For some reason, he had immense faith in his senior brother. Certain issues with these two sword techniques had been troubling him for a long time, and he urgently needed to resolve them.

Li Jiusheng nodded. "Since that's the case, let's exchange insights."

Li Qingshan's face lit up with joy. He then proceeded to explain the confusions he encountered during his practice, gesturing as he spoke, with sword energy swirling around the two of them.

Li Jiusheng also shared his entire understanding of the Sword Dao he had cultivated. Although it wasn't as vast or profound as Li Qingshan's, Li Jiusheng's insights were more detailed in the finer points. In fact, to a certain extent, his foundation was much deeper than Li Qingshan's.

Upon observing Li Jiusheng's Sword Dao, Li Qingshan was greatly moved. Inspiration struck him, and he immediately sat down to discuss their understanding of the Dao.

Their discussion lasted until deep into the night.

Li Qingshan gained a great deal and bowed deeply. "Thank you, senior brother, for illuminating my path. With these troubles resolved, I am now only one step away from the Ancestor Realm that the world yearns for, junior brother."