Taking and Gathering (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"Today, you'll listen to Wang Ji Zi give a sermon, how about it?"

The food at the temple was always the same, with a consistently stable flavor. Cloud Crane Taoist sat at the head of the table and asked them.

Upon hearing this, Junior Sister immediately put down her chopsticks. "Replying to Master, Wang Ji Zi Dao Master's teachings were very detailed, but I am dull-witted and didn't understand much. However, I have remembered everything. My senior brothers understood a lot more."

"That old fellow didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

"This..."

Junior Sister couldn't help but roll her eyes, glancing at the old Daoist, then at Lin Jue, before finally replying truthfully, "Replying to Master, when we first arrived, Wang Ji Zi Dao Master was a bit fierce, but he got better later. At noon, he even let us eat with their disciples."

"That old Daoist is like that, his words aren't pleasant, but then again, cultivation is inherently free-spirited. His personality is like that; if he were to hide it, he probably wouldn't have reached his current level."

"Mmm..."

"How many new disciples did they take in at their temple this time?"

"About fifteen or sixteen."

"Are they intelligent?"

"I don't know."

"Compared to you all?"

"At least not as smart as Senior Brother!"

The little girl said this without any hesitation.

"That's good, that's good." The old Daoist stroked his beard. "When you go elsewhere, don't bring shame to our Floating Hill Temple. Although it's another Daoist temple, our two families have been on good terms for generations. If anything happens, don't tolerate their disciples; make us proud."

"..."

Hearing this, the little girl didn't dare to respond and instead glanced at her Senior Brother.

She saw her Senior Brother picking up a piece of egg, frowning at it for a long time, before bending down and tossing it to the little fox under the table.

This little thing couldn't tell good from bad and would eat anything given to it.

"Understood, Master."

Lin Jue didn't know if this was the elder's way of motivating the younger generation to improve, or if he genuinely wanted to save face in front of his old friend. In any case, he only agreed verbally and would act as he always did.

The senior brothers in the temple seemed to be similar, each with their own personality and opinions. Some listened to their master's words, and some didn't.

However, the atmosphere in the temple was unusually good.

"By the way, Junior Brother, Junior Sister," Second Senior Brother Yan Xuanyi said, "how did you feel after taking the Divine Speed Pill today?"

This question immediately piqued the interest of the two.

"Replying to Second Senior Brother, it was so fun, so interesting! With a light step, I could travel far, and with a gentle push, I could fly. I felt like I was flying through the mountains, like I had become an immortal!"

Junior Sister was both polite and very excited.

"It was more liberating and carefree than I had imagined."

Lin Jue also sighed with genuine emotion.

"It's good that you found it interesting. The effect might not have worn off yet. By tomorrow, your legs might be extremely sore." Second Senior Brother's expression and tone were very calm. "So sore you can't walk, you might not be able to squat to use the latrine, and if you manage to squat, you might not be able to get back up."

"Ah?"

"?"

Both of them looked at Second Senior Brother.

"It's normal. It's because you haven't cultivated Spiritual Law or learned the methods of ingestion. Each medicine has its own properties, and the potency of spiritual pills is too great. Some side effects are normal." Second Senior Brother said, "Once you cultivate Spiritual Law or learn the methods of ingestion, either one will be enough to handle it."

He paused for a moment.

"If you want to avoid soreness, you can ask your Fifth Senior Brother to give you a massage and treatment."

Junior Sister turned her head again and looked at Fifth Senior Brother.

However, Lin Jue's attention was elsewhere, and he asked, "May I ask Second Senior Brother, what are the methods of ingestion?"

"As the name suggests, it is the method of ingesting items and pills," Second Senior Brother said. "Each pill has its own medicinal properties. Besides being cold, hot, warm, or intense, they are also related to Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and some may even be poisonous. For ordinary people who consume them, at best, they cannot fully digest the effects of the pill; at worst, they will be plagued by the medicinal properties; and at the most extreme, they may be bloated to death by intensely potent pills, or even poisoned to death."

"Is that so..."

"It's more than that," Second Senior Brother said. "The methods of ingestion can not only be used for pills but also for poisons. After practicing them, you won't be afraid of being poisoned when you travel down the mountain. Of course, how much poison you can resist depends on how deep your attainment in this path is."

"Are people with cultivation afraid of poison?"

"Of course. Not to mention that many demons and monsters have their own poisons, which are their abilities. Even the poisons from the mortal world below the mountains, not all Daoists can withstand them. Daoists with moderate cultivation, even if they know some wondrous magic, can still be poisoned to death if they are not careful while traveling the world." Second Senior Brother said, "In general, Daoists who cultivate the Five Elements Spiritual Law and Yin Yang Spiritual Law can better resist poisons. However, Daoists who cultivate Heaven and Earth Spiritual Law, if they haven't learned other skills, are not much stronger than those who haven't cultivated at all."

Lin Jue pondered, understanding it more or less.

Resisting poison seemed to be a skill for Daoists, one that required extra practice, rather than something that came automatically with cultivation and attainment, making them omnipotent.

He just didn't understand why Yin Yang Spiritual Law and Five Elements Spiritual Law were better at resisting poison than Heaven and Earth Spiritual Law.

It was fine not to understand; he could just ask.

"It's because most poisons in the world are within Yin and Yang. Yin Yang Spiritual Law can harmonize with them or guide them away. As for the Five Elements Spiritual Law, it can either burn them away, dilute them, wash them away, or even turn yourself into a rock. What earthly poison can poison a stone?"

Second Senior Brother paused again as he spoke.

"If you learn the method of consumption, all things in the world can be eaten. Even if you go down the mountain and reach a deserted place with nothing to eat, an ordinary Taoist who hasn't learned the method of abstaining from grains, and hasn't reached immortality, or has some other special method, would simply starve to death. But if you learn the method of consumption, you can eat grass and flowers, you can eat trees, you can even eat dirt and stones."

"Burp..."

Beside him, Third Senior Brother let out a burp and added with a chuckle, "You can also eat the meals your senior brothers make."

"What right do you have to laugh at others, Third Junior Brother?"

"Compared to you all, the meals I make at least have the cultivation of a peasant woman from down the mountain."

"But you rarely cook. Master was so hungry he could barely stand up while meditating, and you have the nerve to say that?"

Hearing this, Third Senior Brother seemed a bit ashamed and didn't dare to look at their Master, but he still argued stubbornly, shaking his head and swaying his body as he said, "This isn't my fault, it's Lord Wangyou's."

Lin Jue sat beside them, pondering.

Floating Hill Temple focused on seven main skills. Naturally, none of them were world-altering, heaven-and-earth-flipping, yin-and-yang-reversing great divine abilities or magic, but each had its own unique uses.

What should he learn first?

If he learned one or two, and later felt that something else was better or wanted to learn something else, would the other senior brothers be willing to teach him?

He had been thinking about this for days.

But upon closer consideration, there didn't seem to be much to agonize over.

Even if the other senior brothers didn't teach him, his fellow disciples weren't like chance encounters with extraordinary individuals down the mountain. There were plenty of opportunities to interact, and ancient books would teach him. Moreover, the relationships among the senior brothers in the temple were quite good, and there was always the possibility of moving them with earnest requests.

With that in mind, he wouldn't overthink it anymore.

Returning at dusk today, strolling through the mountains, his feet treading on pine forests, the wind blowing fallen flowers, that feeling was truly wonderful.

"Second Senior Brother, I want to learn the art of alchemy from you first."

"You can. However, you can't learn Fire Element Magic yet. I'll first pass you the pill recipes and teach you the general process of alchemy, what you need to use, and what to pay attention to. By the way, you've already learned the Qi Nourishing Method, and you have Five Qi within your body. Coupled with your Fifth Senior Brother's assistance, you can already start learning the method of consumption. Also, the Gathering method. Both of these are spells that require long-term practice; besides skill, they also rely on diligent effort."

"What is the Gathering method?"

"The lower level is gathering spiritual items of the world, the middle level is gathering the spiritual charm of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the upper level is... " Second Senior Brother paused calmly, "... an ounce of sunset glow, a sliver of cloud and mist."

"Sunset glow... cloud and mist..."

Hearing this, Lin Jue suddenly realized that even with this ancient book, he might still find it difficult to learn many spells. Perhaps most of them would only remain at the stage of understanding or mastery.

It was as Fourth Senior Brother had said, quality over quantity.

"I understand."

"Let's start tomorrow."

"Okay!"

Once Lin Jue made up his mind, he was unwavering.

That evening, in the room.

An oil lamp sat on a wooden table, illuminating the room.

In a corner of the room was a meditation cushion, where the little fox lay curled up, silent, its eyes following Lin Jue's movements.

From the next room came the sound of Third Senior Brother reciting poetry after getting drunk...

Lin Jue ignored it and sat by the table, opening the ancient book by the lamplight.

Indeed, a new page had appeared:

Star Feather Pill, also known as Divine Speed Pill.

There are many kinds of rare and exotic beasts in the world. One of them is called the Xing Xing. Eating its flesh can increase leg strength. This pill is made from the fur or bones and flesh of the Xing Xing, with swallow feathers as the main ingredient. When consumed, it allows one to travel a thousand miles a day.

A master alchemist once added two ounces of cloud and mist to this pill, creating a wondrous elixir. Consuming it allows one to tread on air and leap over cliffs. Many of the world's divine speed techniques, numbering over two hundred, and dozens of escape techniques, are also incomparable to it.

Only then did Lin Jue understand why Second Senior Brother would say that the method of Outer Elixir could be compared to magic.

Where there are divine speed spells, there are also divine speed pills.

No wonder so many legendary cultivators achieved immortality through alchemy, and those ambitious for eternal life, whether kings, marquises, generals, or ministers, all chose to achieve their goals through alchemy.

Lin Jue reached out and touched the page.

A voice immediately sounded in his mind.

"Star Feather Pill: The inferior grade uses Xing Xing fur, the middle grade uses Xing Xing bones and flesh, the superior grade uses Xing Xing leg bones..."

It described the formula for the Divine Speed Pill, its spiritual charm attributes, spiritual energy coordination, the legend of its inventor, and any precautions or side effects of consumption.

However, the method of refining the pill was not described in much detail. Lin Jue guessed that this might be a book of spells, and Outer Elixir, strictly speaking, was another path separate from Spiritual Law. The author's own attainment in alchemy was not as profound as in Spiritual Law. It was also possible that the author had recorded the general refining methods for most pills in another section, and this section was simpler.

Nevertheless, Lin Jue listened to it several times, digesting and absorbing it for a long time before finally putting down the ancient book.

The wick of the oil lamp was almost burned out. By the dim light, Lin Jue saw that the little fox was still lying on the cushion, staring at him, very obediently. But it tilted its head, its eyes bright and intelligent, as if it could speak.

"Go to sleep."

Lin Jue said, and then blew out the lamp.

As soon as I woke up in the morning, my legs were indeed incredibly sore. I walked as if floating, afraid to put any weight on them. But when I arrived at the Mountain Moving Hall and saw that Junior Sister was even worse off, practically leaning against the wall as she walked, I felt much better.

After finishing the scriptures, I came to the alchemy room.

Second Senior Brother's expression was as calm as ever. He sat cross-legged beside the zither stand, idly plucking the strings, producing leisurely and unconstrained sounds that didn't seem to form a melody, yet each note was incredibly pleasing to the ear.

Seeing me arrive, Second Senior Brother didn't say anything. He merely got up, put away the zither stand, and unhurriedly walked to the side. He opened the incense burner and smoothed out the ashes, then took a cloud-patterned mold to press the ashes into a cloud pattern. After lighting it, a faint scent of herbs and wood naturally wafted through the alchemy room. Only then did he sit down again and begin to explain the ways of alchemy, consumption, and Gathering to Lin Jue.

His voice was as leisurely as the zither and as peaceful as the incense.