Stepping into Biyou Palace, what met Fang Yang's eyes was not only Sect Master Tongtian.
He saw a yellow-robed daoist sitting in a guest seat, chatting and laughing quite naturally with Sect Master Tongtian, showing not the slightest trace of tension in the presence of a saint.
"This disciple pays respects to Master!"
After Fang Yang performed a bow, he stood in the center of the hall.
The yellow-robed daoist, however, began to size up Fang Yang. Divine light swirled in his eyes, piercing through the heavens, and Fang Yang felt as though his entire being had been seen right through by the yellow-robed daoist.
"Fellow Daoist Qisha, this is poor monk's little disciple, Fang Yang. What does Fellow Daoist think of this disciple of mine?"
Sect Master Tongtian wore a broad smile as he looked at the yellow-robed daoist.
The yellow-robed daoist stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with brilliant light. "Little Friend Fang Yang has a foundation in the Dao that is profound and pure. He has cultivated a total of four divine abilities, and all four have been practiced by him to the absolute peak attainable in his current realm. Crucially, Little Friend has been guided by a master of great renown. His future is limitless."
Sect Master Tongtian nodded slightly. "Then, what if poor monk were to invite Fellow Daoist to act as the guardian for this disciple of mine?"
As soon as Sect Master Tongtian uttered these words, not only the yellow-robed daoist, but even Fang Yang was taken aback.
This teacher of his arranged things far too thoroughly, didn't he? Not only had he assigned him the finest dojo, but he was also finding him a guardian.
There were simply too many undercurrents within the Interception Sect, and with the petty scuffles among disciples, Sect Master Tongtian could not possibly back Meng Chen every single time.
No matter how invincible Sect Master Tongtian was, he could not be invincible toward his own disciples. If he lacked the heart to execute his own disciples, his only option was to increase Fang Yang's strength so as to deter those disciples who wished to target Fang Yang.
The yellow-robed daoist's state of mind at that moment could be described as nothing less than flattered beyond measure. To act as the guardian for a disciple of a saint's great sect was tantamount to becoming a part of the saint's great sect by proxy.
Furthermore, Sect Master Tongtian's invitation gave him immense prestige.
His identity was sufficiently clear-cut; unlike Daoist Burning Lamp, who lacked even a well-defined seniority.
People said Daoist Burning Lamp was a disciple of Saint Yuanshi, yet the Twelve Golden Immortals called him teacher, and when people said Daoist Burning Lamp was of the same generation as Saint Yuanshi, he himself addressed Saint Yuanshi as teacher.
"Since the Saint thinks highly of me, poor Daoist will certainly do my utmost to properly protect Little Friend Fang Yang."
With just a few words, Sect Master Tongtian had arranged a guardian for Fang Yang, causing Fang Yang to mentally exclaim awesome.
With this guardian, he would have a sense of security when facing those junior male and female fellow apprentices.
"Disciple, this senior is called Daoist Master Qisha, a renowned quasi-saint mighty figure from the Overseas Ten Continents. Before you prove your Dao to Grand Unity, this senior will resolve all troubles and vexations for you."
They always said that cultivators needed tempering, but that was merely a self-comforting phrase used by rogue cultivators because they lacked the necessary conditions.
Sect Master Tongtian possessed countless methods to temper Fang Yang and strengthen Fang Yang's state of mind. Fang Yang simply did not need to endure all sorts of hardships like bitter rogue cultivators before advancing.
The direct disciples of the Human Sect, the Sect of Enlightenment, the Interception Sect, and the Western Sect had all come up this exact way.
Sect Master Tongtian wanted precisely to have his disciple cultivate in the most optimal environment, and intended for Fang Yang to cultivate into a Golden Immortal of Grand Luo without any alarms or dangers.
If anyone felt dissatisfied, they could come and fight him.
Fang Yang bowed deeply toward Daoist Master Qisha, his tone respectful yet steadfast: "Many thanks to Senior Qisha for your protection, this junior will certainly offer generous repayment in the future."
Daoist Master Qisha stroked his beard and smiled, the divine light in his eyes receding. "The Saint of Shangqing has a great kindness toward poor Daoist, and my action today is merely a slight repayment of that debt. Little Friend's good intentions, poor Daoist accepts."
Fang Yang turned to look at Sect Master Tongtian, and seeing the saint nod slightly, he knew that what Daoist Master Qisha said was true and not merely an attempt to butter up a saint's great sect.
"Disciple, the fact that you can see through the surface of divine abilities and daoist arts, comprehending the principle of Myriad Laws Carry the Dao, proves that your comprehension is even superior to that of your senior martial brother. Moreover, cultivating divine abilities and daoist arts is not without shortcuts."
Having arranged a guardian for Fang Yang, Sect Master Tongtian began to guide Fang Yang in his cultivation.
He had figured out the path Fang Yang was taking.
Some people learned formulas in order to use formulas, while others learned formulas by digging out the underlying principles of those very formulas.
Divine abilities were the formulas of cultivators.
Within the Interception Sect, Fang Yang was the only one who treated the Dao law as a cultivation method itself. When practicing, Fang Yang was not merely cultivating divine abilities; he was integrating the principles contained within those divine abilities directly into his cultivation.
However, this was also one of the reasons why Sect Master Tongtian looked upon Fang Yang with special favor.
The other disciples did not do this not because they did not want to, but because they simply could not.
It was already remarkable enough that they could learn the formulas; asking them to study the underlying principles of the formulas was entirely a case of a dog meddling in a cat's business—they had nowhere to begin.
Fang Yang was different. Although he had not yet reached the point where he understood everything at a single glance, as long as he was willing to learn and study, he would definitely be able to figure it out.
His primordial spirit seemed to have an incomparable affinity with daoist arts. Ever since he came into contact with them, no daoist art had ever been able to stump him. With just a slight bit of analysis, he could understand all the principles behind a daoist art.
Since Fang Yang possessed such comprehension, Sect Master Tongtian intended to let Fang Yang give full play to his own strengths, catching up with his peers at the fastest possible speed.
Fang Yang maintained a calm expression, as if speaking of a very ordinary matter:
"The shortcut spoken of by Master is something this disciple understands to a small extent. When a Golden Immortal breaks through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, they are able to plant an anchor point within the River of Destiny, fixing their own true self in the present world. Under the reflection of the River of Destiny, the Taiyi Golden Immortal will form countless other selves throughout the past and future."
"Master's meaning is to use the present to interfere with the future, allowing our future other selves to cultivate different divine abilities. When the time comes to prove the Dao of Grand Luo, one can gather all these various divine abilities together with the other selves."
He simply did not understand how a Golden Immortal of Grand Luo operated, yet he was extremely clear on the characteristic traits of each realm.
Hearing this, Sect Master Tongtian burst into a hearty laugh:
"As expected of my disciple; even before Master could teach you, you figured out this cultivation method on your own. This very method is something Master only comprehended not long ago. The River of Destiny is a form of binding constraint, but it is also a tremendous fortuitous opportunity."
"As long as you suppress your cultivation after breaking through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, refusing to gather your future other selves, you can utilize those other selves to carry out cultivation. The longer you suppress your cultivation, the more other selves at the peak of Taiyi you will forge."
"When the time comes to prove the Dao of Grand Luo, you then use your own authenticity to shatter all the other selves, reclaiming their cultivation, divine abilities, and daoist arts back into your true body, melting them all into one furnace. At that moment, you will be able to charge in a single bound straight to the late Grand Unity or even the peak Grand Unity."
At this point, even Sect Master Tongtian could not help but swell with pride. His voice was filled with a soul-stirring impact, causing Fang Yang to yearn for it with all his heart.
To break through directly from the peak of Taiyi to the peak of Grand Unity—how many countless years of time would that save?
However, regarding how to utilize authenticity to gather those other selves, Fang Yang was still completely in the dark. He did not interrupt, instead listening carefully to Sect Master Tongtian's explanation.
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