Ancient Methods

There's no time like the present, so Li Fan seized the opportunity. After in-depth discussions and practice, he referenced the Huan family's secret method, the "Yin-Yang Five Paths Method," while simultaneously studying two versions of the "Ling Shu" from the Supreme Nine Truth Sect with the Ling sisters. Through comparative experiments, and by further consulting the most profound Xuanmen Qi circulation method in the Emei secret dual cultivation method, "Guicang," he completed a new version of the "Li Version of Ling Shu" after a week of practice, drawing on the strengths of various schools and building upon numerous secret methods.

Simply put, a complete Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation Method generally includes at least three parts: breathing exercises, Qi Refinement Stage, and breath regulation.

Breathing is the process of collecting energy from the Taiji world, from heaven and earth. Qi Refinement Stage is the process of filtering out useless impurities and purifying the useful true Qi. Regulating the breath is the process of circulating the true Qi refined from the Inner Landscape throughout the body's meridians and acupoints, making it usable Dao Breath.

Although the Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation Method is for Foundation Establishment, the importance of Foundation Establishment is self-evident. If the foundation is not stable, how can a tall building rise from the ground? Basically, you can see how solid your foundation is to see your future achievements.

Therefore, unaffiliated cultivators and Outer Sect practitioners often covet Cultivation Method and so-called superior methods that promise rapid cultivation, neglecting the importance of a solid foundation. In contrast, the Three Great Sects, with their ancient lineages, place the utmost emphasis on the education of their Inner Sect disciples, especially on the fundamental Qi Refinement Stage. Li Fan, having already practiced numerous basic Cultivation Method and mastered the true teachings of various schools, can now clearly discern the superiority or inferiority of Cultivation Method at a glance, given his current cultivation level and knowledge.

For example, the Ling Shu, Gui Zang, and Huan Shi Yin Yang Wu Tong Zhi Fa are all methods of dual Qi Refinement Stage, emphasizing the cooperation of Dao Companion and the dual cultivation of refined Dao Breath. However, the differences between the Xuanmen (mysterious sect) and the Immortal Palace) are also clearly visible.

<Guicang> is the most profound Emei secret technique. It not only has a secret method for refining the true qi of heaven and earth, but also provides guidance on how to breathe and collect the qi of heaven and earth. Furthermore, it has exquisite instructions on regulating the breath, which can refine the qi of heaven and earth into the primordial qi of heaven and earth, and achieve the nascent Nascent Soul Stage earlier.

It can be said that the Gui Cang technique itself is already a very complete Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation Method. It is only in the final part, the fusion of Qian and Kun, and the upgrading of the Wuji Golden Core, that two people need to cooperate. In fact, it is also a wonderful method for quick success in cultivating the Qian Yuan Kun Yuan Nascent Soul Stage.

Both the <Huan Family Yin Yang Five Elements Dual Cultivation Method> and <Ling Shu> are clearly Ancient Immortal Palace inheritances, and it is obvious that some of the techniques are only used between male and female cultivators, or couples. They are probably secret bedroom arts passed down within the ancient immortal royal palaces, and they hardly mention how to breathe and gather spiritual energy.

After all, why would a proper immortal king in an Immortal Palace need to practice breathing exercises? Look at Amao's complete treatment: he's fed all sorts of elixirs and secret medicines, enjoys saunas and massages, and has access to rare Heavenly Treasure. He has no shortage of qi. But to cultivate superior secret techniques, one must repeatedly refine and hone the foundation.

There are still many problems with the Ling Shu section, so we'll leave that aside for now.

The Yin and Yang Qi of the Huan Clan's method is a more conventional dual Qi Refinement Stage method. Men cultivate Yang Qi and women cultivate Yin Qi. Once they have cultivated it well, they exchange Qi, expelling impurities and retaining the essence, thus achieving a harmonious state of Yin and Yang balance.

However, the Huan family did not have the means to directly utilize Yin and Yang energies through breath control. For example, when they wanted to control water, they needed to first use Yin and Yang energies to transform them into the corresponding Xuanming Zhenqi before performing hand seals and spells. Fortunately, they could generate all things from Yin and Yang, and no matter what kind of Taiji True Qi they wanted to refine, the Huan family had subsequent methods for refining and transforming it. Of course, the refining efficiency derived by the Huan family was not high, and they could only transform one type at a time, leaving impurities behind.

To be fair, this Yin-Yang Five Paths Method is actually a very good Cultivation Method. As long as you have a Dao Companion with three or four paths to cultivate together, your Foundation Establishment can be said to be very solid. After that, you only need to convert the required true Qi according to the Nascent Soul Stage method for forming the core. It can already be considered a high-grade Cultivation Method that independent cultivators can only dream of.

Of course, among Li Fan's many treasures, this can only be considered average. In fact, if we take into account the three parts of breathing exercises, Qi Refinement Stage, and breath regulation, and speak from the data, the highest quality and most efficient technique, which can be called a divine skill, should be the true teaching of the Xuanmen Qingcheng Mountain, the <<Jade Pure Return to Dust Primordial Qi Technique>>.

This Cultivation Method is practically flawless. One can refine the Return-to-Dust Zhenqi simply by placing both feet on the ground. From breathing exercises to breath regulation, everything is done in one smooth motion. Furthermore, it leads to the cultivation of a Jade Pure Nascent Soul Stage, along with the escape technique <<Jade Pure Jade Quality Flawless Escape>>, and the thunder technique <Jade Pure Water Yin Thunder>. The immortal inheritance also includes the Jade Pure Protective True Qi. It can be considered the standard divine skill for any Xuanmen Daoist disciple.

But here's the problem: once you refine the Dust-Returning Qi, all other True Qi becomes impurities that need further refinement! This is why the <Primordial Qi Technique> can refine all other True Qi into Return-to-Dust Zhenqi. In extreme cases, a person with top-tier aptitude might be five times more efficient at Qi Refinement Stage than an ordinary person! Of course, in similar extreme cases, such as when the environment only contains Zixia Zhenqi or malevolent Qi, the cultivation efficiency will be quite low.

And it was because of this that Li Fan also realized what the evaluation criteria of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent's "Top Three Sword Techniques Before Golden Core" list were all about.

The "Basic Sword Qi of Ink Bamboo Mountain" and the "<Ordinary True Essence Sword Transformation Guide> of the Beichen Sword Sect" are both Cultivation Method. Their methods of breathing and gathering Sword Qi are only average, lacking any particularly outstanding features. The methods of refining and channeling Sword Qi are also only somewhat unique, and refining Sword Qi is quite dangerous, which is a negative aspect. However, both Cultivation Method can achieve 100% conversion between true Qi of different attributes! No true Qi is impure!

That's a bit of an exaggeration. The basic Sword Qi of Ink Bamboo Mountain can only transform into the five qi of Taiji, and it must be done in the order of mutual generation. But it is true that no matter what environment it is in, all kinds of true qi can be directly absorbed and cultivated into the Sword Qi needed. With the five elements generating each other in the Inner Landscape, the true qi will continue endlessly.

As mentioned in the <Sword Transformation Guide>, all Taiji True Qi can be refined into Sword Qi. However, its conversion efficiency may be slightly lower. Depending on the individual's aptitude and innate talent, a cultivator might retain about 50% to 60% of their original True Qi as Sword Qi. Of course, Li Fan also suffered some losses, retaining about 80% to 90%. After all, he initially thought this was Outer Sect Cultivation Method and not very difficult, so he didn't True Cultivator.

Therefore, in summary, Xuan Tian's meaning is roughly that there is no single best Cultivation Method; the best method is to have them all, so that they can be used for sword fighting at any time and in any environment. That is the ultimate goal.

Now let's talk about the Ling Shu (灵枢).

The problem with <Ling Shu> is that this Cultivation Method is simply too old. It's so old that it includes body tempering, breathing Qi Refinement Stage, and breath regulation. It's so old that it even has some resemblance to the Cultivation Method of immortal Immortal Palace and mystical sects, seemingly derived from a fragment of this Cultivation Method.

If Li Fan wasn't mistaken, this might be the cultivation method of the Ancient Immortal Palace, passed down through generations of Immortal Venerables. Due to its antiquity, it is not only less efficient than later generations' deductions, but also contains many errors in the meridians and acupoints. It can even be seen that the <Ling Shu> itself is a very early product of humanity's exploration of cultivation methods.

It's rather absurd to abandon the latest Cultivation Method and go back to practicing this ancient, original Cultivation Method.

However, if he had to find a reason, Li Fan also had some guesses about the motives of the Nine Truth Sect.

That means the times have changed.

Even the most exquisite and efficient Cultivation Method may no longer be the Cultivation Method, given that the current False Moon shines brightly and the era of Tai Su is fast approaching. This is beyond human control, and the Three Great Sects must prepare accordingly.

First of all, ordinary human beings cannot cultivate by breathing in evil energy. They either need to reach the Nascent Soul and follow the path of Tai Su transformation, or they need to sleep in a coffin Golden Core Stage and rely on their great comprehension to create Gui Xu Nascent Soul.

But these are not things that a normal Qi Refining Stage cultivator can consider. Even Li Fan only stopped needing to rely on his mood and system to resist the influence of evil energy after he had refined his Gui Xu Nascent Soul.

However, the Ling sisters, who cultivate the <Ling Shu>, can resist the influence of the evil energy to a certain extent. Thinking about it carefully, when they fought with Yulin Aunt just now, the evil energy scattered by those tentacles would have already infected an ordinary person and turned them into a demon corpse.

After carefully examining the Ling sisters' physical condition and ruling out the erroneous explanation that their mixed-race heritage, comprehension, aptitude, and innate talent made them different from ordinary people, Li Fan confirmed that the ancient method <Ling Shu> could indeed, to some extent, improve physical qualities and give the body a certain resistance. Although it still could not absorb evil energy, it would not be easily affected by evil energy and would not undergo uncontrollable mutations.

This might be what the Nine Truth Sect is looking for—something from the Ling Shu—to improve existing Tai Chi cultivation methods, prevent the influence of malevolent energy on the Dao body and mind, and ensure that the true Qi of Tai Chi can continue to be effective. This is probably another solution from the Xuanmen masters to deal with the malevolent energy of Tai Su, besides 'transformation into matter'.

Meanwhile, the Divine Sect, the old rival of the Xuanmen, possesses its signature Yuanshen Technique, allowing them to freely switch bodies. They can disregard the malevolent energy and relentlessly summon demon gods. They even have a plan to 'improve the Corpse Refining Pill,' which, judging from Lin Xiang's situation, represents an embrace of evolution. They rely entirely on malevolent energy to sustain life while still maintaining human sanity—a completely different path.

The Immortal Palace must have done some research on this as well, right? After all, weren't both the <Ling Shu> and the 'Corpse Refining Pill' originally theirs?

It seems the Three Great Sects haven't ignored the changing times and turned a blind eye. While they're fighting, they're also conducting in-depth research and exploration behind the scenes. Of course, their progress is definitely far behind that of Ink Bamboo Mountain, which has directly colluded with the Thousand-Faced Immortal.

Therefore, while discussing the mysteries of the human body and cultivation with the Ling sisters, Li Fan also drastically revised and combined the strengths of various schools to create his own unique, albeit eccentric, version of the <Li's Spiritual Pivot> cultivation method.

For body refinement, refer to external martial arts techniques such as the Jiuli Dance, Body Domination Technique, Profound Heaven Sword Method, and Dalu Jing Tian Finger. For breathing exercises, refer to the Primordial Qi Technique. For dual cultivation, refer to the Huan Family Yin-Yang Five Paths Method. For Qi Refinement Stage, refer to Basic Sword Qi and Sword Transformation Guide. For breath regulation, refer to the Returning to the Source Technique. In this way, the ultimate divine skill will be created...

It's impossible to practice like this! Damn it!

Okay, okay, I'm sure everyone has encountered that situation where you write a program and you think it's perfect and there are no problems, but it just won't run no matter what, right? Well, that's exactly what Li Fan is experiencing now. He feels that this version is perfect for Foundation Establishment, but for some reason, it just won't run on the computer.

On the contrary, cultivating according to the <Zhenzhen Ling Shu> and <Shenzhen Ling Shu> did have some effect. At least the Ling sisters' cultivation levels increased, and they received personal guidance from Li Fan, who corrected many of their cultivation mistakes and gained significant insights. However, Li Fan's gains were not as great, since in terms of refining the Qi of Heaven and Earth through dual cultivation, it was not as good as directly using <Return to the Source>.

These two Cultivation Method don't seem as sophisticated as his; what's wrong with them...?

In short, after several days of cultivation, Ling Liuying and Ling Bingyu both made great progress, looking radiant and full of energy. Li Fan, on the other hand, stayed up day and night, racking his brains until his eyes were bloodshot, but he still couldn't perfect his grand technique. Moreover, there was a cult altar in the Yulin Manor, so he couldn't stay there forever. Therefore, he persuaded the Ling sisters to temporarily stop and return to Penglai to complete the mission.

This time, it wasn't just about eliminating the three troublesome sea monsters; more importantly, it was about the fallen Devil Embryo of the Spirit Race in the Yulin Manor. So, the Ling sisters went to report to the Zhenzhen Palace first, while Li Fan went back to find Xiao Yushi. Of course, he didn't want to try it out with the purebloods again; he simply wanted to inquire with the Xiao Family about the origin of this Cultivation Method.

Xiao Yushi did not disappoint him. Her family's tradition of learning had been passed down through generations, and she had indeed heard of this ancient method.

"The Ling Shu is a common secret technique in the Ziwei Yuan, which is the dual cultivation technique learned by the imperial concubines. At that time, the alchemy of soldiers was not yet perfected, and few women learned the martial arts cultivation methods of the Dou Department. So the Immortal Emperor copied some of the cultivation secret techniques of the direct line of the imperial family and taught those concubines who were born into mortal families and were favored to cultivate, so as to prolong their lives, maintain their youth, and stay together forever."

Originally, the Ling Shu was an orthodox method of cultivation within the Immortal Palace, strictly forbidden to be passed on to outsiders. However, later, the imperial clan was wiped out by the Xuanmen (mystical sects), and the concubines in the Ziwei Yuan fled back to their maternal relatives' homes. Thus, this orthodox cultivation method began to circulate among the powerful clans. Now, the secret traditions of various families have more or less referenced the Ling Shu, and each has its own modifications. However, this method of cultivation is still slow, and it also requires undergoing tribulations. Later, External Alchemy became popular, as it could prolong life without hidden dangers, and was gradually replaced by Foundation Establishment and Divine Infant Pill."

Li Fan's courtyard at the Shenzhen Palace had been repaired. Xiao Yushi, like the other mistresses, had dressed up, wearing a pear blossom in her hair and a long silk dress that covered her chest. While flipping through the <Shenzhen Ling Shu> that Li Fan had consulted for him, she sniffed the air, caught Li Fan's scent, frowned, then her expression changed. She nestled in Li Fan's arms, giggling as she spoke to him...

"This book has many omissions and many deductions made by later generations, so it is not entirely accurate. My Xiao Family also produced many immortal empresses in the past. I dare not say that the <Ling Shu> is complete, but it is more complete than this book. Would you like to see it for yourself, Li Lang..."

Li Fan was overjoyed, "You can actually recite the Ling Shu? Great! Write it down for me to see. I'll grind the ink for you!"

Xiao Yushi was set aside by him, and he immediately began arranging the writing implements. She froze for a moment, "I mean... well, I do know it by heart. After all, women from the four great clans have a chance to be selected to go to Ziwei Yuan, and they have to be able to recite and practice this method from a young age."

"The Four Great Clans? Wang, Xie, Yuan, and Xiao?" Li Fan casually replied.

"Huh?" Hearing that this burly man actually knew about the four great clans, Xiao Yushi was subconsciously surprised. "Does Li Lang also know about those aristocratic families?"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting around, and casually said, "Oh, oh! When I was a wandering cultivator, I traveled all over the world and met some people from the Huan family. I heard them brag about how their ancestors rode big horses, and they even said that the four great clans betrayed them and so on. What, are they your family's enemies?"

Xiao Yushi understood immediately, and curled her lip, "Hmph, the Huan family, you must have met them before, after all, the Golden Scale Palace is quite famous..."

However, that was all in the past. Back then, Duke Yongchong of the Huan family held the position of Grand Commandant. Taking advantage of the great victory in the Northern Expedition, and with the support of the leader of the Beichen Sword Sect, the Beichen Sword Sect, and the powerful Beifu New Army under his command, he wanted to implement land surveys, suppress local powerful clans, rectify the aristocratic families of the Three Palaces, and reclaim the military power of the Four Constellations and Eight Feudatories. In a way, he offended everyone in the world he could.

Although the four major clans and the Huan family were originally allies of the Immortal Clan, the situation at the time was turbulent, and we dared not support him any longer. Sure enough, later the Sword Sect stormed the Divine Sect's headquarters, and the experts were trapped in the Ten Ultimate Formation. Lord Yongchong suddenly lost all support and was assassinated by some people. The final version of events was that he was assassinated by his concubine who was of Demon Race origin. In short, the Huan family's power was completely eradicated, and they were exiled overseas.

Because of this incident, our family offended the Sword Ancestor Xuantian. After that, he would come to our door every few days to provoke us, wanting to avenge his old friend. If our family hadn't always yielded, he would have already found a reason to wipe out our entire family to vent his anger.

It's hard to say whether it's retribution or not. After all, it seems that the Beichen Sword Sect is much more righteous than the Supreme Nine Truth Sect now. But no matter what, it's better to have survived until now than to have been wiped out back then, right?

"There's actually this whole cause and effect..."

Well, no wonder that old guy was so obsessed with skinning the fox...