The True Meaning of Cultivation is Passing the Torch

After taking Gu Bai's notes, Wu Ming didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately flipped them open.

The thin booklet contained only two pages, each with just over a hundred characters, and the content was a direct copy of the original text from the Spring Encounter Book, starting from the five hundred and tenth character and ending at the seven hundred and twentieth, recording the cultivation method for the third tier of the ten Qi Refining tiers—not a single character off.

What was the meaning of this?

Just as he was thinking, the pages before him suddenly began to change. The smooth paper rippled out of nowhere, and the two hundred and ten characters of the original text shattered along with the ripples, breaking into hundreds of strokes, then into thousands of ink dots. As the ripples shifted, the ink dots gradually evolved into entirely new characters, so dense and fine they were hard to discern, and as they met his eyes, they also directly imprinted themselves into Wu Ming's mind.

It was an indescribable sensation. What entered his mind were characters, yet they lacked the texture of writing, as if thousands of vivid, living cognitions were competing to take root and sprout in his sea of consciousness...

He didn't know how long passed—it felt like an instant, yet also an eternity—when Wu Ming came back to his senses, he felt that everything had become utterly different.

Moments ago, he had only just reached the early stage of the second Qi Refining tier, and his understanding of the third tier was limited to memorizing the original text of the scripture. But now, he felt the knowledge in his mind surging like a tidal wave.

How to breathe, how to circulate, how to inquire into the inner scene, how to nurture Mystic Spirit Qi... every seemingly ordinary daily practice contained countless details.

These cultivation details all required accumulated refinement over days and months. Even with Wu Ming's excellent comprehension, it would be hard to master them quickly... but now, as the tide swept through his mind, it was as if he had immersed himself in this path for years or even decades, understanding every detail thoroughly!

This earth-shattering shift in cognition directly stirred the flow of spiritual energy within his body.

The mana in his limbs and meridians instantly surged with vitality, and the faint trace of Mystic Spirit Qi in his inner scene suddenly swelled, the efficiency of mana generation nearly doubling in the blink of an eye!

In a single breath, his cultivation leaped straight from the second tier of Fengchun Qi Refining to a major step forward, approaching the middle of that tier!

As a Three Pure Ones Orthodox Method, the Spring Encounter Book had no shortcuts, and mana cultivation required daily accumulation. Every checkpoint after the second Qi Refining tier was a long and arduous journey. But at this moment, Wu Ming had achieved it in one go!

There was only one way to accomplish such an impossibility...

[Fire Inheritance Book Ash]

Great cultivators above the Golden Core realm split the knowledge and cognition in their minds into firewood, loading it into words. Those who receive the method need only read the words to absorb all the content passed on by that cultivator.

Yet this method was considered a forbidden cultivation technique, because once a True Person passed on a book to another, they would forever lose the cultivation of this method, almost like having an arm cut off... And the receiver, with a mind suddenly filled with all the cognition of someone far superior in cultivation and experience, would inevitably suffer severe backlash. The slightest mistake could lead to mental collapse or Qi deviation.

Unless it was an extremely critical secret that could not be passed on, and under the most desperate circumstances, no one would ever lightly use such a forbidden method to teach mere Qi Refining tier knowledge!

"Dazed..."

In a daze, Wu Ming understood the whole situation.

"Master..."

Hearing his disciple's call, Gu Bai only showed a gentle smile and reached out to pat Wu Ming on the shoulder: "This method is a bit like forcing growth, but for a child with a resilient heart and sharp mind like you, it's just right... Alright, go win this round."

Wu Ming didn't say much, just nodded: "I'll try to win beautifully."

Gu Bai laughed instead: "Zhang Miao is also a good child. Don't bully her too much."

"Alright."

With that, Wu Ming turned around and saw two faces twisted with shock and fury.

"Fire Inheritance Book... you old bastard, have you lost your mind?!"

"...Utterly insane, utterly insane! Your Gujian Sect really is a demonic cult! The Taiyi Dharma Sword must never fall into your hands!"

"Just a cornered beast lashing out! What use is passing on knowledge? True Essence and mana can't be rushed! Before the Hengxiao Banner, external transmission is forbidden!"

Gu Bai paid no heed to these shouts, only slightly closing his eyes as if dozing off to rest.

And Wu Ming naturally ignored the two men, asking Zhang Miao instead: "So, are you ready?"

Zhang Miao had been silenced by Liu Li earlier and couldn't speak now, but she nodded vigorously with bright eyes and gently clenched her fist.

"Good, then let's begin."

As he spoke, the Apricot Yellow Flag unfurled, and between them, a tooth-white jade bead slowly rose, floating in midair.

The third of the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat, the Falling Jade Bead. The combatants must use external mana to push the jade bead as far as possible toward the opponent, and when it reaches within a foot of the opponent's body, victory is declared.

Just like the Stone Lifting Method—simple and direct.

The next moment, Zhang Miao and Wu Ming simultaneously formed a finger seal and pointed at the jade bead. Two streams of invisible mana shot out from their bodies, precisely striking the bead!

The collision was silent but immediately visible. The jade bead wobbled in the air for a moment, then drifted toward Wu Ming.

Under the clash of the two mana streams, Zhang Miao was clearly in the lead!

And she had to be in the lead.

Compared to Wu Ming, who had been cultivating in seclusion in the barren mountains, Zhang Miao's cultivation conditions were far superior... Her Spirit Root aptitude was fundamentally different, and the noble families in the county city had abundant spiritual vein formations for clan disciples to breathe in spiritual energy day and night. As for various pills and talismans, there was no need to mention them.

In one month, Wu Ming had self-studied and comprehended, nurtured Mystic Spirit Qi, and accumulated mana to the second Qi Refining tier. With the help of the Dharma Sword, it made up for some of his Spirit Root deficiencies, but his progress was still remarkably impressive. However, compared to Zhang Miao, who had just loaded up on pills as a substitute fighter, he was simply outclassed.

Gu Bai could pass on thousands of insights to him, but he couldn't produce a single "reasonable and fair" pill to help Wu Ming boost his mana.

Thus, the gap in mana strength between the two sides was over thirty percent, nearly a qualitative difference!

And so, under the impact, the two elders of the Liu family beamed with joy, almost wearing foolish grins.

But Zhang Miao, the one directly involved, was not pleased at all. Instead, she furrowed her delicate brows and bit her lip tightly, as if encountering an unexpected obstacle.

The next moment, the young girl pushed her finger seal forward sharply, unleashing a torrent of mana from her body like a crashing wave, surging toward the jade bead to accelerate it forward, aiming for a decisive victory!

Wu Ming smiled faintly, flicked his finger in response, but didn't clash head-on with Zhang Miao. Instead, he let the jade bead fly toward him.

Three feet, two feet... the distance shrank rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it was nearing the victory line.

Yet at the same time, the jade bead's trajectory grew increasingly skewed. From its initial straight approach, it gradually seemed to be pulled aside, accelerating its deviation bit by bit, tracing a shockingly curved arc!

In the end, it barely brushed past the victory line before Wu Ming!

Then, its momentum unabated, it spun midair and abruptly reversed course, hurtling straight back toward Zhang Miao!

Now, if one looked closely, they would see: that tiny jade bead was spinning at an astonishing speed like a top, and with each rotation, it shed a fraction of Zhang Miao's attached Dharma power, while Wu Ming's power clung ever tighter, seeping deeper.

By the time the jade bead swept past Wu Ming, seven or eight-tenths of Zhang Miao's Dharma power had been shed. No matter how red-faced the girl grew as she pinched her finger seals and bit her tongue, it was to no avail... She could only watch helplessly as the jade bead spiraled out of control and accelerated toward her.

In an instant, the jade stone crossed the victory line, then decelerated sharply, stopping just before Zhang Miao's fingertip.

"..."

A brief silence. Zhang Miao's face showed deep reluctance, but in the end, she helplessly lowered her hands, signaling defeat.

Although she hadn't come here to compete with Wu Ming for victory, and had even prepared to hold back at a critical moment, the result... despite such an overwhelming advantage in Dharma power, she had been defeated without any ability to resist. The gap in their Dharma power application techniques was like clouds and mud, truly disheartening.

Yet her discouragement lasted only a moment. After lowering her hands, Zhang Miao beamed and said, "I lost!"

"Zhang Miao! Did I give you permission to speak?!" Liu Li gnashed his teeth, glaring furiously at Wu Ming. "...Heretical tricks bring endless consequences! Forcibly using techniques that aren't yours will only make you lose yourself and cut off your potential!"

But then Gu Bai let out a weary laugh.

"Heh, fellow Daoist, you worry too much. That Dharma Power Rotation Technique of Ming'er's just now wasn't something I taught him. Though I've cultivated the Spring Encounter Book, when I was at the second or third tier of Qi Refining, I was nowhere near as creative as he is. The Fire Inheritance Book Ash is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, or drinking poison to quench thirst for mediocrities. But for Ming'er, my only regret is that I couldn't pass on more."

Wu Ming bowed respectfully to his master: "Master, I am already endlessly grateful for the book you passed down! In the future, when I achieve Spirit Transmutation and Body Integration, I will surely repay you with superior Immortal Arts as fuel!"

"...Haha, then this old man will look forward to it!"

Such a heartfelt exchange between master and disciple only twisted the faces of the Liu elders further, as if they wished they could explode on the spot.

But Wu Ming couldn't be bothered to pay these two clowns any more attention. Seeing that the Apricot Yellow Banner had already tilted impartially toward him, declaring the outcome of the third round of the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat, he spoke.

"Two wins out of three, I've already won. You two, get the hell out, go home and kill yourselves. I have cultivation to do this afternoon."

Liu Li's face turned purple with rage: "The Four Symbols of Dharma Combat—where did you get 'two wins out of three'?! There's still one last round to compete! If it's two wins and two losses, the final round decides the victor! Are you pretending to be stupid on purpose?!"

Wu Ming was taken aback: "But the last round is [Practical Skill]. Are you sure you want to compete?"

Zhang Miao's eyes went wide as she pointed at her own face, utterly incredulous.

"Nonsense!" Liu Li roared in fury. "So-called Practical Skill means disregarding ordinary rules, deciding victory by actual combat! During this round, magical treasures and pills can be freely used! You're at least a daughter of a noble family—don't you even have a few items to protect yourself?!"

Zhang Miao tilted her head aggrievedly, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

"Speak!"

Zhang Miao said quietly, "I do have protective treasures, but..."

Wu Ming said, "But, are you sure you want her to compete with me in magical treasures?"

As he spoke, the light of the Taiyi Dharma Sword rose again, filling the hall with golden radiance.

Liu Li gritted his teeth: "...All show, no substance! The Taiyi Dharma Sword is a divine spirit weapon. In just over a month, how much of its treasure power can you possibly bring out? Trying to bluff with a few sword beams—daydreaming!"

Wu Ming couldn't help but laugh: "Did you two really not hear the sword's cry just now?"

Gu Bai also found it amusing and explained, "Ming'er, without talent in the sword path, even a True Person might not hear the sword cry of a Qi Refining Dharma Sword. You're overestimating these two."

Liu Li's expression shifted, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Liu Yi roared, "Don't listen to their bullshit! Zhang Miao, if you lose this fourth round, your Zhang Family's business in Wu Prefecture is finished!"

Zhang Miao had no choice but to slowly walk to the Apricot Yellow Banner, lift a crystalline brush, and gradually summon five protective treasures and thirteen exquisite talismans, suspending them around her body.

Though she seemed listless, the display of glittering treasures still showed a posture of going all out!

Thanks to reader 20190606145744762 and Boiled and Blanched for their tips!

Also, I'm asking for all kinds of votes—thank you, everyone!