The True Essence of Cultivation Is Passing on the Flame

After taking Gu Bai's notes, Wu Ming opened them without the slightest hesitation.

The thin booklet had only two pages, each with barely over a hundred words. The contents were simply copied word for word from the Spring Encounter Book, from the five hundred and tenth character to the seven hundred and twentieth. They recorded the cultivation method for the third stage of Qi Refining's ten stages, without a single difference.

What did this mean?

As he wondered, the pages before him suddenly changed. The smooth paper rippled out of nowhere, and the original two hundred and ten characters broke apart with the waves, splintering into hundreds, then thousands of strokes, and finally tens of thousands of ink dots. As the waves rolled on, the ink dots gradually evolved into entirely new characters. They were so densely packed that they were difficult to make out, yet as soon as they entered Wu Ming's field of vision, they also appeared directly in his mind.

It was a sensation beyond words. Though what entered his mind was writing, it had none of the texture of words. It was as if tens of thousands of vivid, living insights were competing to take root and sprout in his sea of consciousness...

No one knew how much time had passed. It seemed both like an instant and an eternity. When Wu Ming came back to himself, he felt that everything had changed completely.

Just moments earlier, he had only just reached the second stage of Qi Refining, and his knowledge of cultivating the third stage was limited to memorizing the text in the books. But now, the knowledge in his mind surged like a roaring tide.

How to breathe in and out, how to circulate one's power, how to probe the inner landscape, how to nurture Mystic Spirit Qi... Every seemingly ordinary part of daily cultivation contained countless details.

Mastering these details required long years of practice. Even with Wu Ming's exceptional aptitude, he could not have learned them all in a short time... Yet as the tide in his mind swept over him, he felt as if he had immersed himself in this path for years, perhaps even decades, and understood every detail thoroughly!

This earth-shaking change in his understanding immediately stirred the flow of spiritual energy within him.

Mana surged through every limb and bone in an instant, while the faint trace of Mystic Spirit Qi in his inner landscape suddenly grew stronger. His mana generated itself at nearly twice the rate in the blink of an eye!

With a single breath, his cultivation leaped forward from the second stage of Fengchun Qi Refining, advancing by a great stride and nearing the middle of the stage!

As an orthodox method of the Three Pure Ones, the Spring Encounter Book had no shortcut to quick success. What was more, one's mana cultivation required long accumulation; every hurdle after the second stage of Qi Refining was a long and arduous journey. But now, Wu Ming had made it in a single bound!

There was only one way to achieve something this incredible...

[Fire Inheritance Book Ash]

Great cultivators at the Golden Core Realm or above split the knowledge and insights in their minds into kindling and carried them in writing. Those who received the transmission only needed to read the text to absorb everything the cultivator had passed on.

Yet this method could be called a forbidden cultivation art. Once a True Person passed on a book to someone else, they could never cultivate this art again; it was practically like having an arm chopped off... Meanwhile, those who received the teachings would have the complete knowledge of someone far more experienced and powerful than themselves suddenly thrust into their minds, and would inevitably suffer an intense backlash. The slightest misstep could cause their minds to collapse and send them into cultivation deviation.

Unless it involved an exceptionally important secret that could not be passed on by any other means, and circumstances were truly desperate, no one would casually use such a forbidden art to teach mere Qi Refining knowledge!

"This..."

In a daze, Wu Ming understood everything.

"Master..."

Hearing his disciple call out, Gu Bai only smiled warmly and patted Wu Ming on the shoulder. "This method does encourage growth before the roots are ready, but for a child like you, with such a resilient mind and exceptional intelligence, it's just right... All right, go win this match."

Wu Ming said no more than necessary and nodded. "I'll try to win in style."

Gu Bai smiled. "Zhang Miao is a good child too. Don't bully her too much."

"Okay."

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

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

"...You're utterly deranged! Your Gujian Sect really is full of heretics and demonic cultivators! The Taiyi Dharma Sword must never fall into your hands!"

"You're just lashing out in desperation! What use is passing on knowledge alone? True Essence and mana can't be cultivated in a hurry! Using external means to pass on the art is taboo in the face of the Hengxiao Banner!"

Gu Bai paid no attention to their outbursts. He merely closed his eyes a little, as if dozing off to rest.

Wu Ming naturally ignored the two as well and asked Zhang Miao, "How about it? Are you ready?"

Liu Li had silenced Zhang Miao earlier, so she could not speak just yet. She only nodded vigorously, her eyes shining, and clenched her fist lightly.

"Good. Then let's begin."

As he spoke, the Apricot Yellow Banner fluttered. An ivory-white jade bead rose slowly between them and floated in midair.

The third of the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat: Jade Bead Drop. Both competitors had to push the bead toward their opponent by projecting their mana. Whoever brought it within one foot of the other person won.

Like the Stone Lifting Method, it was simple and straightforward.

In the next instant, Zhang Miao and Wu Ming formed hand seals at the same time and pointed at the jade bead. Two invisible streams of mana shot from their bodies and struck it precisely!

The impact made no sound, but its effects were immediately visible. The jade bead wobbled in midair before drifting toward Wu Ming.

When their mana clashed, Zhang Miao had clearly gained the upper hand!

It was only natural that Zhang Miao would gain the upper hand.

Compared to Wu Ming, who had cultivated in seclusion in the barren mountains, Zhang Miao had enjoyed far better conditions... Her Spirit Root aptitude was worlds apart from his, and the Aristocratic Clans in the Prefecture City had abundant spirit veins and Dharma Arrays, allowing their clan members to breathe in spiritual energy day and night. As for all kinds of pills and talismans, there was no need to mention them.

Wu Ming had studied and cultivated on his own for a month, nurturing Mystic Spirit Qi and accumulating enough mana to reach the second stage of Qi Refining. Though the Dharma Sword had helped make up for some of his lack of Spirit Root aptitude, his progress had still been remarkable. But compared to Zhang Miao, a star stand-in who had just stuffed herself full of pills, he was still vastly outmatched.

Gu Bai could pass on countless insights, but he could not produce even one "reasonable and fair" pill to help Wu Ming increase his mana.

Thus, there was a difference of more than thirty percent in the strength of their mana—a gap almost great enough to bring about a qualitative change!

At the clash, the two elders of the Liu Family beamed with delight, nearly wearing foolish grins.

But Zhang Miao, the one actually involved, was not happy at all. Instead, her delicate brows knitted together and she bit her lip tightly, as if she had run into an unexpected obstacle.

In the next instant, the girl formed a hand seal and shoved forward. Her mana surged out with it, crashing toward the jade bead like storming waves, driving it forward faster in hopes of winning with a single strike!

Wu Ming smiled faintly and made a small gesture with his fingers in response. But he did not meet Zhang Miao head-on. He simply let the jade bead fly toward him.

Three feet, two feet... The distance kept shrinking, and in the blink of an eye, it had nearly reached the line that marked victory or defeat.

At the same time, however, the jade bead's path grew increasingly crooked. What had started as a straight approach gradually began to veer aside, as if someone were tugging it from the side. It kept drifting farther and farther off course, tracing a remarkably curved arc!

In the end, it just barely brushed past the victory line in front of Wu Ming!

Then it kept going. It spun around in midair and abruptly reversed course, charging straight toward Zhang Miao!

Look closely, and you would see that the tiny jade bead was spinning like a top at astonishing speed. With every rotation, it shook off a little more of Zhang Miao's mana clinging to it, while Wu Ming's mana clung ever more tightly and seeped in.

By the time the bead swept past Wu Ming, seven or eight tenths of Zhang Miao's mana had already been stripped away. No matter how furiously the girl blushed, formed hand seals, or bit the tip of her tongue, nothing worked... She could only watch helplessly as the jade bead spun out of control and sped toward her.

In the blink of an eye, the jade bead crossed the victory line, then rapidly slowed until it came to a stop just in front of Zhang Miao's fingertips.

"..."

After a brief silence, Zhang Miao's face filled with deep reluctance. In the end, she could only lower her hands in resignation, conceding defeat.

She had not come here to defeat Wu Ming in the first place, and had even been prepared to hold back a little at a crucial moment. But the result... Despite her overwhelming advantage in mana, she had been defeated without the slightest ability to resist. Their skills in wielding mana were as far apart as the clouds and the mud. It was impossible not to feel disheartened.

But that feeling lasted only an instant. As soon as she lowered her hands, Zhang Miao broke into a cheerful grin. "I lost!"

"Zhang Miao! Did I say you could speak?!" Liu Li ground his teeth and glared furiously at Wu Ming. "...Taking shortcuts through the Outer Dao will bring endless trouble. If you force yourself to use techniques that aren't yours, you'll only lose yourself bit by bit and cut off your own potential!"

Gu Bai let out a weary laugh.

"Heh, my friend, you're worrying too much. I didn't teach Ming'er that Dharma Power Rotation Technique just now. I cultivated the Spring Encounter Book myself, but when I was at the second and third stages of Qi Refining, I never came up with anything as ingenious as that. Fire Inheritance Book Ash is like forcing a seedling to grow before its roots are ready, or drinking poison to quench one's thirst, for the mediocre. But for Ming'er, I only regret that I couldn't pass on more."

Wu Ming bowed respectfully to his master. "Master, I'm already deeply grateful for the teachings you passed on to me! When I achieve Spirit Transformation and Body Integration in the future, I'll use superior Immortal Arts as kindling and pass them back to you!"

"...Hahaha, then I'll look forward to it!"

Such a touching exchange between master and disciple only made the two elders of the Liu Family look more and more twisted, as if they were about to explode on the spot.

But Wu Ming could not be bothered to pay attention to those two clowns anymore. Seeing the Apricot Yellow Banner lean squarely in his direction, declaring the outcome of the third round of the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat, he said, "Best of three. I've already won. You two, kindly get lost and go home to slit your own throats. I still have cultivation to do this afternoon."

Liu Li was so furious that his face turned purple. "When was the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat best of three?! There's still one final round! If the score is two wins and two losses, the last round decides the winner. Are you pretending to be stupid?!"

Wu Ming was immediately surprised. "But the last round is Practical Skill. Are you sure you want to compete?"

Zhang Miao's eyes widened too. She pointed at her own little face, utterly incredulous.

"Of course!" Liu Li roared furiously. "Practical Skill means there are no ordinary rules. The winner is decided through actual combat! Any magical treasures or pills can be used freely! You're a daughter of an Aristocratic Clan, after all. Don't tell me you don't even have a few things to protect yourself with?!"

Zhang Miao tilted her head in dismay, starting to speak but stopping herself.

"Say something!"

Zhang Miao replied softly, "I do have magical treasures to protect myself, but..."

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

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

Liu Li gritted his teeth. "...It's all for show! The Taiyi Dharma Sword is a sentient divine weapon. You've had it for barely a month. How much of its divine power can you even use? You think a few flashes of sword light can scare people? Dream on!"

Wu Ming could not help laughing. "Didn't you hear the sword's cry just now?"

Gu Bai found it rather amusing too, and explained, "Ming'er, without aptitude for the sword, even becoming a True Person doesn't guarantee you'll hear an Alchemy Realm Sword's cry. You think too highly of those two."

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

Liu Yi roared, "Don't listen to their bullshit! Zhang Miao, if you lose this fourth round too, don't expect your Zhang Family to keep doing business in Wu Prefecture!"

Zhang Miao had no choice but to walk slowly to the Apricot Yellow Banner, pick up a sparkling brush, then summon five protective magical treasures and thirteen exquisite talismans to hover around her.

Though she looked listless, the glittering display still showed that she was giving it her all!