Gathering Origin, Violet Palace, Jade Liquid

Yang Huai's aura climbed steadily, and in an instant, he felt the qi channels throughout his body fill to the brim.

"He reached initial Foundation Establishment so quickly!"

Cloudmist Daoist looked at Qingli with slight surprise.

After refining a talisman seed, Daoist acolytes naturally gathered the qi of heaven and earth to further nourish their dharma power and strengthen their foundations.

Once they reached a certain point and refined from the talisman seed a qi seed that formed the foundation of the Dao of the Golden Elixir, they were called Celestials.

Foundation Establishment had four stages.

Seekers of the Dao divided them into the initial stage, middle stage, late stage, and great perfection.

When the qi channels throughout the body were filled, one had reached the initial stage. This process was called Gathering Origin!

If dharma power broke open the dantian and formed the Violet Palace, it was called the middle stage. When Jade Liquid and Dao patterns condensed within the Violet Palace, one stepped into the late stage. As for great perfection, it meant refining a trace of innate qi from the depths of one's fundamental talisman. When innate qi filled the Violet Palace, it was called great perfection. At that time, the qi seed would take shape, divine abilities would emerge, and everything would naturally be utterly different.

At every stage of Foundation Establishment, one's dharma power underwent an enormous leap.

Yet he was only mildly surprised. They both possessed extraordinary innate talents; though they had been a little slow, they would not be slow by much.

His gaze rested more on the little wooden figure in Yang Huai's hand. It greatly resembled the golden body of the patriarch within the hall, yet now it carried an even more intense Dao resonance of compassion.

Looking at the exquisite wooden figure Yang Huai had carved, Cloudmist Daoist suddenly spoke.

"What is this called?"

Without turning his head, Yang Huai replied.

"Carving. It's called a wooden carving!"

"A very fine little thing. This figure can be used to suppress heart demons and evil spirits!"

Cloudmist Daoist praised.

The speaker had no intention, but the listeners took it to heart. In an instant, the two Daoist acolytes doing their lessons nearby had their attention drawn over. The white-furred, ape-like acolyte in particular had eyes that shone brightly.

His gaze flickered, though none knew what he was thinking.

After carving the first wooden sculpture imbued with a compassionate Dao resonance, Yang Huai's eyes held a trace of excitement. This showed that his direction might be right.

As for using the sculpture's divine charm to directly increase his dharma power by a few degrees out of thin air, that was an unexpected delight.

He used the method from the Heavenly Origin Pure Spirit Codex to refine the qi of heaven and earth, slowly circulating the qi through his heavenly circuit and thoroughly refining the increased dharma power. Then he continued carving his second wooden sculpture.

Unlike the compassion contained within the first sculpture, the second contained the blazing heat of flame and an unyielding fierceness that would never speak of surrender!

This was far more difficult than merely conveying a compassionate Dao resonance.

Yang Huai pondered briefly. Within the depths of his sea of consciousness, his soul visualized part of the lotus-petal cloud pattern representing that core. While preserving the diagram for visualization, he simultaneously transferred part of the Dao resonance onto the wooden carving and put it into practice. With the experience of succeeding with the first sculpture, he felt that he found the knack before long.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Senior Brother Qingli, could you give me a wooden carving? I'll trade you spirit peaches for it!"

Yang Huai looked up and saw the white-furred Daoist acolyte staring straight at him.

His gaze was fixed upon the compassionate Human King wooden carving Yang Huai had successfully carved. Deep affection showed in his eyes as he took a large green peach from his sleeve and said,

"This spirit peach comes from the Spirit Ape Tribe at the foot of the mountain. It is several hundred years old and can strengthen essence and nourish the origin. It is also a rare spirit fruit. How about one for one?"

Yang Huai's eyes shifted.

"Deal!"

He nodded slightly, tossing the compassionate wooden carving to his junior brother while taking the large green peach. He immediately bit into it, swallowing the entire peach in just a few mouthfuls.

A full tide of spiritual qi spread from within his lungs and viscera. Yang Huai considered it briefly, then immediately dispersed part of the spiritual qi into the qi channels of his heavenly circuit for refinement, bringing those channels into complete harmony as they faintly began to strike at the Violet Palace.

Feeling that the force was insufficient, he sent another stream of spiritual qi into his right arm, causing the spirit bone in his palm to form at one stroke.

In only a few breaths, it saved Yang Huai nearly a month of work.

"Good stuff!"

Yang Huai shot the white-furred Daoist acolyte a mildly surprised glance. The acolyte, meanwhile, was still staring at the compassionate Human King wooden carving, delighted beyond measure.

Yang Huai turned his inner sight toward the Bronze Mirror deep within his sea of consciousness. Lines of text appeared there.

Anchored Object:

[Name: Qingli]

[Age: Eleven]

[Primary Fate: Innate Sword Bone (Gold)] (...)

Status: Right arm and Niwan sword bone fully awakened.

[Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body: 4/100] (...)

Innate Divine Ability 1: ?? (Not yet awakened)

Innate Divine Ability 2: ?? (Not yet awakened)

[First Realm: Foundation Establishment (Gathering Origin: 29/30)]

[Heavenly Origin Pure Spirit Codex: Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman (29/100)]

[Lesser Circulatory Cycle Method: 70/100 (Major Accomplishment)]

[Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram: 4/206 (Beginner)]

[Suiren Spirit-Aspect Visualization Diagram: 1/1000 (Beginner)]

[Soul-Calming Spirit-Cleaving Technique: 3/180]

[Heavenly Circuit Spirit-Light Protective Incantation: 20/100]

[Twenty-Two Primordial Patterns (16/22)]

Yang Huai was slightly surprised. This spirit peach was truly extraordinarily effective. If he could trade for more of them, would he not quickly reach Foundation Establishment Perfection and, along the way, fully master secret arts such as the Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram and the Lesser Circulatory Cycle Method, which consumed immense amounts of essence and spiritual qi?

He had already prepared himself for a bitter life of grinding cultivation.

"It seems the carpentry in my hands still has potential to be unearthed. Perhaps it can help my cultivation advance by leaps and bounds?"

Yang Huai's thoughts immediately changed.

Since the wooden carvings in his hands could be traded for spirit fruits, if he could mass-produce them, would that not save him much tedious, water-dripping-through-stone effort?

The wilderness lacked no spiritual treasures. Its natural bounty was rich beyond measure; only, good things were difficult to obtain. But now, a sliver of opportunity had appeared!

Chang Geng had also finished his rotation by now. Seeing the white-furred Daoist acolyte trade Yang Huai for a wooden carving, he eyed the remaining scattered carvings on the ground with envy and could not help speaking.

"Senior Brother, could you give me one too?"

"Do you have anything to trade?"

"No!"

Yang Huai rolled his eyes. If you had nothing, what were you asking for?

"Then cultivate properly and earn resources to trade for one!"

Yang Huai's expression was calm. Seeing Chang Geng rub his hands together, at a loss for what to do, he thought for a moment and said,

"Forget it, I'll give you one. Once you earn some resources, come pay me back!"

With a lift of his hand, he tossed one of the defective pieces at his feet to Chang Geng.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Holding the wooden carving in his hands, Chang Geng was immediately overjoyed and repeatedly bowed.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Huai added,

"No need for that. If you find it useful, just help your senior brother spread the word. If you can bring in more customers, there will naturally be something in it for you!"

At those words, Chang Geng's eyes lit up, and he nodded again and again.

"I will certainly promote Senior Brother's work far and wide!"

A trace of a smile surfaced in Yang Huai's eyes. He nodded slightly.

As daylight gradually dimmed, Hou Feng Daoist emerged from the kitchen. Yang Huai took the initiative to step forward and bow.

"Martial Uncle!"

Hou Feng Daoist turned around. He saw Yang Huai, as well as the defective wooden carvings in Yang Huai's hands. Then his gaze fell upon Yang Huai, and he smiled faintly.

"It seems you finally couldn't hold yourself back!"

Yang Huai's expression carried a hint of modesty.

"Yes. This disciple wishes to request Martial Uncle's instruction in the arts!"

Hou Feng Daoist had said before that Yang Huai could seek him out after cultivating dharma power. Yang Huai knew this was the tradition of every branch. Once one cultivated dharma power, one could learn certain spells inherited by the various branches. Yet most of these spells were held by the Celestials or higher adepts of each branch. There was no proper means of transmission; one could only wait until those Daoists had leisure time or happened to be interested before they would pass them down.

It was much like the inheritance between master and apprentice among carpenters. Whether one could receive the true legacy depended entirely on the master's mood.

Since Hou Feng Daoist had opened his mouth, Yang Huai naturally could not miss the opportunity, lest the man regret it one day!

Fortunately, Hou Feng Daoist had no intention of making things difficult for him. He nodded slightly.

"Very good. Come with me!"