Borrowing a Body to Act, the Human Path of Another Continent

Half an hour later, Xiao Li, who was slowly finishing his practice, showed a look of surprise on his face.

"It actually works! Just reciting a few Mind Formula can calm distracting thoughts! This... could it be High Antiquity Cultivation Method?"

He said this to a lingzhi mushroom in front of him.

Just now, when Xiao Li's State of Mind was in such a state of turmoil that he could hardly calm down, a voice rang out and transmitted a set of Mnemonic to him, which he was instructed to recite silently in his mind.

Xiao Li was naturally surprised and suspicious. After searching for a while, he found that the source of the sound was the Ganoderma lucidum that he had used to deceive him. Then, he remained calm on the surface and talked to the sound with words, trying to delay it. At the same time, he memorized the Mnemonic and recited it silently in his heart. Unconsciously, his consciousness gradually blurred. When he came back to his senses, it only took a breath or two for all his distracting thoughts to subside and his mind to become pure.

"High Antiquity Cultivation Method?" The voice pondered for a moment, then asked, "What year is it now, and which dynasty is in power?"

"Oh?" Xiao Li narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing, but his mouth didn't slow down. "The current year and month? The dynasty in power? The system of the years and months of a dynasty's rule is long gone. I've heard that in High Antiquity times, there were dynasties that established their rule over the world and whose power extended throughout the land, but nowadays, the mortal world is full of small countries, each relying on various sects. There's no longer any talk of dynasties or years."

The voice continued, "Everywhere are small countries, dependent on sects? Then the laws and production that mortals see are all governed by the courts of these small countries?"

"I don't know about that. I used to live in a small town. After joining a sect, I stopped having contact with the mortal world. For our cultivation sect, those secular countries are just cradles for nurturing the seeds of cultivation. As long as there are enough young people in the grand selection every four years, that's enough."

Xiao Li adopted a respectful demeanor and spoke sincerely, but then changed the subject, saying, "Please enlighten me, senior. Are you a High Antiquity, and what is your origin? To be honest, we of the Three Sages Dao..."

The answer came from within the Ganoderma lucidum, "Do not inquire about my origins. The matter at hand is of utmost importance and is beyond your current control. Of course, if you insist on asking, I can tell you, but you will then have to bear the Karma."

"Karma?" Upon hearing this word, Xiao Li suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Even with his cultivation level, he felt a sense of gloom in his heart and immediately knew that he had heard something extraordinary. Although he had many questions, he rationally refrained from asking further.

Xiao Li was able to cultivate to his current level from humble beginnings thanks to his caution and prudence. He would never rashly make a move without fully understanding his opponent's background and strength.

Of course, once you've figured it out, if you can defeat them, you should find an opportunity to take them down to avoid being controlled by them. If you can't defeat them, then you need to set a trap. The ultimate goal is still to take them down.

Before that, one must patiently and meticulously explore and test. However, the lifespan of cultivators in this continent is limited, and cultivation is a race against time. Every action must yield results, even if it is a test. One cannot waste time in vain, but will think of gaining some benefits from the other party.

Xiao Li deeply agreed with this principle. He consistently adhered to it. After calming his mind with the Mnemonic, he realized its value even more. He not only repeatedly memorized the Mnemonic to prevent forgetting it, but also wanted to obtain more from the other party.

However, Xiao Li was well aware of the drawbacks of speaking too frankly with someone he didn't know well, so he didn't show any eagerness. Instead, he showed enough respect, not only refraining from asking about his background, but also introducing the current situation and the distribution of the major sects, including the Three Sages Dao, which he himself belonged to.

The Three Sages Dao, judging from its name alone, seems to be related to sages and Sage, but this is only a superficial appearance. In this Continent, there is no such thing as Confucianism, let alone the existence of the Hundred Schools of Thought. The word "Saint" refers to the three cultivators who originally founded the sect.

However, of the three founders, only one is still alive today.

In this Continent, there are numerous sects, seemingly prosperous, but few have a long history. Many sects rise and fall quickly. This is partly due to fierce competition between sects, and partly because most of the people who founded these sects did not genuinely intend to pass on their Cultivation Method, but rather for other purposes.

As a result, very few sects would genuinely manage their sects, leaving them to their own devices. Over time, these sects would become devoid of rules, filled with both good and bad members, inevitably leading to deceit and treachery. Furthermore, under the guidance of those with ulterior motives, they would be divided into various classes, inciting the members' ferocity and forcing them to eliminate the weak and retain the strong through internal strife.

"Just as I expected."

As Qiu Yan listened to Xiao Li's introduction, his understanding of this continent deepened, especially his clear understanding of the Daoist Sect structure.

Indeed, the person who spoke from the Ganoderma lucidum was Qiu Yan.

He had previously left the battlefield, pondering how to enter Broken Lotus Valley.

Entering the valley on his own would inevitably involve many twists and turns, and there would be no time to cultivate temporarily. If he forced his way in, he would inevitably expose his divine power and attract the attention of the Daoist Sect. In the end, he came up with a way to travel with others and act under the guidance of the people of this world. He then returned to the Blood Pool, transformed into Divine Radiance, and concealed his aura, power, and fluctuations on the blue-robed youth by the pool.

This young man was none other than Xiao Li.

Speaking of Xiao Li, this wasn't Qiu Yan's first meeting with him. When he first arrived in this continent riding the Divine Husk of the Child-Giving God, he was discovered by several men and women riding flying swords, including Xiao Li. At that time, he was also the last person to leave, and afterwards he came back alone to investigate.

Previously, Xiao Li was seriously injured and unconscious, but he remained vigilant and set up several restrictions, Qiu Yan could not easily break. Before Xiao Li returned to his camp, Qiu Yan took out the Ganoderma lucidum to prepare his explanation and then took the opportunity to attach himself to him.

"By using this person to enter the forbidden area, and incidentally learn about the Human Path of humanity in this Continent, it might come in handy. Even if he sees through my plan, his cultivation level is not a threat. I can use him as a side move. However, Xiao Li is cautious in his actions. If I don't offer him enough benefits, I'm afraid even mutual exploitation will be difficult to achieve."

Although their contact time was short, Qiu Yan had already figured out Xiao Li's personality. He knew that such a person would not easily believe his words, nor would he regard him as a mentor or friend, and would not trust or rely on him. At best, they would both need something from each other and use each other.

Moreover, although Xiao Li appeared respectful on the surface, seemingly convinced by Qiu Yan's words, Qiu Yan noticed his inner turmoil and knew that he had not stopped testing her.

At this moment, Xiao Li added, "By the way, I still don't know how to address you, senior."

"My surname is Qiu." Qiu Yan only said his surname.

"So it's Senior Qiu." Xiao Li nodded, but in his heart he was thinking about the people with the surname Qiu that had appeared in the books he had read. Of course, he suspected that this was a fake surname.

Qiu Yan said, "When I saw you meditating before, your aura fluctuated, and your Fortune was sluggish, as if there were many impurities in your flesh and blood. Why don't you expel these impurities? Keeping them like this will only hinder your advancement."

"Hmm?" Xiao Li was startled. His emotions spread uncontrollably, even causing his Qi and Blood and qi to fluctuate, making his body tremble. However, he still tried his best to control himself and asked casually, "Senior, do you have a method to directly eliminate impurities from the flesh and blood without relying on pills?"

"This Life Cultivation force is meant to purify the physique. I see you've reached the Third Realm, with the Seven Souls Transformation, and you've even refined two of them together with Law Treasure. You should have a deep understanding of this path, so why would you ask such a question? If you don't refine your physical body, how will you make further progress in the future?" Qiu Yan said this, but in his heart he was guessing.

The foundation of Life Cultivation is the physical body. Anyone with experience will naturally notice this after cultivating, and then use the creativity of living beings to try to add techniques to remove impurities to their Cultivation Method.

However, Xiao Li's subsequent words gave Qiu Yan a clue.

"Senior, you may not know this, but these methods of eliminating impurities are the founding treasures and closely guarded secrets of each sect. Apart from True Disciple, no one else can come into contact with them. Once you learn this Cultivation Method, not only will your foundation be solid, but the further you progress, the faster you will advance. It is a Cultivation Method. Even if it is occasionally scattered outside, it will cause bloodshed. With my meager strength, I cannot even dream of obtaining it."

"Is that so?" Hearing this, Qiu Yan had a general understanding of what cultivation was all about in this Continent.

To put it bluntly, this situation is similar to that of the Great Rui before the Imperial Examinations was established. At that time, Aristocratic Clan families controlled the government and the promotion of officials. Scholars from humble backgrounds had few ways to enter the court. The only way to achieve their goals was to attach themselves to powerful Aristocratic Clan and become their pawns.

"The sects in this Continent are like Aristocratic Clan families, controlling Cultivation Method and resources to attract disciples and serve them. Occasionally, they will absorb one or two elites, while the rest will be used as laborers. In this way, the sects themselves can preserve their strength and absorb more through others, making their foundation even deeper. In fact, this is also a manifestation of Human Path."

As he pondered this, another thought came to mind.

"However, even if a sect monopolizes Cultivation Method, the world is vast and resources are countless. There may be exceptionally talented individuals who can comprehend it on their own. Are all these people going to keep their secrets to themselves?"

Thinking this through, Qiu Yan realized that without in-depth research into this Continent, it would be difficult to understand these things, but he did not intend to stay long.

"Let's put those aside for now. Right now, we need to race against time and get into the Broken Lotus Valley as soon as possible."

After a while, Qiu Yan taught Xiao Li the Cultivation Method for eliminating impurities from the body. It was clear that although the latter tried his best not to show his emotions, his expression still changed significantly. Moreover, Qiu Yan had already figured out his emotional fluctuations.

Amidst those fluctuations, Qiu Yan felt a touch of gratitude and awe, but even more so, doubt and greed.

"What a plundering-based Human Path! Let's stop here for today. Give him some benefits, but not too many, or he won't appreciate them. In fact, too much will only make him wary."

Five days later, when Xiao Li returned from gathering heavenly materials and earthly treasures, none of his fellow disciples dared to set their sights on him anymore; at least on the surface, they all showed awe.

As the saying goes, "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence," and the battle four days ago truly left a deep impression on them.

P. S.: Thanks to "Wan Xia Xia La" for the donation!