Laozi's Guidance

"Go back and digest the insights you gained from this lecture. Go."

With a sweep of his sleeve, Laozi directly used great divine power to send the Twelve Golden Immortals and Ran Deng into their respective private chambers within the Jade Void Palace.

These twelve private chambers had been specially opened within the Jade Void Palace by Yuanshi. As for Ran Deng's, he had shamelessly returned and opened it himself with Yuanshi's tacit approval.

Seeing that the great hall of the Jade Void Palace was empty, with no one else present, Laozi reached out and tapped Yuanshi between the brows.

"Tongtian is our third brother, not an outsider. Why should family compete with family?"

As Laozi spoke, Yuanshi, who had involuntarily fallen into self-doubt, gradually regained himself. The Dao rhymes around him, which had erupted in turmoil with his emotions, slowly settled as well.

Yuanshi lowered his eyes and said nothing. After a while, he slowly spoke. "Eldest Brother, do you also think I am inferior to Third Brother?"

Yuanshi's voice was somewhat low.

Hearing this, how could Laozi not know that although Yuanshi appeared calm now, his heart had yet to emerge from its turmoil? He sighed softly.

His figure vanished from atop the prayer mat.

Yuanshi sat alone on the prayer mat. After an unknown length of time, he suddenly laughed. "I am Pangu's Jade Pure. I am Shangqing Tongtian's elder brother. How could I possibly fall short of my own younger brother in everything?"

That laugh held thirty percent wistfulness, thirty percent unwillingness, and forty percent self-mockery.

Suddenly, a voice fell directly into Yuanshi's mind.

"Do you want to surpass Tongtian? I can help you..."

Yuanshi did not answer. Only a glimmer of light bloomed in his dim eyes.

"Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother, are you in seclusion?"

"No."

"What is it?"

"Some junior brothers and sisters have cultivation questions and wish to seek your guidance."

"Then come in."

The moment Lu Chen removed the restriction, he saw Duobao leading several dozen junior brothers inside.

"Sit."

Because Duobao often brought groups of junior brothers to visit, Lu Chen had renovated the entire cave dwelling.

It was not exactly resplendent in gold and jade, but with emerald-glazed tiles laid down and the cave dwelling expanded, it looked grand and imposing enough.

With a wave of Lu Chen's hand, dozens of prayer mats appeared on the ground.

The junior brothers and sisters took their seats according to custom.

"Senior Brother, what kind of Five Elements object did you refine when you were in the Taiyi Realm?"

Jin Ling was the first to ask her question.

"This... I did not refine any Five Elements object back then."

Lu Chen shook his head.

The Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm required one to nurture the Five Qi within one's chest, but that did not necessarily mean separately absorbing corresponding Five Elements objects.

Refining Five Elements objects to strengthen one's Five Qi followed the principle of supplementing strength when strong and making up deficiencies when weak, bringing the Five Qi into balance.

As an innate divine being, Lu Chen's innate Five Qi had been balanced from the moment of his birth. He had no need to rely on external objects at all.

Nor was it only him. Duobao and the others had followed him in consuming Spirit Liquid over the years to lay a solid foundation. Though their innate Five Qi had some imbalance, it was slight enough that they could adjust it through their own efforts.

"Junior Sister Jin Ling, it is enough for the innate Five Qi to be balanced. As for what Five Elements object to refine, simply choose what suits you."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Jin Ling nodded and cupped her hands in a bow.

"Senior Brother, I have one too..."

"I have a question as well..."

Though the junior brothers' and sisters' questions were cumbersome and simple, all merely minor cultivation issues, Lu Chen still patiently answered them and shared his own insights.

He felt that as he answered, was he not also re-verifying his own understanding?

Reviewing the old to learn the new...

This discussion of the Dao lasted a hundred years.

"Take these back and consume them. Remember to take an appropriate amount each time; do not be greedy for more. The greatest taboo in cultivation is rushing ahead recklessly."

After finishing the lecture, Lu Chen swept his long sleeve, and a gourd appeared before each person. He then offered this reminder.

At the sight of the gourds before them, everyone's faces lit up with delight.

They loved coming to their Eldest Senior Brother's place most of all. Aside from having their cultivation questions answered, there was also the item before them.

With this gourd of Spirit Liquid, once I refine it all, my mana should reach the Late Primordial Unity Stage.

Jin Ling thought to herself. Yet she did not immediately put away the gourd, instead taking something from her sleeve.

"Eldest Senior Brother, this is a low-grade spirit root, the Greenwood Vine, which I found on Kunlun Mountain."

"Eldest Senior Brother, this is a spirit herb I found."

With Jin Ling taking the lead, everyone brought out the spirit fruits and spirit roots they had gathered over the years.

Through Senior Brother Duobao's explanations, they had also learned that the Spirit Liquid Lu Chen rewarded them with had been condensed from heavenly treasures and earthly rarities.

From then on, aside from cultivation, whenever they felt restless or went out traveling, what they most enjoyed was searching for rare treasures.

Lu Chen did not stand on ceremony with them, collecting every item they offered.

After all, the wool came from the sheep. He was no Sage and could not practice boundless charity.

Using his own belongings to subsidize others—once was his greeting gift as Eldest Senior Brother. If they did not voluntarily seek out treasures to offer him afterward, then that first time would also be the only time.

"Duobao, stay behind."

"Yes, Eldest Brother."

Hearing this, Jin Ling and the others tactfully put away their gourds before leaving Lu Chen's cave dwelling.

"How has the sect been during the years I was away?"

"The junior brothers have all been steady. No one has stirred up trouble."

"Good."

"Isn't that all thanks to the brilliant governing method Eldest Brother proposed back then?"

"In those years, you played the black-faced role while I played the white-faced one. You punished them, while I soothed them and helped correct them. Those junior brothers who had just entered the sect, with their bad habits and love of showing off their ferocity and fighting ruthlessly, all changed. Now they devote themselves wholeheartedly to cultivating the Dao."

"Mhm. You have done very well in this regard."

Lu Chen nodded to himself.

Tongtian remained in seclusion year-round, while Lu Chen handled the sect's affairs single-handedly.

He was the Eldest Senior Brother, his cultivation profound and his authority natural. But authority alone could not govern a great sect.

Then he had thought of the black-face and white-face method.

Duobao would play the white-faced role, responsible for mingling with all the junior brothers, while Lu Chen would play the black-faced role, responsible for punishing troublemakers.

The white-faced one was liked, while the black-faced one was disliked. The reason he had chosen Duobao for the white-faced role was that Duobao looked naturally guileless and approachable. Just as Lu Chen had expected, it had not taken Duobao long to mingle with all the disciples.

Over these years, only the several dozen people from earlier had grown somewhat close to him.

As for the rest of the junior brothers and sisters, when they looked at him, their gazes held either reverence, fear, or terror.

"Does Eldest Brother have any other instructions?"

"Mhm. Now that the Witch Clan has withdrawn from the world, I intend to restrain the disciples under our sect. Prepare to carry out the soothing work."

"Fine, no problem. Eldest Brother, leave soothing people to me. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Duobao confidently raised a hand and patted his chest.

Soothing junior brothers was merely an easy task, something he could do with his hand tied behind his back.

"Tell me, what realm do you think Eldest Senior Brother has reached now? Has he attained the Dao as a Primordial Golden Immortal, or has he severed a corpse and become a Quasi-Saint?"

As the disciples traveled back together, Bi Xiao, the liveliest and most active of the Three Xiao Sisters, spoke up.

"If you wanted to know, why did you not ask just now?"

"I was a little afraid to."

Bi Xiao stuck out her tongue.

Seeing Bi Xiao's adorable appearance, everyone could not help but smile.