Taiyi True Explanation

What was a local file?

Looking thoroughly puzzled, Li Yu searched the term and learned that it meant a file stored on his own tablet.

On the tablet?

He was certain it had nothing to do with him, because Li Yu did not even know what storage was.

Then it had to be... something Jiang Taiyi had left behind!

Once Li Yu realized this, he rose solemnly and offered three sticks of incense before Jiang Taiyi's portrait on the wall. He even went to the orchard outside the cave abode to pick some fresh fruit as an offering.

Only after making the offerings did Li Yu pick up the tablet and tap confirm.

Soon, a familiar page unfolded before his eyes.

It was the sheet of paper opened by the tablet's first, pen-shaped icon. Unlike the blank page he had seen back then, however, it was now covered in writing.

Centered on the first line were the large, bold black words [Taiyi True Explanation].

Starting on the second line was a preface written in the first person:

[I considered myself exceptionally gifted, with extraordinary comprehension. After obtaining the fortuitous opportunity of the Heavenly Book, I became even more disdainful of all others, believing that none of the world's heroes could compare to me. Overestimating myself, I sought to cultivate a Heaven-Tier Cultivation Method. Yet resources in the Great Wilderness of Mountains and Seas were scarce, competition within the sect was fierce, and enemies lurked on every side. Left with no alternative, I could only abandon immortal path foundation establishment and advance my cultivation realm first. Once I had cultivated a primordial spirit, I would consider switching to the "Taiyi Divine Chapter."]

Patriarch Jiang Taiyi must have left this behind!

After reading that passage, Li Yu was absolutely certain.

But what was the "Taiyi Divine Chapter"?

Li Yu promptly put the search function to work and discovered that it was a quasi-Heaven-Tier Cultivation Method of the Galaxy Alliance.

It was said that several primordial spirit powerhouses had obtained it while exploring an ancient immortal's cave abode. Profound and unfathomable, it could be cultivated all the way to the Mahayana Realm. Once mastered, it encompassed the mysteries of the Star River's revolution, the nurturing transformations of yin and yang, and the convergence of myriad paths upon a single source. It was a supreme art for transcending the mortal world and wielding the origin of the Great Dao.

It was classified as quasi-heaven-tier because no one in the Galaxy Alliance had attained Mahayana through this art.

However, experts from dozens of universities in the Star River had examined the original text of the "Taiyi Divine Chapter" and confirmed that, in theory, it could indeed be cultivated to the Mahayana Realm.

Its immortal path foundation establishment, however, could not be accomplished through one's own efforts. It required a Mahayana cultivator practicing the Taiyi Divine Chapter to bestow a strand of origin immortal qi, which would then be used for Whirling Illumination and Illumination.

Other Heaven-Tier Cultivation Methods tested comprehension, talent, root bone, and even fortune, among other things. The Taiyi Divine Chapter was the simplest: it depended solely on whether a predecessor cultivating this art was willing to help.

For precisely this reason, few in the Galaxy Alliance showed any interest in the Taiyi Divine Chapter. There was no one at the source to begin with.

Still, it was a Heaven-Tier Cultivation Method, so plenty of bored primordial spirit powerhouses were willing to spend time researching it. Someone proposed replacing "Taiyi Immortal Qi" with innate creation force, which could evolve into myriad forms of qi.

In practice, this did work. However, "Innate creation force," which evolved into myriad forms of qi, was the primordial force behind the workings of the universe. Even to Mahayana cultivators, it was an extremely precious resource. Using it to establish someone's foundation was truly a wanton squandering of heaven's treasures.

Thus, apart from a few experimenters, no one afterward cultivated the "Taiyi Divine Chapter" this way.

Then why had Patriarch Jiang Taiyi wanted to cultivate this art?

After reading the relevant introduction, Li Yu returned to the "Taiyi True Explanation" page with that question in mind.

[The sect's Five Divine Lotuses were born of creation itself. Refining any one of them would grant divine creation power. By combining it with my "Taiyi primordial qi" and guiding it with the cultivation art, there would be a considerable chance of evolving it into "Taiyi Immortal Qi." In this way, I could remedy my potential and establish an immortal path foundation.]

So that was it!

At this point, understanding dawned on Li Yu, and he bowed once more before the patriarch's portrait on the wall.

In the Galaxy Alliance, there were two additional realms between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core: "Integration" and "Purple Mansion."

The "Integration" realm involved not only the integration of a cultivator's flesh and spiritual qi, but could also be used to remedy the potential of their Dao foundation. Many cultivators only elevated their foundations to immortal path foundation establishment in this realm.

However, this indicated mediocre aptitude and comprehension, and it had to be stated in their records. Top universities such as the Great Evolution Academy only admitted geniuses who achieved immortal path foundation establishment directly. They did not want mediocrities who made up the difference afterward.

Li Yu did not care in the slightest. After all, he was here in the Eastern Lands and could not go to the Galaxy Alliance anyway.

He had still been agonizing over whether to attempt immortal path foundation establishment. Now that he knew he could make up for it later, his goal immediately became clear.

He would do just as Patriarch Jiang Taiyi had done: establish his foundation first.

After all, troubled times were fast approaching. Without some strength, he would be nothing but cannon fodder.

After the preface came the main text of the "Taiyi True Explanation."

The so-called Taiyi True Explanation was Jiang Taiyi's revised and simplified version of this heaven-tier cultivation art, deduced anew for the purpose of cultivating the Taiyi Divine Chapter.

Li Yu had also skimmed the outline of the original Taiyi Divine Chapter. It was even more arduous to understand than the Great Wilderness's ancient Dao script. Yet Jiang Taiyi had spent a hundred years deducing it day and night, doggedly gnawing through it. Using the Five Lotus Sect's cultivation arts as a foundation, he discarded the empty and retained the substantial, abandoned complexity in favor of simplicity, and produced this Taiyi True Explanation.

[I have written down my entire understanding of the Taiyi Divine Chapter to complete this book.]

[As I have yet to verify the primordial spirit realm, I dare not call it "Taiyi" in the sense of the Supreme One, and instead name it "Taiyi" in the sense of the Supreme Second.]

[This art removes the barriers to entry and suits the root bones of ordinary cultivators. Cultivate according to it, advance steadily step by step, and establish a firm Dao foundation. I hope that after attaining Spirit Transformation, I may trace back to the Supreme One and bring the Divine Chapter to perfection.]

By the time he finished reading, Li Yu finally understood where the Taiyi art he cultivated had come from.

It was a further simplified version of the Taiyi True Explanation.

Although Jiang Taiyi had the Taiyi Divine Chapter as his source, creating this art in the Eastern Lands still proved him worthy of being the Five Lotus Sect's greatest prodigy in a thousand years.

The Taiyi True Explanation had been adapted to local conditions and contained only five major realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul Formation, and Primordial Spirit. Although Jiang Taiyi had not successfully traversed the Primordial Spirit realm, he had nevertheless deduced its theory.

The Qi Refining realm alone had a full thirteen levels, one more than the so-called authentic Taiyi Scripture.

At the thirteenth level, one would cultivate a strand of "Taiyi primordial qi." This qi transcended the five elements and belonged to neither yin nor yang, so no cultivation art of any attribute could counter it.

Its sole drawback was that it was too balanced and harmonious. Although it could reach an average standard in wielding artifacts, flying swords, talismans, spells, and other fields, it could not excel in any of them.

But to grow in a harsh environment like the Eastern Lands, the key was to have no weaknesses or openings.

I had to cultivate this Taiyi True Explanation properly!

In an instant, Li Yu made up his mind: from now on, he would upgrade his cultivation art from the Taiyi Scripture to the Taiyi True Explanation.

Just then, the glow of dawn lit up outside the window.

Li Yu immediately put away the tablet and began cultivating the Purple Glow Art.

First, he took a medicinal pill he had bought at the main peak back then.

It was specifically intended to heal physical injuries. Although it could not compare to the medicines of the Galaxy Alliance, it still worked. Moreover, by refining it with the Purple Glow Art, Li Yu could absorb ninety-nine percent of its medicinal effects.

Other Five Lotus Sect disciples who took these pills would already be considered to have exceptional constitutions if they could obtain thirty or forty percent of their effects.

An entire month passed.

That morning, after Li Yu finished refining the Violet Heaven Floating Sun Purple Qi, he felt that his injuries had completely healed and could not help laughing aloud.