Before attempting his breakthrough, he was to take Soul-Merging Pills to seal off his mind.
This was what Fairy Lingyue had told Xu Taiping when she taught him the pill recipe for the Soul-Merging Pill.
According to Fairy Lingyue,
doing so would keep his mind clear during his breakthrough and make the process more secure.
Hearing this, Old Daoist Huang and Ping'an both nodded.
Old Daoist Huang said solemnly,
"The arrow is already on the string. Whatever happens in the Yellow Springs Ruins, you must attempt your breakthrough. Otherwise, you might have to wait decades or even a century just for another opportunity to break through."
Xu Taiping nodded, then took out a Soul-Merging Pill and swallowed it.
Seeing this, Old Daoist Huang immediately reminded him,
"Taiping, since you have three Soul-Merging Pills, you could try taking two together to be safe."
"Soul-Merging Pills nourish the soul to begin with. Even taking all three would only benefit you, with no harm."
Xu Taiping found this reasonable, so he simply took all three Soul-Merging Pills together.
After taking the Soul-Merging Pills, he did not immediately seal off his mind. Instead, he used their medicinal power to send a Mind-to-Mind Voice Transmission:
"Seniors, in ten days, I will attempt to break through to the Dao Integration Realm. Please come as soon as possible to lend me your aid."
As he spoke, a cinnabar mark appeared between Xu Taiping's brows.
At the same time, the phantom image of a great banner appeared behind him.
That cinnabar mark was precisely the opportunity Dipankara Buddha had given Xu Taiping to have a Half-Immortal appear for him once.
The phantom banner naturally came from the Dragon-Slaying Ranking.
Back at the Dragon-Slaying Assembly, because he had resolved the disaster at the Southern Heavenly Gate Ruins, the Ranking