Quiet Days!
The seventh day after Yun Tianfan's Dao Dissolution.
Yun Du a trip to Purple Firmament Peak. This time, he didn't ride the clouds, but walked up the mountain, step by step...
We walked for two whole hours, stepping on the bluestone path on the mountain.
Shi Jian lay on the summit, watching the old Daoist slowly climb up, without urging him.
Yun Du the summit but remained silent.
I stood there by the stone platform, gazing at the sea of clouds in the distance, for a long time.
I'm thinking about something.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Du finally spoke.
"Um."
"At the current rate, the Blessed Land of White Peak Cloud Gorge will need at least two hundred years before it produces its first Heaven and Earth Qi."
Shi Jian did not respond.
"Two hundred years," Yun Du repeated the number.
"Two hundred years from now, I'll be nearing the end of my lifespan."
Even with the Three-Transformation Longevity Pill to prolong life, it won't last long.
"I'm afraid I'll never see that sliver of sky in my lifetime."
Shi Jian raised his eyelids and glanced at him.
What are you trying to say?
Yun Du turned around to face Shi Jian.
On the old Daoist's face, there was no sadness, no dejection, only a kind of composure that came from having seen through life and death.
"I want to say, Tianfan's death cannot have been in vain."
"The spiritual energy feedback he received during his Dao Dissolution accelerated the progress of the White Peak Cloud Gorge by at least thirty years."
"I intend to dedicate all my efforts to nurturing this Blessed Land in the years to come, so as to bring hope to the next generation."
"At least so that the next generation of Cloud Dao disciples can use it, instead of perishing like Tian Fan at the Core Formation stage..."
Shi Jian stared at him for a while.
"Are you giving up all the resources to cultivate Blessed Land? Are you not planning to break through to the Nascent Soul?"
Yun Du smiled and shook his head.
"The hurdle from the Golden Core Late Stage to the Nascent Soul stage is a hundred times more dangerous than the Golden Core itself. With my talent, the Golden Core Late Stage is my limit."
"Instead of wasting time on impossible things, it's better to do something practical."
"Strengthen the foundation of White Cloud Temple, nurture its Blessed Land, and preserve its heritage."
"This is what I should be doing."
Shi Jian remained silent for a moment.
"You old Daoist priest, you've got a pretty good outlook."
"You have to come to terms with it, even if you can't." Yun Du smiled bitterly, "Tian Fan taught me a lesson with his life."
"Those who cultivate the Tao should avoid attachment the most."
"He was obsessed with breaking through limitations, and that's why he died."
"If I were to cling to the Nascent Soul, my fate might not be any better than his."
Shi Jian snorted and said nothing more. He wouldn't judge other people's choices; everyone has their own path.
Yun Du has chosen to let go of his obsession and dedicate the rest of his life to the sect's legacy...
This is his way.
Yun Tianfan chose to take a gamble, even if it meant being shattered to pieces; that was his way.
There is no right or wrong.
There is only a choice.
"Alright, stop standing around here." Shi Jian yawned. "Go do what you're supposed to be doing."
Yun Du chuckled, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to descend the mountain.
After walking a few steps, he stopped again.
"By the way, fellow Daoist."
"Um?"
"After the Heavenly Mortal Dao Dissolution, the cloud sea density in White Peak Cloud Gorge has increased significantly. I have estimated that if we could invest some more Cloud Dao spiritual materials, we might be able to shorten the time it takes for the Blessed Land to take shape from over two hundred years to one hundred and fifty years."
"Why are you telling me this?" Shi Jian rolled his eyes.
"What I mean is..." Yun Du smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Could you allocate a larger portion of the spirit tax from the Northern Protectorate to White Peak Cloud Gorge?"
"... roll!"
Yun Du heartily, then transformed into a streak of white light and drifted away.
Shi Jian lay still and patted the stone platform with his paw.
That old Daoist priest is a shrewd man.
Using the pretext of mourning his cousin, he came to ask him for resources.
but...
Shi Jian thought about it and decided to approve it, but his concessions were limited, on the premise of not affecting his cultivation.
As for who exactly was affected, let the disciples suffer a little longer.
The sooner the Blessed Land of White Peak Cloud Gorge is completed, the sooner White Cloud Temple will have a richer cultural heritage, and the greater the possibility of it producing Golden Core cultivators in the future.
With one more Golden Core, the bear's life would naturally be a little more stable.
He understood the principle that as the tide rises, so does every boat.
"Purple Firmament."
"What?"
Do you think I'll ever see Nascent Soul in my lifetime?
"... You silly goose, why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Just asking."
Purple Firmament remained silent for a while.
"With your talent and resources, Golden Core Late Stage is not a problem. As for the Nascent Soul..."
"That depends on fortuitous opportunity."
"Nascent Soul stage is not something that can be achieved through arduous cultivation alone; it requires a deep understanding of the Great Dao, as well as favorable timing, location, and human relationships—all three are indispensable."
Shi Jian hummed in agreement and closed his eyes.
He has over six hundred years left to live.
There is still plenty of time.
No rush.
Yun Tianfan's death caused a silent shock within the White Cloud Temple.
No one discussed it publicly, but it served as a wake-up call for everyone; everyone was thinking the same thing...
The Heaven and Earth Qi.
Without the Heaven and Earth Qi, there is no Golden Core.
Without the Golden Core, one will forever remain Foundation Establishment ant...
But the Heaven and Earth Qi is so rare.
A few years ago, there were indeed a few wisps of Heaven and Earth Qi within the sect, but they did not belong to the same category as the cultivation method.
Currently, the sect has a total of eight Blessed Land, including two in the Fire Dao and one each in the thunder and Sword Dao, all of which are mature low-grade Blessed Land.
The other four places—cloud, water, soil, and wind—are merely the initial forms of Blessed Land.
Currently, the only place within the sect with a Blessed Land for Sword Dao, the Return to Origin Sword Tomb, has given birth to a wisp of Sword Dao Heaven and Earth Qi, which has instantly become something all Foundation Establishment cultivators crave...
The atmosphere suddenly became strange.
The competition within the sect is also becoming increasingly fierce!
At this time, Sun Chengzu was diligently practicing Sword Dao in the Return to Origin Sword Tomb, working even harder than before.
Return to Origin Sword Tomb is Blessed Land for Sword Dao, where the Sword Dao Heaven and Earth Qi can be born.
He was one of the most promising people in White Cloud Temple to obtain the Heaven and Earth Qi, so he naturally understood how many people in the sect were eyeing him!
As for Lu Xun, he turned his gaze northward: Purple Firmament Peak!
The Thunder Pool Blessed Land, where a Violet Firmament Golden Lightning Qi appears every three hundred years, is now predicted to be formed in about a hundred years.
He possesses the Lightning Spirit Root.
The timing was perfect; that wisp of Heaven and Earth Qi was perhaps prepared just for him.
Of course, this is all predicated on the ancestor being willing to give it.
Sun Yao, on the other hand, chose the most foolish, yet also the most resolute, path.
To shut oneself in seclusion.
He plans to gamble his life in the Kunyuan Secret Realm thirty years from now. He will not leave the secret realm until it opens, which shows that he is determined to die!
The white banners at White Cloud Temple were hung for forty-nine days before being taken down.
Life must go on.
The spiritual tax will continue to be collected, disciples will continue to be taught, the Spirit Vein will be nurtured, and the Blessed Land will be cultivated.
The living should not be held back by the dead.
Yun Du quickly returned to his usual routine, even busier than before.
He dissected and implemented the draft of the sect's thirty-year plan left by Yun Tianfan, item by item.
Investment in White Peak Cloud Gorge has doubled.
Maintenance of the Return to Origin Sword Tomb has been strengthened.
The underground fire passageway in Fire Cloud Grotto has been expanded.
Several additional auxiliary spiritual materials have been added to the spiritual pearl of the Blessed Land of the Water Dao.
The entire White Cloud Temple is like a wound-up machine, rumbling and whirring.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Mountain Range, Shi Jian was still perched atop Purple Firmament Peak, basking in the sun, cultivating his Dao of Lightning, occasionally summoning Heavenly Lightning Body Refinement, indulging in the thrill of being struck by lightning...
The harder and more painful the chop, the more ruthless!
The more Shi Jian felt comfortable, the more he felt a sense of release from pain...
After his cultivation at the Golden Core Middle Stage stabilized, his daily routine became simpler: breathing exercises, meditation, and occasionally offering guidance to the four Lightning Bear Generals.
And occasionally, I would hear the Lord Rat report on the progress of the Spirit Rat Line.
Life was uneventful.
But Shi Jian knew that such uneventful days usually wouldn't last long.
The world, after a long period of unity, will inevitably divide.
Those dormant forces, those secretly accumulating power, will one day erupt, and what he needs to do is...
Become strong enough before that day comes.
He was so powerful that no one could threaten him or his people!
Golden Core Late Stage...
Shi Jian lay on the edge of Lei Chi, looking at his reflection in the water.
"We're still far from there; the road ahead is long and arduous."
On Purple Firmament Peak, thunderclouds surged, and purple-gold light flickered erratically...