Chapter 204 - 100: Cultivating the Same Dao, When You See Him, You Will Be a Mayfly Gazing at the Heavens

Chapter 204: Chapter 100: Cultivating the Same Dao, When You See Him, You Will Be a Mayfly Gazing at the Heavens

He had noticed while reading earlier that among the dozen or so books, the first was filled with entirely new knowledge. But starting with the second volume, a large amount of content began to repeat. By the third and fourth volumes, more than half the principles were redundant. By the tenth volume, truly new knowledge he had yet to encounter accounted for less than ten percent.

Granted, this was because all the books he read were Techniques from the Valley of Spring, specifically manuals and cultivation insights related to the Little Cloud Rain Technique. But this confirmed one thing for Jiang Xuan: ’It really won’t be that easy to push this Skill to its absolute limit.’

But soon, a light gleamed in his eyes. ’Good, it’s not all bad news... The Spirituality caps from Dialectical Paradox: Scripture Pavilion and Memory Palace - Scripture Pavilion are calculated separately. In other words, if I can max out the Scripture Profound Daoist’s potential, the Spirituality boost I receive could reach as high as sixteen, or even eighteen times the normal amount.’

’But that also means I have to keep collecting books, and they must be completely new texts that don’t overlap with the Four Seasons Valley’s system.’

’And I’ll need to collect at least another hundred thousand volumes...’

The thought of having to travel to the All Peaks Daoist School outside of Four Seasons Valley to collect a hundred thousand new, non-overlapping texts gave Jiang Xuan a bit of a headache.

Fortunately, six times the Spirituality of an ordinary person was just about enough for his current needs.

At least within this Scripture Pavilion, he was an undisputed, unparalleled genius.

At one point, when his mind had grown weary from reading, he initiated the Feast Ceremony to consume and refine the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid. As he did, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

’Why do I have to refine the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid by itself?’

’There’s a saying that true gold fears no fire, but intense flames can still help refine even the finest steel and purest gold.’

’I wouldn’t dare swallow fire directly, but I could eat some Spiritual Cuisine with fiery Attributes while I refine the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid to aid the process.’

’No... that’s still too slow. I could just ask Valley Master Yan to brew a pot of fiery Golden Marrow Spirit Soup using the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid. The effect might be even better if I drink it!’

With this idea in mind, Jiang Xuan took action immediately.

He found Yan Shouzhuo and asked him to add the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid to a Spiritual Cuisine with fiery Attributes next time he made one.

Later, after drinking the golden soup during his Feast Ceremony, he was thrilled to find that the method actually worked.

The Refinement speed of the Golden Marrow Spirit Liquid, which had been repeatedly brewed and tempered with True Fire, had indeed quickened.

Moreover, thanks to the immense Yang Qi and Energy inherent in the fiery Spiritual Cuisine, he could maintain his Feast Ceremony for much longer.

...

His skyrocketing Spirituality had completely opened up his mind. Countless ingenious ideas and flashes of Enlightenment burst forth in his thoughts one after another.

Time flowed by quietly as he spent his days and nights ceaselessly reading, seeking Enlightenment, and cultivating through Refinement.

That same day, relying on his Extraordinary Spirituality, now six times the norm, he memorized over two hundred books in a single sitting. This not only enhanced the power of the Memory Palace - Scripture Pavilion in his Sea of Consciousness, but also vastly enriched his foundation of knowledge.

And soon enough, this foundation of knowledge proved its worth.

Granny Lan, who had gone to her original Dharma Vein to gather information, returned in a hurry the next day. With a solemn expression, she relayed a piece of news to Jiang Xuan.

"The news from the Chen Family is true. The Cultivation Techniques of every peak and Dharma Vein can now be practiced ahead of schedule. This Hundred-Day Exam is more important than ever; a great opportunity is at stake."

At this, a conflicted and hesitant look flashed across Granny Lan’s face.

Seeing this, Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow and took the initiative to ask, "Granny Lan, are there other complications?"

Hearing his question, Granny Lan heaved a long sigh but still answered truthfully. "There is... Because the opportunity is so important, the Nine Great Upper Veins have all taken the initiative to open access and temporarily lower the requirements for their Dharma Veins’ Main Cultivation Methods."

"As it stands, any student from the twelve Daoist Schools who can pass the basic assessment for any one of the Nine Great Upper Veins will be able to learn their Vessel-Suppression Technique."

"Granted, the Nine Great Upper Veins are only making the first level of their techniques available. To receive the core inheritance, a student must place at the very top of the Hundred-Day Exam and be accepted into their peak to continue. Otherwise, they’ll have to abandon their progress and switch to a different technique."

"But young people your age are full of pride and unwilling to admit defeat. Countless students will inevitably flock to learn these Upper Vein Cultivation Techniques. As a result, the overall strength of your class in the Hundred-Day Exam will be significantly higher than in previous years."

At this, her sigh deepened. "There’s no denying it—the Upper Veins’ Cultivation Techniques are simply stronger than those of Four Seasons Valley. Unless you can complete a full cycle of Life and Death Reincarnation in the time you have left, you will inevitably be suppressed by the sheer tier of their Celestial Level Cultivation Methods during the exam’s trials."

"But we absolutely cannot let you rush into Life and Death Reincarnation without adequate preparation. That would be irresponsible, a risk to both your life and your future on the path of cultivation."

"In other words, if you remain in Four Seasons Valley, you are bound to be at a disadvantage due to the gap in Cultivation Techniques. Under these circumstances, do you still intend to learn Four Seasons Valley’s technique?"

"Haha..." Jiang Xuan laughed at Granny Lan’s words. Then, without a shred of hesitation, he gave his answer. "I will!"

It came down to the same reason as before. In any other Dharma Vein, no one would have let him copy and move nearly half their entire collection of books to his own courtyard. Nor would he have seniors at the Gang Condensation and Refining Fiend Realms ready to give him private lessons and answer his questions at a moment’s notice.

These advantages were more than enough to offset the suppression from a Celestial Level Cultivation Method.

Not to mention, once the Four Seasons Reincarnation was complete, its Grade would be in no way inferior to any of the Celestial Level Cultivation Methods of the Nine Great Upper Veins.

As for completing one cycle of Reincarnation in the less than sixty days that remained, Jiang Xuan was confident.

’I still have two slots left on my Dao Foundation Contract.’

Having made up his mind, Jiang Xuan paid a visit to the Valley Master of the Valley of Spring that very day, preparing to officially begin cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Technique, starting with the Forest Spirit Scripture.

As it happened, the Valley Master of Spring Valley, Luo Yong, was in seclusion. Jiang Xuan’s cultivation plan had to be postponed by a day.

The morning of the third day was when Jiang Xuan would officially begin practicing the Four Seasons Valley’s Cultivation Technique.

Before Jiang Xuan even arrived at the Valley of Spring, Luo Yong, who had been pulled from his grotto-abode, looked at Yan Shouzhuo with a mix of displeasure and puzzlement. "Elder Yan, is that Jiang Xuan’s Talent truly so great? Was it worth waking me from my seclusion ahead of schedule?"

Hearing this, Xiao Ningxiang, who was standing nearby, also turned her gaze to Yan Shouzhuo.

Two days prior, she had gone to the Chen Family and personally witnessed Chen Wandie attempt to recruit Jiang Xuan. She had also heard from Xia He about Jiang Xuan defeating a Core Disciple from the Daozi Courtyard in a direct confrontation, and how he was expected to break into the top ten of the upcoming exam.

But all of this was hearsay; she hadn’t witnessed any of it with her own eyes.

Thus, the main reason she had come was to see for herself if this young man—the one in whom Yan Shouzhuo and the entire Four Seasons Valley had placed such high hopes—truly possessed the kind of earth-shattering Talent that warranted all this fuss.

Yan Shouzhuo saw their doubt and confusion clearly, but he had absolute confidence in Jiang Xuan’s Comprehension.

"Rest assured. That child, Jiang Xuan, will not disappoint you."

He recalled the time Jiang Xuan had fully grasped the true meaning of the Winter Solstice over the course of a single meal. His voice was filled with emotion and conviction. "When you don’t cultivate the same path, looking at him is like a frog at the bottom of a well seeing the moon. But if you do cultivate the same path, looking at him will be like a mayfly gazing upon the boundless heavens!"

"?!"

Such almost hyperbolic praise left both Luo Yong and Xiao Ningxiang stunned.

The last traces of Luo Yong’s displeasure at being pulled from seclusion vanished instantly. Now, all he felt was anticipation and curiosity.

And at that very moment, Jiang Xuan, wreathed in a faint, profound aura, stepped into the Valley of Spring, a place brimming with life and the essence of spring.