Chapter 2 The Second Day
The next morning, as the first rays of the rising sun appeared.
Ji Yuan sat cross-legged in the arbor, gazing at the more than ten pill recipes before him, and fell into silence.
He had to admit that he had been too optimistic previously. He thought that with his talent and attainment in alchemy, coupled with the Great Dao Compendium in hand, he should be able to comprehend them quickly.
However, after truly reviewing these recipes and immersing himself in their study for a night, he discovered the extraordinary nature of these more than ten prescriptions.
To refine any one of them would require at least one to two months of dedicated contemplation, and even then, there would only be a slight possibility of success.
And that was for the two or three easiest prescriptions!
He couldn't help but sigh. Given the current situation, the idea of accumulating a large amount of merit through alchemy in a short period seemed temporarily unfeasible.
After a moment of thought, Ji Yuan put away the pill recipes and rose from the arbor.
Just like the previous day, after waking up Liao Qiming and the other three, he gave them several bottles of pills and instructed them to continue clearing the ruins on the mountaintop.
After leaving pills for his senior brother and disciple, Ji Yuan quietly left Xuantian Peak alone and, following the map on the jade slip, arrived at the nearest Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
Within the Nine Xuan Sect, almost every area had a branch of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which was responsible for a vast range of tasks, from building residences and distributing missions to providing daily meals and various other chores.
Upon arriving at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall closest to Xuantian Peak and presenting his identity jade token, a young disciple immediately approached him.
After explaining his purpose, since Xuantian Peak had not yet officially opened and they were not formal disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect, they were naturally not entitled to certain services.
Therefore, the young disciple quoted a price: three meals a day would cost five taels of silver, totaling around one hundred and fifty taels a month, which also included the fee for dispatching disciples to deliver them to the foot of the mountain.
Ji Yuan was quite decisive and directly paid for a year's supply. After signing a service order, he no longer had to worry about anything, as all matters would be handled by the disciples of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
This entire process, from beginning to end, took less than half an hour, and the efficiency was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.
Leaving the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he skillfully made his way towards Yunxia Peak. However, upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he did not ascend directly via the stone steps but instead followed another main road to the right side of Yunxia Peak.
Amidst a mountainous area, disciples from Yunxia Peak and various other branches gathered. Dozens of disciples sat cross-legged on the grass or hills, gazing at a gray-robed elder on a small mountaintop.
Although the elder sat on a peak more than twenty feet high, his voice, amplified by spiritual energy, could still be clearly heard throughout the surrounding mountainous terrain, reaching the ears of the dozens of disciples.
This was the place where Yunxia Peak held lectures for its disciples. Every morning, elders of the third realm would come here to explain cultivation methods, share their cultivation experiences, and answer questions from inner and outer disciples regarding their practice.
Upon arriving at this location, Ji Yuan found a spot not too far, nor too close, where the crowd was sparse, and sat down, concentrating his mind to listen to the elder on the mountaintop explain issues related to cultivation.
Initially, he approached it with a trial-and-error mentality, as he had the Great Dao Compendium in hand and had rarely encountered any bottlenecks in his daily cultivation, making his progress exceptionally smooth.
However, after just a short while, Ji Yuan became completely immersed, a feeling of sudden enlightenment welling up within him, accompanied by a surge of inspiration.
Although he possessed the Great Dao Compendium, which allowed him to directly view the corresponding fundamental principles, he had always understood the "what" but not the "why," requiring him to constantly ponder and deduce their meanings.
Now, listening to the elder of the third realm on the mountaintop explain, many aspects he thought he had understood became clearer, and he even discovered entirely new interpretations.
"So that's how it is..."
As the morning lecture concluded, Ji Yuan sat in his corner and murmured to himself.
He flicked his left sleeve, and three copper coins scattered around him. He then slowly closed his eyes, and the cultivation methods for the first to third layers of the Xuantian Sword Art appeared before him.
Under his previous comprehension, these three layers had already reached a minor accomplishment, and he had even progressed further. Now, after listening to the elder of the third realm's lecture, countless insights flooded his mind.
Without any hesitation, Ji Yuan immediately consolidated the insights in his heart, comparing them with these three layers of cultivation techniques. Instantly, his understanding was pushed towards a near major accomplishment, and the circulation of spiritual energy within his meridians became even smoother.
At this lecturing site, there were not a few disciples like him, approximately twenty in total, who closed their eyes to comprehend immediately after the lecture.
Moreover, every month, there were disciples who broke through their bottlenecks and advanced by a minor realm on the spot!
After more than an hour, Ji Yuan finally opened his eyes. His understanding of the Xuantian Sword Art had reached a new level, and his aura had also slightly increased.
He slowly rose and surveyed his surroundings. Most of the Nine Xuan Sect disciples had dispersed, but seven or eight were still sitting with their eyes closed, evidently still absorbing the insights that had arisen in their minds during the lecture.
As if sensing something, he looked up and saw that the elder who had lectured earlier was still seated on the mountaintop, seemingly guarding the disciples who were comprehending in seclusion.
After a moment's thought, he bowed to the elder before turning to leave.
After departing from this place, Ji Yuan did not go anywhere else but returned to Xuantian Peak.
At this time, Liao Qiming and the other three were still clearing the ruins, having already cleared a considerable area. They had also salvaged usable materials and slightly upgraded the arbor where they slept at night.
On the other side, away from the ruins, Zhao Yuebai sat cross-legged under an old tree, both comprehending the Xuantian Sword Art and refining the power within his body.
In Thousand Jade City, he had been targeted for possession by Zhao Wuhen and the Old Sophora tree. Especially the latter, before its demise, had poured all of its cultivation, along with centuries of accumulated vital energy, into him.
Now, Zhao Yuebai only needed to systematically refine this internal energy to smoothly achieve the second realm without any bottlenecks. Coupled with his inherent talent, a peak third-realm cultivator was a certainty for his future.
As for whether he could successfully condense a Golden Core, besides his own talent, cultivation methods, environment, spiritual resources, and fortunate encounters were all indispensable for even a sliver of a chance.
After a quick look around, Ji Yuan nodded with satisfaction. However, as he turned, he couldn't help but pause slightly.
Further away, his master was sitting opposite another elder, with a tea set and a chessboard placed between them.
He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside the two elders.
"Elder Hong is here to..."
Ji Yuan spoke while glancing at Zhang Zhiya.
Seeing his master nod slightly, he felt a little more at ease and then sat up straight, facing the elder on the other side.
"One came to chat with your master, and the other came to see you."
Hong Tian smiled slightly, placed a chess piece, and then looked up. "How have you been feeling these past two days?"
Under the elder's gaze, Ji Yuan pondered for a moment and said with a sigh, "I definitely didn't come to the wrong place."
Putting aside other matters, the Nine Xuan Sect truly lived up to its nearly thousand-year legacy, being only a step away from becoming an Immortal Sect with the "Sect" title.
Although he had not yet visited many important areas and most places, even just the Treasure Pavilion alone had broadened his horizons, let alone the daily lectures from various peaks and branches every morning.
Just listening to one session today had brought him immense benefit. He could only imagine how much his realm would improve with continued exposure.
Furthermore, if he accumulated enough merit in the future and visited some of the important areas of the Nine Xuan Sect, there would undoubtedly be even more unexpected gains.
These were benefits he could never have enjoyed by staying alone in Thousand Jade City, or even in the numerous cities of Luoxia Prefecture.
"Regarding the opening of the peak in thirty years, as set by the Sect Master, I hope you will not harbor any resentment."
Elder Hong Tian listened to his words, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.
Ji Yuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting the elder to suddenly bring this up. Although he roughly understood the Sect Master's intentions, it was clearly impossible to have absolutely no resentment.
Indeed, as one of the core legacies of the Nine Xuan Sect, Xuantian Peak could not be managed by a mere second-realm cultivator. However, it was also unreasonable to go back on promises, raising the bar and setting numerous difficult challenges to obtain what was initially offered.
It would have been better not to promise anything in the first place than to create such trouble.
"The Sect Master's actions are for your own good."
Seeing his furrowed brows, Elder Hong Tian sighed. "You can consider it a form of protection."
Under Ji Yuan's puzzled gaze, he shook his head and revealed the hidden reasons.
The opening ceremony of Xuantian Peak was not only a declaration of the return of a core legacy but also a challenge that the Nine Xuan Sect would face after replenishing its destiny.
No one would be willing to see another sect ascend, possess immortal figures, and disrupt the already established interests and redistribute them.
Before the Nine Xuan Sect could fully ascend, various forces would undoubtedly create trouble, both openly and covertly, in an attempt to prevent it from happening.
"When Xuantian Peak opens, if there is no Grand Cultivator of the Golden Core realm to oversee it, others will seize the opportunity to attack the Nine Xuan Sect's destiny, thereby stifling any possibility of ascension." Elder Hong Tian said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan immediately understood the inherent dangers.
During the opening of Xuantian Peak, if someone stepped forward to provoke trouble and then publicly suppressed it, it would weaken the Nine Xuan Sect's destiny.
Once its destiny was damaged, the Nine Xuan Sect would naturally find it difficult to ascend, thus losing a rare and invaluable opportunity.
Both publicly and privately, the Sect Master and others in the sect could not possibly allow a second or third-realm cultivator to occupy such a crucial position.
A single misstep could lead to the entire sect suffering!
"Therefore, if you cannot successfully condense a Golden Core within thirty years, you should hand over the Xuantian lineage's cultivation techniques, and a Golden Core Grand Cultivator within the sect will inherit this lineage."
Elder Hong Tian glanced at him and then made another move on the chessboard, successfully capturing Zhang Zhiya's large dragon.
He rose to bid farewell, flicked his sleeves, and his figure transformed into a stream of light, soaring directly towards the distant sea of clouds in the sky.
After he left, Zhang Zhiya tidied the chessboard while glancing at his disciple, who was deep in thought.
After a moment, he poured a cup of tea and gently placed it before Ji Yuan. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the clouds in the sky, remaining silent the entire time, as if waiting for something.
"Master, what do you think I should do?"
After a long while, Ji Yuan, with his head bowed, suddenly asked softly.
"Don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
Zhang Zhiya smiled slightly, having waited for what he anticipated.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan looked up and gazed at the sea of clouds with his master. His face was no longer filled with anxiety or confusion, but his eyes held a determined look.