Chapter 1190: The Saint Teacher Transmits the Ultimate Dao
While Li Ping and Master Yin were conversing, the life signs of the black-haired youth who had discovered the path of the [Mixed Origin Golden Core] began to fade rapidly. Soon, he had lost all traces of a living being's aura.
And yet, he wasn't dead.
The young man remained seated in quiet meditation, his physical and spiritual energies circulating spontaneously.
The power radiating from him was vast and mysterious.
“What a shame. He couldn't hold on,” Master Yin lamented with a long sigh, his face etched with regret. “He has completely assimilated with the Grotto-Heaven's consciousness, losing his own self in the process.”
“His original cultivation was far too weak, and his chosen target was ill-suited for him. Had he selected the smaller Grotto-Heaven nearby, he might have avoided this fate.”
Li Ping’s gaze also fell upon the black-haired youth, and he watched him for a long, silent moment.
“What was his name?”
“Qu Wentian.”
“Perhaps the boy was simply exceptionally gifted,” Master Yin replied after a long silence, unable to formulate a better explanation.
“You must understand, people are not all the same. Things that seem utterly impossible to us might be trivial for others. While the path of the [Mixed Origin Golden Core] pioneered by Qu Wentian is surely one that only a select few can ever tread, it has given me a spark of inspiration.”
Master Yin turned to Li Ping, his expression growing solemn. “You are right. If we truly wish to dismantle the dominance of the Dharma Spreading New Method, our own new method cannot be a niche or arduous path.”
“The reason the Dharma Spreader’s cultivation method once spread like wildfire across the entire Xuanhuang Realm, enduring despite the suppression of the Ten Great Immortal Sects and ultimately supplanting them, was precisely because it had almost no barrier to entry. The ability for anyone to cultivate—that is the essential quality our new method must possess.”
“I've been thinking. The reason Qu Wentian was able to break through from the foundation of the [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself] technique was because he seized the creative essence of a Grotto-Heaven. By extension, the creative essence of a world must be the most critical factor for achieving the [Mixed Origin Golden Core].”
Master Yin’s words tumbled out faster and faster, his expression growing animated with excitement.
“No reliance on external objects, a path for all to cultivate, and the creative essence of a world...”
“Combine these three requirements, and one can begin to envision the truly ideal form of the Mixed Origin Golden Core!”
With a wave of his hand, Master Yin conjured illusory images of innocent, childish faces that hovered in the air before them.
“Seizing a world's creative essence isn't about the essence itself, but rather about understanding its evolution. To the common person, a world’s creative force is an utterly profound and incomprehensible concept. The only way to grasp it is to forcibly possess it through a path of [Devouring], making it a part of oneself to be slowly comprehended over time.”
“But what if there were a Saint Teacher, one who could personally and painstakingly impart their own complete understanding of a world’s creative essence?”
“I believe even a tender child could comprehend this Dao!” Master Yin declared with conviction.
Noticing Li Ping’s skeptical gaze, he continued, “Consider the [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself] method. To an outsider, how complex and incredible must it seem? Yet, to the children I have taught—who have been exposed to it since birth and believe it to be the only method of cultivation in existence—it is not so difficult to master. Especially after the very first child succeeded, it was as if a dam had burst. Success followed success, one after another.”
“As it is with [Foundation Establishment Through Oneself], so it shall be with the [Mixed Origin Golden Core].”
“Furthermore, this new method should be adaptable to the individual. Emulating the evolution of a world within one's own body to achieve the Mixed Origin doesn't demand the pursuit of absolutes. After all, worlds vary in size, just as cultivators vary in talent and potential. Simply realizing one’s own full potential would be more than enough...”
“The only thing we need is to find such a [Saint Teacher]—one whose understanding of the world is unparalleled, and who is willing to share their insights patiently and without reservation...”
As he spoke, Master Yin’s gaze settled upon the Heavenly Mandate Sage Emperor before him.
“I am willing to be the teacher of this world, but alas...” Li Ping paused.
“My own comprehension of the world’s Dao is insufficient. How could I possibly teach others?”
“Across the entire Xuanhuang Realm, I suspect the only one qualified to be this teacher is the Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate himself. Are you suggesting he should orchestrate his own rebellion?”
“Fellow Daoist, this path of the [Mixed Origin Golden Core] requires further consideration.”
Master Yin could not refute him, a flicker of frustration and confusion crossing his eyes.
Li Ping had come with high hopes, only to leave in disappointment.
He left Master Yin behind and departed alone.
He took a moment to calm Daoist Baihua, who had rushed to the scene, assuming the Xuanhuang Realm was under attack by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and was already searching for the enemy.
He then rewarded her with some [Golden Source Power] for her vigilance.
As a pure crystallization of cultivation, the Golden Source Power was an immense tonic for Baihua, a being of pure energy.
Baihua first expressed her gratitude, then solemnly absorbed it.
“Huh? Fellow Daoist, this you’ve given me...”
Before Daoist Baihua could even finish her sentence after consuming the Golden Source Power, her words turned into a gasp of disbelief.
“How is it so dense?”
“It’s almost like...”
“Source Power Essence?!”
Daoist Baihua stared at Li Ping, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Her glazed form began to grow more brilliant and solid at a visible rate.
Old, hidden injuries began to mend slowly. Even the faint, lingering connection to the Fishing Pond—a link that had persisted since her capture and subsequent escape—seemed to diminish to almost nothing under the scouring of the Golden Source Power.
In its place, as Daoist Baihua gazed at the faceless Sage Emperor before her, his profoundly deep and powerful figure became etched into her very being.
Li Ping offered no explanation, merely turning and leaving her with the sight of his profoundly mysterious back.
“Has he... has he already drawn so close to the realm of a True Immortal?”
“How can that be possible?”
Baihua was utterly aghast, yet the Golden Source Power surging through her—a force that far transcended the mundane—seemed to be the strongest evidence for her astonishing guess.
...
As a clone, Li Ping’s cultivation stage had, of course, not surpassed that of his true self.
He remained at the Nascent Soul stage, and the vast majority of his combat strength stemmed from the destiny of the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty. His personal power was pitifully weak by comparison.
The reason he could produce a golden energy essence that so closely resembled Source Power Essence was due to a very special group of people.
Deep beneath the Sage Emperor’s throne, in the bowels of the earth.
It was a place of total darkness, untouched by a single ray of sun.
Yet a group of people lived here, completely unaffected by the gloom.
Their daily lives were simple, centered around one crucial task: praying to a stone statue of the Sage Emperor.
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