Chapter 795: A True Foundation Through Mutual Teaching
Mr. Bai had naturally surmised that Li Fan had already abandoned his physical shell, his consciousness now residing within some object.
It could be the withered-branch puppets of the Myriad Spirits, now scattering in every direction, or perhaps the Medicine King True Cauldron, which had shot up into the clouds.
In fact, any of the items scattered across the scene could potentially harbor a fragment of Li Fan's True Spirit.
The prime opportunity to discern his escape had passed. Now, even someone of his power could no longer tell where Li Fan had fled.
Fortunately...
...that was not his purpose for coming here.
With a flick of his sleeve, a wave of power emanated from him. The chaotic fluctuations of the Chaos character that saturated Longevity Valley were slowly pacified.
Mr. Bai descended into the valley, landing before a group of children. Their faces were pale, yet their eyes held a look of firm resolve.
He swept aside the rubble on the ground and, without ceremony, sat down cross-legged.
Mr. Bai's aura was calm and gentle, an influence so soothing that it made one forget the recent calamity and instinctively relax.
The children exchanged glances, then obediently sat down before him.
This was the group of children, Gu Xinghan among them, who had been abducted by Fang Zaiji of the Medicine King Sect and subsequently taught the method of Foundation Establishment Through Oneself.
Fang Zaiji possessed a secret art that allowed him to discern remarkable talent. As a result, the innate aptitude of these children was astonishingly high; not a single one was inferior to the likes of Zhang Haobo or the prodigies from the Li Realm in their time.
Li Fan had originally intended to use them to comprehend the Foundation Establishment Through Oneself method, thereby unlocking the secret to "understanding oneself." Once he achieved that, the Terminal Disc would have been able to completely block the senses of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
But things did not go as planned. The situation in this life had taken a sudden, drastic turn. Upon discovering the abnormality within himself, Li Fan had been terrified by Mr. Bai. His only thought was to flee for his life, and he could not afford to wait for any of the children to succeed.
Fortunately, Mr. Bai, having synchronized with Li Fan's memories, was also aware of this entire affair.
"How is your cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Through Oneself method progressing?" he asked, his voice deliberately slow and gentle.
Like students facing a teacher about to test their knowledge, the children grew a little tense.
For a moment, none of them dared to be the first to speak.
However, with Mr. Bai's constant encouragement, they began to speak up one by one, soon chattering away and sharing their insights.
Mr. Bai listened intently, occasionally giving a slight nod.
Afterward, he examined the physical condition of each child in turn, his expression growing pensive.
This scene did not go unnoticed by the three Dao Integration elders of the Medicine King Sect.
A short while ago, once Mr. Bai had dispelled the domain of the Chaos character, their powers had returned to normal.
However, still intimidated by his terrifying power, they dared not make a single presumptuous move.
They dismissed the other disciples and waited obediently to the side.
They could only exchange bewildered glances as they watched Mr. Bai earnestly engage with the children, wondering what this formidable figure was possibly trying to accomplish.
"Old Fang, you've seen more of the world than us. Can you explain what in the heavens just happened?" Liu San asked via voice transmission, his gaze flickering toward Li Fan's lifeless body.
"Is there any need to ask? It couldn't be more obvious!" Fang Zaiji retorted. "Our Sect Master provoked someone he absolutely shouldn't have, and the man came hunting him at our very doorstep!"
"After exhausting all his tricks, he still couldn't put up the slightest resistance. So, to prevent the Medicine King Sect from being implicated, he made the righteous and decisive choice to atone for his offense with his own life..."
Fang Zaiji sighed wistfully. "I'm all too familiar with this kind of story."
Jiang Yushan remained silent, while Liu San's eye twitched.
*It's for the best that he died like this,* a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
While the three Dao Integration elders of the Medicine King Sect were lost in their own thoughts, Mr. Bai seemed to have forgotten everything else. With the utmost patience, he continued his discussion with the children about Foundation Establishment Through Oneself.
He did not look down on them for their youth.
He responded to every single thing they said.
His manner was warm and approachable.
As a result, in just a short time, the children grew fond of Mr. Bai.
They went from being passive participants to active ones, chattering away as they shared the various difficulties and insights they had encountered while trying to cultivate the Foundation Establishment Through Oneself method.
After hearing the specific circumstances of each child, Mr. Bai, in a remarkably short time, offered thoughtful, tailored advice to every one of them.
He then encouraged them to try cultivating once more.
Soon, the children all closed their eyes and sank into a state of cultivation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bai's eyes never left them, as he carefully and meticulously observed every minute change in the children.
The current Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm was to "borrow the wonders of heaven and earth to build one's Dao foundation."
The method of Foundation Establishment Through Oneself, while seemingly still within the system of the New Method, had in fact broken free of its constraints. It was an act that defied the heavens.
Therefore, it was not long before the children, one after another, opened their eyes again.
Their attempts at cultivation had ended in failure once more.
Mr. Bai, however, had expected this and was not discouraged.
He patiently questioned them one by one about the new problems they had encountered.
After examining their physical states, he quickly proposed yet another revised cultivation plan.
Liu San and the others, watching from the side, were all deeply shaken by this scene.
"'Teaching according to aptitude, treating all beings as equals...'"
"'This...'"
As Dao Integration cultivators of the old ways and elders of their sect, their insight was naturally profound.
They understood in an instant just how astounding Mr. Bai's actions truly were.
Being able to cultivate and being able to *teach* others how to cultivate were two entirely different things!
Moreover, this mysterious and exceptionally handsome expert did not seem like someone who was ignorant of cultivation.
The three elders still did not dare to interrupt.
Fang Zaiji, struck by a flash of inspiration, even took out a recording stone, intending to secretly capture the scene of Mr. Bai's lesson.
This subtle movement, of course, did not escape Mr. Bai's notice.
He turned his head and glanced briefly in their direction.
Liu San held his breath, terrified that Fang Zaiji's actions had angered the powerful expert.
Fortunately, Mr. Bai did not pursue the matter.
He simply returned to instructing the children.
"'He is...'"
"'...both teaching and learning at the same time.'"
Jiang Yushan, who had remained silent until now, seemed to have realized something.
A flicker of shock crossed her eyes as she sent the voice transmission.
"'Foundation Establishment Through Oneself...' Liu San recalled the mysterious method, which Li Fan himself had imparted to the children before his demise. As he carefully listened to Mr. Bai's discourse, a light began to dawn in his eyes."
And so, Mr. Bai and this group of prodigious children became each other's teachers.
Using the thirty-five children, each with a unique constitution, as their test subjects, they continuously experimented with and refined the Foundation Establishment Through Oneself method.
This heaven-defying technique, once nigh-impossible to cultivate, was now being improved at an unimaginable rate.
Time flowed by in this process.
Finally...
...the first child successfully established their foundation.
An inexplicable aura descended upon them.
Gu Xinghan leaped to his feet. He looked down at his completely transformed body, his young face flushed with excitement. "Teacher..."
Before he could finish, the entire Longevity Valley began to tremble violently.
The smile vanished from Mr. Bai's face. He moved to shield the children behind him.
Lifting his gaze to the sky, he murmured, "So, you've finally found me."
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