Chapter 1

As the golden sun rose in the east, the purple qi filled the air, making it the perfect time for Daoist practitioners to practice their breathing and qi cultivation. The Tai Xu Dao Sect was no exception. Moreover, the fundamental scripture of the Tai Xu Dao Sect, the *Tai Xu Ziyang Jin Zhang*, had a particular fondness for the pure yang purple qi, and this preference extended to many of its derived techniques.

With the sound of the morning bell, the outer disciples of Jinquan Peak gathered on Lingxia Rock to collect the pure yang purple qi, causing the entire Lingxia Rock to be bathed in a radiant purple glow.

Jiang Yuochen did not join his fellow outer disciples on Lingxia Rock to meditate and cultivate. Instead, he lay down on Cuibei Field, taking a long nap. However, his posture was naturally relaxed, and with each breath, he absorbed the pure yang purple qi from the morning sun. According to Daoist principles, by adopting a specific sleeping posture, one could gather the essence of heaven and earth even in sleep, nourishing the body.

Under the influence of the purple qi, a faint purple hue could be seen through his fair skin, circulating throughout his body. If judged by appearance alone, this handsome young man looked only about fifteen or sixteen years old, but he had already lived through eighteen springs and autumns. However, due to Daoist techniques for maintaining youth and extending life, he appeared much younger than his actual age.

Immortals live for thousands of years, witnessing the changes of heaven and earth, and the joys and sorrows of the human world. Although the young man who had just begun his cultivation did not possess such supreme abilities, Jiang Yuochen's early practice of refining essence into qi had slowed his growth and aging, which was why mortals were so obsessed with the methods of longevity and maintaining youth.

Living in the mountains, immortals do not age, their skin is like ice and snow, their bodies are as soft as those of virgins, they feed on the wind and drink dew, and ride the clouds and control the qi. This is the ideal that mortals have for those who cultivate to become immortals.

While Jiang Yuochen was cultivating in his sleep, a butterfly flew to his side, seemingly unaware of his presence, and quietly landed on the tip of his nose, fluttering its wings.

As the sun continued to rise, the pure yang purple qi in the air gradually became thin, and the morning practice session came to an end. The bell on Lingxia Rock rang again. Jiang Yuochen, having naturally completed his cultivation, woke up groggily. The butterfly was startled and flew away.

"'The Dao follows nature' is easy to say, but to find the opportunity to open the Heavenly Gate and achieve the foundation in one step is far from easy," Jiang Yuochen stretched lazily, leaning against a green stone and sitting up, pondering his future path.

The Daoist cultivation has four major realms: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into emptiness, and refining emptiness into the Dao. The last supreme realm is not discussed here. The three realms of refining essence, refining qi, and refining spirit correspond to the three major stages of Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Essence Spirit. Jiang Yuochen was currently still in the initial stage of refining essence.

The realm of refining essence into qi is further divided into six sub-realms: storing essence, cultivating qi, Foundation Establishment, Heart Movement, Jade Liquid, and Golden Core Formation.

The processes of storing essence and cultivating qi are similar to those of martial artists in the mortal world, involving the refinement of one's own essence and the cultivation of true qi. However, the Daoist cultivation of qi also trains the mind, making it much stronger than that of martial artists. However, one cannot learn many secret Daoist techniques in this realm; even the unique Daoist "Yuheng Seal Script" is only taught after Foundation Establishment.

Although Jiang Yuochen joined the Tai Xu Dao Sect at the age of ten, he spent three years storing essence and five years cultivating qi, reaching the peak of the mortal realm. He was just one step away from laying the foundation and entering the ranks of the immortal practitioners. However, this step was extremely difficult; among the many outer disciples of Jinquan Peak, few had truly succeeded in Foundation Establishment.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect, claiming to be a true lineage of the Daoist school, is one of the top immortal sects in the Divine Continent. Its requirements for admitting disciples are quite strict. If one cannot break through the Heavenly Gate and lay the foundation for immortality by the age of thirty, it is difficult to become a true disciple.

Those who can lay the foundation by the age of thirty can enter the immortal sect as a true disciple candidate. This is the confidence of the orthodox Daoist school. Regardless of whether one is a late bloomer, if one lays the foundation at the age of thirty-one and achieves the Golden Core at the age of fifty, as long as one does not lay the foundation by the age of thirty, it is difficult to become a true disciple. Even if one is a genius, one has no connection with the Tai Xu Dao Sect. Before one's talent and cultivation, one's character is the most important! If one cannot lay the foundation with great determination and great opportunity by the age of thirty, how can one be a vessel for the Dao and inherit the sect's tradition?

Using the Foundation Establishment Pill to cultivate the innate qi is a method that exists in the Tai Xu Dao Sect, but those who use this method to lay the foundation are also difficult to become true disciples. Most of them are those who cannot lay the foundation after the age of thirty and are not eligible to become true disciples. They continue to cultivate based on their past achievements and enter the immortal sect, but they are only the foundation of the sect, not true disciples.

If one lays the foundation through self-cultivation, one can become a true disciple candidate and inherit the sect's tradition after achieving the Golden Core. However, if one only uses the Foundation Establishment Pill, regardless of one's past, one must also bear the bitter consequences of the pill. After all, all medicines have side effects, and the Foundation Establishment Pill is no exception.

"I have practiced for eight years. Although I cannot compare with the best records of the outer disciples, I am still one of the best in this generation. However..." Jiang Yuochen was troubled.

He could reach the peak of the mortal realm in just eight years, which, although not a once-in-a-century occurrence, made him the best among the current batch of outer disciples.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect opens its mountain gates every ten years and releases disciples who exceed the age limit every thirty years. If one cannot lay the foundation by the age of thirty, one can either continue to cultivate and seek the opportunity for Foundation Establishment, use the Foundation Establishment Pill to lay the foundation and enter the inner sect, or leave the mountain and enjoy the glory and wealth of the mortal world.

As one of the strongest immortal sects, the Tai Xu Dao Sect has considerable influence in the mortal world. In the countries surrounding the Baiyang Mountains, there are Tai Xu Dao Temples, and the Daoists in these temples are all outer disciples of the Tai Xu Dao Sect. With the influence of the Tai Xu Dao Sect, these Daoists can live a peaceful life by simply guarding the temples. Moreover, the surrounding countries are quite respectful of Daoism, almost as if they were supported by the Tai Xu Dao Sect, and they treat the Daoists from the Tai Xu Dao Sect with great respect.

However, if someone is not content with a peaceful life, they can also strive in the mortal world. As long as they do not spread the sect's cultivation techniques, the Tai Xu Dao Sect will not interfere with these outer disciples who cannot enter the true immortal sect. Even if someone wants to achieve imperial power, as long as they continue to respect the Tai Xu Dao Sect, it is not a problem. The state of Chu in the southern part of the Baiyang Mountains was founded by a disciple released by the Tai Xu Dao Sect and has been recognized by the Tai Xu Dao Sect, controlling a region for over three hundred years.

Jiang Yuochen had reached the peak of the qi cultivation realm a month ago, just one step away from opening the Heavenly Gate and converting his mortal qi into innate qi to enter the Foundation Establishment realm. However, this step had become a bottleneck, and he no longer felt the smooth progress of his cultivation. The Foundation Establishment realm, the first major hurdle of the immortal sect, lived up to its name.

"Although the elder instructed me to follow nature, I have not made much progress in the past month. Perhaps I should go and ask Elder Sikong for advice?" Jiang Yuochen made up his mind and headed for the top of Jinquan Peak.

Jinquan Peak is named after a golden spring at its summit, which is formed by the essence of the sun and moon and serves as the spiritual essence of the peak. Although the peak is one of the sixteen peaks of Baiyang, it has less spiritual qi, but it is still ranked among the peaks due to the golden spring.

The spiritual qi is scarce at the foot of the peak, but the summit, due to the presence of the spiritual spring, is not inferior to the inner peaks and spiritual sites. Therefore, several immortal masters dispatched by the inner sect also live and cultivate on the summit.

The Elder Sikong mentioned by Jiang Yuochen is the highest authority in the outer sect, a Golden Core cultivator. A Golden Core cultivator, who has reached the realm of refining qi into spirit, is far stronger than Jiang Yuochen, who has not yet laid the foundation.

Walking briskly on the mountain path, Jiang Yuochen suddenly felt footsteps behind him and shot out a burst of energy to repel the intruder.

"Ouch!" A young man was about to sneak up behind Jiang Yuochen. Seeing the burst of energy, he quickly flicked his fingers three times to disperse it.

"Brother's true qi is getting stronger," the young man in an orange shirt said, sticking out his tongue and leaping to Jiang Yuochen's side.

"If you practiced diligently, you might even surpass me," Jiang Yuochen tapped the young man's forehead.

This young man, Li Wen, entered the outer sect at the same time as Jiang Yuochen. However, while Jiang Yuochen joined the mountain at the age of ten, Li Wen entered the outer sect at the age of seven. Both had practiced for eight years and were in the qi cultivation realm. The only difference was that Jiang Yuochen had reached the peak and was waiting to lay the foundation, while Li Wen was still in the later stages of qi cultivation.

However, the younger one starts, the better it is for one's foundation. This is a common knowledge in the cultivation world. Li Wen is only fifteen years old, and if he practices diligently, his future prospects might even surpass Jiang Yuochen. However, Li Wen is impulsive and not as mature and wise as Jiang Yuochen, so he is not willing to sit and meditate every day, and even his studies are just for show.

Li Wen pouted, "Brother, I balance work and rest. You are too strict with yourself, which is why you can't find the opportunity to open the Heavenly Gate." He yawned lazily, supporting his head with his hands.

"Did you skip the morning qi collection today?" Jiang Yuochen's tone became more serious. "If you don't work hard now, do you want to end up like those older brothers, wasting decades here and then being kicked off the mountain?"

Among the outer disciples who joined the mountain eight years ago, Li Wen and Jiang Yuochen had the best relationship. Moreover, Jiang Yuochen's academic performance was always at the top, so the lecturers arranged for him to take care of this younger brother.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect has always preferred to admit young disciples, but how many seven- or eight-year-old children can recognize a few characters or understand moral principles? They are all in the stage of enlightenment, lively and playful, so the outer sect needs to invite lecturers to teach them.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect focuses on these young people because their moral and worldviews have not yet been formed, and they want to imprint the Tai Xu Dao Sect's mark on them from the beginning, cultivating their own successors from a young age.

Since they are being cultivated from a young age, they will not be taught any true immortal techniques at first, but rather simple qi cultivation methods to test their potential and teach them some basic principles of dealing with people and situations. After all, not all disciples will stay in the immortal sect; sometimes they will be sent to the mortal world to perform rituals and host sacrifices, and it would be embarrassing if they could not recognize a single character.

Moreover, character is more important than potential. If the sect admits selfish and cruel disciples who harm their fellow disciples, they can be immediately expelled from the outer sect to prevent them from entering the inner sect and disrupting the rules.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect, as an orthodox Daoist sect, is different from the cultivators of the demonic sects. Slaying one's master, killing one's disciples, and harming one's fellow disciples are grave sins that are not tolerated.

A teacher is someone who imparts the Dao and resolves doubts. In the immortal sect, the master who teaches the techniques of immortality is a great benefactor, comparable to one's parents, so such a tragedy will not be allowed to happen in the sect.

The path to the Great Dao is lined with many dead bones, so the competition for the Great Dao is fierce. However, if one uses the name of the Great Dao to kill one's parents, destroy one's sect, then such a disciple is too dangerous for the Tai Xu Dao Sect. No matter how talented one is, if the sect cultivates one and then allows one to destroy the sect, it would be a disaster for any sect.

The fate of the Tai Shang Dao Sect a thousand years ago is a clear example. If it were not for a cultivator of the无情之道 (path of no emotions) who wanted to eliminate all emotions and desires to achieve his own Dao, the entire Tai Shang Dao Sect would not have been destroyed, and many other Daoist sects would not have suffered heavy losses, and even the demonic sects would not have gained a new sect, the Tian Jue Sect.

Therefore, the Tai Xu Dao Sect must instill the correct values in the outer disciples from a young age, such as respecting teachers, valuing the Dao, and being united and friendly.