Chapter 332: The Immortal Fairy's Dilemma

The Daozong’s Scripture Pavilion houses more cultivation techniques than the Great Xia Dynasty’s imperial palace. It contains various cultivation methods from ancient times to the present, including those personally written by past generations of sect elders.

Here, Lu Yang also found the "Pure Yang Cultivation Method" practiced by Meng Jingzhou. Compared to Lu Yang’s, Meng Jingzhou’s cultivation method is far simpler. Previous generations of single spirit root cultivators have already laid out a clear path for him; as long as he follows it, the destination is the glorious Tribulation Transcending Stage. However, Lu Yang was unsure if Meng Jingzhou, who had broken the precedent set by previous single spirit root cultivators by developing a dual-single spirit root, could still follow the path laid out for him.

"Why is it so thin?" Lu Yang wondered. He held the cultivation method for the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages of the "Pure Yang Cultivation Method." Even with concise language and profound meaning, it shouldn’t be this slender, he thought. He opened the manual, which contained only a single sentence:

"Keep going! Don’t lose your virginity; your cultivation has just begun!"

Lu Yang was speechless. Indeed, many single spirit root cultivators had reached the Integration Stage and even the Tribulation Transcending Stage. Compared to these senior cultivators in higher realms, the Golden Core Stage was merely the starting point.

"So, your single spirit root lineage can just keep cultivating as long as you remain a virgin, is that it?"

Lu Yang once heard a story about a senior single spirit root cultivator who, after painstakingly reaching the Tribulation Transcending Stage, celebrated extravagantly. He booked out all the brothels in the imperial city and indulged for an entire month, single-handedly raising the consumption threshold for brothels in the capital. This was, in essence, what was known as "revenge spending."

Single spirit roots are distinct from Buddhist practices. Buddhism focuses on eliminating desires, perceiving beautiful women as mere "fleshy skeletons"—fleeting illusions not worth clinging to. Single spirit root cultivators, however, cannot eliminate these desires; on the contrary, such desires often intensify with their increasing cultivation. Faced with this, they can only suppress and endure, until, pushed to their limits, they might even begin to perceive those "fleshy skeletons" as beautiful women.

Lu Yang also discovered a unique cultivation method called the "Sacrifice Body Method." As its name implies, it involves self-sacrifice, rooted in the philosophy that all things originate from and must eventually return to nature. If everything originates from nature, why not return oneself to it? Practicing this method requires sacrificing a part of one's body in exchange for powerful cultivation talent and realm advancement. Consequently, practitioners often become blind, mute, or severely disfigured. In extreme cases, their bodies are almost entirely sacrificed, leaving only empty shells. While extreme, this method is not considered demonic cultivation.

One of Lu Yang's senior brothers practices this very method. During the Qi Refinement Stage, he sacrificed his appendix; in the Foundation Establishment Stage, his fat; in the Golden Core Stage, his hair; and in the Nascent Soul Stage, his eyesight. He is currently nearsighted and wears glasses.

"'All things originate from nature and eventually return to nature—that sounds so familiar. Immortal Suiyue told me something similar, saying that everything has its periods of prosperity and decline, yet both are merely fleeting moments in the grand scheme of nature.'"

"'Only by emulating nature and embracing simplicity can one achieve eternal power.'"

"'Immortal Suiyue’s words resolved a problem that had troubled me for a long time. Inspired by them, I wrote the "Immortal Cultivation Method" and achieved immortality.'"

"'Fairy, with your intellect, were there really problems that could trouble you?'"

Immortal Buhuo beamed upon hearing Lu Yang’s praise. But then, reminding herself to maintain composure in front of him and not be easily pleased by compliments, she pursed her lips into a smile and said: "'Even though my talent is unparalleled throughout the ages and even Immortal Yingtian couldn't match me, I still encountered difficulties when it came to achieving immortality.'"

Lu Yang nodded. Achieving immortality was a crucial pursuit for cultivators, so it was understandable for Immortal Buhuo to face challenges here. "Was it about forming your Dao Fruit?" he asked.

"'It was about deciding which kind of Dao Fruit to form.'"

Lu Yang was speechless again.

"'At the time, I had many options. I could have formed a Tribulation Dao Fruit like Immortal Yingtian, or a Void Dao Fruit that grants mastery over spatial mysteries, or even a Time Dao Fruit similar to Immortal Suiyue's. But I wasn't entirely satisfied with any of them; I felt they didn't fully reflect my true potential.'"

"'Originally, based on my progress, I was set to be the first to achieve immortality, ahead of both Immortal Jiuzhong and Immortal Suiyue. However, I encountered a dilemma when choosing my Dao Fruit and couldn't decide which one to form.'"

"'It just delayed me for a moment, truly, just a moment,' Immortal Buhuo said, using her thumb and forefinger to emphasize how brief the delay was."

Lu Yang had no idea what her "moment" truly meant—was it days, months, or even years? Given Immortal Buhuo’s claim of being only sixteen, Lu Yang held little trust in her sense of time.

"'Then Immortal Jiuzhong, Immortal Suiyue, Immortal Yingtian, and Immortal Qilin successively achieved immortality, leaving me behind,' Immortal Buhuo said, wrinkling her nose in clear displeasure at their actions."

"'By the time Immortal Qilin, the last of them, achieved immortality, Immortal Suiyue spoke those words to me. I was profoundly inspired and finally formed the Immortal Dao Fruit, one that they all envied!'"

Immortal Buhuo stated proudly; this was the Dao Fruit she was most proud of. To thank Immortal Suiyue for his inspiration, she specially prepared a feast for him. Immortal Suiyue was so moved that he wept profusely, lamenting his past regrets.

Lu Yang was contemplative. Immortal Suiyue's words held profound hidden meanings, but his current cultivation level was too low to grasp their full subtlety. If such hidden profundities were plainly articulated by another, their impact would be greatly diminished. He noted Immortal Suiyue's words and continued to delve into the cultivation methods.

Beyond the commonly available cultivation methods, the Scripture Pavilion also housed some unique ones, created by Lu Yang's senior brothers and sisters. While his senior brothers and sisters couldn't compose entirely new cultivation methods from scratch, they were adept at innovating upon existing ones.

For instance, the "Great Sun Dharma Body Method" that Lu Yang was currently studying involves comprehending the sun and harnessing its power to manifest a "Great Sun Dharma Body" capable of incinerating all. During the day, its power reaches its peak, but as the sun sets and night falls, its strength wanes. This particular senior sister slightly modified the method and authored the "Great Yin Dharma Body Method," which involves comprehending the moon to manifest a "Great Yin Dharma Body"—gentle as water and possessing immense restorative power.

Crucially, these two methods are compatible, allowing practitioners to switch between the Great Sun Dharma Body and the Great Yin Dharma Body. This means wielding the Great Sun Dharma Body by day and the Great Yin Dharma Body by night. This was merely the first layer, accessible only to cultivators in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. Upon reaching the second layer, one could simultaneously summon both the Great Sun Dharma Body and the Great Yin Dharma Body, a technique known as "Sun and Moon Shines Together," which doubled their power. And upon reaching the third layer, the Great Sun Dharma Body and the Great Yin Dharma Body would merge into a new form, the "Taiji Dao Transformation," combining the strengths of both for balanced offense and defense.

Lu Yang was captivated by this method, finding it incredibly formidable. On the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, he had seen a manual for the "Sun Gazing Method," which stated that upon reaching the Golden Core Stage, practitioners could proceed to the second floor to learn its subsequent techniques: the "Great Sun Dharma Body Method" and the "Great Yin Dharma Body Method." He had not anticipated then that these subsequent techniques would be so potent.

"The senior sister who created this method is incredible. Who is she?"

Lu Yang checked the author: Yun Zhi. He looked up and realized he had unknowingly entered the legendary "Yun Zhi Section."