Chapter 26: The Grand Path is Close at Hand

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Linglong’s return brought liveliness back to Chuyang Peak. The sound of laughter rang in the air once again.

Jiang Ming cooked 18 dishes and four kinds of soup for their meal.

Gu Hai rubbed his hands together as he sat on the main seat. “I’ve never been given a treat like this before! Sometimes I wonder if you’re really my disciple.”

“You’ve lived such a long time and experienced many things. You won’t be impressed no matter how many dishes I put on the table. However, Junior Sister is different. She’s never been away from the mountain before, and her first time away from the mountain was fourteen-day long. Now that she’s returned, it’s only natural that I cook up a feast for her,” Jiang Ming said with a smile.

“You’re the best, Senior Brother!” Linglong said. From the moment she returned until now, she could not stop smiling.

As expected, the meal was delicious.

[Ding! Congratulations on preparing a wonderful and delicious feast. Your Junior Sister and master are satisfied and happy. The meal also helped relieve their feelings of longing. Reward: A Detailed Explanation of Human Cultivation Realms]

Jiang Ming’s eyes lit up. This was just what he needed.

…

Time flew by quickly. In just a blink of an eye, it was already afternoon.

“I’m leaving now, Senior Brother,” Zi Linglong said, clearly reluctant to part, “I’ll be cultivating in seclusion for a long time so I won’t be coming back so soon.”

“Alright, go,” Jiang Ming said with a nod, “You’re the greatest talent of our sect so we have nothing to fear. No one will dare to look for trouble with us.”

“If anyone dares to look for trouble with you, I’ll beat them up,” Zi Linglong said as she waved her fist in the air. Then, she said to Gu Hai, “Master, if anyone bullies you, you have to tell me. I’ll definitely avenge you!”

Jiang Ming and Gu Hai laughed.

…

After his master and his junior sister left, Jiang Ming felt empty inside. He knew his junior sister had returned this time because she had missed him and she had also wanted to give him presents.

Swoosh!

The Human Path Records flipped open.

Jiang Ming looked at Zi Linglong’s information. As expected, there were some changes.

Name: Zi Linglong

Gender: Female

Cultivation base: 2nd Extreme Golden Core Realm

Background: Disciple of Jiuyang Sect’s Chuyang Peak

Relationship: 95

Innate Talent: Nine stars (primary phoenix bloodline)

Status: Cultivated the second Dao motif on her Golden Core and happily returned to Chuyang Peak to see her Senior Brother whom she’d missed.

Their relationship was as good as ever.

He was surprised that she had reached the 2nd Extreme State of the Golden Core Realm. It had barely been 20 days since they last met, after all.

“Junior Sister is progressing swiftly. If this continues, she’ll be able to reach the ninth extreme soon. However, it’ll get progressively difficult. She should be able to completely temper her Golden Core in three years, perhaps…”

Jiang Ming was not certain if his junior sister would be able to reach the ninth extreme, let alone the 81st extreme like him.

Apart from that, Jiang Ming was rather surprised that Zi Linglong’s status even revealed that she had missed him.

After a moment, he cleared his mind and leaped onto the rooftop.

He leaned back on the recliner, facing the setting sun before he began to read ‘A Detailed Explanation of Human Cultivation Realms’.

Jiang Ming thought for a book that only contained information about different cultivation realms, its title was a little too long.

As Jiang Ming flipped the pages, his eyes flashed as he muttered under his breath, “It specifically mentioned humans…”

Jiang Ming silently read the books.

It started with the Qi Cultivation Realm, going into detail about its nature and characteristics, the size of the Dantian, the quality of mana, and other things.

In the end, Jiang Ming came to the conclusion that Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation could be considered as Qi Nurturing. The objectives of these three realms were to fortify one’s mana until one could open up one’s sea of consciousness and leap up to the heavens with just a step.

Jiang Ming continued to read the book.

It also contained information about the Golden Core Realm. It spoke about how the Golden Core Realm was the standard, and it would take a true genius to be able to break the limit and reach the extreme state. There were nine extreme states, and the 9th Extreme Golden Core was the extreme of the extremes. However, there was a footnote that stated that although it was rare, a peerless genius could exceed the ninth extreme.

Jiang Ming cocked an eyebrow when he read this.

…

At the same time.

Zhiyang Peak.

Yue Cheng was seated on the highest seat in the main hall. His body shone with a divine radiance that obscured his face at this moment. Outwardly, it looked as though he was deeply focused on cultivating. However, in truth, he was spying on the situation at Chuyang Peak.

‘Zi Linglong repeatedly refused the Sect Master’s intention to accept her as a disciple. For her to return to Chuyang Peak so soon for a visit, it can be seen that she views it as her home. It’s obvious she treats Jiang Ming as part of her family as well! She’ll definitely return to Chuyang Peak again. I might not be able to do anything about Taiyang Peak, but Chuyang Peak… No, the issue with Junior Brother Zuohan just died down so I shouldn’t act rashly. I should bid my time…’

Various thoughts appeared in Yue Cheng’s mind, thinking of different scenarios.

…

Taiyang Peak.

Linglong briefly glanced in the direction of Zhiyang Peak as her eyes flashed icily.

At this moment, Gu Hai, who was standing next to her, said, “Linglong, you’re only 11 years old. You can’t spend all of your time cultivating. You should go out and see the world. Why don’t we visit Jiaoyang Peak today? There are many Senior Sisters there…”

“I want to cultivate so that I can protect Senior Brother!” Linglong said as she always did.

“He’s fine on his own. He might not be as talented as you, he’s still stronger than the average disciple. There’s no need to worry about him!” Gu Hai said earnestly, “Why don’t I show you around the human world? There are hundreds of thousands of people in a city. You can find countless delicacies there. There are the performers and storytellers. Anyway, it’ll be fun!”

Linglong merely shook her head, leaving Gu Hai feeling helpless. In the end, he could only watch as Linglong returned to the Sun Pit.

At this time, the Sect Master suddenly appeared next to Gu Hai and said, “She’s a little too stubborn. This isn’t good. Once her personality is set, it won’t be easy to change her. You’re her master so you should do a better job of guiding her!”

“Do you think I don’t want to guide her? However, do you think it’s possible?” Gu Hai said helplessly, “This is Taiyang Peak. Those old farts see her like a piece of treasure! They keep an eye on her throughout the day. How can I say anything? They’ll jump out of their holes and nag me if I were even a little strict with her! Anyway, you know what I mean.”

He eventually watched on as Linglong waded into the Sun Pit.

“She’s slightly prejudiced, that girl,” said the Sect Master who suddenly appeared beside Gu Hai. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all! It’ll be difficult to change her once her personality is set. Aren’t you her master? You should be doing a better job in taking care of her.”

The Sect Master’s lips curled upward into a smile before he chuckled.

“What are you laughing at, you old and rude geezer!” Gu Hai sneered.

“Oh, look who’s talking!” the Sect Master retorted.

…

Chuyang Peak.

Jiang Ming was still reading. He treated it as a pastime, leisurely flipping through the pages.

The Golden Core Realm was the accumulation stage; the Purple Mansion Realm was the stage to lay the foundation for the Grand Path; the Dao Seed Realm was where a cultivator chose his Path.

“The Dao Seed’s essence is Sambodha…” Jiang Ming pondered on this sentence.

According to the book, cultivators could gain insight into several Sambodhas and cultivate multiple Dao Seeds. Although Dao Seeds could coexist in harmony, one should not blindly cultivate them. Otherwise, one would risk ruining one’s future.

“If the Sambodhas of the Dao Seeds are of the same lineage, it’s possible for them to coexist and even fuse into one. However, if they’re Dao Seeds of fire and water, I’ll have to gain insight into the Yin Yang Path and cultivate a Yin Yang Dao Seed. Otherwise, I’ll have to destroy either the fire or water Dao Seed since it could cause my cultivation to stagnate.”

Soon after, an idea appeared in Jiang Ming’s mind.

Sambodhas were divided into several categories. Some shared the same lineage, some complemented each other, and some could be fused.

“Interesting! The Grand Path is close at hand!”

Jiang Ming continued reading, thoroughly enjoying himself.