Innate Immortal Seed

"Stop when it is time to stop; act when it is time to act. By never losing the proper time in either motion or stillness, my Dao shall be bright."

After Bai Zichen murmured these words, the resounding music of Huangzhong bells and the Sound of Da Lü suddenly filled the air.

It came neither from the outside world nor from within his heart.

It was a mysterious, ethereal sound descending from the void, each note clarifying his mind and illuminating the path before him.

Without anyone needing to tell him, he knew with absolute certainty that this was his Pill Discussion—a discourse that resonated with his very being and pointed the way forward.

’I wonder what other people’s Pill Discussions are like. If they walked the path of slaughter or fire, would it be easier for them to touch upon the Great Dao True Intent in the future?’

The Qingfeng Sect had few Core Formation True Men, with only one or two in each generation.

Those who could form a Pill Discussion and clarify their path before Core Formation were even rarer. In the last five hundred years, there had only been two: Master Ge Cang and Wei Dao.

Of course, after today, a new name would be added to that list.

Perfect Core Formation was, in essence, an advanced requirement that Nascent Soul Major Sects had for their most outstanding Core Disciples.

Because the number of such individuals was so limited, their personal experiences were not widely applicable.

This was why Master Ge Cang was extremely selective about who he shared his insights on Core Formation with, fearing that junior disciples might be led astray and waste their precious time.

Only in the super-sects, with their orderly legacies spanning tens of thousands of years, had generations of genius disciples built up a repository of knowledge.

With a sufficient number of successful cases, they could categorize and summarize the findings.

This allowed them to provide effective guidance when their junior Core Disciples attempted Perfect Core Formation and tried to establish a Pill Discussion.

When the mysterious music ceased, Bai Zichen found that not only had his mind been cleansed and his path forward clarified, but his Divine Sense had also unexpectedly grown by a large margin.

’No wonder those who form a Pill Discussion rarely fail at the Core Formation stage... A one-time boost to Divine Sense is a massive advantage for the step of entrusting one’s Divine Sense.’

A few small boats drifted on the lake, their occupants scattering fry into the water. It was a new task assigned by the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall this year.

They were to stock Feiyue Lake with large quantities of fast-growing Tier One fish fry, known for their delicious meat.

After a year, they could be harvested, becoming a Spiritual Cuisine for the Sect Disciples’ tables.

On the bow of one of the black-canopied boats stood a slightly chubby, dark-skinned man, directing the other disciples on how to distribute the fry.

It was Tong Huan, whom he hadn’t seen in seven years, already at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

It seemed that despite the lack of Bai Zichen’s guidance these past years, he hadn’t slacked off in his Cultivation at all.

His Divine Sense spread further out, discovering a carp, entirely silver-white, leisurely swimming through the lake.

The silver-white carp was plump, nearly as long as a person is tall, with two long whiskers growing from its lips.

It was actually a Tier Two Mid-Grade Water Beast, and with a faint trace of Dragon Blood, it was in the process of transforming into a Dragon Carp.

’There are quite a few Demon Beasts with Dragon Blood in Feiyue Lake...’

Sensing Bai Zichen’s probing Divine Sense, the silver-white carp, which had been nonchalantly gobbling up fish and shrimp, suddenly jolted. It cautiously glanced around before immediately diving toward the bottom of the lake.

After weaving through the dense aquatic plants a couple of times, it vanished.

Extending his Divine Sense even further, he distantly glimpsed a mountain-like Dragon Turtle. In the lake, it was as conspicuous as a lantern in the dark, radiating an astonishingly vast and powerful vitality.

’The old turtle’s Dragon Blood purity must have increased again. It’s not much different from a Tier Three Demon Beast’s at this point...’

Sensing his Divine Sense had reached its limit, Bai Zichen withdrew his Soaring Dragon Divine Sense.

The maximum range of his Divine Sense had reached about five hundred zhang.

’With this, the path before Core Formation will be smooth sailing for me, with no difficult hurdles to overcome... I’ll even have enough time to use that drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, so I won’t need to hand it over to the Sect or trade it with someone.’

He had originally estimated it would take him another two to three years to reach the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

But with his Pill Discussion formed, he had a sudden realization: with the help of Top-Grade Spirit Stones, it would only take fifteen months.

The time required was precise, right down to the month.

The drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow he had obtained from Mo Changzhi wouldn’t lose its efficacy for more than ten years, which was plenty of time for him to reach the final step before attempting Core Formation.

And since Bai Zichen no longer needed to spend a great deal of time accumulating Magical Power or buying Realm-Breaking Elixirs to break through bottlenecks, he could finally set aside time to pick up the things he had previously put on hold.

’First, I’ll master the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique, then practice the True Enlightenment Sword Technique. The Five Crystal Permanent Casting Body will have to wait for last... Although I’m not yet sixty, which is still considered young among Foundation Establishment Cultivators, spending twenty or thirty years on a single cultivation method is simply too extravagant.’

Leaning against a corridor pillar, he watched the sun set completely and the clear moon rise before returning to his Quiet Chamber.

「The next day.」

He summoned the members of the White Jade Tower and noticed a familiar face was missing from the crowd standing in the hall.

"Where is Cai Heng? Is he on duty?"

After all the Spirit Fields leased under Bai Zichen’s name were returned to the Sect, his most capable subordinates had been assigned Steward positions, mainly in the Law Enforcement Hall and the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

However, they were generally not assigned any specific duties and were still kept on call at the White Jade Tower, essentially just collecting an extra stipend.

"Replying to Master, Brother Cai caught a cold the year before last, which triggered an old ailment... He was bedridden for several months and unfortunately passed away."

Tong Huan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and replied.

As Bai Zichen’s only Inner Chamber Disciple, Tong Huan had been the representative of the White Jade Tower, receiving fellow sect members while his master was in seclusion.

"Also, Brother Su Lie, being too old to carry out his duties, resigned from his Steward position in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall several years ago... This disciple recommended Brother Hou to take his place."

Tong Huan was already a True Disciple and had a master like Bai Zichen. Even though he lived in a corner of Feiyue Lake and rarely interacted with other True Disciples, his influence among them was still considerable.

True Disciples themselves had the authority to recommend their escort disciples for Steward positions, let alone just replacing someone.

Hou Kehai possessed a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation and was also a Tier Two Low-Grade Spirit Plant Master, making him more than qualified for a Steward position.

"Good. You can handle these matters as you see fit."

Bai Zichen sighed inwardly. His own Cultivation had advanced too quickly, and his few escort disciples were being left far behind.

Aside from Lu Songx, who had his own fortuitous encounter and was now an Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, the rest were either old or dead.

The few Stewards in the hall were all people who had received his guidance and favor during the later phase of expanding the Spirit Fields and had voluntarily stayed at the White Jade Tower.

However, in just a few decades, he had gone from a newly promoted Elder to one of the most prominent figures below the Core Formation Ancestors. His escort disciples, still stuck at the Steward level, were of no real help to him anymore.

Therefore, Bai Zichen was happy to let Tong Huan handle these affairs. It was good to provide some support for his disciple.

He had been so preoccupied with his own Cultivation over the years that he had given Tong Huan very little instruction, only managing to find time once every few years. He felt guilty about it.

He dismissed the others, leaving only Tong Huan behind.

"You’ve already reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. In a few years, you will face the most critical juncture... What are your own plans for Foundation Establishment?"

"After I reach Qi Refining Great Perfection, I plan to team up with a few other True Disciples to hunt Demon Beasts near Feiyue Lake. It will be a way to temper myself in battle and also accumulate Contribution Points from Demon Beast Materials."

In recent years, the Qingfeng Sect had widened its gates, and the number of disciples it recruited grew with each intake.

After several decades, the results were beginning to show.

The most obvious sign was that the roster of twelve True Disciples was now full, unlike in the past when each generation only had five or six.

If this continued for a while longer, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Qingfeng Sect would see an explosive increase.

This wasn’t just due to recruiting more disciples; it was also the moment of harvest for the Cultivation Resources and foundational strength that the Sect’s cultivators had accumulated over generations.

Consequently, the competition among True Disciples had also grown fiercer.

Previously, any True Disciple attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment was guaranteed to receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

In recent years, however, there have been cases of True Disciples attempting to break through the bottleneck with only a single Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

The number of Foundation Establishment Pills hadn’t changed, but the number of True Disciples needing them had doubled. It was now normal to wait for two pill-forging cycles after submitting an application.

It was just bad timing for this batch of True Disciples. They weren’t from Bai Zichen’s era, when there were fewer competitors.

Nor were they from the period around the end of the sect war, when, thanks to an unprecedented three stalks of Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi and a Tier Three Demon Pill, the Sect’s inventory of Foundation Establishment Pills reached an all-time high.

According to Tong Huan, there wasn’t even a single Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object left in the Transmission Hall at the moment.

The Pure Yang Gang Sha and Black Water Gang Sha stored in the Transmission Hall were simply not enough for the rapidly growing number of Qi Refining Perfection disciples in the Sect.

Coupled with the ironclad rule that every True Disciple must receive one Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, even fewer were left for ordinary disciples.

"Your ability to cultivate to this stage today has little to do with me as your master... Consider this Profound Frost Gang Sha my contribution to your Foundation Establishment. If you’re still short on Contribution Points, you can come talk to me."

Bai Zichen tossed out a Jade Bottle, which contained the Profound Frost Gang Sha he had collected from the Nameless Valley.

"Thank you for the gift, Master... I will not disappoint your high hopes and will achieve Foundation Establishment."

Tong Huan held the Jade Bottle, so excited that he bowed deeply in gratitude.

The price of a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object like Profound Frost Gang Sha had skyrocketed, and it could now be sold for two thousand Spirit Stones among Sect Disciples.

With the Profound Frost Gang Sha and the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object granted to True Disciples by the Sect, plus Tong Huan’s own savings, he would have basically enough for the ten thousand contribution points needed to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

When Elder Tong passed away a few years ago, he had also left him an inheritance.

"It’s not for my sake, but for your own... The Sect needs fresh blood like you, and I, as your master, also hope to have a few old friends walking alongside me on the path of the Great Dao."

Bai Zichen chuckled, a dazed look on his face. It had been so many years since his own Foundation Establishment.

Back then, it was his senior brothers who had given him earnest guidance and placed high hopes in him. In the blink of an eye, he had become the one to pass down teachings.

"If you succeed in your Foundation Establishment, I will gift you a Spiritual Artifact as a celebratory present."

"I will follow Master’s teachings."

Tong Huan waited for a moment, and seeing that his master had no further instructions, he bowed and withdrew.

Bai Zichen returned to his Quiet Chamber and entered a state of Cultivation in a very unique manner.

When to cultivate the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture and draw Spiritual Power from the Top-Grade Spirit Stone, when to practice the True Enlightenment Sword Technique and manifest its Exquisite Swordsmanship—it was as if he had the most precise alarm clock, reminding him at the perfect moment that he could stop what he was doing and move on to something else.

This was how he could achieve maximum efficiency.

This was the greatest change his Pill Discussion had brought him for now.

「Two months later.」

A startling piece of news arrived, forcing him to halt his Cultivation and temporarily exit his seclusion.

Cien Temple, which had already decided to relocate to Beiyuan and withdraw from Liang Country, had been annihilated. All one thousand two hundred-plus members of the temple, including the Core Formation True Man Ruyi Monk, were dead at the border between the two countries.

There were no survivors.