Chapter 529: The Order of Cultivation (Supplement 2)

The three points Chen Mobai mentioned were quickly implemented.

He was subtly changing the atmosphere of the Divine Wood Sect in his own way.

After receiving positive responses from the sect’s upper echelons, the Qi Cultivation disciples within the Divine Wood Sect, who had been somewhat resentful and uneasy, finally felt relieved.

Disciples now had the choice of either undertaking missions outside or remaining within the sect.

However, the formations and areas designed for calming spiritual energy would still take some time to complete. Therefore, most disciples chose to undertake the numerous missions available at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

“Thank you, Master!”

At Little South Mountain, Zhuo Ming received a complete set of talisman brushes from Chen Mobai, her face alight with surprise and joy.

Besides the two main talisman brushes, the ‘Heavenly Book Brush Set’ that he had bought in the Immortal Gate back then was also included. Given Chen Mobai’s current wealth, the good deeds required to repurchase such a set were merely a drop in the ocean for him.

Even before Zhuo Ming reached Foundation Establishment, she often attended to Chen Mobai, grinding ink and spreading paper, watching him draw talismans. She had long admired this comprehensive set of brushes.

She had even dreamt about whether her Master would eventually pass this set of brushes down to her.

After all, she was the only talisman master in the Little South Mountain lineage.

Now that they were truly in her hands, Zhuo Ming still felt a surreal happiness, as if a dream had come true.

At that moment, she felt as though she had taken up Chen Mobai’s mantle, truly inheriting her Master’s two most outstanding skills.

‘Indeed, I am most like Master,’ she thought.

As Zhuo Ming thought this, the corners of her mouth curved slightly upwards, her joy immeasurable.

Just then, a refreshing fragrance wafted from the mountainside. Even Chen Mobai, a Core Formation cultivator, felt refreshed, clear-headed, and invigorated by its scent.

“Master, the Enlightenment White Tea has reached the second tier,” Zhuo Ming said, her eyes twinkling. “It seems it knew you were coming today and deliberately chose today to complete its transformation.”

“Hahaha, what a coincidence! Let’s go take a look.”

Chen Mobai had placed great hopes on this Enlightenment White Tea. After all, this tea seed was the result of Wenren Xuewei’s decades of painstaking cultivation, aimed at restoring the efficacy of ‘Enlightenment Tea’.

According to her, once this tea seed reached the third tier, it would possess one-tenth of Enlightenment Tea’s potency.

Crucially, once matured, this tea seed could be harvested annually. For Chen Mobai, a person with ordinary comprehension, this was vital for his future progress.

The master and disciple arrived at the location of the Enlightenment White Tea plant. Zhuo Ming immediately picked a handful of tender buds, and Chen Mobai personally stir-fried them using Pure Yang Fire.

When not used against evil cultivators, Pure Yang Fire was the most neutral and gentle true fire, perfectly suited for stir-frying tea leaves. Each flat, smooth leaf resembled green jade, perfectly locking in its aroma and flavor.

After boiling a pot of mountain spring water, the tea leaves were added and allowed to steep. The pale green tea infusion, upon being swallowed, felt refreshing and invigorating, clearing away any minor worries and distractions.

Chen Mobai closed his eyes in contemplation. Approximately an incense stick’s time later, he opened his clear, bright eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

These second-tier tea leaves indeed possessed about one percent of the Enlightenment Tea’s efficacy.

Under the effect of that one cup of tea, he had comprehended a difficult point regarding a third-tier talisman.

Seeing how effective it was, Chen Mobai naturally didn’t hold back and immediately harvested all the tea leaves from the newly ascended Enlightenment White Tea plant.

Unfortunately, even so, it was only enough for about ten days’ worth.

“Ming’er, your talent in spiritual plants is exceptional. Focus wholeheartedly on this path, and your future achievements will be limitless. As for the Way of Talismans, you can simply dabble in it when you have free time, but remember not to divide your attention too much.”

Before leaving, Chen Mobai actually regretted giving Zhuo Ming the set of talisman brushes he had used during his Foundation Establishment stage. He felt that this disciple could only create the greatest value by fully dedicating herself to spiritual plants.

“Master, please rest assured,” Zhuo Ming replied, clutching the set of brushes firmly. “I will inherit all your mantle. No matter how hard or tiring it is, I will advance both spiritual plants and talismans equally, and I will not disappoint you.”

“Alright then, you busy yourself.”

Chen Mobai’s mouth twitched slightly. Without saying anything further, he left the remaining half-pot of tea for Zhuo Ming and returned to his Longevity Wood cultivation ground.

Yue Zutao was a very capable person.

During the decades his cultivation was restricted, he studied astronomy, geography, spiritual plants, elixirs, artifact refining, and more, becoming almost a polymath. Furthermore, in the three major battles against the Southern Xuan Sect of Shake Mountain Peak, he proved his abilities in military management, market administration, and even governing a state.

With his devoted assistance, Chen Mobai, as the sect master, only needed to make decisions at crucial moments. Yue Zutao would handle all other trivial matters.

Even so, Chen Mobai still felt that he didn’t have enough time.

After forming his Core, besides meditating and cultivating spiritual power, he also needed time for his Pure Yang Dharma Body, Treasure-Dropping Golden Light, Longevity Dao Body, and even the Scarlet Flame Sword Art and various third-tier talismans.

Fortunately, he still had over five hundred years of lifespan remaining; otherwise, he truly felt he might not be able to cultivate all these things to perfection.

However, to avoid impacting his cultivation progress, Chen Mobai still prioritized these tasks.

The Pure Yang Scripture was naturally ranked first!

This was his fundamental cultivation method, and his reliance for potentially forming a Nascent Soul or even ascending to Spirit Transformation!

Therefore, the Pure Yang Dharma Body was also very important. Since he began cultivating this technique, Chen Mobai had not wasted a single day refining spirit stones for improvement.

The Seven Suns Body required refining nine high-grade spirit stones. To date, he had already refined two.

According to his estimation, it would take about another year and a half to refine the third one, allowing his Fire Spiritual Root to improve further.

Besides the Pure Yang Scripture and Pure Yang Dharma Body, Chen Mobai’s second priority was originally the Scarlet Flame Sword Art.

After all, he needed this to conceal his true background in the Eastern Barrens, and this sword art seemed very suitable for him.

After forming his Core, Chen Mobai's Fire Spirit Body had advanced further, and his Heavenly Fire Spiritual Root had also been activated.

If his current aptitude were seen by the former Burning Heaven Pure Land, they would snatch him away, even by force, to become their Dao Son.

In terms of fire-attribute cultivation methods, no better talent could be found than his.

Therefore, after reading through the Scarlet Flame Sword Art several times, Chen Mobai easily grasped all its profound meanings.

Whether it was the Blazing Sun Slash or the Extreme Sun Slash, the most correct methods for their execution had already appeared in his mind.

However, because he had not yet refined his Azure Flame Sword Aura into ‘Golden Flame’, his cultivation level was insufficient, so he couldn't yet utilize them.

But the condensation and sublimation of this Golden Flame required painstaking effort and a lot of time!

According to the Scarlet Flame Sword Art, a person with exceptional talent could condense one Golden Flame in ten years by using inner alchemic fire and spiritual power.

Chen Mobai thought this was a tremendous waste of time.

Given this time, he would rather cultivate the Longevity Dao Body or the Treasure-Dropping Golden Light.

After all, Golden Flame wouldn't significantly improve him; it was only for combat and overlapped with the Purple Lightning Sword's function.

Moreover, even if he mastered it, its power might not surpass that of the Purple Lightning Sword!

Fortunately, he had only recently taken over as sect master and hadn't yet wasted time on the Scarlet Flame Sword Art. Now, after opening Nan Xuanjing's storage bag and obtaining so many gold crystals, he could redirect that time to the Treasure-Dropping Golden Light.

According to his estimation, after mastering the Seven Suns Body, he should be able to cultivate this secret art to the third level.

What remained was the Longevity Dao Body.

To continue cultivating this body-refining technique, he would need ‘Longevity Dew’, concocted and refined from Longevity Tree sap.

This was a pill recipe that Luo Yixuan had obtained from the Tree of Aptitude.

Chen Mobai had already given the pill recipe to Zeng Woyou for study, and also asked him to prepare the other auxiliary ingredients for starting the furnace.

Fortunately, Gu Yan had presented the secret art for extracting Longevity Tree sap; otherwise, Chen Mobai might have already given up on the Longevity Dao Body.

As he thought of this, a message suddenly appeared on his Heavenly Communication Device.

It was from Chu Zuoshu.

He subtly indicated that he had finished refining the Longevity Tree sap bestowed by Ancestor Chen.

After seeing the message, Chen Mobai could only start again, spending a full day extracting ten drops of Longevity Tree sap and sealing them in a white jade bottle.

The next day, Chu Zuoshu personally arrived.

After stepping down as sect master, his complexion had greatly improved. After refining the Longevity Tree sap, his skin had even begun to whiten, making him look several years younger.

After receiving the white jade bottle, Chu Zuoshu expressed his boundless gratitude.

As he didn't know how far Chu Zuoshu could cultivate his Wood Spirit Body before forming his Core, Chen Mobai told him to report each time he finished using the Longevity Tree sap, so that he could provide enough resources.

After all, with Chu Zuoshu’s cultivation, the ten drops extracted in a day would be enough for him to refine for over half a year.

However, if Chen Mobai himself were to cultivate the Longevity Dao Body in the future, and Zeng Woyou had to continuously refine Longevity Dew, even a vast quantity of Longevity Tree sap would not be enough.

The thought of having to extract Longevity Tree sap day after day, year after year, made Chen Mobai, as a Core Formation Ancestor and Divine Wood Sect Master, feel a bit too burdened.

“No, this won’t do. I need to leverage my position and find someone to do this for me.”

As the thought crossed his mind, Chen Mobai immediately thought of someone.

He immediately notified Zhuo Ming using his Heavenly Communication Device. Before long, she arrived, bringing along another good friend of hers.

“Greetings, Sect Master Ancestor!”

Gu Yan, with her clear and graceful demeanor, bowed respectfully to Chen Mobai, a hint of nervousness in her posture, after entering.

“Junior Niece Gu,” Chen Mobai said kindly, “I have something I need your help with. Consider it a personal task I’m assigning you…”

Chen Mobai, speaking genially, explained his plan to Gu Yan, asking her to help extract Longevity Tree sap.

She had obtained this secret art from the Tree of Aptitude, and she also cultivated water-attribute techniques. Even if her efficiency wasn't as high as his as a Core Formation cultivator, she was certainly the most suitable candidate among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Divine Wood Sect.

“It is an honor to receive such kindness from the Sect Master Ancestor. This disciple is more than willing,” Gu Yan replied.

For her, this was an immense opportunity. Not everyone in the sect could get so close to a Core Formation Ancestor.

Furthermore, after obtaining this secret art, she found herself like a clever cook without rice, as the Divine Wood Sect only possessed three Longevity Trees.

Gu Yan had already decided inwardly that she would perform well. Perhaps in the future, Ancestor Chen would take notice of her and accept her into the Little South Mountain lineage, making her a prestigious personal disciple of the Ancestor.

With this in mind, Gu Yan would come to Chen Mobai's Longevity Wood cultivation ground whenever she had time.

However, her cultivation was only at Foundation Establishment, so her extraction efficiency wasn't very high.

Even with Chen Mobai's guidance on some techniques, she could only extract one drop per day at most.

But with her help, Chen Mobai could set this matter aside and have more time to cultivate and comprehend other things.

Unconsciously, half a year passed.

Zeng Woyou attempted to refine Longevity Dew once, but unfortunately, it was an ancient pill recipe, somewhat different from the current alchemy system, so he failed.

Although disappointed, Chen Mobai was mentally prepared for this and instructed Gu Yan to continue extracting Longevity Tree sap to assist Zeng Woyou in refining a second batch of Longevity Dew.

On this day, he brought Yue Zutao to inspect the three tranquil spiritual energy cultivation areas established by the Formation Department and Spirit Vein Department in Giant Wood Ridge.

Originally, there was only one such area. Chen Mobai had planned it according to the Immortal Gate's cultivation chambers, allowing every Qi Cultivation disciple to cultivate there for one hour daily, free of charge.

However, after many disciples returned from their missions, one area became insufficient.

Now, in addition to these three, a fourth cultivation area with second-tier spiritual energy was also under construction. These would be exclusively for late-stage Qi Cultivation disciples in the future.

Each area was divided into one hundred cultivation chambers, which would ensure that every disciple could have a turn daily in the future.

“Sect Master,” some Foundation Establishment cultivators, seeing the excellent benefits for Qi Cultivation disciples, couldn't sit still and raised a suggestion during a sect meeting. “Could we also designate areas with third-tier or even fourth-tier spiritual energy?”

In response, Chen Mobai stated that it was already in their plans. The spiritual energy distribution within Giant Wood Ridge's spirit veins was too scattered, and he intended to reorganize it after Zhou Shengqing completed his Nascent Soul formation.

Ideally, like the Immortal Gate, all spiritual energy supply should be controlled by the sect, where cultivators of a certain level use spiritual energy of the corresponding grade. If they desired a higher grade, they would need to exchange it for sect contributions or spirit stones.

However, these changes would certainly take time, and Chen Mobai was not in a hurry.

After the meeting concluded, he went to see Fu Zongjue and Mo Douguang. Zhou Shengqing was absorbing more and more spiritual energy, indicating that his Nascent Soul formation was likely within the next two to three months.

The closer it got, the more vigilance was required.

Chen Mobai immediately ordered the Formation Department to ensure the Myriad Wood Grand Formation was on high alert. He then instructed the guardians in each country to keep a close watch on major sects in their respective vicinities.

This included Xuan Shu of the Southern Xuan Sect, Yan Shaoyin of the Rejuvenation Valley, and Kong Lingling of the Snow Blowing Palace.

Even the Five Elements Sect was specifically put under Hong He’s watchful eye.

On this day, above Giant Wood Ridge!

Drops of crystalline spiritual dew, gleaming brightly, softly fell onto the tallest Longevity Tree. An unprecedented majestic aura rose from it…