Chapter 307 - 295: The Three-Institute Dharma Assembly
Chapter 307: Chapter 295: The Three-Institute Dharma Assembly
For any Qi Refining Realm cultivator with the slightest bit of ambition, Foundation Establishment was a matter of the highest priority.
Only by successfully achieving Foundation Establishment could one break through their mortal flesh, greatly increase their lifespan, and fly through the air, becoming an "Immortal" in the eyes of mortals.
"Foundation Establishment is no easy feat!"
Liang Song sighed, a hint of worry crossing his brow.
"Brother Liang, you’re at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. That’s a pretty fast cultivation speed in the sect, isn’t it?"
Zhao Lin could guess why Liang Song was worried, but he asked anyway, wanting to hear his thoughts.
Liang Song didn’t speak. He lowered his head and took a long gulp of Spirit Wine, only speaking after a moment. "Qi Refining Sixth Layer... It might sound like it’s not far from the ninth layer, but in reality, the gap is huge!"
"In Early-stage Qi Refining, breaking through each layer only takes a few months, a year at most. But once you reach the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, you start counting in years."
"As for the late stage, it takes even longer. It could be two or three years, or even seven or eight."
"I’ve been in the sect for seven years, and reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer isn’t considered slow, but the problem is..."
At this, he glanced at Zhao Lin, seeming to want to say more but holding his tongue.
"Your age, right?"
Zhao Lin understood immediately and said it outright.
The best age for Foundation Establishment was before forty. After forty, the success rate began to decline.
The purpose of a Foundation Establishment Pill was to increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment. If one was too old, the diminishing returns meant that taking a Foundation Establishment Pill wasn’t very effective.
Liang Song was thirty-five this year, three years older than him. Zhao Lin could empathize with his worries on this front.
"We’re brothers in misfortune, both older cultivators."
Zhao Lin smiled, glossing over the topic, and asked, "How many merit points have you accumulated?"
Liang Song thought for a moment. "A little over five thousand, I think."
"That’s so many! That’s enough for half a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
Zhao Lin was quite surprised. ’Working with Tamed Beasts earns merit points this fast? Maybe I should get into this line of work myself.’
"No, I mean I’ve accumulated five thousand merit points in total, but I’ve already used most of them. I only have less than three thousand left on hand."
Liang Song shook his head and explained earnestly, "Early-stage Qi Refining is for laying the foundation. You don’t need to take pills; it’s best to rely on your own ability to raise your cultivation."
"But starting from the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, pills become a necessity. Yuan Condensing Pills, Blood Replenishing Pills, Solid Cultivation Pills, Yellow Valley Pills, Jade Marrow Liquid, Spirit Fusion Pills..."
"There are pills for daily use, and also pills that help you break through layers and minor realms."
"The pills for daily use are one thing; the sect distributes them regularly, and if that’s not enough, you can buy more yourself. But for breakthrough-type pills, Spirit Stones alone aren’t enough—you also need merit points!"
"A bottle of Jade Marrow Liquid costs three Spirit Stones, plus three merit points. Without merit points, you can’t buy it no matter how many Spirit Stones you offer!"
He paused, then added, "Forget about pills. Even for Spirit Rice, if you go over your quota, you need to use merit points to buy more."
Zhao Lin frowned. ’These merit points sound an awful lot like the food ration coupons from my past life.’
Was it because the sect’s resources were insufficient, so they used this method to achieve a semblance of fairness? Or was it a deliberate measure to encourage cultivators to contribute to the sect?
Whatever the reason, he couldn’t just focus on the Foundation Establishment Pill.
From this, it was clear that cultivating the Dao was the same as practicing martial arts—both required a great deal of money, except here, money was replaced by merit points and Spirit Stones.
"Hearing you put it like that, trying to cultivate to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer while also accumulating enough merit points... that really won’t be easy."
"Sigh, tell me about it..."
Liang Song had entered the sect six years earlier than Zhao Lin and knew more about cultivation matters. Since they were close as brothers, there was no need for pleasantries, so Zhao Lin asked him about all sorts of cultivation details to prepare for the future.
All cultivators suffered from a kind of illness: cultivation anxiety. Or, more accurately, time anxiety—a constant fear of falling a single step behind.
From the Golden Core realm all the way down to Qi Refining, everyone had this illness, and they had it bad.
The two of them talked late into the night before finally turning in.
...
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Lin had been in the Chenghua Sect for nearly a year.
He had already opened twenty-four acupoints, reaching the peak of the Qi Refining Second Layer.
Qi Refining Second Layer... peak.
Zhao Lin found this term a bit strange, but it was indeed the common way to say it. Opening the last acupoint for a given layer was considered the "peak" of that layer.
Only after opening all one hundred and eight Innate acupoints could one be called at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
The Spirit Dao Institute wasn’t very strict in its management of disciples. At the end of the year, there was only a minor assessment.
First, they looked at one’s cultivation level; second, at their Magic.
After a year of cultivation, all the disciples had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer. Two disciples with high-grade Spiritual Roots had broken through to the Qi Refining Third Layer, and Lin Chaoran, with his Earth Spirit Root, had even reached the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.
Not being at the top of the ranks was a bit of a letdown. Back when he practiced martial arts, he had always been far ahead of everyone else.
But he knew his own situation well. If he hadn’t absorbed the Essence Soul of the Pipa Catfish, he might still be stuck in the initial stage of the Qi Refining Second Layer.
In terms of Magic, however, no one could compare to him.
He had cultivated the Rock Armor Skill, Ice Blade Skill, and Flame Stream Arrow to the "Proficient" level, making him stand out among the disciples.
In reality, his Rock Armor Skill had reached Minor Achievement, but Zhao Lin deliberately suppressed it to the Proficient level during his demonstration.
He had asked an instructional senior brother and learned that in the last twenty years, no disciple had managed to cultivate a magic skill to Minor Achievement in their first year.
A disciple had indeed done it many years ago, but that disciple had only cultivated a single magic skill for the entire year. So, Zhao Lin decided to hold back for now. It was enough to let people know he had a talent for learning Magic.
After the assessment came an even more important event: the Three-Institute Dharma Assembly!
The Three-Institute Dharma Assembly referred to the annual joint Daoist arts demonstration held by the Spirit Dao Institutes of three different lands: Nanhe Province, Western Ox Continent, and Juyan Province.
The reason for it was that after a disciple’s first year of cultivation, they would begin to choose their Daoist Arts in the second year.
Although each Spirit Dao Institute could teach dozens of Daoist Arts, with guidance from elders and senior brothers, there were hundreds of different arts, and it was impossible to master them all.
When the Spirit Dao Institutes of several provinces joined together, they covered a much wider range of Daoist Arts. This helped disciples gain a deeper understanding. If necessary, it even allowed disciples to temporarily study at another Spirit Dao Institute.
The three provinces were geographically adjacent and shared some historical ties, so every year-end, their Spirit Dao Institutes would hold a joint dharma demonstration.
That was the original purpose of the Three-Institute Dharma Assembly.
The Dharma Assembly involved competitions between the Spirit Dao Institutes, with rewards like merit points and Spirit Stones. However, this had little to do with the new disciples; they were only responsible for watching and learning.
This year, it was the Juyan Province Spirit Dao Institute’s turn to host. The disciples, who had spent the entire year in the commandery, were thrilled to hear they would have a rare chance to travel far from home.
Zhao Lin was also full of anticipation for the trip. Choosing his Daoist Arts was one reason, but he also wanted to witness a wider variety of Magic.
His Spirit Cultivation Map still had five empty slots. If he encountered a suitable magic skill, he would find a way to incorporate it.
"Once you are in someone else’s territory, mind your manners and don’t cause trouble."
"Those of you who are competing, perform well and bring some honor to our Nanhe Province."
"Those who are not competing, watch attentively and learn with humility."
The Spirit Dao Institute placed great importance on the Dharma Assembly. Not only did Dean Zhou, Elder Nie, and Elder Wu all attend, but they also brought along all the instructional disciples.
After giving his instructions, Dean Zhou was the first to board the Flying Vessel. He waved his hand and declared, "Let’s go!"