22: Chapter 22 Qingling's Intentions, Cultivation for All

But for the entire Huaguo, it was an earth-shattering change.

First, among all the Cultivators in seclusion, the comprehensive physical enhancement allowed those closest to the Golden Core Stage to break through one after another. For a time, rolling heavenly thunders echoed across Huaguo, and dozens of Golden Core Tribulations descended.

Ye Qingxuan sat cross-legged in the back mountain, his Divine Sense watching the tribulation clouds above Maoshan.

"It is the Heavenly Tribulation of Junior Martial Uncle and Senior Martial Uncle and the others. Senior Brother has broken through too? That makes sense. Given his Heart-Nature, all he lacked was resources."

The tribulation clouds churned, and thick bolts of heavenly lightning struck down like silver snakes, emitting deafening roars.

Those Cultivators undergoing Undergoing Tribulation struggled bitterly within the tribulation lightning; every bolt of heavenly lightning contained terrifying power.

Ye Qingxuan felt a wave of emotion in his heart. Aside from the enhancement of national destiny itself, the improvements brought by the national destiny rewards also ushered in a major transformation for the Huaguo cultivation world.

As time passed, those undergoing the tribulation successfully survived it, and the tribulation clouds in the sky gradually dissipated.

The Huaguo cultivation world gained dozens of Golden Core Stage powerhouses, which was undoubtedly a powerful force.

Ye Qingxuan's figure flickered, instantly transforming into a dazzling sword light that streaked away like a shooting star, flying straight toward the Ancestral Master Hall.

In the blink of an eye, with a soft 'shua' sound, the sword light steadily landed in front of the hall.

At this moment, the interior of the hall was packed with people and bustling with excitement. Ye Qingxuan looked closely and saw that not only were there several Immortal Masters who had just been promoted to the Golden Core Stage here, but a large group of fellow apprentices who were about to break through their Bottleneck and step into a higher Realm were also gathered together.

Meanwhile, his Master Master Yuanxin and the newly Breakthrough Junior Martial Uncles and Senior Martial Uncles were sitting upright in the main hall, patiently imparting the tips and experiences of breaking through cultivation to the Disciples, while Xiaojiu gave the Ancestral Master a three-flower gathering at the crown.

Standing to the side serving tea was none other than Senior Brother Qingming. Raising his head, he caught sight of Ye Qingxuan at a glance. Seeing him smile slightly, he softly said, "Master, Junior Brother has arrived." Before his voice had even faded, he had already stepped forward to welcome him outside the hall.

Just as expected, Ye Qingxuan had not deliberately restrained the aura emanating from his entire body, so all of this naturally could not hide from Qingming, who was already a Golden Core Immortal Master and Senior Brother.

However, before Master and the others could respond, a crisp voice suddenly rang out: "Junior Brother!!"

Immediately afterward, a cyan figure rushed out of the hall in a flurry. It was Ye Qingxuan's Third Senior Sister Qingling, followed by Second Senior Brother Qingyun and Fourth Senior Brother Qingmo.

"Master, various Junior Martial Uncles, and Senior Martial Uncles, congratulations on advancing to the Golden Core."

"Senior Brother, I didn't expect you to break through as well. Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, you've also reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, you should work hard too." Ye Qingxuan dropped a bombshell right as he opened his mouth.

The smiles of the several Senior Brothers gradually disappeared. Who could compare to you? Qingling gritted her teeth and said, "Junior Brother, your older sister here has just come out of seclusion, don't force me to beat you up."

Daoist Ye took a step back and protected Senior Brother in front of him.

At this time, Immortal Master Yuanxin spoke, "Alright, stop messing around. Qingxuan, this time we owe it to your blessing. Just wait and see, those old friends will be coming over soon."

Ye Qingxuan: "..."

"Knowing that you don't like these things, take your cat and go somewhere else," Yuanxin said, pointing at Xiaojiu who was sleeping on the Ancestral Master's statue.

Ye Qingxuan respectfully said, "Yes." Then, with a wave of his hand, the deeply sleeping Xiaojiu was grabbed over, and he just walked out the door with the four Senior Brothers. As Master's voice came over:

"Eldest, stay behind and accompany Master to greet the guests."

The figures of the people outside the door paused for a moment. Then, the four of them left Qingming behind and walked away without even turning their heads, leaving Senior Brother with an outstretched hand in a speechless gesture.

"Sect Head Junior Brother, I really envy you. All five of your Disciples are Geniuses. Not to mention little Qingxuan, I didn't expect Qingming to catch up to us either, and the other three are almost there too. Hmph, look at this poor Taoist's Disciples instead; little Qingxuan took so many rewards and is only at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage now? Just thinking about it makes me angry. A bunch of idiots!"

Senior Martial Uncle Yuanhui grew angrier the more he spoke, and the gaze he cast at his own Disciples became increasingly dangerous. The three Junior Martial Uncles Yuanqing, Yuandan, and Yuanxing also looked at their Disciples with the exact same gaze.

All the Disciples trembled with fear, unable to voice their sufferings.

Yuanxin hurriedly turned around to comfort his fellow martial brothers, while making a gesture behind his back telling them to hurry and leave.

As if granted a massive amnesty, the Disciples all bid farewell and retreated.

In fact, the Disciples who could come here were all at the Foundation Establishment Middle or Late Stage cultivation, and placed outside they were all Geniuses. But it depended on who they were being compared to. Let's not even compare Ye Qingxuan that huge freak. Who would have thought that you, Qingming, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are also a little freak? How long has this Spiritual Qi recovery been, and you've already caught up to the elders?

...

On the way back to the back mountain, Qingling's gaze occasionally fell on Ye Qingxuan, her eyes revealing a hint of anticipation and curiosity. She softly asked, "Junior Brother, I have some doubts about certain Spells. May I ask you for guidance?"

Ye Qingxuan smiled and nodded, expressing his willingness to answer Senior Sister's questions.

Seeing this, the Second Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother on the side looked at each other and smiled, understanding everything in their hearts.

They knew that Qingling had always admired Ye Qingxuan, but Ye Qingxuan seemed completely oblivious to it.

This subtle atmosphere made the two of them feel a wave of emotion; perhaps this was love—those involved are lost, while onlookers see clear.

In fact, not only Second Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother, but everyone in the entire Shangqing Maoshan Sect was well aware of Qingling's intentions.

It was just that they were all people of the Dao, who advocated letting nature take its course and did not wish to overly interfere in the emotional affairs of others.

Therefore, even though they clearly knew Qingling had intentions toward Ye Qingxuan, everyone still chose to remain silent and let this relationship develop freely.

Once upon a time, Qingling felt that in this Age of Dharma Decline, successfully reaching Foundation Establishment was already her limit. Although a lifespan of up to two hundred years seemed long, compared to the talent displayed by Ye Qingxuan, it was truly insignificant.

In order not to become a burden on Ye Qingxuan's Cultivation path, she silently buried that deep affection in the deepest part of her heart.

However, the situation had now changed—with the recovery of Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, Qingling knew she still had the opportunity to further break through her cultivation!

What surprised and delighted her even more was that last time, Ye Qingxuan had unhesitatingly shared the extremely rare Origin of the World with her.

As a result, not to mention Golden Core and Nascent Soul, even Immortal Ascension was not a difficult task. Thinking of this, Qingling secretly made up her mind not to suppress her true feelings anymore.

...

As the few of them chatted, the topic gradually changed, because Ye Qingxuan had different insights into modern Cultivation.

"Three Senior Brothers, do not deliberately pursue Divine Abilities and Spells. In the past when Spiritual Qi was scarce, we cultivated to strengthen ourselves and pass down the Daoist orthodoxy. Now that Spiritual Qi has recovered, the purpose of Cultivation is no longer to gain powerful strength, but longevity. As for those Divine Abilities and Spells, they are merely means to protect the Dao on the path of longevity."

"Longevity without power is nothing more than a flower in a mirror and the moon in the water, so I am not opposed to cultivating aggressive methods, but one must distinguish between primary and secondary,"

"Longevity is the Dao, and Divine Abilities are arts. The Dao and arts must have a primary and secondary focus."

The three Senior Brothers listened and suddenly felt enlightened; this could be considered finding another village amidst willow shades and bright flowers, but our goal wasn't this!

"And Third Senior Brother, the benefits of the Origin of the World are not just enhancing cultivation, but also strengthening your Aptitude and Dao foundation. The next time we get national destiny rewards, you will be able to break through to the Golden Core. Cultivation still relies on one's own efforts."

"Second Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, you are the same."

Second Senior Brother Qingyun and Fourth Senior Brother Qingmo looked helplessly at their blockhead-like Junior Brother, and then glanced at Qingling's eyes beside them, which were filled with a sense of desolation.

They suddenly felt mentally exhausted: "Heavenly Dao Lord, you are truly too fair! This kid's cultivation Aptitude is astonishingly peerless, but his emotional Comprehension Ability is ridiculously poor—there is simply no lower limit to it!"

They thought again about how there were still people outside drooling over Junior Brother: Yun Huan of the Heavenly Demon Palace, Lin Yao of Yaowang Valley... Forget it, forget it, let him have a headache over it himself when the time comes.

At this moment, Ye Qingxuan was leisurely climbing to the middle of the mountain cradling the cute Xiaojiu in his arms.

Xiaojiu comfortably stretched its body in its Master's arms, then let out a lazy meow. Ye Qingxuan gently stroked Xiaojiu's furry head, expressing his fondness for it.

Right at this moment, Ye Qingxuan seemed to think of something. Without any warning, he stopped abruptly and violently turned his head back.

Senior Sister Qingling was closely following behind him in a daze and out of her wits.

"Bang!" As a dull impact resounded through the mountains, Second Senior Brother Qingyun and Fourth Senior Brother Qingmo covered their eyes with their hands simultaneously and quickly turned their heads away.

As for poor Qingling, she solidly smashed her tender forehead against Ye Qingxuan's rock-hard chin.

"Ouch! It hurts this Young Miss to death! Bad brother, why didn't you walk properly on a good road and suddenly stop?!"

Qingling angrily clutched her injured forehead.

A blush suffused her pretty face, and it was unclear whether it was caused by unbearable pain or overwhelming shyness—after all, Ye Qingxuan's physical body was as firm as a rock, and its strength surpassed even those professional Body Cultivators!

"I forgot one thing." Ye Qingxuan was completely oblivious to Qingling's changes.

"Speak!!!" Qingling's tone was like ice shards, and the two Senior Brothers were so frightened they fell silent like cicadas in winter.

"Master asked me to refine the Basic Qi Refining Method suitable for everyone to Cultivate, but I forgot to give it to Master." Ye Qingxuan took out a Jade Slip with an innocent face.

Qingling took the Jade Slip, probed it with her Spiritual Sense, and then looked at Ye Qingxuan as if looking at some rare, novel species.

"Qingling, why is your look so strange?" Second Senior Brother was a bit baffled. Could it be that Junior Brother had created another heavenly book?

Fourth Senior Brother Qingmo also looked over, and Qingling handed the Jade Slip over. After reading it, the two of them also looked at Ye Qingxuan with bizarre gazes.

"Little Qingxuan, you... are you alright?" Second Senior Brother didn't even call him Junior Brother anymore.

"Junior Brother, are you really sure this is a Qi Refining Method created by you? This Cultivation Technique is truly like plain, tasteless water! Think about the Spells you created before, such as 'Heaven and Earth Lose Color', 'Heguang Tongchen', and 'Spring Returns to All Things';

even if I were to personally create a brand-new Cultivation Technique right at this moment, it would probably be many times stronger than this kind of work! Wouldn't you feel that such a thing is too hard to look at?"

Fourth Senior Brother, who was usually reticent and like a closed-mouth gourd, had unexpectedly broken all precedent today by uttering so many words at once, and his words were filled with sheer disbelief.

Back then when Ye Qingxuan was only nine years old, his Heart-Nature had not completely settled, and all he knew every day was to wholeheartedly pursue those seemingly cool and dashing Moves.

Therefore, he began racking his brains to recall various film and television works he had watched in his past life, attempting to recreate those dazzling and magical Moves one by one into the world. Based on the impressions in his memory and his own understanding of the Daoist scriptures, he spent two and a half months creating them.

However, after Ye Qingxuan finally completed his "ultimate technique," he couldn't wait to present it to his beloved Master.

To his surprise, Master merely glanced over it roughly and directly dropped a harsh remark: "This thing is simply something that a three-year-old toddler can easily Master; it doesn't count as a profound Spell in any true sense!"

Afterward, these Spells were placed in the Scripture Pavilion for everyone to view.

However, as time hurried by, more than a decade of time passed. During this period, although Ye Qingxuan spared no effort to teach his fellow Disciples hand-in-hand—during which he was so infuriated that the three corpses jumped with rage, and if not for his successful cultivation, his blood pressure would probably have exploded—

to this day, among the hundreds of people up and down the entire Shangqing Maoshan Sect, those who ultimately managed to successfully comprehend and learn it totaled a mere seven or eight people—and among these few individuals, it even included his several direct Senior Brothers and that venerable Master himself!

Ever since that time, Ye Qingxuan finally deeply realized the astonishing talent he possessed, and completely cast aside all unrealistic, chaotic thoughts and ideas in his heart. From then on, he focused single-mindedly and wholeheartedly on the matter of Cultivation, eagerly looking forward to the day when he could achieve Immortal Ascension and ascend to the heavens in broad daylight!

At this moment, facing the puzzled, incomprehensible, and extremely curious gazes cast by the three Senior Brothers, Ye Qingxuan smiled slightly and softly explained to them:

"Senior Brothers, you do not know, this is a method successfully created through the joint efforts of Master himself, united with several other venerable Sect Heads."

"The purpose is to promote this method nationwide, allowing ordinary people to understand the meaning within at a glance without producing any misunderstandings or ambiguities.

Naturally, it couldn't be made too profound and difficult to understand... Otherwise, I'm afraid it would instead backfire and make people laugh!

Furthermore, Master specifically instructed me to only add a restriction so that even if someone steals it, they cannot learn it, and not a single word of the rest is allowed to be changed. ~ But to be fair, it is indeed a bit blinding to the eyes..."

Just as he finished speaking, Ye Qingxuan casually took back that Jade Slip, urged the True Origin within his body to tap it lightly, and with a soft 'swish' sound, the Jade Slip that originally lay quietly in his hand transformed into a stream of light, speeding toward the location where Master was!

Inside the main hall, Master Yuanxin was chatting with various Sect Heads who had broken through their Golden Core. Suddenly, a stream of light flew in from outside and landed directly in front of Master Yuanxin.

Master Yuanxin took it, glanced at it, and handed it directly to the various Sect Heads present. "Take a look, everyone. Qingxuan modified it slightly; outsiders cannot Cultivate it even if they take it away."

After passing it around to read, the crowd discussed animatedly.

"Wonderful! Nephew Qingxuan has added spiritual guidance here. If this part is removed, it becomes an ordinary health-preserving method; if one continues to Cultivate it, their cognition will be altered, and they will slowly identify with Huaguo from the bottom of their heart, becoming someone with different skin and a yellow heart." Celestial Master Zhang was also astonished as he watched.

"It seems to have incorporated Buddhism's conversion method, but it is also somewhat similar yet different, and it does not affect subsequent cultivation." Abbot Kongming was also extremely surprised. You can play it like this too?

"Good is good; from any angle, it is a perfect Foundation Establishment Method, almost suitable for everyone. It's just too ordinary—it only has the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment methods, with no Spells to protect the Dao." Sect Head Wang of the Wudang Sect said.

"Daoist Wang, you are mistaken. Our Cultivation is to seek longevity, not to be fond of fighting and dueling; Spell battles are only for protecting the Dao. Moreover, this method is merely opening the way for everyone; how far one can go depends on their own fortune." Master Yuanxin retorted.

"Those who achieve success in Cultivation will naturally give birth to Divine Abilities. Cultivating purely for power leaves the heart uncalm and the spirit unsettled, abandoning the root to chase the tip, and in the end they can never attain true fruit. Whatever is cultivated can only be considered a minor path." Celestial Master Zhang also added.

"In that case, send it out. The era of universal cultivation has arrived." Master Yuanxin was extremely excited.

"At that time, let's see how many good saplings there can be." The various Sect Heads were also somewhat expectant.