224: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (Sixteen)

Time passed swiftly, and in the silent room, time lost its meaning.

In the blink of an eye, three months had already passed.

On this day, the tightly closed stone door of the silent room slowly opened, and Xu Yuan stepped out.

The aura around him still remained at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, and there was no obvious Breakthrough in his cultivation, but his eyes held a bit more of an indescribable clarity than before his seclusion.

During these three months of seclusion, he had not deliberately cultivated, but instead devoted all his mental energy to digesting, absorbing, and mastering the hundreds of core Jade Slips he had brought back from the Scripture Pavilion.

At this moment, he stood quietly on the platform outside his Immortal Cave, facing the rising morning sun, and took a deep breath of the fresh air rich in Spiritual Qi; he felt refreshed, and his thoughts were clearer than ever before.

"These three months were worth it!"

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Through deep study of the core classics of the Dao of Karma and Heavenly Mandate and the Kunlun and I Ching Dao, combined with the high perception of his own Innate Dao Body and the wisdom from his past life, he had not only gained a systematic and profound understanding of Imperial Dao Luck, the impermanence of Heavenly Mandate, Formation deduction, and energy circulation, but had also drawn inferences about other subjects, generating many new ideas and inspirations.

Especially regarding his concept of a new Dao, there had now been an earth-shattering change!

"My original idea was perhaps a bit... too conservative and rigid."

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, his thoughts churning in his mind, "I always thought that I needed to wait until my cultivation reached the Golden Core Stage, or even higher, possessing sufficient strength and Foundation, before I dared to try touching upon the matter of 'Dao Creation,' so as to avoid aiming too high and missing the mark."

"But now it seems, this idea was completely wrong!"

"The Foundation Establishment Stage is the golden period for a Cultivator to forge their Dao Foundation and shape the direction of their future Dao path! At this stage, the Physical Body and Divine Soul have the greatest plasticity, and the perception of the Laws of Heaven and Earth is at its purest and sharpest. If one waits until the Golden Core Stage, when the Dao Foundation is solidified, the Golden Core is formed, and the direction of the Great Dao is basically determined, then wanting to blaze a new trail would be many times more difficult!"

A bolder, even somewhat crazy idea solidified in his heart:

"Why not take advantage of this Foundation Establishment opportunity to begin exploring and laying the groundwork for a new Dao while cultivating the Dao of Karma and Heavenly Mandate and the Kunlun and I Ching Dao step by step?"

"It is not that I need to immediately 'create' some earth-shattering Great Dao, but rather to imperceptibly change my own Foundation, and when I condense the Golden Core in the future, try to use this to probe the feasibility of a new Dao!"

The more Xu Yuan thought about it, the more he felt this path was feasible; at the very least, it could lay a solid Foundation far exceeding that of ordinary people for attempting to create a Dao in the future when he reached the Golden Core Stage or even higher Realms.

He was just about to set off for the Scripture Pavilion again to continue absorbing knowledge when he saw a stream of light speeding down from the mountaintop, landing in front of his Immortal Cave, revealing a middle-aged Cultivator dressed in the attire of a deacon of the Zhenyan Lineage.

"Junior Brother Su, please wait."

The deacon's expression was respectful yet carried a hint of urgency, "By the decree of the Fruit Position, you are summoned to Tingyun Palace immediately."

Xu Yuan was slightly surprised.

His Revered Master, Jiang Tingyun, usually lived in seclusion, and unless it was a major matter, he rarely summoned his Disciples on his own initiative.

He did not dare to be slow and replied, "Thank you for the message, Senior Brother, I will go right away."

Suppressing the thought of going to the Scripture Pavilion again, Xu Yuan turned into a ray of light and headed straight for Tingyun Palace at the summit of the main peak.

Stepping into the main hall, Xu Yuan discovered that he was not the only one this time.

Below the cloud bed, four figures were already standing solemnly, three men and one woman, each with a profound aura; the lowest was at the Foundation Establishment Perfection, and the highest had even broken through to the Golden Core Stage, with Dao Rhyme flowing around them—they were clearly no ordinary Disciples.

When they saw Xu Yuan enter, their gazes turned towards him, carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity.

Xu Yuan understood, faintly guessing that these must be the Senior Brothers and Senior Sister he had not yet met.

"Disciple Su Yuan pays respects to Revered Master."

"Hmm, rise."

Jiang Tingyun nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the five people in the hall, and he spoke in a calm tone, "These are your Ninth Senior Brother Zhao Qian, Tenth Senior Sister Liu Jiu, Eleventh Senior Brother Chen Feng, and Twelfth Senior Brother Li Mubai."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan saluted the Senior Brothers and Senior Sister: "Su Yuan has met Ninth Senior Brother, Tenth Senior Sister, Eleventh Senior Brother, and Twelfth Senior Brother."

Several of them also returned the salute, their attitudes quite amicable, though the scrutiny and curiosity in their eyes did not diminish.

After all, this Junior Brother had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage at only twelve years old and was highly regarded by their Revered Master, making a name for himself; they couldn't help but pay attention.

After they had briefly introduced themselves, Jiang Tingyun on the cloud bed spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable majesty, drawing everyone's attention:

"I have summoned you all here today for a matter."

His gaze swept over the five people below the hall, and he continued, "My Kunlun and I Ching Dao lineage covers seven branches, which are: Array Cultivation, Divination, Heavenly Secrets, Luck Disk, Planning, Orbital Instruments, and Talisman Diagrams."

"Every twenty years, the seven branches hold a joint internal 'Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly,' which is actually a small competition between the seven lineages. It is now the turn of my Array Cultivation lineage to host this session of the 'Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly.'"

"The rules for this small competition remain the same as before."

Jiang Tingyun's tone was plain, yet every word was clear, "It is limited to Disciples under sixty years of bone age. It aims to facilitate exchanges and test what has been learned, and it also concerns the face of each lineage and the allocation of resources for the coming period."

His gaze lingered on Zhao Qian, Liu Jiu, Chen Feng, and Li Mubai for a moment, and finally fell upon Xu Yuan: "The five of you all meet the criteria."

"Zhao Qian, Liu Jiu, Chen Feng, Li Mubai, you four have reached the Golden Core Stage or Foundation Establishment Perfection, so you must prepare diligently and strive to achieve results in this small competition to promote the prestige of my Array Cultivation lineage."

"Yes! Revered Master! We Disciples will certainly do our utmost!"

The four of them replied in unison, their expressions solemn, clearly aware of the importance of this small competition.

Immediately after, Jiang Tingyun looked at Xu Yuan, his tone softening slightly: "Yuan'er, you joined the sect the latest, and your cultivation is still shallow, currently only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage."

As soon as he said this, the four of them, Zhao Qian and the others, flickered their gazes, but they did not show any strange expressions; they had clearly already seen Xu Yuan's cultivation Realm.

"This small competition will gather many strong experts, among whom there will be no lack of Genius Disciples at the Golden Core Stage."

Jiang Tingyun continued, "For you, victory or defeat is not the key. I am letting you participate in the hope that you will use this opportunity to broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge. Experiencing the methods of other branches of the Kunlun and I Ching Dao firsthand and observing the fighting style of your peer Prodigies will be of great benefit to your understanding of the Great Dao and consolidating your Foundation."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan immediately bowed and saluted: "This Disciple understands! This Disciple will certainly cherish this opportunity."

Seeing this, Jiang Tingyun nodded slightly, clearly quite satisfied with Xu Yuan's attitude.

"The small competition will be in three months; by then, all eligible Prodigies from the seven branches will be present. After you go down, prepare well and do not be negligent."

"Yes! Revered Master! Disciple takes his leave!"

The five of them replied in unison, and after bowing again, they respectfully withdrew from Tingyun Palace.

Walking out of the main hall, the gazes of the several Senior Brothers and Senior Sister fell on Xu Yuan once again.