Chapter 1225: Chapter 352: The Subtlety of the Dharma Body (2)

Zhang Yan put down the letter and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he leaped down to the Water Mansion and soon reached the depths of the Zhao You Heavenly Pond.

Upon arrival, he felt the spiritual tides surging, merging into violent whirlpools, all converging in one place.

As he concentrated his gaze, he saw the Divine Beast Embryo lying quietly on a rock in the water. The vortex was caused by its absorption of a vast amount of spiritual energy. Fortunately, this place is a Cave Heaven Mansion; otherwise, it would have been long gone, completely absorbed by it.

Zhang Yan circled the object twice, perceiving that it was still far from hatching, so he did not linger further, leapt back to his Cave Mansion, and sat on the Jade Platform. He then entered meditation.

He sat like this for several days.

On the seventh day, he awoke from meditation, silently examined, and then suddenly rose, riding a tunneling light towards the Elixir Cauldron Institute.

After entering the Mountain Gate, he proceeded unimpeded and soon arrived before the fishing building.

Zhou Chongju sensed his arrival, emerged from the cabin, and, with a joyful expression, said, "Junior Brother, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhang Yan descended, intending to pay respects, but Zhou Chongju grasped him, laughing, "Between you and me, there’s no need for such formality."

Zhang Yan did not insist, and followed Zhou Chongju inside, where they sat down and exchanged stories of their time apart.

Upon hearing that Zhang Yan was intercepted halfway by a Cave Heaven True Master from the Yuxiao Sect on his return journey, Zhou Chongju’s eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "I already know about this. This person is named Zhou Ruying and is of the same generation as me. She comes from a sideline of the Zhou Family. Due to her outstanding talent, she was accepted by that old villain Ling Ya to be taught Daoist Skills, and unexpectedly now she has achieved Cave Heaven. Humph, the Zhou Clan has one more Cave Heaven True Master, making them even harder to deal with than before."

Mentioning the Zhou Clan, his expression remained calm, but his eyes were icy. At this time, he seemed to remember something and said, "Junior Brother, you don’t need to worry. This person’s interception of you was merely borrowing the momentum of the Ten Sects of Xuanmen. Given your current status, traveling to East Victory Continent, you need not fear her causing trouble for you. Otherwise, our Mingcang Sect will not let it go."

Zhang Yan was slightly surprised and said, "So Senior Brother Zhou already knew about this."

Zhou Chongju laughed, "The Sect Leader told me before talking details with you, and I also agree. Your trip to East Victory Continent might be an opportunity."

Listening to his words, Zhang Yan felt there was something more to it and asked, "Is there anything else you want to say, Senior Brother?"

Zhou Chongju chuckled and said, "Regarding this swordfight, I heard that Feng Haiyang used Junyang Essence to break through the boundary of the Third Realm."

Zhang Yan nodded and said, "Indeed, I was lucky to win."

After detailed inquiries, Zhou Chongju stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "In that case, Feng Haiyang’s Dharma Body must undoubtedly be a ’Soul-saving Dharma Body,’ otherwise, it would have been much harder for you to deal with."

Zhang Yan asked quizzically, "Soul-saving Dharma Body?"

Zhou Chongju glanced at him and slowly explained, "Such matters are not recorded in the Daoist books; they are passed down orally among all sects, which is why you don’t know. The Dharma Body of a Nascent Soul cultivator is actually divided into four ranks. The least of them is called ’Hidden Image Dharma Body,’ where the cultivation involves five kinds of Mixed Energy, impure techniques, leading to the avatar breaking the path forward, having no affinity with the Great Dao. There’s no need to say much about this; the next is the ’Soul-saving Dharma Body.’ After achieving the Three Realms, many cultivators condense this Dharma Body. From your description, Feng Haiyang’s Dharma Body was achieved in haste, and if unexpected, it should be of this rank."

Zhang Yan, having never heard of this, asked, "I wonder what the top two ranks are?"

Zhou Chongju said, "Next up is the ’All Illuminating,’ where the inside and outside are clear, and Qi flows unimpeded, much more formidable than the Soul-saving Dharma Body."

"As for the first rank, it is called the ’Primordial True Dharma Body.’ This Dharma Body is an Innate Formation, connecting one Qi through the profound, not attainable by anyone below the Second Grade of Elixir Formation. Among us cultivators, it is the hardest to achieve. In the Mingcang Sect, I am not aware of anyone, but in the Zhou Clan, over tens of thousands of years, only a handful have achieved it."

At this point, he turned around and said solemnly, "Junior Brother, if you want great achievements in the future, you must achieve this level of Dharma Body."

Zhang Yan modestly asked, "I wonder if Senior Brother has any marvelous techniques to teach me?"

Zhou Chongju tapped on the table and said in a deep voice, "Cultivating this Dharma Body is not easy. Upon entering the Second Realm, a cultivator must cultivate with the Pure Spirit Essence of Heaven and Earth, avoiding any Mixed Energy contamination. The Junyang Essence you obtained happens to be one of the two essential essences. However, besides this Essence Qi, one more thing is needed."

He took out a pouch from his sleeve, handed it over, and said, "Junior Brother, keep it well."

After Zhang Yan accepted it, he pointed and said, "This is called ’White Moon Ying Fruit,’ which I refined with a secret technique from the Zhou Clan, collecting several spiritual objects. It contains Kun Spirit Essence. Once you reach the Second Realm, refining it alongside the Junyang Essence should yield marvelous effects."

Zhang Yan pondered briefly and asked curiously, "Could it be that Senior Brother has been preparing this all along?"

Zhou Chongju laughed, "Ever since you achieved First-class Elixir Formation, I’ve spent decades to refine some. I was hoping to try my luck, not expecting you to live up to expectations, bringing back so much Junyang Essence, making my efforts worthwhile. However, refining this elixir requires several rare materials and miraculous herbs, indeed scarce. What I have refined is only enough for one year of use. The elixir recipe is in the pouch; after you go to East Victory Continent, please pay attention. If you can find more, you can refine it yourself."

Zhang Yan couldn’t help but feel grateful. On the cultivation path, having a wise mentor is indeed valuable, allowing him to avoid many detours. If not for Zhou Chongju being from the Zhou Clan and a Grandmaster in Alchemy, how could he have known all these matters?

In the following hours, Zhou Chongju, fearing Zhang Yan’s mistakes in alchemy, carefully told him the taboos and secrets until the sun tilted west before letting him go satisfied.

Before parting, Zhou Chongju suddenly thought of something, stopped him, and said, "Oh, half a year ago, Qi Yuntian achieved the Nascent Soul Third Realm. Since you weren’t in the Mountain Gate, I sent a gift on your behalf. If a flying book arrives, you don’t need to make another trip."

Zhang Yan’s thoughts stirred, and asked, "I wonder which rank Senior Brother Qi’s Dharma Body is?"

Zhou Chongju shook his head and said, "I haven’t seen it, but given the cultivation technique Qi Yuntian practices, which is the most superior in the Mingcang Sect, his Qi is also pure. I imagine his is at least an All Illuminating Dharma Body."

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)