"Your Highness, what you said does make sense, but this is something we've already considered and speculated about. Our cultivation methods are simply not compatible with the current environment.
However, we've never found a solution."
"Your Highness, I know you are a straightforward person.
Let me be candid with you. If you are willing to teach us a method for entering the Qi Refining stage, we will offer whatever we can, whatever the Heavenly Masters Sect can provide. We will exchange it all, without any haggling.
What do you think of our sincerity?"
Upon hearing Ding Yun's words, the Daoists of the Heavenly Masters Sect knew they had found the right person. If she couldn't even discern the issues with their Qi Refining methods,
how could they expect her own Qi Refining methods to be flawless?
Therefore, they dared not play coy. They could only express their sincerity to the best of their ability, hoping to convey to Ding Yun that the Heavenly Masters Sect still possessed some hidden depths, ancient depths that might be useful to her.
"Very well, I can teach you a method to enter Qi Refining. In return, you must copy and send me all the secret legacies of your Heavenly Masters Sect. If you agree, I can teach you now.
Oh, and one more thing I must warn you of beforehand: even though my Qi Refining entry method is greatly simplified, cultivation still requires talent. Furthermore, due to the scarcity of spiritual energy in this world, the speed of cultivation will inevitably be extremely slow. You must be mentally prepared for this.
If you agree, then we shall continue our discussion."
Ding Yun's own successful cultivation relied on the 'Refine the False into the True' charm. She couldn't say how long it would take others to cultivate successfully, so she naturally had to make things clear in advance.
This was to prevent them from later accusing her of providing a fake manual.
"We naturally understand. Cultivation in the Age of Dharma Decline is inherently difficult. It is already fortunate to even enter the stage, let alone achieve mastery.
We agree to your terms, Your Highness.
We will send a message back shortly to mobilize all disciples of the Heavenly Masters Sect to help you copy the scriptures. We will try our best to deliver them before the New Year. However, there's one point we must also make clear to you: many of these ancient texts, we ourselves cannot discern their authenticity. Therefore, we can only guarantee the quantity.
The quality, however, is uncertain!"
Ding Yun had pointed out a potential issue, and the Daoists of the Heavenly Masters Sect took the opportunity to explain the possible shortcomings of the scriptures they would send.
This was to prevent any misunderstandings between them.
Ding Yun could also understand this point:
"No problem. You don't even have anyone who can enter Qi Refining, so it's understandable that you can't discern the authenticity of the scriptures.
Then it is settled.
Next, I will tell you the secret method for entering Qi Refining. In ancient times, mortals could directly absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth. We can no longer achieve this. Therefore, I have specifically added a new stage before the realm of Qi Refining and Spirit Cultivation, which is 'Refine Essence into Qi'.
This involves refining one's vital essence and converting it into circulating spiritual energy.
Once all the meridians are opened, one can reverse the innate, open the heaven and earth bridges, and easily sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thus continuing on the path of Qi Refining and Spirit Cultivation.
Listen as I explain the specific method in detail..."
Since an agreement had been reached, and Ding Yun was not afraid of them reneging, she not only provided a rough explanation of the principle but also generously detailed the specific steps involved in 'Refining Essence into Qi'.
Essentially, she not only gave them the secret manual but also helped them understand it.
This would undoubtedly help them avoid many detours in the future.
As Ding Yun finished her explanation, the few Daoists present immediately sat down cross-legged, immersing themselves in cultivation.
And after more than two hours.
The oldest among them successfully entered the stage.
This was not to say they possessed extraordinary talent. Rather, they had already been practicing Qi Refining and Spirit Cultivation for decades. Although they hadn't succeeded, it had still benefited their bodies to some extent. Moreover, the steps of Qi Refining and Spirit Cultivation were not significantly different from Refining Essence into Qi; in fact, Refining Essence into Qi was even simpler.
Therefore, it was normal for them to enter the stage quickly.
However, their advantage likely lay only in their quick entry. Further cultivation would be difficult, as they were old, their vital essence was insufficient, and their blood was weak. Even with daily consumption of ginseng and deer antler, they couldn't digest it to replenish their vital essence. Without sufficient vital essence, how could they refine essence into Qi?
An hour later, the remaining Daoists had all entered the stage. They then rose, bowed to Ding Yun as a master,
and after making further assurances, they hastily departed.
After they left, Ding Yun pondered deeply for an entire night. She then inscribed two new items on the 'Refine the False into the True' charm: 'Martial Ancestor' and 'Dragon's Tooth Rice seeds'.
'Martial Ancestor' naturally meant the progenitor of martial arts.
She was too lazy to cultivate martial arts herself, so she planned to create some martial arts and spread them. Then, everyone would naturally assume that the person who created the martial arts manuals couldn't possibly not know martial arts. This way, when her 'Martial Ancestor' charm could refine the false into the true, she wouldn't need to cultivate and would become the strongest martial artist of the current era.
As for 'Dragon's Tooth Rice', it was for the common people.
Ding Yun was well aware that martial arts were a cultivation method that consumed immense resources. While a few individuals cultivating might be insignificant, once spread, it would inevitably require large quantities of grain and meat. Current grain yields were moderate. If a large number of people began cultivating martial arts,
it was likely that even a slight natural disaster would lead to widespread starvation.
'Dragon's Tooth Rice' was the patch Ding Yun had prepared.
In her design, this was a special strain of rice that could yield a thousand catties per mu with minimal soil nutrient consumption, primarily absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to grow. As long as people cultivated martial arts while consuming this rice, they wouldn't need to consume large amounts of ordinary grain and meat.
Even if ordinary citizens planted a few mu,
it would be enough to support their families in cultivating martial arts.
Of course, this rice didn't actually exist, nor was it in Ding Yun's soul space. She intended to use her alchemy skills to craft pills that resembled rice grains and then widely publicize the rice's effects, yield, and other qualities.
As long as enough people believed that this rice truly existed, she could then use the 'Refine the False into the True' charm to bring this rice into existence. If even a single grain of rice was refined from false to true, it would be equivalent to having seeds. With seeds, why would she worry about not being able to cultivate millions of acres of 'Dragon's Tooth Rice'?
If this conjecture proved successful,
then the 'Refine the False into the True' charm could achieve far more.
Afterward, she wouldn't need to rush to leave this world at all. She could spend several more decades in this world, slowly using the 'Refine the False into the True' charm to cultivate more valuable items and store them in her soul space.
For use in other worlds.
If 'Dragon's Tooth Rice' could be refined from false to true, why couldn't the 'Wood Grain' rice that produces a tree from a single stalk, or the 'Bigu Rice' that keeps one full for half a month, be refined from false to true?
If the effects of elixirs were fictionalized into rice,
and then refined into existence, wouldn't she no longer need to refine elixirs and instead just cultivate spirit rice in large quantities?
Furthermore, the aspect of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon was also excellent.
Which world would be without the essence of the sun and moon?
This way, wouldn't the seeds be universally applicable across all worlds?