Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

The three Purple Mansion Great Cultivators remained perfectly composed.

With the profound resources of the "Two Sects and One City," there was no chance they would be outdone by the other Purple Mansion influences and Loose Cultivators. Each of their congratulatory gifts had been meticulously chosen. Any single item, taken at random, would be considered a rare, top-grade treasure in the outside world.

Of course, this wasn’t merely a matter of prestige; the Two Sects and One City didn’t need such displays to maintain their status. They had all come with the mission of winning over the Song Clan, and for that, they first needed to demonstrate their sincerity.

A mere newly-ascended Purple Mansion Cultivator like Song Xianming might seem insignificant to the three Major Sects, and in truth, he was. They weren’t interested in Song Xianming himself, but in the future authority the Song Clan would command in Ling Province.

In other words, they were trying to win over all of Ling Province; the Song Clan was simply the leading power there.

If it had been Chang Wudao holding the Purple Mansion Grand Ceremony today, they would be doing the exact same thing.

The Daqi Cultivation World consisted of nineteen provinces, with only seven publicly acknowledged Purple Mansion influences. Some of these seven major powers were formidable, such as the Celestial Sword Sect and Hundred Herbs Hall.

Others were weaker, like the newly risen Song Clan and the Xiang Province Rong Clan.

But strong or weak, each controlled the authority in one or even several provinces, and that was what the Two Sects and One City valued.

Li Siyuan of the Celestial Vein Sect was the first to rise. "The Celestial Vein Sect presents a Tier Three Array Dao inheritance from the Array King Heng Tiandao," he announced, "to congratulate our Fellow Daoist on ascending to the Purple Mansion!"

His words sent a shockwave through the entire audience.

"Array King" was a title of respect for an Array Master in the Cultivation Realm.

When one’s proficiency in arrays reached Tier Three, they formally earned the title of "Array Master."

If they reached Tier Four and became one of the best among their peers, they would be honored with the title of "Array King." The Hundred Skills of Cultivation all had similar honorifics, representing a cultivator’s achievements in a particular dao.

The Heng Tiandao whom Li Siyuan mentioned was the only grandmaster of the Array Dao in the Celestial Vein Sect’s thousands of years of history to be granted the title "Array King." He was the standard by which all other Array Masters in the Daqi Cultivation World were measured.

Therefore, this was a truly momentous gift.

This was especially true for Song Xianming, who was an Array Master himself. Although the inheritance was only Tier Three, it made the Song Clan’s entire collection of Array Dao knowledge seem like garbage by comparison.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist." Song Xianming cupped his hands in a solemn gesture, but his expression showed little joy. ’After all,’ he thought, ’the greater the gift, the more they’ll ask for in return...’

Li Siyuan offered a kind smile in return. "You’re too kind. If you ever have the time, Fellow Daoist, you are welcome to visit our sect to discuss the Dao."

Nearby, Chen Tianyang silently cursed Li Siyuan’s cunning. ’No matter how precious an Array Dao inheritance is, for the Celestial Vein Sect it’s just a matter of making a copy—and a watered-down one at that.’

’Strictly speaking, they haven’t given up anything of substance, yet they managed to offer something that hits right where it matters, winning the Song Clan’s favor.’

’But that’s fine. The Golden Crow Sect came even better prepared this time.’

After Li Siyuan took his seat, Chen Tianyang rose and declared, "During the recent Battle of the Three Kings, my sect’s Golden Sun Master slew the Ice Toad Demon King and obtained a [Profound Yin Cold Crystal] from its cave abode. He has specifically instructed me to present it to congratulate our Fellow Daoist on ascending to the Purple Mansion!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire assembly was in an uproar.

It was common knowledge that there were two paths to breaking through to the Golden Core realm: the [Five Elements Golden Core Dao] and the [One Element Golden Core Dao] (see Chapter 127 for details).

The [One Element Golden Core Dao] was a path exclusive to Single Spirit Root Cultivators. Though incredibly difficult, it only required fusing with a single, compatible Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Object.

The [Profound Yin Cold Crystal] was a Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Object of the Ice Attribute.

This was equivalent to the Golden Crow Sect giving the Song Clan a chance to form a Golden Core. Its value was far beyond what could be measured in Spirit Stones.

Song Changsheng was also stunned. ’I know about the Battle of the Three Kings,’ he thought. ’It happened while I was on my way to Hundred Herbs Hall.’

The [Ice Toad Demon King], [Golden Horned Demon King], and [Profound Python Demon King] of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had laid a trap for the first Allied Army of the Daqi Cultivation World. Their goal was to ambush and kill the first two Golden Core Masters who ventured into the mountains.

But their plot was exposed and crushed by the Human Race. The [Ice Toad Demon King] and the [Golden Horned Demon King] were slain on the spot, and the [Profound Python Demon King] escaped with grievous injuries. The forces of the Demon Race in the Hundred Thousand Mountains suffered a devastating blow.

’After the battle, rumors spread that the Golden Crow Sect had obtained a Golden Core opportunity. I never expected it was true, let alone that it would show up here on Vast Mist Peak as a gift. This is an incredibly weighty present.’

However, Li Siyuan, who had just sat back down, was silently cursing Chen Tianyang for his shamelessness.

’A Golden Core opportunity... It sounds impressive, but there’s a lot more to it than that,’ he thought. ’The Golden Crow Sect isn’t that benevolent.’

’First, a Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Object of the Ice Attribute can only be used by a cultivator with an Ice Spirit Root. You can’t find a single Purple Mansion Cultivator with an Ice Spirit Root in the entire Daqi Cultivation World.’

’Song Xianming has a Gold and Water Spirit Root, and Song Changsheng has a Fire and Water Spirit Root. For them, this Spiritual Object is completely useless—a pretty trinket they can’t even sell.’

’Forget the distant future; for at least the next few hundred years, this thing will do nothing but collect dust in a storeroom.’

’Even if the Song Clan somehow manages to produce a Purple Mansion Great Perfection Cultivator with an Ice Spirit Root in the future, there’s no guarantee they could even use it.’

’The Yin Cold Power within the [Profound Yin Cold Crystal] is incredibly potent. An ordinary person couldn’t possibly fuse with it.’

’The Golden Crow Sect has deep resources and plenty of cultivators to choose from; they have no need to take such a risk. This object is disposable to them. Otherwise, they never would have been so generous as to give it to the Song Clan.’

This was why Li Siyuan was so furious. ’My gift may have been a watered-down copy, that’s true, but at least they can actually use it! What the hell is this thing you’ve given them?’