Daoist Competition

After Zhang Yan posed his question, Zhao Houzhou only hesitated briefly before deciding to reply truthfully. He bowed and said, "Daoist Zhang, my late master once discovered a Cave Mansion left behind by an ancient Immortal during his travels. Within, he obtained a Dao Skill. Seeing that the Dharma techniques recorded within were extraordinary, he abandoned the Dao techniques from our sect and began cultivating this new method. Now, the Dharma techniques cultivated by my three fellow disciples and I all originate from it."

She Yutang let out a light sigh and spoke, "My senior brother and I have been in the Hua Dan Realm for years, and soon we will break through the ’Acupoint Barrier’ to step into the Second Realm. Our late master could have passed down the True Seal Seed to us, but alas, he encountered a mishap while cultivating a Mysterious Skill and had to prematurely undergo sacrificial refinement. He only managed to leave us with a single instruction before passing on and being reborn. He once told us that the Cave Mansion still holds many hidden secrets. Thus, we hope to explore it again and see if there’s a chance to condense the True Imprint of Dharma Power."

Jin Qiongniang and Yan Zhongjie both showed traces of sorrow on their faces.

Without a master’s care within the sect, one was inevitably at a disadvantage. Fortunately, their senior brother and sister had already achieved Golden Core formation, so they wouldn’t easily be bullied.

Zhao Houzhou spoke gravely, "There are many prohibitions within this Immortal Mansion. Back when our late master entered, he had to rely on a sect elder to escape intact. However, that elder was severely injured while overcoming the forbidden array and passed away within a short time of returning to the Mountain Gate. To navigate those prohibitions, one must rely on the ’Nangeling Life Protecting Banner’ for protection, which is why we’ve come here to seek your assistance, Daoist Zhang."

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As he spoke, he once again bowed respectfully to Zhang Yan.

There was really nothing to hide about this matter. Within the East Splendor Continent, such Dao fields and legacy mansions were quite common, though most originated from Loose Cultivators. To Zhang Yan, a True Disciple of a Great Sect, these were not worth his attention.

As for the legacy mansions of ancient Great Power Immortals, there were indeed many that remained, but they were beyond the reach of Cultivators who were not True Masters.

In Zhao Houzhou’s view, Zhang Yan had achieved a First-Grade Elixir Formation and cultivated supreme Mysterious Skills within his sect. Why would individuals practicing Outer Dao techniques even catch his eye? Even if they presented their methods directly to him, he might only glance at them briefly, so there was nothing worth concealing.

"Is that so?"

Zhang Yan nodded slightly, silently pondering, "It seems this Dao Skill cultivated by Daoist Zhao must have some peculiar properties; otherwise, he wouldn’t have abandoned his sect’s cultivation techniques."

Yet he was not surprised, as such circumstances were fairly common. Although a sect’s methods were often Upper Grade, they were not always suited to individual cultivation. If the ancient Cave Mansion contained remaining elixirs or magic artifacts to enhance one’s cultivation, switching to a different technique wouldn’t be unusual in the slightest.

Among disciples of a master-disciple lineage, there were often many students, but few truly stood out. Only a handful of Direct Disciples ever truly received their master’s favor. Thus, when other paths presented themselves, hesitation was unnecessary. Even within the Mingcang Sect, many disciples followed this approach.

Take Master Sun, for example—he didn’t cultivate the sect’s internal techniques. Instead, he practiced the "Lan Yun Secret Volume", which he obtained by chance. This seemingly unremarkable Daoist Book allowed cultivation from Ming Qi Realm to realms higher than Grotto Heaven.

Unfortunately, although Master Sun had gifted Zhang Yan one volume of the Daoist Book, Zhang Yan was not his Direct Disciple. Thus, receiving subsequent spells was impossible.

However, cultivating external techniques wasn’t without its flaws. Without guidance from sect elders, one had to rely solely on personal exploration and understanding, which made it easy to encounter significant issues.

Privately, Zhang Yan speculated that Zhao Houzhou’s master likely faced such troubles, ultimately leading to the mishap. After contemplating for a moment, he asked, "Daoist Zhao, how much time would be needed for sacrificial refinement of this magic artifact?"

Both Zhao Houzhou and She Yutang revealed expressions of delight. The former, now invigorated, immediately raised three fingers and responded, "Not long, not long—just three days."

Zhang Yan couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise, saying, "Oh, only three days?"

He had initially thought that refining this Dharma Treasure would take at least ten days to half a month, which would delay his cultivation greatly. Absorbing the True Sand Essence was manageable, but conducting in-depth deductions on cultivation techniques was absolutely not to be delayed. Yet, realizing it only required three days, he no longer hesitated. Even if he received no reward, he could lend his assistance.

Zhao Houzhou smiled bitterly and explained, "Daoist Zhang, three days is indeed not long, but the furnace fires required for refining this treasure are extremely unique..."

He first pointed at himself, then at She Yutang, continuing, "Previously, my junior sister and I sought assistance from several Daoists who achieved Elixir Formation at the Third Grade Middle Level, but none of them lasted longer than three hours."