Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Essence of the Way

After sensing the arrival of a person, Ji Yang became even more puzzled. He did not know this person, so why had Cui come to find him?

But in the next moment, Ji Yang’s eyes brightened slightly.

Wasn’t he just worrying about how to gather information? Now, here was the information he needed!

He figured this Senior Brother Cui must know quite a bit about the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong.

Ji Yang immediately stood up and opened the door.

Outside, Cui quickly adjusted his head, which had been pressed against the door, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

He simply wanted to listen and see if Ji Yang was inside the room, but he had been caught.

Seeing Cui’s actions, Ji Yang frowned slightly. Why did this person like to eavesdrop?

However, with this observation, it seemed he had more information.

Ji Yang smiled and said,

“So it’s Senior Brother Cui. I wonder why you are looking for me?”

Cui, seeing the smile, also returned a beaming smile and replied,

“To be honest, I came here to discuss the upcoming journey to the Ancient Realm.”

“Is that so?”

Ji Yang’s brow slightly furrowed, causing Cui to feel nervous. He had gathered the courage to approach Ji Yang, but considering Ji Yang’s displayed strength, he feared he might be rejected.

At that moment, Cui had already prepared himself for a possible refusal, but Ji Yang soon spoke up,

“Well then, Senior Brother Cui, come in and speak.”

Cui’s face lit up with joy, and without being polite, he stepped into the room.

Once the two were seated on the cushions inside, Cui’s expression grew a bit more serious.

“Do you have any understanding of the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong, Senior Brother?”

Hearing Cui’s question, Ji Yang started to think.

Understand? He truly knew nothing, which was why he let Cui in, but he couldn’t say that outright. Ji Yang could only respond,

“I assume the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong is very dangerous?”

Cui nodded in agreement.

Dangerous, of course! In his level, entering the realm, he wouldn’t dare to move around carelessly, lest he face a life-threatening crisis at any moment.

Cui had wanted to hear more about Ji Yang’s knowledge of the secret realm, but quickly there was a silence.

When Cui looked up at Ji Yang, Ji Yang was also looking at him, his eyes signaling:

I finished speaking; now it’s your turn.

This caught Cui off guard for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and hurriedly spoke,

“The Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong is a secret realm that appeared hundreds of years ago. On the day this realm was discovered, countless disciples from sects came to explore it, but during the first exploration, most of the low-level cultivators who entered fell within the realm, with only those at the Spirit Transformation Stage or above having the strength to protect themselves.”

“However, when the first batch of disciples who entered came out, they drew the attention of the entire Cultivation World because a Spirit Transformation Stage disciple acquired an object infused with the essence of the Way! Furthermore, it was the unowned essence of the Way!”

Hearing "essence of the Way," Ji Yang’s gaze sharpened, and he finally understood why the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong had such a grand reputation.

Essence of the Way was something only Void Refinement stage cultivators could encounter, and it was also the most crucial element for breaking through to the Unity with the Dao stage! Ordinary disciples had never even heard of it.

If the Foundation Establishment stage was the first step for cultivators on their path, then the Unity with the Dao stage was the second step towards the pinnacle!

Although there were many realms between the two, and the difficulty of advancement was quite large, all of those realms served as a foundation for reaching the Unity with the Dao stage.

As the name suggests, to reach the Unity with the Dao, one must merge with the Dao!

Every cultivator at the Unity with the Dao stage must carve out their own path and understand the essence of the Way within it; only then can they successfully reach the Unity with the Dao stage.

This seemingly simple step has caused countless cultivators to stall at this stage!

Many cultivators spend their entire lives without managing to carve out their own path.

This is because the essence of the Way is subtly profound and not easily gathered.

However, in the Cultivation World, there are other ways to enter the Unity with the Dao stage!

For example, by observing the paths of predecessors and drawing inspiration from them, transforming the essence of their paths into one’s own learning, thus breaking through.

But this method is also quite dangerous, as everyone’s path is different; perhaps the essence of someone else’s path does not suit oneself. Acting rashly could lead to the dissolution of one’s own essence, making it impossible to reach the Unity with the Dao stage!

Or one might collect too many conflicting essences, leading to mental issues, thus preventing any breakthroughs.

Such cultivators are not uncommon in the Cultivation World.

Nevertheless, many Void Refinement stage cultivators are still eager to pursue it, as essence of the Way is hard to find. Even if it belongs to someone else, it can still serve as a reference to carve out their own path.

Among them, the unowned essence of the Way is sought after by all cultivators.

This essence reportedly comes together due to various special conditions, gathering the power of heaven and earth, and most importantly, it has no owner.

This leads to a much lower risk for other cultivators when absorbing such essence; even if they cannot break through, they will certainly gain a lot from it, and crucially, they will not be influenced by the essence.

In fact, there have been many cases where late Void Refinement stage cultivators obtained the unowned essence of the Way and then broke through to the Unity with the Dao stage.

So when Ji Yang heard that the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong produced unowned essence of the Way, he naturally understood the risks and opportunities contained within this secret realm.

Seeing Ji Yang deep in thought, Cui didn’t interrupt but remained quietly by his side, until Ji Yang finally asked,

“Since that’s the case, why doesn’t the sect send all the Void Refinement stage disciples to this secret realm? Isn’t sending low-level cultivators inside just asking for death?”

Ji Yang appeared confused.

After all, essence of the Way is essential for Void Refinement stage cultivators to break through to the Unity with the Dao stage. So why send even Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators, and even those at the Middle Stage of Yuan Ying? Wouldn’t that just increase the number of souls lost in the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong?

Disciples who can cultivate to the Spirit Transformation Stage surely possess some talent, making them irreplaceable resources for large sects.

Hearing Ji Yang’s question, Cui scratched his head, feeling like Ji Yang was implying something about him!

But Cui still explained,

“Senior Brother Ji, you might not know, but this essence of the Way can actually be absorbed by lower realm cultivators, and in fact, it is more beneficial for them.”

“Oh? How so?”

Ji Yang asked, puzzled.

“Because Void Refinement stage cultivators, while not yet at the Unity with the Dao stage, actually have a basic direction when they enter the Void Refinement stage. Each time they elevate a realm, they unknowingly carve out their own path.”

“Different essences clash with each other; even the unowned essence can be difficult to find a match with oneself. This leads to their absorption being limited, and they may even have to discard it due to conflicting essences!”

“However, Nascent Soul Stage and Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators are different. Those at this level often have not yet formed many thoughts or had significant exposure to the essence of the Way. If they encounter the essence at the right time, they can follow that path directly to the Unity with the Dao stage without needing to search for a suitable essence during the Void Refinement stage.”

Listening to Cui’s explanation, Ji Yang looked at Cui in surprise.

He didn’t expect someone of his level to understand so much.