Chapter 29: Different Paths, Different Plans

Many onlookers sneered at the sight of a disciple with a weak seed giving advice to a Purple Seed. But to their surprise, Xu Yu nodded earnestly. “Brother Haoxuan, you don’t have to worry. I won’t be like them. You’re absolutely right!”

One of Zhang Kuang’s followers mocked him without restraint. “A weak seed lecturing a Purple Seed, what a joke. Only someone as naive and kind as Senior Sister Xu would believe his nonsense.”

Qin Haoxuan couldn’t be bothered to respond to their taunts. Li Jing just laughed to himself at Qin Haoxuan’s shortsightedness. He was, after all, just a hunter from a small village. As an emperor or a prince, one could command resources beyond a commoner’s wildest imagination. And as the Sect Master of Taichu!

The resources one could obtain would be vaster than anyone present could possibly conceive. Just the spiritual energy in the Hidden Dragon Abbey was far beyond anything the rest of the Taichu Sect could offer.

Only by standing higher can one see further. Without that perspective, how could one know what amazing resources were available at that level?

The more Li Jing thought about it, the more he felt he had overestimated this Qin Haoxuan. A frog at the bottom of a well is still just a frog at the bottom of a well. If Qin Haoxuan had ever been to the Hidden Dragon Abbey, if he had felt the spiritual energy that was a hundred times denser than the outside world, he wouldn’t dare to speak such nonsense. But then again, as a mere weak seed destined to be a menial disciple for life, what chance would he ever have of going to such a place?

Zhang Kuang’s brow was furrowed. For once, he didn’t immediately fly into a rage to rebut Qin Haoxuan. After his lesson from Perfected Man Huanglong, he had calmed down enough to actually listen, and he found that there was some truth to his words. But… while the principles were correct, they were incomplete.

“Haoxuan, there is some sense in what you say, but it’s a pity…” Zhang Kuang said with a smile. “Cultivation still requires resources. Without them, you can’t hope to achieve much. Only by becoming the Sect Master can one enjoy the best resources in Taichu. It’s a shame that you, a mere weak seed, will never understand the benefits. To spout such nonsense and influence Junior Sister Xu Yu’s future, you should be careful. If the elders hear of this, they could charge you with the crime of leading a Purple Seed astray and have you turned into an imbecile.

Faced with Zhang Kuang’s condescending lecture, Qin Haoxuan just smiled and said nothing. When people’s paths diverge, even half a sentence is too much.

Zhang Yang nodded in agreement from the side. Although he had fallen out with Zhang Kuang, he deeply understood the point about becoming Sect Master to gain superior resources. With Master Guyun’s guidance, pills, and Marrow Cleansing, he, a Gray Seed, had only been a few hours behind Zhang Kuang and had even completed the Rooting Stage before two of the Purple Seeds.

All of that was the benefit of resources.

Unfortunately, Qin Haoxuan’s words would never reach the ears of Perfected Man Huanglong. Having been the Sect Master for decades, he would have been greatly impressed. Although he enjoyed the sect’s best resources, they were still limited. His cultivation had stagnated since he reached the Dao Fruit Realm, and his duties prevented him from leaving. At his level, he understood the importance of mindset and perspective even more. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Being tied to the small Emperor Peak was like being imprisoned in thought and vision, causing him to miss out on countless potential opportunities.

Compared to a sudden enlightenment or a heaven-defying treasure, the “superior resources” he enjoyed as Sect Master were trivial.

Of course, if Huanglong were here, he wouldn’t look down on Zhang Kuang and the others. They were still young, only 16, and had much room to grow. It was natural for geniuses with Purple Seeds to be arrogant. As their cultivation deepened, their character would naturally mature. There was no need to rush.

Cultivation is not a sprint; it is a marathon.

“In the future, when your cultivation hits a wall, you will naturally understand that what I said today was right,” Zhang Kuang said. Seeing that his words had no effect on Qin Haoxuan, he saw no point in continuing and returned to his room.

Qin Haoxuan just smiled calmly. Speaking of resources, could the resources a mere Sect Master of Taichu has possibly compare to the entire Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley? Even with the valley’s resources, one still needs a diligent and open mind to achieve greatness. The idea that one can become a top expert through resources alone is nonsense. The One-Leaf Golden Lotus was a perfect example.

Was a treasure that even the Grand Ancestors dreamed of not good enough? If he hadn’t been cultivating the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, he would have exploded from its power.

Right now, he was only in the Immortal Seed Realm and just needed to absorb a large amount of spiritual energy to sprout his seedling. But as his realm advanced, he would need not just an accumulation of energy, but also a broad and open mind.

As the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art said: “A moment of enlightenment is worth ten years of bitter cultivation.”

After days of being tormented by the lotus’s power, Qin Haoxuan had thought a lot. He had come to a conclusion: a cultivator’s opponent is never another person, but the heavens themselves.

Besides Xu Yu, who agreed with him, most people thought Qin Haoxuan was just suffering from sour grapes. But in an unnoticed corner stood the bearded man, his face grim. He stood in the shadow of a large tree, seeming to blend into nature itself.

He had witnessed the entire event, and when he heard what Qin Haoxuan had said to Xu Yu, he had nodded repeatedly, thinking, His Dao Heart is strong, and his comprehension is excellent. What a pity his aptitude is so poor! If any of the three Purple Seed disciples had such a Dao Heart and comprehension, their future achievements would be limitless.

The farce ended on a sour note. After breakfast, they all hurried to the lecture hall.

When Elder Chu entered, he sensed four faint pulses of spiritual energy—the sign of having completed the Rooting Stage. He looked in surprise at the three Purple Seed disciples and the Gray Seed, Zhang Yang, his eyes lingering on the latter for a long time.

It was understandable for the three Purple Seeds to succeed in eight days. They were Unsurpassed Purple Seeds, after all. But Zhang Yang was just a Gray Seed. He remembered that Perfected Man Huanglong, who was also a Gray Seed, had taken a full 20 days to succeed, and that had been a new record for the sect.

He glanced at the other Gray Seed, Murong Chao, and saw that he had not yet succeeded.

Could Zhang Yang have had some fortuitous encounter?

A Gray Seed disciple should take at least 20 days. An uncolored full seed would need more than 25 days, and an uncolored weak seed might not succeed for a month or two.

Though shocked, he did not forget his duty. He cleared his throat and said, “Today, I will be teaching you the Art of the Eight Trigrams. If you do not master this, you will not be able to learn Formation Arts in the future, as this is the foundation.”

“Formation Arts are a profound field of study for cultivators, and they are very useful. For example, when you are out exploring and encounter danger, you can use a formation to escape.”

“Formations are divided into two types: illusionary and offensive/defensive. An illusionary formation can make an enemy see all sorts of things, such as the sky falling or a sea of fire. A powerful expert can combine an illusionary formation with a Spiritual Sense Assault to frighten an enemy to death.”

“An offensive/defensive formation, as the name suggests, is for attack and defense. If someone takes a wrong step inside, the formation will draw upon the power of heaven and earth to attack them. There are also advanced formations that can augment the caster, making them much more resilient.”

After his introduction, the disciples’ eyes lit up with interest. Seeing their eagerness, he added a word of caution, “However, Formation Arts are extremely demanding. A single mistake can cause a backlash. If your fundamentals are weak, it is very difficult to succeed. There have been many jokes about people who got trapped and died in their own formations.”

His words immediately dampened their enthusiasm. Seeing that his goal was achieved, Elder Chu smiled. “But it’s not that difficult. As long as you master the basics, setting up a few simple illusionary formations is quite easy.”

“Alright, let’s begin with the Art of the Eight Trigrams. The eight trigrams are composed of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Gen, Li, Kan, Dui, and Xun. The art is the various calculation methods derived from their different arrangements, which can produce different results, such as the Life Gate, Death Gate, and Harm Gate of a formation…”

Elder Chu spoke with gusto, and the new disciples listened with fascination. Although the Art of the Eight Trigrams was the foundation, it was incredibly profound. Some with good comprehension could grasp a part of it, while others were completely lost. But not wanting to become a laughingstock who died in their own formation, everyone listened intently.

Among the 200 disciples, there was only one exception.

Sitting in the classroom, Qin Haoxuan felt the medicinal power in his body stir again. His flesh and blood felt as if they were about to ignite. In this state, how could he possibly calm his mind enough to listen? If not for the fact that his tolerance had increased over the past few days, anyone else would have already stripped off their clothes. He endured it for a little longer, but when he could no longer bear it, he whispered to Xu Yu, “Can you take notes for me? I’m going to meditate for a bit.”

Under Xu Yu’s surprised gaze, Qin Haoxuan sat up straight, assumed a meditative posture, and began to absorb spiritual energy to neutralize the increasingly violent power within him, fearing that if he waited any longer, it would cause his body to explode.

Seeing this, a flash of displeasure crossed Elder Chu’s eyes. But then he glanced at Xu Yu, who was diligently taking notes, and out of respect for her, he did not interrupt. Otherwise, with his temper, he would have already thrown Qin Haoxuan out of the classroom.

He sighed to himself. This disciple was too stubborn, his priorities completely backward.

Cultivation was not just about sitting and absorbing spiritual energy. It was a vast field of study that included alchemy, talismans, formations, and many other subjects, none of which were simple. Many geniuses had spent their entire lives mastering just one of these subjects, and even that was enough to become a titan in the cultivation world.