stonecrandall Chapter 261 Gathering, Discussion
Chapter 261 Gathering, Discussion
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The three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ten miles outside Jinhua City, in a secluded valley nestled against the mountains and beside the water, several newly built bamboo houses are scattered in a neat and orderly fashion.
This is Uncle Nine's masterpiece of the past few days. He used Maoshan Taoist techniques to promote the growth of bamboo and wood, and asked nearby villagers to help build it, preparing a quiet place for the group members to stay.
"This place is nice, Uncle Jiu."
Ye Fan stepped out of the teleportation tunnel, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction.
The valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. In the early morning, the thin mist swirls among the mountains, and the outline of Jinhua City can be vaguely seen in the distance.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, you flatter me." Uncle Nine, dressed in a Daoist robe and holding a whisk, smiled gently. "This humble Daoist is merely extending a small token of hospitality."
Before the words were finished, figures emerged from the void.
The first to arrive was Yan Ling Ji.
Today, she unusually didn't wear her signature crimson dress, but instead changed into a simple, dark black outfit. Her long black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she looked very dashing.
"Ninth Uncle, I'm here!" Yan Lingji looked around excitedly. "Where's the others? Have they all arrived?"
"We're still a few short," Uncle Nine said with a wry smile. "Miss Yan Lingji, please be patient."
Just as Yan Lingji was about to say something, the space at the courtyard entrance fluctuated again.
This time, a figure emerged, clad in silver armor and a red dress, with pure white wings sprouting from her back—Angel Yan.
"Sister Yan!" Yan Lingji's eyes lit up. "You're here too!"
"There's an event in the group, so of course I'll come," Angel Yan smiled slightly. "Besides, helping Master Lin slay demons and monsters is in line with Queen Keisha's justice and order."
Uncle Nine quickly thanked him.
Angel Yan waved her hand, her gaze falling on Lin Yuan: "Lord of Heavenly Fortune, thank you for your help last time."
"It was nothing," Lin Yuan shook his head. "Besides, you paid me, so it was a fair trade."
As the two were talking, the space at the entrance of the courtyard began to fluctuate again, and two figures appeared at the same time.
Gu Xun'er wore a light purple dress with exquisite cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and despite her young age, she already possessed the demeanor of a well-bred young lady.
Beside her was a little girl who was half a head shorter than her; it was Qinglin.
"Greetings, Ninth Uncle." Gu Xun'er greeted him politely.
Qinglin timidly greeted, "Hello, Uncle Jiu."
Uncle Nine smiled kindly and handed the brewed tea to the group.
The space fluctuated again, and this time it was Meng Qi who arrived.
"Uncle Jiu!" he waved heartily. "Long time no see! You look great!"
"Thank you, thank you." Uncle Nine smiled and handed over the tea. "Fellow Daoist Meng Qi looks much more energetic."
Xiao Meng looked around: "Why hasn't Han Li arrived yet?"
"I arrived a long time ago."
A slightly hoarse voice came from the forest, and Han Li's figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.
He was still wearing an ordinary Taoist robe, with a simple and honest face, and his aura was as restrained as that of an ordinary person.
"As expected of the savior of suffering, Han Tianzun, you certainly know how to pick a spot," Meng Qi laughed. "Come out of the woods like that, anyone who didn't know better would think you were lying in ambush."
Han Li remained expressionless: "It's just a habit, please excuse my poor appearance."
At that moment, a streak of light flashed across the sky, and Shi Hao descended from the heavens.
It's been a long time since I've seen him. He's grown taller and has a more spirited look in his eyes, but his bright eyes are still lively and alert.
"Am I late?" Shi Hao looked around. "Why haven't Brother Lin Yuan and Ya Ya arrived yet?"
"What's the rush?" A clear voice rang out, and as space distorted, Tu Shan Ya Ya jumped out from the void.
Today, she was unusually not wearing her signature red outfit; instead, she wore a light pink dress, her fluffy fox ears swaying gently on her head, and her tail wagging behind her.
"Wow, so cute!" Yan Lingji couldn't help but reach out to touch Ya Ya's ears.
"Don't touch me!" Ya Ya quickly dodged away. "I'm not here to be your pet!"
The Ancient One was the last to arrive.
She was still wearing a yellow robe, her bald head was shiny, she held a staff, and golden runes were faintly flowing around her.
"Master Gu Yi!" Uncle Nine stepped forward to greet him. "It is a great honor for me to have you here."
"Uncle Nine, you're too kind," Gu Yi said with a smile. "It's a rare opportunity to get out and about, so I had to join in the fun."
Uncle Nine exchanged pleasantries with his group members for a moment, then suddenly...
"Looks like I'm the last one to arrive."
A voice came from the void, and then Lin Yuan's figure appeared out of thin air in front of everyone.
Today he was dressed in a simple black robe, his long hair casually tied back, giving him a more scholarly air.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Uncle Nine said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists have come from afar. I have prepared tea and snacks. Why don't you come and sit in the bamboo hut first?"
No one objected.
……
The largest room in the center of the bamboo house was set up as a reception room, with several bamboo chairs surrounding a bamboo table, on which were placed several plates of exquisite pastries and a pot of tea.
Uncle Nine personally poured tea for everyone.
"This is the famous Cloud Mist Tea of Jinhua City. Although it is not as good as the spiritual teas of your worlds, it has its own unique flavor."
Ye Fan picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and nodded in praise: "Fragrant and mellow, indeed quite good."
Han Li also took a sip, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "This tea actually contains a trace of spiritual energy. It seems that although this world is not of a high level, it is not completely barren."
"Fellow Daoist Han has discerning eyes," Uncle Nine said with a smile. "This tea grows on the Cloud Mist Mountain outside Jinhua City, and is nourished by the spiritual energy of the mountain year-round, which is why it is somewhat different."
The group sipped tea and chatted casually.
Meng Qi was the most active. He first pulled Ye Fan aside and asked him all sorts of questions, from the current state of the Earth to the situation of the Beidou system, and then from An Miaoyi to the little girl. The questions came one after another, leaving Ye Fan overwhelmed.
"Grandma Ye, when you went back this time, didn't your uncle and aunt urge you to get married?" Meng Qi winked.
Ye Fan rolled his eyes: "They did want to urge me, but once I officially led them onto the path of cultivation, they didn't know what to say."
……
Shi Hao was very interested in the snacks on the table. He picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, took a bite, and his eyes lit up immediately.
"Delicious! Uncle Jiu, did you make this?"
"I'm not good at cooking, so these pastries are from the best pastry shop in Jinhua City," Uncle Jiu said with a smile. "Brother Shihao, please have more if you like them."
"Then I won't be polite!" Shi Hao picked up another piece.
Lin Yuan felt a rare sense of relief as he watched this scene.
Since breaking through to the level of an immortal god, he has either been in seclusion studying secret techniques or traveling around the universe. It has been a long time since he has leisurely chatted with people over tea like this.
"Brother Lin, how's it going on your end?" Meng Qi leaned closer. "I heard you've been serving as a guardian beast god for the Ancestral God Sect lately? How's it going?"
"It's alright," Lin Yuan said casually. "It's just a title; I don't have to do anything."
"That's great!" Meng Qi said enviously. "Getting a salary without doing any work, that's my dream!"
"You're going to be the big boss who inherits the Jade Void Palace in the future, what do you need so much money for?" Ye Fan teased.
"That's for the future, but I need to eat now!" Meng Qi retorted confidently. "Besides, I'm a high-ranking Dharma Master; don't I have any pride when I'm out in public?"
"A Dharma Body expert?" Han Li suddenly spoke up, "Since Fellow Daoist Meng has already attained the Dharma Body realm, may I ask what level of strength he has reached?"
Meng Qi chuckled: "Currently, I'm only a Human Immortal, not much different from the peak of the Outer Realm. It's roughly equivalent to... well, the Mahayana stage in your world?"
Han Li's pupils contracted slightly.
Mahayana period!
That's the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm; one more step and you can ascend to the Immortal Realm.
"Fellow Daoist Meng is indeed a genius." Han Li exclaimed sincerely.
"Oh, it's all luck," Meng Qi said modestly, but he couldn't hide the smugness on his face.
"By the way, Han Li," Ye Fan suddenly remembered something, "you said you encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation, how's it going now?"
"Slight progress has been made," Han Li said calmly. "I recently comprehended an ancient cultivation technique, which has deepened my understanding of the Nascent Soul stage. Breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage should only be a matter of time."
"A Nascent Soul cultivator..." Ye Fan sighed. "I remember in the memory copy, you cultivated in the mortal realm for over a thousand years before reaching the Nascent Soul stage."
"That was the original timeline." Han Li shook his head. "Now, with the help of the chat group and the exchange of experiences among fellow Daoists, it's naturally much faster."
The group got so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't realize it was noon.
Uncle Nine stood up and said, "Fellow Daoists, please sit for a moment. I will go and prepare lunch."
"Uncle Jiu, let me help you!" Yan Lingji also stood up.
"Me too!" Shi Hao raised his hand.
"Then I thank you both very much." Uncle Nine nodded with a smile.
……
Not long after, Uncle Nine and his two companions returned with the dishes.
Lunch was plentiful, including Jinhua ham, steamed sea bass, braised lion's head meatballs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pot of fragrant chicken soup.
"These are all specialties of Jinhua City, which I specially invited the chefs from the city's restaurants to prepare," Uncle Nine introduced. "Fellow Daoists, please have a taste."
Everyone readily accepted the invitation and began to eat.
"Mmm! This ham is delicious!" Shi Hao picked up a slice of ham and ate it with his mouth full of oil.
"This fish is very fresh." Ye Fan nodded.
"The soup is good," Han Li rarely praised.
The male group members ate rather roughly, while the girls were quite different.
Yan Lingji and Gu Xun'er were talking in hushed tones, Qing Lin was eating the food in her bowl in small bites, while Ya Ya looked at the table full of meat with disdain.
"Is this all you humans eat?" the little fox scoffed.
"What's wrong? Not to your liking?" Lin Yuan asked with a smile.
"It's too greasy," Ya Ya said with disdain.
The other person's expression was so cute that Yan Lingji couldn't resist teasing her: "But I remember that foxes are omnivorous."
"But we don't eat such oily food!" Ya Ya shook her head like a little adult. "Never mind, I'll just go back to Tushan and eat fruit."
Lin Yuan joked, "Then I'll have to go visit Tushan."
"Hmph, I won't entertain you now that you're here," Ya Ya retorted defiantly.
The crowd laughed.
……
After lunch, everyone continued chatting.
Meng Qi suggested playing some games, but everyone rejected the idea, as no one knew what kind of trouble this guy would come up with.
Finally, Ye Fan suggested, "Why don't we exchange cultivation experiences? After all, we are all cultivators from different worlds, and we might benefit from learning from each other."
The proposal was approved by everyone.
Thus, a unique philosophical discussion began.
Ye Fan's path to the Holy Body lies in breaking free from shackles.
The Holy Body lineage was cursed by the combined efforts of many supreme beings, so every time he advanced to a higher realm, he had to fight against the rules of heaven and earth. This unwavering determination to defy the heavens stirred the blood of many present.
Of course, Han Laomo is definitely not among them.
He was of average talent in the human realm, and his advancement was not due to talent, but rather to his habit of always having a backup plan.
He emphasized that cultivation is like climbing a cliff; one should not seek speed, but rather ensure that every step is firm and solid.
These words, though not eloquent, made everyone present feel exceptionally reassured.
Gu Xun'er then spoke.
She mentioned that the bloodline of the ancient clan's Dou Di is not a panacea; on the contrary, the stronger the bloodline, the easier it is to develop a dependence on it during cultivation.
The real key lies in control rather than borrowing. One must distinguish between one's own talents and those of one's bloodline, and not rest on the laurels of one's ancestors.
When it was Yan Lingji's turn, the atmosphere became more relaxed.
Although her strength is not as great as the previous ones, she seems to glow when it comes to fire and illusion.
She believes that fire has not only a destructive side, but also a deceptive side.
The flickering of firelight can affect human vision, and subtle changes in temperature can disrupt human perception.
She uses flames as a medium for illusions, luring her enemies into the visions they fear or crave most without their knowledge.
This idea of merging two seemingly unrelated paths impressed Lin Yuan.
……
The discussion lasted for the entire afternoon.
As the sun set, the group reluctantly stopped.
"Listening to your words today is more valuable than reading books for ten years," Uncle Nine remarked.
"Likewise," Ye Fan said with a smile. "I've also learned a lot of the essentials of Taoist arts from Uncle Nine."
"Alright, that concludes our discussion." Lin Yuan stood up. "It's getting late; we should head to Lanruo Temple."
Then everyone remembered their real business.
"Right, right, I almost forgot about Granny Tree Demon!" Meng Qi slapped his forehead. "Uncle Nine, lead the way!"