Chapter 137, Scraping by and A Gift from the Elder

Translator: Raznick

 

Die without regret!

 

When Zhou Chun spoke those words, Zhou Daoyi looked at his determined expression and felt deeply shaken.

 

A young cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment at the age of thirty-six actually had the courage to utter such words!

 

He was willing to stake his remaining two centuries of lifespan on it!

 

That was truly astonishing!

 

It caused Zhou Daoyi to feel an unparalleled shock!

 

“Perhaps I now understand why I didn’t dare to cultivate these top cultivation methods back then!

 

“The ancients said, ‘If you hear the Dao in the morning, you can die happy in the evening!’

 

“Someone who doesn’t have a true determination to abandon themselves for the Dao is not worthy of cultivating those top cultivation methods that can lead to immortality!”

 

A sense of shame and inferiority arose spontaneously.

 

Yes!

 

When they were scraping by, they only thought of a cultivation method that would keep them safe and allow them to cultivate to the Violet Palace and Golden Core Stage, allowing them to live for many more years.

 

They had already lost their desire for enlightenment!

 

Those ordinary cultivation methods, whether they were the first kind that allowed one to obtain a powerful special skill after cultivation or the second kind that allowed for rapid advancement of spiritual power cultivation, were all pretty much guaranteed not to make anyone reach the Nascent Soul stage.

 

Their appearance was a result of later generations reflecting on the difficulties of cultivation and editing and modifying the top cultivation methods left behind by their predecessors, ultimately producing these two inferior versions.

 

It seemed that these inferior versions were even better, lacking the hidden dangers that could easily lead to death after cultivation.

 

But in reality, they had set the fate of those who cultivated such cultivation methods from the very beginning.

 

They were merely a group of petty people who had no hope of achieving Dao!

 

They were just a group of people who could only live a few hundred years longer than others!

 

Indeed, the cultivation world today, in terms of the number of cultivators, far surpassed that of the ancient era.

 

The human race’s current status was also thanks to these two inferior cultivation methods, which created a large number of Foundation Establishment, Violet Palace, and Golden Cauldron cultivators.

 

However, in terms of true power, the cultivation world today was actually far inferior to the ancient era.

 

After all, in the ancient era, every cultivator cultivated top cultivation methods like the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art, and each one possessed a heart of seeking immortality.

 

Although many people perished on the path of immortality, they never regretted stepping onto it!

 

Compared to those who dared to confront the dangers of the Dao and dared to face death, these seekers, the vast majority of cultivators today, were indeed lacking the will to yearn for Dao.

 

“Very well, since you are so insistent and your heart of seeking the Dao is so resolute, then I will not advise you any further, as long as you do not regret it.”

 

Zhou Daoyi finally gazed at Zhou Chun with a complex expression and nodded, no longer attempting to persuade him to change his mind.

 

“Thank you, Clan Leader, I absolutely won’t regret this!”

 

Zhou Chun gave a firm reply.

 

Then Zhou Daoyi had him secure the translated copy of the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art, returned the other items to their original positions, and reapplied the art to restore the protective shield above the stone platform.

 

Next, he and Zhou Chun left the stone chamber and returned to the Central Palace.

 

“Keep the translated copy of the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art with you so you can contemplate it whenever you like, but if you leave the clan, remember not to take it out!

 

“This cultivation method is extremely difficult to master, and the resources required to cultivate it are also considerable. You should first study it carefully, and if you have any needs afterwards, bring them up to the clan, and the clan will consider helping you.

 

“In any case, don’t rush to start cultivating it immediately. Try to prepare everything thoroughly. You are a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so you have plenty of time!”

 

Within the Central Palace, after returning, Zhou Daoyi gave Zhou Chun a series of earnest admonitions, urging him to be exceedingly careful.

 

Aside from these matters, Zhou Daoyi felt he couldn’t offer any further suggestions on cultivation.

 

These top cultivation methods were only chosen to cultivate by a few members of the Zhou Clan, let alone now.

 

The last cultivator who cultivated a top cultivation method and achieved considerable success was Yu Jinghua, the Golden Core cultivator who caused great resentment among the Zhou Clan cultivators!

 

At this time, after a series of heartfelt admonishments, Zhou Daoyi paused briefly and then looked at Zhou Chun and said, “Since you have now selected a cultivation method, let’s choose a day for you to accompany me to visit the Grand Elder and receive the artifact he bestowed!”

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

Zhou Chun replied and immediately excused himself.

 

Over the next few days, Zhou Chun did nothing, simply studying the jade book.

 

After carefully studying the cultivation method recorded in the jade book, namely the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art, and the four external protective methods, Zhou Chun discovered that if preparations were sufficient, the danger of the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art wasn’t as high as initially thought.

 

Aside from the initial forging of the Dao Cauldron being quite dangerous, the subsequent shattering and reforging, though each time carried a risk to life, could be managed.

 

If one could follow the tried and tested methods summarized by previous cultivators and make sufficient preparations, the success rate would be quite high.

 

Even for the initial forging of the Dao Cauldron, there were methods to help a cultivator minimize the risk of Dantian and meridian fracture.

 

Of course, those methods were not easy to achieve.

 

Otherwise, Golden Cauldron Mystic Art wouldn’t have only been mastered by one person in the Zhou Clan since it was obtained over nine hundred years ago, and that person ultimately died during the initial shattering and reforging.

 

“Meridian Protection Pill, Meridian Nurturing Pill, and Metal Qi Dispersing Powder; if I can prepare these three things and help the main meridians adapt to the metal Qi impact, the chances of successful forging will be greatly increased!

 

“Since the Zhou Clan has senior cultivators who have successfully cultivated the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art using this method, then so can I!”

 

In the room, a flash of brilliance appeared in Zhou Chun’s eyes, and boundless confidence surged within him.

 

When he initially cultivated the Hard Gold Sword Energy, he had experienced the pain brought on by the intrusion of metal Qi into the body.

 

But he also realized that while the intrusion of metal Qi was dangerous, it wasn’t insurmountable.

 

And the power of the Hard Gold Sword Energy fully justified the suffering he had endured at the time.

 

Now, while the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art was extremely difficult to master, Zhou Chun also believed that as long as he could successfully cultivate this cultivation method, then in the future, it would be difficult for anyone at the same level to beat him.

 

Having made this decision, Zhou Chun went to see the Clan Leader, Zhou Daoyi, and then proceeded to the summit of Pagoda Peak to visit the Grand Elder, Zhou Mingde, at his cave.

 

Zhou Chun had always been curious about what the cave of a Violet Palace Stage cultivator was like.

 

This fulfilled his curiosity, accompanying Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi into Grand Elder Zhou Mingde’s cave.

 

Grand Elder Zhou Mingde’s cave was located approximately a hundred and fifty meters below the summit of Pagoda Peak, a typical embedded cave.

 

These embedded caves were created when cultivators used great spiritual power to carve open a mountainside, excavating a spacious area within the mountain’s interior, and then dividing it into stone chambers for various purposes.

 

These caves had many advantages: one was safety and secrecy; the cave was located deep within the mountain, and there were layers of array reinforcement inside. It was not easy for outsiders to discover the cave, and to threaten the cultivators inside, they had to first break through the mountain.

 

Two was that it was more convenient for cultivators to absorb the spiritual energy emitted by the spiritual vein.

 

After all, spiritual veins were usually located underground, and some nodes where spiritual energy converges were also usually underground.

 

There was exceptional privacy, with thick mountainsides and heavy cave stone doors separating them. Even a Golden Core cultivator outside the cave would find their Divine Sense unable to penetrate the thick mountainside and cave stone doors to glimpse the inside.

 

The stone door of Grand Elder Zhou Mingde’s cave was fifteen meters thick and crafted from a hard stone called a profound stone.

 

After entering through the main door, there was a corridor that led to multiple stone chambers with different purposes, each chamber also having its own thick stone door for protection.

 

This arrangement somewhat resembled the secret bases that Zhou Chun had seen in science fiction movies in a past life.

 

The cave’s lighting was not provided by Sun Augite but by Sun Jewels, which were much greater, special artifacts capable of absorbing free spiritual energy to create light.

 

Zhou Chun also noticed that the air in the cave was very smooth, which proved that, out of his sight, there were ventilation openings leading directly to the outside, bringing outside air inside for circulation.

 

Following Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi through the cave’s corridors for a distance, Zhou Chun then entered a stone chamber with its door open.

 

Inside the chamber, he saw that it was fully equipped with tables, chairs, and benches and even had some potted plants, looking like a waiting room.

 

Grand Elder Zhou Mingde was seated on a chair at the head of the room.

 

Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun witnessed this and immediately performed a formal bow of respect, saying, “Greetings, Grand Elder.”

 

“Please, take your seats.”

 

Zhou Mingde waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down.

 

The two expressed their thanks once more, saying, “Thank you, Grand Elder.”

 

They then sat down on the guest seats together.

 

After taking their seats, Zhou Daoyi bowed to Zhou Mingde, cupping his hands, saying, “Grand Elder, Zhengchun has already chosen his primary cultivation method, and I brought him here to seek Grand Elder’s guidance.”

 

This was naturally just a formality; after all, he couldn’t simply go and ask for something.

 

Zhou Mingde was also aware of this in his heart.

 

But he didn’t rush to give Zhou Chun what he wanted and instead looked at him, saying, “Daoyi told me a few days ago that you chose to cultivate the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art. I must say, you have quite the ambition and a lot of courage!”

 

Zhou Chun’s brow moved slightly at the words, but he remained silent.

 

Zhou Mingde’s words were merely his own views, not a question that needed an answer.

 

And Zhou Mingde, seeing him silent, seemed to understand his meaning.

 

He nodded immediately, saying, “Rest assured, since you’ve made a choice and are willing to bear the consequences, no one will obstruct your path.”

 

Speaking of this, he said solemnly, “However, I still suggest you first study the cultivation insights left by that senior cultivator from our clan and gather the large amount of metal Qi needed for forging, even if it takes ten or eight years; it would be worth it!

 

“During this time, you can take over Daoyi’s responsibilities, allowing Daoyi to focus on cultivating and breaking through to late Foundation Establishment.”

 

So this was the condition for being granted those second-grade artifacts?

 

Zhou Chun listened to Zhou Mingde’s words and quickly understood their deeper meaning.

 

It was clear that, given the considerable risk of failure and death when attempting to cultivate the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art, Zhou Mingde was worried that if he were to fail and die, it would cause a great loss to the Zhou Clan.

 

That loss was not only due to losing a Foundation Establishment cultivator but also a great hindrance to Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s attempt at the Violet Palace.

 

Because if Zhou Chun, this painstakingly cultivated Deputy Clan Leader, died, then Zhou Daoyi would have to continue serving as Clan Leader, focusing on clan affairs.

 

This would form a great obstacle to his attempt at the Violet Palace.

 

Compared to Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, whose lifespan was not particularly long and who could not withstand much waiting and delay, Zhou Chun, who was only thirty-six years old, was still young even if delayed by eight or ten years, and the impact on his future path would not be great.

 

To be honest, if it were for anyone else, Zhou Chun would certainly be extremely reluctant at this moment and might even refuse those second-grade artifacts.

 

However, Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi had shown him kindness, and the debt of gratitude he owed was unmatched within the Zhou Clan.

 

For the sake of Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s path, delaying himself by eight or ten years, Zhou Chun was still willing to do and was not so resistant.

 

Therefore, he looked at Grand Elder Zhou Daoyi next to him and quietly responded, “I will follow Grand Elder’s teachings and will certainly take good care of clan affairs!”

 

“Very good, with your words, I am relieved!”

 

Zhou Mingde nodded approvingly, very satisfied with Zhou Chun’s response.

 

Then he reached out and patted his storage bag, and two beams of light flew out of it, falling into the air in front of him.

 

The two items were, astonishingly, a long nail shimmering with golden spiritual light and a token radiating yellow light—a perfect offensive and defensive pair of inferior second-grade artifacts.

 

“These artifacts were spoils I acquired from slaying enemies. Their power is quite remarkable, so I bestow them upon you as protective items!”

 

Zhou Mingde said, waving his sleeve, and pushed them towards Zhou Chun.

 

“Thank you, Grand Elder, for his generosity.”

 

Zhou Chun responded respectfully and calmly accepted the two artifacts into his pouch.

 

Afterward, he listened as Zhou Mingde offered a few words of encouragement and then departed from the cavern with the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi.