“The theories of Daoist internal and external alchemy have continued to be derived to this day. The so-called cultivation to produce a core is in fact to ‘cultivate the Dao’. All cultivation systems from the Daoist school of Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and the beginning of Core Formation. However, you can also say these days that ‘cultivation’ is in fact a type of thing, the Dao and the truth. There are two kinds of explanations. If the Dao is said to cultivate something, it is an internal alchemy system. The truth is said to be one’s comprehension concerning the Dao, the physical and the metaphysical…”

Xu Yangyi’s gaze dimly flashed. Heavens Law hadn’t spoken about these subject matters in such detail at all.

“It can also be said the truth is to speak of the real. Perhaps the self? The first thing that one does is the first thing that appears in one’s mind? The heart’s most original thought?”

Xu Yangyi pensively put his hand on the basement door and mumbled, “There are some cultivators where their devotion to upholding justice is their ‘truth’. There are some cultivators where even the favor of the heavens is insufficient for the drawing of a hair, yet this is also their ‘truth’...” [1]

Zhou Tingting looked at Xu Yangyi’s face. His expression wasn’t impatient but rather meticulous in reflection. She continued to softly speak, “However, there are also experts that say the ‘Dao’ and the ‘truth’ are actually a single kind of thing these days. It’s just that their interpretation is different. The Dao, according the explanation of experts, is a path. The truth is one’s true self. In reality, both are to advance onwards. Anyways, even in the last several thousand years, the debate of this academic theory still hasn’t been finished...”

“By the way…” She pursed her lips and said, “there’s a secret. That in those years, there were actually two editions of The Harmony of the Trium, that is, The Eternal Alchemy Canon… The edition left behind was only for ordinary people to read, and Wei Boyang, as an ancestor-level figure in a Daoist alchemy sect, had the other cultivation arcane effort, which is carved on something… It’s said that even the name of The Eternal Alchemy Canon was blessed by Celestial Master Zhang, Zhang Fuhan, and was even taken by he himself…” [2]

Xu Yangyi suddenly looked towards Zhou Tingting, and she jumped in fright, immediately stepping back and waving her hands in disarray. “It’s just something I heard! All of it’s rumors! Sir knows that there’s similar information like this on the news forums everyday! For every hundred articles there aren’t, there are eighty that are! That’s really what I’ve heard!”

Eventually, Xu Yangyi stowed his gaze. Those words had sent his heart rate pumping. The arcane effort inside the chest that he owned was the Eternal Alchemy Canon! Even Daomaster Floatingcloud’s Burning Heavens Revelation was born from this arcane effort!

After experiencing the mysterious lotus pond, the Burning Heavens Revelation had expanded no less than ten fold in characters. If said the single portion of the over-a-dozen-times-expanded Eternal Alchemy Canon was enough to create the modern cultivation world’s treasured Burning Heavens Revelation, then, as the hidden edition of The Harmony of the Trium, it was at least absolutely impressive to the modern cultivation age.

“You’re pretty interesting.” After he swept his eyes over Zhou Tingting, he immediately pushed open the basement door. At the same time, in his heart, he had already come to a resolve. Once he left seclusion, he wouldn’t mind guiding her for a bit.

Even in death, this girl would insist on preserving her honor. And while her aptitude was rather high, it wasn’t on the same level as his by any measure. However, she had a strong point.

Her memory was terrific, and she moreover had a sharp curiosity concerning the fantastical secret matters of the Eight Trigrams. [ref八卦 - Eight Trigrams. Important concept in Daoism. Kinda hard to explain, but it's an idea of the interpretation of the cosmic on the real world. Heavily involved with topics such as “Feng Shui”, Geomancy, Anatomy, Astrology, etc.[/ref]

He lacked such a person at his side. Even though he would establish contact with Mao Ba’er later, the latter was more proficient on how to grow his reputation, how to get him better missions, and finding better opportunities and so on.

He needed a vizier on the cultivation world.

Thump… The door behind him shut and what appeared before him was a basement formed from limestone. There were no other items. However, the surrounding limestone was carved with a talisman he was exceptionally familiar with.

The Spirit Drawing Formation. It was a simplification of the Spirit Focusing Formation and its efficacy was estimated to be only a twentieth of a low-grade Spirit Focusing Formation. However, its advantage was that it didn’t require spirit stones.

In comparison to the surrounding qi drawn by the Spirit Focusing Formation, the changes were obviously different. The Spirit Drawing Formation only caused a thin layer of milky-white mist to appear on the floor. If a normal person entered this stone room, they would certainly feel extremely comfortable and their ailments would completely vanish. But for Xu Yangyi, a genius cultivator, it merely made him feel that the old wounds on his body had improved a bit.

He calmly sat down in meditation. The incredibly familiar Hundred Solutions instantly bubbled forth in his mind. His thoughts seemed to bob up and down again as if they had entered a spirit spring, and each one of his pores comfortably opened.

He was a genius. However, he further understood that there were many geniuses in this world!

The reason why Sunnihilator was called a genius among geniuses wasn’t because his aptitude surpassed all others. Rather, it was on account of his ability to use his superhuman talent to survive and cultivate to the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment!

Only by continuing to survive did one have the qualifications to be called a genius. In China’s history, there had never been a lack of geniuses that had come to an early end halfway through their journey.

His first step was to heal all his internal injuries. Then, with the most perfect mentality, he would begin to cultivate his primary arcane effort—The Harmony of the Trium, The Eternal Alchemy Canon!

Beep beep beep… Simultaneously, within a secret room in a Featherwood Guard branch, countless maps were endlessly exchanging locations on ten computers. Yet at this moment, all of them turned completely gold and beeped. The massive “Incapable of Assessment, Tracking Failed” message was terribly piercing to the eyes.

The room was deathly quiet. Several people looked at the computer with a cold sweat and felt a faint killing arua come from behind.

An old man carried both his hands behind him and seemed to stand leisurely at their backs. He was still wearing a changpao, and his long white beard fluttered on his chest as before. However, both of his eyes had turned incomparably icy since the beeping noise had started to ring.

“I have been cultivating for 112 years…” His fairly hoarse voice rang out in the room. “Five years ago, I ended my 21-year seclusion.” What he said was irrelevant, but not a single one of the present people dared to answer. Even the secretary at his side was bowing at the waist, drenched in cold sweat. “I don’t understand the internet. But, I do understand one thing.” He suddenly walked over to an employee’s side and patted the latter’s swivel chair, faintly laughing. “And that’s if you don’t understand, then hand it over to a professional. Right?”

“Yes…” As the the old man spoke, the employee didn’t dare to look straight at him.

“And yet…” The old man laughed grimly, “this is how all of you treated my ‘trust’.”

“We beg your forgiveness!!!” Before his voice even fell, no one remained seated. Everyone now stood up together and orderly bowed as if they had conspired to do so, causing the short old man to appear a good deal taller. He seemed to be a crane amidst a flock of chickens.

There was no response and only after a few seconds passed did they hear the old man murmur, “Stand up.”

No one got up, and the old man coldly laughed, taking his three cultivator secretaries out of the room with him.

“S-Sire…” Just as the old man was about to step out of the room, a high-level employee gritted his teeth and said lowly, “I r-really am sorry, but…”

The old man’s gaze swept over him like electricity, and he paused yet still said bitterly, “Just now… the target that you wanted to track… not only was he not found…”

The old man gently stepped forward. The employee’s head was buried even lower. “But moreover… because the target’s web duration was so short, the matter was so sudden, and the positioning being so unimaginably fast… In the final phase… In the final phase…”

“Someone hacked into our Featherwood Guard branch’s central system. J-Just now, all of the data…”

Bang! Bang! Bang! The door opened by itself, absent of the wind. Soon after, heavy repeated smashing against the door frame nearly splintered it.

Just as he left the room, the old man’s complexion became even chillier. At this moment, he was truly exhibiting the suppressive might of a cultivator that was capable of reaching Foundation Establishment. The footsteps of the three Qi Condensation secretaries behind him became much lighter.

“How many legions are under the control of Mingshui Province’s Featherwood Guard?”

“Senior, among the registered legions, forty of them are C-level…”

Before he even finished speaking, he was cut off by the old man’s icy words. “How many legions among them have scouts that specialize in tracking?”

“Three.” The secretary hurriedly lower his head and said. “The Heaven Listener Legion, the Wind Trace Legion, and the Tiger King Legion…”

“I want an A-level legion!” The old man turned his head, a sneer hanging at the crook of his mouth. “Those good-for-nothings can’t even find an IP address.”

“Commander Chu’s Hidden Dragon Legion…”

“No need to speak to him.” The old man laughed coldly, “If there’s no one else, immediately have the Heaven Listener, Wind Trace, and Tiger King Legions dispatch their best scouts. Straight to the Mingshui Province branch.”

“But the Hidden Dragon Legion…”

The old man looked at him without a shred of emotion, and the secretary pursed his lips and lowered his head. “Senior, please forgive this Junior for being presumptuous… but these three legions are undertaking missions as of now… Perhaps they’ll be able to debrief in two months…”

“Then have them come to see me at once when they do!” The old man deeply sighed, his gaze throbbing with eerie killing intent. “If anyone leaks anything about today’s matter…”

“No! I dare not!”

“I won’t act outside of Senior’s instructions!”

Coldly snorting, the old man stormed off.

The Hidden Dragon Legion?

Only someone of his position could know about that lordship’s command. If there was anything else… it was that Chu Zhaonan was a special cultivator of the Chinese government!

The branch’s system had been hacked? And on the verge as the target was about to be found? It was absolutely certain that one of his men was a rat!

Thunk! Somewhere else, Gao Ye set his keyboard aside, sweating profusely. His fingers were slightly trembling, and he shut his eyes while leaning back into his chair and said, “Brother Chu, it’s just like you expected. The Featherwood Guard branch was just using their search system to retrieve his address at full capacity.”

The cloaked man appeared to be a sculpture in the night, taciturn.

“Brother Chu.” Gao Ye lit a cigarette and said suspiciously, “It doesn’t matter if we let them find him, right? On the contrary, hostilities are going to break out between you and the Branch Master. What we did was too obvious. I was too rushed for time; I didn’t have enough time to cover my tracks.”

“Dead.”

“???”

“He’ll die.” The man raised his head to look at the starry sky. “If someone else finds him, he’s dead meat.”

“How’s that possible!” Gao Ye stood up in fright. “H-He’s the real number one! His potential is boundless! He also has a Core Formation arcane effort! How’s that possible! Who’d want to give up on him?!”

The man didn’t speak and said sorrowfully after a while, “In the face of a taboo, there is no room for the willing and unwilling, only the worthy and unworthy.”

“There’s a real apex authority that’s put an astronomical bounty on his head.”

“A taboo? A Core Formation arcane effort?” Gao Ye jumped straight up. “A real apex authority? Who?”

There was no response. After several minutes passed, the man lifted his cloak and jumped down from the treetop. His gaze already laid in a place devoid of human presence, radiating a sword-like edge.

I know you won’t just die like this. I haven’t defeated you, so how can you die? Three years, three whole years, I’ve searched for your information. How can I let someone else fight over you right in front of me? I owe you a life, and I’m using this time to return it to you!

Time flowed on second by second. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. In the basement, Xu Yangyi opened his eyes for the first time. At this moment, he only felt incomparably well.

His entire body, every cell had recovered to their peak state. He clenched his fist and a powerful strength appeared once more in his flesh. Three years ago, he was capable of defeating all his graduation classmates without a challenge. The present him held that similar kind of self-confidence!

1. The favor of the heavens is insufficient for the drawing of a hair - I think I did justice to this phrase, but it’s supposed to mean the person is mega cheap and stingy. A super tightwad.

2. Celestial Master Zhang is a real figure. In fact, his bloodline has even been traced down to this day, albeit with some current succession conflicts. All the names I wrote down all belong to the same person. Chinese figures (especially ancient ones) get different names (courtesy, etc). Celestial Master Zhang is considered a major Daoist figure. You can read more on wikipedia.