My Simulated Road to Immortality

Chapter 114 - 114 109: Transmutation of All Things

The dog, with human hands, walked upright towards them at this time.

Its front limbs held two cups, which it placed on the table.

The cup was swirling with a dark liquid; it was unclear what it contained.

Following that, the dog laid down and started circling around Yin Shangren, as if to get his approval.

“Please have some tea! This is a great thing, brewed with the spirit energy fungus group that I’ve cultivated. If they multiply symbiotically within the body, they can speed up the circulation of spirit energy, enhance the explosive strength of the spirit energy, it has lots of benefits.” Yin Shangren tasted a sip deliciously and told Li Fan.

Li Fan scanned it with his spiritual sense, and discovered that what was churning in the cup were countless minuscule organisms, with peculiar and varying appearances.

So Li Fan sat still.

Seeing Li Fan not drinking, Yin Shangren seemed a bit disappointed.

He didn’t insist, and moved on to the main point, asking, “The so-called foundation building is the building of the Taoist foundation. So, do you know what this Tao foundation actually is?”

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then replied, “The Tao Foundation represents the root of a cultivator’s cultivation. Once a cultivator has achieved perfection in refining energy, one must build one’s own Tao foundation to continue cultivation. Otherwise, even if one’s cultivation continues to increase, it is like building a skyscraper on sand. It will collapse at the slightest shake.”

When discussing academia, Yin Shangren was surprisingly serious. He nodded, saying, “Indeed, before the Great Calamity, there were energy refining cultivators who took a different approach, not building any Tao foundation, focusing solely on refining energy.”

“They claimed that there was no limit to refining energy, and that refining energy in three thousand layers could sever the Unity Path. Unfortunately, this person only refined energy to the ninety-ninth layer, then a golden core cultivator grew impatient with him and killed him casually.”

“Perhaps his path was truly feasible, but firstly, the bodies of energy refining cultivators are weak and unable to bear such immense power. Secondly, regardless of how many layers of energy you refine, it still only provides brute strength. In a real fight against cultivators who have built foundations or maintained higher cultivation levels, he’d be at a great disadvantage.”

Yin Shangren took a sip of tea, continuing, “In ancient times, cultivators learned from nature. They observed the operation of heaven and earth, and understood the rules of the great path.”

“Then they combined their personal realization to make a crude mimicry.”

“After years and months, their thoughts and comprehension about the laws of heaven gradually formed the basis of their latter cultivation.”

“As everyone’s talent is different, enlightened people are high and low; the speed and compatibility of the Tao foundation built up by various cultivators through their comprehension of the great Tao are vastly different.”

“Some could immediately feel something and establish their foundation right away. However, the vast majority are stuck without progress after decades, their hairs turned white.”

“One can get a glimpse of the challenges in cultivation.”

With a sigh, Yin Shangren said, “But that was the past.”

“If we compare the principles of heaven and earth to a heaven-reaching gigantic tree, then formerly, we cultivators, were like tiny spirits among the trees. We fly between branches and leaves, observing and realizing.”

“It was too slow and too difficult.”

“Therefore, after the immortal elders’ law transmission, we cultivators have turned into greedy ants, no longer observing and subtly imitating but directly gnawing the branches and leaves of the giant tree, turning them into our nourishment for growth.”

“In this way, cultivation has surely become countless times faster. And natural treasures are just like these branches and leaves of the tree.”

“They are the concentration of certain rules in the world. With the help of miraculous objects, cultivators can omit the process of personal realization and directly transform it into their own Tao foundation.”

Li Fan nodded, “I remember that it was mentioned in the ‘Theory of Miraculous Objects’.”

“‘Theory of Miraculous Objects’…” Yin Shangren scoffed, seemingly disdainful.

He continued, “If we say, previously, the wonders of heaven and earth were there for us to omit the process of understanding heaven and earth… ”

“Then, let me ask you. Nowadays, some cultivators are extremely talented and don’t need these natural treasures to understand these principles at all. They deeply comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, and in ancient times they could easily establish their foundations. But now, is it still possible?” Yin Shangren stared at Li Fan.