Cultivating To Immortality

Chapter 749: Dharma Transmission Wooden Figure

Song Yan frowned, turned around, and looked at Wang Ke.

His gaze held a hint of disbelief.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what did you just say was the name of the game recorded in this Chess Manual Golden Page?"

Wang Ke was still on the ground, and hearing Song Yan’s question, he was a little puzzled.

"Hm?" He held up the chess manual in his hand: "You mean this?"

"Yes."

"It’s called... ’Five Stars Seizing Meridians True Variation Bright Diagram’."

Song Yan pondered. Why was the name of this Chess Manual Golden Page so similar to the name of the Spirit Refining method in the Spirit Transformation Chapter?

Wang Ke looked at the pages in his hand, then at Song Yan.

He said, "What’s recorded in this manual doesn’t seem like a game, nor is it one of the twenty-four ancient manuals I’m looking to collect."

"If Fellow Daoist Song is interested, you can have it."

It was clear that Wang Ke indeed had little interest in it.

He handed the Ancient Manual Golden Page to Song Yan, then proceeded to set up the final game he played against Yuan Zhen in the finals that day.

Song Yan glanced at Wang Ke’s back and put the Ancient Manual Golden Page into his qiankun bag.

"Thank you."

Wang Ke waved his hand, indicating there was no need to mind: "I can leave anytime; just call me when you’re ready."

Then he refocused his attention on the chessboard in front of him.

Song Yan left Wang Ke’s residence.

When he returned to his own courtyard, he found Xiao Ju standing outside, looking around.

"Senior Song."

"What’s wrong? Why are you standing outside?"

Xiao Ju softly replied, "Your two old friends from the Wu Family have arrived. To avoid being impolite, I’ve already welcomed them inside. Xiao He is currently entertaining them, and I was just about to go to Elder Brother Wang’s place to call you."

It must be Wu Huaguo and Rong Xiaofeng. He hadn’t expected them to visit today.

"Xiao He is entertaining guests?"

He hadn’t heard of it.

As he walked towards the pavilion, Song Yan tried his best to imagine Xiao He politely serving pastries to the two guests.

Unfortunately, people cannot imagine scenes they have never witnessed.

Pavilion tea room.

When Song Yan entered with Xiao Ju, Xiao He was brewing tea for the two guests.

"This is Yan Yan’s favorite and most expensive Spiritual Tea. Try some."

She plunged her entire small hand into the tea bag, scooped out a large handful, and stuffed a considerable amount into the cups in front of Wu Huaguo and Rong Xiaofeng.

After sprinkling it, she rubbed her small hands over their cups, flicking the tea leaves stuck to her hands into the cups.

The couple looked at her back with a half-smile, as Song Yan grabbed Xiao He from behind and lifted her up.

"Huh?"

Snake Babe turned around and saw a familiar face.

"Heh, hehe..." She said with a guilty conscience, "They came specifically to play with you, don’t, don’t be so stingy."

Song Yan took the small bag of Spiritual Tea from her hand: "Go play outside."

"Oh."

She responded, transformed into a small snake, and quickly fled, coiling around Xiao Ju’s hand, leaving the tea room.

Song Yan glanced at the small bag; the already scarce Spiritual Tea was now almost empty.

This was given to him by a Junior Sister from his Sect who visited him after the Sword Wiping Assembly; it was a specialty from her hometown.

This Spiritual Tea tasted completely different from other Spiritual Teas, with a sweet aftertaste.

Rong Xiaofeng noticed Song Yan’s subtle expression as he stared at the empty tea bag and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He lightly coughed: "Fellow Daoist Song enjoys Spiritual Tea?"

"When Guoguo first became the Wu Family’s steward, an elder in the clan who was skilled in the Tea Dao gave her some Spiritual Tea. My wife and I don’t drink this stuff anyway, so I’ll send someone to deliver it then."

Song Yan placed the tea bag on the table and shook his head: "No, no need..."

"Fellow Daoist Song, don’t be so polite with us," Wu Huaguo suddenly said. "That demonic monk Yuan Zhen nearly flayed me and refined my essence blood. If not for your intervention, I’d be stinking by now."

Wu Huaguo also had a strong Heart-Nature. After a close call with death that day, she descended the mountain as if nothing had happened, continuing to direct and arrange the follow-up matters of the Go Dao Assembly as usual.

She simply treated it as having watched a splendid Dao Technique battle up close on the mountain.

One could only say that this person indeed had the demeanor of a family head.

The three of them chatted and laughed.

For Song Yan, meeting these two equally sincere people when he first started out was truly rare and valuable.

During their conversation, Rong Xiaofeng and Wu Huaguo exchanged a look.

Before Yuan Zhen died, to beg Song Yan for mercy, he had mentioned that Wu Huaguo possessed a treasure.

One must know, how could something coveted by a Central Region Buddhist Cultivator be an ordinary treasure?

However, Song Yan had no intention of holding back at the time, and now he never mentioned the matter, which only made the two of them admire him even more.

In fact, Song Yan hadn’t taken this matter to heart at all.

After all, who in the Cultivation World doesn’t have a few secrets?

If he had to uncover and understand the secrets of everyone he knew, what kind of Sword Dao would he Cultivate?

The couple’s visit this time was also very pure: to thank him for saving their lives.

They brought some highly versatile spiritual items and resources, as well as five hundred Spirit Stones.

For the two of them, this was a considerable amount of resources, but Wu Huaguo felt no heartache at all.

If a person died, they would have nothing left.

Song Yan accepted everything. His relationship with the two was good, and false politeness was unnecessary, only appearing more artificial.

"Fellow Daoist Song, won’t you stay a few more days?"

"No, tomorrow at noon, I will be sending Fellow Daoist Wang Ke to Chu Capital."

"Alright then, have a safe journey. When you pass by Bei Ya Mountain, please be sure to visit our mansion again for a cup of tea."

"Definitely."

After seeing off the couple, Song Yan walked alone into the cultivation room.

Actually, leaving today wouldn’t have been impossible.

It was just that, first, the great battle with Yuan Zhen had consumed a lot, and he hadn’t had time to catch his breath; second, leaving immediately was simply too rushed. Unlike Liang Feng, he had no urgent matters to attend to.

It was a good Opportunity to sort through the spoils of war he had obtained from Yuan Zhen.

Yuan Zhen’s storage Spiritual Artifact was not a qiankun bag, but a wooden fish.

He only discovered this after much effort.

However, to Song Yan’s disappointment, there were not many Spirit Stones stored within the wooden fish.

There was only one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and forty to fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, totaling around one hundred seventy to eighty.

He had originally thought everyone in the Central Region was very wealthy, but it seemed that was not entirely true.

In fact, what he didn’t know was that Yuan Zhen’s cultivation had been crippled by the head monk of Jingye Zen Temple, and all his possessions had naturally been confiscated.

This wooden fish was secretly given to him by a young novice monk who was close to him before he was expelled from the Zen Temple.

Furthermore, he needed to consume a large amount of spiritual resources to recultivate his magic power.

Naturally, not much would be left.

In addition, the wooden fish also contained some Spiritual Artifacts he hadn’t had time to sell, perhaps taken from other Cultivators.

Song Yan glanced at them, found none he was interested in, so he organized them one by one, keeping a small heart-protecting mirror and a delicate white Flying Sword, planning to give them to Xiao Ju later.

He would sell the rest at a market near Chu Capital and exchange them for Spirit Stones.

He was about to begin Foundation Establishment, and the more solid his foundation, the better.

Besides these, the wooden fish also contained some Materials from Demon Beasts and two Yao Cores.

Song Yan recognized one item: the essence blood from an ape Yao, which could be used for alchemy.

As for the Yao Cores, he naturally kept them for Xiao He.

Song Yan sorted and categorized all the items, leaving only two.

A small toy figure and a scripture classic.

The small toy figure seemed to be a wooden doll. Holding it in his hand, it felt cool to the touch.

The wooden figure was about three inches tall, entirely a dull golden color, and its surface had many fine cracks, indicating it had endured countless years and hardships.

The doll sat cross-legged, with both hands forming a lotus mudra, placed in front of its abdomen. On its head were nine small dots symbolizing the scars from the vow of ordination (jiebā, Buddhist scalp marks).

This wooden figure had no eyes, nose, mouth, or ears; it had no face.

But all its joints were complete, even the five fingers were exquisitely distinct. A slight movement made it seem lifelike, with a hint of spiritual agility.

"What is this thing?"

He suffered from his lack of knowledge again.

Each of Yuan Zhen’s miscellaneous items was valuable, but this was the only one whose value he couldn’t quite discern.

Could it be some kind of substitute treasure?

He first thought of the scapegoat doll he had once seen in the Earth-Rank Treasure Vault.

In his opinion, if it wasn’t that, then it might be something similar to a shapeshifting Puppet.

In any case, he would refine it first and see.

A wisp of Spiritual Qi merged into it, like a stone sinking into the sea, with no reaction.

Song Yan pondered for a moment, then separated a wisp of Divine Sense and covered the wooden figure’s head.

At this instant, he suddenly felt a huge pulling force, and his Divine Sense was being drawn by something!

This feeling was familiar to him; it was how he felt the first time he entered the Liangyi Realm.

He allowed his Divine Sense to be drawn in by that pulling force.

His consciousness remained clear, but the scene before him changed abruptly.

At this moment, Song Yan’s surroundings had transformed into a void.

Above the vast sky, six sharp golden spiritual lights descended like stars, each containing a completely different might.

Some were condensed yet unreleased, with their sharpness restrained.

Others were majestic and powerful, capable of cutting jade and splitting gold.

"This..."

Song Yan gazed towards the distant sky, where a young-looking monk sat cross-legged, suspended above the heavens.

Fierce winds surged, yet the monk’s kasaya only fluttered slightly.

His eyes were closed, his hands formed a lotus mudra, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

Just as Song Yan was puzzled, he suddenly heard the monk sigh deeply, and even Song Yan was infected by the mournful mood.

"Observing swords for a hundred years, I saw a void, how clumsy of me."

Although the monk was extremely far away, his voice was as clear as if it were right next to his ear.

At the same time, the six descending spiritual lights before Song Yan suddenly transformed into golden runes, swirling and converging in the air, vaguely forming the appearance of a scripture.

Simultaneously, between the six Sword Lights, the small wooden figure appeared.

The wooden figure slowly moved, sometimes waving its arms, sometimes forming mudras, sometimes turning its five fingers.

Its movements became faster and faster, so fast that afterimages appeared, making it impossible for Song Yan to see clearly.

He was about to focus his gaze, wanting to comprehend the profound mysteries within, but his Divine Sense suddenly trembled.

Buzz--

An invisible resistance suddenly descended, as if a thin veil covered his eyes, making it impossible for him to truly see the wooden figure’s movements and the scriptures floating across the sky, no matter how much he concentrated his Divine Sense.

At the same time, the spiritual power and Sword Qi around him began to stir restlessly.

Beneath the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, Sword Qi surged, uncontrollably dissipating outwards.

Within his Meridians, spiritual power surged in reverse, causing a faint stinging sensation.

A huge repulsive force came, and Song Yan’s Divine Sense was repelled by some unknown power from that void.

"Hoo--"

He quickly adjusted his Qi, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The Qi Condensation Chapter circulated, and after half an hour of careful breath regulation, the discomfort caused by the uncontrolled Sword Qi and spiritual power slowly disappeared.

Emerging from his meditative state, Song Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the wooden doll sitting quietly before him.

He took a deep breath, pondering in his heart: "Could this be a ’Dharma Transmission Wooden Figure’?"

Although he had never seen the actual appearance of this item anywhere, the scenes within and the scriptures made him feel somewhat familiar.

Among the anecdotes in the ’Complete Records of Immortal Dao Scenery,’ there were a few strange tales.

It was said that someone in the Cultivation World had obtained an Opportunity, gained an unparalleled Legacy, and from then on, their Immortal Dao flourished, and they rose rapidly.

Among these, several items called "Dharma Transmission Objects" were mentioned.

These were special Spiritual Artifacts used in the Cultivation World to transmit Cultivation Techniques and secret arts, usually refined by high-level Cultivators to preserve core Legacies or secret Divine Abilities.

Dharma Transmission Objects were mostly made by large Sects and given to Core Disciples for study and comprehension.

Some were also refined by high-level Loose Cultivators and hidden in Immortal Caves or ruins, awaiting a fated person. Such Dharma Transmission treasures often tested the successor’s Comprehension Ability or Heart-Nature.

For example, the Dao-transmitting painting recorded in the ’Gazetteer’ carried Cultivation Techniques within a true-to-life illusory painting. Cultivators needed to rely on their extremely high Comprehension Ability to decipher the profound mysteries in the painting to obtain the Legacy.

Another example is the sound Cultivator Legacy that involved solving mechanisms through specific musical notes. Even the Sword Stele within the liangyi pearl is actually a type of Dharma Transmission Object.

It’s just that the one before him used a wooden figure as its medium.

A Legacy Object could not only display the full scope of scriptures, Dao Technique, Divine Abilities, and secret arts to those who studied the Dao, but also embody a part of the transmitter’s understanding of that Dao.

Extremely precious.

However, Song Yan ultimately failed to comprehend the profound secret arts within, and he had some guesses.

He feared that his Divine Sense was barely enough to perceive it, but his Cultivation Realm was far from sufficient. Forcibly comprehending it would only cause both his Sword Qi and spiritual power to go out of control, risking a backlash that could endanger his life.

Therefore, the Dharma Transmission Wooden Figure had expelled him.

This could also be considered a form of protection for those who study the Dao.

And the minimum threshold for cultivating this method, he guessed, was the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The reason was also simple.

Ever since visiting the Sword Sect ruins, combined with many of his previous observations, Song Yan faintly felt something.

In the Central Region or ancient Sects like the Sword Sect, "Foundation Establishment" was generally considered the starting point of Cultivation.

The Sword Sect did not allow Disciples to leave until they reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the Thousand Pills Formulas began its compilation from the "lowest level" Foundation Establishment Pill.

All signs indicated that Cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm seemed to be of little importance.

Unlike places like Chu State, where Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivators could already travel down mountains and were treated as Immortal Masters by Mortals.

So, Song Yan had actually speculated whether Wang Ke might also be a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator whose cultivation had been Sealed.

It was just that he had no way to verify it.

This secret method must have been brought by Yuan Zhen from the Central Region, and it would require at least the Foundation Establishment Realm, or even higher, to Cultivate.

He hadn’t had time to Cultivate it himself, which ironically benefited Song Yan.