Chapter 42: Seclusion from the World, Late Stage Foundation Establishment

"Master, a great enemy is upon us. If I were to flee now, I fear I would never be able to face humanity again."

"I have only just begun my cultivation, and I have never witnessed the might of a Golden Core True Person."

"Master, please just consider me a newborn calf that fears no tiger."

Tian Mingan knelt on the ground, refusing to lift his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"Ha, what a joke."

Jiang Sheng couldn't help but laugh. "Do you perhaps still harbor some hope?"

"For instance, that your Master might summon some expert to assist us?"

"I might as well tell you plainly: I am merely an inner disciple of Penglai, nothing more than an ordinary one."

"There are countless inner disciples of Penglai, and deaths during outer training are commonplace. No one will come to assist me, and no one will come to avenge me."

"Given this, do you still wish to stay and face certain death?"

Tian Mingan raised his head, his expression resolute. "This disciple will stay."

Looking at Tian Mingan's stubbornness, Jiang Sheng merely tossed out a casual sentence: "Then stay you shall."

With that, Jiang Sheng flicked his sleeve, releasing a burst of spiritual energy.

The Flowing Light Jade Water Array set within the Taoist temple was fully activated. A curtain of flowing light and water rose, enveloping the temple and isolating it from the outside world.

"Take care of yourself. Your Master is entering seclusion."

Jiang Sheng dismissed Tian Mingan and sealed the main doors of the temple's front hall. After that, not a single sound emerged from within.

Tian Mingan stared at the tightly closed front hall, pursed his lips, and turned to enter the side hall.

From then on, the Qingxuan Temple fell into absolute silence, and outsiders could no longer detect any truth or falsehood within its walls.

The first to discover that the Qingxuan Temple was inaccessible was Tian Guofu.

He had intended to climb the mountain to see his grandson, but to his surprise, the entire temple was obscured by a water curtain, making it impossible to approach even an inch.

Tian Guofu tried to call out, but his voice seemed to be cut off from the outside.

Left with no choice, Tian Guofu had to return.

When the solar term of Jingzhe arrived, Zhang Qing also wished to visit the temple to seek an audience with Jiang Sheng, only to find that he, too, could not approach the temple.

Upon returning to the county magistrate's office, Zhang Qing shared this news with Zhang Qingyun and analyzed that Jiang Sheng was in seclusion and did not wish to be disturbed by outsiders.

Consequently, Zhang Qingyun joyfully issued a public notice, informing all the gentry, wealthy merchants, and commoners of the county that Daoist Jiang had entered seclusion for cultivation, and unauthorized persons were not permitted near Qingshi Mountain.

At first, some did not believe it, thinking it was a trick by Zhang Qingyun.

But after several groups of gentry went up the mountain only to be blocked outside the temple, everyone knew that Daoist Jiang had truly entered seclusion.

From then on, although small groups of people still came seeking incense or talismans, they all returned empty-handed, blocked by the water curtain.

Thus, within a few short months, Qingshi Mountain gradually faded from the public's memory.

Compared to the mysterious Daoist Jiang, who could never be seen, the mundane concerns of daily life were more worthy of an ordinary person's attention.

Furthermore, rogue cultivators were all busy and desperate, struggling for cultivation resources like spirit stones, pills, and techniques; they had no time to care about others.

The names "Qingxuan Temple" and "Daoist Jiang" simply faded from the sight of the people in Dong County.

Inside the Qingxuan Temple, however, Jiang Sheng felt that this period had been extremely comfortable.

Every day, he gathered the morning glow and the moonlight, converting them entirely into the pure spiritual energy within his body, steadily increasing his cultivation bit by bit.

Every single day, Jiang Sheng's progress was visible to the naked eye.

For ordinary rogue cultivators or those from small sects and families with poor aptitude and lacking resources, it was common for their cultivation not to grow for ten days, half a month, or even half a year.

But for a cultivator like Jiang Sheng, who practiced Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, his Dao foundation was constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Coupled with the extraordinary nature of the Penglai technique, the *Scripture of Heaven's One Generating Water*, Jiang Sheng's cultivation grew very rapidly.

In just three short months, Jiang Sheng's strength had risen another level.

June, the Summer Solstice.

After more than three months of seclusion, Jiang Sheng left the front hall for the first time.

During these three months, not only had Jiang Sheng reaped great rewards, but Tian Mingan had also gained some sense of cultivation.

He was now a second-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

When Jiang Sheng emerged from seclusion, Tian Mingan was overjoyed. "Master, you have emerged?!"

"I merely came out for a breath of air, and to check on your progress while I was at it."

Jiang Sheng sized up Tian Mingan and then nodded. Tian Mingan's aptitude was not bad; to reach the second stage of Qi Refinement in three months without guidance was quite excellent for a newcomer.

"If you have any troubles in your cultivation, speak up quickly. There is no telling when I will emerge next time," Jiang Sheng said.

Hearing this, Tian Mingan hurriedly voiced his doubts regarding the cultivation of the *Green Essence Talisman Scripture*.

Jiang Sheng himself had practiced the *Green Essence Talisman Scripture* up to the ninth stage of Qi Refinement before specializing in the *Scripture of Heaven's One Generating Water*, so his understanding of the former was naturally profound.

Furthermore, since Jiang Sheng was now at the Foundation Establishment stage, his insights into the *Green Essence Talisman Scripture* were even deeper from a higher vantage point.

Thus, Tian Mingan's doubts were quickly resolved by Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng even went as far as to release his spiritual energy to demonstrate the circulation of the technique to Tian Mingan, and explained the two protective arts within the *Green Essence Talisman Scripture*.

Following Jiang Sheng's explanation, Tian Mingan clearly gained a great deal.

It was truly as the saying goes: "A single word of true transmission is worth ten thousand volumes of false teaching."

Progress was absolutely different when one had guidance compared to practicing blindly.

Seeing that Tian Mingan was intent on following his methods, Jiang Sheng added, "Mingan, I am currently only at Foundation Establishment, but some of my insights are shared with you."

"Remember, any technique is composed by its creator according to their own circumstances."

"If the creator achieves one hundred percent effectiveness, then for outsiders like us, it might only be seventy or eighty percent, or even less."

"The *Green Essence Talisman Scripture* actually achieved its current balanced and peaceful nature through continuous refinements by successive generations of true disciples of the Dao Sect, making it suitable for all cultivators' enlightenment."

"But even so, everyone's situation is different, and cultivation cannot be generalized."

"What I teach you are merely my personal insights. You must never imitate me entirely; there must be something of your own within it."

"Do you understand?"

Tian Mingan nodded thoughtfully. "This disciple understands."

Jiang Sheng nodded and looked up through the Flowing Light Jade Water Array toward the mountains. He saw rolling peaks of lush greenery. "All things are growing and flourishing; it truly is a fine time."

The next day, Jiang Sheng returned to the front hall to resume seclusion.

After only one day of life breathed back into the Qingxuan Temple, it returned to silence once more.

Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged before the portrait of the Ancestor, quietly circulating his technique and meditating to refine his Qi.

Whenever his cultivation reached noon, Jiang Sheng would take a Yuan-Gathering Pill; by evening, he would take a Vitality-Nurturing Pill.

Jiang Sheng only took these two pills daily, never being greedy.

No matter how superior a pill was, the concept of "pill toxicity" still existed.

In the Great Realm of Mountains and Rivers, there had never appeared a celestial pill that was entirely free of toxicity and could be one hundred percent absorbed and utilized.

Jiang Sheng knew well that he could not be insatiable; cultivation must progress with moderation.

Every month, Jiang Sheng would even set aside specific time to expel the pill toxins from his body to prevent them from affecting his future Core Formation.

The sun and moon turned, summer rains gave way to autumn winds.

In the blink of an eye, it was late autumn, and the Qingxuan Temple had been absent from the eyes of the Qingshan County people for more than half a year.

During this half-year, Zhang Qingyun felt extremely comfortable.

With Jiang Sheng not appearing, Zhang Qingyun felt as if the great mountain hanging over his head had vanished, leaving him feeling incredibly light.

Furthermore, as the complex web of gentry in Qingshan County had been largely cleared out, the remaining gentry knew exactly who held power in the county now.

They all bowed their heads to him, making Zhang Qingyun's administration very smooth.

In the current Qingshan County, there was no interference from gentry, no River God by his side, and even Daoist Jiang was in seclusion.

Zhang Qingyun had never felt this good.

It is said that when good things happen, one's spirit is refreshed. After more than half a year of fermentation, the Imperial Court had indeed sent rewards to Zhang Qingyun.

The encouragement from the court was secondary; what pleased Zhang Qingyun most was a quota granted by the court to enter the Qingzhou Daoist Palace for cultivation.

That was the quota he had long yearned to secure for his daughter.

However, when Zhang Qingyun told Zhang Qing of this news, she appeared very indifferent and did not seem particularly happy.

"Qing'er, this is the qualification to cultivate in the Qingzhou Daoist Palace. Are you not happy?" Zhang Qingyun asked, very puzzled.

Zhang Qing replied, "Father, for you to secure such a rare resource for your daughter, I am naturally joyful."

"But Father, what is the cultivation level of the preaching masters at the Qingzhou Daoist Palace?"

"Purple Mansion stage. Is that not enough?" Zhang Qingyun asked in confusion.

Zhang Qing said, "The Purple Mansion stage is naturally not low; after all, the eight great families of the eight prefectures of Qingzhou are only at the Purple Mansion stage."

"But Father, above the Qingzhou Daoist Palace, there are the three great sects of Qingzhou."

"Compared to a Golden Core True Person, is the Purple Mansion stage still something to be joyful about?"

As she spoke, Zhang Qing looked up at the blazing sun in the sky. The autumn sunlight was still somewhat piercing, forcing her to raise her slender hand to shield her eyes.

"Father, if one is to cultivate, one must naturally follow the best."

"Though I do not know my own aptitude, I am considered intelligent."

"I also have ambitions. Mother spent her entire life as a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, driven to death by labor for the family, and even a Foundation Establishment cultivator is but an ordinary elder in a family."

"I wish to attain the Golden Core, to see what kind of scenery exists at the realm of a Golden Core True Person."

Zhang Qingyun was stunned for a long time before sighing despondently. "In the end, your father underestimated you."

The autumn wind was bleak, and leaves fell withered and yellow.

From late autumn to deep winter, it felt like the blink of an eye.

A year of time seemed to have passed just like that.

Mortals sigh deeply as time flows, suddenly finding it late, and the colors of the world are more faded than yesterday.

Time is incredibly precious, whether to mortals or cultivators.

Even those in the mortal world whose wealth rivals nations cannot trade for time, and longevity-extending pills in the cultivation world are harder to find than anything.

Yet, while mortals feel a hundred years is too long, cultivators feel a single year is too short.

As that year passed, while countless people were lamenting how carefree or how boring the year had been,

Jiang Sheng in the Qingxuan Temple finally emerged from seclusion once again.

In the deep winter of the twelfth lunar month, a new spring arrived.

Outside the mountains, fireworks filled the sky, accompanied by firecrackers and lanterns, filled with festive joy.

Inside the mountains, it was quiet and soundless, with the moonlight cold and solitary, isolated from the world.

Standing in the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon in the midnight sky and feeling the tangible, substantial late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation within his body, Jiang Sheng's expression remained calm, without a hint of joy.

"There is only one year left."