Master of Strange Dao

Yu Ziqing felt a bit troubled; ever since coming to this world, he hadn't had many peaceful days.

His life was at constant risk, previously fearing starvation or being slaughtered and eaten, and now worrying that chaos outside would spread to the village.

Yang had said there was a convention among cultivators not to massacre mortals, and not to involve mortals in their battles. The stronger the faction, the less likely they were to do such things. In great Divine Dynasties like Daqian, Dali, and Dazhen, this was even written into the law codes.

Even if two countries went to war, they wouldn't battle in places where mortals lived. If unavoidable, they would relocate mortals early.

Yang only mentioned this but didn't say that people in the Jinlan Mine wouldn't be in much danger.

Yu Ziqing clearly knew that if something was to be said to matter, it surely did matter. Whether cultivators or Divine Dynasties, mortals as the mass foundation were always put in the spotlight, proclaimed loudly for everyone to hear.

But when it came to actual conflict, who would really care so much?

If they really feared acting recklessly because of some mortals, so many mortals wouldn't die every year, and those living on the borders wouldn't be so few and pitiful.

Those places weren't all barren lands with scarce resources. On the contrary, many border areas were rich in metal ore, Spirit Jade, Spiritual Medicine, demon beasts, and precious birds.

Yang had told him many things, from geographical features to human society, and then to cultivation practices related to cultivators, talismanic scripts, runes, formations, Magical Treasures, etc. He taught him a lot of knowledge every day, like force-feeding a duck, which made him a bit anxious.

Seeing that he could now independently produce terribly effective sedatives, Yang started teaching him about plant spiritual medicines, metals, and other related things, letting him try his hand at simpler tasks.

Yu Ziqing understood that Yang was definitely a Dao Cultivator, naturally wanting him to follow this path, first cultivating Dao as a mortal, and then moving on to Qi Refining Cultivation. At worst, there would be no mistakes in the first few tiers, making the foundation reliable and perfect.

This way, in the later stages, he could go farther, not stopping at a certain level of strength and regretting all his life.

But Yu Ziqing always had a clear understanding that these things were too far from him, so far that he couldn't even grasp a clear concept.

He just wanted a bit of security first, not to die before he reached his limits.

Which was also the choice of most normal people.

"Have you really decided?" Yang asked solemnly.

Yu Ziqing looked at Yang, eyes firm and serious.

"Yang, to be honest, if we were now in Langya Institute of Daqian, I could become a scholar there, with a not low status, sheltered by big figures, and a safe surrounding environment, besides becoming a Dao Cultivator, I definitely wouldn't choose anything else.

But we are in the Wilderness, in Jinlan Village.

I can't even use a Storage Bag right now.

And also, Yang, have you entered Dao?"

"..." Yang was silent for a moment, then nodded, "I have entered Dao."

"Was this the path you originally planned?"

"No." Yang shook his head again and immediately understood, sighing deeply, "Alright, I understand, I just think it's a pity."

"There's nothing to pity if you can't live to see tomorrow and you're still thinking about what feast you'll have next year. That's overreaching and unrealistic.

Moreover, I always feel there's a big problem with your method of cultivating Dao first, reaching a limit, and only then entering Dao Cultivation.

Don't ask me what's the problem, I haven't read much, I can't say, it's just a blind feeling.

Having a broad vision is good, but building a foundation at that time is completely different in perception and feeling compared to building it when you're young and inexperienced.

Then, only after years of research, determining that this path was correct would I dare to undertake it.

And now, I don't know right from wrong, but I'm willing and daring to explore, to make mistakes, and even if there's a problem, I'll only think of how to solve it.

You said everyone's path of cultivation is different, so how could I possibly know which is right or wrong without having walked it?

Like now, Yang, with all your knowledge, if you'd entered Qi Refinement, you could have been at least Sixth to Seventh tier.

Do you know whether the path you're on is right or wrong?"

Yang opened his mouth, speechless.

He truly didn't know.

He had never really considered this current path.

No one before had been affected by the Beast Creation Skill and, rather than wanting to remove the Evil Skill, deliberately transformed into beast form, walking this path not knowing whether it was demonic or something else.

Of course, it might also be because, in the past, those affected by the Beast Creation Skill simply didn't have the ability to do so.

Similarly, he also didn't know if Yu Ziqing's reluctance to walk the path of the Dao Cultivator was right or wrong.

"Alright, don't worry, I've been learning from you for so many days, and I've come to understand that you all are like a bunch of researchers in the cultivation world. So even if I start cultivating first, it won't prevent me from doing research later.

You mentioned that after Qi Refining, many studies are impacted, biased, with potential fatal errors, so I simply won't refine Qi."

Yang didn't understand what he meant by research, but he grasped the latter part.

"Then what do you want to choose?"

"I want to first stack armor... no, I want to first undergo Body Refinement. I've studied it, and quite a few pure Body Refinement Dharma Methods don't involve any Qi Refining steps at the early stage; they just require nourishment.

Even if the Alien power permeating the village has an effect, I can still practice with Cece; it's safe and without the Alien power influence in the village."

"..."

Hearing this, Yang felt like he'd bitten into a whole sour lemon, and his facial features twisted in frustration...

Though he said cultivation paths weren't ranked, only people were, and what suited oneself was best, Qi Refining had always been mainstream and orthodox. Even Refining God cultivators needed Qi Refinement.

Body Refinement was always at the lowest level, and even those primarily focused on Body Refinement seldom only focused on that.

Most Body Refinement cultivators also chose paths that allowed dual cultivation of Qi, achieving mutual success.

But genuine, pure Body Refinement cultivators were colloquially called bitter beings.

Where would one find such people?

The various mines, places requiring strength, tough skin, and resilience to hard labor and life-threatening conditions.

Such pure Body Refinement Dharma Methods were ubiquitous. In Daqian, if you weren't afraid to die and were willing to work in a mine, they'd give you a free Body Refinement Magic Formula on the spot. If the name isn't to your liking, they'd pull out a stack for you to choose from.

The main reason?

Because it's easy to learn yet difficult to master, getting started is simple, but advancing is hard, and the stronger you get, the harder it is. Pure Body Refinement cultivators rarely produce top-level experts in a millennium.

On the other hand, Qi Refinement cultivators have rising prodigies every year across various forces, with each power having experts to hold their ground.

Yang really wanted to persuade Yu Ziqing that there was no need, it wasn't necessary, it couldn't be...

But then he looked at his own fallen state, which was actually also for survival.

Advice formed at his lips but just couldn't be uttered.

"You're right, we cultivators should always move forward courageously.

The paths our predecessors carved out were to make it easier for future generations, yet they never intended for them to always follow in their footsteps. They told their successors to find their own way.

Have you decided on which Body Refinement Dharma Method to use for Foundation Establishment?"

"I've decided—'Qi Blood'."

"This one, huh..." Yang thought for a moment, then nodded, "This method indeed meets your requirements. The advantage is that this Dharma Method is basic enough, so much so that except for being easy to learn and hard to advance, it has no shortcomings. Moreover, if you wish to change your method later, it would be very easy, and Qi Blood cultivation can continue without worrying about compatibility."

Yu Ziqing was already aware of this.

Because after Yang taught him enough Dharma Methods, Yu Ziqing finally understood the power he had burst forth with to slay the shepherd last time.

It was the power resulting from practicing 'Qi Blood.'

The feeling of Qi-Blood surging like a furnace, invulnerable to all evils and impervious to all techniques, was something Yu Ziqing had experienced long ago.

And the burst of strength at that time was the equivalent of Body Cultivation at the third-tier Returning to the Orifices Realm.

Now practicing 'Qi Blood' for Body Refinement, there wouldn't be a trace of cultivation error before the Fourth Tier because his body had long remembered what it felt like after three tiers of perfect cultivation.

This was also one of the small parts of the reason Yu Ziqing didn't want to follow the traditional Dao Cultivator path.

After persistently asking Yang to explain and describe in detail, comparing everything, and confirming what he had sensed after practicing 'Qi Blood,' Yu Ziqing had gained understanding.

Just thinking about being a weakling vulnerable to life threats while pursuing the seemingly grand and promising Dao Cultivator path—had I gone crazy or become delusional?

Now, he even more so did not want to learn from them. Instead, he wanted to forge his own path.

It's better to be pragmatic.

Nurturing Qi Blood was simpler. Fresh Jinlan Mushroom kept him full, so what more could he need?

Having decided, Yu Ziqing wasted no time and, after a meal of Jinlan Mushroom, ran to Cece's Despair Abyss for safe practice.

"Sorry to disturb you; it's really unsafe outside and maybe unsafe inside as well, so I can only trouble you here." Yu Ziqing spoke politely, not caring if Cece could hear or had consciousness, and then sat at the edge of the Despair Abyss to start his first cultivation.

The first Realm of Body Cultivation, Qi Blood Realm, corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm in Qi Refining Cultivation. While Qi Refining could rely on pills, elder's guidance, and other means for Hundred Days Foundation Establishment, Body Refinement did not have such aids for circulating and strengthening Qi Blood—it was inherently a painstaking task.

The benefit of it was that it was especially easy to get started.

The moment he began, Yu Ziqing distinctly felt the movement of the Qi-Blood power within, denying any difficulty in starting.

While he carefully attempted control, his body seemed even more relaxed, and the seemingly fiery and turbulent Qi Blood flow was extremely smooth, without any discomfort.

An hour after ending a day of static cultivation practice, Yu Ziqing opened his eyes, revealing a trace of confusion.

He didn't know if the smoothness was due to body-nourishing boxing, selecting a once-felt Dharma Method, or eating Jinlan Mushrooms as meals.

Probably a bit of everything.

After the flowing Qi-Blood settled, returning to the village, he first felt some strange power permeating the air. Yet these mysterious forces neither violated nor confronted him, and were expelled with each exhale following inhalation.

Testing in person for a long time without issue, Yu Ziqing then headed towards the village chief's room.

"Village chief, I have a bold idea..."