146: Chapter 146 Refining, Nurturing, Tempering, and Enlightenment

Su Cheng scanned his surroundings with the corner of his eye, and after confirming that no one intended to cause trouble, he sat down peacefully to wait for the lecture.

It was worth mentioning that none of the geniuses with Exotic Flames from the selection, such as Wei Tian or Lin Xuewei, had appeared.

It wasn't hard to understand.

Those people had cultivations at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage at the very least and were backed by great clans from the Prefecture City; the resources they received privately were far more abundant than the Sect's monthly allowance.

They naturally disdained attending such basic classes aimed at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment and below.

The buzzing sound of conversation in the lecture hall lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before coming to an abrupt halt.

A majestic and heavy Spiritual Pressure pushed in from outside the door.

Elder Mu Liang had arrived.

This Golden Core True Person appeared to be in his early forties, with a sturdy build, wearing a brown long robe and walking with a brisk, powerful stride.

He scanned the lecture hall and, without any nonsense, stood on the podium and began to speak.

“Today, I will only discuss two things. First, how to stabilize the Dao Foundation. Second, how to refine Divine Sense.”

“Let's talk about the Dao Foundation first. Many of you have just reached Foundation Establishment. Let me ask you, have you ever thought about why it's called Foundation Establishment?”

No one answered.

Elder Mu Liang didn't expect anyone to answer and continued on his own: “Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment—what Foundation are you building? It is your root Foundation.”

“If the Foundation is not firm, every step you take forward is like building a house on sand.”

“No matter how round your Golden Core is or how strong your Nascent Soul is, if the Foundation underneath is loose, it will collapse for you sooner or later.”

“Stabilizing the Dao Foundation centers on four words: Refine, Nourish, Temper, and Comprehend.”

“Refining is refining spiritual power. When the Spirit Sea is first formed, the spiritual power is mixed, containing all sorts of messy auras.”

“You need to operate your Cultivation Technique day after day, repeatedly filtering and purifying your spiritual power until every drop is clean and translucent, without a single trace of Impurities.”

“This process cannot be rushed, and you cannot be lazy.”

“However, you can use Medicinal Pills to assist; the clear spirit pill is for this purpose.”

Su Cheng nodded slightly upon hearing this.

His Creation Spiritual Power was already incredibly pure, so he didn't need to worry about this step.

He already had the Pill Formula for the clear spirit pill and had originally planned to refine it in large quantities for the Su Family and the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce to use.

“Nourishing is nourishing the Spirit Sea. Spirit Seas vary in size; the larger, the better.”

“A wide Spirit Sea means more spiritual power reserves, stronger combat endurance, and a thicker base for condensing a core in the future.”

“How do you nourish it? The qi sea pill.”

“But I advise you: don't be greedy.”

“The expansion of the Spirit Sea must be gradual. If you eat too fast and it bursts, that's no laughing matter.”

“Tempering is tempering Divine Sense.” Elder Mu Liang's voice grew heavier. “The birth of Divine Sense during the Foundation Establishment Stage is your key step from mortal to immortal.”

“The strength of your Divine Sense directly determines your precision in Alchemy, your reaction speed in battle, and your ability to predict danger.”

“How do you temper it? I will teach you three methods.”

He raised his right hand, holding up his index finger.

“The first method is the clumsy method: use it.”

“Use it every day, use it every hour, use it every single moment.”

“Use your Divine Sense to scout the path when you walk, use it to count rice grains when you eat, and keep a sliver of clarity in your Divine Sense even when you sleep.”

“Over time, your Divine Sense will naturally grow slowly.”

“This method has no side effects, but it is too slow, suitable for those Loose Cultivators without extra resources.”

He held up his middle finger.

“The second method is the spirit nurturing pill.”

“This pill can directly strengthen Divine Sense with quick results, but the Pill Formula is not shared externally and is sold by the Sect.”

“If there are those among you with outstanding Alchemy talent who enter the Alchemy Hall in the future, you will have the chance to come into contact with this formula.”

Su Cheng's thoughts paused for a moment on the words 'Pill Formula is not shared externally'.

The Pill Formula for the spirit nurturing pill was monopolized by the Danding Sect, and his previous attempt to reverse-engineer it using the qiankun creation furnace had also failed.

It seemed he could only find a way to obtain it from within the Sect.

He held up his ring finger.

“The third method is Cultivation Techniques—practicing techniques or secret arts specifically targeting Divine Sense.”

“They are sold in the Dharma Transmission Pavilion, from introductory to profound, at all levels.”

“However, I must remind you that practicing Divine Sense techniques carries certain risks. If you choose the wrong technique, it could lead to headaches for months at best, or a damaged Sea of Consciousness at worst.”

“So before choosing, be sure to consult an Elder first; avoid being blind in your choice.”

Withdrawing his three fingers, Elder Mu Liang's gaze swept across the room.

“Finally, let's talk about Comprehension. I won't say much about this word because you wouldn't understand even if I did. When you reach the Late Stage Foundation Establishment, come find me again.”

He paused and suddenly added another sentence.

“Right, one more thing. Have any of you heard of a Concept?”

The lecture hall fell silent for a moment, followed by scattered discussions.

“A Concept, in layman's terms, is a hazy realization of the ultimate truths of heaven and earth that you gain during your cultivation process.”

“If you can touch upon such a realization in the Foundation Establishment Stage, then congratulations—the quality of your pill patterns when you form your core in the future will far surpass your peers.”

“But to be honest, among those of you sitting here, there may be very few who can even touch the threshold of a Concept within a hundred years.”

As soon as these words were spoken, many Disciples in the hall showed bitter expressions.

Elder Mu Liang snorted: “Back then, I stayed at the Foundation Establishment Peak for forty years before I touched upon a sliver of a Concept. In the end, it was by relying on that sliver of Concept that I formed my Golden Core.”

At this point, he put his hands behind his back and his voice slowed down: “On the path of cultivation, the most important thing to avoid is impatience. Walking every step beneath your feet well is more important than looking up at the mountaintop.”

“Dismissed.”

The lecture ended.

It took less than two hours from start to finish—crisp and neat, without a single wasted word.

As Su Cheng rose from his seat, his mind was still reflecting on the key points Elder Mu Liang had discussed.

Regarding the three cultivation paths for Divine Sense, he had been using the clumsy method all along, and the pill method was currently blocked by the lack of a Pill Formula, so he would take the third path: obtain a Divine Sense Cultivation Technique first.

Particularly the type of Spell for erasing memories.

Back when he killed the demonic cultivator in Qingyang Town, his father Su Chengyuan had seen the phantom of the qiankun creation furnace.

Afterward, his father had proactively suggested that he erase that memory, but at that time, he didn't have a suitable Spell on hand.

This matter had been left aside, and it was ultimately a hidden risk.

Now that he was at the Danding Sect, what wouldn't be in the Dharma Transmission Pavilion?

Su Cheng did not leave the lecture hall but instead walked directly down the corridor toward the Cultivation Technique area of the Dharma Transmission Pavilion.

A duty Disciple on watch saw him take out his Personal Disciple token, and his attitude became much more polite.

“Which type of technique is Senior Brother looking for?”

“Divine Sense type.” Su Cheng paused. “Are there any Spells for sealing or erasing specific memories?”

The duty Disciple's expression changed subtly but quickly returned to normal.

In the world of immortal cultivation, the need to erase memories was not rare.

Many Sects used similar means when dealing with traitors, captives, or confidential matters.

“There are. Senior Brother, please follow me.”

The duty Disciple led Su Cheng into a side hall where hundreds of Jade Slips were densely arranged on the shelves, categorized and marked with names, ranks, and required contribution points.

Su Cheng's gaze scanned the shelves for a moment and quickly locked onto a Jade Slip labeled 'Wangchuan Formula'.

Wangchuan Formula, a second-rank Low Grade Divine Sense Spell.

It could directionally erase specific memory fragments of a target whose cultivation was lower than the caster's.

Divine Sense requirement for the caster: Late Stage Foundation Establishment and above.

contribution points: Two hundred.

Su Cheng's Divine Sense was currently comparable to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, still a step away from the Late Stage.

But he wasn't in a hurry; he would buy the Spell to study first and use it once his Divine Sense grew a bit more.

He flipped through the shelves again and picked out two more Jade Slips.

One was the Spirit Gathering Technique, second-rank Medium Grade, which could concentrate and amplify Divine Sense strength for a short time—a supplementary Spell.

The other was the Divine Sense Barrier, also second-rank Medium Grade, which could construct a defensive barrier in the Sea of Consciousness to resist external Divine Sense probes and attacks.

The three Jade Slips cost him a total of one thousand two hundred contribution points.

His more than two thousand contribution points were instantly reduced by more than half, and he had bought things he couldn't even practice yet.

Su Cheng handed over the contribution points with quite a bit of heartache, then put the Jade Slips into his Storage Pouch and left the Dharma Transmission Pavilion.

Returning to his Qingmu Peak Immortal Cave, Su Cheng took out a blank Jade Slip and began to list the items that needed to be resolved one by one.

This was an old habit of his.

When there were many things to do, it was easy to lose track of one while attending to another, so it was better to write them all down and prioritize them.

Dense handwriting soon appeared on the Jade Slip: