Chapter 24 Elder Xu Antong

Yun Bai turned his head sharply.

"Brother Zhang?" The person who arrived was actually Zhang Huai.

"Oh, ah, the Grand Elder wants to see me?" Yun Bai quickly suppressed his surging emotions, his face returning to calmness.

"Yes." Zhang Huai nodded, his face showing a hint of confusion. "The Grand Elder just sent a message, specifically asking to see you. Come with me." He clearly did not understand why this highly respected Grand Elder was suddenly interested in a newly promoted peripheral member.

"Alright." Yun Bai did not ask further and readily agreed.

He carefully placed the Cultivation Technique manual he had been reading back in its original spot and followed closely behind Zhang Huai as they left the Scripture Pavilion, a space filled with the scent of scrolls and Spiritual Qi.

Walking along the corridor leading to the inner hall, Zhang Huai whispered a reminder: "Brother Yun, this Great Elder Xu Antong holds an extraordinary status. He is a powerful figure sent by the Holy City to long-term garrison our Chu Prefecture City National Temple. Whether it is his cultivation strength or his status and authority, he is worthy of our utmost respect. Do not lose your manners later."

"That goes without saying. Thank you for the advice, Brother Zhang." Yun Bai replied solemnly, having already completely smoothed out the ripples in his heart and steadied his mood.

The two left the area where the martial arts practice space was located, proceeding without obstruction, and soon arrived in front of a more solemn and ancient inner hall deep within the National Temple.

"Brother Yun, you go in. The Grand Elder is inside, I won't go in." Zhang Huai stopped at the hall door.

"Thank you for leading the way, Brother Zhang." Yun Bai thanked him, took a deep breath, and pushed open the heavy hall door.

The scene before him changed instantly! It was not the hall he had expected, but rather, one step had taken him into a strange space!

Under his feet was solid mountain rock, and a cool mountain breeze brushed against his face, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.

He was actually standing on the peak of a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

On the mountain peak, a simple pavilion built from verdant spiritual bamboo stood quietly.

Under the pavilion, an elderly man in his eighties with white hair and beard, and a long flowing beard, was leisurely brewing tea. The old man wore a simple and elegant Daoist robe, his face was thin and refined, his eyes were gentle and deep, and his whole body was surrounded by an otherworldly aura of a transcendent immortal. It was Great Elder Xu Antong.

"Young man, come, sit." Seeing Yun Bai arrive, Great Elder Xu Antong put down the tea set in his hand, his face revealing a kind and amiable smile, as if greeting his own nephew.

Seeing that this Grand Elder had no airs and spoke gently, Yun Bai immediately felt a sense of goodwill, and his previous restraint dissipated quite a bit.

He stepped forward a few paces and bowed respectfully: "Junior Yun Bai greets Elder Xu. Thank you, Elder, for granting me a seat."

"Hahaha, no need for such formalities." Seeing that Yun Bai's behavior was appropriate and polite, Great Elder Xu Antong's eyes grew even more satisfied. He stroked his beard and smiled, "It seems you survived the suffering of the 'Heavenly Demon Possession'?"

Yun Bai was shocked!

First, he was shocked that the other party could see through the secret that had just happened to him at a glance; second, he was surprised that this Elder spoke so directly, without beating around the bush.

Seeing Yun Bai silent for a moment, Great Elder Xu Antong smiled slightly and pointed to the tea on the stone table, which had just been brewed and was emitting a misty Spiritual Qi and a fragrant aroma: "Relax. For your first time practicing an Innate Realm Cultivation Technique, you were able to directly break through to the Middle Stage; this talent and foundation are truly excellent. Come, drink some tea first to steady your mind."

"You... know everything?" Yun Bai sighed inwardly. The Senior experts of this world were indeed unfathomable; his little secret was likely as clear as lines on a palm in the other party's eyes.

"Hmm." Great Elder Xu Antong nodded, his gaze sweeping over Yun Bai. "I can see that there is still a gap between your body and soul that has not fully healed, and your Qi is slightly floating. It must be that you had a fierce struggle with that Heavenly Demon consciousness recently, causing significant depletion."

"As soon as you stepped into the gates of the State Religion, the Elder responsible for monitoring noticed the abnormal Breakthrough in your cultivation Realm. After all, our sect has been fighting against the Heavenly Demons for thousands of years and knows the dangers involved. Since I didn't have anything important to do anyway, they had you come over for me to take a look, just to be cautious."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued: "Originally, such a small matter would not require bothering my old bones. However, I also wanted to see what the young people of today are like. You are very good!"

Speaking of this, Great Elder Xu Antong's eyes revealed approval. "To rely solely on your own will to endure the Robbery of Heavenly Demon Possession and not be eroded by demonic thoughts is quite rare in today's impetuous cultivation world." Mentioning "surviving the Heavenly Demon Possession," he seemed to recall some distant past, his tone carrying a hint of emotion.

"This Junior is ashamed." Yun Bai admitted frankly. "The basic Cultivation Technique I found did not have a matching Guiding Technique or Heart-Clearing Mantra. My sister and I have been wandering outside for many years, and our intention in joining the State Religion was only to find stability and improve our livelihood. Regarding the many taboos and common knowledge on the path of cultivation, we really... had no way of knowing." He acknowledged his previous recklessness.

"Oh?" Great Elder Xu Antong stroked his long beard and pondered for a moment. "Is the basic Cultivation Technique you mentioned the simplified version that our State Religion released in the early years for ordinary Martial Artists to temper their bodies?"

Yun Bai was stunned, then nodded: "Exactly."

"Hahaha!" Great Elder Xu Antong couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. He pointed at Yun Bai and said, "Young man, when you passed the assessment and officially became a member of our State Religion, did no one tell you that once you join the State Religion, you must never practice according to that Acquired Realm basic Cultivation Technique again? Did no one warn you that even if you practiced it, you must never rashly attempt a Breakthrough in your Realm without subsequent Cultivation Techniques and the protection of a teacher?"

Yun Bai was stunned on the spot.

He suddenly remembered that after he passed the assessment, Zhang Huai did indeed stuff a red Jade Slip into his hand and urged him to "take a good look at it."

At the time, he was only focused on his excitement and asking about the soul-stabilizing pill, and he had completely forgotten about this Jade Slip!

He hurriedly searched for the red Jade Slip in his Storage Pouch and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Sure enough, the red Jade Slip clearly stated, "Before obtaining further Cultivation Techniques, you must not practice according to the Acquired Realm Cultivation Technique, and you must not attempt a Breakthrough in your cultivation Realm."

So that was it! A strong sense of lingering fear instantly welled up in Yun Bai's heart, followed by a huge sense of relief! He was grateful that his peculiar Sea of Consciousness Universe had blocked the Heavenly Demon, and grateful that he had used his quick wits to survive in the desperate situation, only then luckily saving his life!

"Hahaha, in that case, it can be considered a blessing in disguise." Seeing Yun Bai's changing expression, Great Elder Xu Antong already knew what he was thinking and laughed heartily. "Being forced to face the Heavenly Demon Possession alone and experiencing a life-and-death test, this tempering instead forged a more resilient will. It can also be considered as discovering a piece of raw jade for our State Religion."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming gentle: "Enough. You explored on your own without a teacher to guide you, so taking some detours was inevitable. Since this has happened, I will forge a good connection with you. I saw you coming out of the Scripture Pavilion earlier; you must have been choosing a Cultivation Technique? Have you made a decision?"

"Replying to the Elder, this Junior has initially narrowed down a range and is currently hesitating between a few Cultivation Techniques." Yun Bai answered truthfully.

"Oh? You might as well tell me." Great Elder Xu Antong gestured with great interest.

Yun Bai then reported his inclination towards Daoist thunder-type Cultivation Techniques, as well as the names of the few books he had been eyeing, including the [Nine Heavens Profound Technique], [Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Technique], [Gouchen Technique], and [True Martial Demon-Subduing Technique].

After listening, Great Elder Xu Antong pondered for a moment and tapped his finger on the stone table twice: "This [Nine Heavens Profound Technique] is heavy on Yin and soft Qi. Although it is not exclusively for women, it is more suitable for the Physique of female Cultivators. It is quite inconvenient for a man to practice it in terms of subsequently harmonizing Yin and Yang and nurturing the Dao foundation. Furthermore, there are many similar alternative Cultivation Techniques, so it is not the best choice for you."

"As for the [Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Technique]..." He shook his head slightly. "This technique specializes in the path of thunder, and its killing power is indeed fierce and unparalleled, worthy of being the best in the same tier. However, it is too biased towards one end. It is lacking in other aspects such as protection, escape techniques, nourishing the Divine Soul, and longevity and health preservation. It is strong in attack but weak in defense, lacking balance."

"Looking at it this way, what suits you is between this [Gouchen Technique] and the [True Martial Demon-Subduing Technique]." Great Elder Xu Antong narrowed the selection range down to two.

"Hmm..." Yun Bai frowned slightly. Of these two Cultivation Techniques, one was rare but complex and difficult, and the other was widely popularized but seemed to have slightly less potential.

Great Elder Xu Antong seemed to see through his thoughts and said gently: "Do not think that the widely circulated [True Martial Demon-Subduing Technique] is just 'common street trash,' and that the rare [Gouchen Technique] is necessarily superior. This thought is wrong!"

He explained solemnly: "The more widely a Cultivation Technique is circulated, the more sages and experts have studied, annotated, and perfected it throughout the generations. If you encounter a difficult Bottleneck during your cultivation, there is a vast sea of experience from predecessors to draw upon, which can help you avoid countless wrong paths and dangers."

"As for obscure Cultivation Techniques, even if they have earth-shattering secrets, they are often like looking at flowers through fog. You can only rely on your own exploration. If you are not careful, you may waste your years or even suffer from Qi Deviation. This is a key point that must be considered when choosing a Cultivation Technique."

Hearing this, the scales in Yun Bai's heart began to tip towards choosing the [True Martial Demon-Subduing Technique], which had a mature system and was easy to get started with.

However, he did not rush to express his position, but instead continued to humbly ask for advice regarding the specific pros and cons of these two Cultivation Techniques.

Seeing his composure, the approval in Great Elder Xu Antong's eyes grew even stronger.

He said no more, but relying on his authority as a Grand Elder, his powerful Divine Sense instantly communicated with the core of the State Religion's vast Scripture Pavilion.

Within a few breaths, complex information regarding the [Gouchen Technique] and [True Martial Demon-Subduing Technique], including important historical "annotations," cultivation insights, and precautions, were quickly extracted, refined, and compressed by him using supreme means!

Great Elder Xu Antong's figure appeared in front of Yun Bai without warning, as if by teleportation. His right index finger, carrying a soft yet irresistible light of Spiritual Qi, tapped gently on the center of Yun Bai's forehead!

Yun Bai didn't even have time to react. He only felt a coolness on his forehead, and a massive torrent of refined information poured into his Sea of Consciousness like an enlightening infusion!