67: There is more than one way to cultivate Xuan

This Soul System traversal for the Mage was very risky.

Because all he could see outside was a very strange introduction:

【The Newly Converted Monk · No Dharma Name Yet (Mage)】

Beyond that, there were no detailed descriptions.

The memories he received after entering the game were also very strange.

His original body was a young shepherd boy who encountered a Bald Monk one day, and then his memories vanished.

The crucial thing was that the Mage was not at the point where he had just met the Bald Monk; it was clearly a long time after their meeting.

He had a shaved head, wore a gray and white kasaya, and cautiously followed behind the Senior Monk.

The Senior Monk wore a red and yellow kasaya, prayer beads around his neck, and held a tin staff, muttering something softly to himself as he walked.

This gave the Mage a very eerie feeling.

The real world he lived in was not without religion, but due to the Great Plague, religion was still in a very primitive stage, without systematic doctrines or scriptures. There were only scattered shamans, witches, and mages, and the religions in each place were quite different, sometimes even considered local customs.

As technology advanced, they were all swept into history, only occasionally appearing in games.

At this moment, as the Mage followed the Senior Monk, he silently speculated in his heart, "Monk" should be the title for a follower of a major religion, and he should also be a follower of this religion.

According to Bai Xiaosheng's intelligence, this religion should be called "Buddhism."

However, information about Buddhism was extremely scarce at this stage. It was said that Buddhist Cultivator were mainly active in un-opened maps, with only a few scattered monks wandering near the Efeng Mountain Range.

"What should I do now?"

The Mage looked around and saw that they were walking on a mountain path, which was the Efeng Mountain Range.

Now, he had neither the original body's memories nor any information about Buddhist Monks. Cold sweat poured down him, fearing that the Senior Monk would notice something amiss.

Under tension, the Mage involuntarily slowed down, accidentally widening the distance by a step.

With just that one step of difference, the Senior Monk ahead immediately stopped, turned around, and gazed at him with narrowed eyes.

The Mage was too nervous to speak, and he didn't dare to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Don't be afraid."

The Senior Monk spoke gently, "You have already achieved the rank of Mage, which is stronger than a Qi Refining Cultivator of the Immortal Dao, and can even contend with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Mortal Foundation. Follow me on this journey; you won't die."

The Mage's mind stirred, and he continued to feign worry and confusion.

The Senior Monk thought he was afraid of those Cultivators, so he began to explain the Cultivation system, wanting to show that his current strength was formidable.

The Mage was happy to listen.

Soon, he understood the situation.

It turned out that the Xuanhuan World had more than one upgrade path!

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and then all the way to Golden Core and Nascent Soul—this was just the most common and widely accessible Dao, known as the "Immortal Dao."

Sometimes, those who cultivate the Immortal Dao are also called "Immortal Cultivators."

But besides Immortal Cultivation, the Xuanhuan World also had other systems.

For example, the Buddhist Sect, from which this Monk originated, had specialized Buddhist Cultivator methods.

Initially, Mortals needed to receive the golden light conversion from a Buddhist Senior, condense a Buddhist light treasure pearl within their bodies, and achieve the rank of "Mage."

A Mage at the first level could contend with a Qi Refining Ninth Level Cultivator, and powerful ones could even contend with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Mortal Foundation. For Mortals, this was almost like reaching the heavens in a single step.

However, progressing further was difficult.

To advance, one must become entangled in worldly Karma, seek out fated individuals for conversion, refine all the treasure pearls within their body into Buddhist light, disperse them and give them to others, and finally retrieve and re-condense them, transforming the treasure pearls into a Golden Body. With "Karma" at Perfection, one achieves the rank of "Vajra."

A Vajra is stronger than a Golden Core but weaker than a Nascent Soul.

The vast span between Mage and Vajra also made Buddhist Cultivation extremely difficult.

As for what came after, the Senior Monk did not elaborate.

Because he was a Vajra, he only discussed the strength of a Vajra; there was no need to inform the Mage of anything more.

The Mage listened with surging emotions. It turned out that the Xuanhuan World had many different upgrade systems, with varying spans, and everything was collectively referred to as "Cultivation." Everyone relied on their own abilities, and the strong were respected.

If he could jump from Mage to Vajra in one step, he would possess the combat power of a Golden Core!

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the old monk stopped speaking, narrowed his eyes, scrutinized the Mage for a moment, and then chuckled, "Your inner Buddhist light has dissipated, and your Divine Sense has reopened. Did you perhaps hide some methods before? Did someone secretly help you?"

Before the Mage could react, the old monk formed a hand seal, and a burst of Buddhist light enveloped him. The next moment, he couldn't say anything.

"No matter, another conversion will suffice."

A voice sounded in his ear, and the Mage felt everything go black.

【Current Soul System is temporarily inactive】

【After being converted by the Buddhist Sect, you will be considered dead and kicked out of the game】

The game screen went black; this character was dead.

"Something's not right, really not right."

The Mage stared at the black screen, dazed for a long time.

No matter how he looked at it, this Buddhist Sect seemed a bit eerie, somewhat like... Evil Cultivators?

"The Evil Cultivators I encountered before were essentially still Immortal Cultivators, merely using some other methods to quickly raise their Cultivation. But if an entire Cultivation system is built entirely upon evil methods, what would that be considered?"

The Mage murmured to himself, suddenly remembering something and startling, "How can one be sure that this path of Immortal Cultivation is the Righteous Path?"

He had read a lot of information on the forum and knew that to achieve Foundation Establishment from Qi Refining, it was best to gather Immortal Qi to establish an Immortal Foundation; this might be the orthodox method of Immortal Cultivation.

And this gathering of Immortal Qi was very telling. The "Immortal" here merely distinguished itself from "Mortal"; it had no holiness, compassion, or goodness to speak of. It had no good or evil, only differences in efficacy.

It was said that there was a Qi Gathering Method called "Mortal World Vision" that would forcibly extract the hopes, wishes, and the spirit of struggle from Mortals' hearts to refine into Immortal Qi, thereby leaving those Mortals muddled and perpetually trapped.

The Mage pondered for a long time. His brief experience of Soul System traversing as a young monk showed him another side of the Xuanhuan World and made him think a lot.

"Forget it, a Senior Monk with Vajra Cultivation is clearly not someone us players can interact with. This time, I was tricked by the Soul System traversal. I should see how other players are doing."

He logged onto the forum and saw that everyone was currently discussing the matter of Broken Wood Cliff.

A Golden Core Tomb had appeared under Broken Wood Cliff, and somehow this news had spread.

It was now clear that people would come to Duan Kong Cave to contend for it. People from the Great Jiang Imperial Dynasty would also come, as would many other Sects, Families, and even Loose Cultivators. Players, of course, wouldn't miss out on this excitement; even those hundreds of miles away were already rushing towards Broken Wood Cliff.

"That Senior Monk with Vajra Cultivation is also in the Efeng Mountain Range..."

The Mage clicked his tongue. He had a feeling that the Golden Core Tomb at Broken Wood Cliff was part of a formidable conspiracy, and he wondered how many people would be buried there.

But the Opportunity left by a Golden Core Senior was likely the best Opportunity for players in the early stages; missing it would be a huge loss.

"No matter what, I have to go."

The Mage sighed. A Soul System traversal death required a 24-hour wait before he could re-randomize, so he could only choose to physically traverse.

"Hmm? reincarnation points? And 2 points, which can only be obtained at Foundation Establishment?"