Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Huangting Dao Discussion

After concluding his cultivation, Zhang Zhixuan hastily bid farewell to his Seventeenth Uncle Zhang Menglian and returned to his cave abode. He moved unhurriedly to activate a protective formation, shielding the cave from prying eyes, then gently pulled out a yellowed book from his bosom, a bitter smile flickering across his face."Sixteen years have passed since I ended up in this world, and only now do I barely understand it. When will I ever return home? I suppose it all depends on this mysterious Daoist scripture," Zhang Zhixuan thought to himself.Though he had lived in this world for sixteen years, Zhang Zhixuan's soul hailed from Earth. Over a decade ago, while browsing an old book market on Earth, he'd bought an ancient book. That night, he'd been engrossed in reading it; after meditating for a whole night, his soul had traversed to this world and inhabited the body of a newborn baby.Six years later, his memories gradually returned, and he soon discovered that the ancient book had accompanied him to this world. The book was titled Huangting Dao Discussion—it seemed to be written by a great Daoist master, filled with profound Daoist truths. Even after studying it for over a decade, Zhang Zhixuan still barely comprehended its contents.However, through years of reciting the book, he noticed his memory growing sharper, his comprehension deeper, and even his innate talent improving. According to the clan elders' assessment, he was merely a Three-Spiritual-Root cultivator—his cultivation speed should never have been this fast. But by delving into this scripture for years, even though it didn't grant him supernatural powers or mana, his enhanced comprehension, combined with years of diligent and disciplined cultivation, had propelled his progress by leaps and bounds. Even Two-Spiritual-Root cultivators could never have reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining at his age.Typically, Two-Spiritual-Root cultivators from major sects reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining around the age of twenty—Zhang Zhixuan was undoubtedly a step ahead of them. Thanks to his past-life wisdom, he'd not only started cultivating earlier than others but also been far more diligent and self-disciplined than ordinary children. After over a decade, he'd pulled ahead of cultivators with the same spiritual root aptitude by more than ten years.The Zhang Clan of Lushan was the most powerful immortal cultivation clan near Lushan. Tracing its lineage back to their founding ancestor Zhang Tairen, it had maintained an unbroken inheritance for over four hundred years. Four hundred years ago, the Zhang Clan settled in Lushan; after centuries of development, it now had one Foundation Establishment cultivator, over a hundred Innate and Qi Refining cultivators, and nearly thirty to forty thousand ordinary clansmen.According to the clan genealogy, the Zhang Clan's cultivators were divided into twelve generations, with their generation names following the sequence: Tai, Chu, Le, Meng; Zhi, Si, Tong, Yuan; Guang, Sheng, Ze, Mao.The first two generations (Tai and Chu) had all passed away. The Le generation had the fewest members—most had also passed on, leaving only three survivors. Besides the Clan Leader, who had achieved Foundation Establishment, the other two were elderly and infirm, now living in retirement outside the mountain.The Meng generation formed the clan's backbone, with over thirty members—most were Qi Refining cultivators at the mid-to-late stages. The Zhi generation was the largest, with around forty members; most had low cultivation and were still young, the oldest being no more than fifty. Many hadn't even broken through to the Qi Refining Realm and remained stuck in the Innate Realm.The Si generation was even smaller, with only eighteen members. The oldest was no more than twenty-three, and the most accomplished among them hadn't 突破 the Ninth Layer of the Innate Realm. This generation had yet to produce any talented cultivators with exceptional aptitude and held almost no influence among the clan's cultivators.Only Zhang Zhixuan could open the Daoist scripture in his hand—Huangting Dao Discussion. To others, this scripture appeared as a large purple jade token, covered in inscrutable runes that no one could recognize.For this reason, when his father discovered this mysterious scripture, he believed his son was inherently extraordinary—a reincarnated high-rank cultivator. From then on, he no longer treated Zhang Zhixuan as an ordinary child; instead, he carefully raised him, teaching him to read, write, and meditate.After discovering this mysterious jade token, Zhang Zhixuan's father kept it secret and didn't tell other clan cultivators. It was also because of this enigmatic jade token that he named his son "Zhixuan."As for the Huangting Dao Discussion that had brought him to this world inexplicably, it gradually revealed unusual properties. When Zhang Zhixuan's cultivation reached the Qi Refining Realm, he finally comprehended his first spell from it—the Qi Nurturing Technique.This was a technique for nourishing qi, capable of refining the purple qi of the rising sun to nurture his physical body and dantian, neutralize the violent mana in his body, and reduce the risk of going berserk during cultivation.Besides the Qi Nurturing Technique, Zhang Zhixuan had also learned three other spells over the years: the Light Body Technique, the Binding Technique, and the Golden Needle Technique.Cultivators in the Innate Realm had not yet refined spiritual energy and could not learn any spells. Beyond having a stronger physique, greater strength, sharper senses, and quicker thinking than mortals, Innate Realm cultivators were not far superior to ordinary people. If mortals wore heavy armor and wielded crossbows, just a few dozen armored soldiers working together could defeat an ordinary Innate Realm cultivator.Once a cultivator reached the Qi Refining Realm, their meridians were fully opened—they could refine spiritual energy, learn spells, and wield magical artifacts and talismans. At this stage, a cultivator's abilities transcended the mundane; even thousands of soldiers would often be powerless against them.Qi Refining cultivators had not yet developed spiritual consciousness, and their mana was still weak—they could only learn a limited number of spells. A First Layer Qi Refining cultivator could only learn one spell, and with each additional layer of cultivation, they could master one more spell.Zhang Zhixuan had now reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining—the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm. He should have been able to learn six spells. Regrettably, he had focused solely on improving his cultivation over the years and had only learned three spells.Compared to middle-aged and elderly cultivators of the same cultivation level, Zhang Zhixuan lagged behind in experience, spells, magical artifacts, and talismans. If he had to fight someone outside the mountain, he might not be able to protect himself."When I go down the mountain to complete the clan's task, I should choose a place close to the mountain gate first. First, I need to familiarize myself with the immortal cultivation world outside the mountain and gain more experience as much as possible. Second, I need to investigate the truth behind my father's death and avenge him as soon as possible to fulfill this long-held wish. Third, although the spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain is insufficient and cultivation will be slower, I must still solidify my foundations, learn a few more spells, and make up for my shortcomings to lay a solid foundation for future cultivation," Zhang Zhixuan thought to himself as he closed the scripture.He slowly circulated his spiritual energy, moving it through twelve cycles to nurture his acupoints and stabilize his cultivation. Only then did he open the cave and head toward the mountain peak.