Within the [Heavenly Palace], upon the Dao platform of the Miluo Palace.
In this setting, Lu Yang and Sisui sat facing each other, looking much like a teacher and student engaged in a Q&A. Sisui appraised Lu Yang with a glance, then took the initiative to speak:
"Fellow Daoist, how many years have you been cultivating until now?"
Lu Yang thought for a moment and replied earnestly, "Less than a thousand years, I suppose."
"No wonder, less than a thou... thou..."
Sisui's voice suddenly faltered.
How many years?
With your level of Light of Wisdom, you reached Golden Core Perfection in less than a thousand years of cultivation?
After a brief silence, Sisui managed to calm his mind. "A thousand years... I suppose that's understandable. No wonder Fellow Daoist's foundation is an absolute mess."
Lu Yang wore an earnest expression. "Please, Senior, speak plainly."
Sisui, hearing this, spoke solemnly: "Propagating the Dao, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts actually refer to different types of students, categorized according to their innate talent and underlying potential."
"Some students are completely clueless about cultivation. They need the Dao propagated, knowledge imparted, and doubts resolved. Generally, I would take such students as personal disciples and keep them by my side to teach them day and night, lest they take the wrong path or make some mistake. Among them, the most outstanding was Pan Huang."
Sisui spoke with assurance:
"There are other students who already have their own Dao, as well as their own skills and methods, but they harbor some unresolved doubts on their cultivation path."
"For instance, Zhi Fa."
"He cultivates the Dao of Spiritual Power and came to attend my lectures. For this kind of student, I would have him stand on the periphery. Because he has his own Dao path, listening to me talk too much would actually be detrimental."
"Besides these, there are many other students. Some are proficient in skills and possess formidable divine abilities, but they lack their own Dao. Some have no doubts about cultivation, but their Dao is completely wrong... And Fellow Daoist is rather unique. Even among all the students I have taught, you belong to an exceedingly rare category."
Lu Yang was somewhat curious. "Which category?"
Sisui smiled faintly and explained, "You have your own Dao, and you have no doubts about your own Dao... However, Fellow Daoist's skills and methods are simply too atrocious."
"I have observed Fellow Daoist's engagements with Du Xuan and Sword Lord."
"To put it bluntly, your repertoire of methods relies entirely on the colossal mighty power derived from overseeing the Light Sea. The quantity is sufficient, but strictly speaking, the quality is inferior to even Du Xuan's."
"According to my deduction, throughout your cultivation journey up to now, Fellow Daoist has likely rarely encountered true geniuses. Or perhaps, when engaging in battles, you relied entirely on suppressing them with cultivation level, using a higher stature to crush those favored children of heaven. This is Fellow Daoist's good fortune, but it has also left your foundation in absolute shambles."
"From this perspective..."
"Fellow Daoist must have started out using the Grotto-Heaven Method, right? When the Primordial Saint created this method, it wasn't intended to make you Dao Lords. Its very foundation is pulling up seedlings to help them grow."
Speaking up to this point, Sisui even felt a bit distressed.
As a teacher, what he detested the most was this kind of force-feeding education. Although the progress was fast, the footing was not steady enough. It was truly agonizing to watch.
Following that, he gave his final evaluation:
"In Fellow Daoist's cultivation, only the [Dao] is of the highest, most supreme grade. The design of the Investiture of the Gods Method is breathtakingly brilliant. However, all the other methods are of the absolute lowest grade."
Lu Yang: "..."
Seeing this, Sisui hurriedly comforted him in a gentle tone, "However, Fellow Daoist dont be discouraged. After all, the [Dao] is the guiding principle, and this is often the most difficult step."
"Since Fellow Daoist has already navigated this step, the subsequent methods only require an expenditure of time and a modicum of comprehension to eventually make up for. It's not a major issue."
Huh?
Lu Yang instantly caught the key issue in Sisui's words: A 'modicum' of comprehension? Exactly how much is that? The standard of judgment isn't based on you, is it?
"Senior."
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "You also know my situation. I am somewhat lacking in comprehension, and my Light of Wisdom is practically non-existent..."
Hearing this, Sisui immediately burst into loud laughter.
What a joke. I taught so many Dharma Body Dao cultivators back in the day. What stands out is my abundant experience. What kind of slow-witted disciple haven't I guided?
I even taught Pan Huang until he became a Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord!
Moreover, I am not propagating the Dao, merely imparting knowledge and resolving doubts. The difficulty is far lower than propagating the Dao. With my level of expertise, how could I possibly fail to make you learn?
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist."
Sisui patted his chest, speaking with brimming confidence: "I will personally teach you, having you re-cultivate Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core. I will certainly help you make up for these foundational gaps."
A mere lack of Light of Wisdom is not a problem at all.
Sisui's personal instruction, guaranteed learning.
Track record verifiable!
After speaking, Sisui directly took a jade slip from his robes and tossed it to Lu Yang. "A towering building rises from the ground up. Let Fellow Daoist start from Qi Refining."
After all, no matter how dull a person is, could they possibly fail to learn Qi Refining?
Seeing Sisui so confident, Lu Yang also gained some confidence. After all, he had always felt that it wasn't that he wasn't smart, but just that he wasn't sensitive enough to the Great Dao.
Quickly, his divine sense swept over the jade slip.
"Fellow Daoist's Qi Refining is simply a mess. One look and I can tell that at the beginning of your cultivation, you sought a quick fix, completely using Qi as a tool."
Sisui shook his head:
"In the ancient era, Qi Refining was not like this."
Lu Yang reviewed the contents of the jade slip. To sum it up in one sentence, it was: [Unify your will. Do not listen with your ears, but listen with your mind. Do not listen with your mind, but listen with your Qi.]
[Listening stops at the ears; the mind stops at alignment.]
A single sentence of true teaching is worth ten thousand volumes of false teachings. This one sentence alone contained the specific method of Qi Refining, as well as the four realms of Qi Refining.
The first, [Unify your will].
"The first step, as the name suggests, is to concentrate your spirit as one. Use your thoughts to drive the Qi within your body, maneuvering the true Qi as easily as moving your own arm, without any obstruction or sluggishness."
The second, [Do not listen with your ears, but listen with your mind].
"The second step is to sense yourself and observe the true Qi. Do not use your ears or other senses, but rather use your thoughts and your spirit to sense the changes in essence and Qi."
The third, [Do not listen with your mind, but listen with your Qi].
"Completely merge your thoughts into the true Qi, reaching the realm of [Integration of Spirit and Qi], and then use it to sense [Essence], which is the changes in the body."
The fourth, [Listening stops at the ears; the mind stops at alignment].
"The so-called [alignment] refers to correspondence. It means letting a person discard all other senses, allowing their mind and thoughts to completely align with themselves."
"The integration of essence, Qi, and spirit is called [The Three Treasures are Complete]."
"Reaching this realm, Qi Refining is no longer something that requires conscious thought to do, but like the circulation of blood, it can be emitted at will."
Regarding this, Sisui's description was:
[Walking, sitting, and lying down are all cultivation; wherever the body and mind are, there is the Dao arena.]
Only by reaching this stage could one be considered to have achieved Qi Refining Great Completion in the ancient era, possessing a solid foundation, and be able to continue pursuing the realm of a Foundation Establishment Perfected One.
"How is it? Easy to understand, right?"
Sisui smiled faintly. I have explained it so clearly, and the jade slip has additional annotations. Even if you have no Light of Wisdom, you should have learned it after listening.
Furthermore, your stature is so high—a dignified Golden Core Perfection re-cultivating Qi Refining. Even if your comprehension is low, relying on the blessing of your stature is enough to learn it easily.
Just as expected.
Lu Yang was seen holding the jade slip, earnestly pondering for a long time. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he clapped his hands, a look of ecstasy appearing on his face:
"I've got it!"
Seeing this, Sisui stroked his beard and smiled. "Since that's the case, why not give it a try?"
Lu Yang was also full of confidence. "Alright!"
Three days later.
Rumble!
Watching Lu Yang, whose eyes were filled with bewilderment after yet another failure at [Integration of Essence, Qi, and Spirit], the originally confident Sisui also fell into confusion.
"...This shouldn't be."
Didn't you say you got it?
You bastard, what exactly did you get?
How could you still not have learned this?
Looking at Lu Yang, Sisui's eyes gradually became solemn, as if he were looking at an irreconcilable, formidable enemy in his glorious history of education!