Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

A fiery shield appeared out of thin air, Zhuge Yan was best at controlling fire, and in his hands, one could say it was capable of endless transformations. If not for Liu Qingyun's Starlight Armor being too strong in defense, this fight would have ended long ago.

The battlefield seemed to fall into a searing state when suddenly, Zhuge Yan said, "I never expected you would push me this far, but the title of the first, I must claim."

"Red Lotus!"

The flames on the ground suddenly converged towards the center of the arena, forming a giant lotus made of fire that enveloped Liu Qingyun within.

With a "boom," the Red Lotus exploded to reveal the battered Liu Qingyun inside.

By then, Liu Qingyun looked exceptionally disheveled, his body charred and wounded all over, with a faint smell of burning lingering. Yet, his back remained straight as a rod, and his eyes were still filled with fighting spirit.

"Truly a warlord by nature!" the onlookers around the battlefield couldn't help but exclaim at such a fierce scene.

"Qingyun, admit defeat." To everyone's surprise, it was He Yinglian from the Green Lotus sect who uttered these words.

Hearing He Yinglian's words, Liu Qingyun's face was filled with reluctance, but he also understood that he indeed had reached his limit, and to continue fighting would likely damage his foundation.

"Understood, Master Aunt!" Liu Qingyun replied dully and then dragged his exhausted body off the stage, while He Yinglian quickly took out healing medicine to bandage his wounds.

"Big Brother Lu really, letting you come to such an event at your young age and not even coming over to check on you," He Yinglian rarely complained about Lu Yu.

"The teacher must have important matters to attend to, besides, it was my request. I just wanted to see for myself the gap between me and the world!" Liu Qingyun's eyes shone exceptionally bright while saying this, that kind of heartfelt pursuit was so fervent it gave He Yinglian standing beside him a sense of heat.

"From now on, I'm afraid your name will rise to prominence, being able to fight to this level against Zhuge Yan from Lihuo Sect at such a young age, this is enough to draw the world's attention," He Yinglian sighed as she spoke, truly not expecting that this young man following behind Big Brother Lu would burst forth such dazzling brilliance.

"As long as the teacher doesn't feel disappointed, that's good!" Liu Qingyun looked up with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, several elders seated on the high platform were also shocked by Liu Qingyun's previous performance and began discussing animatedly.

"It's a pity, if this child wasn't at such a low realm, the outcome with Zhuge Yan would be uncertain," someone lamented Liu Qingyun's loss.

"Such an extraordinary physique, I fear not even the typical Demon Race possesses such a formidable body," others exclaimed over his astonishing physique.

"Don't know who taught the disciple, not imparting him a superior technique, just letting such talent remain stranded in the Qi Cultivation Realm, what a waste of a gem in the darkness," some criticized his teacher for not teaching superior techniques, leading to his low realm.

"You are mistaken about that, this child's teacher is definitely not an ordinary person. You think he is stuck in the Qi Cultivation Realm for lack of techniques, but it's quite the opposite—it must be intentional by his teacher!" Elder Liu from the Danqing Sect was extremely experienced, rumored to have once entered the Heavenly Court, very knowledgeable and worldly.

His statement suddenly sparked great interest among the others, who all looked forward eagerly, ready to hear his further explanation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"If I'm not mistaken, this child's master must have great hopes for him, wishing him to follow the way of the Celestial Immortal Dao, just like the ancient immortals did,"

Those seated were all late bloomers on the path of cultivation, with limited knowledge about the so-called Celestial Immortal Dao.

Seeing their puzzled looks, Elder Liu sighed slightly and said, "It's normal that you haven't heard of it. The Celestial Immortal Dao has extremely high requirements on a person's innate talent, temperament, opportunities, and enlightenment. As a result, it's gradually been replaced by the Spiritual Dao we practice.

However, every person endowed with Great Divine Power is a product of the Celestial Immortal Dao."

"The first threshold of the Celestial Immortal Dao is the Heavenly Gate Foundation Establishment, where one must self-enlighten to the Taoist Laws. Cultivators like us, who follow the standard Foundation Establishment Technique, are destined not to achieve it, unless a person with top-notch Divine Skills custom-makes a cultivation technique for us to practice step by step."

When they heard of Heavenly Gate Foundation Establishment, they couldn't help but take a sharp breath. Those were just a few light words, but they signified a talent capable of starting a new sect. Although they were known as experts, they felt somewhat ashamed when compared to such individuals.

"He must be an esteemed expert, otherwise, why would he dare let his own disciple take such a path!" Elder Liu said, watching Liu Qingyun's departing figure.

The subsequent battles were calm as a still pond. The favored sons of heaven finished their matches in a very crisp manner, disappointing the surrounding spectators who were hoping for a spectacular battle like the one between Liu Qingyun and Zhuge Yan.

The day's excitement ended just like that, and Liu Qingyun, dragging his weary body, returned to the small courtyard rented by Lu Yu in Fengjing.

As soon as he entered the door, he found Lu Yu sitting solemnly on a stone stool in the courtyard, engrossed in reading a scroll.

Upon seeing Liu Qingyun enter, Lu Yu put down the scroll and asked, "Lost?"

"Yes!" Even now, Liu Qingyun's heart was full of unwillingness. He believed that he could have done better, to tell the whole world that his teacher's disciple was no weaker than anyone else.

Looking at Liu Qingyun's frustrated face, Lu Yu couldn't help but laugh. He was very pleased with his first disciple who had set the foundation for their sect. Not just for his talent and intelligence but his respect for the way and his teacher. He certainly didn't want his disciple to be like those in melodramatic TV shows who betray their masters.

"Do you feel that your realm is too low, and if your mana were stronger, then you could have overcome your opponent?"

Liu Qingyun nodded, that was indeed what he was thinking.

"Teacher, I heard that someone like me could break through the realm if I have follow-up techniques," Liu Qingyun said eagerly, looking at Lu Yu.

"I naturally have follow-up techniques, but Qingyun, are you sure you want them?"

Liu Qingyun looked puzzled, wondering why he wouldn't want a technique.

"You have been cultivating for so long, and I have not mentioned some common knowledge about cultivation, hoping you could focus on establishing a solid Tao Foundation. Now that your foundation is stable, it's time for me to tell you about the future path of cultivation, and you need to make a decision for yourself,"

"There are currently five prevailing cultivation paths in the world, known as the Five Immortals. Each of these paths can lead to immortality, hence the name. They are derived from Heaven, Earth, Human, Gods, and Ghosts."

Liu Qingyun took a deep breath silently. He had always thought there was only one path of cultivation because it seemed that only the Spiritual Dao practiced by Zhuge Yan and others existed in Great Chen. Hearing Lu Yu's explanation, he felt as if a new world had opened up to him. He didn't dare interrupt and eagerly looked at Lu Yu, anticipating the rest of his explanation.