Demon Cultivator with Celestial Book-Chapter 82 - 65: Foundation Establishment Is to Cultivate Life Essence; Using Humans as Medicine Severs the Path to the Dao
True Master Xuanmiao?
Jiang Yi held the plump little cat in both hands, staring into its wide eyes.
According to the regulations of the Daoist Lineage, only a Foundation Establishment Upper Cultivator could be called a "True Master."
This little cat, which looked like it had just rolled around in a pile of coal, was actually a Foundation Establishment True Master?
Jiang Yi’s thoughts raced. The moment the little cat who called itself "True Master Xuanmiao" finished speaking, he immediately followed up:
"I, Jiang Yi, have drifted through half my life, lamenting only that I have not met an enlightened master! If you would have me, True Master, I am willing to become your disciple..."
The little cat’s round eyes roved over Jiang Yi’s face as if it had discovered something novel.
’Should I be so casual about accepting my first disciple?’
The little cat was still considering it, but as Jiang Yi continued, its ears immediately perked up, and it grew serious.
"...I am willing to become your disciple, to serve you, to take care of all your daily needs, and to ensure you never suffer from hunger or cold." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Normally, a Foundation Establishment True Master wouldn’t suffer from hunger or cold.
But Jiang Yi figured that since the Spirit Bird Jerky could be used as a sacrificial offering, True Master Xuanmiao must be a bit of a glutton.
Speaking this way would most likely move it.
"SLURP..."
The little cat savored the memory of the Spirit Bird Jerky it had eaten over the past few days and couldn’t help but lick its lips.
’If I could enjoy such delicacies every day, this boy is indeed much better than that loudmouth who uses a sword.’
Not much emotion could be seen on the cat’s face. Besides, this True Master Xuanmiao was pitch-black, almost blending into the night, which made it even easier to hide its expression.
"You... are called Jiang Yi?"
The cat spoke in a human tongue, its voice delicate and childlike, making it difficult to tell if it was male or female.
"That is correct. The ’Jiang’ from ’ginger grass,’ and the ’Yi’ from ’abnormality’."
Jiang Yi replied in a gentle voice.
’You have to be patient with cats, especially a little cat that might be a ’Foundation Establishment True Master’.’
’Ginger grass?’
The little cat scrunched up its round face. That was a bitter and astringent taste.
But it sniffed carefully at the boy holding it. He was very clean.
Although his Daoist Robe was covered in dust, the Qi Mechanism emanating from his body was pure, without the slightest hint of turbidity.
This pleased the little cat.
It had never liked dirtiness.
"You’d better do as you say... meow."
The little cat considered itself quick-witted and incomparably intelligent.
It had considered this seriously. As a cat, it needed someone to serve it.
In the past, at the Daoist Palace, it had eight hundred Immortal Maidens attending to it.
Upon waking, it would have Jade Dew served in a Jade Bowl. Lunch was always Spirit Bird Delicacies. Even the Pure Dew it drank had to be collected from the Celestial Radiance.
Its bed was lined with Warm Fragrant Jade, cushioned with Brocade cut from Colourful Clouds, and when it played, an Immortal Child would accompany it with a Coral Staff adorned with bells...
The little cat felt a bit dazed. It couldn’t even remember how much it had suffered since leaving the Daoist Palace, having its Primordial Inner Mansion sealed and its Twelfth Layer Floors suppressed!
But the thought of escaping that person’s clutches made True Master Xuanmiao feel it was all worth it!
"Rest assured, True Master! If I go back on my word, may the Celestial Lord strike me down with the five thunders!"
Jiang Yi swore earnestly. ’It’s just feeding a cat,’ he thought. ’In my past life, I knew how to take care of the birds my old boss raised and the pigeons he trained.’
’When it came to getting ahead, he felt he had never been outdone.’
"Meow."
It tilted its head and sized up Jiang Yi, thinking to itself, ’Since this boy knows to offer Spirit Bird Jerky, he must be a considerate person.’
’I might as well grant him the Name Position of a Disciple!’
"Then from now on, you are this True Master’s disciple..."
Jiang Yi immediately said:
"Disciple pays his respects to Cat Master!"
...
...
Returning to Dai Pavilion, Jiang Yi saw from afar that the lights in his Grandpa Yang Xun’s room were brightly lit, and he felt greatly relieved.
’With such a diligent attitude toward cultivation, what’s to worry about not breaking through to the Seventh Layer?’
"I’d say Grandpa definitely has a shot at contending for a spot in the Inner Peak!"
Jiang Yi murmured with emotion before stepping into the main room.
A moment later.
The faint conversation between a man and a cat could be heard.
"Pardon me, Cat Master."
"Remember to be gentle... meow!"
"Is this pressure all right?"
"Don’t just rub my belly."
"My apologies, Disciple was rude. It’s just that Cat Master is so soft, I can’t bear to let go..."
Jiang Yi had someone bring hot water and fill a wooden tub. He then carefully placed True Master Xuanmiao beside it and began to wash it gently.
True Master Xuanmiao, looking like a ball of flesh, almost curled into a tight sphere. It seemed to be afraid of water.
However, since Cat Master had always loved cleanliness, this bath was unavoidable.
"Cat Master, please allow this disciple to give you another scrub with soap. I am skilled in certain techniques."
Jiang Yi looked like he was in a bathhouse, having taken off his outer robe to wear only his undergarments, with a long towel draped around his neck.
Gradually relaxing, True Master Xuanmiao lay lazily on a stool, its limbs dangling softly. It let its new disciple knead it, occasionally letting out a contented meow.
"Cat Master."
Jiang Yi knew full well that whether it was a person or a cat, they were easiest to talk to when they were comfortable:
"Disciple still doesn’t know the origin of our lineage. If I need to mention it to others in the future, how should I refer to it?"
True Master Xuanmiao was so blissfully pampered it felt dizzy.
It had drifted all the way to Beimang Ridge, living a miserable life. It had to guard against fellow Demon Dao practitioners and also avoid Outer Path Tribulation Cultivators.
Worse, because the Taifu Sect had sealed off three thousand li, it couldn’t retrieve the many Spiritual Objects and Spiritual Materials hidden in its bell, and had nearly been reduced to the miserable fate of scrounging for food in a ditch.
Now, under Jiang Yi’s meticulous care, it felt comfortable all over. It meowed in response:
"Daoist Lineages and Methods can be either manifest or hidden. The manifest ones are known throughout the world; the hidden ones are seen by no one.
Our branch is the most hidden of the hidden. No one would know of it even if you spoke of it, so it’s better not to mention it."
Jiang Yi’s eye twitched slightly. ’There are such distinctions?’
’So things like the Immortal Dao and the Demon Dao are the most manifest of the manifest Daoist Lineages?’
’Because in the Yanfu Vast Land, they are known by all, and cultivated by all living beings!’
’Then what about the Sword Dao, which was extinguished by the Buddhist Dao? What category did it belong to?’
’If you called it ’hidden,’ everyone has heard of it and knows it once existed.’
’If you called it ’manifest,’ its Dharma Lineage has withered, its numbers have dwindled, and you couldn’t find many practitioners even if you searched through all the four Daoist Lineages.’
"A hidden Dharma Lineage! As expected of Cat Master!"
Jiang Yi enthusiastically played the part of a sycophant, his technique becoming even more exquisite. He rubbed True Master Xuanmiao until its flesh rippled like waves, its bones went soft, and it was beside itself with ecstasy.
"May I ask, Cat Master, since the name of the Dharma Lineage cannot be shared, what about the inheritance’s Cultivation Technique...?"
There were two fundamental reasons why Jiang Yi sought a master.
First, he needed a High Grade Technique to deepen his foundation and accumulation, giving him a chance to reach the Twelfth Layer Floors;
Second, the Qianji Sect was too small a pond; any small splash he made would cause ripples. Furthermore, after learning about the "Daoist Can," he had to be even more wary of Inner Sect and Branch Sect Dharma Lineages, lest he be targeted as a Great Medicine.
He planned to find a safe place to lay low, not to walk on thin ice while engaging in schemes and power struggles.
"You’re seeking a Perfect Dao Inheritance, aren’t you?"
said True Master Xuanmiao.
"Cat Master, what is a Perfect Dao Inheritance?"
It was the first time Jiang Yi had heard this term, and he couldn’t help but be curious.
"One that leads directly to the True Monarch Golden Position, allows for the Gathering of the Five Elements, the full cultivation of one’s Life Essence, the ability to pass the Three Calamities, and the attainment of the Dao Fruit.
That is called a ’Perfect Dao Inheritance,’ and only Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineages have it.
All Dharma Lineages below them are incomplete and flawed.
This is especially true for Inner Sect and Branch Sects. They can’t even hope to reach Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer Perfection."
Jiang Yi was so engrossed that his hands paused involuntarily.
According to this, not a single Grand True Master at Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer Perfection could be found in the entire Beimang Ridge?
"Why is that? If the Cultivation Technique is flawed, surely it could be perfected over generations of revision."
Jiang Yi really didn’t understand.
Dao Races like the Fu Clan and Kang Clan of the Zhao You Sect had existed for four or five hundred years; it wasn’t out of the question.
Even with the efforts of several generations and the full power of their clans, they still couldn’t achieve perfection?
"Keep rubbing, don’t stop... meow."
True Master Xuanmiao’s short limbs paddled twice, its plump body trembling slightly.
"Didn’t I just say? The Fifth Layer of Foundation Establishment requires cultivating Life Essence. This is the crucial secret.
But the Sect and Branch Dharma Lineages mostly pass down the spell of ’consuming Daoist Cans.’ They are tainted by blood qi and consume blood food. Their Life Essence is flawed, so they are destined never to achieve perfection or reach the peak of Foundation Establishment."
Jiang Yi’s throat moved slightly. Below the Daoist Lineages, Dharma Lineages were as numerous as trees in a forest, but the ones that truly supported the world’s order were the Inner Sects and Branch Sects.
They were either promoted from local clans or founded by Lower Cultivators who broke through. They received decrees from the Upper Sect and Talisman Decrees from the Daoist Palace, only then could they establish a sect and widely recruit disciples.
Jiang Yi once had a question. According to the normal logic of promotion within a Daoist Lineage, many Grand Sects should be promoted from Sects and Branches, and the same should apply to Upper Sects.
But he later learned from his Grandpa Yang Xun that in the Nanzhan Continent, only the eight great colossi, the Eight Sects, had remained unchanged for five thousand years.
No matter how the Grand Sects, Inner Sects, and Branch Sects below them rose and fell, only these Eight Sects stood unshaken.
"Does the Demon Dao prohibit cultivators from consuming Daoist Cans?"
Jiang Yi asked in a low voice.
"Of course. The Ancestral Sects send out their True Inheritance disciples on patrol every nine years. If they catch anyone, they are killed immediately. If the involvement is too widespread and they dare to defy, their Dharma Lineage Decree is directly revoked."
Jiang Yi fell silent.
Since the Daoist Lineage forbids the Magic Lineage Cultivators below them from consuming Daoist Cans, why not cut it off at the source and completely destroy such a cruel and heretical secret spell?
With the Mighty Virtue of the Daoist Lineage, they could definitely do it.
"There is only one explanation. The secret spell of the Daoist Can was deliberately allowed to spread by the Ancestral Sects, in order to sever the path of advancement for the lower-level Dharma Lineages."
