Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology-Chapter 318 - 285: The Ceremony of Talented Individuals, The Blessed Land of Tianling Jungle

"What’s wrong?" Golden Cauldron True Man asked.

"Nothing, I just find this name quite interesting."

Song Lin mused internally,

"Jade Cauldron? How did I become Jade Cauldron?"

Isn’t Master Yuding the mentor of Erlang God?

No, this isn’t right! I do have an Erlang God.

Could the legends truly have originated because of me?

Thinking this, Song Lin said nothing further.

Jade Cauldron it is.

If it is, then so be it. Immortals having multiple aliases is perfectly normal, after all, it’s others who assign them. Am I supposed to jump out and correct each one?

Who said immortals can only have one title?

In myths, some immortals share similar powers and cultivation techniques, yet their names differ—perhaps they were alternate identities all along.

Song Lin traversed countless worlds, leaving behind different aliases—it was only natural.

In earlier worlds, Emperors even bestowed upon him Taoist Lord titles.

Not just Song Lin, many great beings have multiple identities. Some of these identities conflict with their original persona in other worlds.

This universe is indeed multidimensional.

Even though this world has a Jade Emperor, there’s a chance he’s not the real Jade Emperor, perhaps not even his avatar.

He is Jade Emperor, and yet he isn’t.

The Jade Emperor reincarnates and undergoes twelve thousand eight hundred trials to achieve emperorhood.

If each trial corresponds to one mythological tale, there’d be at least twelve thousand eight hundred worlds.

In some worlds, the Jade Emperor’s personality differs, his developmental stages vary, and his demonstrated abilities are naturally distinct.

In an old myth Song Lin had read, the Jade Emperor even contemplated shaving his head to ordain as a monk and take refuge under Buddha.

Perhaps that’s one of the Jade Emperor’s trials as well.

Similarly, Jade Cauldron is merely a title, a name granted by others.

I am still myself, unaffected by any one identity.

Song Lin’s gaze gradually cleared and sharpened.

Coming to his senses, he saw Golden Cauldron True Man smiling warmly at him.

"Though this old Taoist doesn’t know what occurred, I can tell you’ve gained enlightenment—congratulations!"

"Thanks to your guidance, senior." Song Lin bowed in gratitude.

"No need, let’s keep moving forward."

Golden Cauldron True Man turned and walked away.

Song Lin followed closely behind alongside Erlang God.

On the way, Golden Cauldron True Man recited a chant:

"Azure Dragon and White Tiger stand apart, captured and refined in the cauldron’s heart. Nine transformations create the ultimate elixir, one golden pill crowned with a red glimmer."

"The Top-grade External Pill Technique of the Golden Sand Sect boasts a long history. Everything can be transmuted; gold resists decay, and consuming it grants immortality. Yet, due to the stubborn nature of gold, it must be processed into pills through refining techniques to be consumable. Pill refinement consists of three critical steps: interaction of Kan-Li, ingredient collection for the cauldron, and circulation fire timing. Master these, and one can create most pills." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Kan-Li represents water and fire, dragon and tiger, yin and yang, Qian and Kun.

Many natural substances embody these characteristics, often found in mercury, sulfur, and the five metals of nature.

Extract the elemental properties, then use circulation fire techniques to refine them.

The varying properties will result in different pill effects after refinement.

Thus, alchemy is fundamentally about distilling the essence of things.

In the thirty-fourth year of Journey to the West.

After learning these basic principles, systematic pill refinement commenced.

Song Lin followed Golden Cauldron to refine numerous Golden Sand Pills, mostly basic elixirs such as Qi Storage Golden Pills, Soul Stabilizing Pills, and Breaking Miasma Pills.

In the thirty-fifth year of Journey to the West.

Song Lin began studying the Pill Dao of the Qianqiu Sect.

Lead: A material embodying the primordial rhythm of heaven and earth, imbued with the essence of sun and moon. Above, it crowns the skies; below, it aligns with the earth. It unites seventy-two minerals and concentrates the radiance of the cosmos, refined into pills for longevity.

"This is the essence of the Mercury Lead Sect, also known as the Qianqiu Sect."

While aiding and healing the world, Song Lin consistently vanquished demons. Few demons survived past three strikes from his Emperor Sword.

The name of Master Yuding began to spread.

Along his journey, he bore witness to the harsh suffering of the common folk.

In temples, monks indulged in meat and oil, presiding over thousands of hectares of fertile land and tenants. While feasting lavishly, the foot of the mountain was littered with starving corpses.

Similarly, there were Taoist Temples where demonic cultivators deceived and amassed wealth endlessly.

In the thirty-sixth year of Journey to the West.

In the western wilderness, by the Flame River.

The entire river scalded like boiling soup, and flames rose fiercely from the banks.

The air carried a faint tang of sulfur.

"The sulfur here is exceptional. Do you know why?" Golden Cauldron True Man asked.

"Why?" Song Lin asked, intrigued.

"This was the old capital of Wangshe City two hundred years ago. It’s said that the World Venerable of the Buddhist sect achieved enlightenment here. Two hundred years ago, amidst incessant wars, city inhabitants outside Wangshe migrated back to the capital."

"To conserve resources, they abandoned the old, sick, and frail, leaving only five hundred youths to make it safely home. Among them was a forsaken pregnant woman, who swore inwardly that in the next life, she’d come for revenge—feasting upon all of Wangshe’s children."

"And what happened next?" Song Lin seemed to have guessed.

"The pregnant woman died and transformed into the Ghost Mother, consuming the city’s children and wielding heavenly fire to burn the capital. Later, she was moved by compassion and ascended to the rank of immortal as a benevolent goddess of child protection."

This land’s sulfur carries traces of blood from Buddha and his followers, making its efficacy extraordinary.

"I see."

"Enough chatter! Next, we delve into the Mercury Sulfur Sect’s Pill Dao. The sect emphasizes sulfur and mercury—sulfur representing solar essence, mercury embodying Taiyin essence. The mingling of yin and yang forms heaven and earth, thus forging spirit pills."

"From now on, remain here to cultivate. I’ll take my leave for one Jiazi. We shall reunite then."

Golden Cauldron left behind a thin booklet.

It contained numerous pill recipes from all three sects.

"Where is senior going?"

"The heavenly mechanisms must remain concealed! I’ll tell you when I return!"

Golden Cauldron True Man smiled mysteriously, his figure gradually fading before disappearing completely.

Song Lin bowed deeply.

From that day forth, Song Lin stayed by Flame River, diligently practicing Pill Dao.

"Let’s start with the Qi Storage Spirit Pill," Song Lin thought.

The pill is refined using Golden Sand methods. It strengthens and replenishes qi, aiding greatly in the condensation of Silver Flower (Qi Flower).

With this in mind, Song Lin summoned the Jade Tripod, channeling the Earth Fire from the land to refine the pill.