Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 638: Chapter 638: The Second Cave Heaven (3rd Update) Chapter 638: Chapter 638: The Second Cave Heaven (3rd Update) Xu Leigang and Wang Haifeng, neither of them went to Maoshan to attend the grand ceremony for the reopening of Juqu Cave Heaven.

However, they had heard about the proceedings so often that they knew them inside out, aware that Wudang held a relatively friendly attitude towards both Maoshan and Luohua Manor.

This afternoon, he came to visit Feng Jun at the manor with his second brother. When they reached Men Gang, they initially planned to stop the car and wait for Master Feng’s permission before entering.

In truth, he didn’t wish for his second brother to accompany him, but after all, they were brothers. If even his sister’s father-in-law’s family could visit, there was no reason to stop his own brother, even though he yearned to focus solely on cultivation.

Xu Lei’s second brother had ample reason to come. His company had been rejuvenated, and both the Yuan Family and Yang Yuxin were willing to support him, resulting in an exceptionally rapid development. Thus, he wanted to personally express his gratitude to Feng Jun.

Xu Leigang stopped the car and noticed another vehicle at the entrance. Two Taoists were negotiating with the gatekeeper. He approached to inquire and learned that the two Taoists were actually from Wudang.

Last time, Feng Jun had made an elaborate welcome for Tang Tianshi, which resulted in only Little Celestial Master Tang Wenji’s arrival. This time, he couldn’t be bothered to be courteous and simply said, “Just bring the guests over.”

But he didn’t act too arrogantly; at least he went out to greet them at the villa’s entrance. No matter what, the guests were much older than him, and traditional virtues like respecting the elderly and loving the young still mattered.

As soon as Elder Guo got out of the car, he was stunned by the newly erected Jade building.

At the moment, the sun was shining brightly. Snow still lingered in the shaded areas of the estate, but the pristine whiteness seemed somewhat lifeless, whereas the Jade building gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, as if it were surrounded by a white halo.

Elder Guo, a Martial Cultivator himself, was truly dumbfounded at the sight, “Is this… a Jade house?”

“Crafted from Mutton Fat White Jade,” Feng Jun replied with a touch of pride. He truly enjoyed the envious looks of others; after all, how many people in the world could resist showing off? “It’s the only one of its kind in the world.”

Xu Lei’s second brother also looked on in astonishment, unable to help himself from exclaiming, “Mutton Fat White Jade… Master, this is really extravagant.”

“Let’s talk inside the house,” Feng Jun called, feeling quite close to Xu Lei’s second brother, who had borrowed both his car and his people when he went to the capital. Meeting him again felt warm and familiar.

The two groups of guests rested briefly in the hall. Alongside Feng Jun in receiving them were Sister Hong and Wang Haifeng, with Li Shishi running around serving tea and water.

After sitting and chatting for a bit, Xu Leigang took his second brother to admire the Jade building, leaving behind Elder Guo and the other Wudang Taoist.

Interestingly, this Taoist was no stranger either; he was the same one who had warned Tang Wenji to “be careful” during the Blood Jiao King’s sneak attack and also possessed a Martial Master Realm.

Taoists from Wudang primarily focused on Martial Cultivation, although there were also those who cultivated the Golden Core and technique. But Wuadng’s Martial Masters had greater combat prowess than ordinary Martial Masters.

Elder Guo introduced him, revealing that this man was his eldest son, named Guo Haiyun.

Seeing the Xu brothers leave, Elder Guo smiled and said, “Feng Daoist friend, you truly have an abundance of talents under you.”

As he spoke, he glanced first at Wang Haifeng, then at Sister Hong.

The woman could be overlooked, bearing a faint trace of a Cultivator’s aura. The man, however, genuinely possessed a Martial Master’s cultivation, and even though he had only recently advanced, it was a presence that couldn’t be concealed.

Elder Guo was very clear about how rare a Martial Master’s realm was. Considered the number one individual among the Maoshan third-generation disciples, Tang Wenji’s entry into the Martial Master’s realm at such a young age earned her the title of Little Celestial Master.

There were Martial Masters among Loose Cultivators as well, like Master Xiong who wanted to take Di Aixin as a disciple, but ultimately they were unorthodox, lacking sufficient vitality and essence.

As strong as Wudang was, focused on Martial Cultivation, there were only five Martial Masters, with two in seclusion, somewhat like the uncles of Tang Wangsun, who wouldn’t appear unless the sect’s legacy was at stake.

Therefore, Wudang only had three Martial Masters available for sparring, including the sect leader. Within the remaining two, one was Guo Haiyun.

Even Elder Guo himself was not a Martial Master but merely a peak Martial Artist. Now older, his vitality had waned, nowhere near as formidable as in his youth. However, relying on his vast experience and knowledge, he would not necessarily be at a disadvantage against Loose Cultivator Martial Masters.

In short, Martial Masters were exceedingly rare. During the reopening of Jintan Huayang Celestial Part, they had encountered Gazi, and now they had met Wang Haifeng, leaving them inwardly astonished—how had these rare Martial Masters become as common as cabbages in Luohua Manor?

Especially shocking to them was the youthfulness of both Gazi and Wang Haifeng; Wang Haifeng, a bit older, was only around thirty. Most of Huaxia’s Martial World’s Martial Masters were in their forties.

This was no Mobile Phone plane where, generally speaking, the Martial Master was the ultimate pursuit for a Martial Cultivator. Around forty was the time when a Martial Artist’s vitality had yet to decline, and their accumulations were the deepest, whether it be Natural Treasures or experience and knowledge.

Advancing to a Martial Master at this stage was the most common.

Of course, there were also those who advanced before thirty or even before twenty, but they were considered prodigies in Martial Cultivation. A thousand years ago, the legendary Li Yuanba, at fourteen, advanced to a Martial Master, shocking countless individuals.

But Gazi in his early twenties, and Wang Haifeng, just over thirty, were already impressively young.

“Elder Guo flatters me,” Feng Jun answered with a smile, gesturing for everyone to drink tea, and then went straight to the point, “May I ask what brings the Elder here today?”

Elder Guo, seeing that his speech was direct, did not evade the question and replied bluntly, “I don’t know if Friend Feng has an interest in the art of alchemy? It’s my first visit, and it wouldn’t be proper to come empty-handed, so I brought a copy of ‘Baopuzi Danjing’ by Ge Xianweng, a relic from the early Ming dynasty.”

Ge Hong, known as Baopuzi, was a person from the Jin dynasty. Thus, an alchemy book from the early Ming surely couldn’t be an original, but even from the perspective of a cultural relic, this gift for the first visit wasn’t insignificant.

However, since Feng Jun was a cultivator, how could he possibly lack any editions of Baopuzi’s Daoist texts? He had several different versions.

Moreover, he genuinely wasn’t interested in the art of alchemy. He wasn’t even very keen on the art of elixirs in the Mobile Phone Plane, let alone on Earth Plane—it’s common knowledge that consuming too much arsenic and mercury can kill a person.

So, he replied with a smile, “Elder Guo is too courteous. Although Luohua Manor is small, we do know that one should not accept rewards without merit. Please speak first about what you wish to achieve.”

Seeing Feng Jun’s lack of interest, Elder Guo gave his son a meaningful look.

Guo Haiyun opened the leather case in his hand and took out a yellow silk wrapping. He unwrapped it to reveal an ancient sandalwood box.

Not to mention anything else, just the old sandalwood box alone was valuable.

Guo Haiyun made a courteous bow and said, “Mountain Master Feng, please ask the unrelated individuals to leave.”

“No need,” Feng Jun shook his head indifferently and said, “They are not strangers… I’ve already mentioned, no merit, no reward. Please speak, Friend Guo.”

Apart from the three of them, there were only Wang Haifeng, Sister Hong, and Li Shishi present. Xiao Li, who usually would have left on his own in such situations, did not leave today. He must have had some thoughts of his own.

This was normal, though. To most people, pursuit of the Cultivation Path was as folklore, but once truly confronted with it, very few could resist its temptations.

The Guo father and son exchanged glances, and after a long while, Elder Guo coughed lightly and asked, “How does Friend Feng view Weiyu Cave Heaven?”

Feng Jun’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, “Dayou Kongming Realm?”

Dayou Kongming Realm was also among the top ten Cave Heavens, ranking second only to Wangwu’s Xiaoyou Qingxu Realm.

However, in the eyes of most, this second Cave Heaven was somewhat overrated; Weiyu Mountain was not more than a hundred meters tall, with its five peaks representing the elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It could all be seen at a glance and hardly lived up to the name “Cave Heaven.”

Of course, a mountain need not be tall to be spiritual if it has immortals. Undeniably, the Daoist Sects had once flourished here.

But on the whole, this place was more of a site for disseminating teachings, not for cultivation.

If anyone argued that disseminating teachings was also a form of cultivation, well then… it’s true that this place was only suitable for that single type of practice.

That Wangwu’s “Xiaoyou” ranked above Weiyu’s “Dayou” suggests that this grandeur may not necessarily be a positive thing. Opulence and clamor are also “grand,” but they are far from tranquility and profundity.

Seeing his expression, Elder Guo knew what he was thinking. Indeed, Dayou Kongming Realm had always given off that impression. He smiled and inquired, “Does it feel somewhat overrated to you?”

“Heh,” Feng Jun chuckled dryly, choosing not to speak and instead picked up his teacup to drink.

He was at a loss for words. Although the Daoist Sects claim to be about quietude and non-action, in reality, the Daoist Sect is about self-cultivation. Just for the ranking of the ten great Cave Heavens alone, countless people were not satisfied.

The conflicts between Maoshan and Dragon Phoenix Mountain, the disruptions by the Qingcheng Sect—all stemmed from this, didn’t they?

The struggle over the inheritance of Daoist teachings was a necessary debate; no one wanted their lineage to be ranked below another.

Now, in Feng Jun’s view, these were indeed not worth considering, but that didn’t mean he needed to get involved. The disputes weren’t at a high level, but they were intense, and they could be deadly.

A hint of helplessness crossed Elder Guo’s face as he said, “Friend Feng, when Weiyu Cave Heaven was at its peak, it was far superior to Maoshan. It attracted Daoist friends from all directions, creating an unprecedented scene. The sound of philosophical debate could be heard everywhere, and this lasted for six hundred years.”

If debates were happening everywhere, then it surely wasn’t a place for quiet cultivation! Feng Jun scoffed inwardly.

For cultivators, debating the Dao is an essential exercise. The saying goes, “companion, Dharma, wealth, land”—these are the four elements of cultivation. “Companion” refers to a cultivating partner, and a large part of their role is to engage in debate.

But ultimately, cultivation is about refining oneself. Debating is to find direction, it can’t replace the practice of cultivation.

However, he believed Elder Guo was also aware of this, so he didn’t bother to say it out loud, simply nodding in acknowledgement, “Weiyu Cave Heaven must have its reasons for being ranked second, but I am not too clear about them… Does Wudang have any relation to Weiyu?”

The expressions on the faces of the Guo father and son simultaneously revealed a look of strangeness.

(Third installment delivered, calling for monthly tickets.)