She paused, smiled faintly, and slightly lifted her chin, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Thus, Teacher Tao called me aside alone and gave me a few pointers. Only then did I realize that Dragon Carp’s Mist has these wonderful uses. In fact, besides aiding in Core Formation, it can also be cultivated into a Lifebound Artifact..."
Upon hearing this, many Residence Students gasped with wide eyes.
"Hiss, Sister Liu actually received guidance from Teacher Tao..."
"Is it the new Teacher Tao?"
Ye Ruoxi looked at Liu Kongyi with complex eyes and exclaimed in her tone.
"Teacher Tao only teaches us Heavenly Will Residence Students about the Golden Core Great Dao. Normally when he visits our Tranquility Mansion, he is always serious and teaches indifferently, never entertaining our questions during class, let alone any communication after class... Sister Liu has caught Teacher Tao’s attention this time, she might even have the chance to be accepted as his disciple... A Nascent Soul Realm Daoist gentleman..."
Daoism, unlike Confucianism which broadly accepts students and teaches without discrimination, is strict in accepting disciples and values karmic connections.
Law is not imparted lightly, nor is the Dao taught casually.
They rarely take disciples, sometimes only one, because it involves the strict succession of the sect’s Daoist Skill.
If one could be accepted as a disciple by Teacher Tao, it meant not only having a Nascent Soul Realm support but also a hopeful path to the Seventh Realm. This is because behind a Daoist gentleman, there must be a lineage of orthodox Daoist Skill, possibly even a mysterious singular transmission that directly leads to the Seventh Realm.
The Residence Students envied her, and the Academy scholars, upon knowing the identity of Teacher Tao, understood what a title of ’gentleman’ meant; it was not only about being a great master but also about the transmission of the Great Dao...
Du Yifu squinted his eyes, staring hard at Liu Kongyi, wondering about something.
Liu Kongyi smiled gently, lowering her gaze, and lightly stroking the Dragon Carp, enjoying the sensation of being the center of attention. She spoke in a leisurely tone,
"Sigh, actually, my Dragon Carp Radiance is really nothing special. You all don’t need to make such a fuss... At that time, Teacher Tao seemed to be in a good mood and spoke a few more words with me, revealing some secrets... Do you know, Teacher Tao actually possesses an aura of auspiciousness too."
Liu Kongyi paused again for a moment, her eyes shifting, sweeping over the crowd.
Everyone stared at her intently, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Ye Ruoxi snapped impatiently, "Sister Kongyi, stop beating around the bush, quickly share it."
Liu Kongyi nodded, solemnly cautioning, "You mustn’t spread this everywhere. Just regard it as a story to listen to. Although Teacher Tao’s character is detached from mundane concerns and likely won’t mind such chatter, if it were spread everywhere, it would not be good."
"Definitely, definitely. Sister, go on."
"Yes, Sister, we definitely won’t gossip."
Liu Kongyi’s eyes slightly narrowed as she slowly began.
"The Daoist gentleman and sage all possess an aura of East Coming Purple Energy, similar to the Jade of Confucian gentlemen. It is rumored that this Purple Energy is related to the first Daoist Scripture of the Xuanhuang Realm... It is indeed the top-grade auspicious energy of this world, infinitely useful, and the only one I know of is... raising the Grade of a pill by Half a Grade."
Upon these words, the room fell silent.
Ji Qianyi, who had been in the middle of wrapping up, stopped his action.
Yun Zi, planning to enter seclusion for Core Formation soon, maintained his usual tranquil face, but one hand violently clutched his sleeve, his fingertips turning pale.
To raise by half a Grade!?
What pill was being referred to, and of course, no one wasted time asking since it was obvious to these clever Heavenly Will Residence Students that it referred to the Golden Core!
This was also their most concerned matter, as the Grade of the Golden Core directly affects whether the future path is a narrow winding path or a broad avenue!
But the Heavenly Dao is ruthless, once the Grade of a forged Golden Core is determined, it is almost unchangeable, meaning a decisive victory or defeat in life, with only one chance.
And now, they learned that there was indeed a miraculous object capable of elevating a Golden Core directly by half a Grade.
This Daoism is indeed intimately related to the studies of the Golden Core Realm...
A female Residence Student with long hair flowing over her shoulders swallowed and muttered softly, "So this is how the half-grade pills mentioned in certain ancient texts came about..."
Liu Kongyi glanced at the speaking woman, nodding slightly, meanwhile her tone was filled with emotion, "The Golden Core is in nine Grades, and in the tribulation, several Heavenly Trace lines emerge to indicate the Grade. The fewer Heavenly Trace lines, the better. Yet, the Heavenly Dao does not allow perfection...
Sigh, who knows if those colorfully unique, impeccable Golden Cores possessed by ancient powers in legends truly exist. Top three Grades, middle three Grades, lower three Grades are each a fixed color, but a Golden Core tempered with Daoist East Coming Purple Energy will be dyed into a Purple Pill. It still bears the same number of Heavenly Trace lines, without defying nature or repairing imperfections, yet it can increase by half a Grade, making it more powerful than cultivators of the same grade."
Liu Kongyi gradually fell silent, the hall descended into a hush, filled only with somewhat imperceptible sighs and the flickering gazes of thoughtful Residence Students and scholars.
Suddenly, however, a man’s voice, very much out of place, sounded,
"Um, excuse me, is this Teacher Tao you all are discussing named Tao Yuanran by any chance?"
Liu Kongyi’s lips curled up, appreciating the shocked expressions of the Residence Students. Like them, when she had first heard, she too had been unable to close her mouth. Now, upon hearing that odd question, Liu Kongyi looked in the direction of the voice.