Night had fallen.
In front of the dining hall on Yaoguang Floating Island, five large round tables were already filled with delicious and aromatic dishes. Many people were seated, though a few seats remained empty.
For the past three years, the dining hall of Lingxian Sect had consistently served meals on time every day. As time passed, Jiang Youfu's culinary skills, much like his cultivation, had improved tremendously. Thanks to this, even as their cultivation advanced and their need for physical sustenance lessened, the sect members never grew tired of the meals.
Despite their busy schedules, most of the sect members made time to enjoy dinner together, unless they were in the middle of something urgent, like a breakthrough or a critical closed-door cultivation session.
Dinner had become one of the rare moments when the busy disciples of Lingxian Sect could gather, relax, and engage in conversation.
"I wonder when the Sect Master will emerge from his closed-door cultivation this time. It's been a year already," Yuan Qing sighed as he gazed at one of the empty seats while enjoying his meal.
Liao Pantuo, seated nearby, continued eating and commented, "He's undergoing a breakthrough from the Golden Core to Nascent Soul stage—it won't be quick. We just have to wait."
Lin Xiao had entered seclusion in June of the previous year to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Having watched his cultivation progress steadily over the years, Liao Pantuo found it hard to believe that someone could reach the threshold of Nascent Soul at just sixteen years old after only three years of cultivation.
Such a feat was unheard of, even among the most talented prodigies of the great sects in the cultivation world.
Yet, within Lingxian Sect, Lin Xiao's rapid progress seemed almost natural. Though everyone felt a sense of admiration and awe for his speed, the presence of others, like Sun Yigao, Mo Yuanjiao, Xiao Luan, and many others nearing the late stage of Foundation Establishment, made Lin Xiao's advancement seem less extraordinary.
The members of Lingxian Sect were aware that their own cultivation speeds, if compared to those in the outside world, would easily place them in the category of geniuses. But within the sect, where everyone progressed swiftly, it felt almost normal. Only a few of the older members, who were more absorbed in their personal interests, progressed slightly slower.
Still, it made perfect sense for their Sect Master to be ahead of everyone else.
In addition to Sun Yigao and Mo Yuanjiao, who had reached the Golden Core stage, and Xiao Luan, who had ascended by relying on a monster core, there were two other Golden Core cultivators in Lingxian Sect.
One of them was Liao Pantuo.
Before Lin Xiao entered seclusion, he had taken the pendant containing Liao Pantuo's soul fragment to explore several Golden Core secret realms in the cultivation world. In one of those secret realms, Lin Xiao successfully recovered another part of Liao Pantuo's soul.
Now, Liao Pantuo only needed to retrieve the final fragment sealed in a Nascent Soul secret realm to fully restore his soul. Once that was done, he would only need to locate his body to regain his former peak strength.
With his soul partially restored and his cultivation progressing steadily, Liao Pantuo had reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm. However, compared to Sun Yigao and Mo Yuanjiao, his progress seemed relatively slow, despite his "extraordinary" talent as assessed by the system. In the past three years, he had only managed to advance from the mid to late stages of the Golden Core.
This slower pace was largely due to the fact that he hadn't fully switched to Lingxian Sect's cultivation technique.
Liao Pantuo had spent centuries practicing his own Soul Refinement Technique. Even after joining Lingxian Sect and witnessing the remarkable efficiency of the sect's core technique, Ben Yuan Heart Sutra, he couldn't easily discard the technique he had devoted his life to.
Back when his soul had been trapped in the secret realm, Liao Pantuo had hoped to pass on his legacy to a worthy disciple, ensuring that his Soul Refinement Technique would live on. For someone so deeply invested in his craft, it was impossible to simply abandon it, even when faced with a more efficient technique.
Thus, for the past few years, Liao Pantuo had been exploring a way to merge his Soul Refinement Technique with the Ben Yuan Heart Sutra.
In the beginning, he had studied the Peach Blossom Void Sutra to assist his fellow sect members with their cultivation. At the same time, he delved into other techniques, including the Ben Yuan Heart Sutra. Initially, he found the heart sutra to be deeply profound, but there was always a sense that it resonated with him on a level he couldn't quite grasp.
It wasn't until he witnessed Jiang Youfu's breakthrough, when the young man unexpectedly derived his own unique Culinary Path Sutra from the Ben Yuan Heart Sutra, that Liao Pantuo realized the true potential of the technique. The Ben Yuan Heart Sutra had the remarkable ability to evolve into unique paths tailored to the individual practitioner.
This inspired Liao Pantuo to wonder whether his Soul Refinement Technique could be similarly adapted to merge with the Ben Yuan Heart Sutra. Over the past three years, he had diligently worked on this integration.
Yet, unlike Jiang Youfu, who had stumbled upon his unique path by chance, Liao Pantuo's efforts had yielded slower results. However, with centuries of cultivation experience, he wasn't disheartened. Having faced countless setbacks in his research before, Liao Pantuo was not one to give up easily. His persistence was evident even in his continued practice of alchemy.
More importantly, Liao Pantuo understood that merging two techniques was inherently challenging. The greater the difficulty, the more rewarding the success would be. This thought kept him motivated.
Thus, while his cultivation speed remained slower compared to the others in Lingxian Sect, Liao Pantuo continued his research with a calm and steady mindset.
The rest of the sect didn't pay much attention to his progress. To them, Liao Pantuo was always seen as a figure of immense wisdom and capability, a senior who could provide answers to their cultivation questions. No one was concerned about his speed of cultivation because, in their minds, he was already an esteemed elder.
The other Golden Core cultivator in Lingxian Sect was Liu Chun, who was currently in the cultivation world, accompanying his sister for medical treatment.
Originally a wandering cultivator with no access to high-level techniques, Liu Chun had relied on his talent in crafting talismans to earn a living as a guest elder in various sects. After joining Lingxian Sect, he initially practiced the Peach Blossom Void Sutra, like many others.
However, after spending time in the sect's cultivation rooms and occasionally reviewing other techniques, he discovered that he had a natural affinity for the Ben Yuan Heart Sutra. After a brief trial, he realized that it suited him better, and he eventually switched to practicing it full-time.