Chapter 13: Change of Heart, Dan Dao Sect

  "Don't look anymore, those are all the toxins in your body. Hurry up and find someone to carry him out and bury him in a deep pit, lest he harm others." Danchenzi said, then beckoned to Zhang Cheng: "Now, I've also helped you clear out your toxins. You saved my life, and I saved yours. We're even now."

  "However, I've never been one to take advantage of others. Now that your body has recovered and your meridians have been expanded by me, you can start cultivating from today onwards. I'll impart a technique to you, called the Dan Tian Tuna Gong, which is the most fundamental breathing technique for cultivation. Then, I'll guide you through one night, and tomorrow, I will leave this place."

  "As for recommending you to enter the Xianmen sect, I will write a letter before I leave and you can bring it with you when you go to pay your respects. Is there anything else you don't understand?" Danchenzi said, waving his hand to retrieve the four small flags.

  "I have three questions. Firstly, after this Dan Tian Tu Na Gong Fa is given to me, can I pass it on to others? Secondly, which sect did the Taoist priest introduce you to? Thirdly, what is the Taoist priest's identity?" Zhang Cheng asked while sitting in a chair on one side.

  "This Dan Tian Tuna Gong, since I've given it to you, you can naturally pass it on to others. However, it's best not to pass it on to too many people. The principle of 'concealing a treasure and inviting trouble' is something I think you should understand. As for which sect I'll introduce you to, I haven't decided yet. I'll come to a conclusion when the time comes for me to leave. As for my identity, I still can't tell you for now. You just need to know that I'm a cultivator from a renowned sect. If we meet again in the future, you'll naturally find out then." Dan Chenzi answered Zhang Cheng's three questions consecutively.

  "Hmm, isn't this equivalent to only answering my first question?" Zhang Cheng thought to himself, then smiled and said: "Thank you, Daozhang, in that case I have no more questions."

  "Hmm, come here, I'll pass on the law to you." Danchenzi said.

  "Uh-huh." Zhang Cheng nodded and walked to Dan Chenzi's side. Then, Dan Chenzi stretched out a finger and lightly touched the center of Zhang Cheng's brow. Instantly, a golden light shot into Zhang Cheng's brow and disappeared without a trace.

  Zhang Cheng only felt his brain sink, and then he felt that there were more things in his mind. After thinking carefully for a while, a qigong method named "Dan Tian Tu Na Gong" suddenly appeared in his mind.

  "Hmm, this method is great. If we had this method before, it would be much better and we wouldn't have to memorize everything by rote." Zhang Cheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

  "Huh?" But at this moment, Danchenzi let out a soft hum, as if he had seen some kind of monster, and looked at Zhang Cheng with some incredulity.

  "What's wrong, Daozhang?" Zhang Cheng asked in confusion.

  "I finally understand why your condition has deteriorated so quickly." Danchenzi's eyes widened in surprise, and it took him a long time to calm down before he exclaimed: "The reason for the rapid deterioration of your condition is not mainly due to the true energy input by your father, but because your soul is too strong, even strong enough to suppress your body. Ah, my dear... no, no, I've changed my mind, I'll take you as my apprentice now, quickly, quickly come and pay homage to me as your master."

  "Wait, Daozhang, I'm a bit confused, what is this..."

  "You go and pay respects to the master first, after you've paid respects, I'll tell you the reason, hurry up." Danchenzi's current situation was like he had suddenly stumbled upon a treasure and was afraid of losing it, so he said anxiously.

  "Alright, I'll kowtow, I'll kowtow." Zhang Cheng didn't care about anything else. Being able to kowtow to an immortal as his master, and it seemed like a pretty high-ranking immortal at that, was a good thing no matter what. Although, the sudden change in front of and behind him made him somewhat unable to react in time.

  "Master is above, please accept the bow of your disciple Zhang Chengsan..."

  "Three bows are unnecessary, one bow will do, hurry up." Dan Chengzi said urgently.

  "Ah." Zhang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then knelt down and bowed, after which Dan Chengzi jumped directly off the bed, helped Zhang Cheng up, and with a face full of smiles, said: "Hehe, I really didn't expect it, going down the mountain once, and actually picking up a treasure. If Master Brother saw this, he'd probably be jealous to death, haha, haha..."

  "What's going on, Daozhang? What's wrong with you? I'm getting more and more confused." Zhang Cheng was bewildered by Dan Cenzi's sudden change.

  He used to be so indifferent, how did he suddenly change like a different person? Not only does he want me as his apprentice now, but it's also as if he's afraid I'll run away. The difference between before and after is just too big.

  "Now that you've called me Master, come on, call out to test it." At this moment, Dān Chén Zǐ said excitedly. This was the first time Zhāng Chéng saw Dān Chén Zǐ so enthusiastic and also unusually close, unlike before when he had a distant air about him.

  "Have met the master." Seeing Dan Chenzu's crazy appearance, Zhang Cheng felt a little regretful in his heart. He didn't know whether it was good or bad for him to have taken him as his master.

  "Haha, okay, okay, okay." Danchenzi called out three "goods" in a row before stopping with satisfaction and saying: "Good disciple, don't you think that I've changed a lot from front to back, even to the point where you can't recognize me?"

  "Uh-huh!" Zhang Cheng nodded and responded with a sound, but then felt it wasn't right, so he shook his head again and said: "No, no!"

  "Hehe, let me tell you about our Dan Dao Zong, and you'll understand why I'm like this." Danchenzi continued: "Dan Dao Zong, as well as my name Danchenzi, both have the character 'dan' in them. This isn't just a random name, because our Dan Dao Zong is indeed a sect that enters the Tao through alchemy."

  "Moreover, our Dan Dao Sect's reputation on the entire Jing Ling Continent is not small either. Although I dare not say that we are the strongest sect among all the factions, but when it comes to alchemy, no one dares to say they can surpass our Dan Dao Sect... Ah, got sidetracked, let me get straight to the point."

  "For alchemy, the most important thing is not the level of cultivation, but the strength of the soul. The stronger the soul, the stronger the perception and control, and it's easier to refine high-grade elixirs. To put it simply, a person with a strong soul is like an adult, while a person with a weak soul is like a child. Some things are easy for adults to do, but difficult or even impossible for children to do. Do you understand what I mean?"

  "I seem to understand a bit," Zhang Cheng replied.

  "Uh-huh." Danchenzi nodded and continued, "On our Jingshen Continent, in order to enhance the strength of one's soul, currently, there are only two ways: through constant cultivation, undergoing trials and tribulations, and with age growth. Therefore, the younger a person is, the stronger their soul, the more suitable they are for alchemy, because their starting point is high, and their future achievements will naturally not be low."

  "Our Dan Tao Sect has always been looking for young people with extremely high spiritual strength to join and increase our sect's power, and you are the person with the highest spiritual strength I have ever seen. Although you are only ten years old, your spiritual strength is stronger than that of an average adult, conservatively estimated, your spiritual strength is at least ten times that of a normal person." Dan Chenzi roughly estimated and said.

  "Ten times? That's a lot!" Zhang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then asked again: "Master, is having a strong soul good or bad?"

  "Of course, it's fine, but having a strong soul is problematic. Just like you, your body is only ten years old, but your soul is stronger than an ordinary adult, so your body can't bear the weight of such a strong soul, which led to your condition deteriorating rapidly."

  Danchenzi saw that Zhang Cheng was a bit confused, so he continued to say: "This is just like a horse that can carry the weight of three people. If you let it carry five or even ten people, the result is predictable. Maybe at first, the horse can still hold on, but after a long time, the horse will become exhausted and may even be slowly worn out to death. Your body is in this state."

  At this point, Zhang Cheng had a general understanding of his physical condition, and he couldn't help but think of the handprint that he had been practicing, which he had named "Mizong Daheshou". As a result, he made a bold conjecture: "Could it be that Mizong Daheshou can enhance soul strength?"