Chapter 435: Secrets

Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Secrets

The proficient one is the master.

On the path of the Outer Pill, Bai Mo was truly not as far along as the hunchbacked Cultivator.

Thus, Bai Mo respectfully sought his guidance.

"Senior Brother, please tell me about this ’lesser method’."

The hunchbacked Cultivator sighed.

"The ability you seek—is it an innate Divine Technique of a living creature, or a skill from an acquired Cultivation Technique?"

Bai Mo asked sincerely,

"What’s the difference?"

"The difference is huge. A so-called ’innate Divine Technique’ is not something the likes of us can covet. Even I, your Senior Brother, can’t do anything about it," the hunchbacked Cultivator said.

"But as for abilities honed through acquired Cultivation Techniques, well, that’s a different story."

Their conversation was not held in secret from the other prisoners in the black jail.

Although they were shocked that Bai Mo had used a pill to turn a man into such a state, upon suddenly hearing this discussion, they couldn’t help but prick up their ears and listen.

"The lesser method is called ’deconstruction’. It requires you, Junior Brother, to understand the contents of the technique. When refining a Pill, you must find a way to guide the medicinal power along a predetermined path."

"It’s somewhat like an Array, but we follow the Alchemy Dao, so it’s fundamentally different."

"Furthermore, the herbs and Spiritual Objects we use are different. A Pill’s medicinal power has far more variations than a Cultivator’s Spiritual Qi and Divine Thought..."

Just like the mad Cultivator, this man had also committed his inherited knowledge to heart.

Now, as he spoke, the words flowed effortlessly.

As he spoke, a vast system that Bai Mo had never anticipated slowly unfolded before his eyes.

"The path of the Outer Pill, it is said, was created from the top down by a great power from ancient times who wished to pass on an ability to his heir."

"It only spread later, leading to its magnificent development..."

It wasn’t easy to replicate the abilities of the mighty.

Not to mention the ’human cauldrons’. There are always those who take unorthodox paths and walk a dangerous line.

Falling onto a twisted path only required a moment of carelessness, a single obsessive thought.

This method of forcibly stripping a person’s cultivation and refining it into a Pill was indeed exceedingly convenient.

This method saved a great deal of manual and mental effort. It was so fast and convenient that even Bai Mo felt a flicker of temptation.

If not for his sense of ethics and morality, Bai Mo would have been tempted to delve deeper into this path of study.

According to the hunchbacked Cultivator, back in ancient times, the truly mainstream Outer Pill Alchemy Skill was precisely this ’lesser method’ he spoke of.

He didn’t understand the deeper aspects, and neither did most Cultivators of that ancient era.

One would decipher another’s cultivation method, refine its concepts and principles into a Pill, and compel the medicinal power to operate on its own.

Thus, a Cultivator who consumed an Outer Pill only needed to activate it, and it would be as if they were constantly circulating that technique themselves.

This was the widely circulated concept of one school of Outer Pill alchemy.

It was said that when this method was prevalent, all the Cultivators, sects, and clans in the Cultivation Realm guarded their techniques with extreme secrecy.

They feared that the wolf-like Outer Pill Cultivators roaming outside would learn their methods.

If that happened, in less than two years, their clan’s signature skills would be widespread and become worthless.

Granted, the benefits of an Outer Pill were tied to the knowledge of the Pill Cultivator who refined it and couldn’t compare to someone who had perfected the original technique.

But the ability to gain a considerable level of skill so quickly and easily was enough to fill people with indignation.

Hearing that the Outer Pill once had such a glorious history, Bai Mo was greatly surprised.

"Why has the art of the Outer Pill declined to this state? You can hardly find any trace of its legacy outside."

The hunchbacked Cultivator lamented.

"The Cultivation Realm develops too quickly."

"Later Cultivation Techniques and methods became increasingly profound and powerful. It’s no exaggeration to say they changed with each passing day."

"How difficult do you think it is for us Alchemy Cultivators to thoroughly research them? It’s not surprising that eventually, no one wanted to learn this kind of Alchemy Skill."

Bai Mo fell silent.

The art of the Outer Pill could be described as seizing the very fortune of heaven and earth.

Creating a master with a few Pills was not such a strange concept.

However, the limitations of this school were too obvious.

For an Alchemy Cultivator, exploring the mysteries of the Alchemy Dao was already fraught with countless difficulties.

To ask them to also thoroughly research a complex technique on top of that would require an unimaginable amount of effort.

The hunchbacked Cultivator suddenly spoke again.

"Actually, Junior Brother, it’s not entirely true that the art of the Outer Pill has declined."

"According to legends in old texts, some of the old monsters know a thing or two about this path. They just play at a much higher level, scheming for the innate talents of transcendent beings."

"There was a great ancient power who intercepted the fortune of heaven and earth, comprehended the bloodline of a Kun Peng, refined it into a Pill, and obtained the art of soaring ninety thousand li, shattering the void to depart..."

That was a realm far beyond what small fries like them should be thinking about.

What Bai Mo was thinking about now was how to take the first step onto this path.

"Please, Senior Brother, teach me! I haven’t even learned the introductory methods yet!"

The hunchbacked Cultivator flew into a rage.

"You lazy oaf! You don’t look stupid, so how have you not even started!?"

Cursing was one thing, but after catching his breath, he still began to share his insights with Bai Mo.

This time, even the mad Cultivator, who wasn’t particularly close by, pricked up his ears to listen.

It was true that he possessed a great number of Immortal Ascension Skills, but this art of the Outer Pill was precisely what he lacked.

「An unknown amount of time passed.」

The hunchbacked Cultivator had spoken until his mouth was dry. He closed his eyes.

"Enough. Go back and think carefully about what I’ve told you."

"Saying any more will only do you harm. Wait until you’ve thought it all through before we speak again."

Bai Mo had been listening with relish and didn’t have any major questions yet.

But no matter how he asked, the hunchbacked Cultivator adamantly refused to say more, seemingly certain that Bai Mo had not yet fully digested the information.

Left with no choice, Bai Mo prepared to leave.

But the hunchbacked Cultivator opened his eyes once more.

"Oh, right."

"In ancient times, a Cultivator of our path compiled a book called the Hundred Skills of External Pill Record. It contains the Outer Pill Alchemy methods for over a hundred different techniques."

"This book should have been passed down in the outside world. If you get the chance, Junior Brother, you must get your hands on it. When you do, let me have a look as well."

Bai Mo froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

Although the techniques detailed in the Hundred Skills of External Pill Record were surely ancient and crude, it was the perfect foundation for a beginner like him to start his training.

"I’ll remember that!"

Bai Mo strode out quickly.

After he left the black jail, many of the prisoners pondered for a moment before they too began to ask questions.

The hunchbacked Cultivator didn’t answer everything, only picking and choosing his replies. When they asked particularly tricky questions, he couldn’t answer all of them either.

This scene of imparting knowledge could be considered a model of teaching and mentoring.

At a certain moment, the hunchbacked Cultivator suddenly jolted awake.

Fragments of the recent conversation flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

Although the memories were incomplete, they were enough for him to realize what had just happened.

The hunchbacked Cultivator’s lips trembled, and the features on his face contorted even more severely.

After flailing his arms a few times, his mind suddenly shattered. With a whimper, he collapsed onto the pile of straw behind him and began to wail.

...

With a light step, Bai Mo emerged from the black jail and immediately got to work.

He took out a writing brush and, with the tip gliding across the page, recorded everything the hunchbacked Cultivator had just said.

He also included some of his own thoughts in between. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

When Ah Er returned at night, Bai Mo stopped writing and called out before it could even catch its breath.

"Put aside what you’re working on for a moment."

"Ah... urk?"

Bai Mo carefully instructed, "First, go out and help me find a book."

"Go to the Collection Pavilion. If it’s not there, search elsewhere. If it’s not in the Inner Sect, then go to the Outer Sect..."

The Xuandao Sect had an enormous collection of books. If the Hundred Skills of External Pill Record truly had some renown and was passed down from ancient times, there was a high probability the sect would have a copy.