Chapter 178: The Distinction

"I'm listening, of course I'm listening," Chen Jin quickly nodded in agreement.

"Most ancient methods were passed down from primeval times. There is a distinct dividing line between that era and the present: the period from Great Yu harnessing the floods to Xia Qi establishing the Xia Dynasty. What exactly happened during this time, I do not know. However, ever since the Xia Dynasty was founded, the mortal realm and..." (he pointed upward at the ceiling), "the two have been separated. Since then, there have been no true immortals in the mortal world. The classification of the five immortals—heavenly, earthly, human, divine, and ghost—also originates from this time. Before that, an immortal was simply an immortal, with no distinction whatsoever." The old Daoist priest took a sip of tea with every sentence, his facial expression rather colorful, shifting between smiles and bitterness.

"I wonder what the differences are among these five classes of immortals: heavenly, earthly, human, divine, and ghost?" Chen Jin asked with curiosity.

"As for these five immortals, none can truly be said to be superior or inferior. But once names were given, people naturally wanted to differentiate them. Thus, heavenly immortals came to be regarded as the highest, divine immortals second, earthly immortals third, human immortals after that, and ghost immortals are considered the lowest."

"Heavenly immortals transcend the mortal world, ascending beyond the thirty-three heavens to wander in freedom. Divine immortals are heavenly or earthly immortals who take up official posts in the Heavenly Court or the Daoist Realms of the Three Purities. Earthly immortals carve out blessed lands of the mortal world to escape worldly affairs and attain longevity. Human immortals are mostly those who are unwilling to cast aside their mortal flesh, and thus eventually face demise, though they still possess ten thousand years of lifespan. Ghost immortals are mostly spirits that achieved cultivation, or cultivators whose refinement of the mortal shell was incomplete, leaving their physical bodies to return to nature; unable to become human immortals and unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, they have no choice but to become ghost immortals." The old Daoist gave a brief and detailed introduction one by one.

"Ghost immortals cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation? Why is that?" Chen Jin asked, puzzled.

"A ghost immortals is still an immortal. Immortals are not registered in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, or rather, they cannot be entered into the currently popular mortal Books of Life and Death," the old Daoist replied slowly.

"However, ghost immortals can take up posts in the Underworld or Fengdu. As for the benefits of doing so, I do not know, and therefore cannot explain them to you," the old Daoist added.

"Oh, then you..." Chen Jin tentatively asked about the old Daoist himself.

This old Daoist looked like someone with profound cultivation, and the fact that he could explain these matters with such clarity indicated that his cultivation level was by no means low. He was very likely some sort of earthly or human immortal, or perhaps even an avatar of a heavenly immortal.

"Just an old codger lost in the dust of the world. After cultivating for many years without seeing the Dao, I can only stay here to spend my old age," the old Daoist said with a smile.

Although the old Daoist was so modest, Chen Jin could only regard him as a senior expert with a rich past, and would never utter reckless words just because of his modesty.

However, since the old Daoist did not wish to elaborate, Chen Jin would not press him or ask further questions.

Moreover, from the moment he entered until now, the old Daoist had not yet introduced his own name. Chen Jin had already stated his name earlier, but the old Daoist acted as if he had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, showing not the slightest intention of picking up on it.

"After the ancient era ended, the mortal realm underwent tremendous changes. The first of these was the primordial qi of heaven and earth..." As the old Daoist spoke, he opened his palm and gently made a grasping motion.

***

With that gentle grasp, a sphere formed by the primordial qi of heaven and earth materialized in his palm. This ball of primordial qi was not the primordial qi from within this Daoist temple, but that of the outside world.

"Turbidity has arisen within this primordial qi of heaven and earth, and it is growing ever deeper. In another thousand years, this turbidity will completely replace the primordial qi, and practitioners will find it difficult to cultivate ever again." As he spoke, the old Daoist used his divine abilities to strip a portion of blackish-gray, sticky gas from the primordial qi in his hand.

"That is the Dharma-ending age..." Chen Jin chimed in.

"The Dharma-ending age... That must be from Buddhist scriptures, I presume," the old Daoist said, his expression settling as he spoke softly.

"Indeed," Chen Jin confirmed.

"Though this remark may be no more than the view of a single school, it is not entirely baseless and holds its own logic. The Buddha is also one of the rare supreme beings of great power and divine ability in this world. He can see far into the future and discern the near present; I dare not speculate too much upon Him." Having said this, the old Daoist effectively brought the topic of the Dharma-ending age to a close.

"Understood," Chen Jin nodded.

"Because of this turbidity, today's cultivation realms came to be. The original realms consisted merely of 'refining the mortal' and 'immortality'. Now, refining the mortal has been divided into seven steps, aimed at purging the turbidity from the flesh and soul, purifying them so as to cast off mortality and become immortal."

"With such a concept, cultivation methods underwent earth-shaking changes. Corresponding cultivation techniques emerged for every matching realm—this is the difference between modern methods and ancient methods." With these words finished, the old Daoist took another sip of tea.

"Moreover, in the current cultivation world, there is already talk of deducing entirely new methods. Perhaps before long, today's cultivation techniques will also become relics of the past," the old Daoist remarked with a sigh after finishing his tea.

The old Daoist was quite visionary. It seemed that staying here did not mean he was entirely cut off from the outside world; perhaps old friends frequently visited him to chat and gossip about the happenings in the cultivation world.

"This junior has been instructed, thank you, Senior, for clearing my doubts," Chen Jin said, bowing respectfully with folded hands.

"Hahaha, mere trivialities. You would have learned of them eventually," the old Daoist said with a smile, waving his hand.

"Then I wonder if there are any drawbacks for this junior in practicing the ancient methods today?" Chen Jin asked again.

"At most, you may achieve the status of an earthly immortal. A heavenly immortal is beyond reach," the old Daoist replied.

***

"......As long as longevity can be attained, that is enough." Hearing this answer, Chen Jin did not feel particularly dejected. An immortal was still an immortal; an earthly immortal could also attain the Dao and achieve longevity, which was already quite good.

"Mm, your mindset is sound and aligns with Daoist cultivation. If you were to switch to modern methods now, you might even have a chance to become a heavenly immortal," the old Daoist smiled and said.

"Uh... The path of cultivation is rugged; I'd better take it one step at a time and proceed slowly." Looking at the old Daoist's smile, Chen Jin realized that his ambitions had indeed been too high. The path of cultivation was long and steep, and expecting to achieve success so easily was somewhat overly ambitious. After all, his current realm was only at the Mind-Fixing stage, still a very long way from the realm of true immortals.

"On the path of cultivation, one must strictly avoid looking backward and forward with hesitation. You may proceed with humility, but never harbor cowardice. While you may not need the composure of remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapses before your eyes, you must at least possess the resolve not to be startled when thunder rages beside you. Remember this well, remember it always," the old Daoist suddenly straightened his expression and said.

"Xinyang will remember it," Chen Jin replied, rising to bow once more. Xinyang was the Daoist name he had assumed during his second transmigration using the body he currently possessed.

"Mm, it is best if you can remember. There are few who still practice the ancient methods today, and meeting one is not easy. I hope you can step onto the path of true immortals," the old Daoist concluded with words of encouragement.

"Yes, this junior will certainly not fail Senior's expectations," Chen Jin expressed his determination once more.

"Very well. The things you requested have already been prepared for you." With that, the old Daoist flicked his sleeve toward the ground, and a blue cloth bundle immediately appeared on the floor.

"You... knew all along," Chen Jin had originally wanted to sigh and offer a few words of praise, but upon reflecting on the old Daoist's immense cultivation, accomplishing such a feat was a simple matter indeed.

"This matter involves a great deal. It is inconvenient for me to step forward; you should be on your way now," the old Daoist added.

It seemed this old Daoist truly knew a great deal of things.

***