CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 555 TAOIST XUE LIAN

The next morning, Xiao Zhan and his party woke up to find that breakfast had thoughtfully been prepared for them at the monastery.

The meal was light and traditional, consisting of porridge and some side dishes, but Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but feel that there was something different about it compared to usual. Despite only having a small bowl of porridge, he felt completely satiated.

It was indeed curious.

However, Xiao Zhan didn’t pay much attention to it; it was just a breakfast after all.

After breakfast, the Daoist told them they could leave now if they wished, or they could stay a while longer and listen to the morning cultivation session by the Taoist master before departing.

Since everyone came for the Taoist master, they certainly wouldn’t leave so early.

So, after breakfast, they all headed to the square.

Here, every morning, the disciples of the monastery would practice. The Taoist master would appear once a month to resolve any issues the practicing disciples encountered.

Today, Xiao Zhan and his group happened to coincide with this time.

When Xiao Zhan and his group arrived at the square, the monastery’s disciples had almost fully occupied it.

However, they expected that Xiao Zhan and the other tourists would come to listen to the lecture, so many mats had been prepared on the ground.

Xiao Zhan and Ye Youlong found a spot and sat down, then waited for the Taoist master to arrive.

In less than five minutes, all the tourists had gathered, leaving no mat empty. At this moment, an elderly Taoist with a white beard and an air of immortality emerged from the front corridor.

Almost everyone present immediately paid close attention.

Xiao Zhan looked over and felt that this Taoist master was almost exactly like the ones portrayed in TV dramas; with an ethereal demeanor and an aura that exuded a celestial charm with just a few steps.

He was exactly the kind of Taoist master one imagines.

However, what was slightly different from his expectations was that the pattern on the Taoist master’s robe was primarily lotus flowers.

Just like the lotus flowers in the room.

The Taoist master walked up to the foremost mat, gave everyone a brief glance, then shook his robe and sat down.

Even with such a simple action, the previously whispering square immediately fell silent.

Xiao Zhan felt a slight tremor in his spirit because the Taoist master’s casual glance made him feel as though he had been stripped bare.

This sensation of being seen through made Xiao Zhan rather uncomfortable.

He immediately realized that this Taoist master must be extraordinarily powerful.

Nearly everyone present felt the same way, including Tang Kun, who looked serious and reduced his underestimation of the so-called Taoist master.

"I am Taoist Xue Lian. Meeting you all here is fate. Today’s lecture is open to those who wish to listen. If there are any objections, feel free to express them, but I may not heed them."

A simple self-introduction.

Everyone quite understood the Taoist master’s straightforward nature.

"It seems a bit different from what I expected," Xiao Zhan muttered.

But then he remembered the rise of short videos in recent years, which had brought many eccentric Taoist practitioners into the public eye, making Xiao Zhan realize that if this style was inherited, then this Taoist master might actually resemble the ones in his imagination.

"Today, we won’t discuss cultivation matters, but rather something that many of you may have forgotten."

"Heaven and earth, yin and yang, originated from the beginning. In the world, where there is yin, there is yang. There are instances with only yin or yang, but also instances of yin and yang in symbiosis, and more..."

The Taoist master had only begun to speak for a short while when some people, unable to restrain themselves, stood up and walked out of the square.

"Damn it, I came here to learn about cultivation, not to listen to your obscure nonsense," they muttered as they walked.

These voices could surely reach Taoist Xue Lian’s ears.

But he seemed to completely ignore them, continuing to speak on his own.

Xiao Zhan knew this represented the central Taoist philosophy of "letting go and allowing things to take their own course."

In summary, it meant if you believe, then believe; if you don’t, then don’t—just don’t disturb me from my cultivation.

Xiao Zhan was quite interested in what the Taoist master was speaking about, having consumed the Yin Yang Fruit and mastered the Taiyin Hand, giving him a preliminary understanding of yin and yang.

In his understanding, if Death Aura was yin, then he would currently be at an extreme of yin.

His body wasn’t particularly robust in enduring such yin, and he needed the balance of yang.

He had always been searching for what yang was. Now that the Taoist master was addressing this topic, he decided to listen carefully to see if he could discern the underlying principles.

As the Taoist master continued, more and more visitors left the venue, either unable to comprehend or unwilling to listen to these teachings. Before long, only a few people remained in the square.

But these remaining individuals were no ordinary people, each exuding a profound presence, all of them bona fide experts.

At their level of capabilities, they each had their unique understanding of cultivation; even though the Taoist master was powerful, what he taught might not necessarily apply to each individual.

Yet, what the Taoist master was now discussing was exactly what they wanted to hear.

"These few folks seem quite capable; they didn’t follow the others but chose to stay," Xiao Zhan thought.

In the square, Huang Duohuan saw that Xiao Zhan was still seated in his position and was somewhat surprised.

The content explained by the Taoist master would not be comprehensible to ordinary individuals; one needed at least to be of Sixth Grade to understand.

Xiao Zhan appeared so young, yet he could understand?

Huang Duohuan shook his head, disbelieving that Xiao Zhan could grasp these concepts.

Such content required his full attention to comprehend; even a slight distraction could lead to confusion.

"Poser," Huang Duohuan thought dismissively, turning away to focus on the lecture instead of Xiao Zhan, lest he himself fail to keep up later.

"...In symbiosis of yin and yang, generally, three situations arise: where yin is dominant and yang is weak, where yang is dominant and yin is weak, and where yin and yang are balanced. In the first two scenarios, while the manifestations might exhibit unexpected traits, they also often harbor considerable danger."

"The third type, the Yin Yang Balancer, represents the ideal state many strive for..."

Xiao Zhan listened with a mix of understanding and confusion. The Taoist master’s words seemed profound, yet also not that deep.

He felt like he understood, yet also like he didn’t.

In any case, the concept remained quite nebulous.