Ziyuan, her face slightly flushed from her rare lapse in composure, couldn't help but mock Li Yundong when she heard his words: "You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you're thinking of running? Hmph, I'll tell you now, the Great Divine Abilities have long been lost. Almost all current cultivators begin with Minor or Middle Divine Abilities, eventually achieving the effects of the Great Divine Abilities."

Li Yundong was stunned: "Lost? This technique for cultivating the energy of heaven and earth has been lost? What a pity!"

Ziyuan also sighed, "Yes. Although I eventually reached the level achievable by the Great Divine Abilities through cultivating the Minor and Middle ones, it wasn't attained through the Great Divine Abilities themselves. I lack that innate, vast majesty they possess! I also cannot experience that feeling of drawing the essence of heaven and earth into myself. What a regret!"

Li Yundong smiled, "Your cultivation seems rather peculiar, as if you are trying to experience every kind of human sensation?"

Ziyuan glanced at Li Yundong, saying meaningfully, "Of course. I was an ascetic cultivator before. Only by experiencing various worldly affairs can I strengthen my will and have a greater chance of success when facing the Heavenly Tribulation." As she spoke, she sighed softly in her heart: My master said that if I am to pass the Heavenly Tribulation, I must first pass this trial of yours, or immortal cultivation will be hopeless in this life.

But... but how can I pass this trial of yours? Ziyuan thought vaguely, her heart entangled with endless worries.

By now, Ziyuan had long taken the cryptic poem left by her master as the riddle and goal of her immortal cultivation journey. Her venture into the mortal world was to solve this puzzle so she could ascend to immortality.

While she was agonizing over this, Li Yundong spoke up: "After listening to you for a while, I have a general understanding. Among these three types of divine abilities, the Great Divine Ability is lost, so we can set it aside for now. The Minor Divine Ability cultivation is the slowest, but it has many methods and strong potential; as long as one perseveres, they have a very high chance of reaching the level of the Great Divine Ability. The Middle Divine Ability cultivation is the fastest, but it has few methods and relies too heavily on external objects. Although it offers quick success, it lacks staying power. Is that correct?"

Ziyuan nodded, "That's right. There are two paths before you now. One is to start with the Minor Divine Ability, continuing to cultivate steadily, step by step. The other is to start with the Middle Divine Ability, where I will use external artifacts to help you steal the secrets of heaven and take a shortcut to rapidly increase your magical power. However, this path is extremely, extremely dangerous; one slip-up, and you will be utterly annihilated, body and spirit!"

Li Yundong's expression immediately turned solemn, and he asked, "How does one cultivate the Minor Divine Ability? And how about the Middle Divine Ability?"

Ziyuan replied, "The method for the Minor Divine Ability is achieved through the practice of Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit!"

Upon hearing the words 'Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit,' Li Yundong involuntarily thought of something risqué, and his expression became strangely amusing: "Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit? You and me?"

Ziyuan didn't react for a moment, asking in surprise, "Of course, you cultivating by yourself!"

Li Yundong looked utterly bewildered: "Myself? How do I dual cultivate by myself? Do I use my hands?"

It was then that Ziyuan realized what he meant. Her face instantly flushed crimson, and she glared at Li Yundong, half-ashamed and half-annoyed, spitting out, "What nonsense are you spouting! The Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit I speak of means dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism! How could you possibly think of that!"

Only then did Li Yundong realize his misunderstanding. He said with a sheepish smile, "Why does Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit mean dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism?"

Ziyuan's cheeks burned scarlet. She was incredibly embarrassed by Li Yundong's previous remark, her earlobes reddening as if they might bleed. She shot him another angry glare, bit her lip, and said, "During the Northern Song Dynasty, the True Man Ziyang, Zhang Boduan, once said a phrase..."

Seeing Ziyuan's face like soaring rosy clouds, her eyes shimmering with movement, her usually transcendent beauty suddenly overwhelmed by shyness, making her even more dazzling, Li Yundong was momentarily stunned. He gazed at Ziyuan's face, lost in a daze, until Ziyuan finally let out a loud cry out of annoyance and shame: "What are you looking at? I'm talking to you!"

Li Yundong snapped back as if waking from a dream, let out a loud laugh toward the sky, and dryly chuckled, "Nothing, nothing. Please continue, what did Zhang Boduan say?"

Ziyuan suppressed the shame in her heart. She bit her lip, glaring angrily at Li Yundong for quite some time. Only after her anger subsided a little did she speak: "The True Man Ziyang said: 'The Daoist school establishes its teaching on the School of Essence, thus detailing Essence while slighting Spirit; the Buddhist school establishes its teaching on the School of Spirit, thus detailing Spirit while slighting Essence.'"

Li Yundong coughed dryly and asked, "What does that sentence mean?"

Ziyuan explained, "It means that the Daoist school places more emphasis on cultivating the physical body, while neglecting the cultivation of one's inherent nature and spirit; whereas the Buddhist school favors philosophical debate and spiritual cultivation, neglecting the cultivation of the physical body."

Li Yundong asked, puzzled, "Isn't that still the difference between internal and external martial arts? We know that purely cultivating the internal, or purely cultivating the external, is ultimately biased and one-sided. Shouldn't both be cultivated simultaneously!"

The shyness in Ziyuan's heart gradually receded. Hearing Li Yundong's words, she couldn't help but praise, "You are absolutely correct! As expected of a successor of the Golden Core lineage, you have insight! I can hardly believe you are a cultivator who has practiced for less than half a year! Zhang Boduan believed that only the Inner Elixir that fuses Dao and Chan, achieving the Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit, is truly superior."

Li Yundong was taken aback and asked curiously, "Zhang Boduan in the Northern Song Dynasty already knew about the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism? Then why is the schism between Buddhism and Daoism still so deep afterward, even you believe they cannot be cultivated together?"

Ziyuan sighed, "Knowing is one thing, and doing is another! Although Zhang Boduan advocated for the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism, what he actually emphasized more was the dual cultivation of mind/spirit and body, which differs from true Buddhist-Daoist integration. Our Daoist tradition is nearly two thousand years old, yet among so many cultivators, only people like Cao Huanyang, Wu Shouyang, and Liu Huayang managed to cultivate the union of Immortal and Buddha, truly merging Buddhism and Daoism into one! This shows how incredibly difficult this undertaking is!"

"Precisely because it is so difficult and so few people have achieved immortality through this method, many sects denounce the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Daoism as false paths, equating it to the wild fox Zen."

Li Yundong smiled wryly, "It's so difficult, yet you said this method is simpler compared to the Middle Divine Ability method? Are you sure? How perverse must the Middle Divine Ability method be!"

Ziyuan replied, "Cultivation is the most difficult endeavor under heaven. If it were easy, this world would already be teeming with immortals running about!"

Li Yundong chuckled wryly, "Alright then. Since this Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit is so hard, how do you know I can complete it in such a short time?"

Ziyuan stared intently at Li Yundong, "Your fortune is peculiar, and your opportunity rare. Although you entered the Dao through the Golden Core and are currently building your foundation using Daoist methods, after establishing your foundation, you spontaneously mastered the Buddhist Great Hand Seal of True Words without a teacher. Because of this, your Inner Elixir can be said to possess the characteristic of fused Buddhism and Daoism, allowing you to utilize both Daoist and Buddhist spells."

Speaking to this point, Ziyuan suddenly showed a look of confusion, scrutinizing Li Yundong up and down: "In all the cultivators in the current spiritual world, I have never seen anyone with your level of comprehension and talent, nor have I encountered such a coincidental opportunity! Logically, an Inner Elixir cultivated through Daoist methods should not be able to use Buddhist spells, yet you use them without any hindrance. This leaves me completely baffled! Are you truly just an ordinary person?"

Li Yundong chuckled, "Perhaps I am a very extraordinary ordinary person? In truth, when I learned them, I thought of nothing; just like a blank sheet of paper is easy to draw upon, I could draw whatever I pleased naturally. But cultivators like you receive orthodox training from birth, indoctrinated with dogmatic cultivation theories—like a sheet of paper already covered in drawings—making it naturally difficult to draw anything more upon it."

"No, no. The barrier between Buddhism and Daoism is strictly enforced. If it were that simple, they would have merged centuries ago!" Ziyuan subconsciously shook her head, but after a moment, she nodded again, frowning and murmuring to herself, "But other than this explanation, there seems to be no other reason that fits."

Li Yundong said dismissively, "Why worry about all that? Tell me, how do I practice this Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit?"

Ziyuan came back to herself, "It's simple: just read more Buddhist scriptures and Daoist texts. Since your Inner Elixir has fused both paths, reading these books will naturally lead to some enlightenment. This method, though a bit clumsy, is currently the best available."

Li Yundong sighed bitterly, "But how long will that take? The Heavenly Tribulation won't grant me that much time. What about the Middle Divine Ability method? How do we steal the secrets of heaven and take the shortcut?"

Ziyuan replied, "It’s simple. I will borrow an artifact to create a Minor World for you, then simulate the scene of the Heavenly Tribulation arriving, allowing you to taste the terror of the Tribulation firsthand. In the extreme terror of life and death, your magical power will grow rapidly!"

Li Yundong asked, confused, "Why does magical power increase rapidly amidst the extreme terror of life and death?"

Ziyuan explained, "The human body has potential. Ordinary people can unleash strength they normally lack in moments of life-or-death crisis; even a frail old woman can lift a carriage. Cultivators are the same. By constantly stimulating their potential in the great terror of life and death, they can trigger their cultivation reserves. Of course, you can view this action as overdrawing, but it is the only way to increase your power in a short span of time."

Li Yundong pondered for a moment, then looked up and said resolutely, "Then I must try this method. When I was performing visualization just now, I felt like the Heavenly Tribulation was imminent, perhaps within a few days. Although the Dual Cultivation of Essence and Spirit is good, it's too slow for my immediate needs. So, I have to take this risk."

Ziyuan nodded. Without making any visible movement, a stream of flowing light surged in her hand, and suddenly, a purple, gold-rimmed compass appeared.

Li Yundong immediately noticed that the compass was about the size of a palm, appearing to be made entirely of purple jade. Strange patterns were drawn upon it, resembling either degree markings or runes.

Li Yundong asked curiously, "Is that your magic treasure? What marvelous uses does it have?"

Ziyuan said with a distant gaze, "This is a magic treasure passed down to me by my master. It is one of the three supreme treasures of the Linggong Sect of the Zhengyi School, named the Purple Gold Jade Compass. Its uses are endless, and one of them is the ability to allow the caster to create a Minor World out of thin air and pull those nearby into that Minor World."

Li Yundong was puzzled, "What's the use of pulling us in?"

Ziyuan smiled, "You'll know its utility in a moment!" With that, she opened her palm and spread the Purple Gold Jade Compass flat in the air. After a short while, the jade disk began to spin rapidly on its own, emitting a golden light.

Initially, the golden light was rather dim, but as the disk spun faster and faster, the light became increasingly blinding, until Li Yundong felt the glare was so intense it made him blind, and he instinctively closed his eyes.

Even with his eyes shut, he could still feel the golden light piercing his eyelids, stimulating his eyeballs, until, after more than a minute, it slowly faded.

When Li Yundong opened his eyes again, he found himself standing alone between heaven and earth, suspended in the air. Beneath his feet were undulating mountains and rivers, stretching endlessly, incomparably magnificent.

"Where is this?" Li Yundong exclaimed in shock.

"This is the Minor World of the Purple Gold Jade Compass!" Ziyuan's voice suddenly sounded right next to Li Yundong's ear.

Li Yundong turned and looked around but couldn't see Ziyuan's figure. He couldn't help but shout, "So magical? Is all this fake? Like visualization?"

Ziyuan replied, "You could say that, but the heavenly lightning that’s coming soon will be real!"

Li Yundong froze, "What do you mean by that?"

Ziyuan's voice held a slight hint of vengeful satisfaction, as if taking revenge for her earlier shame and annoyance: "Because if you are struck dead by the heavenly lightning here, your physical body outside will also perish!"

Li Yundong was startled, "Damn, is that true or not?"

As he spoke, dark clouds rapidly gathered and churned above Li Yundong's head. With a crack, a bolt of lightning—a heavenly tribulation strike—crashed heavily down upon him!