Although he was eager to test the power of the Earth Core Cold Flame, this wasn’t a convenient place. If he accidentally set the bamboo house on fire, it would be a real disaster.

After putting away the Spirit-Slaying Gourd, Song Changsheng wanted to re-refine the Celestial Measuring Ruler as well, but unfortunately, he didn’t have enough Five Elements Essence Qi on hand and had to give up the idea.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Song Changsheng pushed open the bamboo window and breathed in the fresh air, pondering, ’How should I deal with the Rong Clan?’

Although ambushing and killing Yu Chengbo and his group was nothing but beneficial for both the Song Clan and the Rong Clan, the people of the Rong Clan had always been arrogant and were very difficult to deal with.

A hundred years ago, the Song Clan could still stand on equal footing with the Rong Clan, but now that the Song Clan no longer had a Purple Mansion Great Cultivator, they were inherently a step below the Rong Clan.

If he proposed an alliance, they would surely refuse. They might even ridicule him before throwing him out. The reason was simple: their statuses were not a match.

"Sigh... if only it were someone else, it wouldn’t be this much trouble." Song Changsheng sighed softly, an idea already forming in his mind.

"Qingluo, the city’s curfew has been lifted. Go back to the shop and wait for the clan’s reply. Notify me the moment you receive it," Song Changsheng said as he came downstairs and saw the busy Song Qingluo.

"As you command."

After seeing Song Qingluo off, Song Changsheng headed toward the Dao Discussion Hall. Following the end of the birthday banquet, the Great City Lord would be giving a lecture on the Dao for three days. Today was the first day.

As a figure who could sit and discuss the Dao with Golden Core Masters, the Great City Lord’s comprehension of the "Dao" had reached a level that ordinary people could only gaze upon with reverence.

It wasn’t just beneficial for juniors like Song Changsheng; even those Purple Mansion Cultivators wouldn’t miss such a rare opportunity.

A saying had always circulated in the Human Race Cultivation World: before the Golden Core Stage, one’s Spirit Root is what matters, but breaking through to the Golden Core Stage depends on one’s comprehension.

This was because breaking through to the Golden Core Stage wasn’t about how fast you cultivated or how good your Spirit Root was, but about your comprehension of the "Dao."

Only when your comprehension of the "Dao" touched upon that certain level could you pierce through the barrier and step into the Golden Core Stage.

And this was where comprehension came into play. The higher one’s comprehension, the easier it was to touch that barrier. If one’s comprehension was insufficient, they couldn’t hope to break through to the Golden Core, even with a Celestial Spirit Root.

Therefore, when recruiting disciples, the true top-tier factions didn’t actually care that much about Spirit Roots.

The appearance of a Celestial Spirit Root or an Abnormal Spirit Root Cultivator in the Daqi Cultivation World would certainly cause all the various powers to fight over them, but to those top-tier factions, a Celestial Spirit Root was nothing special.

With the vast resources they controlled, as long as your comprehension was high enough, they could rapidly raise you to the Purple Mansion Stage, even with a mediocre Spirit Root, and then help you break through to Golden Core. The higher your comprehension, the faster this process would be.

Otherwise, why do you think these Purple Mansion Cultivators frequently discuss the Dao after ascending Celestial Sound Mountain?

Guiding the younger generation was only one aspect. The most important reason was to further their own comprehension of the "Dao." Listening to the Great City Lord’s lecture now was the same; it was all for the sake of advancing their own understanding of the "Dao."

This led Song Changsheng to a persistent question. The Great City Lord’s comprehension of the "Dao" had long surpassed the Purple Mansion Stage, and he himself had reached Purple Mansion Great Perfection over a hundred years ago. Why had he still not stepped into the Golden Core Stage?

Given Luoxia City’s financial power and resources, it wouldn’t be a problem for the Great City Lord to pursue either the One Element Golden Core Dao or the Five Elements Golden Core Dao. Furthermore, he presided over a Tier Four Spirit Vein. It could be said that the Great City Lord faced none of the difficulties that an ordinary person would encounter when breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.

Song Changsheng speculated that the reason he remained at the Purple Mansion Stage was likely because he didn’t want to break through. The reasons for this, however, were not for outsiders to know.

Purple Mansion Cultivators generally have a lifespan of five hundred years. The Great City Lord had just celebrated his four hundredth birthday yesterday, meaning he had about a hundred years left. If one factored in treasures that could extend one’s lifespan, he would have even more. The Great City Lord still had ample time.

’What in the world are you waiting for?’ Song Changsheng wondered, his head lowered in thought.

"Alright, that is all for today. We shall continue tomorrow." The Great City Lord’s gentle voice rang out, and only then did Song Changsheng realize with a start that the day’s lecture was over.

He hurriedly stood up and, along with everyone else, cupped his fists in a bow. "Thank you for your teachings, Great City Lord."

He had only listened to the first half of today’s lecture. During the latter half, his mind had been wandering, just like when he used to space out in class.

It wasn’t that his old habit of not cherishing rare opportunities had resurfaced; rather, the Great City Lord’s level was simply too high. He could only understand the first half. To him, the second half was practically gibberish.

Forcing himself to memorize something he didn’t understand was, in Song Changsheng’s view, a meaningless act. If you don’t understand it the first time, you won’t understand it even after listening ten more times.

Because you simply haven’t reached that level yet.

Song Changsheng didn’t know how much the others could comprehend, but he himself could only grasp half of it. Even so, he had benefited immensely and gained some of his own insights into the "Dao."

’The clan’s reply should have arrived by now. I’ll go meet up with Qingluo first.’ Stretching lazily, Song Changsheng walked out of the great hall.

"Fellow Daoist Song, what did you gain from today’s lecture?"

Song Changsheng turned to see Zhuang Yuechan catching up to him. He couldn’t help but smile. "The Great City Lord is truly worthy of his title as the number one person below the Golden Core Stage. I have benefited immensely."

"Even though I have cultivated under my master’s guidance for many years and have heard the contents of this lecture countless times, I still can’t fully comprehend it all," Zhuang Yuechan said with a soft sigh.

"There’s no need to be discouraged, Fellow Daoist Zhuang. The Great City Lord is a figure who can sit and discuss the Dao with Golden Core Masters. The gap between our realms is simply too vast. It’s like an elementary school student trying to understand a university lecture; comprehending even a small part is already quite an achievement."