The three materials could all be used by Zimu for his breakthrough in the future. But when he looked at them, he felt that they were a bit unsuitable...

Zimu wasn’t really focused on his abilities as a duck, nor did he have innate abilities based on water or wind.

He was focused solely on peace and various ideas around it. Since that’s the case, wouldn’t going the route of a beast’s evolution be contrary to his path?

"Do you have any breakthrough items or materials related to "peace"?" Fengyu asked the receptionist after a moment’s consideration.

The receptionist was stumped for just a moment before showing him an item on the screen - an incense holder with incense.

[Incense of Peace and Tranquillity]

Lighting this incense, a cultivator smelling it will gradually develop a sense of peace and tranquillity, engrossing himself in the dao and possibly achieving a self awakening that leads to the second stage.

"No, not like this. It should be something that’s based on the fact that the person is already peaceful," Fengyu shook his head. Zimu was probably the one with the most peaceful mind at all times, so why would he need something like this?

This time, the receptionist was truly stumped. He thought about it and considered it several times, but still didn’t fully get what the request entailed. Or rather, he looked up breakthrough items and didn’t find anything suitable.

"Fellow daoist, I seem to find no such thing. I will inform my manager, he might know what you require. He is a... Spirit Guide." the receptionist said carefully, waiting for Fengyu’s reaction before doing so.

"Won’t the same issue happen as with Guide Li?"

"Once guides reach higher stages, they usually focus on gaining control of cultivators of that stage. Controlling or even just getting some benefit from a lower cultivator is not paramount. The guides working here have all signed various contracts that forbid them from gaining any control of lower cultivators, which is why they’re the best consultants for first stage cultivators."

"Then let’s try that out." Fengyu nodded, considering that these guides were most likely the most knowledgeable in this branch of knowledge of the dao.

The receptionist tapped a few things, and just a minute later, a cultivator with a pressure of the second stage came from behind the counter. He had a kind aura and even just looking at him gave one the feeling of looking at a familiar senior rather than a stranger.

"Junior, who is the one that requires breakthrough materials?" the guide asked Fengyu after arriving and sitting down behind the counter, telling the receptionist to wait beside him and watch to learn.

"It’s for Zimu here," Fengyu pointed at the purple mandarin duck in his arms, "he has a mind of peace and does not require any item that evokes this. Rather, he needs something that allows him to expound and create a foundation around it."

"Hmm..." the guide thought about it for a moment, as if recalling all the data he had in his mind and considering various points...

A moment later he nodded and told them of what he thought of, "There is no singular breakthrough material for this, since materials are used to either supplement and assist mostly, not to refine.

But there are still ways to accomplish exactly what you require -

Those that follow the ideas of peace are mostly Buddhists, among which there are buddhas that aid people escaping the sea of suffering or buddhas that build paradises for the people’s souls to reside after death. So, in a way, they are most compatible with the idea of peace.

There is also a taoist path of peace, though it is less focused on outer peace and more focused on inner peace and tranquillity. Their scriptures are mostly about achieving inner peace, since fellow daoist Zimu here has already achieved it, there is not much need. But, in consideration of gaining references and including both, I will also keep it.

Lastly there are also Human Dao texts about peace in society and the harmony among people. It could be called the middle ground between outer and inner peace, since it doesn’t lead people away from their life nor does it lock people’s desires and emotions to achieve peace, rather, it’s about the greater peace that is only accomplished by the effort of many.

My recommendation is to use your request to gain a collection of scriptures and texts about peace from these. While they sound like an inheritance, in fact, scriptures and texts for these are semi consumable materials. By reading and engrossing on them, one refines one’s mind and ideas, and can gradually establish one of the three paths’ foundation, reaching the Foundation Building stage.

These scriptures are usually difficult to obtain and even going to the library you might only get a few and not a full collection, but a request to collect all of them would give a rich collection based on the recommendation of a scholar, which means it will definitely give the cultivator enough resources to establish their foundation.

You can decide to either have a complete collection of all three, have a collection focused on one path, or decide the ratio otherwise."

Three different paths, each of them containing peace. Reading and consuming these would indeed help a cultivator in finding their path. Focusing on specific paths could also allow one to directly gain the foundation to enter that path.

Fengyu considered a few things before looking over to Zimu, asking him, "What do you think? You’ve read a few buddhist scriptures already and have a general idea. Do you want a large collection or a focused collection?"

Zimu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "Quack, the ideas of buddhists don’t align with my own, and the ideas of the other two don’t seem quite right either..."

In his thoughts, the ultimate peace should be based on innate peace and not acquired peace like in any of these three. Reaching a state of peace, becoming peaceful or establishing peace... none of them feel quite right.

"Quack... I think a collection of the three would be best for me," he said finally after some consideration.