Ryan Clark followed the method in his memory, circulating the qi and blood in his body, then forming hand seals and chanting incantations. After about ten breaths, a small flame appeared on his fingertip, lighting three sticks of incense. Ryan Clark felt both curious and disappointed. In his previous life, he had been deeply fascinated by xianxia stories, so crossing over into a world where one could cultivate immortality and use Daoist arts was certainly novel. Moreover, since his parents in his previous life had passed away from overwork before reaching sixty, and he had no real attachments, he was able to accept the reality of transmigration rather quickly, which made him curious about this world. The disappointment came from the fact that such a weak fire-starting spell took so long to cast and was so feeble in power—it was truly a letdown.

According to his memory, Master Brooks had said that in the first stage, the Body-Tempering and Soul-Nurturing phase, one only strengthened the body and could not yet use spells. Only in the second stage, the Qi-Nourishing and Soul-Fortifying phase, could one cast spells, but their power was weak, the steps were many, and the process was time-consuming. In direct combat, they were not on the same level as the inner martial arts experts of the jianghu (who also counted as being in the Qi-Nourishing phase). Therefore, it was common to use talismans, set up ritual altars in advance, and prepare the necessary rites before using Daoist arts. Of course, if one had a magical artifact, it would always take priority.

Only upon reaching the third stage, when the soul could leave the body and gain supernatural qualities, could one gradually acquire minor magical abilities. Besides a few basics, these minor abilities varied depending on the individual’s soul and cultivation method. At this stage, one could be considered on par with a martial arts grandmaster of the Subtle Realm, and with preparation, was even stronger. As for Daoist arts, their power increased, but circulating qi and blood, forming hand seals, and chanting incantations were still required. For more powerful spells, one even had to focus the mind, visualize, and perform complex ritual steps, which was very time-consuming. Thus, in combat, people generally used talismans, minor magical abilities, magical artifacts, or even just their fists and feet.

Of course, Daoist arts were wondrous and did not always require direct confrontation to win. A Daoist in the Qi-Nourishing and Soul-Fortifying phase, if prepared, could easily kill an inner martial arts expert. As for the later stages, Master Brooks was not very clear, only mentioning that according to ancient tradition, upon reaching the Golden Core and Spirit-Nurturing phase, one could cast spells with a mere thought, destroy cities and sever rivers, and truly become a figure akin to an immortal.

Calming his mind, Ryan Clark held the three sticks of incense, bowed three times toward the air as a gesture of comfort to the soul of this body, then placed the incense and sat cross-legged on the bed with his palms facing upward. Fortunately, this body was accustomed to entering meditation, and now, with the help of sandalwood incense, Ryan Clark slowly entered a meditative state. As soon as he did, he found his soul drawn to the Purple Mansion between his brows, where a small bead floated quietly, its light dim. Yet a ray of light shot out from it, bringing a message to Ryan Clark's soul.

It turned out that this little bead was a postnatal spiritual object of this world, called the Mountain and River Pearl, once obtained by the ancient mighty one Logan Reed. But after Logan Reed achieved the Two Flowers at the Golden Immortal (He Dao) stage, he suffered a deadly calamity and perished together with his enemy. Before dying, he remembered that he had always walked alone, and his teacher Adam Grant had already seen through the Dao and left this world to open up a new universe. Not wanting the Daoist lineage to be lost in this world, he left his teacher’s enlightenment and his own fundamental cultivation method, the "Shangqing Yu Yu True Transmission: Treasure Record of Overcoming Calamity and Attaining the Dao," inside this newly acquired, yet unrefined, Mountain and River Pearl, and with his last power, broke through the void and sent it away.

Unexpectedly, the Mountain and River Pearl encountered a temporal-spatial disturbance on its journey and crossed over to another world—Earth, where Ryan Clark lived. Over millions of years, it slowly accumulated power, and after being stimulated by Ryan Clark's blood and soul following his car accident, it released its power, using the temporal-spatial marker left by Logan Reed in the Mountain and River Pearl to bring Ryan Clark to the world once created by Adam Grant for enlightenment, which was also Logan Reed's homeland—the great world of Yu Yu Tian.

After transmitting this message, it also passed an esoteric Daoist scripture in its entirety to Ryan Clark's soul, then its own light faded completely, apparently to slowly recover its strength.

From the preface left by Logan Reed in the Daoist scripture, Ryan Clark learned that cultivation in this world was divided into two major levels: Qi Refining and Primordial Spirit. Qi Refining was further divided into: Soul-Nurturing, Soul-Fortifying, Out-of-Body, Qi-Attracting, Soul-Merging, Golden Core, and Yin Spirit—seven stages. The Primordial Spirit level included: Primordial Spirit, Yang Spirit, Celestial Being, Unity with the Dao, Creation, and Eternity.

Of course, the above stage names were just abbreviations. For example, the full names of the Qi Refining stages were: Body-Tempering and Soul-Nurturing, Qi-Nourishing and Soul-Fortifying, Soul Out-of-Body, Qi-Attracting and Soul-Tempering, Soul-Merging, Golden Core and Spirit-Nurturing, and Yin Spirit Condensation.

After completing the Body-Tempering and Soul-Nurturing, and Qi-Nourishing and Soul-Fortifying steps, one could reach the natural limit of human lifespan. At the Soul Out-of-Body stage, one could live thirty years longer, to about one hundred and twenty years old. At the Qi-Attracting and Soul-Tempering stage, lifespan reached two hundred years; at Soul-Merging, it increased to three hundred years; a Golden Core master could live up to six hundred years; and a Yin Spirit venerable could live to one thousand two hundred years.

After the Primordial Spirit level, Logan Reed only briefly mentioned breaking through the life-and-death barrier to become a Primordial Spirit True Person, also known as a Ghost Immortal, who could live as long as heaven and earth, though one had to overcome various tribulations. He advised Ryan Clark not to let his physical body suffer catastrophic damage, or he would be unable to achieve the Primordial Spirit, and said that only after reaching the Primordial Spirit would the second half of the Treasure Record—the Primordial Spirit chapter—be revealed.

Ryan Clark awoke from meditation, and after a brief recollection, remembered the entire first half of the "Treasure Record of Overcoming Calamity and Attaining the Dao." It seemed that soul memory was indeed much more effective. However, now was not the time to practice. The most important thing now was to consider his future path and how to proceed.