Chapter 65: Changes in Zhenqi

Medicine God Valley was a Grotto-Heaven carved into the intersecting canyons within Tianlong Kingdom. It was similar in size to Longevity Palace, and even its scenery was almost the same, with a wide variety of exotic flowers and medicinal herbs planted everywhere. The only difference was that the trees and plants in Longevity Palace were powerful species rich in wood-attributed spiritual essence, whereas Medicine God Valley mainly grew practical medicinal materials for alchemy. Moreover, compared to Longevity Palace, Medicine God Valley had an additional source of pure fire-attributed energy!

As they entered the valley, Mu Yuan immediately sensed the vibrant and scorching fire-attributed energy. His whole body felt as though it had been thrown into a fiery pit, with leaping fire sprites all around. These sprites seemed to sense the thick Longevity True Qi on Mu Yuan, joyfully crowding in as if wanting to burn everything to ashes.

His muscles and bones felt as if they were on fire. Mu Yuan immediately covered himself with a layer of purple-black Tide True Qi, isolating the incoming fire-attributed energy. Only then did he feel slightly better. Looking at Qi Wei, she also had a faint layer of purple-black zhenqi. Although it was somewhat weaker than Mu Yuan’s, it still blocked the fire-attributed energy.

Old Daoist Danhuo smiled slightly and handed them two bright red pills. “These are Spirit Screen Pills, specially prepared for cultivators visiting our valley. The fire-attributed energy in the valley is too intense. Many cultivators from other sects feel uncomfortable here if their cultivation methods conflict. The Spirit Screen Pill creates a spiritual light barrier around the body to block the fire-attributed energy. Though not very powerful, they are extremely practical. You two are quite impressive. Think about it, more than ten years ago, Chen Taiyi from your sect came to the valley and was directly burned unconscious!”

Mu Yuan and Qi Wei took the Spirit Screen Pills. They felt the pills sink into their bodies and immediately transform into a swirling red light barrier, dispersing into countless vortices around them. The thick fire-attributed energy, upon approaching, was immediately scattered and dissolved by these vortices, unable to squeeze in any further.

Mu Yuan then looked up and observed the valley. He saw an oddly shaped peak standing like a massive cauldron, covered in jagged rocks that resembled carved beasts surrounding it. After years of being baked by fire-attributed energy, it took on a dark brown-red hue. From the peak spreading out in all directions were countless pavilions and palaces, decorated with jade and glowing with radiant light, dazzling to the eyes.

“With such intense fire-attributed energy, how do the medicinal herbs grow? It can’t be that all of them are fire-attributed spiritual roots!” Mu Yuan thought curiously. He approached a field planted with medicinal herbs and noticed a chilling, icy aura rising from the soil. Upon touching it, he realized there was an invisible barrier over the field, similar to the one formed by the Spirit Screen Pills, isolating the fire-attributed energy.

“What a grand endeavor!” Each type of medicinal herb had different innate properties and required different types of energy. Medicine God Valley classified the herbs and designated separate areas for each, setting up various spirit arrays to gather the appropriate energy. Outside the medicinal fields, however, there was pure and dense fire-attributed energy for the disciples to cultivate the Dan Yang Divine Art. In this aspect, it was quite different from Longevity Palace.

Longevity Palace did not specially regulate the plants. All types of spiritual energy existed within the palace, and each type of plant absorbed what it needed. The reason wood-attributed energy was so dense was simply because there were too many spiritual roots, and the massive wood-attributed energy gathered over many years was entirely natural.

A setup like Medicine God Valley had its pros and cons. The cultivated herbs had very stable properties, but the herbs themselves would never evolve. In contrast, the plants in Longevity Palace had limitless potential. It was like raising children. Medicine God Valley was like planning the future entirely for the child. Such children grew up quickly and achieved success easily, but that was all there was to it. They would never experience the natural side of things. What they carried were simply the ideas of others.

The plants in Longevity Palace might wither or die, but they could also flourish and stand out uniquely. Moreover, they would continuously mutate and adapt with changes in the environment, maintaining the most vibrant vitality.

Mu Yuan perceived this with a single thought and stood up calmly. A young attendant came forward to greet them. Old Daoist Danhuo instructed, “Take these two guests to Dragon Soaring Garden. Do not neglect them.”

The attendant promptly agreed. Mu Yuan and Qi Wei bid farewell to Old Daoist Danhuo, Hua Xin, and Jin Yun. They followed the attendant through several twists and turns in Medicine God Valley, finally arriving at a series of connected pavilions at the back of the valley. On the horizontal plaque in front of the pavilions, three characters were written in a flowing, elegant script: Dragon Soaring Garden.

Mu Yuan settled into one of the rooms. In less than half a day, Hua Xin ran over excitedly. As soon as he entered, he called out, “Brother Mu, it so happens that an uncle from our sect is starting a furnace to refine pills. Come with me to take a look!”

Mu Yuan was a complete novice in the art of alchemy and was eager to observe. He immediately followed Hua Xin out. The two hurried to a small hill not far away, where a crowd had already gathered. In the center sat an old daoist with white hair and a white beard. In front of him was a massive pill furnace, about ten feet tall. At the bottom of the furnace, a cluster of true fire burned fiercely, flickering and leaping.

The true fire rose and fell with the old daoist’s hand seals, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. From the furnace came waves of ethereal medicinal fragrance, occasionally accompanied by crisp, popping sounds like frying beans. At times, it fell silent, then made gurgling water sounds. The fragrant mist swirled, and glowing clouds churned, creating a wondrous scene that made anyone who saw it feel relaxed and comfortable.

Mu Yuan was purely there for the spectacle, but Hua Xin and the other Medicine God Valley disciples understood the importance of controlling the fire in alchemy. They carefully observed the old daoist’s techniques to learn from his experience.

After watching for just a while, Mu Yuan began to find it dull. His gaze fixed on the swirling mist above the pill furnace. After staring for a long time, he noticed the smoke continuously transforming, taking on shapes resembling imprints, talismans, and medicinal herbs. This piqued his curiosity. He then looked at the changing hand seals of the old daoist and was surprised to find that the obscure talismanic scripts formed by the smoke were identical to the old daoist’s hand seals, only delayed in time.

However, Mu Yuan had no interest in alchemy. In his view, the pill path was not as useful as artifact refining. Although he needed the Mind-Stabilizing Pill now, it was merely for insurance. He didn’t necessarily have to use it. Moreover, relying on external objects was inferior to cultivating oneself. At that moment, he only thought about when he would get the Mind-Stabilizing Pill so he could hurry overseas to condense the evil energy.

After about half an incense stick’s time, a loud roar was heard. The furnace lid blasted open, and a strong medicinal fragrance spread out. Dozens of translucent, round pills spun rapidly. The old daoist took out a pure white porcelain bottle and collected the pills one by one. Then, he put away the furnace, tossed the porcelain bottle to a young man in a fiery red robe, and left without looking back, riding the wind.

When the pills emerged, Mu Yuan sensed a thick, almost tangible spiritual energy that felt suffocating. He thought to himself, “No wonder so many people are willing to take pills. Even the leaked spiritual energy is like this. How abundant must the spiritual energy stored in the pills be? They are perfect for breaking through realms. Otherwise, sitting in seclusion day after day to refine qi would take much longer.”

“Come on, I’ll ask Senior Brother Zihuang for a pill. You can try its effects!” Hua Xin enthusiastically pulled Mu Yuan forward and said to the young cultivator in the fiery red robe, “Senior Brother Zihuang, could you give me one of these Purple Crystal Pills?”

The one called Zihuang smiled, opened the porcelain bottle, and handed over a pill. He glanced at Mu Yuan and asked, “Who is this? I haven’t seen him before.”

Hua Xin introduced, “This is Daoist Mu Yuan from Longevity Palace. He came back with us to find some Mind-Stabilizing Pills. Brother Mu, this is Senior Brother Zihuang, the head disciple of Uncle Fire Cloud.”

Mu Yuan cupped his hands in greeting. He sensed an obscure and vast energy from Zihuang, like an immense sea, impossible to gauge. This made him wary.

The two exchanged only a few polite words like “Pleased to meet you” before parting ways. When they had gone some distance, Hua Xin said to Mu Yuan with a smile, “This Purple Crystal Pill is a common pill for our sect’s disciples. It’s extremely beneficial for cultivation. Give it a try!”

Mu Yuan thought wryly, “Are pills something to be taken so casually?” But seeing Hua Xin’s enthusiasm and knowing that Hua Xin, though seemingly rough, was actually thoughtful, he understood that taking the pill would not harm him. He swallowed it immediately.

The pill felt soft in his mouth and dissolved instantly. A warm flow slid down his throat and spread to his limbs and bones. Immediately, an overwhelmingly abundant spiritual energy surged and churned. Mu Yuan hurriedly circulated his four types of zhenqi to refine the spiritual energy. His dantian immediately felt somewhat bloated. The scenes formed by the four types of zhenqi vanished like smoke. The Tide True Qi became hazy and elusive. After refining some more, it condensed into glistening droplets, crystal clear like pearls. Meanwhile, the Longevity True Qi solidified into seed-like forms, mingling with the Refining Furnace True Qi.

The Refining Furnace True Qi, however, transformed into tiny, intricate shapes resembling the pill furnace Mu Yuan had seen that day, colored earthy yellow. The green Longevity seeds retracted into them and absorbed the droplets formed by the Tide True Qi. They began to sprout and take root!

Mu Yuan was astonished by these changes. He had never heard of Longevity True Qi condensing into seeds. He didn’t know that since the founding of the Five Elements Path, all cultivators had immediately proceeded to Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang after reaching the third level of perfection. No one had ever absorbed so much spiritual energy to consolidate their cultivation like Mu Yuan had after reaching the third level. Moreover, for wood to take root in soil and sprout with water was a rare opportunity.

Back when the Five Elements Ancestor, who created the Five Elements Path, was suppressed by a supremely powerful being with divine abilities, his five great disciples fell out and thus lost the true essence of the Five Elements Path!

Just as Mu Yuan was filled with curiosity, the vast spiritual energy contained in the Purple Crystal Pill was completely divided among the four types of zhenqi in a short time. Apart from the Forge Furnace Art, Tidal Flow, and Longevity Art respectively condensing into furnaces, droplets, and seeds, the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force itself did not change much.

“I wonder what changes these three types of zhenqi will undergo if I continue cultivating!” Mu Yuan thought curiously, and couldn’t help but entertain certain ideas.