Bihai Sect.
Cold Spring Peak.
Fang Qing found a spring.
This spring lacked spiritual energy and had not reached any grade, but under the perception of his [Ji Water] magical power, it carried a vigorous vitality. Using it to blend medicine would be the wiser choice.
“As expected, there are still many aspects of this [Ji Water] imagery that can be unearthed…”
Fang Qing had originally only intended to rely on his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation to attempt water-method alchemy again.
But today, on a sudden inspiration, he had converted his magical power into [Ji Water], and it had brought him an unexpected surprise.
Pa!
He slapped the storage pouch at his waist, and three jade boxes flew out. Inside were Qi-Replenishing Grass, Spirit-Joining Flower, and the juice of a Jadeflower Treasure Fish—all materials for refining “Jadeflower Spiritual Water.”
After successfully absorbing qi, Fang Qing had mingled among the many markets of Ba Commandery in the Ancient Shu world, buying low and selling high, acting as a profiteer between two worlds. He had bartered for a batch of contribution points, then spent them all on alchemy notes, raw materials, and the like, preparing to throw money at the problem and raise his alchemy skills by force.
“Go!”
Fang Qing first extracted the Qi-Replenishing Flower.
He circulated a water-controlling art, causing a whirlpool to rise from the spiritual spring.
This time, Fang Qing felt a clear difference. Many obscure points from before were now simply resolved under his [Ji Water] magical power.
Although it was still the technique of Three Revolutions of Xuanyuan, for some inexplicable reason, it carried a hint of the charm of “Six Whirlpools Flying Stars.”
“[Ji Water] is also known as [Fountain Water], and spiritual springs fall under its domain. Is that why my control over spring water has greatly increased?”
A vague understanding dawned in Fang Qing’s heart.
At this moment, his condition was so excellent that it could hardly be improved upon. After finishing with the Qi-Replenishing Grass, he began tempering the Spirit-Joining Flower and the Jadeflower Treasure Fish juice.
After that came the fusion and nurturing of the various medicinal liquids…
The drawback of water-method alchemy lay in the fact that the refining time was very long, far exceeding fire-method alchemy.
A long time passed. The spiritual spring before Fang Qing had already completely transformed into a medicinal pool, faintly emitting a strange fragrance.
“Very good. At this stage, I only need to slowly wait for the medicinal properties to settle, then perform the final step of extracting the spiritual water.”
Fang Qing let out a long breath, a trace of excitement in his eyes. He sat cross-legged and began to wait in silence.
“According to the alchemy texts, this step requires two to three days. Fortunately, I don’t have to guard the furnace fire day and night like with fire-method alchemy… but it still consumes a great deal of mental energy.”
……
“Eh? This medicinal fragrance?”
“Its color is like jadeite, its qi clear and pure… It seems that pool of spiritual medicine is about to succeed. It should be Jadeflower Spiritual Water. I wonder which senior brother or senior sister is refining it?”
Cold Spring Peak was a public area, and there were quite a few disciples from Pill Island. Someone immediately noticed the anomaly and exclaimed in amazement.
“That person… seems to be Fang Qing?”
“Oh? That disciple who got in through the back door?”
“Shh… If he can refine first-rank spiritual water, he can already be counted as a ranked alchemist. His status will be very different in the future. It’s better to be cautious, lest disaster come from careless words.”
“Tsk, tsk… I heard this person has never gotten along with Li Yusu under Master Fuyunzi? That Li Yusu’s luck, however, hasn’t been very good. Previously, it was said that he went into seclusion to break through the bottleneck of mid-stage Qi Refining, but failed and damaged quite a bit of his vital energy…”
“Li Yusu? He should have a middle-grade spiritual root, right? To think he could still be stuck at a minor bottleneck in mid-stage Qi Refining? It seems that his so-called average aptitude was assessed with considerable generosity…”
……
The discussions around him were not concealed, and all of them entered Fang Qing’s ears.
“To think there’d even be news of that Li Fish-Egg?”
Hearing that the fellow’s breakthrough had failed, he actually felt quite pleased. He stood up and bowed in every direction. “Fellow disciples… this pool of spiritual water of mine has yet to be fully refined. Please spare this junior brother for now. Once the spiritual water is complete, I will certainly offer my thanks.”
“Haha… Then we shall stand farther away, so as not to disturb the pill qi of the spiritual spring.”
For some reason, the senior brothers and sisters all felt Fang Qing’s words made a great deal of sense, and they withdrew to a certain distance.
Fang Qing observed coldly from the side, knowing that his “silver tongue” had taken effect.
“Mm. Those with higher cultivation than mine, or firmer wills… have stronger resistance to language.”
“And… persuasion through words ultimately still has to fall upon actual benefits or fists. If I promised a precious treasure as repayment or the like, the persuasive force of my silver tongue would increase by quite a bit…”
Two days later, Fang Qing’s eyes lit up. His hands formed seals, and streams of magical power were sent into the medicinal pool before him.
The originally clear medicinal pool had now separated into several distinct layers.
The topmost layer was green-blue like jade. With just a slight sniff, one could feel the magical power within the body stir faintly.
“As expected, it’s a medicinal preparation that increases magical power…”
Fang Qing smiled and took more than ten small green-skinned gourds from his storage pouch.
These small gourds were only the size of an infant’s fist. A normal person’s palm could fully enclose one. They were containers specifically used to hold spiritual water.
“Rise!”
He pointed, and a stream of “Jadeflower Spiritual Water” flew out, falling into one small green-skinned gourd. It was quickly filled, then stoppered by Fang Qing.
A moment later, a row of twelve small green-skinned gourds was lined up in order.
This was another characteristic of water-method alchemy. Although it took a long time, the quantity was large!
“Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your successful refinement!”
All around, the Pill Island disciples offered their congratulations one after another. Some, however, had dim expressions, evidently thinking of their own great alchemical ambitions…
“Many thanks, junior brothers and junior sisters… This Jadeflower Spiritual Water is of little use to me. Those who have seen it shall have a share. I only need to keep one gourd.”
Fang Qing stood up and cupped his fists to the surroundings.
For an alchemist to give away the first successfully refined batch of pills to fellow Daoists was an ancient custom.
Now that these junior brothers and sisters had gained a benefit and were also affected by his “silver tongue,” they immediately felt that Fang Qing was someone worth befriending.
Li Yusu’s nonsense might not be trustworthy after all!
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Fang, on successfully becoming ranked.”
At this moment, a mid-stage Qi Refining disciple with handsome features, half-black and half-white hair, and a medicinal fragrance about him stepped forward, smiling as he offered his congratulations. “I am Xu Wusu…”
“So it is Senior Brother Xu.”
Fang Qing sensed the deeper fluctuations of magical power from the other party and hurriedly saluted.
“From what I observed of your technique, though it is somewhat immature, it is also natural and unforced. It must be self-taught, yes? As it happens, before long, the island lord of our island, Elder Tianding, will be opening a furnace to refine pills. Junior Brother should complete your certification as soon as possible. Then, by following Elder Tianding, even learning a bit of the surface will benefit you for life.”
Xu Wusu reminded him.
“Mm.”
Fang Qing had that plan as well. At the very least, he definitely had to report to the sect that he had officially become ranked and was now an alchemist.
In that case, when it came to mandatory missions, he would not need to leave the sect and take risks.
Sending precious production-type talent out to serve as fodder to plug the battle lines was not something a mature faction ought to do.
“The senior brothers and sisters here speak so pleasantly. Even someone like Li Yusu only ostracized me and wouldn’t try to rob and kill me… This place is much better than that rotten place. I really like it here. It would be best if I could keep refining pills inside the sect forever and never go out again…”
Pill Island, main hall.
Fang Qing had deliberately converted four layers of his cultivation into Black Water magical power before coming to report.
He was also prepared to reveal his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation while he was at it, so as to avoid pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger only to truly become a pig in the end, and be thoroughly looked down upon.
Pill Island was mainly responsible for managing the sect’s alchemists, and there were also quite a few disciples in the main hall.
The person in charge of registering newly ranked alchemists happened to be someone Fang Qing knew.
“It’s you?”
Gong Susu was somewhat surprised when she saw Fang Qing.
“That’s right. This junior brother was fortunate enough to refine a pool of Jadeflower Spiritual Water at Cold Spring Peak, and has specially come to report it.”
Fang Qing smiled and took out a small green-skinned gourd.
He had refined it under everyone’s eyes, so he was quite confident.
“To think… this person was silent for seven years, yet could still erupt all at once?”
“His financial resources are not abundant. He shouldn’t have had many sets of refining materials. Could it be that his talent in water-method alchemy is actually this high?”
Gong Susu was astonished inwardly, but she still completed the procedures for Fang Qing. “Junior Brother, from now on, you are a ranked alchemist of our sect. Aside from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, you may also accept alchemy missions here… Seven days from now, the island lord of our island, Elder Tianding, will personally arrive at the Pill Cauldron Platform to lecture on the Dao…”
“Many thanks for Senior Sister’s reminder.”
Fang Qing cupped his hands, took back his disciple token, and bid farewell.
“Heehee… Senior Sister, do you feel any regret?”
Beside her, Hua Lingsu saw this scene, and two lovely dimples appeared on her face.
“None… After all, we never had any conflict with this Junior Brother Fang. Only that foolish Li Yusu directly showed his hand…”
“Of course, we are disciples of Foundation Establishment elders. Even if this person becomes an alchemist, so what? Under the sect rules, we can do nothing to him, and he can do even less to us…”
Gong Susu said, “What I care about now is Junior Sister Zhu’er’s cultivation progress.”
“Junior Sister Zhu’er has always worked hard. In my opinion, she indeed has some hope of Foundation Establishment in the future.” Hua Lingsu said solemnly.
“Foundation Establishment… The three passes of essence, qi, and spirit; each pass is another heaven. If only there were a Foundation Establishment Pill… True transmission! True transmission!!”
A powerful yearning appeared in Gong Susu’s eyes.
……
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Pill Cauldron Platform.
Fang Qing finally met that lord of Pill Island, Elder Tianding.
This Foundation Establishment cultivator had the appearance of an old man with white beard and brows. He wore a hemp robe, and there were many traces of smoke and fire scorching along its edges.
At this moment, his gentle eyes swept over the assembled alchemists, and he began, “Today… this old man will explain the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, as well as the techniques and matters requiring attention during refinement… You must comprehend it well. Half a month from now, Cold Spring Peak will be sealed off, and all ranked alchemists must assist this old man in participating in the sect’s Foundation Establishment Pill refinement mission. This refinement mission will count as the completion of one mandatory sect mission…”
“Foundation Establishment Pill?!”
The eyes of many disciples shone brightly. Even Fang Qing subconsciously straightened his back, his eyes gleaming. “Foundation Establishment Pill? It’s actually the Foundation Establishment Pill?”
After reaching the great perfection of Qi Refining, one could attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage!
A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s lifespan approached two hundred years, nearly comparable to the span of an ancient dynasty from its rise to its decline and collapse.
Moreover, their magical power was profound, enough to dominate an island!
This was the dream of all low-level disciples!
But Foundation Establishment was difficult. Without the aid of a “Foundation Establishment Pill,” failure would even mean the destruction of body and Dao. Thus, who knew how many talented disciples had been stymied by it?
“The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill has only one main ingredient: a second-rank demon core… The demon core’s demonic power must be full and intact. Our sect is skilled at raising horned serpents, so the spiritual power of our second-rank demon cores is mainly of the water element, most suitable for cultivators who practice water-attribute cultivation methods to establish their foundation… If it is to be taken by other cultivators at the great perfection of Qi Refining, then the techniques during refinement must be adjusted accordingly…”
Elder Tianding’s voice clearly reached the ears of every disciple.