Stealing Immortal

Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Tier Two

For several days, there was no sign of the Seven Immortals.

Chen Qingyang devoted himself to researching the elixir.

Refining Liu Pei’s Nameless Elixir was a tedious process, for two main reasons.

First, the raw materials were extremely difficult to process. Their medicinal properties both complemented and counteracted each other, requiring precise control over every dosage and excellent mastery of the heat. Second, the elixir, just as he had said, was clearly not yet fully developed.

This meant that every time Chen Qingyang performed alchemy, he felt the formula presented numerous paths for experimentation. Yet if he made even the slightest change, it would no longer be the original elixir, nor would it be an imitation of the Heaven Repairing Glaze Pill. All future progress would be thrown into disarray.

Therefore, Chen Qingyang put a great deal of thought into every step of this elixir’s creation.

Inside the Alchemy Room, the doors and windows were tightly shut, making the space rather dim.

A faint blue light flickered beneath the Pill Furnace as a warm aura permeated the air. The temperature control was excellent, neither too high nor too low, always hovering at a fixed level.

Xu Baoling stood to the side. The new Incense Burner from the Gathering Yin Array was quite remarkable, allowing her to cultivate much faster than before.

She had now been standing like this for over an hour. She knew Chen Qingyang’s current batch of elixirs had reached a crucial moment. If this batch succeeded, it would be Tier Two.

If this batch failed, it was highly likely he would be unable to make another breakthrough for some time. The critical spark of inspiration hinged on this very moment.

Fortunately, everything was stable.

Gradually, the color of the flames shifted from blue to a pale gold, and the Pill Furnace’s temperature slowly dropped. Chen Qingyang’s eyes slowly opened. ”It should be about done.”

As his assistant in alchemy, Xu Baoling couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief when she heard this.

”Master, this elixir is already very strong at Tier One. I can’t imagine how powerful it will be once it reaches Tier Two. You could show it off and astound everyone.”

Chen Qingyang gently shook his head. ”You know that’s not why I’m so engrossed with this pill.”

Xu Baoling’s gaze shifted slightly toward the desk, where the Qianxue Sword was hanging.

It was a fine sword, one of rankable quality.

The ”Late Fire” stage continued for a full hour before Chen Qingyang finally stopped. When he took out the elixir, its color was pure. The only flaw was its pitted surface, indicating that the heat control was still off by the slightest margin.

Still, it had reached Tier Two.

He took out the elixir and handed it to Xu Baoling. ”You refine it first, and then tell me how it feels.”

”Mm.” The elixir floated in her palm before pressing against her abdomen. Xu Baoling activated her Righteous Great Divine Dao, and wisps of white qi separated from the pill, surging into her body. Her face took on an entranced expression...

After a long while, she spoke. ”Master, I dare say this elixir’s effects are nearly equivalent to a common Tier Three Divine Soul Elixir. Its focus is on restoration, and it truly possesses the essence of the Heaven Repairing Glaze Pill.”

Seeing her confident reply, Chen Qingyang knew he hadn’t made a mistake. ”Speaking of which, that Master Liu is truly incredible to have been able to devise something like this. But even he could only refine it to Tier Four. I wonder if it’s possible to surpass Tiers Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine, and achieve a true Immortal Grade.”

Xu Baoling also knew that compared to a legendary item, this pill was right here before them. ”Although I don’t know what Divine Soul Skill you cultivate, Master, you were able to resist the Brahma Sound of my Righteous Great Divine Dao with only the cultivation of a First Realm of Qi Refining. Its profundity goes without saying.”

”Since this elixir is being refined to restore the Divine Soul, why not approach it from the perspective of your own Divine Soul Skill, Master? There’s no need to be constrained by Master Liu’s original formula. Who knows? Your future achievements could be immeasurable.”

Perhaps it was just an offhand remark, but to Chen Qingyang, it made a great deal of sense. ”You’re right. You’ve reminded me yet again!”

’If I simply rely on the Immortal Seedling, I’ll inevitably face the same problem as with the Great Soul Scripture and end up with a Fragmented Technique. Therefore, starting down the correct path now is crucial for everything that follows.’

Xu Baoling, of course, would not take the credit. She gave a graceful bow. ”That is only because you are perceptive, Master.”

By now, Xu Baoling’s expectations for Chen Qingyang had grown higher and higher, to the point where she was ready to follow his every command.

”I have one more thing I need your advice on. Although my cultivation is higher than yours was, my foundation is weak, and I lack a master’s guidance. There are many things I still don’t fully understand.”

Xu Baoling said, ”Please, tell me, Master.”

Chen Qingyang once again recalled what he had seen that night. ”The Alchemy Dao, I cultivate myself. The same goes for the Sword Dao. Later, I witnessed the three paths of Yu, Array, and Talisman, and I even have some understanding of Armor. The only one I’ve never come across is Planting. So, tell me all about it!”

’If not for what I saw that night, I wouldn’t have realized how important it is to master more skills. Even if I don’t need to specialize, I must understand the basic principles. Otherwise, it’s too easy to fall into someone’s trap.’

’I’ll only encounter more things like this in the future; my knowledge has to keep up.’

”Master, your cultivation speed is so fast, to say nothing of your aptitude. You can certainly find time to delve into each of the Seven Arts a little. Then you will understand.”

”From my understanding, although the Dao of Spirit Plants has the word ’Planting’ in it, it is, through and through, an Earth Element Technique, a Heaven and Earth Cultivation Skill.”

”On a small scale, it can gather feng shui to nourish Spirit Plants. On a grand scale, it can alter the terrain of mountains and rivers, summon clouds to make rain, change the climate, know the spirits of flora, and understand their habits. All things of the mountains, rivers, and earth can be obtained and controlled by its practitioners.”

”I once had a senior brother who specialized in this path. He altered the terrain on Four Golden Peaks, gathered the surrounding qi, and managed to create a Spiritual Well from scratch. He only needed to dispatch a few Miscellaneous Task disciples each day to fetch water for irrigation, and the Spirit Plants he grew were of excellent quality. A Master from the Pill Institute took a liking to them and received a supply every year...”

It wasn’t that Chen Qingyang was completely unfamiliar with what Xu Baoling described. He had simply heard only bits and pieces before, so his understanding had never been this profound.

’The Dao of Spirit Plants is, in essence, the path of a Mountain and River Daoist Lord. It’s truly hard to make that connection just from the name.’

Among the world’s paths, there are Demon Cultivators, Divine Daoists, Yin Yang Practitioners, Five Elements Practitioners, and those who cultivate the Sun, Moon, and Star River... the varieties are too numerous to count. That the Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation alone could stand so preeminent was a testament to their immense utility.

”I understand. It looks like I’ll have to make another trip to the Cloud Scripture Jade Pavilion and find time to study all these basic Dharma Gates. If I hadn’t known anything about arrays that night, I would have fallen into their trap from the very beginning.”

Xu Baoling nodded. ”Exactly. It was only because you properly assessed the situation, Master, that you were able to avoid their underhanded trick.”

But Chen Qingyang just smiled and shook his head. ”I’m not as impressive as you make it sound. They simply misjudged me. They thought I was just a disciple at the Seventh Realm of Qi Refining, one not valued by his master. Arrogance and underestimating their enemy—that was their greatest mistake!”

’Letting the enemy constantly underestimate you...’ This was a tactic Chen Qingyang found never failed.

Thinking it over, he realized there were at least three things he needed to address in the near future.

First, he had offended the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley. He didn’t know if this would attract other disciples from Master Water Moon’s faction.

Second, Lu Jinzhang had yet to make a move and was just observing from the shadows. The more Chen Qingyang understood the power of the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, the more certain he was that Lu Jinzhang would not let the matter rest.

As for the third matter, it was the question of his own master, Master Jing Yuan. What were his true intentions? Chen Qingyang wondered if he could learn any news of Li Qianxue from him.

His cultivation was growing stronger. After the Inner Sect came Foundation Establishment. He was also beginning to get a feel for elixirs. ’I hope there’s still a chance to repay the favor,’ he thought.

He sat down to meditate again, and a rosy glow appeared on his face. It was the effect of the Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual. This technique emphasized a solid foundation to build a magnificent momentum; it was a Dharma Gate that grew stronger the more one practiced it.

He remained seated for a full day.

At noon, the weather was a bit hot. Zhang Ping, hard at work, was stripped to the waist, while Li Sheng prepared a meal for them. Sometimes, Chen Qingyang would think, ’With so much work for just the two of them, maybe I should find a couple more Miscellaneous Task disciples.’

But that wasn’t so easy to do. ’The path of Immortal Cultivation is long,’ he mused. ’If I pick someone with poor character, trouble is bound to arise later. It’s hard to find people like that in Tai Xu!’

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew over. Zhang Ping twitched his nose. The air seemed to carry the scent of perfume.

He raised his head and saw that a young girl in red had appeared outside the courtyard, peering inside.

The girl wasn’t old, maybe fifteen or sixteen, with a delicate, small face that was rather cute.

”Wh-who are you looking for?” Judging by her dress, he could tell she didn’t see him as an Outer Disciple.

”Don’t you wear a shirt?” Hong’Er asked, pointing at him.

But Zhang Ping was Zhang Ping, a simple-hearted boy from a farming family. He had never deceived anyone. He worked like this back in his village, and he worked like this here; he’d never thought anything was wrong with it.

But since the young girl had said something, he still took a shirt and draped it over his shoulders. ”My apologies, little miss.”

Perhaps dissatisfied with being called ”little,” Hong’Er wrinkled her nose at him. ”Are you one of Senior Brother Chen’s Miscellaneous Task disciples?”

”I am. Are you looking for Senior Brother Chen? May I ask your name? I can go announce you.”

Hong’Er didn’t say where she was from, only replying, ”My name is Hong’Er. Senior Brother Chen and I are very well acquainted.”

Chen Qingyang was unaware of what was happening outside. Just as he slowly exhaled and withdrew from his meditative state, he happened to hear Hong’Er say these words.

’This girl is a meticulous person,’ he thought. ’She wouldn’t have risked coming all the way here to find me unless it was necessary.’ He pushed the door open and stepped out. ”Come in.”

Hong’Er shot Zhang Ping a triumphant glance, then walked up to Chen Qingyang. ”Greetings, Senior Brother Chen.”

”Mm. Go inside.”

Just before closing the door to the Alchemy Room, Chen Qingyang instructed the two youths in the courtyard, ”Don’t tell anyone she was here. If someone comes asking, be sure to inform me immediately.”

”Yes, we understand.”

Hong’Er had always been curious about Chen Qingyang. Now, seeing his Alchemy Room, her inspection grew even more detailed.

”What, do you see something special?”

Hong’Er said, ”I always thought that all cultivators who become Outer Disciples would be like Tian Jingzhao and the others—their Dao Hearts unsteady, content to just enjoy themselves. I secretly resolved to never be like them. I never expected you to be completely different, Senior Brother Chen. You are what I always imagined a true cultivator to be!”

Chen Qingyang gently shook his head. ”Perhaps you’ve only seen one side of me.”