Where Immortals Once Walked

Who could have imagined that a handful of foreign avian monsters slipping in to “poison” the land could bring disaster down on an entire highland?

“Things like this happen all the time.” A’Luo shook his head. “Every year, there are endless, messy emergencies. Handle them poorly, and they turn into massive crises. But once we figured out the traits of this bollworm, the Bureau of Medicine brewed a solution. As long as it’s sprayed into the paddies during the larval stage, it kills them effectively. So far, the field districts have reported positive results.”

The struggle surrounding Panlong City was not just blades and blood. After all, war was never as simple as a straightforward clash of weapons.

Just then, Helian Chen finally waved He Lingchuan over. “Come, come. Over here.”

He Lingchuan walked over and found two separate prescriptions laid out on the table.

“Both of these are for me?”

“Yes. It depends on how much imperial nectar you manage to collect. If the amount you gather next time is small, use this first formula.” Helian Chen tapped one of the pages. “It focuses on gentle nourishment. The pills you refine from it can be taken once every seven days. Each time you circulate your energy to cultivate, you’ll gain an extra twenty to thirty percent efficiency.”

He Lingchuan blurted, “Isn’t this the formula for Verdant Jade Pills?”

A’Luo glared at him. “In your dreams!”

Verdant Jade Pills, which were capable of tripling cultivation efficiency, were strategic supplies in Panlong City. Even exchanging them with merit was terrifyingly expensive. How could the recipe be casually handed out? His master was kind, not stupid.

Helian Chen cleared his throat. “Without Commander Zhong’s approval, who would dare leak something like the formula for Verdant Jade Pills? What I’m giving you is a modified version of the Hundred Virtues Pill, tailored specifically to your constitution. If A’Luo used it, he might not get the full effect.”

“That’s more than enough, more than enough.” He Lingchuan beamed as he tucked the Hundred Virtues Pill prescription away.

He understood compound interest. If each cultivation session increased in efficiency by thirty percent, then even if the effect lasted only a handful of times, the total return would still be very impressive.

Helian Chen pointed at the second prescription. “If you get lucky and obtain a large amount of imperial nectar, by which I mean at least bigger than a pigeon’s egg, then you should use this modified formula for the Godslayer Pill.”

He had been keeping the main body of that formula covered with his sleeve. A’Luo had been trying to sneak peeks but could not make out more than a few ingredients. Now, hearing that name and seeing the materials written on the page, A’Luo cried out involuntarily, “Master, why is it the Godslayer Pill?!”

He Lingchuan did not like the sound of it either. The name alone screamed tiger-and-wolf medicine[1], and judging from A’Luo’s reaction, his own stomach started to tighten.

What exactly is the old man giving me?

Helian Chen snorted. “Why can’t it be the Godslayer Elixir?”

“But...”

If He Lingchuan swallows that, would he still be alive afterward?

“You’re the one who never applies yourself. It’s no wonder you’re stuck at this pathetic level!” Helian Chen snapped at A’Luo, then turned back to He Lingchuan. “Don’t be afraid. This prescription might be extremely toxic, yes, but only something like this can match the terrifying potency of imperial nectar!”

Terrifying potency as in... potent enough to kill me? He Lingchuan did not dare let even half his sarcasm show. “Please enlighten me.”

“You said you’ve been cultivating the Meridian Art for only half a year, but when I checked you just now, your meridians are fairly open, and your dantian is already full. This shows that you’ve got a good aptitude, and it also shows that you’ve been diligent.” Diligence was the baseline for a Gale Army soldier. Helian Chen was not praising him so much as stating a fact. “While you’re working on opening the extraordinary vessels[2], you have two options for your next step. First, you can advance into the realm of liquefaction, which is where you compress your true energy into liquid form. That way, your dantian can store far more true energy.”

He Lingchuan supplied a silent fun fact to himself, liquid takes up less volume than gas.[3]

Helian Chen raised a second finger. “Or second, you can choose a different road and open a second dantian early.”

During his cultivation of the Meridian Art, He Lingchuan often attended public lectures at the Hall of Inquiry. He knew this technique advocated opening three major dantians in the body. The upper dantian was in the Yintang acupoint between the eyebrows, the middle dantian was in the Danzhong acupoint at the center of the chest, and the lower dantian was in the Guanyuan acupoint in the lower abdomen.

In everyday speech, mentions of dantian usually referred to the lower one. But in the later stages of Meridian Art, a cultivator would be required to open the other two as well, to store true origin and gather qi and breath.

In crude terms, three reservoirs held more water than one.

For both martial artists and spellcasters, the power of their spells and divine techniques, whether burst output or endurance, was usually directly linked to the strength of their true energy. The stronger and more abundant it was, the higher the chance of coming out on top.

So one way or another, He Lingchuan would eventually have to walk both paths.

He frowned thoughtfully. “So the Godslayer Pill formula is meant for the second option?”

“Exactly.” Helian Chen stroked his beard. “If you want to focus on liquefaction first, you don’t need the Godslayer Elixir, as the Hundred Virtues Pill will do. Compressing true energy is slow grinding work. It’s about persistence, time, and relentless effort. However, if you want your next step to be opening the second dantian directly—or, if by the time imperial nectar arrives you’re ready to open the third—then it would be much better for you to use the Godslayer Pill.” Helian Chen coughed. A’Luo immediately offered him a cup of warm water. “Opening the second and third dantians is not easy. They sit on two of the body’s most crucial acupoints, and those places are guarded by turbid qi, like primordial chaos. Before your Eight Extraordinary Vessels are fully formed, if you want to break through in one blow, your current foundation is nowhere near enough. However, imperial nectar is an opportunity. With its surging force, you may be able to strike once and succeed! Most people start from liquefaction, but if you can open the second dantian first, you’ll have an advantage in cultivation.”

He Lingchuan nodded. If he opened the second dantian, he would be able to immediately store twice as much true energy, while others were still grunting and struggling to compress their energy drop by drop into liquid form. Would he not then be able to effortlessly crush them?

Still, he asked, “And if I don’t manage to open it?”

Helian Chen coughed again. “If you fail, the turbulence you create at the Danzhong point will be worse than an external attack. Your heart and lungs will be damaged, and you’ll spend at least a few months bedridden. If it’s the Yintang point... Well, then either madness or idiocy.”

“...” So it’s a high-risk, high-reward type of deal, eh? “So the second dantian should be Danzhong first?”

“Indeed. It’s somewhat less difficult. As for Yintang...” Helian Chen smiled slightly. “We’ll talk about that later. You’re still far from that.”

Then he added, almost casually, “I’ve given you both prescriptions. Which one you choose to use is up to you.”

As expected of a grand apothecary, His disclaimers roll off the tongue as naturally as breathing.

“Thank you very much!” Prescription in hand, He Lingchuan took his leave. Helian Chen was busy; even this time had been set aside for him.

A’Luo escorted them to the Bureau of Medicine gate, then went back inside.

He Lingchuan and Sun Fuling walked side by side toward the market streets, letting the soft breeze cool their faces.

Evening primroses bloomed in thick swaths along the roadside, their color as pretty as freshly scrambled eggs.

He asked Sun Fuling, “If imperial nectar really does arrive soon, which prescription do you think I should choose?”

“That depends on whether you want stability or speed,” Sun Fuling said seriously. “But my advice? Choose the Godslayer Elixir.”

“Why?”

“Because the chance to open a second or third dantian is rare,” she said softly. “If you don’t borrow imperial nectar’s force, you’ll spend at least five or six times longer. The quickest path to higher cultivation is expanding your capacity.”

He Lingchuan laughed. “I knew you’d say that.”

As for risk, who did not know that high reward meant high risk? But for someone living in Panlong City, for a Gale Army soldier, danger was everyday life.

Besides, he had come to understand Sun Fuling a little now. The calm way she had placed her bet during Meng Shan’s challenge defense told him plenty. She was not someone who was afraid of risk or of losing.

Her choice would always be the one that maximized gains in the shortest time.

As they passed through the market, Sun Fuling’s steps slowed.

He Lingchuan noticed her gaze lock onto a small stall selling goldfish.

Three or four large jars were displayed, along with several shallow basins. Inside, colorful goldfish darted around, lively and energetic.

He Lingchuan pivoted on his heel and strolled over. “How much for the goldfish?”

“However many you scoop, you take,” the vendor said, pointing at a huge stack of scooping nets beside the jars. “One net, one copper coin.”

He Lingchuan took one look. “Your nets are paper.”

And the net faces are only seven or eight centimeters across. What a con artist.

The vendor laughed. “The whole market does it this way. I’ve been selling goldfish here for seven to eight years. This is the kind of net you use.”

Still, his fish were prettier than the others—brighter colors, livelier movement.

He Lingchuan asked Sun Fuling, “Have you ever played this?”

“When I was little.”

Just then, a young mother walked past with her child. The moment the kid saw the fish, he stopped right then and there, pointed at the jars, and shouted, “Fish!”

The mother helplessly pulled out two copper coins and gave them to the vendor.

The child clearly knew the routine. He grabbed a net automatically and went straight for the biggest goldfish.

As soon as the net went into the water, the biggest fish sensed the ripples it caused, flicked its tail, and slipped away. Despite its chubby head and round body, it was surprisingly agile.

The paper net sank into the water and tore without a sound.

Having broken the first net, he immediately grabbed a second net.

The second net broke just as soundlessly, and he then swapped for a third.

Three nets were gone in barely any time, and not a single fish had been caught. Money had practically been thrown straight into the water.

The mother refused to pay more. She grabbed her child and walked away, ignoring the kid’s constant backward glances.

He Lingchuan took out five copper coins and handed them to the vendor, receiving five paper nets in exchange. He shoved them into Sun Fuling’s hands. “I want the biggest one!”

Sun Fuling burst out laughing. “Why aren’t you doing it?”

“The grand finale always comes last.”

“What a waste. You’re just handing money to him,” Sun Fuling said, but she took the nets anyway and leaned in eagerly.

She aimed for a black goldfish[4].

She flicked the net and nearly caught it.

The net tore, so she swapped for another one.

The one she swapped to broke soon after, and even after breaking the third, she failed to catch it.

Now, only two nets were left. Sun Fuling glanced at He Lingchuan. “Your turn!”

He Lingchuan took the net, and then he did not even scoop. He simply let it stay dipped in the water.

After only two breaths’ worth of time, he moved it slightly, and the paper net tore.

They really pasted this paper with dedication. They’re as thin a sigh.

He looked at the vendor and saw that the man was grinning widely, clearly delighted.

He Lingchuan asked, “So you truly only allow scooping, no direct sales?”

He was giving the vendor one last chance.

The vendor was firm. “Yup, only scooping, no direct sales.”

“Fine.” Meeting Sun Fuling’s expectant gaze, He Lingchuan rolled up his sleeves and suddenly slapped the side of the jar.

1. This basically just means that it sounds really intense. ☜

2. Refer to note in Chapter 234 or simply search up Eight Extraordinary Vessels. ☜

3. Note that this should be referring to a liquid and a gas of the same material and mass. ☜

4. It’s possible that this is referring to a Black Moor goldfish, also known as a black telescope goldfish, but the author did not use the specific terminology for it, so I’m not completely sure. However, when I search up the word they used, it’s those specific type of goldfish that appear first. ☜