Chapter 354

"By the way, I only stewed a little of that chicken—there's still plenty left; I'll go get you some later." Chi Jiuyu said with great generosity.

"No need, you keep it for yourself." Li Ke set the insulated lunch box down beside him.

She was the Master of the Concealed Blade—what rare and exotic beasts hadn't she eaten?

"Oh okay, then don't bother."

Chi Jiuyu didn't press it; she sat down beside Li Ke, leaving one seat between them.

Then she pulled out her phone, logged onto the Spirit Net, and posted on the largest forum.

【Question: After eating phoenix meat, my body smells—how do I fix it?】

"Come to think of it, since you know about this smell on me, you must know how to get rid of it, right?" She turned back to Li Ke.

Posting was just for show.

The replies from those idiot netizens were just for amusement; if she wanted real answers, she still had to ask her senior sister.

"Simple—it'll fade in a few hours."

"Hmm… isn't there a faster way?"

She still had to wait for Xiao Yunlu—she didn't want to stink like this forever.

"There is."

Li Ke waved his hand casually; no extraordinary phenomenon appeared, yet the fragrant aroma filling the entire waiting area vanished completely.

The Jianzong disciple in the pure white uniform behind the counter looked utterly bereft.

"…"

So all that was needed was this simple?

She checked her phone—the post she'd just made already had replies.

Seeing the replies matched her expectations exactly, she grinned, then swiftly replied to the top few floors before putting away her phone and standing up.

"Senior sister, I'm going back for a bit."

"Huh? Didn't I just fix it for you?"

"The phoenix feathers I plucked earlier got tossed in the trash—I need to go back and fish them out before they're taken away."

Her dwelling had the latest fully automated smart home system from Shenji Lianbao Pavilion, which automatically cleans trash on schedule.

Those feathers were worth a fortune in Spirit Coins!

Too bad I didn't know that big rooster was a phoenix—if I had, I'd have raised it properly and plucked feathers daily to get rich!

As for whether I might end up too weak to fight the phoenix if I raised it for long enough…

Chi Jiuyu never considered it.

Do you even understand the value of being the youngest Soul Transformation in human history? In the starry heavens, with her Dharma Form unleashed, she could pluck stars and seize the moon!

"Alright."

"I'll be right back!"

She sprinted out swiftly, her figure like a gust of wind.

"Young Master Xiao Shu Zu! No running or jumping in the Jin Dan chamber!" A Jianzong disciple guarding the door called out urgently.

"You don't get it—Soul Transformation disciples walk this fast!"

"…"

Like I've never seen a Soul Transformation before—my dad's one too…

Thinking of this made her feel a little down.

Damn!

Soul Transformation at twenty-two!

This just isn't fair to anyone else.

"If you keep this up, I'll have to penalize you with contribution points as per regulations!"

"Oh."

Chi Jiuyu fell silent.

She walked slowly out of the Jin Dan chamber, then summoned her sword-light, wrapping herself in a radiant beam, and shot toward her inner sect dwelling.

This stupid fish…

Li Ke sighed inwardly.

Though her personality was a bit wild, she usually followed the rules—after all, according to her own words, she intended to become the Zong Sect's leader.

…

…

Meanwhile, inside the Jin Dan chamber.

Upon entering, the first thing visible was a smooth, expansive circular platform of silver-gray, etched with deep blue patterns.

Interwoven, winding, and intricately traced.

Nothing else was present.

Unlike Foundation Establishment, at the Jin Dan stage, the cultivator's true qi transforms into magic power.

One's own "Law" carries strong personal attributes—it is the fusion of one's experiences, insights, and cultivation scripture; excessive interference only hinders.

Thus, during Jin Dan formation, the great array merely simulates the optimal environment for the cultivator based on their physique, spiritual affinity, and other factors.

Of course, in today's age of cultivation development, protective measures exist for stages like Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Jin Dan, and even Nascent Soul.

If Jin Dan formation fails, the array instantly alters the environment, generating spiritual energy far beyond the threshold, forming a sealed, high-temperature, high-pressure chamber in an instant.

Simultaneously, it sprays mist of Spirit Liquid for Stabilizing the Dao Foundation, Spirit Liquid for Calming the Spirit, and other such elixirs to aid absorption and repair hidden injuries.

Thus, even if Jin Dan formation fails, one merely needs rest and recuperation to recover fully.

Usually, only after three consecutive attempts at forming a Jin Dan would irreparable damage occur.

Only after five or more attempts would all hope of forming a Jin Dan be utterly extinguished.

Far better than the old method, where one risked total collapse of the Dao foundation and death with the loss of one's cultivation—no comparison! It was even rumored someone had suggested rectal absorption was more efficient…

It was ultimately disproven.

Zhang Yunlu recalled all the insights on Jin Dan formation she had previously read.

She took a deep breath, stepped onto the circular platform, and sat cross-legged at its center.

She pulled out several vials of differently colored spirit liquids, a pale golden fruit, and a small jade vial.

These had been prepared for her by Bie Xuening: some could cleanse her true essence, others purify her magic power, and still others increased her chance of forming a Jin Dan by thirty percent and slightly elevated its grade.

After all, she had only two disciples—she naturally gave them whatever she could.

"Begin."

After drinking one vial of golden spirit liquid, Zhang Yunlu closed her eyes.

Inner vision revealed a Dao platform, clearly divided and silently suspended, brimming with Dao intent.

The "Slaying Annihilation Sword Scripture" she had recently contemplated flowed through her mind; as she silently recited the true incantation, a faint sword shadow—seemingly forged from moonlight—appeared upon the Dao platform.

Not a single word, line, or passage was wrong!

The "Slaying Annihilation Sword Scripture"!

The hidden supreme transmission of the Xiang Jianzong, created by the Sword Sovereign, it was the most lethal supreme art in the entire Xiang Jianzong and even the entire Xuan Realm!

Yet it was also the most dangerous transmission in the entire Xiang Jianzong!

Even Chi Jiuyu had treated it only as her foundational art, never daring to explore its divine techniques or any of its killing sword arts.

Humming~!

A piercing sharpness nearly tore through all, the supreme killing intent surging and filling her entire spiritual sea, striking the Dao platform with a resounding clang.

She felt as if her dantian's spiritual sea were being sliced by countless blades; her mighty true essence surged and churned, and even the Dao platform seemed ready to shatter.

Zhang Yunlu grunted, yet still guided her spiritual awareness to touch the faint sword shadow, seemingly forged from moonlight.

Boom!

Agony exploded through every inch of her body; her consciousness itself felt severed into countless fragments—unimaginable pain nearly rendered her unconscious.

Yet the will forged through years of hardship still preserved a sliver of clarity in her spiritual altar.

Her true essence surged spontaneously, striking the Dao platform; under the refining influence of the sword's supreme killing intent, it bore an intense mark of "self."

Using the "Slaying Annihilation Sword Scripture" as her foundational art, she forged Slaying Annihilation magic power.

As her true essence rose and fell, magic power flowed like a spring.

Until all her true essence was refined into magic power, the sword shadow vanished, and a faint, hazy, spherical form appeared atop the starkly divided Dao platform—dull and dim.

The prototype of a "Dan," also called a "Qi Dan" or "False Dan."

If she halted the formation process now, she would become a False Dan cultivator—like a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had prematurely swallowed Breakthrough Spirit Liquid—forever barred from further progress.

Zhang Yunlu would not stop here. Enduring the agony of a thousand cuts and ten thousand slices, she drank the remaining spirit liquids before her, then changed her hand seals once more!

Huh~

The magic power was refined once more by the spirit liquids, becoming purer and heavier.

The Qi Dan dissolved, splitting into nine threads of Dan energy, ascending sequentially along the Governor Vessel!

Moving the Dan energy was also refining it.

The first thread reached the Jiaji point; under Zhang Yunlu's deliberate control, it was halted there, followed by the second, the third…

The Dan energy grew stronger, and control became increasingly difficult—until the ninth thread!

Boom!

The resistance vanished instantly; the Dan energy surged upward to the crown of her head.

Three flashes of golden light appeared at her third eye; behind her head, a "Tiangong" shadow emerged. As this occurred, the Dan energy grew denser, transforming into streams of Dan fluid that flowed downward along the Conception Vessel.

Dingdong!

The agony of a thousand cuts and ten thousand slices vanished entirely; instead, a cool, sweet, pure, and crystal-clear comfort washed over her—indescribably pleasant.

This was what was known as "Jade Liquid Returning Dan."

Drops of Dan fluid fell one by one onto the Dao platform, eventually forming a perfect, lustrous, translucent "Jin Dan."

One transformation of the Returning Dan—Impermeable Jin Dan!

Most Jin Dan cultivators in the world reached this level.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator who had used Breakthrough Spirit Liquid could not even bear the weight of a Qi Dan—their fragile Dao platform would shatter.

Zhang Yunlu maintained her hand seals, inhaling and exhaling spirit energy.

Soon, the one-transformation Jin Dan dissolved again, repeating the previous process.

Second transformation, third, fourth…

Vast celestial palaces, dragons and tigers entwined, cauldrons refining sun and moon—numerous manifestations appeared continuously.

Until the ninth transformation!

The only manifestation remaining was a three-foot-long sword, seemingly forged from moonlight.

Simple.

Yet the annihilating killing intent made the very void hiss.

The Dan fluid dripping down from the Conception Vessel had become immensely dense, like molten flame and gold.

Dong!

The Dan fluid crashed onto the Dao platform; magic power surged and churned, filling the dantian with radiant brilliance!

A thousand war drums and ten thousand thunderclaps sounded simultaneously in her ears, like a gale ripping the earth—the terrifying "weight" sent waves of pain coursing through her body, as if piercing through bones and tendons, flowing through every limb and meridian.

Boom! Boom!

Nine consecutive strikes—the Dao Platform trembled!

That molten-gold "Dan liquid" could not even be sustained by the most solid Heaven-Born Dao Foundation.

In an instant, his mind felt split by an axe, his bones shattered.

The pain surpassed even that of when he refined his true essence into magic power using the Slaying Annihilation Sword Scripture; even Zhang Yunlu's willpower collapsed outright, fainting in this boundless agony.

Inside his body, Dan fire filled all five viscera and six bowels.

In his Dantian.

Endless radiant light shone brilliantly, blazing like a great sun.

Upon the Dao Platform stood a perfectly round, radiant golden sphere, emitting crimson Dan fire, swirling with the meaning of immortality—the Slaying Annihilation Jin Dan.

Ninefold Refinement, Immortal Jin Dan! (End of Chapter)