Chapter 75: Elixir Out of the Furnace

【Stance Training Complete. Rising Sun Art XP +2. Rising Sun Art: 3/3000】

This was the experience prompt on Lin Mo’s panel.

Calculating it out, if he practiced the Rising Sun Art for over six hours daily, it would take him five months just to barely meet the entry standard.

By then, the hundred-day aurora period would already be over, and he might well have become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Facing Long A’s question, Lin Mo paused, then asked: “Brother Long, what month were you born in?”

Long A frowned: “My goddess never asks me my birthday—why are you asking?”

“Curiosity.”

“October. Not even eighteen yet.”

“Oh, I’m May.”

Long A puzzled: “Brother, and then?”

Lin Mo gave him a cool glance: “Don’t call me brother. Call me Brother Lin.”

Long A: “...”

A few minutes later.

Long A timed his return to the courtyard to call his goddesses.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, returned to the courtyard, washed up slightly, changed into a clean Daoist robe, and appeared punctually at Zhuang Weiwang’s courtyard gate.

But he didn’t immediately push the door open—he paused at the gate.

Though the Rising Sun Art’s progress was slow, six hours of stance training had restored much of his energy.

“Huh~!”

Lin Mo took a deep breath and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw Zhuang Weiwang waiting inside the courtyard.

Zhuang Weiwang, as yesterday, had rolled up her Daoist robe sleeves, revealing two fair arms as she continuously formed Dao seals to control the ancient cauldron’s temperature, sweat slowly dripping down her lovely oval face.

She radiated two utterly contrasting energies.

She was both an immortal fallen into the mortal world and a hardworking farmer toiling in the fields.

Upon seeing Lin Mo enter, Zhuang Weiwang turned her head and smiled brightly:

“You’re here, Brother Lin!”

If Zhuang Weiwang’s expression the day before had been normal, today she looked at Lin Mo like a parched farmer in the fields seeing sudden rain—overjoyed, eager.

Despite such a fiery gaze from such a beauty, Lin Mo felt no joy; he gritted his teeth inwardly:

Looks like today will be another day with not a single drop left.

【July 3, clear weather.】

Starting to write a diary again...

No! This isn’t a diary—it’s a daily cultivation log. Who writes a diary, seriously?

Another exhausting day under Sister Zhuang, yet another day full of gains.

Lost 1200 merit points, slept less than four hours.

Can’t help it—humans die without sleep. How did ancient cultivators manage to sit in meditation for years, even decades?

Also, Sister Zhuang still has her charm—I confirmed her robe size the other day, and up close today, she’s truly extraordinary...

Added another reason to keep going. (Struck out.)

No, this is all for cultivation.

(PS: Found a Qi-Enhancing Elixir.)

【July 4, overcast turning to partly cloudy.】

The Five-Spirit Dao Seal’s progress is encouraging—it’s already surpassed one-third.

But the True Ultimate Flame today only absorbed 12%, slower than yesterday—clearly, the later stages are harder to refine.

Today I lost 1210 merit points.

Good. Maintain the rhythm.

Sister Zhuang’s dark circles are darker—has she even slept?

If she doesn’t change her robe, won’t all that sweat start to smell?

And honestly, do people really not die without sleep?

Sister Zhuang—a woman full of mysteries.

(PS: Found a Qi-Enhancing Elixir.)

【July 4, partly cloudy turning to light rain.】

Cang Qianhao, ranked fifth on the Immortal List, has entered a state of enlightenment.

Also, Chu Wange has now been in enlightenment for four days straight—rumor says she hasn’t woken up once.

Will she starve? Will she get tired?

I’m curious what enlightenment actually feels like...

Also, I’m curious—has Sister Zhuang changed her robe?

Today I got close and sniffed—only a faint medicinal scent, no odd odor.

Good. Woman, you’ve caught my attention.

PS: Lost 1208 merit points, one Qi-Enhancing Elixir.

【July 5, light rain turning to moderate rain.】

It’s rained for two straight days, but the aurora still arrived on schedule.

Even with spells blocking wind and rain, the aurora’s blessing remains unaffected.

Two more prodigies entered enlightenment—suddenly, something felt off.

If this keeps up, won’t all the cultivators on the Ninth Layer’s Enlightenment Platform enter enlightenment, leaving only me behind?

The mental image feels awkward—should I pretend to join them then?

I’ve grown used to Sister Zhuang’s medicinal scent—I even find it pleasant, and I can’t help lingering closer to sniff more.

I’m not a pervert—I just want to know what perfume she uses. Is there a men’s version?

PS: Lost 1208 merit points, +1 Qi-Enhancing Elixir.

【July 6, clear weather.】

Two more freshmen entered enlightenment—I’m starting to panic.

What are their enlightenment values? Are they all above 90?!

We’re all eighteen—what exactly am I lacking?

But then I thought: Chu Wange, Chen Xuanzhi, Feng Ji, Cang Qianhao, Ye Chen...

Even Long A’s name sounds like a protagonist’s—yet “Lin Mo” sounds utterly generic.

Did I get a bad name at birth?

Should I go back and change it? With my current status, my father wouldn’t refuse...

Today the medicinal scent was lighter—Sister Zhuang definitely showered!

Isn’t it required to manually control the cauldron for seven full days? How did she shower?

Not... outside in the courtyard, right?

PS: Lost 1205 merit points, +1 Qi-Enhancing Elixir.

【July 7, clear weather.】

Long A entered enlightenment too...

Not on the Enlightenment Cliff, but on the open ground where he often practiced stance training.

Damn it—is enlightenment really that easy for them?

How does one even enter enlightenment?

I asked Sister Zhuang today—she said while deep enlightenment is hard, with the Ninth Layer’s Enlightenment Platform’s boost, entering initial enlightenment is simple.

Unless something goes wrong, all top twenty freshmen will enter enlightenment within ten days.

The initial enlightenment phase lasts seven to fourteen days; deep enlightenment may take as little as half a month or as long as over a month, depending on the individual.

Timing varies by cultivator—no universal rule.

So Chu Wange won’t wake up for at least seven more days?

But given her abundant Dao aura and full energy, she won’t starve to death.

(PS: Sister Zhuang probably didn’t shower today—the medicinal scent is stronger.)

July 8, clear weather.

Courtyard 88, Ninth Layer Enlightenment Platform, front courtyard.

“The Spirit Rain is coming!”

When Zhuang Weiwang sent the final nearly transparent Dao flame into the ancient cauldron, the dark clouds above the courtyard finally condensed into a gentle spiritual rain, beginning the final “irrigation.”

Exhausted, Lin Mo tilted his head back with effort, his eyes fixed tightly on the dark clouds, eager to see what kind of dan-cloud had formed after seven days of alchemy.

After seven days, he had also learned some basic alchemy knowledge from Zhuang Weiwang.

The dan-cloud is the final step required in the pill-forming process.

Generally, the higher the pill’s quality, the denser the dan-cloud; high-grade pills in later stages can even condense a miniature heavenly tribulation.

Of course, a Rank 2 pill only produces spiritual rain.

The more spiritual rain, the better the final pill’s quality.

After both waited a moment, the dan-cloud finally began to rain down with a “pattering” sound.

“Shhh… shhh… shhh…”

As the continuous rain sounds filled his ears, Zhuang Weiwang’s face broke into a faint smile.

The volume of spiritual rain was far greater than before—clearly, the final pill’s quality would not be lower than the batch from a few days ago.

A few minutes later…

Five pills, richly colored, slowly drifted out of the ancient cauldron.

Zhuang Weiwang swiftly guided them into five jade vials she had prepared in advance; when the last pill, emitting a “white glow,” settled into its vial, her eyes suddenly blazed with brilliant light.

She turned to Lin Mo and smiled brightly. “Lin Shidi, it’s a Superior Taiqing Pill!”

Is this the Superior Taiqing Pill from the Blue Realm’s quality?

Lin Mo stared curiously at the pill, about to speak, when a notification sounded in his ear:

【Ding! Congratulations, player! You have successfully assimilated “Zhenji Yan Flame.” Awarded: Heaven-Class Strange Flame: Zhenji Yan Flame. Fire-element root purity increased: 53% → 54%】

【Tip: For details on Strange Flame properties, please click “Details.”】