Chapter 134

In the Jade Prince's Manor, while Zhou Shuo was healing the injuries he sustained in his fight with Hong Xuanji, and at the same time helping Yang Zheng train his subordinates, he began to consider further cultivation. Forming the Golden Core is not the end of the Elixir Dao; what he must do next is refine the Golden Core within his body to strengthen his physique, condense the Mystic Fetus, and nurture the Nascent Soul. Once the Nascent Soul is cultivated, he will again return the elixir to dispel Yin, achieving unity of body and spirit—only then is he a true Yang Spirit.

Returning the elixir is an extremely important step in the Elixir Dao, with three varieties: the Herbal Returning Elixir method, the Jade Fluid Returning Elixir method, and the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir method. The Journey to the West records two of them: one is the Herbal Returning Elixir, the other the Jade Fluid Returning Elixir. Herbal Returning Elixir is the process whereby, after the great medicine is condensed, the Five Qi converge to the Origin to condense the Golden Core. The key lies in the number five: stabilizing the essence through spiritual function, keeping the Five Qi unmoving. This method is recorded in the Wuzhuang Temple by Zhenyuanzi and his ginseng fruit Herbal Returning Elixir.

Compared to the Herbal Returning Elixir recorded at the Wuzhuang Temple on Mount Wanshou, the Jade Fluid Returning Elixir is recorded in the praise poem of the Patriarch Bodhi, the master of Sun Wukong, who resides in the Slanting Moon Seven-Star Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain: "The Great Enlightened Golden Immortal, free of defilement; the Western Marvelous Form Ancestor, Bodhi. Neither born nor perishing, the three threes practice; all Qi and all Spirit, myriad mercies. Emptiness and stillness, natural and solemn form; true nature such as it may be. Sharing heaven's longevity, solemn form; the great Dharma master who has endured calamities and illuminated the mind."

The key of Herbal Returning Elixir lies in the number five: causing the body's Five Qi to gather fully in the central palace, demanding extremely high spiritual function. Whereas the key of Jade Fluid Returning Elixir lies in the number three: upon a person's birth, the innate one Qi transforms into the five viscera and six bowels, the four limbs and hundred bones—this is the natural order. Cultivating immortality is to transcend birth and death; after the Five Qi converge to the Origin, one refines the Golden Core back into Jade Fluid, which permeates the five viscera and six bowels as well as the tendons and bones, thereby obtaining the immortal's flesh and jade bones of complete Qi and Spirit.

In cultivation, the two most important numbers are three and five. The so-called five refers to the Five Qi in the chest; the Golden Core forms when the Five Qi converge to the Origin. The three refers to the Three Treasures of essence, Qi, and spirit within the human body. The process of Jade Fluid Returning Elixir is to refine and transform the Golden Core into Jade Fluid; by washing the body with Jade Fluid, the body undergoes a certain degree of qi-transformation, thereby attaining the level of complete Qi and Spirit.

"Five Qi condensing, complete Qi and Spirit—then the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir must be the union of spirit and Qi; the final ascent and elevation, I fear, is refining the spirit to return to the Void, at which point one would directly merge with the universe, entering a quantum computer mode!" Zhou Shuo organized his thoughts, and unconsciously smirked. With the Five Qi in his chest converging to the Origin, and after returning the elixir to achieve complete Qi and Spirit, the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir need not be doubted—it is precisely the step of spirit and Qi uniting. The Yang Spirit's ascent is precisely refining the spirit to return to the Void; the ultimate goal of this Elixir Dao must not be to refine a person into nothing.

Zhou Shuo inexplicably felt a bit worried, because in the Yang Spirit world, the ninth heavenly tribulation is precisely the process whereby the will experiences oneness with the universe; if one fails to pass this great tribulation, the will shall be assimilated by heaven and earth. In this Elixir Dao cultivation, when it reaches the final stage of refining the spirit to return to the Void, could there also be such danger?

"You're thinking too far, thinking too far." Zhou Shuo felt his own thoughts, unconsciously shaking his head. This line of thought is still too remote; let's discuss it when we reach that level of cultivation. Moreover, what is most important for me now is still to figure out how to repair the shuttle space.

Thinking about repairing the space, Zhou Shuo again felt a pang of difficulty, because the matter of repairing the space had yielded no clues. The extent of the space's damage is such that he rarely goes back and forth through it, lest he accidentally shake down which gate. Moreover, the state of that space is unclear; it seems no fourth gate will appear again.

"Three gates, heh, this number is somewhat interesting." Zhou Shuo pondered that the space had never shown a fourth gate, and he chewed on the number "three," finding it somewhat intriguing, as if there were an invisible, profound trajectory in the dark, and someone was gradually losing control.

"Mister Zhou." Just as Zhou Shuo was lost in thought, a servant of the manor hurried over; hearing this, Zhou Shuo slightly turned his head.

"The Prince requests Mister Zhou's presence, saying that as the representative of the Heavenly Mechanism Merchant Group visiting, Princess Yoululai Te wishes to meet you in person."

"Yoululai Te? Heh, indeed they've come knocking." Zhou Shuo, hearing the servant's words, couldn't help but grin. The Heavenly Mechanism Merchant Group originally was a storm mercenary band in the western regions of this world; now it has changed its guise to become an official merchant group of the Great Qian Dynasty. Others may not know, but he does: the person behind this merchant group is the Champion Marquis, and the Champion Marquis has indeed come looking for him as expected.

Faced with the visiting local magnate, Zhou Shuo had no second thoughts; he immediately rose and went to the reception hall. However, when he arrived, the situation seemed somewhat unfavorable, for besides Hong Yi and Zheng Yang receiving the Heavenly Mechanism Merchant Group's entourage, the manor had also received another group: Crown Prince Yang Yuan and his eunuch attendants, along with a troop of iron-armored Imperial Forest Guards.

"Your Highness, Mister Zhou has arrived." In the servant's announcement, all gazes in the hall instantly converged.

"Greetings, everyone!" Zhou Shuo looked at the assembled gazes, swept a glance around, saw a man and woman seated high in ethnic-style attire, and a purple-crowned brocade-clad man playing with a folding fan, and laughed as he offered a greeting.

"Hmph, where did this savage come from? Seeing the current crown prince, he actually dares not to bow?" Those present of standing and reputation—whether the man and woman in distinctive ethnic attire, the host Yang Zheng, or the purple-crowned brocade-clad Yang Yuan—did not open their mouths; the bowing purple-robed eunuch behind Yang Yuan stepped forward first to shout a rebuke.

"Which one is Princess Yoululai Te?" Zhou Shuo glanced at the outspoken eunuch, then swept his gaze past him, asking aloud to the whole assembly, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the beauty draped in purple sable fur, displaying foreign ethnic charm.

"A savage who fails to bow before the crown prince deserves a heavy slap." Facing Zhou Shuo's disregard, the purple-robed eunuch gave a sinister grin, flashed forward to his face, raised his palm and brought it down—only to have it firmly seized by a hand.

"Crack." A sharp sound rang out, and everyone in the hall involuntarily twitched their eyebrows. After a moment, the purple-robed eunuch who had retreated to his original spot and stood firm looked at his right hand, now bent at a strange angle, and his face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.

"Big brother, this servant of yours still needs some discipline." Yang Zheng looked at the eunuch whose face had swollen to the color of pig liver, and couldn't help but speak to the man in purple-crowned brocade who was playing with a folding fan.

"Fourth brother, I never expected you to be so good at hiding your talent; you've risen up unnoticed behind the second brother. May I ask your name, sir?" Yang Yuan held his folding fan, glanced at Yang Zheng, then asked Zhou Shuo.

"Easy to say, I'm Zhou Shuo. However, I feel that rather than the crown prince taking an interest in me, it would be better to pay attention to the Champion Marquis; my sect's leader has already decided to support him. Oh, and crown prince you…" Zhou Shuo saw the faint glimmer of color in the man's eyes, couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth. This Crown Prince Yang Yuan is at least a Ghost Immortal in cultivation, and he has also cultivated the Future Wusheng Scripture.

"Champion Marquis..." Yang Yuan heard Zhou Shuo's words, his gaze shifted slightly, then he unconsciously looked toward the foreign man and woman seated in the hall: the Stone Flute Prince and Princess Yoululai Te from the Rouran Kingdom, the representatives of the Heavenly Mechanism Merchant Group who came to the Jade Prince's Manor. Besides delivering the Wusheng Laomu to the Jade Prince, they also act as envoys of the Champion Marquis here; his own purpose in coming is also for the Wusheng Laomu.

"Alright, big brother, if there's anything to say, let's discuss it inside! Mister, you and Princess Yoululai Te talk." Yang Zheng, observing Yang Yuan's gaze, couldn't help but speak up; by doing this, he was indicating his own stance of avoiding the Champion Marquis's representatives, expressing his disagreement with the Champion Marquis's assault on the throne, even if the Grand Supreme Dao supported it.

"Fourth brother, I really do want to have a good talk with you. Hong Xi, you wait here." Yang Yuan looked at the brother who extended his hand to invite, slapped his folding fan against his palm, and issued an order to the iron-armored general behind him; then, following Yang Zheng's hand, he entered the inner chamber. Hong Yi glanced at the iron-armored general acting on Yang Yuan's order, and then, amid the general's dark-faced expression, followed him inside.

"Princess Yoululai Te, if there's anything, just say it!" Zhou Shuo looked at the general whose face was dark as iron, and asked the foreign great beauty.

"The Champion Marquis summons you to a trip to Jade Dragon Mountain." Princess Yoululai Te tilted her head and uttered a string of standard Qian Dynasty speech.

"When?" Zhou Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Right now." Princess Yoululai Te looked at the man whose eyebrows were raised, and slightly lifted her chin.

"What are we waiting for? Oh, wait a moment—I need to fetch my Great Treasure Sword." Zhou Shuo looked at the blue-eyed great beauty, and slapped his left palm with his right hand.