Chapter 134: Too Many Demands, Too Few Avatars

Another month passed.

That evening, Cheng Cheng Xinzhan arrived at the Pure Yang Hall.

Though his master had returned, he had first sought out his grandmaster for this matter, so he would not trouble multiple masters with one task.

"Grandmaster."

He sat down opposite Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan.

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan noticed that Cheng Cheng Xinzhan's left pupil had turned completely crimson, like the rising sun, and realized he had opened his Yang Hall and cultivated the "Nine Yang Returning Form Dan Eye."

"All prepared?"

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan asked.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded and pulled out the lead bottle given to him earlier by the Lord of the Pearl Tower in Bai Yu Jing, inside which lay the "Yangming Yun Tang Gang."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan took it, uncorked the bottle, and poured out the gang dew.

The gang dew, like milk, surged in midair; under their gaze, it suddenly transformed into a Shen dragon, but when Cheng Cheng Xinzhan leaned closer to look, it turned into a tiny cloud—upon closer inspection, a miniature street market hovered on the cloud, yet before he could make it out, it reverted to milk-like dew.

"This is the 'Yangming Yun Tang Gang.' Such gang must be formed from Shen clouds exhaled by Shen dragons, crystallizing into Shen mirages at the cloud's peak precisely at noon, when blasted by the great sun—only one liang of gang dew can be refined from every hundred li of Shen cloud. You have half a liang; that's quite a bit."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan smiled.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan was surprised—he had never Quchu the gang dew after receiving it and had no idea of its origin or transformations.

"One who cultivates this gang becomes as light as a swallow, needing no magic power or external force—merely a thought allows effortless flight, like smoke or cloud."

"If you refine this gang into your Yun Zhai to form Yun Gen, it can exhale bright Shen clouds, excellent for confusing and trapping enemies. You have half a liang—using it to temper your flying sword would be wasteful; a small portion in your Yang Hall suffices. Otherwise, it would be squandering heaven's gifts. The remainder can be kept to refine into Yun Gen within your Twelve-Story Tower."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan agreed, never imagining the "Yangming Yun Tang Gang" held such subtle uses.

"This gang pairs well with Cold Owl Yin Wind Sha. When yang cloud meets yin wind, they coalesce into Rain Pearls—cloud confuses the eyes, wind confuses the ears, and both possess extraordinary illusionary power."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded but did not dwell on it; from his path of deep cultivation of the Five Elements, this Jin Dan was too one-sided and unsuitable for him.

"The greatest difficulty in drawing gang and sha into the body lies in pain, but since you've endured True Sha piercing the meridians, this pain should not trouble you."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan took only a small amount of gang dew, then returned the rest to the lead bottle and gave it back to Cheng Cheng Xinzhan.

"Gang and sha are rare spiritual substances of heaven and earth—the fruit of primordial yin-yang qi condensing under postnatal transformation. Humans are postnatal spirits; encountering such substances tainted with primordial qi naturally causes discomfort—you should know this best."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded. People say a bone stuck in the throat is uncomfortable; gang and sha inside the body multiply that agony a thousandfold.

"Yet to comprehend these yin-yang-infused substances, our ancestors devised many methods. They said one thing subdues another, but after countless trials and countless deaths, they finally discovered that lead and mercury are the counteragents to gang and sha."

"After many generations of refinement and innovation, we now have the safest method of swallowing gang and consuming sha. Now, I shall teach it to you."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan spoke slowly; Cheng Cheng Xinzhan listened intently.

"Lead is stable, mercury is nimble—thus, mercury water is often formed into flying nets to capture gang and sha, then stored in lead vessels."

"Lead is hot, mercury is cold. When ingesting lead and mercury, you must consider the nature of the gang and sha you wish to refine. When suppressing gang and sha with lead and mercury, balance yin and yang. Your current 'Yangming Yun Tang Gang' is fiercely yang—so it must be harmonized with cold mercury. Your earlier 'Purple Fire Rotten Peach Sha,' though bearing the character 'fire,' is a deep-earth You fire, and the word 'rotten' implies decay—ultimately, it is yin and cold. Thus, when refining it, you should pair it with hot lead."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded repeatedly—he had thought simply using the lead bottle containing the gang dew would suffice, never realizing so much nuance existed.

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan saw his young disciple was at a loss, lacking mercury, and smiled.

"Since you've prepared the yang gang, I'll give you a gift: flying mercury."

The Ancestor flipped his palm, and a floating droplet of mercury appeared—he handed it to Cheng Cheng Xinzhan.

He reached out and took it. Lead and mercury were not only used to subdue gang and sha—they were rare treasures for elixir-making and qi refinement, highly valued on the mountain. He had once possessed a batch of flying mercury, also gifted by the Lord of the Pearl Tower, called "Flowing Frost Flying Mercury," which the Lord said enhanced the flexibility of "Autumn Water"—so he had fed it all to "Autumn Water."

Now he realized he needn't have given it all to "Autumn Water." He could keep some—perfect for use now.

Just like this "Yangming Yun Tang Gang"—had the Ancestor not reminded him, he would have used it all to refine "Taodu."

He had little money, yet he used things extravagantly. He must change this habit going forward.

"When mercury liquid meets fire, it flies. Upon swallowing, immediately summon a fire-element magic power from your Twelve-Story Tower to clash with the mercury. The mercury, meeting fire, turns to flying splendor—do not let it descend to the Twelve-Story Tower; instead, guide it directly through the Si Bai and Cheng Qi acupoints into your Yang Hall."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan said.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded and opened his mouth to swallow the mercury droplet.

The mercury felt like a block of ice—cold instantly frosted his mouth with frost; he felt his teeth might fall out, but he immediately summoned fire-element magic power surging up from the Twelve-Story Tower.

Cold mercury met fire-element magic power and instantly transformed into flying splendor—invisible and intangible, yet within his inner vision, it appeared as a vast white mist.

Just as guiding qi, he directed this mist with his mind, straight from his mouth into the Si Bai point, then the Cheng Qi point, finally pouring into the Yang Hall.

After opening his Yang Hall, it became a bright, empty cavity—much like his first time entering the cave stone with his mind: everywhere blindingly luminous, with no visible boundary.

"Taodu" flew within this cavity like a shuttle.

Though no yang fire yet existed, the Yang Hall naturally carried solar essence—placing "Taodu" here was ideal for nurturing it.

Within this cavity also floated a Dan red fireball—the manifestation of his cultivation of the "Nine Yang Returning Form Dan Eye." When nine such fireballs appear, the eye technique will be perfected.

The mist entered the Yang Hall, bounced wildly by the fireball and "Taodu," remained in mist form, unable to condense into dew.

He felt his left cheek had frozen stiff.

"Now, follow the same qi path to swallow the gang dew. Seal your throat, lock your Twelve-Story Tower, force the gang qi to follow the exact route the mercury took—hurry it into the Yang Hall."

He nodded and swallowed the gang dew.

The gang dew instantly transformed into a surging mass of gang qi, losing all its previous soft, cloud-like, milky appearance. It raged and crashed inside his mouth, but his oral cavity was now coated with the frost left by the cold mercury. The fierce gang qi recoiled upon contact, unable to descend past his throat, forced to follow the only available path: through the Si Bai and Cheng Qi acupoints. But every meridian and acupoint along the way was lined with frost—so the gang qi could only condense into a thin stream, following the mercury's trail.

Entering the Yang Hall, space suddenly expanded. The gang qi, just as it sought to disperse, was instantly seized by the flying mercury splendor—now like a third sister scenting grilled eel—lunging forward with ferocity.

The mercury splendor tightly wrapped the gang qi, leaving not a single trace to escape.

Truly, one thing subdues another.

"Taodu" also flew over to watch, circling the mercury splendor, as if curious what lay within.

Indeed, even with such a small amount of gang dew, even along such a short qi path, even with mercury protection, the stabbing, swelling pain still made Cheng Cheng Xinzhan suffer greatly.

But it was merely suffering—compared to the agony of True Sha piercing the meridians.

"From now on, control the cold mercury to slowly release the gang qi bit by bit, refine it gradually with magic power, smooth its violent nature, and comprehend its hidden law. Above all, now, you must perceive its 'yang.'

Based on the gang qi you ingested today, you'll need months to refine it before you can use it freely—only then will you transform gang into fire to temper your flying sword. When you later swallow gang and sha for Core Formation, the quantity will require years of refinement—ten years, at least."

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan watched Cheng Cheng Xinzhan swallow the gang dew smoothly and smiled.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

At that moment, Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan seemed to recall something and suddenly laughed aloud.

"What amuses you, Grandmaster?"

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan was puzzled.

"I just thought—when you proposed using yang gang as fire and your Yang Hall as furnace to temper your flying sword, what quality would your sword reach if one day you gathered eighteen yang gangs and thirty-six yang shas to smelt it? A Spirit Treasure?"

"Similarly, if you gathered eighteen yin gangs and thirty-six yin shas to smelt a sword in your Yin Hall, and then unleashed both yin and yang together—what power would that yield?"

Daoist Ancestor Tongxuan laughed heartily. "Since ancient times, no one has ever gathered the thirty-six heavenly gangs and seventy-two earthly shas. Cheng Xinzhan, don't take it seriously—it's just an old man's idle talk. But, heh, if you ever gain even a handful of yang gang and sha to temper your flying sword, I believe the result will be an extraordinary treasure."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan's eyes sparkled upon hearing this.

"To truly understand lead, mercury, gang, and sha, you must cultivate elixirs. The subtle transformations of the Maiden and the Golden Lord are all written in the elixir texts—profound beyond profundity."

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan smiled wryly and nodded. So much to learn—he felt even one avatar wasn't enough.

Today's gang intake went far smoother than he expected. After bidding farewell to the Ancestor, he returned to Mount Mingzhi Mountain.

Passing the small pond, he glanced inside—no sea eels remained, only some shells still clinging to the stones.

The Nine-Hole Wu Chen Lotus was a spiritual seed; since he planted it, no season or water—fresh or salt—affected it. Now, the seed had only sprouted one green leaf; he didn't know when it would bloom.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan now deeply felt one avatar was insufficient—not for combat, not for concealment, but simply because there was too much to learn.

When the flower blooms, he would refine it into a new avatar—not needing the divine essence of his bamboo body, merely enough to hold a thought, to learn something new.

Entering Wuyou Cave, the most striking feature remained the massive shadow screen at the center: the "Five Peaks True Form Map."

Contemplating the form of the Eastern Peak brings peace to the spirit and prolongs life.

Contemplating the form of the Southern Peak prevents the Five Calamities from striking and senses malice.

Contemplating the form of the Central Peak ensures firm footing and rooted stability.

Contemplating the form of the Western Peak grants mastery over the Five Weapons and immunity to blades.

Contemplating the form of the Northern Peak extinguishes all poisons and ensures lasting fortune.

Cheng Cheng Xinzhan had contemplated for a month; now, his posture and movement subtly revealed law-essence, like mountain force. Especially in the Weapons Yard's Gold Refining Cave, Jiang Jiang Weishan had recently praised Cheng Cheng Xinzhan for his calm, steady demeanor—possessing the bearing of a master, naturally suited to weapon and elixir crafting. But elixir crafting was too dull, so he suggested switching to weapon crafting.

The most direct benefit the "Five Peaks True Form Map" brought Cheng Cheng Xinzhan was the astonishing enhancement of the 【Zhen】 character spell. Now, when he cast 【Zhen】, even Green Chi Gu Qin could withstand it only in the lake—if she played in the air, the spell would knock her down.

Opposite the screen stood his desk, beside which hung a scroll: the "Map of Prince Lord Bingling's Inspection of the Three Mountains' Deities."

The image still showed Prince Lord Bingling inspecting the deities of the Three Mountains, but upon close inspection, this scroll resembled Wen Daoist Sukong's only in form—its spiritual essence was far inferior.

He had painted it himself.

The contemplation map given by his master had become a blank sheet—he first entered and contemplated Prince Lord Bingling; once he received the prince's spiritual essence, the prince's form vanished. Later, he entered the painting multiple times, observing the Three Mountains, until even the mountain shadows disappeared.

This month, the paper he had used to copy these two scrolls had piled up on his desk.

He sat down, cleared a space on the desk, took out more paper, glanced at the screen, then wrote and drew—but upon closer look, what appeared on the paper were not the grand mountain forms, but talismans.

He was not merely copying—he was painting talismans based on the mountains.

He contemplated the true form, comprehended the law-meaning, and his brush turned it into talismans.

He had already gained some understanding of the "Five Peaks True Form Map." Within three or five days at most, he could return it to his master—he had grasped the law-meaning; now came application.

Moreover, the Five Peaks' terrain is vast, reaching heaven and earth, appearing as ridges when viewed horizontally, peaks when viewed sideways—this single map could only reveal a corner of the Five Peaks' spiritual essence.

In contrast, the tangible Mount Mingzhi Mountain better allowed him to comprehend the Wu Earth law-meaning, and his magic power was slowly accumulating, preparing for the opening of his sect hall.

Unaware, he noticed dawn was breaking again. One matter had been lingering, forgotten, then forgotten again—he could no longer delay it. He pulled from the cave stone an envelope, withdrew a sheet of paper, spread it on the desk, and wrote with his talisman brush:

"Seeing your words is like meeting you; opening this letter brings joy.

I ask after Lady Xiao Shiyi's well-being. Affairs on the mountain are busy—I am stretched too thin, unable to spare even a moment to lay paper and pen…"

Early month, requesting monthly votes~

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(End of chapter)