Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1191 Imperial Order
While refining the spiritual resources, Li Ximing sat down in the mountains, picked up a pen, pondered deeply, and carefully considered his words. After waiting a moment, he saw the woman in the red dress respectfully approach and bow:

"I've seen a real person!"

As the Chengming generation passed away one by one, Li Minggong, who had been an elder in the family for many years and whose cultivation was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, was the most reliable. Li Ximing carefully put the golden scroll into her hand and was about to instruct her to go to Jinyu when he began to ponder.

'This isn't convenient either. A Foundation Establishment cultivator going out on missions would undoubtedly expose her to the sight of all True Immortals, inevitably attracting gossip… Furthermore, if any message from the Golden Feather Sect reaches her ears, there's no telling what danger it might pose.'

After a moment's thought, he looked up and saw the rising light of the Lesser Yang in the outside world. He was immediately delighted, activated his formation to welcome it, and said:
"Nanwu is here!"

This person was none other than Guo Nanwu, who had returned from the South China Sea and then went to Qu Si to visit!
This young master has been a great help over the years. He has always been polite, and as the Li family’s power and influence have grown, he has not been overly eager to curry favor. He has been responsible in everything he does and has accepted all the benefits he is entitled to, which has put Li Ximing at ease.

After hearing Li Ximing's words, he returned the greeting and said simply:
"Congratulations!"

Li Ximing nodded subtly, and then he said softly:

"I have given that [Dao Sha Xuan Ming Sword] to my senior brother, and he examined it carefully."

"The most valuable item among these is the [Mysterious Name Dao Sha]. In addition, the sword can yield a mixture of two spiritual coppers: [Sha Ling Copper] and [Ni Zhuan Gong Shui]. If we entrust it to him, everything will remain the same. He can have all the scraps except for these three items."

Li Ximing naturally agreed without hesitation, nodding and saying:
"this is necessary."

Guo Nanwu then said:
"He also mentioned that he wanted to use his spiritual resources to exchange for that portion of mixed-element spiritual copper from the senior. I remembered that Que Wan had become a full-core cultivator, and the [Specialized Mercury Water] was useful, so I didn't agree yet, nor did I reveal it to him. After all... now that there is a full-core cultivator, the nobleman can separate the spiritual copper himself after it is retrieved."

Now, only he knows about Li Quewan's breakthrough, which makes their relationship more intimate. He feels more at ease talking to him and has even solved the problem that Li Ximing just faced!

"It would be most appropriate for him to go to my house on my behalf!"

Guo Nanwu was practically one of their own. As a cultivator of the Lesser Yang Light, he wouldn't be as obviously moving around as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if the Golden Feather Sect gave him a reply, he had already witnessed the caution of this True Person, who wouldn't utter a single word that shouldn't be said.

Overjoyed, he said:

"Thank you, Nanwu... You've come at the perfect time. I have a favor to ask you!"

So he took out the golden scroll, sealed it with his supernatural powers, handed it to him, and whispered:
"Now that Que Wan has succeeded, we shouldn't let others know and cause a nationwide uproar, but we can't fail to inform Jin Yu..."

Guo Nanwu calmly tucked the items into his robes, nodding and smiling. Li Ximing pondered for a moment, then casually took out the two malevolent magical artifacts belonging to Helian Wujiang from his sleeve, sighing:
"King Wei is seriously injured, and I am extremely anxious, feeling like I'm sitting on pins and needles. Que Wan and I have been urgently searching for all sorts of spiritual items. We have these two items in hand, but we haven't had time to refine them. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid we won't have enough time to reforge them..."

Guo Nanwu, understanding the refined meaning behind the music, took the instrument from his hands and said:
"Understood... Since the King of Wei is seriously injured, our sect cannot sit idly by. We also have a year or two of free time, so we will help the lake."

Li Ximing hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He shook his head with a sigh, and sensing there was something more to his words, he said:

"Nanwu, what is this...?"

The young man said solemnly:

"I have been trying to break through for many years, and I have failed several times in my second supernatural power attempt. Fortunately, by chance, I received a spiritual resource from a noble family. Over the years, I have also been given several pills to nourish me. I have seen signs of a breakthrough and am preparing to go into seclusion to seek it!"

When Guo Nanwu first met him, he had only been a supernatural being for twenty or thirty years. Now, fifty years had passed, and it was time. Li Ximing showed a hint of joy for him and said:
"It's not slow anymore!"

But the other person's words stirred other thoughts in his mind, and he hesitated, saying:
"Kuang Yu has been in seclusion for some time now, and there has been no news of Qu Yi..."

"Ouch!"

A smile appeared on Guo Nanwu's usually serious face as he said:

“It’s difficult to master the supernatural powers of cultivation, so it’s only right that it takes more time. Counting the days… it should be soon.”

Li Ximing wasn't embarrassed at all. He nodded and noted it down, then said:
"If you need anything, feel free to ask."

The man bowed, took the two magical artifacts, and left. Li Ximing nodded secretly.
'Even though it's because of Qu Si's influence, he did an excellent job. Approaching a breakthrough, he still managed to restrain himself from doing these chores for my family… Although my family has always treated him well, we should repay them when the opportunity arises.'

He sat down and realized that the spiritual resources had been refined to a near-complete degree. Finally, he got serious, closed the great formation, and focused all his attention on refining the furnace for eight months. He used true fire to replenish the furnace with divine essence, and added thirty-nine kinds of minor resources. He refined the horn wood and female water in one month and purified the turbid green water in another month. Then white smoke rose up, indicating that this batch of elixir was refined. He was quite pleased with himself.

'I've made progress...I've made progress! I estimated it would take a year to turn the spiritual resources of the creature into elixir, but I didn't expect it to take less than a year!'

So he slowed down the fire a little, ordered the three-stage Fiery Blaze to simmer slowly, and then got up, reached into his sleeve, and took out a small glass bottle.

It is indeed the [Eastern Destiny Bottle]!
This bottle takes a year to complete. With the delay in its production, it will only take a few dozen days for the "Qingxuan" blessing technique to be completed. Li Ximing has used a precious treasure in this batch of pills, so he can afford to wait a few dozen days.

'I remember… Qingxuan was also one of the Three Witches and Two Priests… It would be good for Que Wan to take a look at this magical artifact.'

Li Ximing pondered for a few moments in front of the alchemy furnace, waiting while igniting the Six Directions Light. Just as he was about to call out, he heard the soft sound of gardenias falling to the ground—his junior had landed with a smile on his face.

"Greetings, Great-Uncle..."

Li Quewan bowed and smiled:

"This junior has been waiting in secret for some time, and finally the great formation has been released. I have come immediately to report the good news to the Master!"

Li Ximing had spent nearly a year refining this pill, a very sensitive timeframe. He looked up with anticipation and asked:
"Is the spiritual energy—completely formed?"

Li Quewan took out the small cauldron from his sleeve, showed it to Li Ximing, and smiled:

"I'm lucky; I've already taken care of it!"

Then she gently beckoned with her finger, drawing something out of the cauldron. It was silvery-white and as heavy as mercury, condensing in her palm. A cold aura rolled around it, moonlight poured down, and a fragrance of osmanthus rose up, wanting to spread throughout the mountain, but it was held back in her palm by her supernatural power.

It is indeed [Xuanqing Yuecui]!
This top-tier spiritual energy appeared magnificently, and Li Ximing immediately sensed its uniqueness. Unlike the noble and restrained [Taiyin Moon Essence], which was as silent as a shadow, this [Xuanqing Moon Essence] was extremely bright, rich in spiritual energy, and extremely flamboyant.

"As expected of spiritual energy second only to the [Moonlight Essence]... even with spiritual sense alone, it's difficult to distinguish which is more noble!"

Li Ximing took it and examined it carefully, turning it over and over as if it were a precious treasure. Based on his many years of experience in alchemy, he judged:

"This substance... with the addition of some auxiliary ingredients, is sufficient for use in elixirs!"

This conclusion brought a sigh of relief to both of them, replaced by obvious joy. Li Ximing held it and examined it for a while, while Li Quewan pondered and said:

"I was worried, after all... in my judgment, this thing is still a step away from being spiritual material."

She straightened up slightly and said:
"My Dao lies in the changes of the nature of things, and the distinctions within it are very strict, unlike the Dao of Alchemy where the two can complement each other. Spiritual energy is spiritual energy, spiritual resources are spiritual resources, the spiritual energy with the strongest spiritual energy is close to spiritual resources, and the spiritual resources with the strongest spiritual energy are close to spiritual objects. This is the boundary that divides the three."

"Therefore, this thing can be used as spiritual material with difficulty, but it cannot be used as spiritual material for the method of 'removing the Yin,' because it is already barely usable and there is nothing left to remove."

Li Ximing nodded. If he didn't have the [Heavenly Heart Single Mind Pill Method], it would be difficult for him to do things so freely. He sighed with regret. Li Quewan, however, showed no regret. She just smiled and took out the small jade cauldron from her hand.

"But Grand Uncle, don't forget the [Bi Ting Qing Yuan Bao Ding]."

"【Bi Ting Qing Yuan Bao Ding】?"

A sudden realization dawned on Li Ximing:

"【New Arrangement】!"

This precious cauldron has the ability to "renew". It was with this ability that the "Pure Mysterious Coffin" was transformed into "Mysterious Coffin Crimson Water" back then. This is an extremely special effect. If the spiritual material placed inside is not a water-elemental spiritual object but a spiritual resource that does not conflict with "gathering wood", it will be transformed into the corresponding spiritual essence!

"You mean... the Taiyin Spirit Essence!"

Li Que smiled and nodded, clearly having considered this point when she first received the artifact, and said seriously:
“Spiritual essences possess nature but lack life; they are the essence of spiritual resources and spiritual objects. If we were to invest a large amount of [Mysterious Moon Essence] and refine it, we might be able to catch up with the Taiyin spiritual objects!”

Li Ximing understood instantly, his voice trembling slightly as he replied:
"【Taiyin Moon Essence】, 【Yin Exorcism Method】, 【Ancient Wood Gathering Artifact】, none of them can be missing... They really are all indispensable. In this way, as long as there is enough time and manpower, my family will have a Taiyin treasure that ranges from the level of spiritual energy to the level of a spiritual object!"

Li Quewan had already conceived of this idea, and upon hearing it from him, he couldn't help but feel excited. He smiled slightly and said:
"Furthermore, regarding time and manpower... I still need to personally handle the process of transforming [Taiyin Moon Essence] into [Xuanqing Moon Essence], but the [Buxin] ability of the [Biting Qingyuan Treasure Cauldron] doesn't necessarily require my personal supervision! This is a wondrous aspect of spiritual artifacts! As long as I've personally witnessed it once or twice and adjusted the formula, anyone can do it!"

Li Ximing said happily:
"If you don't trust others, leave it to me!"

Li Quewan smiled and said:
"That's not necessarily the case!"

Li Ximing understood her unspoken meaning and suddenly looked up, only then noticing the change in her brow.

Li Quewan's fair eyebrows were originally marked with a dot of cinnabar, but now there are subtle, flower-leaf-like red dots on both sides of the cinnabar dot. Although they are so faint that they are hard to see, they cannot escape the eyes of a real person.

'Lingbao!'

Then Li Quewan stretched out his hand, and the white light in his palm disappeared, revealing a crimson color, revealing the silver spiritual treasure!

Unlike before, this magical artifact was now surrounded by a golden halo, exuding a solemn and dignified aura, with runes leaping out and circling around it.

"This treasure, now in my possession, possesses four supernatural powers! Among them, the [Blessing God] is a power at the Purple Mansion level that requires no cultivation!"

"really!"

Li Ximing nodded repeatedly, his joy growing even more evident, while Li Quewan exclaimed in surprise:

"Great Uncle! I must say, the divine blessing effect of this spiritual treasure is astonishing!"

Without pausing, she took out the jade slip and began to speak in a detailed manner:

"The so-called 'Blessing the Gods' is a blessing given to mountain demons, which purifies evil and promotes good. It connects with the divine above and guides spirits below. The demons, imbued with spirit, receive the treasure and thus guard the mountain gate. This wondrous method can confer the seal upon demons, condensing their life force into this spiritual treasure. By consuming this elixir, they borrow supernatural powers through the wondrous spiritual treasure!"

"In fact, the fundamental principle of this thing lies in its substitution, the so-called divine command, which is extremely domineering. The one that truly exerts its power is not the spirit or deity that is conferred, but rather this [Mysterious Jade Conferring Pill]!"

She cultivated the "Complete Elixir," and after a process of refining, even though she couldn't know the origin of its wondrous properties, she had already grasped its underlying mechanisms. She said solemnly:
"The proper way to use this spiritual treasure is to start with a Foundation Establishment demon. First, take its life, then use the spiritual treasure's supernatural powers to capture it, and make it cultivate around this pill. Turn the tables and let it use its own life to nourish its spirit. The spirit is then attached to the spiritual treasure and has the rank of Purple Mansion. It can be nourished by various spiritual resources, pills, and even spiritual objects, and can achieve the ability of having supernatural powers without any specific supernatural powers."

"And this demon, though seemingly granted an imperial decree, is in reality merely the body of the [Mysterious Jade Decree Pill]!"

She was clearly seeing this kind of supernatural power for the first time, and was quite shocked, saying:

"This spirit is far more than just 'borrowing from him's mystical powers'; it doesn't even qualify as someone who can't control their own life..."

The difference is extremely obvious. If an ordinary cultivator is free to live and can be considered a roadside vendor who can make a living, then a cultivator who holds the profound knowledge is at most unable to open a shop. The compassionate Maha of the Buddhist land has the backing of a large market, but is at the beck and call of others, and hands over his profits. At least he has his life! This divine edict, once completed, not only hands over his profits, but even his goods belong to others. His entire life is used to supply his possessions. If the original body needs them, he has to borrow them!

'I thought the cultivation methods of this world were already abnormal enough, but looking at this... these ancient cultivators are the true experts!'

"This isn't bad either..."

Li Ximing nodded thoughtfully, then asked doubtfully:

"But... that's not what Yang Ruizhao meant when he told me..."

Li Quewan nodded quickly, then changed the subject, saying:
"The difference lies in the Yang family's techniques!"

"This technique of the Yang family is called the [Biling Shouzheng Chifa]. It was tailor-made by a great cultivator based on this treasure. It is extremely ingenious and is specifically designed for use against demons that have already gained power."

"Once this pill is injected into the body of a demon and cultivated in conjunction with it, it can slowly devour the original body, using all its original supernatural powers, magic power, and even its life and soul as resources, and through the sealing of this spiritual treasure, create a new physical body!"

Li Quewan's eyes shone brightly as he said regretfully:
"Logically speaking, no matter how advanced a spiritual treasure is, it is ultimately the power of one person and one artifact. It is absolutely impossible for it to compete with the sacred earth jointly forged by many Buddhist and Taoist sages for the true spirit. The reason why the Yang family was so confident is that there is no such thing as a true spirit in the spirit born by imperial decree. The original demon has actually perished! It is this body that was sealed by imperial decree that contains the memories of its previous life, and its various actions are somewhat spiritual!"

(End of this chapter)