Born with immortal seed

Chapter 304 Taking Charge Alone

Huo Feiyan, on the other hand, was eager to advance after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and took pills one after another to improve her cultivation. However, she did not fully refine the medicinal power, which resulted in a lot of pill toxins accumulating in her dantian.

Bai Zichen advised her to temporarily stop taking any pills and instead go to the Transmission Hall to find an auxiliary cultivation technique for transferring magical power and absorbing vital energy.

The process of slowly dissolving the poison through gentle, persistent effort can also enhance one's control over one's own liquid magical power.

As for swordsmanship, he passed on the entire Star Luo Sword Technique as usual.

If someone has a natural talent for it, then continue to teach them and see if there's any possibility of developing a career in kendo.

"You are a lucky generation. The sect can ensure that every Foundation Establishment Perfection disciple receives a drop of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow. As long as you have enough contribution points, you can exchange for it. There's no need to fight tooth and nail with other cultivators..."

Decades ago, in order to obtain two drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow, Patriarch Yang had to personally travel to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, thus incurring a debt of gratitude.

Bai Zichen truly felt the gap between the two sects on Mount Wanshou.

For disciples of the Qingfeng Sect, a Core Formation item is a luxury.

Without special circumstances, it would be impossible for anyone to obtain the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow on their own.

The disciples of Qingfeng Sect for generations should be grateful to Ancestor Yang, who, despite his own losses, repeatedly obtained the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow.

He himself needs to repay the favors owed to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

The Core Formation materials used by Wei Dao and his disciples, as well as those from previous generations, were all obtained by Ancestor Yang.

Aside from a few successful ones, there were many more disciples who failed to reach the Core Formation stage and faded into obscurity decades later.

"My junior sister and I will definitely work hard to cultivate and reach the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible... to live up to our master's reputation and make greater contributions to the sect."

Li Guizhen was full of vigor and confidence.

Huo Feiyan was older than Li Guizhen and had reached the Foundation Establishment stage earlier.

Because she was allowed to join the sect a little later, she became the junior sister, but she had no resentment at all.

She knew very well that at the normal pace of development, her second senior brother, Li Guizhen, would surpass her in just a few years.

Huo Feiyan had no confidence in such bold words, but with Li Guizhen leading the way, she could only nod helplessly.

"Master, when I was at home, I saw that our ancestor mentioned alchemy in his notes, saying that his aptitude was not good enough to be cultivated and that he would find it difficult to master alchemy. Even if he were to eventually form a core by chance, he would not achieve anything and would be stuck in the early stages of core formation for the rest of his life, unable to make any progress... Is alchemy really that important? Without mastering alchemy, the Great Dao is difficult to achieve. But why is there no mention of how to master alchemy in the experience and insights of the Transmission Hall?"

Li Guizhen's family is considered a near-first-tier family in Yongzhou. One of their ancestors was a Core Formation True Person, who was very prominent for a time.

By the time he was born, the Core Formation ancestor of the Li family had already passed away, but there were as many as five Foundation Establishment elders.

Their understanding of a Core Formation True Person is definitely far greater than that of an ordinary disciple; at least they would know the concepts of alchemy only a few years after they established their foundation.

"The theory of alchemy is based on the clear distinction of the Yi Jing (Book of Changes) and the discernment of the seasonal changes; it is based on the knowledge of the degrees of the sun and moon and the secrets of the interaction between Yin and Yang... It would be best to achieve this before the formation of the elixir, as it would pave a smooth path and save time from having to work on it after the formation of the elixir."

When the matter concerned alchemy, Bai Zichen spoke solemnly and earnestly.

"However, in the cultivation world, the vast majority of cultivators only clarify their own path after forming their core, and the theory of core formation gradually takes shape. Cultivation is a long journey, and the latter is not necessarily inferior to the former. There are many cultivators who have also embarked on the path of Nascent Soul... Start with the end in mind, and you will surely reach your destination."

Li Guizhen was the kind of disciple who had the opportunity to master alchemy at the Foundation Establishment stage, but the chances of success were not particularly high, which is why Bai Zichen gave him special guidance.

At an even lower level, someone like Huo Feiyan, without any special opportunities, should simply focus on her cultivation and not think about alchemical theories, lest she become distracted.

Not every cultivator who appears to have only average or above-average talent can hide their extraordinary qualities like Zhou Suqing.

Aside from its flawless combat skills, it has no weaknesses, which is why it has risen to prominence.

At the very top level, the core disciples of the Nascent Soul Grand Sect, it is essential to understand the theories of alchemy and clarify the path.

Just like Master Ge Cang, who, after confirming Bai Zichen's aptitude, directly gifted him his insights on alchemy.

Even Qi Yue, a direct disciple, doesn't enjoy this treatment.

For someone like Li Guizhen, deciding between the two and allocating time and energy requires a lot of personal judgment.

Once successful, one will uphold the Dao, achieve the Golden Elixir, and ascend to the Realm of a True Person.

If one fails at the last minute, all the time will be wasted, and even reaching the Core Formation stage will be a distant dream, let alone a brighter future.

Remembering the teachings of Master Ge Cang that day, "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die," Bai Zichen also did not want Li Guizhen to go astray.

If you hold the idea that you must master the theory of alchemy before considering the formation of the elixir, the pressure on yourself will be too great.

According to the jade slip left by Huang Ping Sanren, even in a super sect like Tianxing Sect, at most one-fifth of the true disciples in each generation can achieve alchemy theory during the Foundation Establishment stage.

Li Guizhen is, in all accounts, the most promising of his three disciples.

Bai Zichen reminded him early on, hoping that Li Guizhen would take it to heart and break free from his obsession with alchemy.

……

The Qingfeng Sect's control over Hejian County stabilized in a way that surprised most people.

Although in the previous two months, various attacks came one after another, including remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect, mysterious cultivators, and local forces that wanted to seize the opportunity.

Qingfeng Sect adheres to one principle: supplies can be damaged, but people should be kept as safe as possible from being injured or killed.

Anyway, with two Core Formation Ancestors stationed in Hejian County, they can get revenge on any situation.

In two months, nearly three hundred remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect were hunted down, and more than ten cultivation families were expelled from the list.

Anyone found to have attacked Qingfeng Sect's properties or harbored or sheltered Guiling Sect cultivators will be exterminated from top to bottom without any mercy.

At the same time, it generously bestows benefits upon local forces that show a friendly attitude, rewarding them lavishly.

The resource points that were originally firmly controlled by the Ghost Spirit Sect and could not be shared were now being allocated, with sublease contracts signed for hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, the businesses of the more than ten immortal cultivation families that were wiped out, except for a few that were taken over by the Qingfeng Sect, were mostly distributed among other forces.

In this way, a large number of local forces were quickly brought aboard the Qingfeng Sect's ship.

Of course, another very important reason is that Qingfeng Sect has an absolute advantage in high-end combat power.

There was once a group of cultivators who had actually become Core Formation cultivators. They gathered hundreds of people and tried to attack the only large spirit stone mine in Hejian County that was currently being mined normally.

But they had only surrounded the large spirit stone mine for half a day, and before they could break the great formation, they were greeted by a beam of moonlight sword light.

The Core Formation cultivator didn't even have the courage to fight. He simply abandoned his subordinate and fled in a flash of cold light.

Without even drawing his sword, he scared away a Core Formation cultivator, making the reputation of Bai Zhenren of the Qingfeng Sect as a Core Formation Assassin even more renowned.

Adding to the fact that the retaliation anticipated by the Holy Lotus Sect and the Heavenly Principle Sect had not yet arrived after two or three months, the expected retaliation still hadn't come.

Many people are secretly speculating whether these two Nascent Soul sects have tacitly accepted this outcome and do not want to break ties with Qingfeng Sect.

If that's the case, it's only a matter of time before Hejian County becomes the true territory under the control of Qingfeng Sect.

Even the strongest cultivation families, who had remained neutral and observing, came to offer congratulatory gifts and bowed their heads in submission.

Han Qing made a special trip to Wanxianjian to organize and compile the pill formulas that originally belonged to the Ghost Spirit Sect. Some of them were confiscated and not allowed to be circulated outside, while others became pill formulas collected by the Pill Hall.

In the various arts of cultivation, Qingfeng Sect has achieved fourth-tier inheritance in weapon crafting and talisman making through the inheritance stone tablet.

The most important aspect is alchemy. The sect only has a handful of third-tier pill formulas, and many of them are outdated and lack the corresponding or substitute herbs, making them impossible to refine.

Han Qing is already a third-tier low-grade alchemist. Now he basically relies on his own exploration to move forward. The highest level of the senior alchemists in the Pill Hall is only about the same as his, so the experience they left behind is of little use.

Bai Zichen had him inspect the pills and spoils of war he had acquired on the battlefield, and assured him that if he came across any third-tier pill formulas, he would definitely try his best to bring them back to replenish the Pill Palace's inventory.

If Han Qing is missing any alchemy materials, he can simply ask, and the Core Formation cultivators will do their best to solve the problem for him.

A third-tier alchemist would enjoy top-tier treatment in any sect.

Even within the Holy Lotus Sect, there are only a handful of third-tier alchemists, and each one is incredibly precious.

Once things had settled down in Hejian County, Wei Dao returned to Wanxianjian and discussed personnel arrangements with Bai Zichen before also returning to his own mountain.

For the time being, he was the only one left to oversee the Wanxianjian area.

However, to subdue the dozens of large and small forces in Hejian County, including the two strongest ones who even have cultivators with fake core cultivation, is a challenge.

Other forces outside the prefecture, like hungry wolves, roamed and raided the capital, treating Hejian Prefecture as a piece of fat meat, ready to take a bite at any opportunity.

On the surface, all is calm, but in reality, there are internal and external troubles and undercurrents.

If even the slightest flaw is revealed, countless enemies will appear.

If only one Core Formation cultivator is left to guard Hejian County, their prestige and strength as a guardian of the Dao are truly insufficient to maintain order.

Only Bai Zichen, known as the invincible swordsman and the killer of Core Formation cultivators, could remain in Wanxianjian to instill fear in the hidden enemies and prevent them from taking any action.

Fortunately, there weren't many situations in Wanxianjian where Old Ancestor Bai had to get involved, and there weren't many foolish forces in Hejian County that would require his intervention, so he could still have a stable cultivation environment.

"Compared to the Tribulation-Crossing Pill, the Nine-Turn Jade Lotus Pill is more targeted... As expected of a Nascent Soul sect, even if they are not known for their alchemy, their alchemy heritage is no weaker than that of the Danxia Sect."

Bai Zichen took the first Nine-Turn Jade Lotus Pill, refining this lotus-seed-shaped elixir. During the process, nine different tastes swirled in his throat.

By focusing on the experience, I realized I had saved myself six years of arduous self-cultivation.

And so, time turned, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of three years, Bai Zichen not only consumed all eight Nine-Turn Jade Lotus Pills, but also refined their medicinal power.

He has also revived the Five Crystal Glazed Body and is now striving towards the Glazed Fire God Body.

The final stage of the Five Crystalline Body is ethereal and elusive, requiring two fifth-grade spiritual materials to even have a chance of being cultivated.

The Glazed Fire God Body can be considered the final form of this body-refining technique in its normal state.

Even someone as gifted as Master Ge Cang has reached this point and has no intention of continuing his studies and refinement.

(End of this chapter)