Born with immortal seed

Chapter 780 The Troubles of Lofty Alchemy

"Your theory of alchemy is rigid, with no room for retreat. Have you thought about what the next step should be?"

Bai Zichen dropped the golden turtle and clapped his hands.

With a wave of his hand, the pearls in the emerald pool flew into his hand in a line.

He rubbed his hands together, and it formed a bright pearl the size of a loaf of bread, instantly creating a ring of dampness around it.

The spiritual power contained within the pearl is enough for a water-based cultivation technique disciple to cultivate from the Qi Refining stage all the way to the Core Formation stage, requiring the necessary spirit stones.

"I was just thinking of asking my master to let me go to Xuanzhou and see a new world between life and death."

Song Ding followed not far away, his eyes tired, but his pupils were so bright they seemed to shine.

In the past hundred years, the Qingfeng Sect has produced two more Nascent Soul True Monarchs, but Song Ding's name is not among them, which has shocked everyone.

One person possessed the Water Elemental Spiritual Root and borrowed the power of the Nine-Bend Conch, while another person used the ginseng fruit.

The two of them successfully survived the Heavenly Tribulation, greatly enhancing the top-level power of the Qingfeng Sect.

Five Nascent Soul True Monarchs—that's about the size of many super sects.

"Go to Xuanzhou? That's fine. You were born at the wrong time. If you had been in the war between the two races, you would have carved out your own territory long ago... There aren't many suitable places for you to train in the cultivation world. That place is indeed a good place to fully demonstrate your abilities."

Bai Zichen flicked the pearl, sending it flying to the Jade Rabbit at an unknown distance.

It will keep it safe and take it out when it is needed.

Song Dingli's theory of alchemy was finalized in the later stages of alchemy formation, as it is said: "When heaven and earth were first created, all things were in chaos, relying on yin and yang. All things in the world return to this state, establishing rules and allowing for evolution."

Based on the Wuzhen Sword Manual passed down by his master, he created the Guicang Eight Swords, each sword containing true meaning.

But precisely because he set his sights too high, even though he had already reached the peak of Core Formation, he couldn't seize the opportunity to transform into Nascent Soul and naturally take that step.

His combat prowess is almost on par with his master's, and he's nearly at the level of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Although they haven't experienced life-or-death battles, ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators can generally maintain an undefeated situation as long as they can't win within ten moves and are dragged into Song Ding's rhythm, allowing the Guicang Sacred Body to come into play.

Anyway, all his matches with his fellow disciples ended in draws, and he might even have an advantage if they continued fighting.

Li Guizhen's statement that his fifth junior brother most resembled their master was no joke.

Bai Zichen's expectations for Song Ding were completely different from those for others; he certainly couldn't let the ginseng fruit hinder his future.

The reason why it is said that he was born at the wrong time is because the cultivation world has enjoyed a rare period of peace during the past hundred years, with no more wars or disturbances.

They returned to the peaceful days of the past, except that instead of one Daode Sect above their heads, there were now two, and the Time Sword Lord had been added.

Song Ding's treatise on alchemy and his pioneering sword techniques both require practice and refinement in actual combat to be fully absorbed.

Right now, his kendo theory is ahead of his kendo skills, like a slow horse pulling a heavy cart—it's all flawed.

If it were in the fiercely competitive Xuanzhou, surrounded by enemies on all sides, it might have been possible for him to break through in the heat of battle and find an opportunity to transform into a Nascent Soul.

After all, it is the Guicang Sacred Body, containing infinite possibilities.

"Going to Xuanzhou, I don't know how effective the methods I left on you will be. Don't be careless... Having the ability to defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator doesn't mean you can succeed every time. If you fail even once, you will die without a burial place."

It's not easy to cultivate a satisfactory disciple. Bai Zichen also hopes that after ascending to the upper realm, a disciple will inherit his will and carry it out, transforming the cultivation world into the ideal world he envisions.

Even if a person's prestige alone is enough to ensure that their policies can be implemented for a thousand years, let alone the end of their rule or the death of the person, it would still be considered a huge influence.

Only with the continuation of the sect and its disciples can this tradition endure for thousands of generations, remaining true to its original purpose.

Song Ding cultivated the Dongxuan Slaughtering God Sword Scripture, and was taught the Azure Emperor Longevity Sword and the Enlightenment Sword Manual. His personal flying sword magic weapon was of the highest quality.

Back then, Bai Zichen fought his way back from the Central Region to the Eastern Region, and then fought his way through the Black Sea, accumulating mountains of spoils.

Most of them were placed in the sect, while a small number of the finest pieces were kept by his side, to be given away as treasures at any time.

With the addition of the Guicang Sacred Body and the Chongxu Sword Bone, ordinary great demons really couldn't do anything to him.

The fear is that someone might overestimate their strength and try to challenge their limits, only to find themselves surrounded and attacked by several powerful demons at the same time.

"I will heed Master's teachings and be careful in Xuanzhou."

Most people at this age would be satisfied with achieving the perfect Core Formation, but Song Ding is different; he is regarded as the one who will inherit the mantle of the Sword Lord of Time.

Not to mention comparing himself to his master, several outstanding talents of his generation have already reached the Nascent Soul stage, surpassing him in cultivation level, so he dares not relax in the slightest.

……

In Xuanzhou, there are seven great demon kings, all of whom are at the peak of the fourth rank.

However, two of them lived in seclusion at the ends of the earth, ignoring the conflicts on land.

There was a seven-colored deer demon who was devoted to cultivating the Tao, disliked blood food, and spent his days studying the path to the fifth-order demon lord realm, refusing to associate with other demon races.

The three great demons mentioned above can be disregarded; the ones who truly fought against the intruding human cultivators were the remaining four demon kings.

Because of their repeated successes, the team that joined in exploring Xuanzhou grew larger and larger, with six Nascent Soul True Monarchs alone.

They set up a series of top-grade fourth-tier formations at their captured base camp, and only with the help of the formations were they able to withstand wave after wave of counterattacks from the demon race.

In addition, a water fortress was built in the whirlpool leading to Xuanzhou, with a two-way array set up.

This both restricts the unrestricted access of cultivators to Xuanzhou and keeps the right of passage firmly in their hands.

They were also taking precautions against unexpected events in Xuanzhou, such as a powerful demon emerging from the other side and wreaking havoc on the Black Sea.

With the large array blocking the way, even if it doesn't stop them in the end, they'll have more time to react.

Without a doubt, the jurisdiction over the water village was taken over by the Daodezong sect.

However, since Song Ding is heading to Xuanzhou, Cunsi Peak will definitely give him face; no one can possibly stop the disciple of the Sword Lord of Time.

"Excellent swordsmanship! Truly unmatched in combat and peerless in swordsmanship, your reputation is well-deserved!"

A Taoist priest clapped his hands and cheered, praising him sincerely.

Two dragons lay before me, with small horns on their foreheads and golden scales on their waists, lying on the ground like rotten mudfish, their bellies ripped open.

A mysterious sword light manipulated the two peak-stage third-tier dragons from start to finish.

Despite its fierce and arrogant appearance, it posed no threat to the swordsman in the slightest.

After figuring out the dragon's habits, the sword flashed, and a thin, thread-like wound stretched from the center of the dragon's eye all the way to its tail.

It nearly split in two, dragon blood gushing out onto the ground, and internal organs spilling everywhere.

"Please pack up your demon body, exchange it for Time Coins, and send it to my cave."

Song Ding retrieved his flying sword, his expression calm, his robes spotless, showing no signs of the exhaustion from the recent battle.

He did not hide his identity when he came to Xuanzhou, and at first he was looked at with many strange eyes.

His fame was so great that his name spread throughout the cultivation world even during the Foundation Establishment stage.

Later, he became a figure comparable to Ye Douyi, the holy son of the Daode Sect.

Everyone believed that these two would become the future prodigies, working together to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

Several years ago, news spread from Heavenly Punishment Peak that Ye Douyi had already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage and was steadily advancing.

Song Ding, however, has yet to take the crucial step and seems to have been completely left behind.

A child who is smart when he is young may not be a good person when he grows up.

Many people commented that the Sword Master of Time had misjudged the situation and had taken on a disciple who was not worthy of the title.

Upon just a close look, Qi Daoren of the Great Sun Holy Sect knew that the rumors in the cultivation world were true; their combat power was indeed so formidable that it could not be imagined by those at the Core Formation stage.

No wonder so many people are optimistic about it; it's not just because of the praise from the Sword Lord of Time.

Even such a figure was stumped by the Nascent Soul stage, which brought comfort to Qi Daoren.

"Don't worry, Little Sword Immortal Song, I will handle it properly and send the Time Coin over in the next two days."

With a flick of his sleeve in the wind, Master Qi managed to enclose both dragons completely, without revealing any unusual movement.

The Great Sun Holy Sect was the initiator of the reclamation of Xuanzhou, so its spoils were the cheapest.

Moreover, this dragon has already transformed into a complete dragon body, so its bloodline must be extraordinary.

Dragon blood, dragon flesh, dragon scales, dragon tendons, dragon bones, dragon cores... the whole dragon is a treasure, enough to support a Core Formation level sect.

Song Ding has always been generous in these kinds of deals, making a profit of 20-30% with each transaction; who wouldn't want to do it?

It's just that it's troublesome to exchange them for Time Coins, but as for spirit stones, Master Qi can pay for them himself without any problem.

After returning to their lodgings on a cloud, Qi Daoren went to deal with the dragon's body, while Song Ding went to the rented cave dwelling to summarize the gains from this trip.

"Those below the fourth rank are no longer of any value to me for honing my skills, and even if there are more of them, it's unlikely that I'll be put in a life-or-death situation..."

Song Ding exhaled a breath of sword energy, which split into eight streams in the air, rising and intersecting.

"The Eight Swords of Gui Cang have made great progress. With the coexistence of eight sword intents, it is much faster to break through the opponent's supernatural powers."

The most distinctive feature of the Guicang Holy Body is that it preys on those it has long been familiar with.

When you encounter an enemy you've never faced before, you need a process to figure them out. If their skill level is higher than yours, you'll find it very difficult to deal with them.

This is why Song Ding's victories against stronger opponents often start off poorly, and quick wins are rare.

However, once they've faced off against it, the Guicang Holy Body becomes adept at handling it and has it completely under control, making it difficult for it to cause any trouble.

"It seems we need to find a powerful demon that can transform into human form to be of any use... We must plan carefully to avoid running headlong into a demon's trap."

A transformed demon is a powerful overlord in Xuanzhou, and you can't just run into one casually.

They usually lead a large number of demon beasts and live deep in demon caves.

A few powerful demons who travel alone are unpredictable and would never foolishly stay in one place waiting for someone to come to them.

Song Ding sought an opportunity to transform into an infant, not to mindlessly fight against a fully-formed demon.

If one's strength is too great, or one cannot withstand the attack and draws out the protective techniques bestowed by the master, then the training effect will be lost.

They cannot be too far from their base; after killing the great demon queen, they must have used every means and effort.

They were overtaken by other powerful demons on the way and could not escape their fate.

The best bloodline for a powerful demon is one with incredible defense, which makes it easy to enter a protracted battle and attract reinforcements from other demon clans.

With so many conditions imposed, the suitable target range is reduced to a very small number.

"This matter is not urgent. It will be slow anyway, so it doesn't matter if it takes a few more years. It can be completed within sixty years... According to Master, my theory of alchemy is too lofty and too far-reaching. As long as the Nascent Soul stage receives feedback, it will be twice as effective."

Song Ding picked up a scroll beside him, made of tanned animal hide, on which were drawn the names of various immortals and gods.

"The divine summoning technique that we lost long ago has been passed down here and has become the greatest method for the Xuanzhou human race to resist demonic beasts... How interesting. When Junior Brother Liang returns to Lankeshan, I'll have him take it with him and show it to Master."

The native human race is either kept by the demon race or hidden in deep mountains and forests, in poor and dangerous places, making it difficult for cultivators from the Ancestral Continent to make contact with them.

This scroll was found on the body of a fox demon that Song Ding killed on his recent trip. It also contained cultivation methods.

It must have been a fox demon of considerable intelligence who, after accompanying the army to raid human tribes, selected the spoils of war that it deemed valuable and carried them with it.

The Ancestral Continent is unusable, so its power seems mediocre here in the Profound Continent; otherwise, it wouldn't be so overshadowed by the demon race.

Song Ding glanced at it briefly out of interest, not wanting to waste time on it.

(End of this chapter)