Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"Seize the creation of heaven and earth?" Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly; these words carried extraordinary weight.

Wu Jie is not one to boast. As a former fourth-tier top-grade alchemy master, if he says so, then this pill formula must have something extraordinary about it.

"That's right, the original name of this pill is the [Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill], also known as the [Innate Creation Pill], and it does not have a specific grade."

It requires breaking off a branch of the Fusang tree, gathering the blazing fire of the Nine Heavens, taking the spring of the Netherworld, refining the core of the stars, extracting the seven-colored soil, using the five elements as the main materials, and refining them together with the cosmic energy born at the time of the transition between the old and the new in order to make the elixir.

"By taking this pill, one can draw upon innate energy to nourish one's body; it truly deserves the name of seizing the creation of heaven!" Wu Jie's eyes burned brightly. Even though he no longer had a physical body, he still felt his heart surging, as if hot blood had rekindled in his chest.
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement; none of the five spiritual materials were simple.

The Fusang tree is the origin of the Golden Crow clan, and it is almost invisible to the outside world except for the Golden Crow clan's habitat.

Although the Golden Crows of the Purple Imperial Realm are not the sun god bird described in the myths of Song Changsheng's previous life, they are still a powerful race capable of competing with dragons and phoenixes.

With dragons, phoenixes, and qilin all living in seclusion, the Golden Crow clan has few rivals among the demon races and is showing signs of replacing the phoenix as the overlord of the skies.

As the sacred tree that provides them with a place to rest, how could the branches of the Fusang tree be so easily "broken"?

Needless to say, the Nine Heavens Flame requires overcoming numerous obstacles such as the Gale Layer and the North Wind Layer to even have a chance to see it. This single step alone can completely block him, as it requires at least the Nascent Soul cultivation level to accomplish.

The Netherworld Spring and the Nine Heavens Blazing Fire are incomparable; one ascends to the heavens, and the other descends to the earth.

Ancient texts record that after a living being dies, its soul returns to heaven and earth, while its true spirit enters the underworld to await reincarnation.

There are nine springs in the underworld: Sweet Spring, Yamen Spring, Yellow Spring, Cold Spring, Yin Spring, Dark Spring, Lower Spring, Bitter Spring, and Dark Spring.

The Netherworld Spring mentioned by Wu Jie most likely refers to one or both of the Nether Spring and the Dark Spring.

The Underworld and the Purple Imperial Realm are like the Yin and Yang fish in Tai Chi. Although they are one and intertwined, they are always clearly separated and difficult to cross.

The difficulty for beings from the mortal realm to enter the underworld is unimaginable; it's beyond the capabilities of even a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and even a Deity Transformation Supreme might not be able to accomplish it.

At least Song Changsheng has read so many ancient books, yet no one has been able to truly prove that they have ever entered the underworld.

However, there has always been a legend that there is a gate to the underworld in the mortal realm, but its authenticity remains to be verified.

The Netherworld Spring extinguished all hope. The remaining Star Core and Seven-Colored Diagram, though equally rare, were not the private property of any powerful race.

If they are lucky enough, the Song family's current capital should be able to achieve it.

As for the remaining step of refining the pills during the transition between the old and the new, simply put, it involves collecting the pure energy of heaven and earth to refine this batch of pills at the time of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new. This is actually the easiest to achieve.

If someone were to actually gather all these materials and refine them into a single elixir, they would truly deserve the title of "a genius who defies the heavens."

Wu Jie's claim of drawing innate energy into the body seemed somewhat plausible.

Whether it is humans or other creatures in this world, they are all typical acquired beings. Apart from a trace of innate energy protecting them when they are first conceived, they have almost no way to come into contact with innate energy, which is a privilege of innate beings.

As for innate beings, they have become a legend, perhaps only existing in the immortal realm that everyone yearns for.

The difference between innate and acquired is only one word, but the gap between them may be greater than the gap between ordinary people and cultivators at the Purple Mansion level, and it is almost impossible to bridge.

A wisp of innate energy is enough to transform an acquired being.

He couldn't imagine how amazing the effects of such a pill could be, as it directly draws in innate energy. Even if he couldn't ascend to immortality, it could at least make up for his acquired deficiencies and give him greater potential for development.

"Could someone really be able to successfully refine such a pill?" Song Changsheng couldn't help but have some doubts. If this pill formula was real, then the Treasure Bottle Sect must have already tried it and succeeded.

It is illogical that a prodigy who was infused with innate energy left no trace in the cultivation world.

Furthermore, these materials are not unique; if they can be refined once, they can be refined a second time.

If things had continued like this, the Treasure Bottle Sect should have already rivaled or even surpassed the Five Great Holy Lands. Yet, we can only find scattered records of it in ancient books, and now it has completely disappeared without a trace, seemingly vanished. This is too strange.

The only possibility is that the Treasure Bottle Sect itself did not collect these materials and did not refine the so-called "Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill" at all. The pill formula that Wu Jie obtained only exists in theory.

If that's the case, then this prescription is practically worthless.

Other theoretical prescriptions can be derived through practice, but these materials are too precious. Even if the Song family could gather them all, they probably wouldn't dare to use them in practice.

In Song Changsheng's eyes, this prescription was no different from a piece of waste paper.

But Wu Jie had a different opinion. He said in a serious tone, "What amazes me is the refining method mentioned in this pill formula, not the pill that cannot be verified to exist."

Fusang wood, Nine Heavens Flame, Netherworld Spring... These materials are certainly precious, but there are many spiritual materials in the world that are more precious. I have never heard of any spiritual material that can have such heaven-defying effects.

I think the key point is not the materials themselves, but the unique refining process and techniques. I have lived for so many years and have had direct exchanges with many alchemy masters, including even fifth-level alchemy grandmasters. I have read countless alchemy classics.

But I have never heard of such a peculiar method of alchemy.

If this pill formula is genuine, then this unique refining technique must be the key to 'seizing the wonders of nature,' with the spiritual materials merely icing on the cake.

“Specific pills have specific refining methods and techniques, which may not be applicable to other pills. Right now, we can’t even gather the most basic materials, so how do you plan to verify them?” Song Changsheng said with a frown.

"The clan leader is skilled in both array formations and artifact crafting, and is well-read. What would he do if he encountered this kind of problem?"

At first, Song Changsheng didn't think of it, but upon hearing this, a thought struck him and he said, "You mean, the downgrade replacement method?"

All the prescriptions in the world are improved step by step based on the work of our predecessors. Among them, the methods of downgrading and upgrading are used the most often.

The principle is actually very simple: thoroughly study a spiritual material or elixir formula, and then deduce higher-level or reverse-engineer lower-level elixir formulas.

For example, the inspiration for refining the [Golden Elixir] and [Foundation Building Elixir] came from [Amethyst Chalcedony].

Initially, cultivators did not have these pills as an aid in their breakthroughs. However, someone accidentally discovered that [Amethyst Jadeite] could increase the success rate of breaking through to the Purple Mansion, causing a great uproar.

Later, it was discovered that the [Yin Yang Purple Tree Heart] also had the same effect.

Two completely different spiritual materials, yet possessing the exact same effect, was a groundbreaking discovery at the time. Later, genius alchemists delved into the properties of these two materials, eventually creating the "Breakthrough Pill," which could both increase the success rate of Purple Mansion cultivators and assist them in breaking through bottlenecks. This led to two refining methods: one using the three main ingredients as the primary ingredient, and the other using the Demon King's inner core as the primary ingredient.

Centuries later, cultivators used the Breakthrough Pill to develop the Foundation Building Pill and the Dragon Ascension Pill, one increasing the chance of breakthrough and the other assisting in breaking through bottlenecks.

The Foundation Building Pill also has two refining methods.

The birth of the Golden Core is almost identical to that of the Golden Core cultivator, except that there are no pills similar to the Dragon Ascension Pill or the Barrier Breaking Pill. This is because the Golden Core cultivator mainly focuses on comprehension and development, and the cultivation mode has changed, so it is naturally impossible to deduce the Golden Core.

These elixirs played a significant role in advancing the cultivation world of the human race, making alchemists at the time realize that elixir formulas are static, but people are dynamic, and that substitutes can be made as long as the properties are similar.

As a result, someone summarized the "substitution method," which not only affected the alchemy world, but also had a profound impact on the arts of weapon crafting, formations, and talismans.

There are many similar examples. Wu Jie is now preparing to use this method. The degradation substitution method is top-down and is generally simpler.

“Indeed, these spiritual materials are essentially Five Elements spiritual materials. Perhaps we can try replacing them with other Five Elements spiritual materials with similar properties.”

I don't expect it to achieve the effects described in the elixir formula; even a trace of it would be a success. A trace of innate energy is still innate energy, and its value should not be underestimated.

“That makes sense. Fellow Daoist, just let me know what materials you need. If I’m not here, you can go directly to Xi’er.”

"At the beginning, we don't need anything special."

"If the method proves effective, even if we can't refine the Heaven-and-Earth Creation Pill, we can still refine a Lesser Creation Pill for you first." Wu Jie chuckled, his eyes revealing unprecedented excitement, like a child who had received a new toy.

Even though countless years have passed, his passion for alchemy has not diminished in the slightest.

At this moment, Song Qingyu, who had been listening attentively to their conversation, suddenly spoke up: "Teacher, this pill seems a little different."

Their eyes were instantly drawn to the pills in her hand.

The pill she had previously refined was a second-tier, low-grade [Spirit Recovery Pill], which was simply a pill to restore spiritual power. Song Changsheng had taken quite a few of them before. The one in Song Qingyu's hand was indeed a little different, with some faint golden patterns on its smooth surface.

Wu Jie observed carefully for a while and said, "It looks somewhat like the runes engraved inside the cauldron. Let's test its effects."

"it is good."

"Let me do it." Song Changsheng stopped Song Qingyu's movements, took the pill from her hand and swallowed it, then frowned.

"What, do you feel anything special?" Wu Jie asked expectantly.

"It seems... there's no difference."

Wu Jie was immediately deflated and said with dissatisfaction, "It must be because it's a counterfeit. It's impossible that there are no changes at all."

"There's nothing I can do about it. Ever since I broke through to the Golden Core stage, the Haoran Alliance has collectively disappeared. Where am I supposed to find the genuine article?"
"I'm already satisfied with what I've achieved so far." Song Changsheng shook his head slightly.

I originally thought the Heavenly Fire Cauldron was just an ordinary spiritual treasure, but now it seems that it holds quite a few secrets.

No wonder the Haoran Alliance was willing to expose their existence to steal the Heavenly Fire Cauldron. At the time, he thought it was because the Spirit Eye needed a spiritual treasure to overcome the Golden Core Tribulation, but now it seems that he was narrow-minded. The other party clearly had other plans.

I just don't know how the Haoran Alliance found out about the secret that Baicaotang had kept so tightly under wraps.

“Lingmou is an outsider. Could she have come to Daqi just for this [Heavenly Fire Cauldron]?” Song Changsheng suddenly wondered.

"Could it be that she has some connection with the long-reclusive Treasure Bottle Sect?"

Wu Jie, unaware of Song Changsheng's inner thoughts, said calmly, "Are you satisfied with these things?"

As I said, the value of this tradition is beyond your imagination.

I have compiled dozens of prescriptions, and after removing some overlaps, you can still find more than thirty that you can use.

"Just pick something that interests you. There's a formula here called the 'Soul Purification Pill,' which can save your cousin who was sealed in the Cold Pool," Wu Jie said with a chuckle.

Song Changsheng's eyes lit up, and he said urgently, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Song Chang'an's matter had troubled him for many years, but now a solution had finally been found.

"If I tell you this too early, will you still be in the mood to listen to what I said before?"

"The Soul Purification Pill is a low-grade third-tier pill. I plan to have Qingyu and your fifth uncle practice with it. Both of them have the potential to break through to the low-grade third tier ahead of schedule." Wu Jie's tone was full of confidence. Any alchemist he taught who couldn't break through ahead of schedule was a hopeless waste.

"Prepare as soon as possible. Remember, refine the Soul Purification Pill first."

"You can put your Lesser Creation Pill aside for now." Song Changsheng emphasized again, though he didn't actually have much confidence in it.

"Hmph, you still don't believe me after all. Just you wait, I will definitely refine this [Minor Creation Pill] for you!"

Wu Jie snorted coldly, then left the alchemy room with Song Qingyu, not forgetting to "requisition" the replica of the [Heavenly Fire Cauldron] before leaving.

During this period, Song Changsheng originally planned to wait in the clan for them to refine the Soul Purification Pill, and then personally awaken Song Chang'an.

But fate had other plans. Song Jingxiu sent someone to bring back unexpected news via a space teleportation array.

"What happened in the East China Sea? Just tell me."

The messenger gasped for breath and hurriedly said, "Reporting to the clan leader, a powerful figure at the level of a demon king has appeared in the waters surrounding the Twin Islands. The helmsman has asked me to inquire about your opinion."

"The demon king of the Sea Yaksha clan? They arrived so quickly." Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He had originally thought that the other party would have at least a year to prepare.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go there myself."

...(End of chapter)