I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 3 Drawing a Bow at the Spring
Ying Chan was raised by the abbot of Yunshan Temple, the old Taoist Yunshan.

The old Taoist priest never explained how Ying Chan came to be, and Ying Chan never asked.

Unlike ordinary people, he was not only born with a deep understanding of principles, but also possessed many unusual insights and memories, knowing that this was nothing more than a series of tragic events.

After growing a little older, Ying Chan became a Taoist acolyte at Yunshan Temple.

Every day, he chops firewood, carries water, starts fires, and cooks. Occasionally, he entertains pilgrims or goes down the mountain with the old Taoist priest to perform rituals.

Although Yunshan Temple is dilapidated, the old Taoist priest is no ordinary person.

Although his cultivation level was not high, he possessed formidable martial arts skills, several magical spells, and knowledge of supernatural phenomena. In the Great Chang Kingdom, he was already a true master.

Therefore, although Yunshan Temple is hidden deep in the mountains, its incense has never been cut off.

Ying Chan had also considered whether he would inherit the old Taoist's skills and reputation, and become the new abbot of Yunshan Temple.

Unfortunately, the old Taoist priest of Yunshan did not think so. He believed that his skills were far from enough to teach Ying Chan for a lifetime, and he also hoped that Ying Chan could find the true path to immortality.

And that was indeed the case. Whether it was learning magic or martial arts, Ying Chan learned extremely quickly. At the age of fourteen or fifteen, he had already exhausted the old Taoist's hidden skills.

Moreover, as his unique talents from his two lifetimes gradually became apparent, the small Yunshan Temple found it even harder to accommodate him.

……

Therefore, after the old Taoist priest passed away, Ying Chan left Yunshan Temple and traveled around seeking immortality and enlightenment.

Three years have passed since then.

Ying Chan didn't know why, but as he chatted with Cai Que, memories welled up like a spring.

Perhaps it's because his journey, which has lasted for over a thousand days and nights, is about to come to an end?

"Fairy," Ying Chan asked, "how many steps is it from the Spirit Spring?"

The colorful sparrow didn't rush to answer. Instead, it flew up and looked around before exclaiming, "Almost there! It's just ahead!"

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light and sped forward.

Ying Chan's spirits lifted.

The man and the bird continued talking without stopping, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed, and they were finally about to arrive.

He quickly followed the colorful sparrow, leaping over several bushes, when suddenly he saw that the 'road' ahead was wide open, with no thorns or bushes to block his way. He simply reached into his pocket, took out two talismans, and slapped them on his legs.

The talisman was carefully cut into the shape of a horse and attached tightly to his leg. Ying Chan immediately felt the wind beneath his feet and ran forward for only a moment before bursting out of the dense forest, his vision suddenly clearing.

"arrive!"

The colorful bird circled in mid-air. Ying Chan looked up and saw a huge rock leaning against the mountain in front of him.

This boulder is about ten feet tall, almost like a small stone mountain. Its surface is smooth as jade, with almost no sharp edges. Several springs on top each have clear streams flowing down, following the path eroded over time, and converging into a small pool below.

"This is the sacred spring?"

Ying Chan took two steps forward, but then heard Cai Que'er say, "Only the spring at the very top is the 'spiritual eye' that only gushes forth once a month."

"The others are just ordinary spring water."

"Oh?" Ying Chan looked up and saw that at the highest point, there was a cave entrance that did not gush with spring water, and the traces of erosion below the cave entrance were very shallow, almost non-existent.

"I wonder what the difference is between that spiritual spring and this ordinary spring water?"

As Ying Chan pondered, he bent down by the spring, about to scoop up a handful of water, when suddenly his ears twitched and he caught a swift sound.

"This is……"

"Taoist priest, be careful!"

Ying Chan's gaze sharpened, and with a sudden cry of surprise from Cai Que, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end.

Ferocious beast!

These two words flashed through Ying Chan's mind, and his figure shot out like an arrow.

He knew that there was no time to turn around and move aside, so he could only step into the spring pool. Fortunately, the pool was very shallow, so he didn't fall into the water. He then leaped from the bottom of the pool and immediately climbed up to the Spirit Spring Stone.

The next moment, a foul gust of wind suddenly swept across the spot, splashing a large amount of spring water in the pool, followed by a loud roar, and a stench of fish rolled over.

It was a vicious tiger!
Ying Chan glanced at him in his busy schedule and felt a chill run down his spine.

This ferocious tiger was far too terrifying in size. Judging by its body length alone, it was probably over ten feet long. Every hair was like a needle, gleaming with an iron-like black light. Its sharp claws and fangs were sharper than steel blades. Its movements were also extremely agile. If it missed its target, it would leap out of the pool almost without hesitation and chase after Ying Chan on the boulder.

Fortunately, Ying Chan did not let his guard down. After climbing the rocky mountain, he made several leaps and went up another three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters) before he was bitten.

The ferocious tiger, unable to catch its prey, pounced on the rocky hill and immediately slid downwards. Even the sharp claws that left several menacing scratches on the rocks were futile. Ying Chan breathed a sigh of relief.

The rocky mountain was incredibly smooth. If he hadn't used the paper horse to make him as light as a swallow and mastered light-body skills, allowing him to leap with minimal effort, he wouldn't have been able to reach the top of the rocky mountain.

With such a massive body, the tiger must weigh a considerable amount, making it highly unlikely that it could climb up.

As it was pondering this, the ferocious tiger, seeing that it could not catch and bite, leaped down the rocky hill, circled around the spring a few times, and then suddenly leaped again, attempting to pounce once more.

Seeing this, Ying Chan felt relieved. Judging by his eyesight, the tiger's leaping power and speed were unlikely to reach him...

"wrong--!"

Ying Chan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his previous conversation with Cai Que'er suddenly resumed.

"I have seen tiger demons ride the wind and fish spirits play with water..."

Ying Chan felt as if drums were beating wildly in his heart chambers, and his body had already subconsciously begun to move, wanting to leap upwards again.

However, the higher the rocky mountain went, the more vertical it became. Ying Chan was only able to maintain his balance in such an unbalanced state thanks to his lightness skill.

It wouldn't be difficult to leap upwards, but there would likely be nowhere to land, and one would immediately fall down, becoming food for the tiger.

Just as the thought was racing, the ferocious tiger had already leaped to a high place and was about to fall again when suddenly it roared and a demonic wind arose!

Why is it called a demonic wind? It's urgent! It's fast! It's extremely swift! It rises from below, whipping up sand and gravel from the ground, slicing into Ying Chan's body like knives.

The clouds follow the dragon, the wind follows the tiger!
Tigers that have become spirits are indeed born with the ability to ride the wind.

The ferocious tiger, aided by the demonic wind, seemed to float up, then leaped upwards, its claws almost touching Ying Chan's feet, the stench from its gaping maw assaulting his nostrils.

At the critical moment, Ying Chan did not hesitate any longer and leaped upwards.

This swift, demonic wind also affected Ying Chan, causing him to leap to an extraordinary height, more than ten feet into the air. He stretched out one long arm, fingertips slightly bent, and descended straight towards the spring-like rock—

It landed precisely on the highest point of the 'spiritual eye'.

Having used up all his strength, Ying Chan swung upwards again without stopping, twisting and turning in mid-air, his heel firmly landing on the Spirit Eye. He actually stood on one foot through a small hole, stabilizing his body.

Looking down, they saw that the vicious tiger, exhausted, had slid down the rocky hillside again.

"What a risk, what a risk!"

"It's so high up, this tiger demon definitely can't reach it."

The colorful sparrow flew down, somewhat incoherently saying, "It's fortunate that its cultivation level wasn't high, otherwise a gust of demonic wind would have swept the Taoist priest away."

"But this can't go on forever. If it stays below guarding, it can't possibly..."

Ying Chan stared intently down below, where the ferocious tiger lingered, its vertical pupils filled with malice, and low growls occasionally escaped its throat, clearly intending to trap and kill him there.

"A Taoist priest, a Taoist priest?"

The colorful sparrow called out anxiously, but Ying Chan seemed completely unaware. Suddenly, he reached back and grabbed something from among the several bags on his back.

The object was originally wrapped in layers of blue and white cloth, making its shape indiscernible. However, Ying Chan pulled it with one hand, and the cloth fluttered down, revealing a large, stringless ebony bow with carved patterns in his palm.

"This is?"

Cai Que'er had never seen a bow before, nor did she know why this bow had no string. She blinked her eyes, full of doubt.

The ferocious tiger beneath the rocky mountain became agitated for some reason, scratching at the ground with its sharp claws and baring its fangs at Ying Chan.

"You beast."

Ying Chan let out a deep snort, raised the bow with his left arm, and forcefully pulled it out of the air with his right hand, as if pulling an invisible string. The bow taut with a sharp sound, stretched to its fullest extent, and points of light gathered and intertwined between the bowstring and Ying Chan's fingers—

An 'arrow', seemingly both real and unreal, has already taken shape.

The tiger grew increasingly agitated, its iron-like fur standing on end. It moved slowly, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't avoid the arrows pointing at it.

The air seemed to solidify for a moment, until a certain instant.

"Roar!"

With a roar, the ferocious tiger stirred up a demonic wind. Its body swayed as if it had blended into the wind, but instead of leaping upwards, it changed direction and ran wildly into the forest!

This ferocious tiger, which had become a spirit, actually chose to flee under threat.

But this situation seemed to be exactly as Ying Chan had expected, or rather, no matter what choice it made, it could not avoid it!
Su—!
As soon as Ying Chan released his finger, the arrow shot out with a whistling sound like tearing silk, chasing after the ferocious tiger and shooting straight into the dense forest.

The next moment, a tiger's roar that shook the mountains and forests suddenly came, and then silence returned in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)