In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 446 Zhu Houzhao Climbs the Mountain

Late May.

Spring ends and summer arrives.

Afternoon sunlight peeked through the clouds, shining on the high places in the direction of the Golden Summit, clearly outlining the mountain ridgeline.

In the training forest next to the West Garden, Gu Shaoan sat cross-legged, the image of the Fire God appearing and disappearing behind him where the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will" technique was condensed.

Strands of the power of heaven and earth were refined by the Fire God's Dharma Image and then entered Gu Shaoan's body along the Gang Yuan. Then, under the pull of Yin and Yang energies, they rushed all the way to the lower dantian.

Within Gu Shaoan's body, the essence flower in his lower dantian was no longer the lotus shape that had been successfully condensed a month ago, but had already been refined into a round pill.

However, the pill still shone brightly like a star, and one could clearly feel the golden and red mist slowly flowing inside.

At this moment, around this pill, the power of blood and qi, which is a mixture of Gu Shaoan's "Immortal Touching the Top" and the "Soaring Dragon" power of the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms", surrounds the pill, which is formed from the essence of flowers, like clouds and mist.

Under the influence of Yin and Yang energies, the power of heaven and earth is like firewood. Under the scorching heat of the power of heaven and earth, the blood and qi energy containing the momentum of a soaring dragon around the pill no longer just flows slowly around the pill, but is gradually forced closer to the surface of the pill.

At the same time, while the Yin and Yang energies within Gu Shaoan's body surrounded the pill, two completely different forces, one hard and one soft, were also slowly refining the pill.

Until the qi and blood containing Gu Shaoan's immortal aura and the soaring dragon aura were integrated into the pill.

Gradually, it seemed that all the pores on my body closed, and all the leaked energy was retracted.

The sound of blood flowing gradually subsided, his breathing weakened, and he became like a stone statue, with even the hem of his clothes no longer fluttering in the wind.

Meanwhile, the pill formed from the essence of flowers in his lower dantian was becoming increasingly dense and powerful.

Suddenly.

A very slight cracking sound came from the lower dantian.

In Gu Shaoan's observation, the pill in his lower dantian was still shining as brightly as a star.

The golden-red mist within the pill no longer drifted and wandered, but instead gathered at the center like the tide returning to the sea. Then, it slowly spread out from the center, not as loose mist, but as rings of extremely stable pill energy.

The whole pill gives people a feeling of being round and heavy.

"It's done!"

Feeling the pill refined from the essence of flowers in his lower dantian, Gu Shaoan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Indeed, as Zhang Sanfeng said, with Gu Shaoan's current foundation and the speed at which he can refine the power of heaven and earth, it will not take him too much time to condense the essence flower into an essence pill.

Since Gu Shaoan learned about Zhang Sanfeng's martial arts golden elixir method, he has successfully refined the essence flower into an essence elixir in just one month.

Moreover, after the essence flower was refined into a pill, Gu Shaoan could feel that his control over his blood and qi had become stronger.

Not only that.

Gu Shaoan raised his right hand, and a wisp of qi and blood energy emanated from the tip of his index finger.

The power of qi and blood should have been like mist, thin, ethereal, and intangible, but the wisp that Gu Shaoan exhaled from his fingertips at this moment gave people a sense of weight and solidity.

After a moment's thought, Gu Shaoan's body seemed to rise into the air.

As if lifted by a wisp of wind, the whole person floated up gracefully.

The shadows of the trees in the training forest swept past him, and the sunlight was cut into fragments of gold through the gaps in the leaves, falling on the hem and cuffs of his clothes, giving them a touch of ethereal luster.

In the next instant, Gu Shaoan appeared beside the training forest ten zhang away.

The area is filled with jagged rocks, and pebbles are scattered on the ground.

However, each stone is covered with fine, crisscrossing sword marks, making it look like an anvil scraped by countless thin blades from a distance.

This stone forest was specially created by Gu Shaoan after he returned to Emei to train his control over sword energy and practice the methods of playing chess and swordsmanship.

As Gu Shaoan moved above a boulder three zhang in size, he raised his right arm.

As he descended from the height, his five fingers naturally spread out, his palms slightly downward, his wrists relaxed yet firm, and his shoulders and elbows heavy yet sluggish. His entire aura became ethereal and chilling.

It is precisely the "Immortal Touching the Head" in the "Golden Top Cotton Palm" technique.

As Gu Shaoan approached the boulder, a surge of vital energy instantly enveloped his right hand.

In an instant, the aura of Gu Shaoan's palm strike also changed dramatically.

While the "Immortal Touching the Head" palm strike was as gentle as a breeze brushing away dust, as if an immortal were passing overhead, Gu Shaoan's palm strike at this moment, although it possessed the ethereal and aloof quality of an immortal touching the head, also exuded an indomitable and unstoppable momentum.

The two forces combined and appeared simultaneously within this palm, yet they did not clash. Instead, they created a sense of ethereal elegance and unyielding strength, a harmonious balance of yin and yang.

The next instant, Gu Shaoan gently pressed his palm, imbued with the power of his blood and qi, onto the boulder.

The thin layer of dust on the stone surface was pressed down as if by an invisible hand, sinking instantly and not even stirred by the wind.

Immediately afterwards, grayish-white dust rose up from the crisscrossing sword marks on the stone, as if squeezed out of the cracks by an invisible tide.

The next instant, cracks spread outwards from the point where the palm print landed, extending in all directions.

Then the entire three-zhang-long boulder was instantly crushed as if by an invisible millstone, turning into countless extremely fine powders scattered on the ground from the outside to the inside, from the surface to the core.

Taking in this scene, Gu Shaoan lowered his head and recalled the palm strike from just now, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Sure enough, after integrating the power of martial arts into the essence flower and condensing it into a pill, the essence pill became a medium that allowed my own blood and qi to also carry the power of martial arts."

Looking at the remaining stone dust on the ground, the shock in his heart was even more pronounced than the blow he had just received.

The elixir serves as the medium, and momentum forms the framework.

Qi and blood may appear as mist, yet they can be as heavy as a mountain. A single palm strike can be effortlessly crushed into a three-zhang-long boulder. This is the benefit of refining "momentum" into the elixir.

With the elixir complete, Gu Shaoan no longer needs to conjure up his attack on the spot when facing an enemy. As soon as the elixir turns, the power follows the energy, and wherever it goes, it will suppress the enemy.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan suddenly understood why Zhang Sanfeng could always defuse his attacks in the simplest way with ease whenever they fought.

Rather, it is because Zhang Sanfeng has integrated the power of his martial arts into the golden elixir he refined from his own essence, energy, and spirit, or into the martial arts golden elixir.

Thoughts move, momentum moves; momentum moves, strength moves.

Even ordinary movements like raising a hand or waving a sleeve can generate internal energy with a thought.

This is not due to a change in one's own martial arts level, but rather a complete change in the "way of applying force".

Just like Gu Shaoan, when he used the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms or the Golden Summit Cotton Palm in the past, he relied on his mind to drive his own internal energy, and then mobilized his own martial arts momentum to temporarily unify them.

But now, Gu Shaoan is able to use the refined elixir made from the essence of the flowers in his body as the hub, the power as the framework, and the qi and blood as the flowing water to form a natural shape.

It saves time and effort, and is more stable, more accurate, and less susceptible to external disturbances.

After some attempts, Gu Shaoan confirmed that his Qi could still be used to activate the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Golden Summit Cotton Palm. However, he lacked the smooth and natural feeling he had when using his Qi and blood to activate these two martial arts.

It feels like the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" and the "Golden Summit Cotton Palm" are even more compatible with the power of qi and blood.

"No wonder when Master Zhang asked me to refine the elixir, he only incorporated the martial arts techniques of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Golden Summit Cotton Palm into it."

"It turns out that the power of martial arts is refined into the essence through this martial arts golden elixir method, thereby achieving the state of harmony between the elixir and the person."

If we were to describe Gu Shaoan's previous martial arts as eclectic, it would be because all of them were driven by internal energy.

Now that the elixir has been condensed, it does have a certain "specialized" feel to it.

For example, the palm techniques "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" and "Golden Summit Cotton Palm" became more fluid and natural, and their power was also enhanced, thanks to the energy and blood power driven by the essence of the elixir.

After careful study, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but be amazed once again by Zhang Sanfeng's martial arts golden elixir method.

This also makes it clear just how prestigious Zhang Sanfeng's title of "Number One Martial Artist" truly is.

This is the way of martial arts.

Mountains are mountains, and water is water.

Whether one can take in all the mountains and rivers, or whether one can separate them, all depends on one's level of martial arts skill.

Just like Gu Shaoan before today, all his thoughts and ideas were based on the Gang Yuan (罡元), with the power of Qi and blood or the power of spirit as secondary means to use martial arts.

Who would have thought that one day I would use the power of my blood and qi, supplemented by the essence of qi, to unleash even greater power from the martial arts of "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" and "Golden Summit Cotton Palm"?

"Playing like this, unless we're at the same level, I really don't have a sure chance of defeating Master Zhang!"

Zhang Sanfeng's understanding and level of martial arts far surpassed that of others.

The Golden Core Martial Arts method alone surpasses the ordinary Three Harmony method.

Just by looking at a part, one can know the whole leopard. After this elixir is refined, Gu Shaoan's own strength will be able to increase by another ten percent.

Moreover, the changes in Qi and blood power mean that Gu Shaoan can rely on Gang Yuan alone when fighting enemies.

Once his internal energy is depleted, Gu Shaoan can immediately continue fighting by relying primarily on his own blood and qi, waiting for his internal energy to recover, and so on.

As long as Gu Shaoan's physical strength can keep up, there is no need to worry about him running out of energy.

This is just the effect of the elixir.

Zhang Sanfeng's essence, energy, and spirit have all been refined into pills, and he has even condensed a martial arts golden core. What level has his strength reached?
This was something Zhang Sanfeng realized decades ago.

What changes has Zhang Sanfeng made to the Golden Elixir of Martial Arts?
Just thinking about it made Gu Shaoan secretly gasp.

Afterwards, Gu Shaoan focused his attention on the divine seed and qi seed within his body.

In Gu Shaoan's perception, his Qi seed had already reached an extremely abundant state.

His own skill was particularly profound. After refining the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" skill within Huang Xuemei's body, Gu Shaoan's skill had now reached 130 years.

If Gu Shaoan were willing, he could forcefully use his own internal energy to condense the Qi seed right now.

With the exquisite flower as a precedent, Gu Shaoan must now strive to bring his Qi Seed and Divine Seed to the same level of quality, aiming for a brilliance like the stars.

So what Gu Shaoan needs to do next is to use the power of heaven and earth to nourish the divine and qi flowers within his body.

According to Gu Shaoan's prediction, his Qi Seed will be able to develop into a Qi Flower in at most six months.

However, the divine seed formed from condensed spiritual energy is far from being able to develop into a divine flower.

To shorten this time, either Gu Shaoan will draw something similar to Dragon Essence Liquid again in the lottery later.

Alternatively, one could make a breakthrough in the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will" technique, thereby increasing the efficiency of refining the power of heaven and earth.

However, the difficulty of cultivating the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will" is unimaginable.

Even Zhang Sanfeng, after more than a month, has only just caught up with Gu Santong in terms of progress with the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will".

Gu Shaoan wanted to cultivate the third technique of the "Four Symbols of Heavenly Will" to perfection, "Thunder God's Wrath," and the time required was measured in years.

"unless."

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Gu Shaoan's mind: the He Shi Bi jade.

"The He Shi Bi jade in the hands of Cihang Jingzhai in the Great Sui Kingdom is currently only missing a corner. If we could obtain it, the efficiency of refining the power of heaven and earth with that jade would certainly not be slow. If we could get our hands on it..."

For a moment, Gu Shaoan's mind began to wander.

However, at that moment, a figure rose gracefully like a white feather above the training forest.

After scanning the area once, it quickly rushed towards Gu Shaoan.

Noticing the commotion, Gu Shaoan looked up at Huang Xuemei, who was falling diagonally from the sky.

Meeting Gu Shaoan's gaze, Huang Xuemei said, "Uncle-Master Juejue has arrived. He said that Zhu Houzhao has reached the Golden Summit Hall. Uncle-Master wants to ask you whether you want to meet him in the Golden Summit Hall or have him come to the West Garden?"

Hearing what Huang Xuemei said, Gu Shaoan chuckled and said, "It's been less than two months since you came all the way from the capital. It seems you're really in a hurry."

Huang Xuemei said, "The imperial court only has four experts at the Celestial Realm. Now that two of them have died at your hands, no one could sit still in that situation."

Gu Shaoan asked, "Have you already notified Master and Master Zhang?"

Huang Xuemei nodded and said, "Uncle-Master Insulation said that he had already secretly sent his disciple to inform them immediately."

Almost as soon as Huang Xuemei finished speaking, Abbess Miejue and Zhang Sanfeng rapidly approached from a distance.

However, unlike before, Abbess Miejue was now enveloped by Zhang Sanfeng's special energy, so even when Gu Shaoan got close, he couldn't sense the aura of the inner energy within Abbess Miejue.

However, after moving to the training forest, the two did not continue to Gu Shaoan's side.

Seeing this, Gu Shaoan understood what Abbess Miejue meant.

He then took Huang Xuemei back to the West Garden and asked Abbess Wujue to bring Zhu Houzhao over.

A moment later, with several cups of tea already on the table in the pavilion, Zhu Houzhao, Cao Zhengchun, and the woman with her face veiled by snow gauze arrived at the West Garden, led by Abbess Wujue.

However, unlike before, Zhu Houzhao today did not wear the bronze mask he used to wear.

His face wore a refined and elegant smile, showing no trace of arrogance.

As Gu Shaoan looked at Zhu Houzhao and the others, Zhu Houzhao's gaze was also fixed on Gu Shaoan in the pavilion.

But when Zhu Houzhao looked at Gu Shaoan again, his eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly felt a pang of regret.

(End of this chapter)