Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 103 Replenishing Essence and Brain, Crossing Three Tribulations

After obtaining the elixir for nourishing the soul, Fang Shu did not rush to use it immediately.

Instead, he consulted various ancient texts to see if this medicine could have other uses and whether it was related to the so-called "divine consciousness".

This wasn't because he was overly cautious or distrustful of the Pavilion Master, but because the medicine was truly precious. Furthermore, he already possessed other valuable medicines, so the Soul Nourishing Secret Medicine wasn't his only option for overcoming the tribulation.

It should be noted that the meat fungus obtained from the medicine cave, after helping Fang Shu complete the second tribulation, still had more than half of its original quantity remaining, and its medicinal power was so strong that it was the most potent medicinal substance Fang Shu had ever seen.

Therefore, Fang Shu secretly compared the Soul Nourishing Elixir with the Flesh Ganoderma Elixir.

To his surprise, the two medicines were incomparable in their effects, with one being more effective at treating the soul and the other more effective at healing.

But this also proves that the meat fungus that Fang Shu obtained from the medicine cave was indeed of considerable value!

Since it was difficult to compare, and the master of the pavilion had said that the earlier one begins to nurture the soul, the better, Fang Shu stopped worrying about it.

After much preparation, he officially began to undergo his third tribulation!
This day.

Beneath the quiet room, sheets of yellow paper, as if they were free, were pasted densely into the well opening. They moved without wind, trembling like snake scales.

Fang Shu sat cross-legged in the center of the well, silently waiting for the moonlight to arrive.

The shadow cast upon it grew ever smaller under the slowly rising white moon.

Finally, a silvery-white full moon appeared above Fang Shu's head, and the moonlight, drawn by his aura, fell like snowflakes, turning into wisps of white vapor that filled his mouth and nose.

The time has come.

Fang Shu, sitting cross-legged, did not lift his eyelids. He merely twitched his finger, and a flint flew from his fingertip, striking the wall of the quiet room.

Pfft!

At first, the smell of gunpowder filled the air, followed by the burning of yellow paper pasted on the walls of the quiet room. Thick wisps of smoke rose instead of falling, piling up from the yellow paper and burying most of Fang Shu's body in the smoke.

In an instant, Fang Shu felt as if he were floating on a cloud.

At this moment, a wisp of bluish-white smoke finally rose from all directions, landing among the many white and yellow cigarettes, standing out like a crane among chickens.

As the smoke rose, the air in the quiet room seemed to become still.

It was the whalebone nourishing medicine bestowed by the owner of the pavilion, and it had already been lit, releasing a rich medicinal power.

According to the owner of the inn, this kind of elixir is best taken one sip at a time; otherwise, it is easy to become intoxicated by the medicine, lose its potency, and cause a certain burden on the lungs and internal organs, which is a form of damage.

However, based on Fang Shu's experience with tribulations, the goal of tribulation is to complete it in one go, in one burst of energy, not one bite at a time!
After weighing the pros and cons, he decisively chose to give up taking the medicine bit by bit and instead set up a smoke array around him all at once, dividing the Nourishing Spirit Meridian into eight parts, lighting them at the same time, and taking the medicine at the same time!
Anyway, he still has plenty of meat fungus and a Taoist talisman to monitor his physical body at all times. Even if his physical body is damaged, he can easily recover.

In the quiet room, as Fang Shu continued to meditate.

Those eight wisps of bluish-white spiritual smoke were quite miraculous, actually condensing in mid-air on their own into the phantom of a whale.

It swirls in the thick smoke, as if swimming between the sea and the sky, faintly carrying a touch of spirituality.

Just as it was swimming happily, Fang Shu suddenly opened its eyes.

His gaze was like a torch, fixed on the whale phantom formed from the elixir. After a hint of amazement appeared in his eyes, he did not hesitate and immediately swallowed the billowing spiritual smoke into his belly like a whale sucking in water.

Cackling!

As the smoke entered his stomach, Fang Shu felt a sudden, loud noise from his mouth and nose to his throat and chest, as if what he had ingested was not smoke, but a large, hard piece of gold or iron.

Coincidentally, Fang Shu's mouth and nose were indeed filled with the cold, metallic smell of metal. The cigarette smoke lingering at the bottom of the well was made by burning talisman paper coated with lead and mercury. Each wisp of smoke was full of the smell of lead and mercury, and also had a burnt insect blood smell.

The method Fang Shu used today to overcome his tribulation did not favor either the Lead Technique or the Insect Technique; instead, he used both, hoping to make his third tribulation pass smoothly!

With the blessing of various medicinal herbs and secret techniques, his blood and energy surged and burned, turning the quiet room at the bottom of the well into a chimney, billowing thick smoke and emitting a bright red light.

His whole body was burning hot, as hard as iron, especially his chest and abdomen, which felt like thunder was raging, making him want to roar several times to release all the heat and restlessness in his body.

But Fang Shu held back.

He didn't move at all, kept his mouth tightly shut, and didn't let his spirit wander. Unlike the previous two times when he was undergoing tribulations, he didn't practice standing meditation or boxing. Instead, he focused all his attention on his body, letting all the blood and energy in his body rush to his brain.

This process is the most difficult and dangerous part of overcoming the third tribulation.

It is called "Replenishing Essence and Nourishing the Brain".

Many people, when facing the third tribulation, do not even dare to take this step, regarding it as a heretical and risky act.

This is because if done improperly, the blood and qi rush directly to the brain, easily breaking through the tiny blood vessels in the brain, causing the blood and qi to flow erratically and the brain to collapse.

At that point, let alone being seriously injured, being reduced to a living dead would be considered the best outcome.

Many young and ambitious immortals perish suddenly at this stage, which is truly regrettable.

If someone were to witness Fang Shu manipulating his blood and qi to rush to his brain, they would be shocked and think he was courting death.

However, a more discerning person would notice that although Fang Shu was surging his blood and qi to his brain, his blood and qi were actually divided into eight streams, and each stream was under his strict control and would be adjusted from time to time.

The reason he was able to do this, apart from his recent preparations, was that the fleshy worm on his forehead was radiating light, helping him to control the blood and qi throughout his body.

In Fang Shu's eyes, the blood and qi around his body were clearly visible, like the lines on his palm.

If one can clearly see the flow of Qi and blood, then the process of replenishing essence and nourishing the brain has already been largely successful.

Moreover, in addition to this, he also has a Dao talisman on him, which is constantly monitoring his physical body inside and out. If any problems arise, the Dao talisman will remind him.

Thus, Fang Shu's seemingly terrifying act of reversing his qi and blood was actually a display of boldness and carefulness, and not a dangerous gamble.

Such actions naturally yielded excellent results.

A mere hundred breaths later, a snapping sound rang in his ears, like a bubble bursting.

Immediately afterward, Fang Shu felt light and agile, as if his entire body had been opened up, with his qi and blood flowing freely throughout his body.

The world in their eyes instantly brightened, and the dimly lit quiet room turned white.

Whoohoo!
Streams of vital energy were constantly flowing into his brain, increasing his mental capacity and transforming it into the foundation of his soul. It also made him feel as if something was stirring within his skull.

At this very moment, characters began to appear within the Taoist talisman:

[Realm: Third Tribulation Refining Essence Immortal]

The third tribulation of the immortals has been successfully overcome with a single leap.

From this day forward, he will be able to hear and see clearly, multitask, and never again suffer from mental confusion or dementia. He can also cultivate his mind, seek the condensation of his soul, and promote the emergence of true energy.

It is only one step away from becoming a celestial sect or a Qi Refining Immortal!
(End of this chapter)