Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 251 The Path to Core Formation
Fang Shu was in his cave, repeatedly considering all his preparations. He made sure he hadn't overlooked anything and only needed to wait for the sect to summon him to the secret realm.

"However, there is one more thing to do before that."

His gaze shifted, and he immediately stood up, tidied his belongings, and then fled from the cave, heading straight for the location of the Gu Hall.

What he needed to do was to pay a visit to his own master, the immortal Long Gu.

Although the Dragon Maiden Immortals have ignored him since his last return to the mountain, as if they had forgotten about him, and even now that the opening time of the secret realm has been set, they still haven't sent any messages.

But Fang Shu would not forget that his master had said he needed Fang Shu's help to gather herbs and heal injuries in the secret realm.

On his way to the Gu Hall, he thought to himself, "I wonder if Master Long will bestow upon me some more life-saving items this time."

Although he already possessed three quasi-Foundation Establishment magic artifacts, and thought he could even hinder Foundation Establishment immortals, no one would ever complain about having too many treasures.

Not long after.

When Fang Shu arrived at the Gu Hall, he glanced at the screen wall at the entrance of the Gu Hall again and found that there was still only stone carving on the wall, and the figure of the toad snake from before was gone.

After informing someone, Fang Shu was summoned by the Dragon Maiden Immortal's family that evening.

"Disciple Fang Shu greets Master."

He stepped into the hall and bowed deeply to the gaunt figure inside.

A chilling divine sense immediately rose from the other party's body, landed on Fang Shu's body, and examined him from head to toe. Fortunately, this divine sense did not forcibly probe into Fang Shu's body.

A dry laugh rang out from the mouth of the Dragon Maiden Immortal:

"Not bad, not bad. You haven't neglected your cultivation this past year. Not only have you mastered the Qi Refining Technique, but your True Qi has also increased considerably."

With your mastery of the Five Elements True Qi, you wouldn't be considered an unknown figure among the Qi Refining Immortals who have entered the secret realm.

Fang Shu's heart skipped a beat when he heard the other party mistake his internal energy for the Five Elements True Qi. He quickly replied:

“Master is too kind. If it weren’t for Master’s favor, how could I have the virtue and ability to enter that water and fire chamber to undergo tribulation and refine my qi?”

After expressing his loyalty, Fang Shu didn't delay any longer and quickly brought up the important matter:
"May I ask, Master, what medicinal herbs must I gather in the depths of this secret realm? Is there a map or diagram you can provide?"

After a few moments of silence, the Dragon Maiden Immortal stretched out her claw-like fingers, flicked her sleeve, and a jade slip appeared in the Gu Palace.

Fang Shu respectfully accepted the item and probed it with his divine sense.

Soon, all sorts of medicines, big and small, appeared in his mind. The ones he had written down were all medicinal herbs that had been produced in the Lushan Secret Realm.

What excited him even more was that the jade slip also contained a rough map of the Lushan Secret Realm.

With this map in hand, he wouldn't be completely lost once he entered the secret realm.

Without looking closely, Fang Shu glanced at it briefly before bowing to the Dragon Maiden Immortal and saying, "This disciple will certainly live up to Master's expectations!"

To everyone's surprise, when the Dragon Maiden heard this, she chuckled and said, "Whether you'll let me down or not is no use talking. If you can retrieve one of the thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in this jade slip for me, you'll be considered qualified. If you can retrieve two, you'll be excellent. If you can retrieve three... I'll guarantee you a Foundation Establishment stage."

After a pause, the woman's tone suddenly softened somewhat:
"However, if you encounter a life-threatening crisis, you don't need to be foolish. Preserving your life is the most important thing. Medicine and such are just external things."

Don't make me collect your corpse.

Fang Shu was surprised by these words.

He immediately showed a moved expression and bowed deeply, saying, "This disciple will remember!"

Then, the master and disciple exchanged a few more words, and the Dragon Maiden took out a piece of amber from her sleeve.

A mosquito is sealed inside the amber; it looks extremely fierce.

"This is a Foundation Establishment Gu worm, the weakest of all the Gu worms I selected. Even if it violates the taboos of the secret realm, it shouldn't invite divine retribution." The other party instructed, "If you encounter difficulties, use this against your enemies. However, once you've used it, don't try to take it back; escape as far away as possible."

After tossing the amber to Fang Shu, the Dragon Maiden waved her hand dismissively, signaling Fang Shu to step back.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure!"

Fang Shu held the Foundation Establishment Gu worm in his hand. With a touch of his divine sense, he discovered that it also contained a brief exorcism divine thought, which would make it convenient for him to use.

Without further delay, he took the Gu worm and left the Gu Palace with an excited expression.

And then Fang Shu left.

The Dragon Maiden Immortal remained standing in the Gu Palace, her gaze fixed blankly on the direction Fang Shu had left.

Hiss!

A gigantic snake-like creature crawled out from the shadows behind her and raised the human head on its neck.

The head spoke up: "Master only bestowed the Gu worm, but did not plant it in Junior Brother's body. Has he changed his mind?"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Maiden Immortal immediately composed herself and said expressionlessly, "My actions need not be so underhanded."

The snake-like head also looked towards the gate of the Gu Palace. After a few moments of silence, it whispered:
"So, Master has made up his mind to personally venture into the secret realm of Mount Lu?"

The Dragon Maiden's expression changed slightly, and she slowly nodded.

This answer caused the man with the long, human-headed snake to change his expression, and his tone became tinged with worry:
"If Foundation Establishment cultivators wish to enter the Lushan Secret Realm, they must suppress their cultivation level below Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, once exposed, they will inevitably attract suppression and targeting from the Secret Realm... I hope Master will consider this matter carefully!"

The Immortal Dragon Maiden calmly said:

"It's just suppressing my cultivation. My Foundation Establishment cultivation didn't fall from the sky. I wasn't afraid of my colleagues when I was in the Qi Refining stage, so what do I have to fear now?"

Her gaze shifted to the long, human-headed snake beside her, and she said calmly:

"Besides, don't you have me by my side to protect me?"

Upon hearing this, the human-headed snake said nothing more; it simply lowered its head and rested it under the palm of the Dragon Maiden Immortal.

The half-human, half-snake figure stood quietly inside the Gu Palace, speechless for a moment.

What Hao Junliang didn't know was that the Dragon Maiden was recalling Fang Shu's appearance and muttering to herself, "The Six Desires Yin Sha Method, the Five Emperors True Qi... I only read that book once, yet I memorized it and even comprehended it several times."

For a moment, a hint of jealousy rose in the woman's heart:

"I never expected that I, Aunt Long, would actually be able to acquire such a talented individual. Someone actually managed to achieve results using that ancient method as a reference, and with such a solid foundation!"

Just as Fang Shu had initially suspected, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Daoist technique in his possession was indeed compatible with the Gathering Evil Technique and Refining Qi Technique in the temple, and it was by no means just a coincidence.

This is because when the Dragon Maiden met him, she deliberately showed him the original incantation.

This cultivation method was developed by Immortal Longgu after she reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Based on her understanding as a Foundation Establishment Immortal and taking into account the regrets she had experienced in her past cultivation, she spent a great deal of effort to develop a Qi refining path.

According to her plan, if she had followed this method back then, she would have been able to lay a more solid foundation than she has now. Foundation Establishment would not have been the upper limit, but would have been able to directly rival Core Formation!
However, by now, the foundation of the Dragon Maiden Immortal Clan has been established, and none of her former disciples have been able to fully master this technique. Being able to master even half of it would be considered quite good.

To her utter surprise, she had only taken out the original manual on a whim, and Fang Shu had independently deciphered the path of refining qi by combining the techniques of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires with those of the Five Internal Organs Temple.

It was clear that what Fang Shu had comprehended was more suitable for him than what Long Gu had compiled.

As her thoughts raced, the Dragon Maiden's face involuntarily twitched, a half-smile playing on her lips:
"Truly a man of exceptional talent and beauty."

Two conflicting emotions were swirling in her eyes, making her expression momentarily contorted.

(End of this chapter)