Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

The Hundred Arts Pavilion fell silent for a moment.

The old man was deep in thought, while the young man stood quietly.

Not knowing what the other party was thinking, Wang Xuan stood in front of this Foundation Establishment senior uncle, whose cultivation was the highest in the lower academy, holding a jade bottle, not daring to speak and disturb him.

"What does it mean by not saying anything? Logically speaking, my previous behavior shouldn't have been problematic..."

He was filled with apprehension, but couldn't pinpoint the problem. After all, every failure Wang Xuan had faced since entering the alchemy room had paved the way for his eventual success.

No Qi Refining cultivator could pretend to be a novice in front of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he truly was a novice.

Moreover, her undisguised and genuine self-confidence is also a form of evidence.

If he ultimately fails, it's the arrogance of a mediocre person; but if he succeeds, it's the confidence of a genius.

Furthermore, while his success after eighteen attempts might be considered excellent, it certainly wasn't something that would make him a rare genius. Even the decline in his cultivation level when using the Dao Fruit could be masked by the excessive energy consumed in alchemy.

So after reviewing everything, Wang Xuan still couldn't find any oversights in his trip.

However, even so, when the Foundation Establishment elder's unfathomable gaze lingered on him for a long time, it was still hard not to start doubting himself.

My mind was filled with random thoughts until the medicine was taken from my hand.

Sitting in his recliner, the old man knew with just a casual glance that the medicine had passed muster.

"Hmm...it's nothing, you passed."

The old man spoke calmly, not intending to nitpick. But while he had passed the test, he didn't want his great-great-great-granddaughter to learn the wrong ways of dealing with people.

So after a moment's hesitation, the old man suddenly changed his demeanor and praised with approval:

"Not bad, very good."

"The reason I was a little lost in thought earlier was because I didn't expect you to be a genius of the 'sudden enlightenment' type."

"The world is full of wonders, and it seems I was simply blind to them."

"Um?"

Startled, Wang Xuan was bewildered by the old man's words.

Just as he was about to speak, the old man didn't give him a chance to speak at all.

"Needless to say, extraordinary people should do extraordinary things, which is normal."

"Geniuses who have an epiphany should gain inspiration through practice."

"But ultimately, this is a privilege reserved for geniuses in a special field. If you don't have that talent, you still need to have the right attitude and study diligently—what do you think, Junior Nephew Wang?"

"Uh... Uncle-Master's words are truly enlightening and insightful. I am deeply grateful for your guidance."

Looking at the old man's dignified gaze, Wang Xuan, though unsure of the meaning behind his words, still wholeheartedly praised him.

"Okay, very good."

Nodding in satisfaction, the old man had a sudden thought and decided to give something in return, and incidentally, to "eliminate future troubles."

"Hmm, this child is teachable."

"Since you have such talent, as a senior member of the sect, I cannot remain silent... In that case, I will make an exception and allow you to borrow a second-tier alchemy book and use the alchemy room of a formal alchemist ahead of time. What do you think?"

"Of course, you must not spread this matter. To avoid the jealousy of your fellow disciples, you must not appear in front of me again in the future."

"Just practice diligently and do not slack off."

The old man casually tossed out two tokens and then gestured for the guest to leave.

Regardless of how much luck this kid got into this situation, we should try to send him as far away as possible.

After all, they were disciples of the same sect, and the two had no grudges against each other, so the old man didn't have any other thoughts.

The alchemy rooms used by formal alchemists are separate and located on another node of the Baiyun Mountain spiritual vein, which is far away from where the Hundred Arts Pavilion is located.

In this way, the problem is naturally solved.

Even from the other party's perspective, he was not an unreasonable old man at all, but rather a senior from the sect who had a keen eye for talent.

Ultimately, while the result of nearly twenty attempts to successfully refine it was not bad, it was still just not bad.

Over the years, the old man has seen countless even more amazing geniuses.

Faced with such talent, he couldn't bring himself to cherish it.

"Well... in that case, I thank you for your high regard, Uncle-Master."

Wang Xuan respectfully thanked the old man.

Although he didn't know the cause and effect, he could see the resentment behind the other party's praise.

Logically speaking, sects occasionally have formal talisman masters and array masters give lectures in the Hundred Arts Pavilion, allowing peers to exchange ideas and enabling new apprentices to make rapid progress, rather than working in isolation.

The old man's rejection was tantamount to cutting off this path, enough to cause ordinary disciples to perish midway through their alchemy journey.

However, this is the general situation; what Wang Xuan is facing now is clearly not ordinary. Compared to the two tokens given to him, this little matter seems insignificant.

"After all, putting everything else aside, just this one second-tier alchemy manual... the Nanhua Sect must have a complete, not incomplete, second-tier alchemy lineage. Even if the highest level in the lower academy is only second-tier low-grade, I've already made a huge profit from this alone."

"There are also independent alchemy rooms, each of which is said to be protected by an array controlled by the alchemist, so there is no need to worry about Foundation Establishment cultivators spying on them with their spiritual sense."

"The only problem is that I can't afford the cost of extracting second-order 'concepts' yet... Well, it's a minor problem."

"Things cannot be separated, but words can be. Taking them apart and understanding them doesn't affect the result at all."

Wang Xuan was secretly pleased and had no complaints about it.

The old man had already given him enough benefits, let alone the Hundred Arts Pavilion. If the other party were to add a second-tier inheritance, he could even avoid the Scripture Pavilion altogether.

If sect inheritances weren't subject to legal contracts prohibiting their transmission to outsiders, who knows how many spirit stones a second-tier inheritance could fetch?

If he were to use this to establish a family of cultivators, he could call himself "the Wang family of elixirs".

……

After leaving the Hundred Arts Pavilion, to avoid any unforeseen complications, Wang Xuan went directly to the Sutra Repository to receive the elixir of immortality.

Located in the lower courtyard, the library's collection was not as comprehensive as that at the main gate. There were seven or eight first-tier alchemical texts, dozens of which were incomplete, and only one complete second-tier alchemical text.

Fortunately, this one and only book turned out to be a complete alchemy book of the second rank, mid-grade... Although Wang Xuan didn't know what the difference was between these inheritances, in the cultivation world, low-rank ones might not necessarily be bad, while high-rank ones were often definitely not bad.

So after accepting the "White Yang Elixir Book," which was said to contain various rare elixirs, Wang Xuan toured the alchemy room assigned to him with satisfaction.

Located at a node of the spiritual vein, the semi-independent array pattern is connected to the second-order array. It can contain the essence of the pill and stabilize the medicinal power. The porcelain bottle has a fixed monthly quota for discarded herbs and the formal pill refining tasks that the lower academy does not need to undertake.

After completing the tour, Wang Xuan felt that his current cultivation environment was practically perfect, except for those whose cultivation levels were still quite low.

If possible, he could cultivate here for a hundred years.

"On another note..."

"The Nanhua Sect is a prestigious sect; it should be able to survive for several hundred years, right?"

Not entirely sure, Wang Xuan sincerely hoped it could last a while longer.

"Considering all the benefits I've enjoyed from it, as long as it can last until I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I, Wang, will repay it tenfold and make it a major sect in the Chen Kingdom."

"In that case, the distinction between gratitude and resentment can be considered clear..."

He silently gave himself a thumbs up and then returned to his courtyard to cultivate in peace.

Now that I've secured the status of an alchemist apprentice, I can use the allocated medicinal herbs to practice without having to expend my cultivation.

Although medicinal herbs cannot be taken out of the alchemy room, the refined pills can be, which is a perk only available to those in the lower courtyard.

The sect was practically implying that you could resell finished pills in exchange for medicinal herbs to improve your alchemy skills, and showcase your talent before officially joining the sect.

Considering that the "Introduction to Alchemy" contains three common types of elixirs, and that he has already grasped the basics under the power of the Dao Fruit, Wang Xuan plans to focus on refining these three elixirs for the foreseeable future, producing a batch of finished pills before considering studying the "White Yang Elixir Book."

Two years later, he could sell it at the Han Clan Foundation Establishment Ceremony and exchange it for the corresponding demon beast essence blood to "money" for his Dao Fruit.

Only then can I truly begin to implement many of my strategies.

Relying solely on the sect's channels is still too dangerous.

……

For the next year, Wang Xuan quietly cultivated himself and did not concern himself with external affairs.

Despite wasting three months of cultivation, he still steadily entered the third level of Qi Refining before the age of fifteen, leading the vast majority of outer disciples.

The main purpose of top-tier cultivation techniques is not to accelerate the accumulation of magical power, but it is not difficult to enable a mid-grade water spiritual root to have a cultivation speed comparable to the lower half of a high-grade spiritual root.

Wang Xuan did not hide this, because although this cultivation speed was slightly faster, other disciples from cultivation families could also achieve it by taking pills, so it was not big news.

On the other hand, more than two years have passed, and the ripples caused by Chen Yao's "extraordinary comprehension" have long since subsided.

Many people have realized that for Qi Refining stage cultivation, comprehension is of little help; at most, it can deepen the understanding of the technique and slightly increase cultivation speed and combat power at the same level.

Therefore, before the formation of the core, spiritual roots are the biggest criterion for judging the speed of cultivation, and there are very few exceptions.

Two years of cultivation seemed to prove that Chen Yao was not an exception. Although she also demonstrated a cultivation speed comparable to that of a high-grade spiritual root, there was still a significant gap between her and the potential to form a core.

Among his fellow disciples, some secretly mocked him for this, while others believed that he at least had a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage and should not be offended. Generally speaking, there were no mindless villains coming to cause trouble.

Wang Xuan was suspicious of this, because as her neighbor, he, who cultivated the [Taiyin Jade Book], often sensed a kind of sharp aura that was deeply hidden.

It's impossible to tell whether it's some kind of powerful magic weapon or a legendary, vigorous sword cultivation technique... In any case, this mysterious girl is probably hiding her cultivation level, or perhaps she has some other plans.

Suddenly, in Wang Xuan's eyes, Chen Yao's previous behavior seemed to have a deeper meaning.

As expected, she probably already knew that revealing her "true comprehension" would earn her the headmaster's praise, but wouldn't actually make her valued enough to leave the lower academy early. Therefore, she did it on purpose, just to obtain more cultivation resources.

Conversely, if she truly wanted to be valued by the sect, given her usual unintentional insights and judgments, entering the inner sect or even becoming a true disciple would probably not be a problem.

Since Chen Yao has never done so, it proves that there must be some trouble behind it... Although there is no evidence for speculation, the cultivation world does not need evidence.

So Wang Xuan remained silent and observed, without doing anything unnecessary.

Based on his experience, Chen Yao didn't seem like a ruthless demonic cultivator; in fact, she still retained a lot of the naivety typical of young girls.

Within the entire Nanhua Sect, only he and the other party had a good relationship.

If anything changes in the future, I can get firsthand information from her.

……

Of course, there was also an extra little incident during this year.

On one of his returns from the alchemy room, Chen Yao noticed the earth fire energy emanating from Wang Xuan.

Considering that his practice of alchemy was not a secret, he naturally told the truth.

So, because of this, Miss Know-It-All ignored him for a month, and it's unclear whether she was provoked by something.

It wasn't until a month later, when Wang Xuan personally delivered a pill he had refined himself, that she tore off a piece of paper with the words "Sword-bearing Boy" written on it, her expression complicated, and replaced it with another one that she hung on the wall.

Wang Xuan secretly guessed that the paper probably had words like "fire-tending boy" or "royal alchemist" written on it.

……

Several months later, in the alchemy room.

On the futon, Wang Xuan made hand seals, and the fire in the alchemy furnace changed accordingly.

The spirit probed into the furnace, sensing the changes in the medicinal power of the ingredients and the principles of Yin and Yang rising and falling.

A faint burning sensation welled up in Wang Xuan's heart.

However, the power of the Taiyin magic is infinitely mysterious, and in the flow of its energy, all the strange forces are dissipated.

Although he was only at the third level of Qi Refining, Wang Xuan's magical power was still abundant.

The reason why earth vein fire is far less easy to control than cultivator's true fire, and is prone to being mixed with fire poison when refining high-level pills, and is even less wondrous than heaven and earth spiritual fire, is still the first choice for low-level alchemists, is because it can save mana.

Generally speaking, without a cultivation level of at least Foundation Establishment, it is difficult for cultivators to condense true fire that can be used for alchemy, and their magical power is even more difficult to maintain, so they can only rely on external fire sources.

Fortunately, spiritual veins of the third rank and above are formed by the convergence of heavenly essence and earthly energy, and the places where they are located are always accompanied by earth veins. Therefore, earth fire is generated in all the major immortal cities, sects and mountain gates.

Although Baiyun Mountain only has second-tier spiritual veins, it was chosen as the location of the lower academy, so it naturally has earth veins as well.

"...Gather!"

Flames burned fiercely, and waves of heat swept over us.

With hands forming hand seals, the power of the Taiyin magic flowed endlessly.

At one moment, Wang Xuan changed his hand seal and pointed forward.

With the word "Collect," the alchemy furnace appeared in response to the "Collecting Elixir Technique," and a fragrant aroma wafted in on the breeze.

With a light breath, Wang Xuan raised his hand and summoned several pills into his palm.

The successes and failures of previous alchemy attempts flashed through my mind, transforming into a wealth of alchemical knowledge to enrich my experience for the future.

"call--"

"A low-grade first-tier Qi-regulating pill... can regulate breathing and slightly accelerate the flow of mana."

"Theoretically, the ingredients for one batch of Qi-regulating pills can yield twelve pills, but in reality, I only have two inferior ones and one superior one."

"Indeed, without the help of Dao Fruit, even with the medicinal herb quota of a formal alchemist, it is by no means easy to improve one's alchemy skills."

As he tallied the numbers, seeing that he couldn't always produce genuine Qi-regulating pills, Wang Xuan felt a mix of joy and helplessness.

Although he devoted most of his energy to comprehending the [Taiyin Jade Scroll] and improving his cultivation, he also devoted himself to studying alchemy since he had such good conditions.

However, talent is talent, just like his own previous judgment.

In the art of alchemy, his talent can only be described as barely reaching the lower limit of the standard. It cannot be said that he has no talent, but it can only be described as very average.

Just like his mid-grade spiritual root, he has the hope of establishing his foundation, but the success rate is not high.

As a result, he naturally made progress in alchemy.

However, compared to the Dao Fruit's comprehension of the alchemical texts, the difference is immeasurable.

"...It's alright."

"Once this batch of pills is sold, it will be enough to collect the essence blood of a considerable number of first-tier demonic beasts, and then we can get on the fast track."

"Besides that, I also need to find a body-refining technique to cover up my consumption of demon beast blood essence."

He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term.

Although he had already made plans to obtain the essence blood of demonic beasts from outside the sect, Wang Xuan still prepared an excuse in advance to prevent any accidents from happening.