Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

The day after Chen Yu arrived, Lu Qian had already successfully analyzed the seed and could outline it in one stroke. This made him feel that his thinking had broadened a lot. The palm thunder that he had previously thought was complicated now seemed to have become simple.

Compared to Seed Recognition, Palm Thunder is indeed quite simple, it's just not easy to control, and its complexity is only so-so.

What followed was a process of trial and error.

Lu Qian was constantly exploring suitable locations within his heart in his inner world in order to open the heart aperture. Logically, this step should involve finding a method to open the star aperture, but there was none. If others do not have an inner world, how can they find the location to open the star aperture?

After all, for an ordinary person to open their heart, if they make a mistake once, they will either die immediately or at least suffer organ damage. Even if they can be cured after several attempts, it will still take a lot of time. Lu Qian has tried at least hundreds of times and still hasn't found the right spot. Can an ordinary person wait for their heart to recover hundreds of times?

If it's about opening the eye aperture, one attempt could very well result in losing your eye. There's no room for hundreds of trials and errors, since the eye is relatively small. Finding the location to open the star aperture requires even more care, and the margin for error is much lower than that for the heart.

The only other method Lu Qian could think of was to use people to test the technique. Of course, everyone's body is different, so there will definitely be some differences, but as long as there are enough people, it is still possible to find suitable people to test the technique. Wouldn't that turn it into a demonic technique? He felt a chill in his heart.

Five days after Lu Qian returned, Zhao Qi came to visit. He shouldn't have been so late in learning the news; he was probably observing the situation and only came to visit after confirming that Lu Qian was alright.

Lu Qian understood this point and didn't care about anything. He had only gone on the pearl-collecting mission for the sake of the alchemy furnace, so he had assumed the risks himself. He just hadn't expected what would happen later.

When Zhao Qi saw Lu Qian, he seemed somewhat apologetic and immediately bowed. "I only asked you to go pearl harvesting, I never expected it to cause such a big commotion. But after I learned that you had been arrested, I immediately went to inform Li Jingchen, and since they have been dragging their feet and not taking any action, there's nothing I can do."

Lu Qian knew some of the details but not the specifics. Upon hearing this, he could only sigh and say, "Others specifically target the weak, and I just happened to unintentionally angered them. I guess it's a case of 'beauty is a curse,' half and half!"

Zhao Qi had heard Lu Qian mention this reason before, and it was no exception this time, but he still gave an awkward smile, "It might not be just that. I found out about it in advance, which is why I sent you over."

"In some people's eyes, I took the benefits but did not inform them after learning about them, and then withdrew in advance. I am a traitor, so they hate me. This may be one of the reasons."

Lu Qian hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he found it strange. "Why did you get the news, Senior Brother? Didn't those people get it? And it seems the Punishment Hall didn't come looking for you?"

Could it be that Zhao Qi was the one who informed the Punishment Hall? Otherwise, it seems impossible to explain these things.

"There are too many rumors and too much information within the sect. These rumors often circulate, and over time, everyone becomes skeptical. They also believe they have powerful connections, so they stop taking them seriously."

Zhao Qi explained seriously, "As for why the Punishment Hall didn't come looking for me, it's because they didn't catch me on the spot. Let bygones be bygones, there's no need to dwell on such a small matter."

Lu Qian felt that the truth of the matter was not so simple. It was very likely that Zhao Qi had indeed played the role of informant. Therefore, the rumors that Lu Qian was the informant might not be wrong, because Lu Qian went to collect pearls in place of Zhao Qi. In the eyes of outsiders, the two of them were in cahoots and inseparable.

However, not wanting to expose someone directly, Lu Qian smiled and said, "It seems Senior Brother is indeed cautious and has escaped unscathed!"

Zhao Qi chuckled, forcing a smile, "Luck, just good luck! But we should still learn from this: don't reach out, or you'll get caught!"

How dare you say this when you benefited from it but escaped the law?

Lu Qian inwardly scoffed, but still feigned agreement, saying, "Senior brother is right, I'll remember that!"

The two chatted for a while, and as it was time to say goodbye, Zhao Qi took out a jade slip. "This is a pill formula I inherited before. I was originally thinking of selling it to you, but this incident has escalated, and I dare not discuss spirit stones anymore. Consider this my apology!"

Lu Qian declined, saying, "There's no need for that. That alchemy furnace is enough! If I were to buy one myself, I probably wouldn't have saved enough spirit stones by now!"

Zhao Qi shook his head. "It's different! You were lucky this time to come out intact. If you hadn't been so lucky, you might have encountered something else. So, I'll still give it to you!"

In the end, Lu Qian accepted the jade slip. He really needed it now, and Zhao Qi's attitude was firm, not insincere, so he accepted it without hesitation.

His alchemy skills were just beginning to take shape, and he needed pill formulas. If he could succeed in alchemy, he could exchange them for cultivation resources and no longer have to work hard on missions and constantly run into obstacles.

"Let's see what's inside..."

Lu Qian examined the information in the jade slip and quickly discovered some precautions for alchemy, as well as techniques for alchemy. The techniques looked quite rudimentary and were far inferior to what Xu Kuzhou had taught him.

The most valuable items are the three pill formulas: Huangya Pill, Xiao Huiling Pill, and Qingling Pill.

Huangya Dan, needless to say, is a pill used at the beginning of cultivation that can enhance one's cultivation level.

The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is a Qi-restoring pill, which is quite useful before the mid-stage of Qi Refining, as it can quickly restore half of one's true Qi.

In the later stages of Qi Refining, it becomes somewhat useless, as it can only restore less than 30% of the original Qi. This is because the later stages of Qi Refining use the real Qi Restoration Pill, which is naturally more effective than the Lesser Qi Restoration Pill.

The Qingling Pill is different; it's a truly valuable formula, a pill for protecting the meridians.

After consuming it, a pure and refreshing energy will be generated, which can be used to reduce the pressure on the meridians and allow the true energy to circulate more times, thus truly improving the cultivation speed. It is useful even in the later stages of Qi Refining.

This thing isn't too expensive individually, but it's consumed in large quantities, and most inner disciples can't afford to use it for a long time.

"The meridian-protecting pill I've been longing for has finally arrived."

If the Qingling Pills are continuously available, Lu Qian's cultivation speed can be increased significantly, even surpassing that of a second-level spiritual root. Of course, if a second-level spiritual root has a sufficient supply of Qingling Pills, that would be a different story, but Qingling Pills are definitely not something that every second-level spiritual root can afford.

"Learning to refine the Cleansing Pill is a great thing, whether for sale or for personal use."

Lu Qian had an urge to immediately gather medicinal herbs and start the furnace. Once he learned how to refine the Qingling Pill, he would have a skill to make a living.

However, he quickly calmed down. "The herbs in the prescription aren't cheap either; they need to be collected slowly. For now, I should focus on cultivating my Qi circulation!"