Chapter 422
"You are currently at the early stage of the Golden Core, a time when you need to enhance your spirit. The Taishang Zhenling Dan is perfect for you."
"No reward without effort..."
Zheng Fa felt a bit tempted. After all, alchemy was not a strong suit in the Jiushan Realm. The Taishang Dao, as the Chengkong Master had said, was renowned for its mastery of alchemy.
His progress in the Golden Core stage had indeed been slow. If he could obtain the Taishang Zhenling Dan, it might truly help him.
"I heard rumors that the Grand Master would come early, so I thought I’d compensate you," the Chengkong Master continued. "But you, you don’t want the territory, and I can only reclaim the Qingjing Zhu early. After thinking it over, I can only offer you some useful elixirs."
"I don’t have the Taishang Zhenling Dan on hand; it was brought to me by the Grand Master this time."
It was clear that the Chengkong Master had put some thought into this.
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and decided to speak honestly. "Actually, I’ve already gained some benefits from the Qingjing Zhu. There’s really no need to discuss compensation."
"Benefits?"
The Chengkong Master turned to look at the Qingjing Zhu, which had not lost a single leaf. His expression was one of disbelief, as if he thought Zheng Fa was merely trying to comfort him.
Without saying anything else, he pressed the elixir firmly into Zheng Fa's palm.
"Master?"
"…Do you have any complaints?"
The Chengkong Master suddenly asked.
"Absolutely not!"
"Then take it!" he said with a stern face. "Otherwise, wouldn’t you be putting me in a position of distrust and injustice?"
"…"
With those words, Zheng Fa had no choice but to accept the vial of elixir.
He returned to the laboratory with the Taishang Zhenling Dan in hand.
Uncle Pang, with his keen eyes, immediately spotted the vial and asked curiously, "What’s that?"
"A gift from the Chengkong Master."
"A gift?"
Everyone was taken aback, glancing between the slowly forming Qingjing Zhu embryo in the petri dish and the vial in Zheng Fa's hand, rendered speechless.
Zheng Fa sighed, "What can I do? If I didn’t agree, he would have turned against me."
The Blood River Ancestor wore a thoughtful expression, feeling a sense of enlightenment:
Why does it seem like Zheng Fa is acquiring treasures faster than they do in the Holy Sect, even when it comes to killing and plundering?
He’s learned!
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 350: Who Lacks Insight, the Convergence of Heaven and Earth
"Taishang Zhenling Dan..." The elder furrowed his brow, deep in thought, before shaking his head. "I’ve never heard of it."
Could it be that the Chengkong Master was trying to fool him? The Blood River Ancestor scoffed, "This is one of the secret elixirs of the Taishang Dao."
"The Taishang Dao is famous for its alchemy. Besides its unparalleled methods, it has several secret elixirs." He pointed at the petri dish containing the Qingjing Zhu and said, "For example, the Taiyi Ling Dan, which nourishes spiritual wood, is unmatched in the world."
"And there are others..."
He seemed quite knowledgeable about the Taishang Dao's alchemy, listing several of its major secret elixirs, detailing their names, effects, and suitable recipients...
He was clear and precise about every detail.
It seemed he had never seen Zheng Fa's Golden Core.
"Later, he asked me to teach him the Two Instruments True Solution..."
"…"
"Is this... because of the Fusang wood?" Sister Zhang looked up at the great sun in the sky, guessing.
The Blood River Ancestor felt that the Jiushan Realm was filled with personal worship, with everyone singing Zheng Fa's praises.
"Could Zheng Fa really be like that?"
"Not to mention outsiders; even among the disciples of the Taishang Dao, few have the chance to see this elixir."
The two of them gazed at the Qingjing Zhu, both wearing expressions of anticipation.
"Grand Master?"
The Blood River Ancestor ignored the sarcasm and turned to look at the sun in the sky, where a faint shadow moved, resembling a small figure flailing its arms and legs, beside which floated a phantom of the Fusang wood.
He was acutely aware of even the slightest changes in this realm.
"…" The Blood River Ancestor frowned, feeling puzzled.
"Master Qian reported, 'We can begin the transplant; the medicinal garden has been prepared.'"
---
"Huh?"
Earlier, during the late Foundation Establishment stage, his spirit could cover over a hundred miles, rivaling that of an average Golden Core.
The Mingde Grand Master let out a cold laugh.
But the changes brought by the Qingjing Zhu in the Jiushan Realm were far from over.
"Sorry, sorry, Zheng Fa isn’t here, I couldn’t hold it in..."
The elder's words were filled with either resignation or nonchalance: "His Golden Core and mine... they’re not the same Golden Core."
As the Qingjing Zhu matured, Zheng Fa's perception became especially acute!
Was this the reason for the decline in spiritual energy? Who had been continuously absorbing the spiritual energy from the Xuanwei Realm? Or rather, what was the purpose of absorbing spiritual energy?
The two of them harbored their own secrets, each willing to play along, igniting a passionate fire.
Suddenly, Master Qian shouted.
"That Qin Mu has exceptional talent, so I naturally have high hopes for him. I’ve given him everything he could want, even breaking many rules to secretly grant him numerous secret methods and treasures from within the sect."
"He knows, but he can’t wait, and I’ve been too compliant with him, allowing him to... get used to it."
He attempted to merge his spirit with the Golden Core to break through to the mid-Golden Core stage, but found it still insufficient! Zheng Fa gritted his teeth and swallowed another Taishang Zhenling Dan. This time, however, his spirit's growth was far from satisfactory—only increasing from five hundred fifty miles to six hundred twenty miles.
Now Zheng Fa understood why the Blood River Ancestor, a powerful figure in the Great Freedom Demon Sect, was such a fan of the Taishang Dao.
He was now closer to the limits of the mid-Golden Core stage, but...
Such doubts were not uncommon.
Compared to other early Golden Cores, his spirit should have already broken through to the mid-Golden Core stage.
The sun and moon bells in the medicinal garden rang out melodiously, as if celebrating.
"You don’t understand..." The elder's lips curled into a faint smile. "Just thinking that Golden Core belongs to my disciple, I... hahahaha..."
The Taishang Dao's elixirs...
"That is..."
First, the spiritual energy.
...Hmm, he really hadn’t seen it before.
He suddenly turned his head and beheld a "Golden Core" that would be unforgettable for a lifetime! Looking at the sun on the horizon, the Blood River Ancestor's flying sword trembled slightly beneath him, clearly startled.
"Resistance? The effect is diminishing too quickly..." Zheng Fa muttered to himself, suddenly realizing why the Chengkong Master had only given him three Taishang Zhenling Dans.
According to the records, the range of spirit for someone at the early Golden Core stage was roughly one hundred to three hundred miles, while the mid-Golden Core stage ranged from three hundred to six hundred miles, and in the late stage, it was about six hundred to nine hundred miles.
Zheng Fa frowned, his mind filled with more speculations—
The Qingjing Zhu had not grown particularly fast, but now that he had reached the mid-Golden Core stage, it suddenly sprouted bamboo shoots... It was hard not to draw connections.
When he awoke again, his spirit had noticeably expanded.
Just as he was about to reach his limit, a cold wave surged from within his spirit.
The tender bamboo leaves were greedily absorbing the originally existing thunder-type spiritual energy in the Jiushan Realm, then exhaling a type of spiritual energy that had never existed before in the Jiushan Realm!
"I mean, Zheng Fa just broke through to mid-Golden Core, and you’re this concerned?"
His spirit was exceptionally strong, able to rival that of a Golden Core during the Foundation Establishment stage.
This thing might be useless after one person consumes three of them.
At the moment the Qingjing Zhu matured and the Jiushan Realm evolved, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but lift his head and gaze at the sky.
The Blood River Ancestor could tell that Zheng Fa cared quite a bit about this master of his. Now that he had to spend his days in the Jiushan Realm, he naturally had to flatter him.
The Chengkong Master pondered for a long time before hesitantly defending Zheng Fa.
He looked at the Qingjing Zhu, which was only the length of his forearm, with a hint of pity. He took out a spiritual pill from his sleeve, flicked it with his finger, and the pill transformed into specks of green light, landing on the Qingjing Zhu.
The Chengkong Master’s tone was filled with disappointment.
He tried to sense the movements within a radius of five hundred fifty miles, and nothing escaped his spirit.
"I’m not worried."
One or many, Zheng Fa would still choose!
"Sometimes, being overly accommodating can lead to dissatisfaction."
The Chengkong Master was surprised. "Does he not know that the Two Instruments True Solution is a top-secret within the sect, only the Grand Master can teach?"
Just one question—you're from the Great Freedom Demon Sect, the sworn enemy of the Taishang Dao. What are you so proud of?
In the medicinal garden, Sister Zhang gently tilted her head, looking at the great sun above, watching the little figure in the sunlight, a smile on her face.
But gradually, he seemed to have gotten used to it.
"There’s nothing to regret. If even the Taiyi Ling Dan is useless, then this Qingjing Zhu, not even a celestial being could help." The Mingde Grand Master reached out, grasping the Qingjing Zhu, his voice cold. "That’s enough for me to clean house."
"Huh?"
Now that he had consumed the Taishang Zhenling Dan, his spirit range had widened significantly.
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