Chapter 423
As soon as the Taishang Zhenling Dan entered his mouth, it felt like he had taken a sip of ice water. A chill surged through his throat, causing his whole body to shiver slightly.
Zheng Fa sat cross-legged in the quiet room, uncorking the jade vial. A refreshing fragrance wafted out, clearing his mind by a third.
Slowly, the Qingjing Bamboo sprouted three branches and unfurled ten leaves, as if it were about to come back to life.
Originally planted in the medicinal garden, the Qingjing Bamboo was now growing at an astonishing rate!
Zheng Fa truly believed it.
But the moment the Qingjing Bamboo sprouted its leaves, everything changed!
Though others couldn’t sense it, Zheng Fa, having mastered the Jiushan Realm through the Sun and Moon Bell, felt the shift.
He put away the vial and asked Qian Zhenren, "What’s happening with the Qingjing Bamboo?"
Only then did Chengkong Shangren understand the complex reasons behind the betrayal of the Youming Immortal.
Now, the Qingjing Bamboo seemed to have rectified this flaw—at least some common spells were no longer restricted in the Jiushan Realm.
It appeared that the spiritual roots of heaven and earth possessed a capability akin to photosynthesis, transforming the singular spiritual energy of the cave world into various types.
The Qingjing Bamboo could absorb external spiritual energy to strengthen the Jiushan Realm, which meant that if the total amount of spiritual energy remained fixed, the external energy would naturally decrease.
Chengkong Shangren hadn’t expected that the headmaster would think this way.
The Qingjing Bamboo was brimming with the essence of wood, vibrant and lively, trembling slightly in the air as it began to grow anew.
What caught everyone’s attention even more was the way he spoke about it, his brows dancing with excitement, a hint of pride on his face.
Zheng Fa felt as if his soul had plunged into a silent ice cave, surrounded by an oppressive darkness, devoid of sound, even of heaven and earth.
"What a pity..."
"To bestow kindness, one must also make others understand the value of that kindness."
Qian Zhenren shook his head, staring blankly at the bamboo shoots on the ground, murmuring, "Did we... really cultivate the spiritual roots of heaven and earth?"
His soul drifted within the golden core, and the fiery light that had once tormented him now felt like a gentle scraping, gradually polishing his spirit.
...
"I don’t see it that way. How could others understand the value of the Qingjing Bamboo? How do you know that when he returns the Qingjing Bamboo, he won’t harbor resentment?"
Cultivating the Qingjing Bamboo was a slow process, but with the help of the Jiushan spiritual veins, it grew smoothly in the petri dish.
What was even stranger was that the chill didn’t settle in his belly but surged into his head, flowing directly into his Niwan Palace, leaving his forehead feeling numb.
Suddenly, Zheng Fa had an epiphany. He had been pondering why Chengkong Shangren said that the spiritual roots of heaven and earth would lead to the evolution of the cave world.
"Do you think my wayward disciple betrayed the Taishang Dao for no reason?"
Suddenly, a light bright enough to illuminate the entire Jiushan Realm shone from behind him, from the direction of Zheng Fa’s courtyard.
The roots sank into the ground, piercing the mantle, spreading like a spider web, as if it were grasping this vast land with its own roots! Zheng Fa finally understood the meaning of the so-called spiritual roots of heaven and earth—branches reaching to the heavens, roots sinking to the underworld; this Qingjing Bamboo had naturally become one with the universe.
Zheng Fa watched him in silence, his expression one of confusion.
"I also thought that wayward disciple respected his master and was devoted to the path. Later, he truly abandoned everything for his own way." Seeing Zheng Fa still hesitant and unconvinced, Mingde, the headmaster, waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to elaborate further, "Since the Qingjing Bamboo is fine, I won’t dwell on it."
Yet, his golden core was exceptionally powerful, appearing to be dozens of times larger than others! This made his soul a weak point...
Blood River Old Ancestor observed for a long time before suddenly sighing, "If we can truly cultivate the Qingjing Bamboo, what’s the significance of the Taishang Zhenling Dan?"
With each breath, his soul seemed to slowly sink into hibernation, becoming oblivious and unaware.
"Mid-stage golden core..." Blood River Old Ancestor understood this was a sign of the mid-stage golden core, but while others at this stage cultivated their Yuan Ying, Zheng Fa’s mid-stage golden core felt like it had birthed a solar deity!
As the bamboo shoot took shape, sprouting nodes and leaves, the entire Jiushan Realm was undergoing unprecedented changes.
Blood River Old Ancestor wouldn’t be helping Chengkong Shangren boast; his enthusiasm suggested that this elixir truly had some extraordinary qualities.
In recent years, Xiao Qing had transformed from a slender young temple keeper into a somewhat graceful adult woman.
The spiritual energy of the Jiushan Realm was quite singular, as the energy contained within the Sun and Moon Bell was primarily thunder-type spiritual symbols.
When Zheng Fa first entered the golden core stage, he was almost equivalent to the mid-stage.
It seemed like these elixirs belonged to his family...
"I just wanted to remind you... no matter how much you value this person, the rules cannot be broken!"
"Ah?"
Zheng Fa’s soul slowly embraced this sun.
After that, no matter how the wood spiritual energy was stimulated, the Qingjing Bamboo didn’t sprout a single extra branch.
He couldn’t possibly know.
Thinking everyone was as ignorant as he was! "Oh right, you were killed by Chengkong Shangren after Zheng Fa formed his core." The elder realized this from his expression.
...
At about a thousand miles, this was the limit of the golden core stage; one needed the Yuan Ying to fully take shape for a surge in power.
He swallowed hard, glancing back at the elder, who was looking at him with a face that seemed to say—"You’ve never seen anything like this, have you?"
But this was indeed the limit.
Blood River Old Ancestor seemed to sense something was off, awkwardly closing his mouth, clearing his throat, and muttering, "Just out of curiosity, just out of curiosity."
"The Qingjing Bamboo has been retrieved?"
Thus, Zheng Fa’s golden core was too strong, and the heat refining his soul was greater, causing him more pain.
Moreover, I’m still a transformation stage cultivator, having seen far more golden cores than you.
Later, when he advanced to the golden core stage, his soul expanded once, nearly covering over three hundred miles.
On the Fusang tree in his dantian hung a small sun—this was his golden core, and the light from the core was particles colliding in a life-and-death struggle.
Chengkong Shangren slowly widened his eyes, looking at Mingde, the headmaster.
His tone carried a hint of disinterest.
Chengkong Shangren’s expression changed: "Is this... the Taiyi Ling Dan?"
Mingde slowly shook his head, a mix of sorrow and anger on his face: "Later, I learned that he had studied the methods of the Great Freedom Demon Sect and could no longer control himself, wanting to merge the two schools with the True Solution of the Two Instruments."
You, a Yuan Ying, what golden core haven’t you seen?
The growth of the Qingjing Bamboo still required time, and with Sister Zhang watching over it, there was no need for him to keep a constant watch.
...
According to Blood River Old Ancestor, when he was alive, his life-protecting flying sword was within the Jiushan Realm but was suppressed by the Sun and Moon Bell.
...
In his perception, the Qingjing Bamboo was still growing slowly, and the Jiushan Realm was growing alongside it!
He was currently sitting in the elder’s courtyard.
The elder was coveting the bit of transformation knowledge in Blood River Old Ancestor’s head, deliberately trying to engage him.
Its branches and leaves soared upward, forming a small umbrella that held up the heavens of the Nine Islands! Meanwhile, its roots pierced through the bottom of the medicinal garden island, heading toward the mundane world of the Jiushan Realm.
"Mm." The elder stroked his long beard, nodding with a smile, while humbly saying, "My wayward disciple’s unremarkable golden core."
Blood River Old Ancestor noticed the elder occasionally glancing toward Zheng Fa’s courtyard and couldn’t help but chuckle:
"I’m not worried about that."
Even now, his soul could rival those of late-stage golden core cultivators, yet he felt as if he was about to be burned out.
Zheng Fa glanced at the last Taishang Zhenling Dan in the jade vial, pondering for a moment before sealing it with the wooden cork—though taking the last Taishang Zhenling Dan might still allow his soul to grow a bit, keeping it might help him slowly analyze this thing in the future.
Sister Zhang moved her fingers, and the Mountain River Seal floated in the air, with the spiritual energy from the Jiushan spiritual veins cascading like a colorful waterfall, gently nourishing this small mound.
Zheng Fa simply returned to his own courtyard, preparing to take the Taishang Zhenling Dan.
Blood River Old Ancestor twitched his mouth, clearly thinking that this former head of the Jiushan Sect was a bit peculiar.
"Seeing it without understanding it, what good does that do?"
"Zhang Zhenren! The Qingjing Bamboo!"
Zheng Fa looked up at the sky, and in the mundane world of the Jiushan Realm, Xiao Qing, like millions of ordinary people, gazed up at the heavens of the Jiushan Realm.
"Yes, it took a lot of effort to refine this batch, just to treat the Qingjing Bamboo."
"Worried about your disciple?"
He controlled his soul and once again directed it toward his dantian.
Thus, he had wasted many days in the early golden core stage—but to be honest, he wasn’t actually slower than others; it just lacked the exaggerated speed that seemed to yield a baby in a year.
Blood River Old Ancestor seemed to realize he had revealed something and quickly changed the subject: "Speaking of the Taishang Zhenling Dan, it’s said to be the most suitable elixir for the golden core stage. Not only can it nurture the soul, but it also has certain benefits for forming a baby... I’ve heard that taking the Taishang Zhenling Dan can increase the chances of forming a baby by up to ten percent. Such an elixir is rare even for the Taishang Dao to refine a few batches."
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