Chapter 133: Shadowy Forces, Su Lingxiu Refines the Evergreen Pellet

Chapter 133: Shadowy Forces, Su Lingxiu Refines the Evergreen Pellet

Meng Chong saw that Meng Shushu's face was deathly pale, his breath erratic, and his injuries were not light. Gritting his teeth, he took out a small bottle.

No gain comes without some sacrifice. He poured out a pill and said, "Come, eat this pill, and your injuries will heal soon."

However, Meng Shushu became wary. Could this pill be a means to control him?

"No need, I also have healing medicine..."

"What kind of useless healing medicine do you have that can compare to mine?" Meng Chong rebutted as he put the pill away. Holding the pill in his palm, his face showed his reluctance to part with it. Without another word, he pushed the pill into Meng Shushu's mouth.

"This pill was refined using eighteen sixth-grade spirit herbs with a special method. I don't have many of these, each one is priceless. For the sake of your injuries, I'm really giving it my all!" Meng Chong said, his face still reluctant.

Meng Shushu had no chance to dodge, and the pill was already in his mouth. His heart sank as he thought he was now under someone else's control.

But to his surprise, the pill melted instantly, and a medicinal force flowed through his body. His erratic breath gradually stabilized, and his injuries began to heal.

He was astonished. What kind of healing medicine was this?

"Thank you, Brother Meng!"

He felt ashamed, having suspected Meng Chong of ulterior motives.

"You're welcome," Meng Chong replied, still looking pained. "This is a specially made medicine. It uses eighteen sixth-grade spirit herbs, which are very rare. I don't have many of these pills."

Meng Shushu: ...

Taking out the Spirit Herb Treasure Key, he handed it to Meng Chong. "Brother Meng, this is a key to a spirit herb treasure site. Inside, there are sixth-grade spirit herbs, and not just one.

"Also, I suspect there might be a fifth-grade spirit herb there, which is why they were chasing me relentlessly!"

Meng Chong was stunned. A fifth-grade spirit herb?

"Let's go get those spirit herbs!" he exclaimed eagerly.

"Brother Meng, there will definitely be Sect Masters guarding the treasure site, and not just one," Meng Shushu said gravely.

"Are there Grand Sect Masters?" Meng Chong asked.

"Probably not," Meng Shushu shook his head. "After all, Grand Sect Masters are high above, why would they bother with guarding a place? Besides, I'm not worth a Grand Sect Master's effort."

"If there are no Grand Sect Masters, then it's fine," Meng Chong breathed a sigh of relief.

"But there won't be a lack of Sect Masters, and there might even be several Peak Sect Masters," Meng Shushu warned.

"Don't worry, it's just one slash per person. At most, two slashes. It won't be a problem. Let's set off now," Meng Chong said nonchalantly.

Meng Shushu recalled that formidable slash, capable of taking down a Sect Master with ease.

Of course, how many slashes Meng Chong could make with that level of power was unknown. But since Meng Chong was confident, he should be able to handle a dozen or so Sect Masters.

Once again, Meng Shushu was shocked by Meng Chong's strength.

"Okay, let's go!"

Meng Shushu's heart hardened as well. Since they wanted to chase and kill him, he would show them no mercy.

"Who are they? What kind of force has so many Sect Master-level cultivators?" Meng Chong asked curiously as they set off.

"I don't know," Meng Shushu shook his head. "This force is strong, but they don't seem to have a reputation in the Inner Domain. They should be one of the shadowy forces."

Shadowy forces operated in secrecy, hiding their true strength and sometimes engaging in unsavory activities.

...

After Meng Chong brought back the Bone Strengthening Flower, Su Lingxiu began adjusting the formula for the Evergreen Pellet and started experimenting with refining it. After all, it was unlikely to succeed on the first try with a new formula.

Since there was only one Bone Strengthening Flower, she had to be extremely careful. Thus, before attempting to refine the Evergreen Pellet, Su Lingxiu practiced with other medicinal ingredients.

Meanwhile, Li Xuan turned his attention to his new realm. He had already figured out the realm above the Insightful Stage and how to construct the theoretical framework for cultivation.

"The Insightful Stage is about cultivating true yuan, merging it with the heaven and earth's spiritual energy. This is pretty much the limit of true qi cultivation. The next realm is about cultivating spiritual power, or cultivating the divine soul. That Wu senior had his body stolen, and the martial artist who did that must have had a divine soul.

"It can be confirmed that the person is a powerful cultivator above the Grand Sect Master stage."

As Li Xuan summarized his findings, he also began perfecting his cultivation theory.

"How should spiritual power be cultivated? How should the divine soul be condensed? There's a strange acupoint called the Niwan Palace, so the stage above Insightful Stage should be about opening the Niwan Palace..."

Li Xuan gradually perfected the cultivation theory above the Insightful Stage, refining it day by day, striving to ensure a smooth transition from the Insightful Stage.

Li Xuan glanced at it and was slightly surprised to find that Kuo Ruozhi had already refined his bones. His cultivation speed far surpassed Shi Er's, a testament to his superior talent.

"Miss, I've selected one hundred and twenty loyal followers of the teaching, who have begun their martial arts training. Twelve have completed the Refine Skin stage, fifty have achieved great success, and the rest are at the initial and minor success stages of Refine Skin," Kuo Ruozhi reported. "As for the Xu family, twenty-six individuals have become martial artists.

"Old Qi Huang has also started his cultivation and surprisingly possesses some talent, having achieved great success in the Refine Skin stage.

"Additionally, the cultivation method for the Refine Skin realm has spread, and the number of practitioners is increasing. I'm working with Xu Junhe to reshape the beliefs surrounding martial artists.

"I believe it won't be long before a significant number of martial artists emerge in Bianhuang."

Kuo Ruozhi briefed Su Lingxiu on the changes in Bianhuang.

Martial arts was beginning to spread in Bianhuang.

"As for Wu Kingdom, the Wu Emperor himself paid a visit and acquired the martial arts cultivation method. We've reached an agreement; our shared goal is to enter the Inner Domain.

"The Xu family has become the sacred ground of Bianhuang martial arts, and all martial artists worship the Martial Saint.

"When we enter the Inner Domain, the martial artists of Bianhuang will surely make their mark."

Kuo Ruozhi's face shone with excitement.

Rebellion was child's play; the true test of a man was to venture into the Inner Domain and compete with its martial artists.

"Also, the Heavenly Mother Sect is preparing to disband, and I plan to transform it into the Medicine King Sect. Miss Su, what are your thoughts on this?"

Su Lingxiu paused, deep in thought.

She knew that eventually, she would have to enter the Inner Domain, and the Heavenly Mother Sect was already under her influence. Now, with its reorganization, it needed a new identity.

"I cultivate the Dan Medicine Martial Dao, focusing on medicine. Once I enter the Inner Domain, conflict will be inevitable, and to establish myself, I must possess overwhelming strength.

"And this strength must not only be my own; I need a sufficient number of powerful allies to secure more resources."

With this in mind, Su Lingxiu considered her options and said, "Select some talented and capable individuals and establish the Evergreen Pavilion—that will be its temporary name."

Kuo Ruozhi was taken aback by the name.

"Yes, yes, Miss Su, your foresight is admirable! Everlasting like the ancients, excellent, excellent!" he flattered.

Su Lingxiu tossed him a pill, saying, "You've started refining your bones. Take this pill; it will help you in your endeavors."

"Yes, yes!" Kuo Ruozhi exclaimed happily.

After delivering his report, Kuo Ruozhi took his leave.

Li Xuan was deep in thought. The number of people cultivating martial arts in Bianhuang was increasing, and there were already several dozen who had entered the martial arts realm.

Moreover, every cultivator revered him as the Martial Saint, or as some called him, the Bianhuang Wu Zu (Martial Ancestor of Bianhuang)

, or more accurately, the Grand Martial Ancestor of Bianhuang.

However, up to this point, he had not received any feedback from the golden finger.

"Is it because the number of cultivators is still too small?" Li Xuan wondered.

"Disciples are more reliable," he mused. "It's been a while since I've heard from Xu Yan. I wonder how close he is to breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Precelestial Realm?"

It had been a while since he had received any golden finger feedback from Xu Yan as well.

"Meng Chong went to the Inner Domain, but he hasn't brought me any feedback either. It seems that there aren't many Grand Masters among martial artists," Li Xuan thought to himself.

Meng Chong had ventured into the Inner Domain and swiftly defeated a Grand Master.

However, Li Xuan hadn't received any feedback from him in a while, indicating that he hadn't encountered and defeated another Grand Master.

Indeed, Grand Masters were scarce and elite in the Inner Domain, not easy opponents to come across.

The red cat strolled over and sat in front of Li Xuan, its eyes fixed on him expectantly.

The thick gold chain around its neck had been lengthened by Shi Er, who couldn't bear to see it become too tight as the cat grew in size.

"You still don't understand?" Li Xuan sighed. The red cat was more intelligent than the average fierce beast, but it wasn't human.

Nonetheless, it seemed to have grasped something, as evidenced by its larger physique.

Li Xuan picked up his bamboo staff and proceeded to point out the cat's meridian points, explaining the Great Demon's Method.

He taught it how to open its meridians, nurture its physical body, and condense the body of a great demon.

"I'll tell you this: the first meridian point to open is in your head. Once you open it, your intelligence will likely improve," Li Xuan said, pointing to a meridian point on the cat's head.

The red cat looked at him with a confused but curious expression.

"Alright, figure it out on your own. If you keep getting bigger, you won't be cute anymore, and I might get the urge to stew you," Li Xuan teased.

"Master, do you think too highly of the red cat? How could it possibly understand the Demon's Way? I doubt it even remembers the acupoints you taught it," Su Lingxiu said, doubtful of the cat's abilities.

"That's not necessarily true. Look how much bigger it's gotten," Li Xuan said with a smile. "Even if it can't cultivate into a great demon, it's getting stronger. It could be useful for pulling a cart or carrying people."

Su Lingxiu nodded. She twisted the hem of her clothes in her hands and asked, "Master, how can I refine the Evergreen Bone? I've been stuck at the Golden Bone stage for several days now."

Li Xuan glanced at his third disciple, recognizing her as another talented prodigy. He had always suspected that Su Lingxiu might have a unique body constitution. However, the Evergreen Bone was truly extraordinary and not easily refined.

"Evergreen, evergreen, everlasting and eternal. It's about vitality and perpetuity," Li Xuan explained. "Your senior disciple has the flawless Jade Bone, the purest foundation. Your second senior disciple has the Adamantine Vajra Bone, the sturdiest of bones. As for the Evergreen Bone of the Dan Medicine Martial Dao, it's about perpetuity and abundant vitality, like a small seedling growing into a towering tree. The Evergreen Bone is the foundation of your Dan Medicine Martial Dao. It's about understanding yourself and harmonizing with the profound principles of everlasting life."

Su Lingxiu fell into deep thought, contemplating her master's words. Her mind wandered to the Dan Medicine Manual and the various pill formulas, reflecting on her recent insights.

"Thank you, Master," she said respectfully.

Back at her cultivation spot, Su Lingxiu continued to ponder. Her master's words had given her a new perspective.

Everlasting and eternal, abundant vitality... How could one achieve that?

She looked at the flowers she had planted. Some had already withered, their petals fallen, but the leaves on the branches were still lush and green, and some yellowed leaves lay on the ground. However, there were also flowers in full bloom, different varieties that were in season.

In her daze, she seemed to have a sudden realization.

Unconsciously, she took out a refined Evergreen Pellet and popped it into her mouth. Sitting amidst the flowers, she quietly cultivated, and at one point, she seemed to feel a vibrant vitality within her.

The fragrance of the flowers filled her nostrils and soothed her mind. She envisioned the lush green leaves, the yellowed fallen leaves, the old leaves dropping, and the new buds growing—wasn't this also perpetuity?

Suddenly, Su Lingxiu felt her bottleneck loosening, and her skeleton seemed to resonate with a strange sensation. Slowly, she felt a gentle, warm current flowing through her bones.

Li Xuan raised his eyebrows. Su Lingxiu was about to break through to the Evergreen Bone stage.

"Once the Evergreen Bone is refined, it will be time for organ refinement. For Su Lingxiu, organ refinement won't be difficult. She'll soon be able to enter the realm of martial arts," Li Xuan thought to himself.

"After she breaks through to the Qi and Blood Realm, she can start refining pills with her qi and blood.

"And the Dan Medicine Manual will advance even further, not too far away!"

Li Xuan felt elated. Once Su Lingxiu entered the realm of martial arts, he would gain feedback from the Dan Medicine Martial Dao, especially with the Evergreen Bone. The combination of the Jade Bone, the Adamantine Vajra Bone, and the Evergreen Bone would surely bring about another transformation.

Suddenly, the long-absent golden light appeared.

Li Xuan's heart leaped with joy. Which disciple had brought this feedback?

"Your disciple Xu Yan has been tempering his mental state in the Unparalleled Pavilion, comprehending the myriad phenomena of the world. You have achieved perfection in the myriad phenomena of the world!"

Boom!

In that instant, the Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers that Li Xuan had mastered underwent a transformation.

Within the mountains and rivers, there were no longer just vague landscapes but shadows of living beings. Birds soared in the sky, fish swam in the flowing rivers, insects crawled among the grass, and faintly, there seemed to be people laboring in the fields.

"Wow!"

Li Xuan was astonished. This Myriad Phenomena of the World was indeed illusory, but it marked a significant advancement and pointed to the direction in which his Sword Intent of Mountains and Rivers should develop.

At this moment, it seemed as if there were sentient beings within the mountains and rivers.

Of course, it was all very illusory, as this was just the foundation of the Myriad Phenomena of the World, and his achievement was merely a basic perfection.

Even so, Li Xuan could sense the profound meaning and immense power contained within the Myriad Phenomena of the World.

"What kind of power would I possess if, one day, the mountains and rivers become like the heavens and the earth?" Li Xuan dared not imagine.

Of course, all of this relied on the support of one's martial arts realm. Without a strong enough cultivation base, one couldn't perfect the Myriad Phenomena of the World, even if they comprehended it.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end