Lying Low While Cultivating Immortality in Two Worlds Chapter 135

Beside the Ice Soul Cold Spring.

Fang Qing casually tossed the Mysterious Soul Stone into the bottom of the pool.

Refining the Mysterious Soul Nourishing Pill was no easy task for water-thod alchemists. It was a tal-stone type pill, and the initial quenching process often proved an enormous hurdle.

Fortunately, this third-rank Ice Soul Cold Spring possessed astonishing frigid qi. It was more than enough to pulverize tal and stone, saving Fang Qing a great deal of effort.

He even had ti to let his thoughts wander while the pill refined.

“The Zhong Family, Zhong Lingxiu has been missing for so long. He has most likely taken the risk of crossing the ten-thousand-li sea route to the Eastern Sea cultivation world.”

“As for the remaining direct-line Zhong Family mbers, they have truly regressed. Their aptitude is too poor to reach Foundation Establishnt, and they were wiped out by rogue cultivators. That Ice Soul Pearl Talisman Treasure, however, has now fallen into my hands.”

“This pearl can unleash Ice Soul Profound Light, which is a third-rank technique.”

First-rank Ice Soul Spiritual Water, second-rank Ice Soul Cold Light, and only at third rank did one reach Ice Soul Profound Light, which already possessed the power of a divine ability!

With this technique the Zhong Family Ancestor had been able to contend against the Chaos-Sea Flood Serpent’s innate divine ability of overturning rivers and seas.

“I wonder whether a third-rank demon beast’s innate divine ability is the sa as the divine abilities cultivated by Purple Mansion experts?”

Fang Qing’s thoughts drifted further. “And this art of divining the heavenly secrets is truly a wonderful thing. If I had no other golden finger and relied solely on one hexagram per day, I might have remained destitute and frustrated in Ancient Shu, but here in the Qi Refining path I would certainly rise. Of course, my own divination art is boosted by the Dao-Genesis Pearl’s rank. Without the pearl, even in this clear-skied, monopolized Qi Refining world, I could only manage to divine my own good or bad fortune.”

Divination arts of this kind strictly forbade attempting to calculate the fate of anyone whose realm surpassed one’s own or who possessed heavy treasures that suppressed their own destiny.

If Fang Qing had not been divined by Spiritual Master San Ji in person last ti, triggering the Dao-Genesis Pearl’s automatic defense and allowing him to borrow a trace of its rank, his divination art would never have advanced so dramatically.

Even at its current level, such heavenly secret arts were nothing remarkable in Ancient Shu. They could only be considered slightly better than useless.

Here in the Minor Huan Sea, however, they delivered an overwhelming advantage.

Inside the side hall.

Zhan Hongxiu sat in silent ditation refining qi, while her scholar-dressed junior brother paced back and forth with an anxious expression. “A whole month has passed. Who knows how the senior’s pill refining is progressing… Sigh. If only we had been thick-skinned enough to ask to observe the process.”

Zhan Hongxiu opened her eyes, feeling sowhat helpless.

Normally rogue cultivator pill-refining sessions could be observed, but the situation was different now. That third-rank Ice Soul Cold Spring was a sect treasure, and she had neither the courage nor the face to request such a favor.

The senior’s teasing words before he left still left her heart pounding with fear.

‘Did that senior notice my hairpin is a storage artifact? With how greedy he is, why has he not examined it?’

Her thoughts churned endlessly, worry written plainly across her face.

Seeing this, the scholar-dressed junior brother grew even more alard. He lowered his voice. “Senior Sister… Senior Brother has always disliked us. This ti we acted on our own initiative… If it fails, the consequences will be unthinkable.”

The disciples under Greenwater Rogue Cultivator were not a harmonious group; infighting was common.

Or rather, wherever there were benefits, harmony was impossible.

If Zhan Hongxiu succeeded in obtaining the Mysterious Soul Nourishing Pill through this private action, everyone would rejoice and she would earn great rit.

If it failed, Senior Brother might even pin the bla for their master’s worsening injuries on them!

“Relax. I have inquired about him. Island Master Fang personally oversaw the refining of Foundation Establishnt Pills back then. He is a genuine second-rank superior alchemist.” Zhan Hongxiu comforted him.

“What does second-rank superior alchemist matter? That Yuan alchemist was also hyped to the skies before.”

The scholar lowered his voice further. “Even if he succeeds, what if he deliberately fails or drags it out for several years? This is a water-thod refinent of a tal-stone pill. Delaying for years is entirely possible. By then, if Master’s injuries worsen or he passes away, we will lose our backer. The garrison overseer will devour both us and Sanyuan Island whole.”

“This…”

Zhan Hongxiu had not considered the worst-case scenario. Her heart tightened.

At that mont a person entered the side hall. It was Xiang Dahu, his honest features unchanged.

“Senior!”

The scholar’s heart imdiately filled with unease. He wondered whether his deliberately lowered voice had been overheard by this Foundation Establishnt cultivator’s divine sense.

To his surprise, Xiang Dahu’s expression remained calm. He simply said, “The island master has erged from seclusion. He requests both of you to co to the main hall.”

“Could it be…”

Zhan Hongxiu and the scholar exchanged a glance. Joy blood on both their faces.

Inside the Ice Snow Main Hall.

“We pay our respects to the island master…”

Zhan Hongxiu pulled her junior brother down into a deep bow. Fang Qing casually tossed a jade bottle down from the head seat.

When they opened it, they found a single golden pill inside. Three distinct pill lines marked its surface, and a strange fragrance wafted out.

“Perfect. It matches the pill formula exactly. This is indeed the Mysterious Soul Nourishing Pill. To refine a tal-stone pill in only one month, Island Master’s alchemy skill is unmatched in the world.”

Zhan Hongxiu continued heaping praise after praise, while the scholar-dressed junior brother beside her felt a wave of sha. He realized how petty his suspicions had been.

“Enough. I know the two of you are eager to return, so I will not keep you any longer.”

Fang Qing found the scene rather amusing. He waved his hand and let Zhan Hongxiu and her junior brother depart.

“Young Master? That man insulted you. Allow to follow them quietly and kill him…”

Xiang Dahu appeared without a sound and spoke in a cold voice.

“No need. I do not even require physiognomy to know that junior brother is close to Zhan Hongxiu and is destined for an untily death. I cannot be bothered to dirty my own hands.”

Fang Qing had no interest in staining his hands. His expression turned slightly strange as he took out another jade bottle.

Inside this bottle lay a single Mysterious Soul Nourishing Pill.

“When a alchemist refines more pills than the requested amount, keeping the extras is standard practice in the trade. a little bonus, so to speak.”

“Judging by Zhan Hongxiu’s expression, she never imagined I could produce two from a single batch.”

He toyed with the pill for a mont before quietly storing it away.

This particular pill was rather niche, yet it could nd soul injuries. It was truly a rare find.

“Who would have thought. I almost never refine pills for others, yet the one ti I do, I profit handsoly.”

A faint smile curved Fang Qing’s lips. He habitually perford a quick divination on the matter. “Hmm? It seems there are still so loose ends to this affair?”

Zhan Hongxiu wasted no ti after receiving the pill. She and her junior brother sped back to Sanyuan Island like lightning.

The mont they landed on a mountain peak, a streak of escape light flew up to et them. It belonged to a black-robed man at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

“So it is Senior Brother!”

Zhan Hongxiu offered a respectful greeting. This Senior Brother, Lu Lingfeng, was a collateral mber of the Lu Family on Sanyuan Island. He had been lucky enough to survive a previous disaster and was the first to offer the island to Greenwater Rogue Cultivator, granting their master the righteous claim to occupy it. For that rit he had been taken as a disciple. By contrast, Zhan Hongxiu and her grandfather had wandered in hardship for years, only to encounter remnants of the Jiang Family. Her grandfather had died in battle, and ever since, she had shown the Jiang remnants no rcy.

Lu Lingfeng was, after all, a mber of the Lu Family, and the Jiang and Lu Families had always been close. Naturally he looked upon Zhan Hongxiu with displeasure.

“Junior Sister Zhan. You took the Mysterious Soul Stone without a word and caused such a huge commotion. I spent a great deal of effort to persuade a second-rank alchemist, only for the main material to disappear.”

Lu Lingfeng launched into a scolding tirade that left the junior brother beside her fuming.

Zhan Hongxiu, however, had grown more cunning. She waited until several streaks of light converged and all the sect disciples had gathered before she spoke. “Hongxi acted thoughtlessly earlier and caused everyone worry. Fortunately the pill request went smoothly. We have already refined one Mysterious Soul Nourishing Pill.”

“What? It is done?”

The many junior brothers and sisters could not hide their delight.

Even Lu Lingfeng’s face showed surprise.

Though he disliked Zhan Hongxiu, he was no fool. He knew Greenwater Rogue Cultivator was their greatest backer.

If that backer fell, not only would they lose control of the Sancai Market and its daily profits that funded their cultivation, they themselves would beco fat prey in the eyes of bandit cultivators! On the matter of protecting their master, their interests were perfectly aligned.

“May I ask which great alchemist took action?”

The second senior sister asked.

Zhan Hongxiu exchanged a glance with her scholar junior brother and answered, “It was the garrison overseer of Taibai Island. However, this junior sister made the request in a private capacity. Money and goods were exchanged cleanly, with no karmic ties.”

“You… Sigh… Master had given clear orders beforehand. Never mind, never mind…”

Lu Lingfeng sighed, then continued, “There is no ti to lose. Let us deliver the pill to Master at once…”

Taibai Island.

Inside the third-rank spiritual-energy cave abode.

Fang Qing sat cross-legged, circulating the Blue Sea Technique.

Before long, within his dantian qi sea, the vast lake of profound blue-green mana surged once more as another drop of liquid mana condensed.

“Fifty-two drops of liquid mana now…”

After sensing the change, Fang Qing could not help but sigh.

Only after reaching late Foundation Establishnt did one truly understand how vast the differences within that stage could be.

A cultivator who had just entered late Foundation Establishnt possessed only fifty-one drops of liquid mana.

Late Foundation Establishnt perfection, however, held ninety-nine drops!

The gap was nearly double the mana, granting absolute dominance in any contest.

Foundation Establishnt perfection need not even be ntioned. While it appeared to be nothing more than breaking the final minor bottleneck, the quality and power of the liquid mana would actually increase by several tens of percent.

With a superior cultivation thod, liquid mana could even begin showing signs of “crystallization” ahead of ti, slightly raising the chances of successful Core Formation. Thus Foundation Establishnt perfection was itself a major bottleneck that usually required a Great Barrier-Breaking Pill to overco. Without it, one might remain trapped for an unknown length of ti.

With the Blue Sea Technique personally passed down by the Blue Sea Ancestor, Fang Qing now harbored no doubts whatsoever about cultivation in the Qi Refining path, at least up to the Foundation Establishnt stage. He only needed to follow the proper steps, swallow pills, and cultivate steadily to reach Foundation Establishnt perfection!

“Rare to have decades of peace and quiet. Best to push for Core Formation as soon as possible…”

“Foundation Establishnt perfection is not difficult, but Core Formation is another matter entirely, not to ntion the heavenly tribulation! I need to prepare tribulation-avoidance secret arts or treasures in advance… Fortunately I have the Tide Birth Pearl!”

At that thought Fang Qing paused. “In Ancient Shu, I never heard of heavenly tribulation when breaking through to Purple Mansion… I never even heard of lightning cultivators. Could it be that side has no lightning-thod inheritance?”

His heart tightened. “To be safe, I must not sell any lightning-thod talismans or related treasures to that side.”

After completing his daily cultivation, Fang Qing erged from seclusion at a leisurely pace, ready to enjoy himself.

At that mont his mind stirred as he received a report from Xiang Dahu. “A Foundation Establishnt cultivator has co to visit?”