The first group of five disciples who had obtained Dan Water and Dan Fire returned, marking their official entry onto the path of alchemy. From then on, they would enter the forbidden grounds of Dan Peak to learn the true art of alchemy, including but not limited to practical alchemy, water-based spiritual plant techniques, and the cultivation of dicinal herbs.
Apart from their young female master, Long Qiqi, they also t the true head of Dan Peak, Qin Ran, and received personal instruction from him.
Unlike the always-stern Master Long, Head Qin was gentle, erudite, and patient in his teaching, earning the affection of the disciples.
"...The heart belongs to fire, the kidneys to water... Every part of the human body, every ridian, corresponds to a specific attribute..."
Under the shade of a lakeside tree, the disciples sat cross-legged on the grass while Head Qin sat opposite them, explaining as if in casual conversation.
"...The attributes of the ridians correspond to those of cultivation techniques, while the attributes of organs correspond to those of dicinal herbs. Thus, cultivation techniques often align with alchemical formulas in many aspects... If one thoroughly studies the fundantal attributes of the human body and the connections between its parts, and then comprehends the dicinal herbs—how they correspond to the body—one can deduce various elixirs independently.
"Master one path, and all others beco clear. From this, one can also deduce corresponding cultivation techniques...
"At the highest level, all paths converge, and the Great Dao becos one. The sa principle applies when extending the path of alchemy to the path of formations..."
Zhang Shaohu raised his hand and asked, "Head, we’ve heard that your mastery of formations is also exceptional. Is that true?"
"I’ve dabbled in formations," Qin Ran replied with a smile. "But I am, after all, an alchemist. My golden core refines Dan Water, not the brush of formations, so I cannot inscribe formation patterns. My achievents in formations are limited.
"'All paths lead to the sa destination' ans that when you delve deeply into one path and later study others, you’ll find connections and achieve mastery with half the effort. It doesn’t an you should study everything at once—that would only waste effort and leave you without the energy to go far."
"Head..." Lan Xinyu raised his hand and asked with a grin, "Are you saying your alchemy has already reached its peak?"
"Nonsense! With Head’s alchemical prowess, he’s naturally reached the pinnacle," soone loudly chid in.
Qin Ran shook his head and laughed. "There’s no such thing as an end. The reason I studied formations was simply because I was mischievous in my youth and strayed from the path. It’s precisely because I took the wrong path that I don’t want you to repeat my mistakes."
"Head’s understanding of alchemy is so profound that even if he truly stepped into the realm of the Dao, it wouldn’t seem out of place," another disciple flattered.
"Exactly!" soone agreed. "That ti I was refining the Illusory Cloud Pill and couldn’t grasp it, it was only after Head’s guidance—'Illusion relates to perception'—that I succeeded..."
As he spoke, the protective formation of Dan Peak suddenly opened. A gust of wind rushed in, followed by a loud shout:
"Dad!!!"
A white blur shot forward, so fast that no one present could clearly see it—until they finally glimpsed a massive white tiger pouncing onto Head Qin’s back from behind.
His pure black paws were as large as Head’s head, making the latter’s head seem tiny in comparison. His maw, wide enough to swallow Head whole without effort, gaped open, four long fangs gleaming coldly—terrifying to behold, deadly to touch. His tongue, covered in barbs that could strip flesh from bone with a single lick, was carefully retracted as he affectionately licked Head Qin, leaving only a ss of saliva but no harm.
"Dad, Dad, guess what we got this ti!" the white tiger exclaid excitedly in human speech.
This tiger wasn’t just fearso in appearance. The five disciples had witnessed him swatting away Nascent Soul experts with a single paw and devouring Golden Core cultivators one by one—utterly ruthless.
His arrival unsettled them. So lowered their heads, others averted their eyes, none daring to look directly at him.
Head Qin, now drenched in tiger saliva, sighed in resignation. He grabbed the two massive black paws and, with a firm tug, caused the white tiger to shrink obediently, transforming into a kitten-sized creature that he placed on his lap.
He looked down at Chasing the Wind and asked, "So, what trouble have you caused this ti?"
There was no need to guess—such a commotion could only an one thing: mischief.
"Hehe!" Chasing the Wind covered his face with his paws, feigning shyness.
"Dad, rember that drop of qilin blood I snatched in the snowy mountains a few years ago? Well, people recently discovered that it was because a Taotie and a qilin fought there ages ago. The qilin was injured, and its blood dripped down.
"But the Taotie lost and was eaten by the qilin. Its bones were buried deep in the mountains... and now they’ve been dug up.
"Lots and lots of people were fighting over them, but we got the Taotie’s teeth! The best bones! Aren’t we amazing?!"
Hearing this, Qin Ran knew things had gone wrong. He lifted the kitten-sized tiger for inspection and, sure enough, found countless wounds covering its back. He quickly turned to look behind him and saw Li An wobbling unsteadily on his sword as he flew in through the misty passage.
The little rascal was battered and bruised, even missing two teeth.
But his unsteady flight wasn’t due to his injuries—after all, he’d been able to soar on a sword since he was a month old. No, his current wobbling was pure fear—fear of being beaten again by his aunt.
"You... you... you’re in big trouble!" Qin Ran scolded, hastily stuffing a few pills into Chasing the Wind’s mouth. "Taking Li An on such a dangerous mission... and daring to co back? Shiyin is going to skin you alive!"
Chasing the Wind played innocent, wrapping his paws around Qin Ran’s neck and switching from his deep tiger growl to a childish, pleading voice: "Dad, you’ll help , right? It’s Taotie teeth we’re talking about..."
The sight of the great demon king acting cute shocked the five disciples to their cores. But what happened next stunned them even more.
Without hesitation, Head Qin rolled the troublemaker into a ball, stood up, and kicked him like a football, sending him flying.
"As expected of the Head!!" they gasped in awe.
Then, in the next mont, their worldview shattered again. From the direction of the forbidden grounds’ wooden hut, a sharp streak of Star Sword Qi shot out. The usually gentle and elegant Head’s wife, Li Shiyin, her face icy and brows furrowed, brandished a sword that shimred like the Milky Way as she chased after the flying tiger.
"Damn Chasing the Wind, dragging Li An into another adventure!" she roared. "If I don’t skin you today, I’ll change my surna!"
Outside the Dao Sword Sect, a towering column of Star Sword Qi erupted, followed by the sudden appearance of a colossal tiger, standing forty to fifty feet tall at the shoulder, fleeing from the pursuing sword light.
The five disciples on the grass gulped. Was the Head’s wife always this fierce?
Lan Xinyu turned to Qin Ran. "Head... is this really okay? Shouldn’t you stop them?"
"Ahem..." Qin Ran chuckled. "Just daily trivialities. Nothing to worry about."
He then pointed at Li An, who was seizing the opportunity while Li Shiyin was busy disciplining Chasing the Wind to sneak off toward Zhang Junyi’s bamboo hut in search of dicine. "Kids will be kids. I’d better check on him. Feel free to discuss among yourselves."
With that, he soared into the air, gliding over the lake before following into Zhang Junyi's bamboo hut.
The terrifying battle outside the Dao Sword Sect gradually faded into the distance. On the grass, the five disciples exchanged glances, each seeing shock reflected in the others' eyes.
The Big and Little Demons were fearso enough, but Dan Peak harbored soone even more terrifying. They had assud the Sect Leader's wife was a gentle, holy figure—yet she lived up to her legendary reputation within the Dao Sword Sect... so fierce, so explosive!
But if the Big and Little Demons plus the Sect Leader's wife were this terrifying, just how monstrous must the Sect Leader be to keep them all in check?
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