Daoist Competition
Chapter 49 - 24: Brewing Medicine in the Cauldron, Life and Death in the Jade Interior

Chapter 49: Chapter 24: Brewing Medicine in the Cauldron, Life and Death in the Jade Interior

Under the scorching flames beneath the Dragon Commerce Star Tripod, Zhang Yan, seated on the meditation cushion, threw a few more logs into the fire as he noticed the heat beginning to weaken.

After the Commandery Princess Lin Ya delivered the Five Elements Divine Sand, he traded with Ai Zhongwen to obtain a large amount of herbs. A few days later, Luo Xiao immediately began utilizing the tripod to refine medicine. In just over ten days, he successfully crafted no fewer than a thousand elixir pills, which he then stuffed into Zhang Yan’s hands all at once.

Luo Xiao sorted the remaining herbs and tossed them into the Treasure Tripod before jumping into the tripod himself. He instructed Zhang Yan to place the lid on and use a gentle flame for daily refining, opening the lid every seven days. This method, which Luo Xiao referred to as the "Medicine Refining Method," was his latest experiment.

Luo Xiao had originally not dared to attempt this rashly, but the Dragon Commerce Star Tripod was a rare treasure, an opportunity he could not afford to miss. As long as the method was executed with care, leveraging the tripod’s flames to boil and refine would allow the medicinal power to penetrate deeply into the internal organs, envelop the Primordial Qi, purify impurities, eradicate decay, and invigorate life force.

Following Luo Xiao’s instructions, Zhang Yan initially maintained a gentle simmer, routinely opening the tripod every seven days to replace a batch of herbs. Each time Luo Xiao would shed a layer of dead skin, and a full tripod of blackened sludge would have to be discarded. With each round of refinement, Luo Xiao’s Qi Mechanism grew visibly stronger, leaving Zhang Yan utterly astounded.

Now it was the third cycle of seven days, and, as Luo Xiao had indicated, this period required an intense flame for concentrated effort. However, as Zhang Yan calculated the time, the day for opening the tripod was now near at hand, yet no movement came from within the tripod. Even the faint, elusive presence of Qi Mechanism had entirely vanished. He couldn’t discern whether the refining process had been overly prolonged or if the full success of the method had yet to be achieved.

Without explicit instructions from Luo Xiao, Zhang Yan dared not recklessly open the tripod and focused solely on his meditation and cultivation.

Over the past month, Zhang Yan had been ceaselessly cultivating Qi day and night, while repeatedly consuming large amounts of elixir pills. The number of elixir pills he ingested in these few days alone equaled his total consumption in the past.

Through dedicated and painstaking cultivation, the Primordial True Qi within his body grew increasingly condensed. The formerly restless Qi Mechanism, energetic as a playful ape, was now tamed like a reclining ox, steady as a Mystical Turtle, calmly settling within the Dan Acupoint. The "Yuan Cheng Ruzhen" state had gradually stabilized, and Zhang Yan now felt prepared to begin practicing the next spell step.

Taking the "Xuan Yuan Inner Secrets" Daoist Book in his hand, although he had already perused its contents many times before, he meticulously read it once again before reaching into his sleeve to grasp the Broken Jade with his hand and immerse his consciousness into his avatar within.

As Zhang Yan’s cultivation level advanced, the jade seemed to have undergone subtle changes compared to before.

In the past, the interior of the jade was shrouded in mist, with no distinction between up, down, left, or right—no clear boundaries whatsoever. Apart from himself, there appeared to be nothing else. When walking within the jade, the avatar would float aimlessly, swaying erratically.

But now he felt as though he was standing in a vast expanse, where distinctions between up and down were apparent.

Raising his gaze, Zhang Yan saw a faint mist-like Clear Qi above, while underfoot lay solid turbid Qi, thick and grounded beneath him. According to the trajectory of Chaos’ evolution, this could be described as "Chaos like a chicken egg, with the avatar dwelling within it." Now, however, it might be said that "Clear Qi rises, turbid Qi descends, Yin Yang split apart, Qiankun begins to take shape."

Originally, upon entering the jade with his consciousness, Zhang Yan could sense that it merely housed a simulated avatar. However, now, as his thoughts took occupancy within, everything he experienced felt vividly real, indistinguishably intertwined with his true self.

Zhang Yan felt somewhat enlightened, speculating that the transformation occurring within the jade was likely a direct result of his cultivation progress, which had made the avatar increasingly tangible.

As he pondered, Zhang Yan paced through the vast space within the Broken Jade, yet found it so expansive that he seemed unable to reach its boundary.

He thought to himself silently that the secrets embedded within this jade were far from what he could currently comprehend. Ultimately, elevating his cultivation level was the key to unlocking its mysteries.

For now, Zhang Yan had no intention to delve further. Seated on the turbid ground, his avatar assumed the "five hearts facing heaven" posture and began silently channeling the mental method outlined in the "Inner Secrets."

According to the spells described, a cultivator must raise a single stream of Qi Mechanism, which then divides into two streams, two splitting further into four. Each stream follows its own path through four meridians, with each requiring distinct spell techniques to guide their movements, leaving no room for even the slightest deviation.

Zhang Yan, though mentally prepared, found the difficulty far surpassing his expectations. He struggled to control the process, barely managing to complete the first step. Yet, upon reaching the second step, just as his Heart and Spirit faltered with a momentary lapse, the Qi Mechanism immediately spiraled into chaos, erratically surging throughout his body.

His heart suddenly jolted in shock, and his consciousness swiftly returned to his true body. Upon looking back, he found that his avatar had been heavily injured by the reverse onslaught of Qi Mechanism, slumping helplessly to the ground. If his true body had been in cultivation at that moment, his foundation might have already been critically harmed.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yan took a deep breath and re-entered the jade with his consciousness. As his thoughts shifted, the previously injured avatar within the jade stood back up once again.