Daoist Competition
Chapter 50 - 24: Brewing Medicine in the Cauldron, Life and Death in the Jade _2

Chapter 50: Chapter 24: Brewing Medicine in the Cauldron, Life and Death in the Jade _2

After some thought, he realized that he had not yet mastered the earlier portion of Qi Movement. Thus, he chose to restore his avatar’s physical condition to the exact moment before he began cultivating.

Starting the Qi Movement for the second time, he began anew. This time, he paid special attention to controlling the Qi Mechanism. However, following the spell’s instructions, he needed to initiate four additional Qi Mechanisms. Not only did the first four mechanisms have to circulate repeatedly through the meridians, but the subsequent four mechanisms also required continual management. After persisting for roughly an hour, his strained avatar could no longer withstand it and abruptly spit blood before dying.

Zhang Yan’s brows slightly furrowed. He forced himself to calm down, banishing all distracting thoughts, and once again had the jade-avatar sit upright.

He carefully controlled those eight Qi Mechanisms, but it wasn’t long before his avatar collapsed yet again.

However, he had no idea that this was only the beginning of the torment.

On the fourth attempt, despite the Qi Mechanisms being entirely under his command, they unpredictably slipped out of control and rampaged, causing him to die from Qi deviation.

On the fifth attempt, when two Qi Mechanisms tried to merge, one was slightly ahead of the other. Failing to sync at the acupoint, he died as his chest split open.

On the sixth attempt, while consolidating the Qi Veins, the mechanisms were overly turbid. This resulted in entanglement just outside the acupoint, causing his lungs to rupture and killing him.

The seventh time...

Repeated failures. Repeated attempts.

Each attempt left Zhang Yan increasingly overwhelmed. It was no wonder Shi Shoujing had mentioned how this Daoist Book was fraught with pitfalls. Merely the complexities involved in navigating the Qi Mechanisms through the meridians exceeded Zhang Yan’s imagination entirely. The Primordial True Qi would sometimes settle, sometimes linger, sometimes penetrate, sometimes traverse—darting one moment, pausing the next—ascending in spirals or gently descending. It required meticulous attention to all 365 major acupoints throughout the body.

The most maddening part was knowing precisely how the Qi Mechanisms should move through the meridians, yet being unable to control them. Especially later on, when he had to manage 108 Qi Mechanisms traversing back and forth continuously through the meridians, even the slightest deviation in one mechanism would result in his efforts being wasted entirely. The death scenarios of his avatar became increasingly grotesque.

Xuanmen Sect Skills typically emphasized intention and spiritual clarity while downplaying physical control, yet this Daoist Book took meridian navigation to the extreme, as if it sought to integrate every conceivable method of Qi Movement into one.

From the very first Chapter of the spell alone, Zhang Yan had encountered death over 150 times—due to meridian ruptures, True Qi backlash, and internal organ damage. This spell could only be described as insane.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yan realized that diverting focus to multitask left no room for shortcuts. The only option was to persist, endlessly refining his proficiency.

On a related note, since each death felt entirely genuine, he couldn’t help but mock himself privately, thinking that by the time he mastered this spell, he would likely attain a master-level accomplishment in the art of descending into demon madness.

He was confident that any cultivator who had never encountered this Daoist Book—without the guidance and protection of a teacher—would likely meet instant death trying to practice it.

No wonder Luo Xiao had warned that this book risked incurring the wrath of the heavens. If someone could succeed in cultivating this book solely through innate talent and comprehension, with no external support, not only would the heavens refuse to spare them, but if Zhang Yan had the power, he’d gladly summon a thunderbolt to smite such a person.

He spent over a month honing his Qi Mechanism control, equivalent to ten months for his avatar within the jade. Only then did he barely manage to familiarize himself with the complete method for operating the Qi Mechanisms.

By this point, he had lost count of how many times his avatar had perished.

Fortunately, his willpower was resolute. Had it been anyone else, they might have gone mad amidst the monotony of the Qi Mechanism operations.

Looking at it another way, Zhang Yan’s cultivation was not entirely fruitless. At the very least, this book encompassed virtually all existing methods and techniques for Qi movement within the current path of cultivation. He was confident that among his peers, there was likely no one who could rival his level of mastery over Qi Mechanism control.

Yet during this past month, there had been no sign of movement from Luo Xiao within the Treasure Tripod. Could he have truly perished?

Zhang Yan rose to his feet, intending to investigate further. But before he could act, a voice suddenly sounded near his ear, "Zhang Yan, are you here? Come out and speak."

He stiffened and took two measured steps outside his Cave Mansion, only to see a strikingly handsome white-clothed cultivator standing motionless on the mountain path.

Ning Chongxuan!

Zhang Yan maintained a composed expression and clasped his hand in greeting. "Brother Ning."

His mind raced. Why had Ning Chongxuan come here? Could it be that Luo Xiao’s situation had been discovered?

Impossible. If that were the case, Ning Chongxuan would have stormed in already.

Ning Chongxuan glanced at him briefly, then suddenly stepped forward and placed a hand on Zhang Yan’s shoulder, saying, "This place is not suitable for conversation. Follow me."

Zhang Yan’s vision blurred. When he could see clearly again, he found himself atop a solitary peak, with an abyss stretching endlessly below his feet. Although his body swayed slightly at first, he quickly adjusted and stabilized himself.

Ning Chongxuan nodded approvingly and remarked, "Good. A cultivator must discard all external distractions and preserve their true self. Remember, all illusions arise from the heart; if the heart is unstable, then the spirit cannot manifest."

His demeanor now was entirely different from the day he had last departed. Moreover, there was a hint of admiration in his gaze, though Zhang Yan could not fathom what kind of mystery he was plotting.

"I have spent the last two months combing through this mountain but have yet to locate that Snake Demon. Perhaps it has succumbed to its injuries, or perhaps it is hiding somewhere nearby. However, I am soon returning to the Mountain Gate, and I do not have the time to continue dealing with this creature. Since you are the sole cultivator on this peak, once I leave, it might reappear to harm you. Therefore, I grant you an item that will ensure your survival."

With a gesture, a spark of jade light flew into Zhang Yan’s sleeve. In that brief moment, he couldn’t discern what the object was.

"You may go now. Remember to hold true to yourself. Should fate allow, I will personally recommend you to become a disciple under an Immortal Master in the future."

Ning Chongxuan extended his hand and gave Zhang Yan a light push. Zhang Yan’s body briefly wavered, but before he could feel anything, he looked up to find himself already at the base of Star Gazing Peak.

What he did not know was that shortly after Ning Chongxuan whisked him away, a shadowy figure cautiously approached the entrance to his Cave Mansion. After glancing inside several times, the figure’s face lit up with a joyful grin before darting in like an arrow.