Flood: I, the Nine Turns of the Golden Pillar, all want to eat me!
Chapter 17 - Saving the Gourd, Three Turns of Xuan Gong

Chapter 17: Saving the Gourd, Three Turns of Xuan Gong

The lotus seed nurtured by the Green Lotus contained the Origin of Creation. The first nine generations of Green Lotus Seeds held even greater power, so one was integrated into the gourd vine to restore its missing origin.

After undergoing repair and gradual refinement, the gourd vine finally regained its vitality. By the time it reached the eighth zucchini, it had begun to gestate. Now, this little gourd had already grown to the size of a fist, maturing at an accelerated pace.

Xuan Qing observed the growing zucchini and inwardly murmured, Zi Yun… What divine ability do you think this gourd contains?

“I am not sure about this one. However, as the gourd vine’s origin is restored, its wisdom increases. Instinctively, it wishes to repay its kindness, so the eighth gourd it produces must be powerful,” Zi Yun murmured, as if she could see something beyond the surface.

“That is just as well. The eighth gourd will mature in tens of thousands of years at most. When the time comes, we will pick it and discover what Dao and divine ability it holds,” Xuan Qing said casually.

Xuan Qing understood the nature of gourds birthed by the gourd vine. Once picked, each became a spiritual treasure containing different Great Dao and divine abilities. Additionally, a gourd itself was equivalent to a special fruit that could be refined into a weapon. After picking it, further refining based on its innate Great Dao could enhance its strength. However, the specific Great Dao and divine ability contained within the eighth gourd remained unknown.

Without dwelling on the matter further, Xuan Qing resumed cultivation. Guarding the gourd vine, he practiced the Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong, continuously tempering his body. He had consumed too many spirit fruits while residing with Master Hongjun, causing his body to accumulate excessive spiritual qi. The old master had instructed Xuan Qing to consume the medicinal properties and spiritual qi stored within his body before proceeding to cultivate his Danjing.

Obediently following his master’s orders, Xuan Qing acknowledged the wisdom behind them. His master did not wish for him to rely on pills or spiritual fruits for cultivation, as such an approach led to rapid progress but an unstable foundation. The loss would far outweigh the gain.

Cultivation, simply put, was a process of qualitative transformation. As Laozi had once said, alchemy was paramount in refinement. Since Xuan Qing followed the path of alchemy, he naturally had to refine himself as well.

Running the Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong, refined the energy within his body, transforming it into force energy while tempering his physical form.

…

In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years passed.

During this time, Xuan Qing remained devoted to cultivating the Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong. Though this period might seem long, to the many cultivators in the Flood Wasteland, it was merely another period.

Now, Xuan Qing had elevated his Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong to the ninth level of the Second Revolution, only a step away from reaching the Third Revolution.

The energy within his body had already been converted into pure force energy, which had now merged into his physical form, initiating a metamorphosis.

“Break… for me,” Xuan Qing roared lowly.

In an instant, golden energy surged through his entire body. His rolling blood and lofty bones, suffused with this energy, emanated a special Dao rhythm.

This was the Dao of Force, the key to tempering the physical body.

Buzz, buzz…

Under the Great Dao’s immense pressure, Xuan Qing’s flesh shattered, his bones exploding into powder.

However, as they turned to dust, the Dao Rhythm exerted its pull, gradually reconstructing his body. Simultaneously, vast energy surged through him, fusing with the rhythm to generate a golden, unique energy.

For a full few hundred years, Xuan Qing’s flesh was reshaped.

“Whew… Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong, the third revolution has been cultivated. Alas, this method of body refinement is truly not meant for ordinary people,” Xuan Qing complained.

He had long known of the Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong’s great reputation and power, but only now did he realize the extreme difficulty of cultivating it.

Tens of thousands of years had passed, yet he had only completed a single revolution. Most of the time had been spent converting energy. The transformation of force energy, which contained the Great Dao of Force, was incredibly arduous. Furthermore, body refinement consumed an immense amount of resources. The final breakthrough required him to endure the destruction of his body, which took hundreds of years to reconstruct. A single misstep in this process would have resulted in complete annihilation.

The Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong bestowed a powerful physique but carried significant risks.

“This is only the third revolution, yet my body already feels immensely powerful,” Xuan Qing remarked, clenching his fists. A sensation of invincibility surged through him.

Just as he was reveling in his newfound strength, something suddenly struck his forehead.

Clang!

Xuan Qing covered his forehead. “Ouch…!”

Unbeknownst to him, Tongtian had appeared beside him, holding a duster in his hand. With a smirk, he gazed at Xuan Qing. “Little Xuan Qing… You are truly remarkable. Your senior uncle was in seclusion for only tens of thousands of years, and you have turned Kunlun into this state.”

Xuan Qing looked at Tongtian, his expression aggrieved. “Senior Uncle… What do you mean? Before, Kunlun’s blessed land was like a barren wilderness. Compared to Master Ancestor’s Jade Capital Fortunate Land, Kunlun’s Fortunate Land was severely lacking. Is it not good that I decorated it a little?”

“It is good, yes. However, since you are not proficient in artifact refinement, you used Kunlun stones as materials and refined a bunch of inferior items. Even the formations you carved were only Spirit Gathering Formations. Their grade is too low,” Tongtian said, amused at how Xuan Qing’s efforts had resulted in such crude work. Looking at the objects Xuan Qing had refined, he could not help but find them rather unsightly. Now, the Kunlun blessed land was cluttered with these so-called decorations, which appeared somewhat excessive.

Xuan Qing sighed, conceding, “The art of refining weapons is already difficult, and formations are even more challenging. I could only manage to refine objects that resemble proper items. I shall wait for my senior uncle to refine them properly.”

“You. I have taught you the Dao of Formation, yet you still find it too difficult. It seems I must teach you well,” Tongtian said, stroking his beard while contemplating how to properly guide Xuan Qing in formation cultivation.

At that moment, the First Heavenly Father arrived. “Alright, Xuan Qing has done well. He has not practiced artifact refinement for long, yet he has already refined so many treasures. Some of them have even reached the level of Houtian Spiritual Treasures. With proper training, he will advance further.”

Hearing such praise, Xuan Qing nodded. “Yes, Senior Uncle.”

The First Heavenly Father chuckled, stroking his beard as he examined Kunlun, already planning to refine it properly.

Soon after, Laozi arrived. Unlike the others, he neither reprimanded nor praised Xuan Qing. He merely said, “Not bad… You have finally cultivated the Nine Revolutions Xuan Gong to the third turn. The many spirit fruits you consumed have now been fully digested. In the future, do not be greedy. Excess energy accumulation only burdens your progress. Cultivation is a process of refinement and must be honed without excessive reliance on external aids.”

“Yes, Master. I will not be greedy again,” Xuan Qing replied solemnly, obediently acknowledging his mistake.