Longzang

Chapter 44 Taking over the spotlight
The fundamental principle of the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram is to absorb the cultivator's luck to replenish their own foundation. The Moon Devouring True Lord, who created this technique, was himself a child of luck. After achieving great success in his Daoist practice, he believed that the effects of luck were ephemeral and uncertain, and could disappear suddenly at any time with the changes in the great fortune of heaven and earth. It was far more practical to transform it into a foundation, so he created this method.

This visualization method can transform about 10% of one's Qi into a foundation, so the more Qi one has, the better the cultivation effect; without Qi, it's like cultivating in vain. This method is tailor-made for those with Qi, and in the last hundred years, countless people have been blessed with Qi, leading to the emergence of batches of those with Qi. This is why the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram has gradually become popular and is one of the six universal body-forging methods.

The disciples' records show that those who have a foundation of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) in their Daoist foundation can visualize a range of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Those with a Qi (vital energy) of one zhang can expand their visualization by another zhang, and so on. Therefore, eleven zhang is generally the limit, while the record left by those who defy the heavens is twelve zhang. These disciples also left behind visualizations of their body-forging achievements in their records for future generations to refer to.

Needless to say, these visualizations are all vibrantly colored, complete with various dazzling special effects. They include dragons, phoenixes, qilin, lotus pagodas, and all sorts of other creatures. Moreover, the colors are even and the composition is reasonable, clearly indicating extraordinary phenomena. Those with less impressive phenomena wouldn't dare include their images in the book.

While studying these visualization diagrams, Wei Yuan noticed a detail: the area of ​​each diagram was measured relative to the ground. The boulder and the jade toad did not increase proportionally, and the increase in the full moon was even smaller. Although Wei Yuan's current visualization diagram was only three zhang in size, everything had increased proportionally, so he still felt very crowded when he transformed into the jade toad.

Perhaps this is one reason why his visualization expansion speed is not as fast as others? Wei Yuan finally found a reason to comfort himself.

Another reason is that scions of powerful families like Cui Yu, Bao Yun, and Xiao Yu had already undergone physical refinement before entering the sect. Children who have undergone this refinement develop intelligence very early, and once they begin cultivation, their progress is incredibly rapid. This was evident in the martial arts tests, where Li Zhi and others demonstrated a mature demeanor in their speech and actions. Cui Yu, actually eight years old, had undergone several more years of physical refinement, forcibly increasing his physical stature from seven feet to eight feet, while simultaneously cultivating at an astonishing speed, far surpassing others.

Wei Yuan himself possessed extraordinary luck, and he didn't know how he had acquired it. This luck couldn't be measured by ordinary standards. The advantage was that it could indeed be gradually transformed into a foundation through the "Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon" painting, but the disadvantage was that the foundation was unstable and required extra effort to refine it.

After reading the two notes, Wei Yuan realized that the effects of Senior Sister Liuli's refined foundation were astonishing; one medicinal bath was equivalent to more than half a month of Wei Yuan's own secluded cultivation. It seemed that the medicines she concocted were quite extraordinary.

However, Wei Yuan had a hidden worry. The medicines his senior sister had prepared were probably what were called "resources," and in principle, they should be charged for. The effects of refining one's foundation were so good that the price of the medicine couldn't be low, and his master was clearly short of money.

Wei Yuan knew that worrying about these things was useless, so he could only put his concerns aside and continue cultivating, constantly absorbing and exhaling moonlight. Only by surpassing others in cultivation progress could Wei Yuan give Zhang Sheng some explanation.

Cultivation knows no time, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. During this time, Zhang Sheng only came to see Wei Yuan once, gave him a few pointers, and stayed for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, leaving Wei Yuan feeling lost and disappointed.

A few days later, Bao Yun also completed the visualization diagram. On the day the visualization diagram was completed, Ji Liuli specially summoned everyone and asked Bao Yun to materialize the visualization diagram in the center of Qisi Hall.

Bao Yun expanded her visualization diagram to eleven zhang in thirty-nine days. Although it was still not as tall as the twelve-zhang diagram of her predecessor, her jade toad was adorned with rainbows. Countless gods and demons appeared and disappeared in the full moon in the sky, each vying to get a chance to show their faces. Green lotuses bloomed on the giant rock, their roots shrouded in chaos. Furthermore, a golden figure sat cross-legged atop the jade toad's head, exuding an ancient and arrogant aura.

The original elegant and serene painting of the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon was transformed by Bao Yun into a depiction of a celestial being descending to earth, with various strange phenomena overshadowing the main subject and turning the Jade Toad, which was originally the absolute protagonist, into a mere mount.

This unusual phenomenon immediately caused quite a stir within the Taichu Palace. Not only did many elders of the Bao family come to see it in person, but it is also said that several True Lords secretly came to visit Bao Yun.

Looking at Bao Yun's image of the Immortal Venerable Descending to Earth, Wei Yuan's heart grew heavier. Wei Yuan's visualization diagram was currently only six zhang long, which was considered unusual, as there was a thin red line on the back of the jade toad, though it was barely noticeable without close inspection. Even this red line was only created thanks to a single burst of true fire from the Burning Sea Immortal. Moreover, the process of expanding Wei Yuan's visualization diagram was a three-steps-forward-one-step-back; the ground he painstakingly created would shrink by half after being washed and soaked by Senior Sister Liu Li.

Although Wei Yuan's speed of absorbing and exhaling moon essence was slowly increasing, his senior sister's medicine was becoming more and more domineering. In comparison, his senior sister was still more ruthless.

Only the shadow in the full moon above remained unchanged; no matter how much Ren Weiyuan inhaled, it neither increased nor decreased, remained still and undying.

After the class, Wei Yuan didn't go straight home. Instead, he went to the kitchen and bought 300 jin of rice, which he filled a large bucket with.

The rice in Taichu Palace is not ordinary rice, but spiritual rice rich in spiritual energy. This spiritual rice is also the main ingredient in Qi-drinking pills; eating a small bowl of it will keep you full for a whole day. Furthermore, a bucket of rice can be stored in Taichu Palace for ten years without spoiling.

Wei Yuan planned to save the money he spent on Qi-drinking pills. The money he spent on Qi-drinking pills in a month could be used to buy rice for a year. With this bucket of rice, Wei Yuan could even save time going out to find food.

Wei Yuan made a firm decision: aside from attending classes, he would dedicate all his time to cultivation, wasting not a single second. Since absorbing moonlight required no thought, he no longer needed the mental clarity provided by the Qi-drinking pill.

Although you still need to sleep, you can still absorb the moonlight while you sleep!
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. Wei Yuan finished his class and was breathing in the moonlight when he suddenly heard a soft bell ringing in his ears. Someone had come to visit.

Wei Yuan finished his practice and stood up. He opened the courtyard gate and saw a classmate standing there. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, the classmate cupped his hands and said, "Miss Bao Yun has made great progress in her cultivation. Tomorrow night, she will be hosting a banquet for her classmates at Zuifeng Tower. They will also be discussing how to prepare for the sect's preliminary examination in three years. Please make sure to attend, Junior Brother Wei."

Wei Yuan had no reason not to go.

When we first enrolled, almost everyone called him "senior brother," but now he's "junior brother Wei."

At dusk the next day, a nimble carriage stopped outside Wei Yuan's courtyard, taking him to Zuifeng Tower. The carriage traveled swiftly yet smoothly, covering dozens of miles in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and Wei Yuan inside didn't even feel the carriage move.

After getting off the carriage, Wei Yuan couldn't help but marvel at the Bao family's generosity. This carriage was only for him; with over thirty classmates, wouldn't they need more than thirty carriages?
Happy holidays again everyone! I'll be updating randomly today!

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(End of this chapter)