Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

“It’s alright.” Fu Shaoping waved his hand. “The cultivation of alchemy is inherently a process of continuous experimentation.” He gave Li Zhaoyang a meaningful look. “You have good talent, but you’re too reserved.” With that, he strode away, leaving only the words, “See you tomorrow.”

Li Zhaoyang stood there, watching Fu Shaoping's departing figure, lost in thought. He touched the jade slip in his sleeve, which recorded the entire process of alchemy that day. Suddenly, he felt a weight in his sleeve; the Blood Bodhi had slipped out again. His expression changed, and he quickly hid the Blood Bodhi and hurried after the others.

Inside the alchemy room, Nangong Wan stood alone before the medicine cauldron, her fingertips lightly tracing its surface. The lingering fragrance of the medicine within filled her nostrils. Suddenly, she frowned and took out a jade slip from her sleeve. Several lines of small golden characters appeared on the jade slip: "The Blood Bodhi has appeared in the world; the Alchemy Tribulation is imminent."

Her expression was solemn as she carefully tucked the jade slip into her sleeve. Outside the window, the setting sun cast its golden rays upon her face, gilding her delicate features. In the distance, the melodious tolling of bells drifted in, and twilight gradually enveloped the entire academy.
Night fell as dark as ink, enveloping the entire Wangdan Cliff in its profound embrace. Stars, like scattered diamonds, dotted the sky, while the Milky Way stretched across the heavens like a luminous ribbon. A mountain breeze swept across the cliff top, carrying the distant, mournful sound of the pines, as if nature were playing an ancient symphony. Several ancient pines growing on the cliff edge swayed gently in the night wind, casting dappled shadows through their swaying branches.

Fu Shaoping stood on the edge of the cliff, his plain white robe fluttering in the mountain wind. In his palm rested a small vermilion censer, no bigger than a palm, its entire surface carved with intricate cinnabar patterns. The moment his hand touched the censer, a miracle occurred—a ghostly blue flame suddenly burst forth from the censer, meandering down his arm, coiling around his wrist and forearm as if alive, finally swirling into a delicate flame mark at his elbow.

“This is the Heart Furnace.” Fu Shaoping’s voice was exceptionally clear in the night wind, yet carried an indescribable air of mystery. He slightly raised his arm, the flames flickering and illuminating his sharply defined profile. “True alchemy lies not in the cauldron, but in refining the heart.”

The students held their breath, gazing up at this incredible scene. Li Zhaoyang's eyes widened, his gaze shifting back and forth between the flames and Fu Shaoping, afraid of missing a single detail. Even the usually composed Wang Tieshan couldn't help but take a step forward, his face filled with shock.

Just as everyone was immersed in this magical scene, Nangong Wan suddenly stepped out from the crowd. She wore a moon-white long dress, floating gracefully in the night breeze like a fairy. With a light wave of her hand, a pale blue silk ribbon coiled around the vermilion incense burner like a serpent, and tossed it into the deep night sky.

"Instructor Nangong!" Li Zhaoyang exclaimed in surprise, his eyes filled with worry.

Nangong Wan, however, seemed oblivious, silently watching the small furnace being tossed high into the air. In an instant, a miracle occurred—a ghostly blue flame exploded from the furnace, transforming into countless fireflies that shimmered with a dreamlike light in the night sky. Each firefly danced in the air as if alive, its body reflecting the illusory images of various spiritual herbs!

"My God!" someone exclaimed, only to be drowned out by a chorus of gasps. The students craned their necks, their eyes fixed on this unprecedented spectacle.

Li Zhaoyang suddenly pointed at a firefly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "That plant is exactly the same as the Cold Heart Orchid we saw this morning!" His fingers trembled slightly, and his eyes gleamed with disbelief.

Following the sound, everyone looked and indeed saw that the reflection inside a firefly was none other than the small, pale blue flower they had seen in the mountains that morning—the Cold-Heart Orchid. Even more astonishingly, the Cold-Heart Orchid in the firefly seemed to come alive, its stems and leaves swaying gently, and the ice-like patterns on its stamens appearing and disappearing, like a moving painting.

Suddenly, the fireflies began to gather, swirling and dancing in the air, gradually forming four elegant characters: "Plants and Trees Possess Spiritual Power." Each stroke shimmered with fluorescence, as if outlined by starlight. As the characters shifted, one could vaguely see various spiritual herbs growing in the void—there was a dancing evening primrose, its leaves swaying gently with the invisible wind; there was a thousand-year-old ginseng with a human face, its expression both benevolent and majestic; there was even a nine-tailed fox coiled into the shape of a pill, its nine tails unfurling like flames.
"If you see any unusual phenomena appearing in the alchemy furnace while refining the medicine," Fu Shaoping's voice drifted on the wind, but he was nowhere to be seen. Only then did everyone realize that he had quietly moved to a boulder at the edge of the cliff, standing with his hands behind his back. At this moment, the Dan mark on his forehead reappeared, clearer than during the day, radiating a faint golden light. "Remember, that's the spiritual medicine using your hands to reshape itself." His voice was deep and magnetic, echoing in the night wind.

Nangong Wan suddenly chuckled softly, and with a flick of her wrist, another white silk ribbon flew out. This time, she didn't catch the small stove, but something from Fu Shaoping's sleeve. A flash of emerald light appeared—it was the Green Spirit Grass that Li Zhaoyang had picked during the day!

"Shaoping, it's time to change the fuel in your heart furnace." Nangong Wan's voice was as clear as a wind chime, and her eyes gleamed with a cunning light.

Fu Shaoping smiled slightly, letting her take the Azure Spirit Grass. The moment the Azure Spirit Grass touched the ghostly blue flames, the entire cliff underwent a wondrous transformation—countless tiny points of light converged from all directions, filling the air with a refreshing medicinal fragrance. As if by magic, these points of light condensed into glistening dewdrops in the air, then transformed into a fine rain carrying the scent of medicine, drifting down gently.

"This is..." Li Zhaoyang tilted his head back, letting the medicinal rain fall on his face, feeling the cool scent mixed with the fragrance of herbs. Where his skin touched the medicinal rain, he felt a faint tingling and itching sensation, as if countless tiny life forms were coursing through his meridians.

Nangong Wan looked up at the rain of medicinal herbs, her eyes gleaming with wisdom: "This is the resonance between the Heart Furnace and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth." Her voice was soft yet powerful. "A true master of alchemy can draw upon the power of heaven and earth for their own use."

Fu Shaoping leaped down from the boulder, his robes fluttering. He caught a few drops of medicinal rain, condensing them into a jade-green pill at his fingertips: "Look closely, this is the 'Heavenly Rain Pill,' a rare find." With that, he flicked the pill toward Li Zhaoyang.

Li Zhaoyang instinctively caught the pill; it was icy to the touch, yet a warm current spread from his palm throughout his body. He was surprised to find that the surface of the pill faintly displayed ice patterns similar to those of the Cold Heart Orchid!
"Teacher, this..." Li Zhaoyang held the pill, his eyes filled with doubt and surprise.

Fu Shaoping gave him a meaningful look: "Take it with you; you might need it when you pick the Vermilion Fruit tomorrow." His voice was low and mysterious. "Remember, in the cultivation of alchemy, opportunity is paramount." Just then, the swarm of fireflies suddenly began to tremble violently, then scattered like fireworks. Only a few stars remained in the night sky, as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream. However, the medicinal fragrance lingering on the cliff and the traces of medicinal rain on the students' faces proved that it had all truly occurred.

Nangong Wan turned to face the students, the moonlight casting a silvery glow on her delicate face: "What insights have you gained from what you've seen today?"

Li Zhaoyang was the first to speak: "This disciple understands. Alchemy is not merely a skill, but also a communication with the spiritual herbs of heaven and earth!"

“Not bad.” Nangong Wan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over each student. “The cultivation of alchemy begins with technique and ends with state of mind.” She paused, then added, “Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), we will head to the location of the Vermilion Fruit Tree.”

Fu Shaoping added, "Each person needs to bring three things—herb-gathering tools, a calming pill, and a heart that reveres nature."

The students responded in unison, their eyes shining with determination. A night breeze carried the scent of herbs, as if foreshadowing the important journey that was about to begin.
As everyone prepared to descend the mountain, Li Zhaoyang suddenly noticed that the Blood Bodhi seed had slipped out of his sleeve again. Nourished by the medicinal rain, the black patterns on its surface seemed even more pronounced, faintly emitting a dim glow. His expression changed, and he quickly hid the Blood Bodhi seed again, hurrying to catch up with the group.

On Wangdan Cliff, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan stood side by side. Nangong Wan said softly, "Did you notice what that child had in his sleeve?"

Fu Shaoping's gaze was deep: "It seems that the prophecy of the impending Dan Tribulation by Blood Bodhi is coming sooner than we imagined." His voice was low and tinged with worry.

Nangong Wan gazed at the distant starry sky: "Time is running out." She suddenly turned around, her delicate hand waving lightly, "Let's go, it's time to rest. We have important things to do tomorrow."

The two walked away side by side, their figures quickly disappearing into the night. Only the lingering scent of herbs and the starlight remained by the cliff, witnessing this extraordinary night.
The afterglow of the setting sun, like a thin veil, gently spilled over the peaks of the cloud-shrouded mountains. The undulating peaks seemed to have been meticulously painted by nature with orange-red pigments, shimmering with captivating brilliance. The outlines of the mountains, illuminated by the afterglow, appeared exceptionally clear and magnificent, as if a grand scroll was slowly unfolding between heaven and earth.

Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan stood side by side atop Wangdan Cliff. The cliff soared into the clouds; standing atop it, it felt as if they could touch the edge of the sky. The mountain wind howled like an angry beast, whipping their clothes with a whooshing sound. Their clothes fluttered fiercely in the wind like two waving flags, proclaiming their lofty ambitions.

Fu Shaoping stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, like a majestic mountain peak, giving people a sense of calm and reliability. His gaze was fixed on the distant, undulating mountain range, his eyes revealing deep thought, as if he could see through the layers of mountains and see the future direction of the cultivation world. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes revealed a trace of worry.

"Nangong, while the cultivation world has made some progress in alchemy, the art of weapon crafting has stagnated." Fu Shaoping's deep, magnetic voice echoed in the mountain breeze, striking people's hearts like a heavy hammer. "Many cultivators possess powerful techniques, yet they are hampered in battle due to a lack of suitable magical treasures. You see, when facing powerful enemies, these cultivators often find themselves in trouble because of insufficient magical treasures. Some cultivators have profound techniques, yet they can only fight with ordinary weapons, and the result is predictable. This not only prevents them from fully utilizing their strength but also makes battles in the cultivation world increasingly difficult."

Nangong Wan nodded slightly, her long, moon-white dress billowing in the wind, making her appear like a fairy descending to earth. Her skirt danced in the breeze like light clouds swirling in the mountain wind. Her eyes listened intently to Fu Shaoping's words, a light of agreement shining within them. "Shaoping, you are absolutely right. The art of weapon crafting is not only about the power of magical artifacts, but also closely related to the utilization of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Magical artifacts are an important aid for cultivators on their path to immortality; their importance is self-evident. A good magical artifact can not only play a significant role in battle, but also help cultivators better comprehend the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thereby enhancing their own strength."

She gently raised her head, gazing into the distance, as if imagining the future of the Weapon Forging Pavilion. "If we could establish a dedicated Weapon Forging Pavilion, gathering top weapon forgers from all over the world to exchange ideas, perhaps the art of weapon forging could reach new heights. In this pavilion, weapon forgers from all corners of the land could share their experiences and techniques, jointly exploring the mysteries of weapon forging. We could set up dedicated weapon forging workshops, giving weapon forgers ample space and time to practice and create. At the same time, we could hold weapon forging competitions to stimulate their innovative spirit, allowing them to continuously improve their skills through competition."

Fu Shaoping turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Nangong Wan. His eyes were filled with determination and anticipation, as if he could already see the thriving Weapon Forging Pavilion under their efforts. "I share this idea. We are both proficient in alchemy and have a profound understanding of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If we can combine alchemy with weapon forging, we might be able to create unprecedented magical treasures. Alchemy focuses on the extraction and utilization of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, while weapon forging is about the processing and shaping of materials. By combining the two, we can infuse more spiritual energy into magical treasures, giving them greater power and special functions."

His hands clenched slightly into fists, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Imagine a magical artifact infused with the power of alchemy. In battle, it would not only unleash formidable offensive power but also release various wondrous effects according to the cultivator's needs. For example, a magical artifact could automatically absorb surrounding spiritual energy during combat to replenish the cultivator's energy; or it could release a powerful spiritual energy shield at crucial moments to protect the cultivator from harm. Such a magical artifact would undoubtedly become a treasure coveted by cultivators throughout the cultivation world."

The two exchanged a smile, a smile brimming with confidence and anticipation for the future. They could almost see the Refining Pavilion rising from the misty mountains, becoming a sacred place for weapon refiners in the cultivation world. Refiners from all over would flock here to exchange ideas and share experiences. Inside the Refining Pavilion, the furnaces roared, and all sorts of rare materials were transformed into exquisite magical artifacts in the hands of the weapon refiners. And the two of them stood at the highest point of the Refining Pavilion, overlooking all of this, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)