Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 421 A Second Blossom, Observing Transformation and Exploring Truth

Sunrise Peak, Hidden Clouds Viewpoint.

Dong Shouren and Fang Weimin both came out of the temple and gazed at the strange phenomenon of the furnace opening on Rain Color Peak.

“I prepared three sets of spiritual materials for my grandmaster uncle, but I didn’t expect him to use them all at once and refine them all successfully, each one becoming spiritually connected.”

Fang Weimin exclaimed in admiration, her face filled with respect.

“If Xinzhan put all his energy into alchemy, I wonder how great his achievements would be.”

Dong Shouren said.

Fang Weimin nodded repeatedly.

"Haven't you been trying to refine some rare, long-lost pills from the mountains lately? Take your grandmaster uncle along. His Lion Lord is currently unable to move or leave his post. Take this opportunity to let him get closer to the Dao of Alchemy, and let him contribute more to it, leaving behind his insights and experiences to benefit future generations."

"Yes."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The following summer.

The 7th day of the fourth month in the 475th year of the Ming Dynasty was Xiaoman (Grain Buds).

Cheng Xinzhan opened the furnace, let it cool, collected the elixir, extinguished the fire, and washed the furnace—all in one smooth motion.

Another batch of excellent pills has been produced.

Just then, a burst of spiritual light flashed on the sword furnace, filling the room with fragrance. A flame leaped out of the furnace, landed in front of Cheng Xinzhan, rolled on the ground, and transformed into a bright red-haired monkey, which immediately bowed down in worship.

The sword furnace had just been washed, so it was impossible for any pills left inside. Cheng Xinzhan had already sensed the aura of the little monkey. This was the Crimson Sky Sword nurturing a weapon spirit, officially entering the embryonic stage. It was also the first of the Five Elements Swords to awaken its spirit.

It seems that the continuous alchemy process has also endowed this sword with extraordinary potential.

He smiled and reached out to touch the monkey.

The monkey was burning hot, so it rubbed its body against Cheng Xinzhan's palm before jumping back into the furnace.

With a wave of his hand, the sword furnace transformed into a streak of fire, which he swallowed. Having spent nearly a year on Flying Cloud Mountain, the lion had essentially recovered, and the life embryo in the Crimson Palace had fully materialized into its true form; it was time for him to leave.

He quickly packed his belongings in the villa, bid farewell to Dong Shouren and Fang Weimin, politely declined their attempts to persuade him to stay, and then rode away on a lion.

He traveled northeast and arrived at Tiecha Mountain.

"Sir, weren't you preparing for your fourth birthday? Why are you here?"

The lion's body was completely free of toxins, and its hidden injuries were also completely cured by Dong Shouren, so it is now full of energy again.

Cheng Xinzhan had no reason to hide anything from the lion, so he said...
"The physical body need not be saved, but the transformation has only just begun."

The lion didn't seem to care much, and simply turned its gaze toward the Yellow Sea.

Cheng Xinzhan understood its meaning and smiled.

"Go on your own."

The lion grinned, leaped into the sea, and disappeared after creating a towering wave.

Cheng Xinzhan stepped into the Cloud Light Cave, releasing his bamboo avatar. His three primordial spirits and all the magical treasures entered the avatar's acupoints. At this moment, inside the Yellow Court Palace of the bamboo avatar, the Mysterious Female Pearl surrounded the golden core, and a gentle breeze blew through the tribulation clouds; the two were now extremely close.

At this time, four years had passed since Cheng Xinzhan's fourth purification of his Golden Core. Four years ago, after the Golden Core of his physical body was purified and its essence emerged, he moved the Mysterious Female Pearl and the Pure Wind into the bamboo body. Now, 1,500 days and nights have passed, and the Golden Core of the bamboo body is about to undergo its first purification.

Thus, another benefit of the Corpse-Dissolving Path became apparent. Cheng Xinzhan's original body's golden elixir blossomed, merging with his essence and qi to form a new embryo. The tribulation clouds in his Yellow Court had dissipated, and the tribulation intent had vanished, making it impossible for him to undergo the Golden Elixir Tribulation again. However, the Corpse-Dissolving Body still needed to undergo tribulation. Since the Corpse-Dissolving Body was nurtured by the original body, sharing the same aura and destiny, when the Corpse-Dissolving Body underwent the Golden Elixir Tribulation, the primordial spirit and all magical treasures could be refined along with it.

In other words, even though Cheng Xinzhan has undergone four rounds of purification to reach the embryonic stage, his primordial spirit and magical treasures can be refined even more through the process of corpse dissolution, reaching an even more profound level. In addition, his thunder magic will also reach new heights through multiple tribulations.

Although Cheng Xinzhan took the first tribulation of disintegrating his body extremely seriously, he handled it with remarkable ease. Tribulations were commonplace for him; after all, he had already endured the Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation of the Purple Heaven.

He meditated and regulated his breathing in the Cloud Light Cave for only one day. The next day, he locked the mountain with the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth," then spat out the golden elixir and began his tribulation.

The bamboo-shaped golden elixir, with its deep green and hazy blue hues, is formed by the combination of "Rainbow Robe Wind Horse Gang" and "Mysterious Netherworld Female Mother Sha". It possesses the lightness of a rainbow and the gentleness of a female mother. Its element is predominantly wood, and its Yin and Yang are predominantly yin. It is a "True Xun" elixir.

The golden elixir flew out of the cave and reached the mountain peak. Immediately afterwards, tribulation clouds gathered and tribulation lightning brewed.

"Huangtian Six Nine Cave Abyss Thunder Tribulation".

It represents the thunder of Ren water, a vast and boundless thunder, and a blazing thunder.

Water nourishes wood, and yang replenishes yin. The first tribulation thunder of the bamboo body golden elixir uses water to stimulate the wood nature and yang to harmonize the two polarities.

The fact that the first tribulation was sixty-nine years ago demonstrates just how rare and precious this Meiji Mountain-inherited bamboo staff corpse dissolution technique is, and also shows the merit of Cheng Xinzhan's years of nurturing and adding talismans.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared, and white lightning struck.

……

After fifty-four thunderclaps, the golden elixir shone brightly, and the primordial spirit radiated brilliance.

"Peach Capital" completed its fourth intangible transformation, while "Nether Capital" completed its third.

"Heaven generates water" was refined by the Ren water, balancing Yin and Yang, and transformed into a white dragon, soaring through the air, its roar echoing in the void. Following the fire sword, the water sword became the second magical sword to give birth to a spirit.

After the bamboo body survived the tribulation lightning, Cheng Xinzhan did not leave. Instead, he meditated and enlightened in the Cloud Light Cave, occasionally going to Laoshan to seek out high-ranking masters to discuss Taoist methods, and occasionally visiting the Dragon Lord in the Yellow Sea to discuss supernatural powers. In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed.

When light snow began to fall on Tiecha Mountain, Cheng Xinzhan took a "Three Elements Nourishing Spirit Pill".

After taking the pill, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and concentrated his mind, imagining the golden liquid in his mouth dissolving into the pill, which then transformed into a gentle, bright purple light. He swallowed one-ninth of it, which passed through the twelve-story tower, sank to the Yellow Court, merged with a trace of golden essence, and then rose to the center of his eyebrows. The light permeated the entire Purple Palace, slowly nourishing his primordial spirit.

After repeating this nine times, the primordial spirit shone like golden clouds.

Immediately afterwards, Cheng Xinzhan summoned his lotus body and, in the same manner, transferred all three primordial spirits and all the magical treasures into the lotus body.

Indeed, it's time for Lotus Body's first purification tribulation.

Back then, after Cheng Xinzhan's physical body achieved the Golden Core stage, he allocated Su Feng and the Mysterious Female Pearl to the Yellow Court of both his bamboo and lotus bodies according to the timing of their Golden Core tribulations. Fortunately, the amount of Su Feng he had collected in the previous Earthly Branch Year of Zi was quite considerable. After distributing it to both bodies and combining it with the Mysterious Female Pearl, he controlled the arrival of the first Golden Core tribulations of both bodies to be within five years, and intentionally maintained a six-month interval between them to allow his primordial spirit and magical treasures to recuperate and rest.

Now that the "Three Elements Nourishing Spirit Pill" is available to nourish the primordial spirit, there is even less to worry about.

The lotus-shaped golden elixir, bright red and blazing purple, is formed by the combination of "Crimson Cloud Purple Qi Gang" and "Purple Fire Rotten Peach Sha". It has the intensity of heavenly fire and the gentleness of earthly fire. It belongs to the fire element in the Five Elements theory and is a "Yang Li" elixir in the Yin and Yang theory.

The golden elixir flew out of the cave, and then, half a year later, tribulation lightning descended upon Iron Chariot Mountain once more.

"Huangtian Sijiu Xihua Thunder Tribulation".

It represents the thunder of Yi Wood, the thunder of growth, and the thunder of Yin and gentleness.

Wood generates fire, and gentleness dispels dryness. The first tribulation lightning of the Lotus Body Golden Elixir uses the nature of wood to stimulate the nature of fire, and uses yin to harmonize the two polarities.

This tribulation lightning allowed "Taodu" to complete its fifth transformation into the formless, reaching a new level. "Youdu" completed its fourth transformation into the formless, becoming a black-feathered owl with blood-red eyes and white pupils. Moreover, "Donghua Qingshu," refined by the Yi Wood tribulation lightning, achieved a balance of Yin and Yang, transforming into a green dragon. "Gaozhen," after undergoing six tribulations, spontaneously cried out, transforming into a purple phoenix. The black owl, the green dragon, and the purple phoenix, these three divine beings, circled and cried out in the air, attracting Bai Xi, the fire monkey, and the divine rooster to spontaneously manifest and echo their cries, subsequently causing the winds and clouds to change color and the Yellow Sea to surge.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After locking up Iron Cha Mountain and recalling the lions, Cheng Xinzhan returned to his sect.

After resting for one night at Meijiyama, he went straight to Gofuyama the next day.

"Mizu".

Cheng Xinzhan stepped forward to greet him.

"Xin Zhan has arrived."

Mi Shanglian had set up a low table in the hut and was sitting there writing something. When she saw Cheng Xinzhan coming over, she put down her pen, pointed her finger, and conjured a rattan cushion out of thin air on the opposite side of the table. She then reached out to invite him to sit down.

Cheng Xinzhan sat down and saw many books piled on the table, including his own "A Study of the Pronunciation and Meaning of All Daoist Scriptures".

"But has a new volume of 'The Study of Phonetic Meaning' been published?"

Upon meeting her, Mi Shanglian asked this question, indicating that she was quite interested in it.

"Have."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and said that he hadn't been too busy in recent years. He had plenty of free time for lotus viewing, alchemy, and tribulation training, so he naturally spent time on these things. As he spoke, he took out a thick stack of manuscripts and handed them over.

"Please correct me, Master."

Mi Shanglian accepted the manuscript with both hands as if it were a treasure, placing it on top of the pile of books on her desk. Then, she returned the first two volumes of manuscript Cheng Xinzhan had given her last time, along with a thin booklet, saying,
"These are some of my thoughts after grading the papers. I wouldn't call them any corrections, just some personal opinions. See if they're helpful to you."

Cheng Xinzhan was also pleasantly surprised, not expecting that Mi Zu valued his "Phonetic and Semantic Study" so much, and that he had already responded on their second meeting.

He accepted it with both hands and carefully put it away.

"Since I've been guarding the Immortal Tree, I feel that my spiritual senses have become more open. Many things that puzzled me in previous years have been resolved in these three years."

Mi Shanglian said with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this, and then took the opportunity to ask about Mi Zu's gains over the past few years. The two then continued to discuss the Daoist Canon, as both were knowledgeable and learned a great deal from their conversation.

As the conversation progressed to the topic of powerful spells and supernatural abilities, Cheng Xinzhan took the opportunity to explain the purpose of his visit.

“Mizun, speaking of magic, I have a question to ask you.”

"Oh, what's the matter?"

Mi Shanglian smiled and said that back then, she was also a leading figure in the Wanfa School and had also worn the robes of a Wanfa Scripture Master. She was confident in answering questions from the young Scripture Masters of that time.

Cheng Xinzhan then said,
"This disciple wishes to learn a method of observing and reflecting back on things; I beg the Patriarch to teach me."

"The source tracing method is indeed rare and difficult to practice."

Mi Shanglian spoke slowly, then asked,
"Only observe what remains unchanged? Only trace back to things, not to people?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

Upon hearing this, Mi Shanglian nodded in agreement.

“In that case, it’s not too difficult. I do have a method.”

Cheng Xinzhan's face lit up with joy.
"I beg the patriarch to teach me."

Mi Shanglian didn't agree immediately, and asked again.
"What do you want to observe? If it's too high-grade, I can't guarantee it will work."

Cheng Xinzhan looked somewhat troubled upon hearing this. He turned to the side, pointed to the ginseng fruit tree behind him, and said,

"What this disciple wishes to observe is the Immortal Tree."

Mi Shanglian was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled helplessly.
"You certainly know how to pick. This kind of quality is absolutely impossible. This ginseng fruit tree is no ordinary immortal tree. It's a legendary ancient divine object that even celestial immortals couldn't see through."

Hearing Mi Shanglian's resolute words, Cheng Xinzhan felt a surge of disappointment, but he remained calm and replied,

"It's alright, thank you Mizu. I'll think of another way."

"What do you want to do that requires the Observation Tree?"

Mi Shanglian asked curiously.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't hide anything and answered,

"This disciple is currently in the embryonic stage and has already reached the fifth transformation. The next stage is 'Ginseng Treasure.' Logically speaking, the best true form of the Ginseng Treasure is the ginseng baby shape that appears within the first three hours after the ginseng herb transforms. However, this disciple believes that there may be another true form in the world that is truly worthy of being called the 'Ginseng Treasure,' a manifestation of the Dao of Heaven and Earth."

"Ginseng fruit?!"

Mi Shanglian immediately realized what was going on.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

"You really do have... brilliant ideas!"

Mizu was at a loss for words. Yes, of course, anyone who heard this theory would agree; the ginseng fruit from the ginseng fruit tree was certainly more authentic than the ginseng doll that had transformed from ginseng grass! But who would actually set their sights on the ginseng fruit?
Unless he actually has it.

"You want to master the 'Nine Transformations of True Form'?"

Mi Zu asked.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and said,
"I didn't know this word before; I only heard it from the sect leader."

"Yes, this word is not recorded in writing, but only passed down orally."

"Why?"

Mizu then explained,
The Nascent Soul nurtured through the "Nine Transformations of True Form" is called a "Holy Infant," possessing various mystical qualities. However, this is extremely difficult, beyond human reach, and largely depends on fate. The reason it is not widely publicized is to prevent some ambitious individuals from pursuing the "Nine Transformations of True Form" and going astray, creating monstrosities in the process. As for those with exceptional talent and extraordinary fortune who are composed, the sect will inform them in advance; this is also a means for the sect to protect its younger generation.

“Hehe values ​​you and trusts you, so he will tell you this matter at the appropriate time.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, realizing to himself that he understood.

"I will still teach you the spell. The same spell will still vary from person to person. Just because I can't see through it doesn't mean you can't. After all, you are the destined one of the ginseng fruit. Divine objects have spirits, and perhaps it will allow you to trace its origin."

Mi Shanglian said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan smiled. It was hard to say whether he was destined to be with the Immortal Tree, but there was no harm in learning and trying it out. What if he succeeded?
"Thank you for your help, Master."

"This technique is called 'Observing the True Bright Eyes of Transformation,' a pupil technique evolved from the great supernatural power 'Returning Heaven and Reversing the Sun.' Everyone says it's difficult to learn, but I think, with your talent, it should be no problem for you."

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(End of this chapter)