Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 177, 176 Extraordinary Scriptures, Great Perfection
De Cong held the prescription, looking at it while writing something on a piece of paper.

The key to alchemy lies in the fusion of medicinal properties; similarly, alchemical formulas have not remained unchanged throughout history.

Some materials may have been common in the past, but they may not be easy to find now, or if they are found, the quantity may be insufficient.

The sixteen circuits of the Qin Dynasty were vast and diverse, with varying climates and hydrological conditions across the regions, resulting in abundant resources.

However, the military governors had been in power for several years, and the lack of communication between different regions had persisted for a long time, with some even losing all trade.

If the required medicinal materials are produced in a very distant place and cannot be distributed, does that mean we should stop making elixirs?
In such cases, alchemists need to find alternatives and modify the pill formula.

It should be said that only those who reach this level can be called masters of alchemy. Otherwise, they are merely following old ways, parroting others' ideas, and rigidly following prescriptions to prepare medicine; they are nothing more than craftsmen.

"You want more time off?"

Upon hearing Li Cunxiao's words, Decong's first reaction was naturally one of reluctance.

He was obsessed with alchemy and regarded alchemy as a pleasure; he was also highly respected in the city and was usually accommodated by others, but never accommodated by others.

"Please take a look, Chief." Li Cunxiao naturally knew that this matter was not so easy, so he took out the prepared red fish roe and a bunch of spiritual herbs.

What is this, a bribe?
De Cong was speechless. He was about to admonish the other party that alchemy was not something that could be done by shortcuts and that one had to put in a lot of effort every day. However, when he saw the demon materials such as the red fish roe, his eyes changed slightly.

"This material is very fresh; it wasn't even a day ago that it was taken from the demon, and the method used is very skillful."

This technique is from the Medicine King's Clinic, and it contains some elements he had never seen before, but the combination is very appropriate.

De Cong fell silent.

"You created these materials yourself? A fourth-tier demon?"

Li Cunxiao cupped his hands and said, "It was this disciple who killed it."

De Cong fell silent again.

What an excellent disciple. It's a pity he's not his disciple, but the disciple of Senior Qi.

'A borrowed apprentice is impossible to discipline.'

Sighing inwardly, Decong reluctantly remembered that the young man before him was not someone he could order around at will.

"Alright, I agree. As long as you finish the tasks in the alchemy room, you can arrange the rest of your time as you see fit."

Li Cunxiao felt relieved, knowing the matter was resolved. He bowed and was about to leave when he was suddenly called back from behind:

"Take these things away. Once you're strong enough, try refining this elixir."

As De Cong spoke, he pulled out a prescription from somewhere, flicked his wrist, and it flew directly into the other person's hand.

"This is the formula for the Water-Repelling Pill. Take it back and study it more."

After saying this, the old monk told Li Cunxiao to leave, and Li Cunxiao had no choice but to take the prescription and ingredients and walk away.

"I thought the old monk was angry, but I didn't expect to get a pill formula for free without even giving away the gift."

However, the Water-Repelling Pill is a fourth-tier pill, and he has only just mastered the Qi and Blood Pill. His success rate in one batch is about 70-80%, with most of them being of high quality and very few of medium quality.

It will probably take at least half a year to master the refining of fourth-tier pills.

Could this be considered De Cong's subtle expression of dissatisfaction?
"My master, who is so elusive, is truly a man of great importance."

Li Cunxiao could guess that the smooth progress of things was probably due to the influence of that Buddhist senior who had not yet shown his face.

It seems we need to pay more attention to the matter of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and we've arrived in late autumn, September.

Li Cunxiao practiced alchemy during the day and cultivated his Qi at night to open his mind. He would occasionally dream of Dongwang Mugong, accumulating evil Qi while learning alchemy.

Outside of Tiangu Temple, he would go out almost every four days to accept bounties at Fanlou.

Sometimes it's about driving away demons, sometimes it's about killing bandits in the mountains, and sometimes it's about taking on jobs to assassinate notorious gang leaders.

Each time a mission was completed, the elusive senior would reward the user with pills.

A month has passed, and not only have I accumulated nine merits, but I am only one short of exchanging them for the bronze wheel part of the Holy King's Wheel Fist.

At the same time, with the help of the Vajra, the Burning Wood Blade also broke through to the minor level, and its true energy increased again.

With the help of a large number of Qi-accumulating pills and the Holy King's Wheel Fist, Li Cunxiao opened up two more meridians in just one month.

A few days ago, after the vajra was filled again, he simply used it to open up another meridian.

That is, the three main meridians of the hand – the Small Intestine Meridian of Hand-Taiyang, the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, and the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming – are all connected.

With the combination of Yin and Yang, the flow and recovery of true Qi become smoother and faster.

His cultivation has now reached the minor completion of the Six Meridians of the Yellow Court. The next step forward will be the major completion of the Yellow Court, where true qi will be released outwards.

Once he reaches this level, even without magical treasures by his side, his combat power can remain at a relatively high level.

Late at night, in the hermitage of Tiangu Temple, Li Cunxiao sat cross-legged in meditation.

Beneath the main body of Nezha, a wooden dragon and a fire snake intertwined, the former below and the latter above.

Behind the main body, a giant iron-gray wheel slowly rotated. As it rotated, a large amount of true energy flowed into the waterwheel like water, was refined and flowed, filled the dantian, and then surged into the Yinbai acupoint, the starting point of the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian.

Yinbai, Dadu, Taibai, Gongsun, Shangqiu, Sanyinjiao, Lougu, Diji, Yinlingquan, Xuehai, Jimen, Chongmen.
The three Yin and three Yang meridians of the foot have almost twice as many acupoints as the three Yin and three Yang meridians of the hand.

Each foot meridian has no fewer than ten acupoints, and some even have close to twenty.

Especially when opening acupoints where meridians intersect, one must be extremely cautious, and the efficiency of the refining process will be even lower.

This situation becomes more and more obvious as time goes on.

Moreover, true qi is breathed in and out by the demonic being, and the more abundant the true qi, the closer the relationship between the martial artist and the demon.

This is like two pools of water connected by pipes. The more pipes there are, the faster the water exchange occurs, and once one pool becomes dirty, the other will inevitably be more easily contaminated.

When applied to martial artists of the Yellow Court, the closer they get to mastery and perfection, the greater the influence of the demons they will be, and the more easily their minds will fluctuate.

Therefore, most people practice the Huangting method more and more slowly. Unlike Li Cunxiao, who was blessed by the Vajra Pestle, he always had a clear mind and could breathe in and out true energy without any burden.

In addition, the Celestial Body has created an extremely solid foundation, with unobstructed meridians, making it easier to open them up, and consuming Qi-accumulating pills is as easy as eating candy.

All these factors combined led to the terrifying speed at which three meridians could be opened in a month.

Based on the current trend, he should be able to complete his twelve-year ritual before the end of the year.

However, according to the bits and pieces I heard from Yuanguang before, it seems that after the twelve regular meridians are perfected, there are also the eight extraordinary meridians.

However, this level is said to be extremely dangerous, and neither Yuan Guang nor Yuan Can wanted to talk about it.

We can only inquire after the twelve primary meridians are completed.

After finishing his meditation and qi cultivation, Li Cunxiao lay down on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.

Unfortunately, after waiting for fifteen minutes, the familiar feeling of entering a dream did not come.

"Has the Linglong Tower really been flooded with advertisements?"

After Li Cunxiao's strength improved, he was able to clear the Linglong Pagoda faster and faster. There weren't many demons on the fourth floor to begin with, and with his efforts, their numbers were decreasing almost visibly.

Moreover, after the reduction, it didn't refresh and replenish as before, which made him uneasy.

"Could it be that the Linglong Tower is based on my strength? Or is it that the happy times end on the fourth floor?"

Li Cunxiao waited for a quarter of an hour but Dongwang Mugong did not appear, so he had no choice but to go to sleep. In his hazy state, a familiar feeling lingered in his heart, but before he could even feel happy, he opened his eyes and saw the long-unseen cloud-shrouded mountains and the silent, swaying giant Bodhi tree.

So, we take turns, right?
Li Cunxiao wasn't particularly surprised. This was his second visit, and unlike the first, he wasn't nervous; instead, he was in the mood to observe carefully.

Unfortunately, the surrounding white fog made visibility extremely low, so in the end we could only follow the mountain path all the way to the Bodhi tree.

However, while he was curiously examining the flowers and leaves of the Bodhi tree, trying to find Bodhi seeds, Qici was also looking at him from the tree canopy.

He originally estimated that this batch of pills would last for two or three months, but the other party's enthusiasm and efficiency in completing the mission far exceeded his expectations.

Before he could finish giving out the Holy King's Wheel Fist, the speed at which the pills were being consumed really startled him.

"Good lad, you complete the mission so quickly. You've used up almost half of the resources I got from the Ming Cult in no time."

"The resources for perfecting the twelve regular meridians are sufficient, but if you want to open the eight extraordinary meridians..."

Qi Ci frowned. Even though Li Cunxiao was a prodigy who had cultivated a unique skill, the danger of cultivating the Eight Extraordinary Meridians was on a completely different level from that of cultivating the Twelve Regular Meridians.

With the opening of the twelve meridians, Yin and Yang and the Five Elements can be said to be in place, and the microcosm of the human body begins to take shape.

In this state, trying to reopen the eight extraordinary meridians is like having your feet on the edge of a cliff, but still trying to move your feet outward as much as possible.

To avoid falling off the cliff while minimizing the area of ​​one's feet on the ground is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Such a dangerous act can also bring astonishing benefits.

With each of the eight extraordinary meridians opened, the total amount of vital energy can be significantly increased.

In the end, if one can achieve complete connection of the orthodox and extraordinary meridians, the abundance of true qi will be sufficient to be called the "sea of ​​qi".

The waves surge like the sea, endless and boundless, filling the air with every breath.

Not to mention the advantage it provides when fighting others, it will also bring even greater benefits when you advance in the ladder.

However, opening the extraordinary meridians is also very dangerous. After all, the twelve meridians are already complete, and the martial artist and the demonic being are on the verge of merging. If one is not careful, one will fall into demonic possession.

Qi wanted to build a stronger foundation for his apprentice, but he was also unwilling to increase the risks.

Buddhist and Taoist disciples from various holy sites are naturally people who pursue the ultimate, and their sects naturally have corresponding rare and precious materials that can develop extraordinary scriptures while ensuring safety.

“Li Cunxiao is exceptionally gifted. If he had enough stone marrow, he could open at least six extraordinary meridians, or even eight, and reach the Great Perfection realm that even this humble monk has never been able to achieve.”

"only."

However, such spiritual objects are produced in very small quantities, and are basically all held by the imperial court and sects.

Although Qici is powerful, he offended too many people in his early years, and even his former employer, Qinglong Temple, disliked him. Now he is just a nobody.

After years of venturing into forests and seas, scrimping and saving, I've only managed to accumulate a little bit.

That's not enough at all.

"We still need to borrow some from Taiyi. I wonder what that Taoist priest is up to lately. He's hiding in Pingdingshan and won't come out at all."

"Could it be that they've given up on Li Cunxiao?"

Thoughts drifted away quietly, in just a few breaths.

The young man under the tree was unaware that his cheap master was having a headache over his future when he saw golden light emanating from the Bodhi tree, and words quickly taking shape.

"The final mission, assigned to me by my senior?"

Li Cunxiao was slightly surprised, after all, he had been free to do things on his own for a while.

It's no wonder that this senior colleague suddenly wants to assign a task; it's unlikely to be easy.

Could they be deliberately blocking me here?
Just as he was muttering to himself, the words on the tree changed again.

"Upon completion of this mission, all but the last part of the Golden Wheel will be passed on."

Li Cunxiao had no objections this time.

A heart-shaped Bodhi leaf drifted down, swirling as it landed on my forehead, and the information about the mission quickly flooded my mind.

Once he finished reading and organizing, he immediately understood the situation, and the dream before his eyes quickly vanished.

When I opened my eyes again, the sky was already turning a pale white.

Li Cunxiao quickly packed his things and, familiar with the place, went to Yuancan to ask for leave.

The latter had become accustomed to this over the past month and knew in his heart that this junior brother must be someone of great importance, otherwise his strict master, De Cong, would not have been so lenient with him.

After a simple makeover, Li Cunxiao rode his red steed out of the city at breakneck speed.

"This senior from Gu County, Hongfu Temple, and the scum of Buddhism is truly righteous and hates evil. He doesn't even hesitate to cut off his own flesh."

"Fortunately, Hongfu Temple is not an annex of Tiangu Temple, otherwise, if a fight broke out and attracted the temple's experts, it would be quite troublesome."

Yellow horses galloped along the official road, and merchants and travelers could be seen from time to time. In the fields on both sides, farmers were busy with the autumn harvest.

However, once they reached a distance of about a hundred miles, the surrounding scenery suddenly became desolate, and even the official road under their feet became dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.

Li Cunxiao knew that this was because the area had exceeded the daily jurisdiction of the city guards.

No matter how diligent and caring Bai Xiangshan was in governing the state, he could only influence the prefecture capital and a few nearby counties.

The further you go, the more abandoned fields there are, the fewer people there are, and you can even see yellowed human bones scattered by the roadside from time to time.

In a daze, Li Cunxiao seemed to have returned to Chuqiu County, back to that turbulent time.

Over the past month, all sorts of news have been flying around the city.

However, the Ming Cult, which he was most concerned about, had fallen silent and had not made any moves since it was wiped out by the city guards and Tiangu Temple.

Meanwhile, news of Huang Chao's army capturing cities and strongholds kept arriving. Judging from their route, they were clearly heading towards Luoyang, the eastern capital.

The Tongji Canal in Songzhou connects to the Eastern Capital, making it the obvious first choice for transporting grain and troops.

Li Cunxiao sighed silently, banishing those unfounded worries from his mind.

The red horse was fast and had great endurance. It only rested for a quarter of an hour at noon. After taking a Qi and Blood Pill, it was full of energy again.

As the sun was about to set, Li Cunxiao finally entered the territory of Gu County.

To his surprise, the situation here didn't seem too bad.

At least the fields were being tended to, and there were very few corpses on the road.

If you walk about ten or twenty miles to the neighboring county town, you can see Buddhist temples that are faintly visible in the mountains.

It seems that the fact that the demons did not cause too much trouble is partly thanks to Hongfu Temple.

"Husband! Husband!"

"Let her go, you beasts!"

Just then, a series of urgent shouts entered my ears.

Li Cunxiao rode his horse a few steps and saw a man in coarse clothes lying on the ground, covered in bruises. Beside him were three strong monks with bruises all over their heads, holding a crying woman in their hands.

He couldn't help but sigh.

This is probably also thanks to Hongfu Temple.

(End of this chapter)