Immortal Rebellion: Investing in Cause and Effect, Unexpectedly Hijacking Li Muwan's Deal

Lu Xuan practiced for an hour, repeatedly performing the first three techniques until he mastered them.

He had actually noticed long ago that Zhao Mu's divine sense was constantly monitoring him.

He deliberately caused a slight, almost imperceptible, stagnation in his spiritual energy during a certain hand seal transition, a stagnation that might occur in a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. The flame flickered slightly as a result. He immediately adjusted and restored stability.

Sure enough, Zhao Mu opened his eyes and said, "When changing hand seals, the spiritual energy can flow faster by half a second when passing through the 'Shaofu acupoint,' and the connection can eliminate the sluggishness."

Controlling fire is like playing a zither; the subtlety, intensity, and tempo are all within a small space. A slight error can drastically alter the nature of the fire.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Lu Xuan looked enlightened and grateful. He adjusted his movements as instructed, and the next time he converted his spiritual energy, it went much more smoothly.

Zhao Mu nodded and then closed his eyes again.

Lu Xuan continued practicing.

But he doesn't really need to practice these basics.

It's just through this process,

To improve his proficiency in fire control under the identity of "Lu Qing"

To have a reasonable and visible trajectory so as not to arouse suspicion.

Moreover, during this process, he was also sensing the characteristics of the fire veins within the Fire Palace, silently confirming his understanding of fire.

Noon is approaching.

Lu Xuan stopped practicing, and his spiritual energy consumption was kept within a reasonable range.

Zhang Mao was still engrossed in processing the medicinal herbs, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes remained focused.

Zhao Mu stood up and said to the two of them, "That's all for today."

Lu Qing, go to the library this afternoon.

Zhang Mao, you may leave only after you have finished processing this batch of medicinal herbs.

Please come back here to continue your practice at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, and don't be late.

"Yes, Master," the two replied in unison.

After Zhao Mu left, Zhang Mao breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Lu Xuan with a wry smile, "Senior Brother Lu, processing these medicinal herbs looks simple, but it's really not easy to do."

Lu Xuan walked over and looked at the few Red Sun Grasses he had treated.

The various techniques for removing impurities and retaining the effective parts basically met the requirements of the jade slip, and then it was said:

"Junior Brother Zhang has already done very well; just proceed step by step."

"Thank you for your kind words, Senior Brother." Zhang Mao's mood improved somewhat after hearing this, and he added, "Senior Brother, you've learned fire control very quickly. It seems that passing the test won't be a problem."

"Let's work hard together." Lu Xuan smiled, said nothing more, and left the alchemy room.

In the afternoon, Lu Xuan went to the Luohe Gate Library as instructed by Zhao Mu.

The library is a nine-story tower, magnificent and heavily guarded.

He showed his disciple's jade token and was able to enter the first level.

The first floor has a very large space.

Rows of tall wooden shelves held countless jade slips and books.

Most of them are basic alchemy materials, herbal illustrations, and low-level pill formulas.

It also contains a lot of common knowledge about the cultivation world, brief histories of various sects, and strange tales.

What Lu Xuan is looking for is probably not on the first floor; he can only patiently improve his status to enter a higher floor.

He went to the area related to "fire control" and "earth fire".

I picked up some books related to subterranean fire and ley lines.

Then I found a spot in the corner, sat down, and began to read.

His divine sense was powerful, and he could grasp these basic concepts with a glance, but he still pretended to read them carefully and ponder them from time to time.

Secretly, he was observing the occasional whispers and conversations of the other disciples, gathering information on recent developments within the sect.

As dusk fell, Lu Xuan returned the jade slip, left the library, and returned to his own courtyard.

After activating the protective array, he did not rest.

Instead, he sat cross-legged.

Continue to slowly nurture and organize the causal power within the sea of ​​consciousness using the "Codex of Heavenly Mandate Reincarnation."

At the same time, I reflected on what I had seen and heard today.

"Zhao Mu is a rigorous and methodical teacher. I must maintain the current pace, neither too fast to arouse suspicion nor too slow to delay the plan."

"Zhang Mao is of reasonable character and poses no immediate threat, but he cannot be ignored."

"There are no signs of instability in the subterranean fire yet, so it seems the Fire Beast King is still around. Once I find the information I need, I can consider going to check on it..."

"As for Li Muwan..." Lu Xuan recalled the brief eye contact in front of the mountain gate, "She did indeed sense something about me."

The entanglements of past lives and karma are more mysterious than expected.

I will inevitably encounter them again inside the gate in the future, so I need to be more careful and not show any abnormality.

It's best to accumulate achievements or demonstrate value as quickly as possible.

To gain a certain degree of autonomy in action or access to higher-level resources.

Reduce unnecessary daily encounters.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Lu Xuan began to immerse himself in a deeper analysis of the "Nine Techniques of Fire Control" he had learned that day.

He wanted to deduce the possible pathways to higher-level fire control techniques of the Luohe Sect from these basic techniques.

And consider how to combine it with his own understanding of the origin of earth and fire.

To create some seemingly innovative but actually well-founded "unique insights" to prepare for "offering advice" at crucial moments in the future.

…………

Time flows like water, quietly passing by.

In the blink of an eye, the three-month assessment period has come to an end.

For the past three months, Lu Xuan has entered the Bingzi No. 7 alchemy room at Chenshi (7-9 AM) every day to practice the "Nine Basic Fire Control Techniques" in front of the earth fire.

From the initial three techniques: "Igniting the Fire," "Dividing the Flame," and "Stabilizing the Flame,"

The subsequent "Transformation into Flame", "Gathering of Fire", and "Condensation of Flame"

Then, the final three techniques are "Transformation," "Spiritual Fusion," and "Return to Origin."

He progressed step by step, mastering each technique with unparalleled solidity and steadiness.

In the afternoon, Lu Xuan, without fail, went to the first floor of the library.

He no longer limited himself to fire control and underground fires.

Instead, he began to systematically read the basic alchemical classics of the Luohe School, the illustrated manuals of spiritual herbs, and the theory of mutual generation and restraint of medicinal properties.

Based on his powerful divine sense, he possessed a photographic memory and constructed a vast, interconnected network of knowledge in his mind.

On the surface, however, he was just a diligent and studious ordinary inner disciple.

Zhang Mao was equally diligent in his practice.

After three months, he had thoroughly mastered the characteristics and processing methods of all 127 basic medicinal materials in the No. 7 pill room.

It truly achieves the ability to complete cutting, grinding, and extraction flawlessly even with one's eyes closed.

However, he has not yet been allowed to have access to fire control information.

When he occasionally watched Lu Xuan practice fire control, the envy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

That morning, Zhao Mu arrived at the alchemy room ahead of schedule.

Instead of having Lu Xuan and Zhang Mao practice as usual, he said directly:

"The three-month period is over, and today we will begin the assessment of the two of you."

Those who pass can become formal inner disciples and continue their cultivation under my tutelage.

Those who fail will have their fate decided later.

Zhang Mao immediately tensed up and unconsciously wiped his hands on his robe.

Lu Xuan remained calm, waiting for Zhao Mu to continue.

Zhao Muxian looked at Zhang Mao and said, "Zhang Mao, I have ten kinds of medicinal herbs here. You need to identify, sort and process them within half an hour."

If any error is made, or the task is not completed within the time limit, it is considered a failure.

Having said that, Zhao Mu waved his sleeve.

Ten different kinds of herbs flew out of his storage bag, including one that was disguised.

Zhang Mao carefully placed them on the table in front of him, took a deep breath, and began to carefully identify and sort them.

After about two incense sticks' worth of time, Zhang Mao stopped what he was doing, took a step back, bowed, and said, "Master, this disciple has finished."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Mu stepped forward to check each item one by one.

After inspecting the ten medicinal herbs, Zhao Mu nodded slightly and said, "Although there was some redundancy, the ten medicinal herbs were identified correctly, the processing methods were compliant, and the medicinal properties were well preserved."

The assessment was passed.

From this day forward, you are officially my inner disciple and are permitted to study basic alchemy techniques.

Zhang Mao was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Master! This disciple will certainly work even harder!"

Zhao Mu waved his hand, then turned to Lu Xuan and said, "Lu Qing, your assessment will be divided into two parts."

The first part is: fire control.

The fire pit is here. You must use the "Nine Techniques of Fire Control" to complete them in sequence within half an incense stick's time:

It draws out earth fire, which splits into nine flames of uniform size, and the temperature remains constant at the 'Crimson Refining' level.

Then the nine flames merged into one, the temperature dropped to the "warming" level, and remained there for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Zhao Mu's demands were far stricter than when he was teaching.

Especially the precise control of the separation and combination of the nine flames and the temperature.

It requires extremely delicate control over spiritual energy.

This is extremely difficult for ordinary Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators to achieve.

But Lu Xuan wasn't afraid. He simply nodded slightly and walked to the front of the volcanic vent.