A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Indeed, it looks more like a burning piece of agarwood!"

After Zhou Ping stood the iron nail upright, he observed the long black strip in front of him, with a wisp of smoke rising from its top, which made him even more certain of his guess.

Aside from being slightly coarser, if you ignore the dense, strange patterns on it, this item is no different from the agarwood that people burn incense and pray to Buddha on ordinary days.

However, the material of this item is completely different from ordinary agarwood. It is so heavy and unusually hard, more like an unknown metal.

Recalling the times he used to bite it with his teeth and hit it with stones, Zhou Ping couldn't help but smile.

I was young then, and all I knew was that I had found something amazing. Despite trying my best, I couldn't figure it out.

Zhou Ping stared intently at the black agarwood in his hand, muttering to himself.

How did it catch fire? It's been under the bed for so long, why are there no burn marks on the bedding at all?

Zhou Ping curiously stretched out his finger and tentatively tapped the end of the swirling smoke.

Cold?!

Why is it cold?

Zhou Ping gradually grew bolder, pressing his fingers against the tip of the agarwood and rubbing it back and forth.

The cool, icy touch made him feel as if he were touching a piece of cold iron. After rubbing it for a while, he raised his hand and looked at his fingertips.

He found that it was clean and dry, and there was no black ash as he had imagined.

This indicates that the smoke drifting above is not a product of the burning of this substance, but rather produced in some way unknown to us.

Zhou Ping had a sudden inspiration. He quickly went to the basin and submerged all the agarwood in his hand in the water, hoping to see if he could "extinguish" it in the water.

After soaking it in water for a while, Zhou Ping took it out and found that the wisp of smoke swirling around it had actually disappeared.

He held it in his hand and waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but no more smoke appeared at the top of the agarwood, and it returned to its usual dark appearance.

Although he didn't know how the smoke was produced, Zhou Ping knew from its condensed and persistent nature that it was definitely not ordinary smoke.

The piece of agarwood became increasingly mysterious in his eyes. After the smoke dissipated, he could no longer probe the object, which made Zhou Ping feel a sense of loss.

"I knew I shouldn't have soaked it in water. Now it's back to the same as before."

Zhou Ping felt that his actions just now were somewhat rash. Before he had a chance to examine the situation in detail, he had ruined the changes that had finally appeared.

He waited until it was almost dark, but the piece of agarwood still didn't produce any smoke, so he had to give up the pointless wait.

To make it easier for him to observe later, Zhou Ping selected a relatively large one from the remaining porcelain bottles, filled it with some soil, and carefully inserted the agarwood into it.

After finishing all this, he looked at the agarwood and porcelain vase placed on the table and nodded in satisfaction.

The advantage of doing this is that agarwood can be disguised as ordinary incense without worrying about being discovered.

The agarwood sticks inside are just like ordinary incense used for worship, except that they are slightly thicker. Anyone who comes will only regard them as an ordinary incense burner.

Zhou Ping washed his muddy hands, poured the dirty water from the basin into the small bamboo grove outside the house, glanced at the sky, closed the doors and windows, and headed towards the Jin Yuan canteen.

In Jin Yuan, there were many outsiders like Zhou Ping, including some menial laborers, craftsmen, and servants.

Unlike the Jin people, they do not have their own families and eat, drink, or relieve themselves at home.

These solitary individuals lived alone and did not cook for themselves, so Jin Yuan set up a special canteen and bathing area for them.

As Zhou Ping passed by Yunlan Villa, he suddenly remembered the strange dream he had during his afternoon nap. He slowed down his pace, a rare occurrence, and secretly peeked inside.

Recalling the thrilling scene in his dream where he pulled Jin Yan into his arms, Zhou Ping's face suddenly flushed, making his skin appear even darker.

Realizing his own abnormality, he hurriedly left the scene and walked quickly towards the cafeteria.

What's wrong with me? How could I have such a ridiculous dream?

Zhou Ping was unaware that, nearing adulthood, his body was developing at an increasingly rapid pace. Coupled with the refinement and nourishment of the Qingyuan Gong, not only had his spirit become exceptionally vigorous, but his various bodily functions had also seen significant improvement.

The sensory stimulation from the opposite sex naturally becomes more intense.

.......

After dinner, Zhou Ping didn't linger outside and immediately returned to Cuifeng Villa.

He still longed for that mysterious piece of agarwood, fantasizing that it could produce smoke again.

But the result disappointed him. That night, Zhou Ping stared at it until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), but he didn't see any smoke drift out.

Left with no other choice, he had to give up his fantasies, suppress his disappointment, and go to sleep.

The next morning, Zhou Ping arrived at Jin Jingtian's residence early, a routine he had been doing every day for the past three years.

In addition to checking on his cultivation progress every day, Jin Jingtian would occasionally share some of his experience and insights on the Qingyuan Technique with him.

According to Jin Jingtian, these insights all came from Jin Wanxuan, the fourth ancestor of the Jin clan. They were the most precious things in the Jin clan and a great fortune for Zhou Ping.

Although these experiences cannot directly improve Zhou Ping's cultivation level in Qingyuan Gong, they can help him avoid many detours in his cultivation and help him avoid some hidden risks.

For example, some people are too eager for quick success when practicing Qingyuan Gong, which can damage their meridians, rupture their dantian, and even lead to qi deviation.

Jin Jingtian valued these experiences highly, and would only occasionally give Zhou Ping some pointers, but would not impart all his knowledge to him.

Zhou Ping understood that Jin Jingtian was fishing, casting only a little bait each time, keeping him hooked and making him realize that his cultivation could never be separated from the help of the Jin Clan.

Zhou Ping felt that Jin Jingtian's actions were somewhat unnecessary.

Since the Jin Clan had designs on him and Qing Yuangong, hoping he could break through quickly, their stingy behavior was utterly contradictory.

Although Zhou Ping harbored resentment towards Jin Jingtian's behavior, he genuinely experienced the wonders of these insights, which made him practice the Qingyuan Gong with ease and composure.

Jin Jingtian released Zhou Ping's wrist, gesturing for him to sit down next to him, and looked at him with deep eyes.

Zhou Ping possessed exceptional perception and naturally noticed Ru Yuan's gaze from above. He quickly sat down and respectfully poured Ru Yuan a cup of tea.

"Chief, please have some tea."