Journey to the West: Deer Power Immortal, Starting from Becoming a Disciple of the Supreme Lord Tais

The three demons returned to the Taoist temple the following day.

After resolving the matter of Lijia Gou, Lu Qingxuan did not relax. Instead, he began to cultivate the technique he had obtained from the Tushita Palace.

Lu Qingxuan sat cross-legged in the quiet room, with a censer of incense burning in front of him, the smoke curling and lingering.

At this moment, Lu Qingxuan closed his eyes slightly and placed his hands in a mudra on his knees, which was the Five Hearts Returning to the Origin posture most commonly seen in Taoist cultivation.

Having spent hundreds of years in the mortal realm, he had already thoroughly mastered the "Taishang Ganying Pian" passed down by the Supreme Dao Ancestor, but the true path to the Golden Elixir was not limited to the text, but rather to the timing and intensity of the process.

The so-called Golden Elixir is not something that can be refined and ingested, but rather it is formed by the condensation of one's own essence, energy, and spirit.

Despite having received guidance from the Dao Ancestor, Lu Qingxuan had been unable to make significant progress on the path to the Golden Core.

Now things are different. Having obtained the complete cultivation method of the Supreme Dao Ancestor, and with the support of incense and vows, the Golden Elixir Path is right before his eyes, so naturally he will not give it up.

Lu Qingxuan calmed his mind, focused all his thoughts, and used the power of incense and prayers as a hammer to refine himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Qingxuan suddenly felt a slight disturbance in his dantian, as if something had awakened. He was not surprised by this, but continued to cultivate diligently according to the method.

As time passed, the originally scattered magical power in the dantian gradually gathered together, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, condensing into a single mass.

Taoist texts say: "Essence is the root of life; Qi is the foundation of destiny."

This ball of magical power was initially no bigger than a thumb, floating and unstable. Lu Qingxuan dared not be careless, for he knew that this was the first step in cultivating the Golden Core Dao: refining essence into qi.

They immediately continued to wrap it with incense and prayers, slowly nurturing it.

Although Lu Qingxuan was a demon, he had cultivated for a thousand years, had a solid foundation, and had also received the true teachings of the Dao Ancestor, so he took this step steadily.

The magical power slowly rotated in his dantian, becoming more solid with each rotation. Meanwhile, the magical power within his body circulated continuously along his meridians, endlessly, like the cycle of the sun and moon in the universe.

He sat there for half a month, and Lu Qingxuan remained motionless, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

Half a month later, Lu Qingxuan suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the ball of magic power in his dantian had finally solidified, spinning smoothly inside and emitting a warm glow.

This is the prototype of the Golden Elixir, what Taoists call the "millet-sized mysterious pearl".

But Lu Qingxuan knew that this was still far from the true path to the Golden Core.

He was not impatient about this and continued his cultivation, using the millet pearl to refine it with true fire, removing its impurities and preserving its essence.

This step is the most dangerous; if the timing is not right, the elixir will be ruined and the person will die.

Fortunately, Lu Qingxuan had been refining elixirs in the Doushuai Palace for hundreds of years, and his control over the heat was superb. He was able to use those techniques to refine his own golden elixir with ease.

Under the tempering of the true fire, the millet-sized pearl gradually became round and translucent, its radiance restrained, and it slowly rose and fell in the dantian like a luminous pearl.

Forty-nine days later, Lu Qingxuan felt a jolt throughout his body. The Heavenly Gate above his head opened wide, and a stream of pure energy rushed out from the top of his head, condensing three feet above his head.

The pure energy was initially formless and invisible, but as time passed, it gradually manifested into five pale golden lotus flowers, which slowly rotated.

On each lotus flower sat a blurry little figure, whose face was exactly the same as Lu Qingxuan's.

The image of the five elements returning to their origin is complete!

Taoist cultivation corresponds the five internal organs to the five elements: the heart stores the spirit, the liver stores the soul, the lungs store the vital essence, the spleen stores the intention, and the kidneys store the essence.

The Five Qi Returning to the Origin, simply put, means bringing all the Qi of the five internal organs back to one source, condensing it in the Dantian, and transforming it into the foundation of the Golden Elixir.

Lu Qingxuan looked inward and saw that the millet-sized Xuanzhu in his dantian had grown to the size of a pigeon egg, golden in color, with flowing light and faint dragon and tiger figures coiling around it.

"When the dragon and tiger unite, the golden elixir will be formed!"

He was secretly delighted, but dared not slack off in the slightest.

This is the most crucial step in the Golden Elixir Path; success means the Golden Elixir is within reach, failure means all previous efforts are wasted.

Lu Qingxuan focused his mind on his dantian, using his intention to guide the qi, and the qi to ignite the fire, slowly harmonizing the dragon and tiger energies within the golden core.

The energy of the dragon and the tiger is exceptionally fierce. When the two meet, it is like enemies meeting, causing turmoil in the dantian.

Lu Qingxuan gritted his teeth, guarding his mind, and used the power of incense and prayers to merge the two together.

After an unknown amount of time, the dragon and tiger energies ceased their struggle and slowly merged, transforming into a purple-gold light that entered the golden core.

Looking at the golden elixir again, the patterns of intertwined dragons and tigers faintly appeared, then gradually disappeared.

Lu Qingxuan exhaled a long breath. When he opened his eyes, he felt light and healthy all over, with sharp senses and a sense of ease in every movement.

After months of seclusion, the Golden Elixir has been completed!

Although it's not the legendary Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, it's already a rare stroke of luck for Lu Qingxuan at this point.

Lu Qingxuan stood up and pushed open the door to the quiet room, where the sunlight was just right.

Tiger Power Immortal and Sheep Power Immortal naturally noticed the commotion coming from Lu Qingxuan's room. As soon as Lu Qingxuan appeared, the two demons came to greet him.

"Third brother, you've been in seclusion for over a month now. Have you mastered any great supernatural powers?" Tiger Power Immortal asked with a smile.

Lu Qingxuan said, "I have gained some insights, but they are not worth mentioning."

The Great Immortal Yang Li scrutinized him carefully, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Third Brother, your aura... could it be that you've broken through?"

Lu Qingxuan nodded, not hiding anything: "I've only gained some insights into the path I cultivate, but I'm still some distance from breaking through."

"Compared to my third brother, our aptitude seems rather lacking," Tiger Power Immortal remarked.

Although he didn't know that Lu Qingxuan's so-called breakthrough was an advancement in the Golden Core Dao, he could still sense that faint aura.

Such speed is truly astonishing.

"Brother, you flatter me. I only benefit from having a solid foundation. Both of you have cultivated for a thousand years, and when the time is right, you will naturally be able to achieve enlightenment," Lu Qingxuan said, shaking his head.

As the three demons were talking, Lu Qingxuan suddenly felt a surge of incense and vow power within his body, several times stronger than when he was in seclusion.

With eyes closed and sensing the surroundings, one could see that within a radius of several hundred miles, the number of temples dedicated to the Three Immortals had increased to more than twenty, and the sounds of people burning incense and praying could be faintly heard.

The incense and prayers transformed into streams, converging from all directions and flowing into the dantian, complementing the golden elixir and subtly creating a mutually reinforcing effect.

Upon realizing this, Lu Qingxuan's heart stirred.

The Golden Elixir Path is internal cultivation, while incense offerings and vows are external support.

Cultivating both inner and outer qualities might lead to a unique path.

However, Lu Qingxuan was not in a hurry. One must take things one step at a time.

Becoming an octogenarian overnight is not advisable for spiritual cultivation.

"Brother, has anything happened since I went into seclusion?" Lu Qingxuan asked the two demons, Hu Li and Yang Li.

He had been in seclusion for several months, focusing on his cultivation, and had not heard much about the Three Immortals Shrine. Now that he had emerged from seclusion, he was eager to take a closer look.

Yang Li smiled and said, "Of course not. My brother and I can handle matters among the common people. If we must talk about important matters, my brother heard some news a while ago, which is said to be about us."