Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 83 Netherworld Soul Jade

Zhao Cheng'an took the dark brown wooden box from his father.

The lacquered surface of the wooden box was somewhat cool, carrying the dried wood scent that comes with the passage of time.

He reached out and pried open the brass clasp, lifting the lid.

Inside, a layer of bright yellow silk was laid out, and in the very center lay a palm-sized piece of jade, completely black and without any impurities on its surface.

Zhao Cheng'an extended his right index finger and gently touched the warm, smooth surface of the jade.

In his mind, the phantom of the Qiankun Cauldron trembled slightly, and a line of gray-white subtitles appeared in his vision.

[Netherworld Soul Jade: Inscribed with celestial calculation formulas, it was created a thousand years ago by a powerful calculator from the Netherworld Sect.]

Upon seeing this line of text, Zhao Cheng'an's gaze sharpened slightly.

While browsing through the books about divination masters in the Floating Scale Cave, he saw detailed records of celestial calculation formulas.

This is an extremely advanced and complex formula.

It can directly mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the cultivator's own divine sense to create a lifelike illusion in the Niwan Palace, forcibly pulling the person's consciousness into it.

Those within it often find it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. It is extremely convenient, whether used to trap enemies or to transmit clandestine information.

However, the difficulty of constructing such a formula is also extremely terrifying.

Normally, only those at the Foundation Establishment stage or above have the ability to maintain the operation of such a massive computational core in their minds.

The fact that this formula could be completely engraved in the Soul Jade, and that it can still function after thousands of years of erosion, shows that the creator of this Soul Jade must have unfathomable strength.

However, while the Tianyan algorithm is powerful, it also has a fatal flaw.

That is, as long as a person in an illusion realizes that they are in an illusory world, they can find the loophole in the formula and escape by forcibly shaking their divine sense.

Therefore, the most crucial and difficult aspect of this formula is how to make the participants completely unaware that they are already in an illusion.

Zhao Cheng'an thought to himself, then put the Soul Jade back into the wooden box and carefully put it away.

Zhao Jinglong sat to the side, watching his son's actions, and asked somewhat nervously.

"Cheng'an, is this what you needed?"

Zhao Chengan nodded.

"Yes, Father, this is very important to me."

Zhao Jinglong breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of satisfaction appearing on his face. He did not continue to inquire about the specific origin and use of the jade.

Zhao Cheng'an thought for a moment, then reached into the Qiankun bag at his waist.

He took out an exquisite white porcelain jade bottle and placed it on the table.

"Father, these are some pills I brought back from Floating Scale Cave Heaven, called Peiyuan Pills."

Zhao Cheng'an pointed to the jade bottle and explained, "This elixir is specially made for mortals. It can strengthen the body and improve health, bringing the body's functions to their best state and allowing lifespan to reach its theoretical limit."

"There are ten pills in total, enough for you and your mother to take for conditioning."

"As for the rest, it's up to you how you want to allocate it." The price of the Qi-Nourishing Pill is quite high. Zhao Cheng'an spent a full five hundred spirit stones to buy it, which was no small amount for him.

However, the effects of Peiyuan Dan are also excellent.

Basically, just one pill is enough to keep an ordinary person healthy for life and free from all diseases.

Looking at the exquisite jade vase on the table and listening to Zhao Cheng'an's introduction, Zhao Jinglong's face immediately lit up with joy. As an emperor, he had enjoyed all the riches and honors of the world, and what he desired most now was nothing more than good health and longevity.

"Okay, okay, Cheng'an, you're very kind."

Zhao Jinglong carefully picked up the jade bottle and uncorked it.

A gentle and refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted from the bottle. After just one inhale, he felt that the dizziness and headache accumulated from reviewing memorials over the past few days had been greatly relieved.

His eyes, which were covered with fine blood vessels, lit up, revealing a youthful vigor in the flickering candlelight.

After a brief exchange, Zhao Cheng'an rose to take his leave.

He pushed open the heavy stone door of the secret chamber and walked out along the winding stone path deep inside the palace.

The night was deep, and the sky was dotted with stars.

As I passed by a long corridor by the water, a figure suddenly emerged from around the corner ahead.

The man was wearing an apricot-yellow dragon robe and was somewhat overweight; he was none other than Crown Prince Zhao Chengyuan.

He was holding a folding fan and standing by the corridor looking at the lotus leaves in the pond. When he saw Zhao Cheng'an walking over, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face, as if they had just met by chance.

"Third brother, what a coincidence, you're here to relax too?"

Zhao Chengyuan greeted him with a smile.

Zhao Cheng'an smiled and nodded slightly.

"Brother Emperor."

The two walked side by side along the corridor.

A night breeze blew across the pond, carrying the sweet fragrance of lotus leaves, and the surrounding scenery looked very pleasant under the moonlight.

Zhao Chengyuan tapped his palm lightly with his folding fan and asked the question in a seemingly casual manner.

"You and Father Emperor talked for a long time in the secret chamber just now. What important matter did you discuss?"

Zhao Cheng'an answered naturally.

"It's nothing much. I just told my father about some of my experiences studying at the Imperial Academy and the local customs and culture."

Zhao Chengyuan nodded, his eyes flickered, and then he continued to ask.

"I heard that a few days ago, a blue divine bird descended from the sky at the Imperial Academy, making a great spectacle. Even now, many people in the capital are saying that an immortal has descended to earth. You were at the Imperial Academy at that time, so I don't know if it's true or not."

Zhao Chengan smiled and said, "It's just rumors spread by outsiders."

Zhao Chengyuan carefully examined Zhao Chengan's face. Seeing that he looked calm and showed no abnormality, he laughed heartily.

"So that's how it is. I knew it! There are no such things as miracles in this world."

The two walked to the end of the corridor, where Zhao Chengyuan stopped and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Chengan.

"It's late, so I'll head back to the palace to rest now. My second brother, you should also go back and rest early. Tomorrow I'll host a banquet at my residence, and we brothers can have a proper get-together."

"Brother, please take care."

He stood there, watching Zhao Chengyuan, surrounded by several attendants, gradually walk away and disappear into the shadows of the palace.

Zhao Chengan shook his head helplessly.

He knew that although his elder brother had outwardly lowered his guard, he was still somewhat uneasy inside.

However, with the help of that bottle of Peiyuan Pill, given my father's current physical condition, he can live for at least another forty or fifty years.

The thought that Zhao Chengyuan might remain the crown prince for another forty or fifty years made Zhao Cheng'an find it somewhat amusing.

How can there be a crown prince who reigns for seventy years?

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to walk towards the side hall where he lived.

Back in his room, Zhao Cheng'an closed the door tightly and locked it.

He walked to the desk, sat down, took out the wooden box, opened it, and placed it on the table.

He took a deep breath, and his expression became somewhat serious.

Zhao Cheng'an stretched out his right hand and pressed it on the surface of the black soul jade, slowly injecting a wisp of true spiritual energy from his body into the soul jade.

hum.

A faint black halo shimmered on the surface of the Soul Jade.

The next moment, Zhao Cheng'an felt his divine sense being instantly pulled in by a powerful suction force, and the scene in front of him began to spin rapidly, eventually turning into endless darkness.

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