northernbook Chapter 10 Prodigy
Chapter 10 Prodigy
"Hey, have you heard? Recently, Senior Sister and that kid named Zhang Yunling have been getting really close!" Two Black Cliff Sect disciples whispered in a corner.
Another disciple said, "I've heard about it before! I also heard that Senior Brother Zhao Jun, who has been secretly in love with Senior Sister for a long time, was in seclusion when someone told him about it. He punched open the stone door of his seclusion room. If it weren't for the other disciples stopping him, and the fact that Zhang Yunling is a disciple personally taught by the Ancestor, he would probably have been skinned alive and had his bones pulled out by Senior Brother Zhao Jun long ago!"
Similar discussions between the two have become commonplace in the Black Cliff Sect these past few days. This is because Chu Yanbing brought Zhang Yunling back to the sect and personally guided him to recognize Liao Daozi as his master, thus making the two of them fellow disciples.
The relationship was already suspected to be somewhat ambiguous, and now it has caused the disciples to gossip about it behind their backs.
Since Zhang Yunling began learning alchemy from Liao Daozi, his spiritual sense has far surpassed that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, and his cultivation has broken through to the third level of Qi Refining.
Listening to the gossip of the disciples below the mountain, Zhang Yunling sat cross-legged in a wooden house halfway up the mountain, his face calm, his eyes fixed on the blazing alchemy furnace in front of him.
Liao Daozi had taught him a few days ago that a cultivator's spiritual root has five colors, each corresponding to one of the five elements and eight trigrams: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Zhang Yunling's only flaw is his incomplete golden spiritual root, while his remaining four spiritual roots are all abundant, making him a rare alchemy genius, one in ten thousand years.
Therefore, Liao Daozi simply taught Zhang Yunling some basic knowledge of alchemy, then gave him some herbs and a cauldron, saying: "The master leads you in, but the cultivation is up to you."
Zhang Yunling wasn't surprised. This was his first time entering a sect. Although the process was somewhat hasty, with no exams or reviews, he had successfully entered the sect and, thanks to Chu Yanbing, had become the disciple of such a powerful old man. Thinking about it, Zhang Yunling felt that he was blessed with good fortune and was the chosen one!
"Junior Brother Yunling, how's your Hundred Demon Qi Condensation Pill coming along?" Chu Yanbing's gentle voice came from outside the wooden house. Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunling's mind immediately stirred. He adopted a serious demeanor while refining pills, manipulating the flames in the furnace to blaze fiercely. He replied in a deep voice, "It's Senior Sister Chu! Hahahaha, Junior Brother will soon have the pill ready! Please watch closely!"
Chu Yanbing walked in from outside the wooden door. Seeing Zhang Yunling concentrating on refining pills, she couldn't help but smile and praise him, "Junior Brother Yunling is truly gifted. Fortunately, your senior sister saw your extraordinary talent back then and chose to guide you onto the path of cultivation. Otherwise, it would have been a waste to bury such a prodigy as you."
After a few more compliments, Zhang Yunling chuckled sheepishly, feeling a warmth in his heart. He was quite pleased and became even more focused on refining the pills. After a few more polite words, Chu Yanbing left without disturbing him.
Black Cliff Sect, Sutra Repository.
The strongest disciple of the entire sect, the senior brother Zhao Jun whom everyone was talking about, was standing at the entrance of the main hall of the Scripture Pavilion. He paced back and forth from time to time, his eyes often glancing at the wooden house halfway up the mountain. After a while, a look of joy suddenly appeared on Zhao Jun's face. He looked at the half-head peeking out from the alley next to the Scripture Pavilion and ran over excitedly.
"Hey, watch yourself, don't let anyone see you." A low shout came from the senior sister Chu Yanbing, who had just rushed back from Zhang Yunling's place.
Zhao Jun asked anxiously, "Bing'er, what exactly happened? I've asked you several times using the communication jade slip, but how come you... Is it because of that Zhang Yunling...?"
"Shut up!" Chu Yanbing's previously calm expression suddenly turned displeased, and she said angrily, "Yun Ling is the most suitable candidate for me that I met by chance. I have already collected two of the three materials needed for my pill, and Yun Ling is the opportunity I encountered while I was away for several months! With his talent for alchemy, he is much better than you, but you can only see these superficial things. Humph, how vulgar."
Seeing Zhao Jun standing there motionless, Chu Yanbing added, "So, I came to see you to tell you to stop worrying about Yun Ling's affairs. Fan Linyuan and I will handle it together. As for our future, we'll just have to deal with it as it comes."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun first frowned, then seemed to suddenly understand something, slapped his forehead, and his face lit up with a smile again: "That's good, that's good! Oh, let's not talk about this anymore, Bing'er, you have no idea how much I missed you while you were gone! At least I can touch your little hand..."
Having said that, Zhao Jun stretched out his large, dark hand, intending to touch Chu Yanbing's fair hand. A cold glint flashed in Chu Yanbing's eyes. She slapped away Zhao Jun's outstretched arm and impatiently turned to leave.
Oh my god, she touched me! This is another huge profit! Zhao Jun was thrilled by the slap, and he imagined a series of disgusting scenarios that would follow. He stood there grinning like an idiot.
Zhang Yunling had been refining the pills from noon until night; he had put a lot of effort into making them.
This is the pill formula given to him by Liao Daozi. It uses dozens of demon cores, combined with some herbs with mild spiritual power and water and earth attributes, and puts them into a cauldron to refine for three days and three nights. Finally, the essence is condensed and injected with the alchemist's own spiritual energy. Patterns are engraved on the surface of the pill, making the overall shape more perfect. The pill condensation is complete!
"Go!" Zhang Yunling shouted, and a powerful force burst forth from the cauldron in front of him. A purple pill covered with blue patterns flew out of the cauldron's mouth, accompanied by a blazing fire. It immediately emitted a strong purple light, and a faint fragrance wafted over, filling the surroundings.
This was Zhang Yunling's first time refining pills. At this moment, the essence of pill refining was already surging within him. Although he was not sure if he really liked pill refining, this feeling did make him extremely comfortable and happy.
Just like when he studied the classics diligently in his youth, he was willing to dedicate ten years to studying so that he could become an official and make a name for himself in the future. Now that he is a cultivator, his childhood dream has turned into a thing of the past and is integrated into the third-grade pill in front of him, the Hundred Demon Qi Condensation Pill, along with his new ideals.
The elixir is now complete!
Zhang Yunling stared at the pill before him for a long time, his thoughts swirling, before finally revealing a relieved smile. "Then, let's start doing one thing well again: comprehend the Dao of Alchemy in this world."
As he said this, Zhang Yunling closed his eyes and recalled the knowledge that Liao Daozi had taught him. This Hundred Demon Qi Condensation Pill could greatly increase the cultivation level of a Qi Refining cultivator, but it was necessary to quickly calm the mind and stabilize the medicinal power and cultivation level after taking it in order to avoid side effects.
"I have just finished refining it. With my current strength, my divine sense is too weak. I have completely exhausted myself just by refining this pill. I should rest for the night and try to break through again tomorrow."
With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Yunling extinguished the flames in the furnace with a wave of his hand. At the same time, he grabbed the floating pill out of thin air with his right hand and put it into his storage bag. Then, Zhang Yunling sat cross-legged on the futon and entered a meditative state.
Since becoming a cultivator, he has hardly slept. When he rests, he only meditates, which allows him to increase his cultivation level through breathing exercises and also calms his mind and body, allowing him to recuperate.
For cultivators, replenishing physical strength through sleep is extremely inefficient, far less efficient and convenient than meditation.
Liao Daozi's wooden house was also located on the mountainside of the Black Cliff Sect's main mountain, not too far from Zhang Yunling's wooden house. At this moment, feeling the fluctuations coming from Zhang Yunling's side, his expression turned somewhat ugly, and the brush he was writing the pill formula trembled slightly, his palms were full of sweat.
After a moment, Liao Daozi put down his pen and paper, placed his hands behind his back, and slowly walked towards the windowsill. He looked up at the starry night sky, and his once wise and composed old face was now furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Those who practice alchemy must have a grateful heart towards heaven and earth. If it were not for the blessings of nature, how could there be alchemy for humans? I only hope that he can escape the cycle of rebirth on his own. If he cannot, then I will have no choice but to let nature take its course."