Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 11 3 years

The next day.

early morning.

Fang Qing carried a bundle of sky-blue hemp to a mountain peak on Dan Island.

This peak is exceptionally beautiful and carries a sense of serene coolness.

At the top of the mountain, there is a waterfall that cascades down like a jade ribbon, forming a cold pool.

Around this cold pool, there are also numerous cold springs, like pearls strung together.

Every now and then you can see several disciples of Dan Island washing and refining medicinal herbs with spring water.

"The first step in water-based alchemy is extraction... extracting the essence from various medicinal herbs and turning it into a medicinal liquid, which takes a long time..."

Although Fang Qing hadn't actually tried it himself, he had seen quite a few and could say a few things about it.

"Even the first step of extraction has four major schools of thought: 'sinking, separating, combining, and gathering'... If you really delve into it, it's simply endless and profound..."

"Furthermore, the most important tool for water-based alchemy is not the alchemy furnace, but a good spiritual spring... Those senior brothers and sisters who became alchemists all spent a lot of money to set up spiritual pools or spiritual springs in their own cave dwellings..."

This sacred spring is related to underground water veins, requiring specialized geomancers and array masters to set up formations. Not only is it extremely costly, but once established, it is difficult to relocate.

In comparison, if a fire-based alchemist encounters trouble, they can simply take their alchemy furnace and run away, while a water-based alchemist cannot simply carry the spring away overnight, which is a minor drawback.

"The best springs on Dan Island are of the third rank and belong to the Lord of Dan Island, who is also the number one alchemist of the Azure Sea Sect... The remaining second-rank springs are also occupied by the Foundation Establishment elders, and a very small number have fallen into the hands of true disciples."

"Most springs in the wild are not classified as Rank 1, but a small portion are considered Rank 1..."

Those first-tier spiritual springs were naturally occupied by disciples who tried to refine pills.

Fortunately, Fang Qing was not planning to refine pills; he was only washing clothes. He had no requirements regarding the balance of the five elements or the hot and cold properties of the spiritual spring.

He randomly found a secluded spring and put the azure hemp into it.

"hiss……"

As soon as his hands entered the water, Fang Qing felt a chill travel up his skin.

He quickly channeled his magic to protect his hands, which made him feel a little better.

"No wonder no one wants this spring. The water for alchemy should be gentle and mild, but this coldness is a bit too intense... Even if I use my magic to protect myself, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for long. It's going to be a tough job."

Fang Qing also knew that the truly high-paying and low-stress jobs were not available to him, so he could only continue to work hard.

After soaking the hemp in the cold spring, as time passes, the hemp gradually disperses and transforms into wispy strands.

If you then use magic to refine and collect it, it will become a bundle of "Azure Spirit Silk".

The finished Biling Silk is translucent, even finer than silkworm silk, and has a hint of emerald green light.

Fang Qing only worked for a short while before his magical power became insufficient, forcing him to sit down and meditate to recover.

"The 'Azure Spirit Inner Armor' crafted from Azure Spirit Silk is extremely famous in our sect; it is a top-grade first-tier magic weapon..."

"Judging from this, even if I finish all this, I probably won't even have enough materials for half of the 'Azure Spirit Inner Armor'..."

"Those adorned in fine silks are not silkworm farmers..."

After resting for a while, Fang Qing took out a fasting pill and prepared to continue working.

At this time, more and more disciples gradually appeared at the surrounding spiritual springs.

"Senior Brother Fang?"

A clear, childlike voice rang out.

Fang Qing looked over and saw that it was Zhu'er, with Gong Susu and Hua Lingsu by her side.

"Junior Sister Zhu'er."

A smile appeared on his face: "Long time no see, how have you been?"

Pearl had grown quite a bit taller, but the warmth on her face had faded compared to before. She said, "Pearl is alright..."

"Junior Sister Zhu'er has been accepted as a disciple by my master 'Fuyunzi'... Ten years from now, she may become a true disciple."

Gong Susu, standing to the side, glanced at the azure hemp on the ground and said, "Junior Brother Fang is... washing clothes? Hmm, although studying weapon crafting is a bit of a frivolous pursuit, it's not a bad idea."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhu'er took her leave.

Before parting, he stuffed a dusty, palm-sized pouch into Fang Qing's hand.

"Hmm? This is... a storage bag?"

"In our sect, only disciples at the mid-stage or even late-stage Qi Refining level are typically equipped with this..."

Fang Qing used his magical power to refine the space and sensed that it was about one cubic meter in size, which made him overjoyed.

At least I don't have to carry sacks around every day anymore.

Even if this storage bag is only the smallest one, it is enough for him to use.

Inside the storage bag, there were also a few low-grade spirit stones.

Fang Qing fell silent upon seeing this.

……

"Junior Sister Zhu'er..."

After Cha Zhu and Gong Susu walked away, Hua Lingsu thought for a moment and then asked, "That storage bag from earlier?"

"I already have something better bestowed upon me by my master, so I'll give that low-grade storage bag to Senior Brother Fang."

Cha Zhuer patted the small sachet at her waist with her little hand, and the smile on her face faded: "My grandfather always says that he was very sorry to the Dragon King for using someone else to ward off disaster before... After this, we're even."

"Yes, junior sister, you have a bright future ahead of you, so you don't need to get involved in karma."

Gong Susu nodded, delighted by Cha Zhu's transformation.

As for a low-grade storage bag and a few spirit stones? I really didn't care.

……

Cultivation knows no time.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

Azure Sea Gate, Dan Island, inside the cave.

Fang Qing had grown considerably taller and was sitting cross-legged, his spiritual energy flickering around him, clearly indicating that he was attempting to break through to the next level!

Boom!

He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt the dark black water magic power boiling within his dantian, roaring and rushing into another circle of meridians, making his dantian much larger and deeper.

"Finally... I've reached level three in Qi Refining!"

Fang Qing opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them: "This speed is neither fast nor slow among mid-grade spiritual roots... it's still a bit inferior to Zhu'er's superior aptitude."

According to the information he received, Pearl has now reached the third level of Qi Refining and is preparing to break through the bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi Refining.

For those with superior aptitude, there are basically no bottlenecks in the Qi Refining stage of cultivation, and the probability of breaking through is very high.

Thinking of Zhu'er and the past three years, Fang Qing's expression gradually calmed down.

"Zhu'er and I gradually reduced our contact, naturally... it was good for both of us."

After sighing, he focused more on his own path: "The initial stage of Qi Refining is the simplest, but even so, it took me a year to perfect the first level of Qi Refining, break through to the second level, and then another two years to accumulate enough power for the second level of Qi Refining to break through to the third level... Perhaps it will take three years to accumulate enough power for the third level of Qi Refining?"

"Furthermore, although I have average aptitude, breaking through to the middle stage of Qi Refining shouldn't be too much of a problem, but the later stage of Qi Refining is another story... The cultivation of the Qi Refining stage is more difficult with each level."

"According to the scriptures, the best age for a cultivator to establish their foundation is before the age of sixty! If one cannot establish their foundation before the age of sixty, although it does not mean that there will be no chance of establishing a foundation forever, the probability will be greatly reduced."

After some calculation, Fang Qing realized that even without any bottlenecks, he was still somewhat apprehensive about whether he could reach the Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining before his sixtieth birthday.

"As expected... we still need to increase resource investment, and even take elixirs."

Over the past three years, he has mainly relied on his own hard work and has come to realize that he is not a genius.

"If you want pills, you need to earn contribution points... Some ordinary tasks within the sect are just enough for me to barely survive. If I want to get rich... I'd have to become an alchemist or even take on more dangerous tasks."

Whether it's apprehending criminals or joining a fishing team, there are generous rewards, but they are also extremely dangerous, which Fang Qing does not take.

"Over the past three years, besides cultivating and working, I've spent my time reading pharmacopoeias, identifying medicinal properties, and attending lectures at the Alchemy Platform..."

"I've mastered the water control technique, and with the contribution points I've accumulated, I can barely gather enough raw materials to refine 'Jade Flower Spirit Water'... Let's give it a try. If I discover some talent in water-based alchemy, I can earn spiritual resources with it and avoid going out on adventures."

Half a day later, beside a sacred spring.

Fang Qing took a deep breath and patted the storage bag at his waist.

Amidst the fluctuations of magical light, three jade boxes emerged and opened one after another, each containing raw materials for refining 'Jade Flower Spirit Water'.

"Qi-boosting herbs, spirit-unifying flowers... and the most crucial ingredient, the fish broth from the Jade Flower Treasure Fish..."

Fang Qing checked it again and, confirming that the raw materials he had bought with all his savings were of excellent quality, nodded in approval.

The alchemy method of Xiao Huan Hai fully utilizes the spirit of living off the sea, with marine spiritual objects and sea beasts making up a large proportion of the materials.

"This Jade Flower Spirit Water is more suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining to increase their mana, especially those with water-elemental roots... This formula and materials... I've poured all my savings from the past few years into it."

Fang Qing's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he quickly calmed himself down and formed hand seals.

Splash!

The black water surged with magical power, causing ripples to spread across the spiritual spring, which quickly transformed into a whirlpool.

"The first step is to extract the Qi-boosting herbs..."

Fang Qing tossed the Qi-replenishing herb into the spring, formed hand seals, and sent the vortex engulfing the herb, which then... shattered and spun...

This is a water control technique he has cultivated—the Profound Origin Three Revolutions!

Among the techniques of water-based alchemy, water control is extremely important, and it is further divided into three, six, and nine levels.

It is said that Zhu'er's master, Fu Yunzi, was a second-level alchemist who mastered the water control technique of "Six Whirlpools Flying Stars".

The master of Dan Island, the number one alchemist of the Azure Sea Sect, had cultivated the water control technique to the level of "Nine Dragons United". When using the water technique to refine pills, the spiritual spring of the entire Cold Spring Peak would meander and flow, and each surge and turn would make the purity of the medicinal liquid even higher.

Furthermore, water-based alchemy is renowned for its grand scale and can attract numerous alchemists to assist it.

Whenever the Azure Sea Sect has a major alchemy mission, the entire Pill Island is like a celebration, with medicinal springs cleansing the entire peak...

Lost in thought, Fang Qing made hand seals, causing the vortex to spin faster and faster.

Gradually... that mass of blue liquid began to separate into layers...

"This...it gives me a strange sense of déjà vu, like a centrifuge."

Fang Qing mentally scoffed, quickly collected the most potent medicinal liquid, and then poured it into the 'Harmony God Flower'...