Cultivation begins with earning spirit stones

Chapter 106 Farewell

The 18th day passed in the blink of an eye.

The mountain wind swept across the middle of Cuiping Peak, swirling up the pine needles on the stone platform of Songtaoju and sending them twirling into the sea of ​​clouds below the cliff.

Zhang Lin stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the stone platform, his spiritual sense sinking into his dantian, carefully examining the operation of the Eight Transformations Profound True Jade Ring one last time.

The jade ring was entirely blue-green, and the eight runes had merged with the true energy within his body. Whenever he thought of it, the jade runes would light up instantly, without the awkwardness and sluggishness of a beginner.

Eighteen days of repeated practice have ingrained this technique into his instincts.

He withdrew his spiritual sense and looked up at the direction below the mountain.

We will set off tomorrow.

Before leaving, there were two things to do: to say goodbye to my master in the main hall and to visit Yu Youwei.

Zhang Lin turned around and went back to the meditation room, where he organized all the magical artifacts, pills, and spirit stones that had been scattered around over the past few days.

Outside the pine-covered pavilion, the morning light is just right.

Descending along the bluestone mountain path, passing the plank road and through the bamboo forest, after walking for about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, we could see the disciples' courtyards in the outer eastern district in the distance.

Although the location of No. 83 Courtyard is remote, it is quiet.

The courtyard gate was ajar.

Zhang Lin did not knock on the door. He stood outside the courtyard wall, looking over the half-person-high stone wall into the courtyard.

The layout of the courtyard was not much different from what he had seen before. The difference was that there was a three-foot square jade Tai Chi nursery on the bluestone platform. The nursery was surrounded by an array plate with fine and intricate array patterns. It was a variant of the spirit-gathering array, specially used for cultivating spiritual plants.

One of the anode nurseries was placed in a sunny spot in the yard, directly facing the midday sun.

The soil in the garden was pale gold, with faint waves of heat rising from it. Buried in the soil was a pale gold spirit seed, the Sun Seed.

The seeds have not yet sprouted, but the sun-like patterns on their shells already show shimmering light passing through the soil.

The other cathode nursery was placed in a shady spot under the eaves, covered by a semi-transparent aura.

The soil inside the cover was silvery-white, and a tiny sprout had already broken through the soil.

The tender bud has only two leaves, which are silvery white and as thin as cicada wings. When the moonlight falls on the leaves, it condenses into a very thin layer of frost, which is crystal clear.

Yu Youwei sat on a futon under the eaves.

She was wearing a long blue cloth dress distributed at the door, and her long hair was tied back with a blue rope.

With both hands forming a unique hand seal in front of the dantian, the left palm faces the sky and the right palm faces the ground, with the ten fingers slightly bent, as if embracing the moon.

A faint silver thread of light, as thin as a hair, was running under the skin between the eyebrows, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

That was a sign that the Primordial Mysterious Light was beginning to condense.

Zhang Lin remained silent, simply watching quietly.

Yu Youwei maintained the hand seal for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The pale silver light between her brows gradually faded, and her hands slowly separated, drawing a half-circle in front of her before returning to her dantian.

She exhaled a long breath and opened her eyes.

Her face looked thinner than when she joined the sect, with slightly protruding cheekbones and deeper eye sockets.

But the light in those eyes was much brighter than when they first joined the sect; it was a light that saw the path to the future.

"Your ability to conceal your presence is getting better and better." She raised her head, her gaze passing over the courtyard wall and landing on Zhang Lin. "You stood there for so long, and I didn't even notice."

Zhang Lin pushed open the door and entered the courtyard, his gaze falling on the tender shoots of the Moonflower Plant: "They're growing well."

"The soil was broken up four days ago." Yu Youwei got up from the futon and walked to the front of the nursery, her voice unconsciously becoming a little lighter.

"The profound light of the Tai Su Jade Technique is indeed very effective on the Moon Essence Seed. With ordinary cultivation methods, it takes at least three months from seed to germination, but I only used more than ten days."

"What about the Sunday variety?"

"Nothing's happening yet." Yu Youwei looked at the nursery facing the sun.

She turned to Zhang Lin and asked, "Are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, we'll go to the main hall to say goodbye to our master at dawn, and then set off."

Yu Youwei nodded and took out a small jade box from her storage bag, handing it over.

Zhang Lin took the box, opened it, and saw six pale silver pills inside. The pills had a thin layer of frost on their surface, felt slightly cool to the touch, and had a refreshing moonlight scent.

"I refined the Mind-Concentrating Pill using the frost that condenses on the tender shoots of the Moonflower Seed." Yu Youwei said casually, "It's not of high quality, only a mid-grade first-class pill, but it has an extra wisp of moonlight energy compared to ordinary Mind-Concentrating Pills, making it more effective at stabilizing the mind."

"If your mind is damaged while you are out, you can use this pill to nourish it."

Zhang Lin closed the jade box, looked at her without saying a word.

Yu Youwei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and turned her head away: "The frost that the Moonflower Seed condenses each day is only a tiny bit. After all these days, it's only enough to refine six. When you come back, we might be able to refine more."

Thanks.

Yu Youwei hummed in agreement, walked back to the futon, bent down to brush away the two fallen laurel leaves, and suddenly said, "Before you leave, I'll teach you a mantra."

Zhang Lin was taken aback: "What incantation?"

"A calming technique from the Tai Su Jade Manual can be used in conjunction with the Concentrating Heart Pill to nourish damaged spiritual consciousness." She sat down cross-legged and formed that peculiar hand seal again. "This technique was originally intended for the Xuan Yin body, but I think that with a few modifications, ordinary people can also use it."

Have you tried it?

"Of course I wouldn't be able to test it on myself." Yu Youwei looked up at him. "So I'll use you as an experiment. If your spiritual consciousness is damaged outside, try this method of circulating your energy and reciting the incantation. Whether it works or not, come back and tell me."

Zhang Lin remained silent for a moment, then sat down on the futon opposite her: "Recite."

"The Taiwei Mysterious Palace, the Central Yellow Begins to Azure. Refine the Three Souls Within, and the Embryo Light Remains Peaceful."

"The Divine Treasure Jade Chamber was born with me. It must not be moved rashly, for the observer is too divine."

......

Yu Youwei would recite a sentence, pause for a moment, and wait for him to remember it.

The mnemonic was short, only nine lines. After reciting it, she repeated it twice, word by word, and explained the meaning of a few obscure lines.

Zhang Lin silently recited it three times to make sure it was etched into his mind before nodding and saying, "I've got it."

Yu Youwei stopped speaking, re-formed the hand seal, closed her eyes, and the pale silver light thread between her brows reappeared.

The frost on the tender leaves of the Moonflower Seedling became even more crystalline under the dark light, as if maintaining the same rhythm as her breath.

Zhang Lin stood beside her for a moment, then turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Zhang Lin".

He stopped, but did not turn around.

"Things aren't safe in Baishi Town," Yu Youwei's voice came from behind, her tone calm, as if stating a fact. "I've heard that if something happens in a place like that, the entire area for hundreds of miles around will be sealed off."

"It's better if things aren't peaceful," Zhang Lin said. "Only in turbulent places can you find spirit stones and spiritual objects."

There was a moment of silence behind me, then a very soft and faint voice said, "Then go ahead."

Zhang Lin pushed open the door and went out.

He walked several dozen steps when Yu Youwei's voice suddenly came from behind him, slightly louder than before, as if she was afraid he would walk too far away to hear her.

"Remember to bring back the elixir."

Zhang Lin paused for a moment, but did not turn around. He simply raised his hand and waved it before riding the wind and heading towards the main hall of Cuiping Peak.

The courtyard gate behind me was ajar, and the morning light filtered through the branches and leaves of the osmanthus tree, scattering across the bluestone ground like shattered silver.