Longzang

Chapter 46 Spring passes and autumn comes
Cultivating immortality knows no days or months. Wei Yuan absorbed the moonlight day after day and finally saw Zhang Sheng again.

It's been half a month since we last met.

Wei Yuan was initially very excited, but seeing Zhang Sheng's cold and impatient expression, he knew that his master's anger hadn't subsided. But what kind of anger could last for a whole month?

Wei Yuan dared not ask, and could only stand there obediently, waiting for Zhang Sheng to examine his studies and cultivation progress. At this time, Wei Yuan had been expanding his visualization diagram for more than fifty days, which had already exceeded the record for the longest time in history, but the shadow in the full moon had not even moved, let alone been exhausted.

When it came to his cultivation progress, Wei Yuan felt a little guilty. After all, it took him more than fifty days to create an eight-zhang visualization diagram. The size was passable, but his daily progress was really slow. Moreover, the visualization diagram showed no unusual signs, and the red line on the Jade Toad's back disappeared after his senior sister washed it.

Generally speaking, there's only one explanation for this: Wei Yuan lacks comprehension. Surely the jade toad isn't a fake, and its color wouldn't fade after washing?
Upon hearing that Wei Yuan was still expanding his visualization diagram, Zhang Sheng was not surprised. He simply asked Wei Yuan to materialize the visualization diagram so that he could see it.

Wei Yuan followed the instructions and channeled his internal energy, and the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon reappeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

At this point, the visualization was utterly useless except for its relatively large size: the ground was barren, the boulders were dull, the jade toad had a pale complexion, and only the shadow in the full moon was somewhat special.

Those who can cultivate the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram possess immense fortune, which is primarily manifested in the full moon. The extraordinary phenomena resulting from this immense fortune are naturally remarkable. For example, the visualization diagrams left in the collections of disciples' insights throughout history are all extraordinary, featuring dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts. Besides these, there are also sacrificial cauldrons, towering green peaks, and celestial palaces—each one is terrifying. But those who left these visualization diagrams in books, weren't they simply seeking the admiration of future generations?
The full moon in Bao Yun's visualization diagram is filled with gods and demons, and it is qualified to be included in the disciples' notes, and ranked high.

In comparison, Wei Yuan's shadow was truly rather pathetic. Not only did it look pathetic, but its actual effect was also not very good. The foundation it generated was very weak, and even after being purified by Ji Liuli, it could only be described as passable.

After viewing the visualization diagram, Zhang Sheng made no comment and continued to inquire about Wei Yuan's historical and theoretical theories.

History was Wei Yuan's forte, and he answered fluently. As for academic theories, they were mostly miscellaneous subjects, and at this time, Wei Yuan's foundation was not yet established. He spent almost all his time studying classical texts, so he had no time to delve into academic theories.

Just as they were examining the students' homework, someone knocked on the courtyard gate, and a Taoist priest who did odd jobs entered. He simply handed in an envelope, then turned and left without saying a word.

The envelope was addressed to Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng snorted. Someone must have known he was here and sent it specifically. Too lazy to guess who it was, he simply took the envelope, opened it, and pulled out a piece of paper. But after just one glance, Zhang Sheng's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Wei Yuan wanted to see what was written on the paper, but Zhang Sheng changed direction, completely refusing to let Wei Yuan see the contents of the letter. Wei Yuan, with his sharp eyes, vaguely caught a long number, which seemed to refer to immortal silver, amounting to tens of thousands of taels.

After reading the letter, the two pages turned into a fireball in Zhang Sheng's hand and disappeared.

He looked at Wei Yuan and asked, "Has Ji Liuli been refining your foundation all along?"

"Yes, she said it would take a total of three months of refining."

For some reason, Wei Yuan felt that Zhang Sheng seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that three months had passed.

Zhang Sheng took out a jade bottle and placed it on the table, saying, "This is the Qi-Nourishing Pill, which can greatly replenish vital energy and accelerate cultivation. Take one pill every three days; this is a month's supply."

"Thank you, teacher!" Wei Yuan bowed in gratitude, but felt even more pressure in his heart.

In the cultivation of the Tai Chu Palace, elixirs are a crucial and indispensable element. In terms of alchemy, the Tai Chu Palace is among the most prestigious in the entire cultivation world. Many of the elixirs produced by the Creation Temple are renowned for their gentle properties and remarkable effects. For example, the Pei Yuan Pill can significantly accelerate the progress of the Body Forging Realm, especially in muscle and tendon forging; one pill is equivalent to ten days of cultivation. This elixir is extremely gentle and can be consumed almost without restriction, earning it the title of a sacred medicine for Body Forging.

This kind of miraculous medicine is needed by everyone, so it is not cheap. Each pill costs one hundred and twenty taels of silver, and the price is never reduced. Therefore, only the core descendants of noble families can afford to eat it.

Wei Yuan's entire monthly salary was only enough to buy one Qi Cultivation Pill, so he hadn't even considered it before. Now, although Zhang Sheng looked at Wei Yuan with obvious disdain, this bottle of Qi Cultivation Pills revealed his true feelings. After putting down the pills, Zhang Sheng said, "I'll come again next month."

"Disciple has another matter." Wei Yuan quickly stopped Zhang Sheng and asked the question that had been bothering him: "The time I spent expanding the visualization diagram has exceeded the historical record. What should we do now?"

"As long as the shadow of the moon is still there, continue your cultivation without worrying about anything else."

Having heard Zhang Sheng's words, Wei Yuan finally felt at ease. Before he could even see him off, Zhang Sheng had already soared into the sky and disappeared in an instant, seemingly too lazy to even say another word to him.

After Zhang Sheng left, Wei Yuan immediately began cultivating. His progress was already much slower than others, so he naturally had to seize every second. Now that he had the pills, he dared not delay any longer. Each Qi-Nourishing Pill was like a huge boulder weighing on his heart.

After taking the Qi-Nourishing Pill, the visualization during his cultivation indeed showed significant changes, and a light drizzle began to fall again. This rain was not as heavy as that from the Chonglou Dinghai Pill, but it still caused Wei Yuan's speed in absorbing and exhaling moonlight to increase dramatically, more than ten times that of before.

Wei Yuan discovered that after the Jade Toad and the Full Moon grew larger, the speed at which they absorbed and exhaled lunar essence also increased.

For the next month, Wei Yuan absorbed the moonlight, and at the end of the month, Zhang Sheng arrived on time, bringing a new bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills.

Upon seeing the second bottle of Qi Cultivation Pills, Wei Yuan was somewhat puzzled. According to the usual practice of the Tai Chu Palace, a Foundation Establishment disciple only received a hundred taels of silver per month, while a True Person received a thousand taels. One bottle of Qi Cultivation Pills was already enough for Zhang Sheng's entire year's salary. According to the Tai Chu Palace's custom, a genius disciple like Zhang Sheng would receive a slightly higher salary than the standard, but it would never exceed that of a Dharma Aspect True Person. At the rate of one bottle of Qi Cultivation Pills per month, Zhang Sheng would eventually be bankrupted by Wei Yuan.

As soon as Zhang Sheng arrived, the handyman appeared on time and delivered an envelope exactly the same as the one from last month. After reading it, Zhang Sheng burned it as usual, then glanced at Wei Yuan's visualization diagram before leaving, without even bothering to test his studies.

Wei Yuan sensed that Zhang Sheng was extremely agitated, but he was suppressing it. After reading the letter, he felt even more agitated, and his sword energy almost burst forth. However, Zhang Sheng valued his reputation above all else, and asking him about things he didn't want to say would be suicidal. Wei Yuan had followed him for a long time, so naturally he wouldn't risk offending him.

In the fourth month, Wei Yuan was consuming Qi-nourishing pills while simultaneously worrying about the progress of his visualization diagram and Zhang Sheng's finances.

In the fifth month, Wei Yuan absorbed the moonlight, forgetting himself and the world around him.

In the sixth month, the Jade Toad swallowed and spat out the moonlight.

In the seventh month, I pondered the birth of the toad.

In the eighth month, the toad's life was not worthwhile.

Zhang Sheng didn't open the letter this month; he just tore it up.

In the ninth month, the students who were receiving intensive instruction somehow got into a conflict with the disciples of the Ancient Knowledge Sect. Bao Yun and Cui Yu declared themselves leaders of the Innovation Sect and led their classmates to settle the score, which unsurprisingly resulted in a fight. Wei Yuan naturally couldn't be absent from such an event, but while everyone else was starting to forge their bodies, Wei Yuan was still expanding his visualization diagram, so he ended up getting a bruised and swollen face.

……

In the twelfth month, Yu Chan gave up thinking.

……

(End of this chapter)