Pure Yang!

Chapter 422 The Mystery of Inner Alchemy! The Cornerstone of the Mortal Sect

Immortals are made from mortals, and mortals are born through this gate.

"The Mortal Gate!"

Within the territory of Jiangnan, in the land of Yujing.

A bright young girl stood on the balcony, a gentle breeze caressing her face and ruffling her shoulder-length hair. A strange light suddenly shone in her ethereal eyes.

As if sensing something, she looked southwest and stood there, seemingly frozen in time.

“Fanmen!” Jiang Lai murmured mechanically.

"King Fan!"

……

Inside the Chixia Temple, the quiet room suddenly fell silent.

"The Mortal Gate".

As Zhang Fan pondered the name, a sudden inspiration struck him, and a strange feeling arose within him.

This feeling is indescribable, like seeds sown in spring, hidden deep within, not knowing what kind of consequences they will bear tomorrow.

"Isn't this a bit too far-fetched?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

This is all still in the works, not even a hint of it, yet Zhang Wuming has already raised the banner and given it the name "Fanmen" (Mortal Sect). It's really unreliable and out of touch.

"Great undertakings begin with boasting."

Zhang Wuming patted Zhang Fan on the shoulder: "Brother, it's all up to you now."

"..."

"Youthful spirit, lofty ambitions."

Xiang Nantian sighed softly, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go now. I still have something to say to him."

The abbot of Chixia Temple looked at Zhang Wuming, implying that what he was about to say would be kept behind closed doors and only Zhang Fan could hear it.

Zhang Wuming didn't mind, quickly stood up, and bowed.

"This junior will wait outside. Senior, please give me your instructions at any time."

After speaking, Zhang Wuming respectfully withdrew.

Xiang Nantian watched Zhang Wuming's departing figure, his gaze slightly narrowed.

"A man who possesses thunder in his heart yet remains calm on the surface is worthy of being appointed a general."

"This young man is extraordinary. It's a pity he hasn't been deified or had his image erected; otherwise, he would be a force to be reckoned with in Beizhang..."

Xiang Nantian's words came to an abrupt end.

“Heroes always rise from humble beginnings. Back then, even the Three Corpse Taoist was not yet deified or had his image erected,” Zhang Fan suddenly said.

Xiang Nantian shifted his gaze slightly, gave him a deep look, and then nodded, saying, "You're right, heroes come from all walks of life."

"How did you end up associating with the people from Bei Zhang?"

Xiang Nantian naturally knew Zhang Fan's background. Logically speaking, he and Bei Zhang were sworn enemies, and there was no reason for them to coexist.

“Great primordial spirits always appear unexpectedly,” Zhang Fan said with a light laugh.

Xiang Nantian paused for a moment, then sighed softly, "These young people nowadays..."

"We still need to be careful."

"Senior, are you referring to Bei Zhang?"

No, I mean him.

Xiang Nantian looked out the door, his eyes flashing with a meaningful light.

"This young man has the ambition to become a king, a hidden dragon in the abyss, unfathomable. He only lacks an opportunity. Once he gains the momentum, he will soar to great heights and his future will be limitless."

“But the worst thing about such people is that they can share hardship but not prosperity,” Xiang Nantian said in a deep voice.

"he?"

Zhang Fan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said, "He and I are like brothers who have been through thick and thin together."

What does a friendship forged in life and death matter?

"Where there's a will, there's a way; three thousand Yue soldiers could conquer Wu..."

"Back then, King Goujian of Yue endured hardship and humiliation to restore his kingdom and destroy Wu, which became a legendary tale. When he succeeded, Fan Li left and Wen Zhong died. Which of these people was not his sworn brother? Which of them was not his minister who strategized for the country?"

Throughout history, there have been countless instances of founding emperors executing meritorious officials.

Xiang Nantian shook his head and said, "People who do great things are even willing to kill their own brothers."

"Li Shimin killed his own brothers without even blinking an eye."

"Even though Liu Bang's father was about to be killed, he still wanted others to share a piece of the pie with him."

"You must remember, in this world, besides yourself, there is no one you can absolutely trust," Xiang Nantian warned in a deep voice.

"The closer the person is to you, the heavier the price you pay for their betrayal."

"The destruction of your Nan Zhang is a lesson from the past."

"People from Bei Zhang are not trustworthy."

A cold glint flashed in Xiang Nantian's eyes. Clearly, he did not trust Bei Zhang and even hated and loathed him.

"You can use him, but you must never trust him. In fact, once you've achieved great success, you can get rid of him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan's brow twitched. He looked up abruptly and saw a chilling glint in Xiang Nantian's eyes.

This abbot of the Crimson Cloud Temple, a master of the Supreme Realm, had already harbored murderous intent towards Zhang Wuming just moments before, and more than once.

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away."

"This is an unchanging law throughout history, and it is also the most reliable principle."

"If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can do it for you."

Xiang Nantian's voice was deep and cold, clearly indicating that he wasn't just talking.

“Senior, I have my own considerations,” Zhang Fan said after a brief silence.

Xiang Nantian looked at Zhang Fan, shook his head, and sighed, "The Zhang family members will eventually have their own paths to walk."

"That's fine."

As he spoke, he waved his hand at Nantian and asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Whether it's a matter within the Xijiang region or a matter related to cultivation."

"I do have a question I'd like to ask, about cultivating the inner core." Zhang Fan was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Currently, he is stuck at the bottleneck of the ninth level of the Great Master realm and is worried about not having a living master to ask for guidance.

"Truly a prodigy of talent, to have begun to comprehend such a realm at such a young age," Xiang Nantian couldn't help but sigh.

When he was Zhang Fan's age, he hadn't even reached the threshold of high-level martial arts; the gap was too great.

"Please tell me what your questions are," Xiang Nantian said softly.

“I know that internal alchemy cultivation involves taking Kan to fill Li, and reversing the positions of water and fire. It can be accomplished by going against the flow,” Zhang Fan said softly.

For ordinary people, the heart fire is above and the kidney water is below. Even if they burn it all away, it will all be in vain, and they will gain nothing.

If one cultivates in reverse order, water and fire are reversed, with kidney water above and heart fire below. During the cooking process, kidney water transforms into essence and qi, spreading throughout the limbs and bones to nourish the body, thus obtaining the essence of refining essence into qi.

Going a step further, one can take Kan (☵) and fill Li (☲), refine Qi and transform it into spirit, thus achieving inner alchemy and great success in life cultivation.

“But the fire of the heart is a delusion, and cultivation requires stopping delusion. How can one use the fire of the heart to burn the kidney water?” Zhang Fan said solemnly.

He also tried to guide his thoughts and burn his true yang essence, but as soon as the thought arose, the demonic tribulation would arrive, and his mind would be restless and uneasy.

"That's a good question." Xiang Nantian nodded.

"This is a major hurdle in cultivating the inner elixir."

"Internal alchemy cultivation is not about burning the body with the fire of the mind, but about illuminating life with the light of one's nature."

As he spoke, he pointed south, and a stream of light danced at his fingertips, drawing a hexagram in the air.

Two horizontal lines followed by a break represent the Li trigram, which symbolizes fire.
“This divination was taught to me by your grandfather,” Xiang Nantian exclaimed.

He said that the outer yang of the Li trigram represents the consciousness, which is a false fire, while the inner yin of the Li trigram represents the primordial spirit, which is the true fire for refining elixirs.

"It's like the flame of an oil lamp, extinguishing the outer flames and the fierce winds, while protecting the inner flames and their bright light."

“Refining the inner elixir involves using the Yin of the Li trigram to activate the Yang of the Kan trigram, creating the phenomenon of ‘a dragon emerging from fire and a tiger being born in water.’” As he spoke, he opened his mouth towards the south, and a pill flew out, releasing a strange fragrance. It floated into the air, and the pill was round and bright, like flames separating and reuniting, or a pearl of the bright moon.

"Taoist internal alchemy!" Zhang Fan's eyes suddenly lit up.

He knew that this was the elixir of immortality, the secret of the Xuanmen sect, and that obtaining this state would make one like an immortal in the mortal world.

"I will now reveal to you the profound mysteries of the inner elixir," Xiang Nantian murmured softly.

The inner alchemy is a closely guarded secret, and even direct disciples or one's own sons may not have the chance to see its true form.

However, at this moment, Xiang Nantian shared everything he knew without holding back, which shows that the kindness Nan Zhang had shown him back then was higher than the sky, and he remembered it in his heart and never forgot it.

Two hours later, Zhang Fan finally emerged from the quiet room, his face showing a look of lingering enjoyment.

"It's finally out."

Zhang Wuming had been waiting for a long time and hurriedly stepped forward.

Zhang Fan turned around and bowed deeply to the quiet room.

"Let's go," Zhang Fan said softly.

Today, his gains are truly immense, saving him at least several years of hard work.

"What did the old man talk to you about?"

On the way, Zhang Wuming asked a question.

"It's nothing much, we just talked about cultivation issues. The Master of the Fasting Realm is really powerful, it has been a great help to me." Zhang Fan couldn't help but sigh.

This conversation resolved many of the problems he encountered in his spiritual practice. If he goes back and digests it properly, he will surely make a breakthrough.

“Xiang Nantian has cultivated his inner core for many years. He has honed his skills in this realm more thoroughly than anyone else. Otherwise, he would not have such a high status among the rogue cultivators of Xijiang. Even the other six powerful leaders of the sect are wary of him.”

Zhang Wuming nodded and asked, "Then can you cultivate your inner core at any time?"

"If that's the case, your strength has greatly improved, and our matter will actually become simpler."

"How can it be that easy?"

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes: "Do you think inner cores are like cabbages? You can't just say it and call it a day?"

"It still needs polishing."

“That’s true. Refining the inner elixir is like a woman’s ten months of pregnancy; it’s definitely not something that can be accomplished overnight.” Zhang Wuming knew this principle well.

The inner elixir is difficult to refine, and even more difficult to cultivate.

The path of cultivation is increasingly difficult, and in the end, one finds a way out of a desperate situation, with very few fellow practitioners remaining.

"What else did the old man talk to you about?" Zhang Wuming suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"That's all," Zhang Fan said, shaking his head.

"Really? He didn't ask you to kill me?" Zhang Wuming asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked at Zhang Wuming with a stunned expression.

"Did you hear that?"

"The old man used some tricks; even if you scream your lungs out inside, I won't hear you," Zhang Wuming grinned.

"I was just guessing, but it seems I guessed right."

"How did you guess?" Zhang Fan asked with a strange expression.

"intuition."

"The old man was trained by your Southern Zhang, and he distrusts and even despises the people from Northern Zhang..."

“If you get together with me, he must be wondering about it, or even unhappy about it.”

How can people from Nanzhang (Southern Zhang) associate with people from Beizhang (Northern Zhang)?

"In addition, we are about to do something unprecedented, so he will naturally be wary of me."

"A scrap of talent from Bei Zhang, yet harboring great ambitions. Such a person is too dangerous. Use him if you can, but it's best to get rid of him once you're done with him."

"Are you tempted?" Zhang Wuming asked.

“My brother is righteous and will surely speak up for me.”

Before Zhang Fan could answer, Zhang Wuming spoke first.

"Did the old man mean that if you can't do it, he can do it for you?"

"With hair on your head, you're even more cunning than a monkey." Zhang Fan looked at Zhang Wuming, and after holding back for a long time, finally uttered this sentence.

"Haha, when I was in Beizhang, I was always called a skinny monkey by those people."

"Don't take it to heart, he..."

"Zhang Fan!"

"Remember this, I would never harm you."

Without needing any explanation, Zhang Wuming hooked his arm around Zhang Fan's: "In this world, no matter who wants to kill you, or who wants to stop you..."

"I would never harm you."

Zhang Fan was stunned for a moment. He looked into Zhang Wuming's clear eyes and remained silent.

"I know."

"Alright, we're brothers, family, no need for formalities."

"Now that we've dealt with Xiang Nantian, we can finally confront the other five abbots." Zhang Wuming's tone shifted, and his eyes sharpened.

There are over a hundred Taoist temples of all sizes in Xijiang Province, excluding those affiliated with famous mountains and major sects.

Among them, besides Xiang Nantian, the abbot of Chixia Temple, and Xu Changshou, the abbot of Jingtu Temple who was bedridden for many years, the five powerful leaders of the vegetarian temple were the leaders.

Once they are dealt with, it will be enough to unify the scattered cultivators of the West River region.

"As the senior just told me, the independent cultivators of Xijiang, when all are gathered together, constitute a considerable force..."

"Why aren't famous mountains and sects like Sanqing Mountain and Gezao Mountain being incorporated?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"They just don't like it," Zhang Wuming chuckled.

"Do you think a Fortune 500 company would just casually acquire those unknown local workshops?"

“That’s true…” Zhang Fan nodded.

"Moreover, these small workshops have other backgrounds that are more or less complicated, so they naturally won't bother with them."

"Furthermore, this also demonstrates the prosperity and flourishing of the Xijiang underground sects, which can be considered a response to the policy call."

"If they don't like it, we'll take it."

"Gathering stones to form a mountain is the cornerstone of our mortal sect's growth," Zhang Wuming said confidently.

"When did you make the appointment?" Zhang Fan asked in a deep voice.

"tomorrow!"

……

The next day, noon.

Xiaoxiang Villa, Hongzhou City.

This is a private villa built on the mountainside. Upon entering the courtyard, one is greeted by a small mountain partition.

The stones of this small hill were collected and transported from the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, and stacked according to the directions of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, forming the shape of a dragon and a tiger, with an extraordinary aura. The highest stone even comes from Longhu Mountain, and there are talismans on it that were collected by the Zhang family masters of Longhu Mountain back then.

The value of this small hill alone is immeasurable.

At this moment, inside a quiet room in the white building of the villa.

Incense smoke curled around a red clay stove, where fresh tea was being brewed, filling the air with its aroma.

"The Zhang family from the north has arrived. Everyone must offer incense to the Zhang family."

A loud, bell-like sound resounded in the quiet room, followed by a moment of silence.

“Well then, I’m the youngest here, so I’ll say the unpleasant thing… Starting this month, I will no longer offer incense to the Zhang family.”

"What do you three brothers think?"

Just then, another voice rang out, breaking the silence.

(End of this chapter)