Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 69: Absorbing Yin Energy, Advancing to Higher Rank and Title (Seventh Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

In the stillness of the night, the Ice Beauty Peak Master made her visit.

If it were a folk tale of immortals, it would probably contain some erotic and suggestive scenes.

However, Zhao Wuji's expression was solemn. This peak master's visit late at night was no ordinary event. He immediately opened the door and invited Peak Master Hua to the front hall.

"There's no need to go anywhere else; I don't want anyone to know I've come here."

Hua Qingshuang slightly raised her hand, strolled into the cultivation room, looked around the empty and simple quiet room, nodded slightly, and said.

"I told you before, I would seek you out when it's time for treatment."

Zhao Wuji smiled bitterly to himself. The timing of "I will find you" was too tricky, choosing the moment when he was cultivating.

Fortunately, the practitioner is highly sensitive to the surrounding energy flow during the practice of guiding exercises; otherwise...
"We need to establish a treatment plan with this peak master. With such an elusive nature, how can there be any privacy? It's clear that this backer and the benefits weren't obtained for nothing."

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, then invited Hua Qingshuang to sit down on a futon before heading to the alchemy room to retrieve the acupuncture needles for treatment.

Before long, Zhao Wuji brought over tea and acupuncture needles, preparing to administer acupuncture to Hua Qingshuang.

He was also eager for the other party to come to him for treatment, as long as it was at the right time, so that he could quickly gain yin energy and accumulate the first yin pearl.

"When I arrived just now, I sensed spiritual energy emanating from your room."

While Zhao Wuji was fiddling with the needles, Hua Qingshuang suddenly spoke up. This time, she didn't refer to herself as "this one," and her tone was gentler, clearly indicating that she already considered him one of her own. "Have you already mastered the 'Cold Soul Heart Sutra'?"

Zhao Wuji paused slightly in his needle-wielding, noticing the change in address. He felt somewhat relieved and said calmly, "Peak Master is indeed powerful. I only just had a slight sense of Qi during my cultivation. To truly cultivate spiritual power according to the records in the Heart Sutra, I'm afraid it will take several more days."

"With your spiritual resources"

Hua Qingshuang let him apply the acupuncture needles and said calmly, "With the foundation of a martial arts master, and with the help of source crystals, one can embark on the path to immortality in a day or two."

She gently raised her hand, her sleeve slipping down to her elbow, revealing a pale, white arm. "What you've always lacked is just an opportunity."

Zhao Wuji listened intently while simultaneously focusing his mind on the needlework, the peak master casually reciting cultivation tips in his ears.

These pointers were like the sun breaking through the clouds for him, a self-taught scholar who had been working in isolation for many years.

Although he had already reached the third level of Qi Refining cultivation, he only realized now that he had taken some detours before.

This time, after a series of acupuncture treatments, I was able to endure the treatment for more than ten breaths longer than before, and I absorbed a lot more cold and damp energy.

Hua Qingshuang gazed at Zhao Wuji's slightly pale face after the acupuncture treatment, a rare hint of gentleness appearing in her usually stern eyes: "You've worked hard. You'll feel much better once you've guided your Qi back into your body."

She stood up and flicked her sleeve, saying, "I'll come back in two days."

Zhao Wuji quickly put away the needles and stood up, saying, "Peak Master, there's no need to wait. You can come for treatment every night. The sooner the treatment, the better. However..."

He pondered for a moment and said, "How about we agree on a specific time? So that my cultivation won't interfere with the treatment."

Hua Qingshuang gazed at Zhao Wuji's face and could tell that his words came from the heart and were not meant to flatter. She nodded slightly as a sign of appreciation, and as she turned away, a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.

"it is good."

She suddenly stopped, "But we won't be staying in this imperial city for long. Once the first batch of immortal seed recruitment is over, you will come with me to the grotto heaven."

With a gentle wave of her wide sleeves, she said, "You must also prepare well for the two tests of self-examination and character assessment that I just mentioned, especially the mantra I told you."

Before she finished speaking, she had already left the house, gracefully disappearing into the moonlight with a flick of her sleeve.

Without any hand gestures or incantations, a figure in plain white robes gradually walked away in the moonlight, eventually transforming into a wisp of clear light on the horizon.

"What kind of wind-controlling technique is this?"

Zhao Wuji watched with rapt attention, realizing that he had truly touched the threshold of the cultivation world.

Discussing the Dao with cultivators and observing the profound mysteries of immortal techniques.

He is no longer the reclusive cultivator who used to hide away.

The cultivation guidance he received earlier had increased his proficiency in several of his Earthly Fiend Techniques, leading to some improvement.

Of the four treasures of cultivation, wealth, companion, method, and place, with this highly skilled peak master explaining cultivation insights to him, the companion aspect was somewhat compensated for.

"However, the incantation that Peak Master Hua mentioned might be used in the character assessment stage is 'A pure mind, a bright moon shining itself.'"

Looking at the hazy moonlight, Zhao Wuji pondered, "What does this mean? Could there be some trickery involved in these two trials at Linlang Cave Heaven?"

He wrote this down. The incantation the other party gave him seemed unremarkable at first glance, like a Taoist mantra for calming the mind, but upon closer examination, it contained profound mysteries.

Master Huafeng, whose interests are intertwined with his, would never have given him this verse for no reason.

Over the next few days, Zhao Wuji treated Hua Qingshuang with acupuncture every night, accumulating hundreds of strands of yin energy.

The news that he possessed a superior immortal seed spread like a spring breeze from the imperial city to various prefectures.

Emperor Zhaoming put his words into practice and personally issued an edict promoting him to the position of Imperial Physician.

Although this honorary title had no real power, it provided an additional salary and broadened the resources available to the Imperial Medical Academy.

By dawn on the fourth day, he had finally made a slight breakthrough in his cultivation of the Food Consumption Technique.

It is already immune to all poisons, and the poison can be turned into nectar. Swallowing arsenic is like chewing maltose, turning poison into nourishment and refining it into a weak spiritual power.

It can even replenish vital essence and prolong life; swallowing ginseng, poria cocos, and other medicines can quickly restore one's health.

On this day, he also 'timely' revealed that he had reached the first level of Qi Induction. He had already cultivated spiritual power before even entering the cave heaven, which was in line with the name of a superior immortal seed with outstanding talent.

That night, he used the technique of transforming qi into qi to change spiritual power into the attribute of frigid cold, extending the time he spent applying acupuncture to Peak Master Hua by half a cup of tea. He demonstrated extremely strong patience, reaping more than seven hundred strands of yin qi before finally stopping, his face slightly pale.

Such endurance even surprised the usually icy Hua Peak Master.

The wisps of chilling energy were first enveloped by the powerful martial arts true energy, slowly being refined like melting spring snow. Finally, under the guidance of Peak Master Hua, a portion of it transformed into pure spiritual energy, sinking into the dantian and merging into the spiritual energy.

"Your family's traditional martial arts techniques combined with acupuncture treatment are indeed unique."

Hua Qingshuang leaned against the jade couch, her clear, cold voice carrying a hint of languor: "It must be because of the special bloodline of the Zhao family that one can cultivate in this way. Although this technique contains a method for absorbing cold, it lacks specific secrets. It seems to be an innate ability of the creator of this technique in your Zhao family."

Zhao Wuji agreed verbally, but secretly laughed to himself.

What kind of extraordinary talent is this?

The "family cultivation technique" presented to the peak master had been carefully altered three years ago, precisely for today's purpose: to use the guise of healing to actually cultivate, thus adding another layer of cover.

"Unfortunately, spiritual energy is depleted in this era, and even the path of immortality is barely surviving, let alone the path of martial arts. The path of martial arts to becoming an immortal has long been cut off."

Hua Qingshuang shook her head and said, "But generally speaking, they are all the same path of refining essence into qi and refining qi into spirit. Your martial arts true qi can absorb this cold qi, and the spiritual power of the same origin that you cultivate may also be able to absorb it."

This might allow you to cultivate even faster than other golden-light spiritual talents, rivaling even the most exceptional purple-light spiritual talents.

Zhao Wuji originally intended to inquire about the information of the Martial Immortal, but upon hearing this, he changed the subject and said with a smile, "If it can really be done, my cultivation speed will also depend on the total amount of Yin Cold Qi in your body, Peak Master. Now, Peak Master, your right arm is free of cold Qi, and your left arm will also be healed in the next few days."

Hua Qingshuang glanced at him coldly, "It seems you don't want me to recover quickly."

"How could that be? I wish you, Peak Master, would recover today and break through to the Condensation Realm immediately. That way, when I go to the Cave Heaven, I'm afraid no fellow Daoist will dare to bully me."

Zhao Wuji chuckled, his words less reserved, yet still maintaining just the right amount of respect. Having spent so much time together, he had become able to be a little more casual in front of this aloof peak master.

However, what the other person said did remind him.

Using the pretext of healing and absorbing the cold yin energy, he could more easily and naturally reveal his true cultivation level.

Hua Qingshuang shook her head calmly, condensing ice essence at her fingertips. "Even before reaching the Golden Core stage in the Six Revolutions Profound Ice Technique, this chilling aura is already ever-present."

She flicked her finger and shattered the ice crystals. "Unless I can attain the Golden Core Dao, you'll be busy for a long time to come."

Zhao Wuji was taken aback. It turned out that this diagnosis was not something that could be accomplished in a short time, but was actually tied to the path of this peak master.

In this degenerate age where spiritual energy is depleted, how easy is it to attain the Golden Elixir Path?

"The first batch of twenty immortals is almost complete, and we will be heading to the grotto-heaven in five days."

At this moment, Hua Qingshuang lightly waved her wide sleeves, and two jade slips shimmering with spiritual light floated out. "Now that you have reached the first level of Qi Induction, I will give you these two techniques, one for weapon control and the other for swift movement, for you to study and comprehend."

Zhao Wuji composed himself, caught the jade slip, but his gaze unconsciously fell on the other person's sleeve.

Hua Qingshuang noticed his gaze and said calmly, "It's just a storage bag I got from Xiang Yu's treasury. It's far inferior to a real Qiankun Bag. It's only about ten feet square and can only store inanimate objects."

Zhao Wuji asked in surprise, "Xiang Yu's treasure vault?"

"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, is known to the world as the Hegemon-King of Chu, and in the cultivation world as King Xiang."

In the past, when spiritual energy was still abundant, there were martial arts immortals who cultivated immortality through martial arts. Xiang Yu was one of them, but unfortunately, even his immortal body was not preserved after his death; he was dismembered, which led to the rise of the five great immortal cultivation families.

Hua Qingshuang shook her head, "You don't need to know these things for now. In the near future, there will be a Tiannan waiting for you. Just focus on your cultivation."

In a good mood, she shared some secrets and then left under the moonlight as usual.

Zhao Wuji was deeply shaken.

The Chu King Xiang Yu in this world has a similar historical experience to the world before he transmigrated, but he is a martial arts immortal, which seems to have more of a mythical and fairy-tale color, making people yearn for that wonderful era when spiritual energy flourished.

In the following days, Zhao Wuji practiced his medical skills while secretly gathering the forbidden ingredients needed for the Dragon Tiger Pill, taking advantage of his position as the Imperial Medical Academy Director. At the same time, he carefully settled various matters in his residence.

Inside the main hall, Zhao Wuji handed the account book in his hand to Xiao Lin beside him and said calmly, "There's no need to be frugal with gold and silver; the annual salary from the court is sufficient."

He glanced at everyone and said gently, "Going to the grotto-heaven to cultivate is not to sever ties with the world. If you wish to stay at the official residence and continue to manage the medicinal herb acquisition and ancient book collation, it will actually save me trouble."

Upon hearing this, all the servants in the hall relaxed.

Ye Wu scratched his head and chuckled, thinking to himself that the good days of having three full meals a day were finally coming to an end, and his sister wouldn't have to go out with him to endure the elements again.

Zhao Wuji's gaze swept over the Ye Wu siblings. These two, who possessed the blood of the Yelang Kingdom, would be of assistance to him in his future quest for wine.

As for Xiao Yue, who was silently sorting out medicinal herbs, if it weren't for Xiao Yue's meticulous selection of various medicinal stones and her help in collecting medicinal herbs from all over the years, saving him from the trouble of miscellaneous tasks, how could he have concentrated on cultivation?

The path to immortality is long and arduous; even Laozi, the Supreme Lord, has disciples serving him.

Although he was only a Qi Refining cultivator, he still had some mundane affairs that needed to be taken care of.

Two days later, three hundred miles outside Yunmeng City, at the end of the Yunmeng River, a thousand peaks competed in beauty, and ten thousand ravines vied for flow.

Amidst towering mountains and swirling clouds, the winding Yangtze River resembles a coiled dragon, while waterfalls and springs cascade down like silver ribbons.

At the confluence of these ever-changing mountains and rivers, a delicate grotto-heaven is hidden, which is none other than the renowned Wushang Grotto-Heaven in the southern border region.

Within the grotto, magnificent palaces and pavilions are built against the mountain, their golden eaves and vermilion roofs appearing and disappearing amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

One of the jade cave dwellings is particularly extraordinary, with purple mist and smoke enveloping the entire building in a hazy, ethereal atmosphere.

This is the place of practice for Nan Zhixia, the candidate saintess of the Supreme Sect.

At that moment, a messenger lark suddenly flew between the cave dwellings, speaking in human language, repeating the same message over and over as if broadcasting a news report, circling around the rafters.

"The Imperial Observatory of Xuan Kingdom has recruited twenty people with the potential to become immortals, two of whom are of superior quality: Li Shiyu and Zhao Wuji."

Inside the cave, Nan Zhixia, who was cultivating, trembled slightly, her ear tips twitching as if she had misheard.

She suddenly stood up, leaped out of the cave, and her black hair brushed against her astonished face:

"Unbound? A superior immortal seed?"

(End of this chapter)