I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 55 A Year's Worth of Morning and Evening

Suddenly, the ice melted away.

The snowfall caused the waters of Xiaqi Lake to quietly overflow the lakeside, and the willows along the lake sprouted new green shoots.

Spring came and went in a hurry, and it seems like only a blink of an eye before summer has arrived.

That day, after listening to a lecture at the Xuanming Altar, Ying Chan prepared to return to his courtyard.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Li Jingqiu on the street.

"Brother Dao!" Li Jingqiu's face beamed with joy, and her tone was extremely light when she called out to Ying Chan: "What a coincidence!"

"Fellow Daoist Li."

Ying Chan slowed his pace to walk alongside her, and asked with a smile, "Are you in a particularly good mood today?"

"Exactly."

Li Jingqiu said happily, "Today at the Capital Examination Hall, I not only passed the first exam, but also the second!"

"Oh?" Ying Chan said in surprise, "Then I must congratulate you, fellow Daoist."

Upon hearing this, Li Jingqiu became embarrassed: "I have been diligently cultivating for the past year and have only just achieved some success... but I cannot compare with you, fellow Daoist."

Ying Chan smiled slightly and said, "Since you have passed the exam and the academy has praised you, why belittle yourself?"

The examinations at the Capital Examination Institute are both difficult and easy. Even those who are not exceptionally gifted in cultivation can still pass the examinations as long as they are diligent in their spiritual practice and dedicated to cultivation.

But the saying "Heaven rewards diligence" sounds simple, but how many people can truly do it?

Li Jingqiu not only passed the exam but also received praise from the faculty and staff, which may be the reason why.

However, Li Jingqiu still waved her hand repeatedly after hearing this.

Seeing this, Ying Chan said no more. The two walked side by side for a while, but Li Jingqiu quietly asked Ying Chan about his progress.

Ying Chan glanced at her sideways, and she seemed startled, saying, "I have no intention of comparing myself to you, fellow Daoist! I only wish to use your achievements to motivate myself..."

"Is that so?" Ying Chan smiled and said, "Alright, then let fellow Daoist know that I just opened up the twenty-eight apertures the other day."

"Oh, twenty-eight acupoints..." Li Jingqiu exclaimed in surprise, "Twenty-eight acupoints!"

Ying Chan simply nodded.

In the blink of an eye, another hundred days have passed. He certainly wouldn't stand still, especially with the help of the Yin-Yang Harmony Pendant and the Purple Cloud Pill.

For the past hundred days, the Yin-Yang Harmony Pendant has been constantly absorbing the Yin and Yang energies to refine and condense his magical power.

Gradually, Ying Chan's magical power not only increased in quality, but also subtly developed a characteristic that combined strength and gentleness.

This change made his magical power more swift and agile, and easier to control, allowing him to delve into subtle details. This, in turn, increased the speed at which he accumulated magical power.

But this is not the true wonder of the Yin-Yang Harmony Pendant.

What truly surprised Ying Chan about the Yin-Yang Harmony Pendant was that the Yin and Yang energies it absorbed could also help him nourish and strengthen his Xuanqiao (mysterious aperture)!
This undoubtedly saved Ying Chan a great deal of effort in nurturing his profound spiritual aperture, allowing him to concentrate on accumulating magical power and increasing his cultivation.

This step was further aided by the spiritual energy and vital energy provided by the Purple Cloud Pill.

With such mutual support, the opening of the eight orifices should be a natural outcome.

If he had been more eager to achieve success, he might have already opened thirty acupoints and officially launched his attack on the Qi Refining Perfection stage.

"Brother Dao is truly a prodigy in cultivation."

Li Jingqiu said with envy, "I heard from my family that those who can cultivate to the Xuan Guang level within the ten-year period set by the Dao Academy are already considered promising talents for our sect."

"But given your progress, brother, you'll probably achieve something within a year or two, right?"

"Ha ha……"

Ying Chan said, "Do your best."

The two hadn't seen each other for some time, so they chatted as they walked, and it wasn't boring at all.

When they reached a crossroads, Li Jingqiu said, "I'm heading to the alchemy workshop, so I won't be traveling with you, fellow Daoist."

Ying Chan nodded slightly, and the two parted ways.

Li Jingqiu headed towards the alchemy workshop, while Ying Chan quickly made his way up to the Cloud Embankment. At this time, many figures could still be seen fishing on the Cloud Embankment. As Ying Chan walked along the embankment, some of the fishermen caught a glimpse of him and would nod slightly in acknowledgment.

Ying Chan responded to each of them, but as he walked, he suddenly remembered something.

"today……"

Today, or perhaps this day last year.

Ying Chan was also walking across this long dike.

He gazed at the pedestrians coming and going on the embankment, and for a moment it seemed as if the scene overlapped with a scene from his memory.

"So it turns out I've been in the Taoist academy for a full year already."

Ying Chan withdrew his gaze and walked away.

That night.

Ying Chan suddenly had an idea and forcibly opened the twenty-ninth acupoint. After calming his qi, he revealed a faint smile.

Although forcibly breaking through the barrier is no longer as easy as it was when one first entered or achieved minor success in Qi Refining, with the formidable power of the One Yuan Qi Refining Scripture and his exquisite control, it is still not difficult to do so as long as one is not too reckless.

While gradual progress is good, occasionally pushing yourself to the limit can also be quite enjoyable.

He used his magic to stabilize the twenty-ninth acupoint, and then took a Purple Cloud Pill to refine and replenish his magic power.

Ying Chan had already used up all the Ziyun Pills he had obtained in exchange for three Qingshen Pills.

However, these days, he would occasionally go into the mountains to collect herbs. If he had any, he would not exchange them for magic money with the alchemy workshop, but would give them to Li Zhuo to refine into pills.

He did this because of Li Zhuo's kindness in giving him cinnabar several times, and he never intended to repay him.

But that's just how Li Zhuo is; after taking Ying Chan's medicinal herbs, he returned double the amount of elixirs to him.

Therefore, as Ying Chan continued to take the Purple Cloud Pill, he actually became more and more full.

And so, after a while, when all the work was done, it was already dawn again.

Ying Chan stretched lazily and opened the door to enter the courtyard when he heard Li Xuanying call out, "Senior Brother!"

Ying Chan walked closer and found Li Xuanying looking up at his senior brother's tree canopy intently. He asked curiously, "Xuanying, what are you looking at?"

"Senior brother, look!" Li Xuanying pointed, "Has Senior Brother Tree borne fruit?"

"Ok?"

Ying Chan looked up and, sure enough, saw several green fruits hanging among the branches and leaves of his senior brother, the tree, and was surprised: "It's really true?"

He had been in the courtyard for so long, yet he didn't know what kind of tree it was. He only thought it was an evergreen tree like a pine or cypress, never expecting it to bear fruit.

But I've never seen the tree brother bloom.

The two discussed the tree for a while, and perhaps they upset it, because the tree canopy suddenly swayed without any wind.

"This is not good." Li Xuanying said solemnly, "If Senior Brother Shu is not pleased, we should stop discussing this."

Ying Chan nodded and said, "That is exactly right."

The two then left the tree and went to wash up together.

However, as Li Xuanying walked, he suddenly asked, "Senior brother, what do you think the fruit of Senior Brother Tree tastes like?"

"Well……"

Ying Chan pondered for a moment and said, "It looks like a peach? Or maybe a plum. I wonder if it tastes the same..."

Then I heard another rustling sound behind my ear.

"Ha ha ha ha."

The two of them couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"so good."

Li Xuanying looked at the Heavenly Dao and said, "It's a pity that even if Senior Brother Tree were willing to let us taste the fruit, I'm afraid I'm out of luck."

(End of this chapter)