Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 33 Sweating like lead indicates entry into the Dao

After obtaining the auxiliary cultivation method, Fang Shu spent only a short time memorizing it all using the Daoist talisman.

However, he did not return the manual in time, but waited until the last day before returning it.

time flies.

The technique from the Burning Tail Pavilion is indeed of the same quality as the Insect Technique from the Solitary Gu Pavilion, and even more difficult to fathom.

Even with the blessing of the updated Dao Talisman, it still took Fang Shu more than a month to fully analyze and master it.

Although one has mastered the technique, it still requires a great deal of hard work to truly internalize it.

Furthermore, the cultivation steps of the "Lead, Mercury, Blood Treasure Seed Artifact Secret Method" are more complex than those of the Insect Technique.

In the early stages of his cultivation, Fang Shu's improvement was still limited. Fortunately, once he became familiar with the two techniques, the fast and slow methods complemented each other, and his cultivation speed immediately increased!

In addition, he also possesses precious medicines such as purple lead cloud mother's milk.

The main reason Fang Shu chose this merit was because of the precious medicine he possessed.

He thought to himself that the purple lead cloud mother's milk could nourish the body and strengthen the bones, while the "Secret Method of Lead, Mercury, Blood Treasure Seed Vessel" required lead and mercury to stimulate the body, so as to produce a body full of black lead blood.

The two may very well complement each other.

Even if it doesn't, the "Secret Method of Lead, Mercury, Blood Treasure Seed" will definitely improve his absorption efficiency of purple lead cloud mother milk.

As he expected, the purple lead cloud mother's milk was indeed one of the auxiliary medicinal materials in the records of lead cultivation that were extremely suitable for cultivating black lead blood.

Using purple lead mica milk to nourish the body can greatly reduce the toxic damage to the human body after black lead enters the body.

Without precious medicines such as purple lead and motherwort milk, one must spend a lot of time consuming milk, egg whites, and other substances to reduce the toxicity of lead and mercury when practicing lead-based techniques.

However, even if one consumes milk or similar substances, prolonged daily practice or excessive intake of lead and mercury can still damage the body, leading to consequences such as slowed thinking or even loss of fertility.

To completely solve this problem, one must either take precious medicines or elixirs such as Ziqianyun breast milk, or prolong the cultivation process to reduce the toxicity.

Of course, if the practitioner's constitution is naturally immune to the toxicity of lead and mercury, or if they have practiced corresponding detoxification techniques in advance to assist in the cultivation of lead-based techniques, then such a complicated process is unnecessary.

Although Fang Shu did not cultivate the corresponding detoxification techniques, the insect technique he cultivated could enhance his own resistance to toxins.

His physical body was full of vitality, making him more suitable for lead exercises than ordinary people.

Combined with the precious medicine, the two worked together to achieve remarkable results in his practice of lead qigong.

With the two powers combined, he became even more immersed in cultivation than before.

This kind of cultivation continued for one month, two months, three months...

Finally, that day arrived.

Fang Shu, unusually, did not rush to the training hall and squeezed in with the other disciples to practice.

He spent money to buy a lot of insect blood and ant spirit ointment from the masters of the Taoist temple, and rented a quiet room to begin a period of seclusion.

Such seclusion is not uncommon among the disciples.

Those wealthy disciples, to avoid being disturbed by others, would even rent a quiet room every day to practice their cultivation techniques and spells on their own.

Fang Shu did the same thing this time.

He set up a simple altar in a quiet room made of bluestone, about ten feet in diameter, and then walked and practiced repeatedly in the room according to the rituals recorded in the Lead Qigong.

After tidying himself up, Fang Shu sat cross-legged in the center of the quiet room and lit eight tallow candles around him. Each of them burned with a flame the size of a fist, resembling a torch rather than a candle.

Gradually, the temperature in the quiet room rose, causing fine beads of sweat to appear on Fang Shu's chest and back.

But he remained seated, with only the muscles on his body slowly writhing and trembling like snakes and worms.

The insect-face runes on his body gradually emerged, giving him a ferocious aura.

Snap!

The tallow candle had burned halfway down, raising the temperature in the quiet room to its highest level, and a pungent, acrid smell of medicinal smoke filled the entire room.

Fang Shu finally opened his eyes, his gaze bright and clear.

He suddenly stood up, first assuming the posture of insect martial arts to activate his qi and blood, and then assuming the posture of lead martial arts.

His posture was strange; it was as if his bones had been disassembled, and he stood on one leg in a twisted, pretzel-like position in the quiet room.

This posture was maintained for only a brief moment before his skin became hot and red, like a boiled shrimp. The sweat on his body evaporated, forming a mist on the top of his head.

Even the expression on his face revealed a ferocious and terrifying look.

What Fang Shu is doing right now is practicing the bone-strengthening and tendon-strengthening methods recorded in the Lead Qigong manual.

This method allows a large amount of lead and mercury to be refined into the human body in one go, and then consumes a large amount of qi and blood to burn the tendons and bones, thereby changing the root and bones.

This step is extremely important for practitioners of lead qigong; in fact, it can be said that all previous lead qigong practices are preparations for this step.

Furthermore, according to the teachings of Lead Qigong, only after enduring this period can practitioners truly achieve "lead and mercury coexisting," and the human body will no longer regard lead, mercury, and other minerals as poison, but rather as food.

Only by getting through this period can one truly attempt to cultivate Black Lead Blood.

Otherwise, if a cultivator's innate constitution is not modified accordingly, even if they forcibly refine their black lead blood, they will only suffer a short lifespan, which is a short-sighted and opportunistic act.

However, the pain and hardship of this bone-changing process are secondary. The more important thing is to perfectly master the secret text of lead cultivation, be able to control the physical body, and preferably have the assistance of spiritual objects. Only in this way can lead and mercury be refined into the tendons and bones and achieve a balance with the physical body.

Fang Shu possesses all three of these factors!
After enduring the torment of brewing several cups of tea, Fang Shu suddenly felt a large drum beating in his chest, bang bang bang!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that his heart was pounding like a drum, and the veins on his body were bulging like earthworms or spider webs, and his skin was covered in blood-red sweat!

Suppressing the surge of qi and blood, Fang Shu suddenly tilted his head back and exhaled violently towards the top of the quiet room.

*Pfft!* A date pit was spat out of his mouth and stuck into the pig bladder on the ceiling of the quiet room.

Immediately, a thick, silvery-gray liquid, like syrup, dripped from the pig's bladder and slowly covered Fang Shu's head and body.

Even more miraculously, as Fang Shu seemed to move but didn't, the muscles all over his body trembled, and he evenly spread the liquid all over his body, covering every pore of his skin, without missing any areas such as his armpits, soles of his feet, and eyelids.

This liquid was a lead-mercury medicine that he had people in the market boil down. It contained nearly 70% refined lime, 27% lead powder, and 3% mercury.

Such a sap is poisonous rather than medicinal to ordinary people. Even a slight touch could burn the skin and flesh, and even a single breath would harm the body.

However, when it landed on Fang Shu, it only seemed to stimulate him a little, burning him until his whole body was burning hot.

This is not only because Fang Shu has long practiced lead-based and insect-based techniques, but also because he added a sufficient amount of purple lead mica milk to blend the precious medicine into it as much as possible.

He carried out this bone-changing and tendon-changing ritual with complete preparation and utmost determination!

After his body was enveloped in the medicinal liquid, Fang Shu gradually stopped moving.

As the silvery-gray color on his body became more pronounced, the medicinal liquid solidified into a shell, turning him into a lead-gray terracotta figurine.

In an instant, even his breathing became low and shallow, almost imperceptible.

The room was quiet, with only eight tallow candles still burning brightly.

This silence lasted for an unknown period of time.

Then another drum-like sound rang out from Fang Shu's body and emanated from it, causing the eight candles around him to flicker.

Boom boom boom!
At this moment, Fang Shu's chest and abdomen also trembled. As if waking from a deep dream, he began chanting the incantation of lead-based qigong, as if muttering or growling:

"At midnight, the furnace is activated in the Kan position, and flames rise from all directions to steam mercury beads."

Bone trembles and tendons quiver, giving rise to a sense of tribulation; sweat pours out like lead, tempering the mortal body.

Click, click, click!
As he chanted, the solidified medicinal liquid on his body cracked and peeled off piece by piece. Once it hit the ground, it lost all its spiritual and medicinal properties, resembling ordinary white-gray pottery shards.

Fang Shu's body, on the other hand, was as smooth and white as a peeled egg, exposed in the candlelight of the quiet room.

Bang!

Fang Shu completely broke free from the constraints of the cocoon. He practiced the steps of the Dipper in the quiet room, and purple-gray sweat poured out of his body. He practiced faster and faster, which looked quite amazing.

After practicing his lead-body stance, he finally stood on one leg and sat quietly in the meditation room.

His face was serene, seemingly pleased yet not pleased. With his eyes lowered, he gently exhaled and extinguished all eight tallow candles around him at the same time, without missing a single one.

At this moment, Fang Shu was like a ripe melon falling from a vine, having completed the transformation of his tendons and bones, and his physique had greatly improved.

Its qi and blood begin to stir, its sweat flows like lead, its bones are like iron, and its tendons and fascia are strong. It is only one step away from entering the Dao and refining its essence, igniting the qi, blood, and essence smoke!

In his mind, words also floated and changed:

[Realm Level: Possible for Entering the Dao (99% chance!)]

(End of this chapter)