Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 74 Second Tribulation: Refining Essence to Become an Immortal
Several days passed in the quiet room.

Fang Shu silently circulated the qi and blood within his body. Under his guidance, the rich medicinal power continuously seeped into his flesh and penetrated into his bones.

Suddenly, the muscles in his body twitched violently, crackling and popping.

Fang Shu suddenly opened his eyes and immediately felt his blood and energy surge more actively than ever before.

And when you look up at the sky again, it is precisely when the moon is high in the sky.

Furthermore, the text in the realm section of the Dao talisman in my mind has changed to:
[Can withstand the tribulation (99% chance)]

Just as he expected, with careful refinement of his blood and qi, and the help of the rich spiritual energy and medicinal power within his body, the success rate of this tribulation could reach almost 100%.

Without further hesitation, Fang Shu turned and darted around the bottom of the well.

Rolling around!

There was a large vat at the bottom of the well, which was trembling because of his movements.

The large vat was filled with 60% mercury, which was now swirling and forming a vortex, emitting a sound like thunder and lightning.

Fang Shu's method of undergoing tribulation and refining marrow this time is different from the previous tribulation in the pit of scorpions. He mainly adopted the marrow refining method recorded in the Lead Cultivation Technique.

Compared to the gradual refinement of marrow through poison after entering the Dao of Insect Kung Fu, Lead Kung Fu requires one to drink mercury into the body and penetrate directly into the bone marrow when undergoing tribulation.

Such practices are terrifying to hear. Ordinary people who touch them will die, and even ordinary immortals who touch them are very likely to be maimed or killed, thus shortening their lifespan and causing harm for half their lives.

If Fang Shu hadn't obtained this opportunity and had the Dao talisman monitoring his physical body and helping to correct it, allowing him to have a clear understanding of his physical condition at all times, he wouldn't have dared to do this.

Such an extremely powerful marrow-refining secret method naturally has its own advantages.

According to the teachings of Lead Qigong, if one uses this method to transcend tribulations, one can further refine one's physique and cultivate the wonders of copper tendons and iron bones, refining a mouthful of silver mercury marrow, which is far superior to ordinary marrow refining for transcending tribulations.

Even if the bones are broken in the future, the precious marrow inside can immediately seep out, enveloping the bones and making them stable and not scattered. Moreover, the broken bones can be completely repaired within a day.

Such strong bones and powerful bone regeneration ability are the wonderful effects of lead-based marrow refining!

In addition, mercury is highly toxic; it can harm or even kill a person simply by smelling it.

Fang Shu's incorporation of such poison into his body aligns perfectly with the principle of refining marrow with poison in the Insect Technique, greatly enhancing his physical body's resistance to poison. After successfully transcending the tribulation, he will also gain access to the essence of refining marrow in the Insect Technique.

These two skills, one primary and one secondary, complement each other perfectly.

Fang Shu is increasingly convinced that he has not made a mistake in choosing the right cultivation method.

Gurgling!

Inside the quiet room, Fang Shu's energy, as swift as the wind and as fiery as fire, burned slowly in the room, his vital essence rising two zhang high.

Finally, with a snap.

The huge water tank shattered, unable to withstand the rotating mercury, and the tank broke into pieces the size of fingernails, scattered all over the ground.

However, the mercury in the vat did not spill onto the ground; instead, it formed a shimmering silver ball of mercury that continued to spin rapidly in the quiet room.

Fang Shuyou stepped forward, his hands and the muscles of his entire body constantly channeling his qi and blood to maintain the high-speed rotation of this mass of mercury, preventing it from scattering to the ground.

The mercury itself was like a millstone, crushing and grinding the blood and qi that Fang Shu had transferred into it, chewing it thoroughly before spitting it out and returning it to Fang Shu's body.

This process is a crucial step in refining one's Qi and blood. The longer one persists, the more impurities will be removed from the Qi and blood during the tribulation, resulting in purer Qi and blood.

Relying on the rich spiritual energy and medicinal power within his body, Fang Shu spun the mercury ball for three hours, as if whipping a top, using his arm as a stick and his qi and blood as a whip.

During those three hours, his vital energy had been thoroughly processed several times, and his once vibrant energy had become quite withered.

However, the blood and qi that have been ground up have a silvery tinge and a metallic luster, making them appear quite extraordinary.

The mercury sphere, originally the size of a water tank, was constantly evaporating, turning into highly toxic mercury vapor that filled the quiet room.

In Fang Shu's hands, only a small clump of the medicinal essence, mercury from a human head, remained, still spinning. Standing amidst the mercury vapor, every breath he took felt sweet to his lungs and numb to his mouth and nose.

Even with his physical resistance to poison, he was struggling to withstand the intense toxicity of the environment. If it were an ordinary person, they would surely have died on the spot within three breaths.

However, since he has survived, what does it matter if he only inhales a few breaths of mercury poison? It will only help him to strengthen his constitution and increase his cultivation!

He had even heard of people in the world who would use mercury to transform their bones and skin to undergo tribulation, a ruthless method. Compared to that, his current method of undergoing tribulation was already considered gentle and harmless.

In the quiet room, Fang Shu's gaze was sharp as he stared at the swirling mercury before him, muttering to himself:

"The two energies, like flowing mercury, are the wonders of heaven and earth, entering my body. Lead strengthens my bones, yin and yang harmonize. Meridians flow freely, and my body is renewed..."

He chanted the incantation for transcending tribulation, then immediately raised the refined mercury and let it roll over his strong, muscular body, from his hands to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his back, from his back to his abdomen... finally rolling it to his chest, where he gushed into his mouth, shrinking a little, before continuing to roll it.

However, although the mercury entered his mouth, it did not go into Fang Shu's stomach. Instead, it was expelled from his nostrils like smoke.

This is one of the key secrets to overcoming tribulations with lead qigong; those who do not understand it will either die or be maimed!

Even though Fang Shu had already entered the Dao and cultivated the Purple Lead Poison Blood, making his muscles strong and his body rich in medicinal power, he was still just a Human Immortal. His internal organs were still fragile. If he drank a large amount of mercury, the risk would be even greater than when Shi Hou drank the poison blood. It would be no less than "suicide by swallowing gold".

Therefore, he had to pretend to ingest mercury, just like a smoker smoking a hookah, while actually stimulating his blood and qi, using his mouth as a furnace, his throat as a bellows, and his nose as a smoke channel. By tapping his teeth and making a drumming sound, he could quickly evaporate the mercury, which would then circulate once in his body cavity before being promptly expelled.

This method minimizes the amount of mercury remaining in the body while still allowing the physical body to absorb the medicinal and metallic properties of the mercury, thus reducing the risk of poisoning.

However, this kind of tribulation-crossing practice is still a huge burden on the lungs of cultivators. Unless one has a strong physique and profound skills, one should not do it, otherwise it will easily damage the lungs and cause chronic cough and asthma.

Fortunately, Fang Shu was a man with a strong physique and profound martial arts skills.

One mouthful after another of the medicinal mercury was refined into smoke as his blood and qi were burned, which was expelled from his body and gradually turned his body silvery white.

Between the internal and external sensations, Fang Shu could feel his bones itching and burning all over his body. Waves of heat were accumulating inside him, as if they were about to make him explode. It was truly unbearable.

But this also means that his bone marrow is transforming to an unprecedented degree, including his bones, which are being refined with lead and mercury, becoming both strong and tough, no longer ordinary bones.

If someone were to remove Fang Shu's bones at this moment and tap them with their hand, they would hear a clanging sound like metal striking metal.

Finally, when Fang Shu had finished swallowing and exhaling all the mercury spheres the size of a human head, the mercury vapor in the quiet room was so dense that even his hair was covered with mercury dew.

Fang Shu stopped breathing and instead held his breath, punching and kicking wildly in the quiet room.

Its stirring caused the mercury vapor in the quiet room to begin to rotate, grinding against the walls of the quiet room and making a rolling sound like a stone mill, like wind and thunder.

After holding his breath for a full quarter of an hour, he suddenly shouted, "Zha!"

Crackling sounds echoed through his body, the bones making a dense, overlapping, clanging noise.

The mercury vapor, which was swirling like a tornado, was suddenly exploded and scattered into mist by his shout.

At this moment, Fang Shu suddenly took a deep breath, as if he were inhaling all the mercury vapor in the quiet room into his chest in one gulp.

Even the mercury vapor that wasn't inhaled seemed to be affected; the tiny mercury particles trembled and condensed into beads of mercury.

The next moment, Fang Shuhou, in the quiet room, exhaled and chanted, his voice like iron trembling:
"I am now undergoing tribulation and knocking on two gates, eating lead and drinking mercury while exhaling golden smoke."

Burning one's body and marrow is nothing to fear; a complete transformation makes one feel like an immortal.

clap clap clap!
Droplets of mercury poured down like a torrential rain, splashing onto his hair and shoulders, turning the floor of the quiet room into a silvery white expanse.

Fang Shu finished his practice and stood with his hands behind his back in the quiet room, looking up at the sky, but the bright moon was no longer in his eyes.

But he himself was radiantly beautiful, draped in silver frost and white dew, strolling leisurely as if bathed in moonlight, as if he had just emerged from a moonlit pool.
Thus, Fang Shu's body successfully survived the ordeal of "soft bones and tender flesh," and its quality was excellent. His body was like bronze cast in iron, and his blood and qi would be as fierce as a tiger. His muscles and tendons would be connected as one, and even flies and insects could not land on it.

It can travel a hundred miles without getting tired, carry a thousand pounds without hindrance, and in its movements, whether sitting or lying down, it can leave no trace on the snow and not sink in the water. Crossing mountains and rivers is just a piece of cake for it.

This realm is known as the "Second Tribulation Refining Essence Immortal".

　P.S.: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)