Chapter 00165: Laying a Solid Foundation
# Laying a Solid Foundation
Chapter 165
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 165: Laying a Solid Foundation
The Turtle Pearl was taken from the giant turtle at the bottom of the Immortal Spirit Lake.
For hundreds of years, the essence of its cultivation, aside from the demon cores, had been transformed into Spirit Pearls by the giant turtle.
Since it was for his own use, he certainly could not be stingy; he directly used a Turtle Pearl in the concoction.
As for the toad essence, its origin was also extraordinary.
It was obtained by the Grand Master Sun Fuping while traversing the Panlong Desert on a walnut boat, taken from the Purple Gold Toad that jumped onto the boat.
To put it simply, they were still toads, but had undergone mutations due to the influence of the Grand Master’s generous pot.
However, they still secreted a viscous liquid from their bodies and behind their ears, which, when dried, became toad essence.
Sun Fuping, being knowledgeable, took the useful parts from the two deceased Purple Gold Toads before tossing them overboard, not expecting to be robbed by He Chunhua just before his death, leaving his treasures to his enemy.
With two pounds of wild honey and Imperial Flow Essence added to the pot, the syrup quickly thickened, making it difficult to stir with a spoon; once the five-flavor medicinal herbs were added, the syrup turned a light black and became very murky.
He Lingchuan only poured in the last Turtle Pearl and toad essence powder when it began to bubble.
Strangely enough, the liquid in the pot, which was originally black and oily like swamp water, started to lose its color upon the addition of these two ingredients, changing from light black to dark brown and then to light brown...
In the end, it transformed into an uneven dark yellow.
“Could it be? Why is it this color?” He Lingchuan held the candlelight to inspect the bottom of the pot, and the more he looked, the more it resembled—
He was not willing to give up and boiled it for another half a tea time, but it simply would not change color.
This round of refining seemed to have reached its end.
Moreover, the liquid in the pot was now as thick as malt syrup, and could be stirred with chopsticks; boiling it further would only cause it to burn.
Alo had instructed that the better the quality of the Imperial Flow Powder produced, the more beautiful the color would be.
The most successful colors were golden, crimson, and reddish-gold, at the very least it should be deep green.
The color He Lingchuan ended up with was, to be honest, barely passing.
If Alo were here, he might have kicked over his pot in frustration.
There was nothing to be done; after all, he was a novice.
The most likely factor was the poor quality of the medicinal herbs he had bought from the town.
He Lingchuan carefully scraped the medicinal paste from the bottom of the pot with his chopsticks.
The dark yellow medicinal paste wrapped around the bamboo chopsticks several times, becoming thicker and rounder.
This color, this shape, alas.
He still had to eat it.
Even though he knew what it was, it was quite embarrassing to put it in his mouth; after all, he had a cleanliness obsession.
He Lingchuan closed his eyes and ate!
Hmm? The taste was not bad, quite sweet, and there was no strange flavor.
He took another two bites.
Just then, the cook suddenly rushed over barefoot from the back kitchen, holding an iron pot and shouting, “Who’s here! Who!”
He had gotten up in the middle of the night and suddenly heard movement here.
“Dare to steal the official’s things, little thief you—ah!” The cook suddenly halted, as He Lingchuan instinctively turned around.
The cook’s tone abruptly shifted, “—It’s the Young Master! Then it’s nothing.”
He awkwardly said this, giving He Lingchuan a smile like a full moon, and quickly turned to leave.
As soon as he turned his back, the smile vanished from his face.
What was the Young Master holding? What was smeared on his mouth?
Could he be mistaken?
No, it couldn’t be.
What rare delicacies hadn’t the Young Master eaten? Why would he—
But then he recalled the dog they had raised at home.
“I’m not…” He Lingchuan tried to explain, but the cook’s feet seemed to have been greased, and he couldn’t call him back, “I didn’t…”
Even if he shouted until his throat was hoarse, would the cook believe him?
He could only silently finish the medicinal paste on the chopsticks and return to his room.
However, just halfway there, his stomach gurgled, and suddenly a sharp pain twisted through him, nearly causing him to double over.
Was it effective this quickly?
But why was it effective in this way?
He Lingchuan had no time to think further and dashed to the outhouse.
As soon as he squatted down, he felt a surge of qi filling his dantian, unleashing a thunderous sound that nearly scared the night birds roosting outside the thatched hut into flight.
Fortunately, it came quickly and left just as fast.
When He Lingchuan stood up, he felt completely refreshed and light, as if he had suddenly lost four or five pounds.
When others consumed Imperial Flow Essence, including himself this morning, it was usually a warm flow in the belly, prompting them to quickly adjust their breathing.
Why was it that after taking the Imperial Flow Powder, his first reaction was to rush to the toilet?
Just a single word made such a difference?
He Lingchuan couldn’t muster the courage to look down, hurriedly scooping water to wash his hands and face before heading back.
With just one step, he felt as if a spring had been installed in his heels, making him walk lightly.
This feeling of being as light as a swallow was even more comfortable than after finishing his breathing exercises this morning—no, it was even better than just waking up.
Upon returning to his room, He Yue was already sound asleep.
Whether it was due to the effects of the Imperial Flow Essence, the usually reserved second brother was surprisingly making soft snoring sounds today.
He Lingchuan sat on the bed but felt no inclination to sleep, after all, he had only been up for a few hours.
Forget it, let’s cultivate for a while.
He got up, took a round cushion, and found a quiet place to sit down.
The moonlight was gentle, pouring down like water.
The surrounding chirping of insects was much louder than the previous night, but it did not disturb him.
Just as He Lingchuan adjusted his breath, he entered a meditative state, faster than usual.
……
After sitting for another four hours, when He Lingchuan opened his eyes again, the sky was bright, and the sunlight from the east was shining directly on his face.
Outside the courtyard stood two guards, presumably sent by He Chunhua to prevent any idle people from disturbing him.
Seeing him rise, the guards quickly turned and said, “Congratulations, Young Master!”
He Lingchuan was just about to ask what the congratulations were for when a gust of wind blew past, and he suddenly caught a whiff of a foul, fishy odor, reminiscent of rotten fish and shrimp left to decay at the dock for days.
Though it was not as pleasant as fragrant dumplings, it was enough to make people retreat.
For instance, the two guards stepped back three large paces.
He Lingchuan looked down and sniffed, only to confirm that the stench was emanating from himself.
He opened his clothes to take a look, and to his surprise, his skin was covered with a layer of light black viscous liquid, foul and stinking.
His arms, his legs, everywhere was covered.
Just then, Madam Ying happened to pass by, holding her nose from three zhang away, shouting at him, “It stinks! Chuan’er, hurry and take a bath, the hot water is ready!”
“Alright.”
In the room behind the kitchen, several wooden tubs were lined up, steaming with hot vapor.
As soon as he jumped in, the viscous liquid on He Lingchuan’s body dissolved in the water, instantly turning half a tub of water black.
Helpless, he had to switch to another tub of water.
After washing five tubs in a row, scrubbing four times with soap, and using a large brush, the black oil on his body was finally completely washed away.
Soaking in the hot water, He Lingchuan felt every pore open up, the heat circulating through his five organs, an indescribable comfort.
Once he finished bathing, cleaned up, and changed clothes, he felt an illusion that every cell in his body was filled with power, as if he could punch a hole in the sky with just a stretch of his hand.
He Lingchuan knew that this state indicated that the Imperial Flow Essence he had consumed had truly taken effect.
When a person is born, they are pure and flawless, but as they roll in the muddy world, their innate spiritual energy dissipates, gradually accumulating postnatal filth.
The heart of man accumulates filth, nurturing the Three Corpses.
The body accumulates filth, depleting the source.
Over time, it becomes difficult to escape the suffering of illness and aging.
Without discussing the changes in the state of mind, for a cultivator to enter the threshold, the first step is to eliminate postnatal filth, returning oneself to a state of purity, which lays the foundation for future rapid progress.
Many people stagnate at this step because the filth clings to the source, coexisting and inseparable, making it nearly impossible to expel under ordinary conditions.
Aside from opening the spiritual intelligence of the stubborn, the most precious aspect of the Imperial Flow Essence lies here.
The expulsion of this layer of black viscous liquid marked that He Lingchuan had successfully harnessed the power of the Imperial Flow Essence!
With a solid foundation laid, cultivation could yield twice the result with half the effort.
He Lingchuan stretched lazily, his bones cracking like a string of firecrackers exploding.
Yet, he felt a twinge of regret in his heart.
In truth, the medicinal herbs he hastily bought in Shuanghe Town last night were of ordinary quality and insufficient age, resulting in limited potency for the final medicine, ultimately relying on the toad essence and Turtle Pearl for strength.
Alo had also informed him that the recipe for Imperial Flow Essence developed in Panlong City, aside from its initial use for refining muscles and marrow, was most importantly used to stimulate and amplify the effects of other spiritual herbs.
What is Imperial Flow Essence? Its essence is the purified spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the source of all life’s essence in the world.
Once it enters the biological cycle, it provides the most suitable environment for the body’s operation and cultivation.
Originally, whether it was toad essence or Turtle Pearl, the power contained within was nearly overwhelming for He Lingchuan, especially the former which was highly toxic; swallowing it directly could easily lead to ruptured meridians and explosive death.
But now, with the protection of Imperial Flow Essence, the powers of both were harmonized and obedient, at least for the next three months, they would slowly yield to him, truly completing the transformation from external force to internal true power.
With the amplification and stabilization effect of Imperial Flow Essence, the potential for concocting various medicinal formulas was filled with imaginative possibilities.
He Lingchuan couldn’t help but sigh; if even the crudest Imperial Flow Powder he made had such miraculous effects, how powerful would the various wondrous medicines concocted by the professional pharmacists in Panlong City using Imperial Flow Essence be?
What a pity, that had nothing to do with him.
If only he could get his hands on the recipe.
Hmm, actually, the hardest thing to obtain was still the Imperial Flow Essence, right?
A once-in-decades opportunity had just slipped by.
Who knows when he would see Imperial Flow Essence again?
Speaking of which, why was it that during the Panlong City period, there were three occurrences of Imperial Flow Essence in just three years?
Was it purely luck?
He Chunhua and the others were sitting in a circle outside the thatched hut discussing matters when they saw He Lingchuan strolling over, all of them taken aback.
Though he maintained his usual nonchalant demeanor, there was a sharpness in his eyes, and his gait was imposing, making others hesitant to approach.
To the point where He Chunhua had the thought:
Is this really my useless son?
Unfortunately, as soon as He Lingchuan opened his mouth, the illusion shattered: “I’m late; it seems I missed lunch?”
After finishing his breathing exercises, his stomach had also settled down, and now it was growling with hunger.
He Chunhua had no choice but to instruct his subordinates, “Go get him something to eat.”
He Lingchuan found a bamboo chair to sit down, and beside him, Wu Shaoyi immediately cupped his hands and said, “Congratulations, Young Master, the foundation has been laid!”
Whether in cultivation techniques or martial arts, He Lingchuan had already crossed the high threshold that was like a roadblock.
Wu Shaoyi, being experienced, saw through it at a glance.
(End of Chapter)