There were no days or months in cultivation. Wei Yuan spent his days inhaling and exhaling the moon's luminescence, until at long last he saw Zhang Sheng again.
Half a month had elapsed since their previous meeting.
Wei Yuan had been thrilled at first, but upon seeing Zhang Sheng's frigid, impatient expression, he knew his master had not yet gotten over his anger. Yet what sort of temper lasted for an entire month without cooling down?
Not daring to ask, Wei Yuan stood obediently, awaiting Zhang Sheng's inspection of his coursework and cultivation progress. By now, Wei Yuan had spent over fifty days expanding his visualization chart—already surpassing the longest record in sect history. Even so, far from being exhausted, the shadow in the full moon had not shifted in the slightest.
Speaking of his progress, Wei Yuan felt somewhat guilty. After all, it had taken him over fifty days just to stretch the visualization chart out to eight zhang. While the size was passably respectable, his daily pace was genuinely slow, and the chart showed no miraculous phenomena whatsoever. Even that red stripe along the jade toad's back had vanished after the Eldest Martial Sister washed it repeatedly.
Usually, there was only one explanation for such a situation: Wei Yuan's comprehension was lacking. It wasn't as if the jade toad was counterfeit and lost its color in the wash, after all.
Hearing that Wei Yuan was still expanding the chart, Zhang Sheng showed no surprise; he merely instructed him to manifest it for inspection.
Following the command, Wei Yuan circulated his art, and the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon reappeared in his sea of consciousness.
At present, aside from being reasonably large, the visualization chart had virtually nothing to recommend it: the ground was barren, the boulder was utterly devoid of luster, and the jade toad's hide looked wretched and sickly. Only the clump of shadow within the full moon held anything peculiar.
Those capable of cultivating the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Chart were all blessed with immense karmic fortune, which was primarily reflected within the full moon. Naturally, the anomalies manifested from such fortune were extraordinary. For instance, the visualization charts preserved in the collected insights of past disciples were each magnificent, featuring dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts of every sort, alongside heavenly sacrificial cauldrons, soaring peaks ten thousand zhang tall, and layered immortal palaces—every single one formidable enough to astonish beholders. Then again, wasn't leaving one's visualization chart in the annals all about courting the admiration of posterity?
The full moon in Bao Yun's visualization chart teemed with hordes of gods and demons, earning her the right to have her chart preserved near the very front of the disciples' insights.
By comparison, Wei Yuan's shadow looked truly pathetic. It was not merely pathetic in appearance; its practical effect was equally dismal, converting into a foundation that was exceedingly hollow and fragile, which could only be deemed acceptable after Ji Liuli's rigorous purification.
After inspecting the chart, Zhang Sheng offered no commentary, moving on to test Wei Yuan on history and the Theory of Arts.
History was Wei Yuan's forte, and he answered effortlessly. The Theory of Arts, however, covered miscellaneous subjects. Since Wei Yuan's foundation remained unsettled and nearly all his time was spent absorbing the moon's luminescence, how could he have had time to delve into such studies?
Just as the examination was underway, someone knocked at the courtyard gate, and a Daoist attendant entered. Handing over an envelope without uttering a single word, he turned and left.
The envelope was addressed: *To Be Opened Personally by Zhang Sheng.*
Zhang Sheng snorted. Someone had clearly learned he was here and sent it on purpose. Too indifferent to guess the sender, he tore open the envelope and drew out a sheet of paper. Yet after merely glancing at it, his brow twitched ever so slightly.
Wei Yuan was curious about the contents, but Zhang Sheng angled his body away, shielding the letter completely from view. Sharp-eyed as he was, Wei Yuan caught a fleeting glimpse of a long number—seemingly referring to immortal silver, counted in tens of thousands of taels.
Once he finished reading, the paper burst into a fireball in Zhang Sheng's hand, vanishing into thin air.
He looked toward Wei Yuan and asked, "Has Ji Liuli been cleansing and refining your foundation this whole time?"
"Yes. She said it requires three full months of refining."
For some reason, Wei Yuan felt that Zhang Sheng let out a faint sigh of relief upon hearing the three-month timeframe.
Zhang Sheng placed a jade bottle on the table and said, "These are Origin-Nourishing Pills. They greatly supplement primordial qi and accelerate cultivation speed. Take one every three days; this is a month's supply."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Wei Yuan bowed in gratitude, though the pressure on his heart grew heavier.
In the Palace of Grand Beginning, medicinal pills were an essential, indispensable part of cultivation. In terms of the alchemical dao, the Palace of Grand Beginning stood at the pinnacle of the entire immortal cultivation world, and the many pills produced by the Monastery of Creation were renowned for their gentle potency and remarkable efficacy. For instance, these Origin-Nourishing Pills could substantially speed up progress in the Body Casting realm—especially the casting of muscle and sinew—with a single pill equaling ten days of bitter practice. Their medicinal nature was exceptionally gentle, allowing them to be taken with virtually no limit, earning them the title of a sacred pill for Body Casting.
Such a miraculous medicine was sought after by all, and its price was steep: one hundred and twenty taels of immortal silver per pill, with never a discount. Consequently, only core descendants of noble, prominent clans could afford to consume them like ordinary meals.
Wei Yuan's entire annual stipend was only enough to buy a single Origin-Nourishing Pill, so he had never dared entertain the thought before. Even though Zhang Sheng looked at him with thorough disgust, this bottle of pills revealed his true care.
Setting down the pills, Zhang Sheng said, "I will return next month."
"Disciple has one more question." Wei Yuan hurried to call after Zhang Sheng, voicing the doubt in his heart. "My time expanding the visualization chart has already exceeded the historical record. What should I do now?"
"As long as the shadow remains in the moon, keep cultivating. Disregard everything else."
Reassured by Zhang Sheng's words, Wei Yuan's heart finally settled. Before he could offer a proper send-off, Zhang Sheng soared into the sky and vanished in the blink of an eye, apparently unwilling to waste another breath on him.
After Zhang Sheng departed, Wei Yuan resumed cultivating at once. His progress lagged far behind the others, so he had to seize every passing moment. Now that he had the pills, he dared not slacken for a second. Every single Origin-Nourishing Pill weighed upon his chest like a massive boulder.
Upon taking an Origin-Nourishing Pill, a distinct transformation occurred during his visualization practice: a light drizzle began to fall once more. While the rain did not match the effect of the Chonglou Sea-Calming Pill, it still caused Wei Yuan's rate of absorbing the moon's luminescence to surge tenfold.
Wei Yuan also discovered that as the jade toad and the full moon grew larger, the rate of drawing in the lunar light accelerated accordingly.
Over the course of the next month, Wei Yuan absorbed the moon's luminescence. At the end of the month, Zhang Sheng arrived promptly and delivered a fresh bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills.
Seeing the second bottle, Wei Yuan grew somewhat perplexed. According to the conventions of the Palace of Grand Beginning, a Dao Foundation disciple received a monthly stipend of only a hundred taels, while a True Person received a thousand. A single bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills was already equivalent to an entire year of Zhang Sheng's regular allowance. A genius disciple like Zhang Sheng might receive more than the standard rate, but it could never exceed that of a True Person of the Dharma Idol realm. At the rate of one bottle a month, Wei Yuan's consumption would drive Zhang Sheng to ruin sooner or later.
The moment Zhang Sheng arrived, the Daoist attendant appeared on cue and delivered an envelope identical to the one from the previous month. After reading it, Zhang Sheng burned it as usual, cast a brief glance over Wei Yuan's visualization chart, and left without even examining his coursework.
Wei Yuan could faintly sense that Zhang Sheng was terribly irritated, barely holding back his temper—an irritation that flared even hotter after opening the letter, to the point that sword qi nearly bristled outward. Yet Zhang Sheng valued face above all else; prying into matters he kept silent on was tantamount to seeking death. Having followed him for some time, Wei Yuan naturally knew better than to invite trouble.
In the fourth month, Wei Yuan absorbed the moon's luminescence, worried over the chart's progress and Zhang Sheng's purse, and swallowed his Origin-Nourishing Pills.
In the fifth month, Wei Yuan absorbed the moon's luminescence, forgetting both self and worldly affairs.
In the sixth month, the jade toad absorbed the moon's luminescence.
In the seventh month, it contemplated toad life.
In the eighth month, toad life was not worth it.
That month, Zhang Sheng did not even bother opening the letter; he simply ripped it to shreds.
In the ninth month, the students under centralized instruction somehow clashed with disciples of the Traditionalist Faction. Bao Yun and Cui Yu crowned themselves leaders of the Reform Faction, rallying their classmates to settle scores, which inevitably broke out into a brawl. Wei Yuan naturally could not sit out such an affair. Yet while everyone else had already begun Body Casting, only Wei Yuan was still stuck expanding his visualization chart—and consequently, he was beaten black and blue.
...
In the twelfth month, the jade toad gave up on thinking.
...
Chapter 46