Seclusion for Breakthrough

At least until it birthed spirituality and advanced into a spirit treasure, the Ebony Sword would no longer require the smelting of spirit wood. Yet one who plans not for the distant future will soon find trouble at the door. If given the opportunity to obtain one of the Ten Great Divine Woods, Qin Sang had no desire to let it slip by. When the monster within the Blood Lake awakened last time, he had intended to wait until the turmoil settled and his own strength grew before returning to seek the Boundless Blood Mulberry. He had never foreseen that such a cataclysm would occur instead. Daoist Canghong and the other Sin Abyss Nascent Soul cultivators had been endlessly exploring the bottom of the Heavenly Scar, searching for fragments of the Abyss Ruins. With any fortune, the main body of the Abyss Ruins might not have been utterly annihilated. Once he found free time, Qin Sang intended to make the journey himself to search for the Blood Lake. However, judging from the various reports coming out of the Sin Abyss, chances were exceedingly slim. Meanwhile, the inner valley of Wuya Valley had been demolished even more thoroughly than the bottom of the Heavenly Scar, making that path completely impassable as well. Qin Sang held great hopes for the third divine wood and had long entertained the thought of making contact with the Chunyang Sect. Patriarch Chifa had fallen, and the Chunyang Sect had fractured, presenting the perfect opportunity to step into the breach. Yet the intelligence Jiang Xue brought was hardly encouraging. Back then, the Chunyang Sect had poured virtually the full might of their sect into the endeavor, with Patriarch Chifa even departing the sect in person numerous times to search for the Vajra Nut, only to return empty-handed every time. After several centuries had elapsed, finding any remaining trace or clue was next to impossible. The Chunyang Sect had given up long ago. That disciple of the Xueming Sect had likely withered into dry bones, buried beneath the yellow sands alongside the Vajra Nut. It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Xue had divulged the matter to Qin Sang without reservation. Searching for the Vajra Nut in the Great Beichen Desert was no different from fishing for a needle in the vast sea. Even so, now that he had this lead, how could he rest easy without attempting a search? As the master of a sect, he lacked no subordinates. For minor matters such as scouting abroad and gathering information, there was no need for him to venture out personally; his disciples could attend to the labor on his behalf. Qin Sang flicked his finger, releasing a streak of light. Upon seeing it, the white cat leaped out of Peach Blossom Valley in a single bound, returning before long with Li Yufu in tow. "Disciple pays respects to Martial Uncle." A lingering joy was still visible between Li Yufu's brows. Founding Qingyang Temple was Yunyouzi's dying wish, as well as a heavy stone weighing on Li Yufu's heart. Now that his cherished aspiration of many years had been realized, Li Yufu was even more excited than Qin Sang, the temple master. "Come inside and speak..." Qin Sang inquired about the daily affairs of Qingyang Temple. Li Yufu entered the immortal's cave and answered each inquiry in turn. In short, Qingyang Temple was flourishing and thriving, with a bright future ahead! So long as Qin Sang continued to grow stronger as temple master, and so long as promising successors arose without an interruption in Nascent Soul cultivators, it was by no means impossible for Qingyang Temple to grow into the foremost sect of the Xiaohan Realm, or even the entire Beichen Realm! With the Heart Light Prayer Mat, this was far from an extravagant dream. Having heard him out, Qin Sang said, "This is all that can be done for now. Going forward, your cultivation must not slacken; otherwise, no matter how glorious Qingyang Temple may appear, it will only be a fleeting blossom. Especially you, Yufu—a chosen talent second only to a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Your grandmaster and I place high hopes on you. Henceforth, entrust the temple's daily affairs to Yi'en and Hanqiu." "Disciple understands!" Li Yufu responded with solemn respect. Qin Sang instructed further, "I must enter secluded cultivation once more, likely for several decades or even a century. Unless a major event arises in the meantime, do not disturb Peach Blossom Valley. When the Beichen Alliance convenes, attend on my behalf and follow the lead of Fellow Daoist Jingyu." Li Yufu agreed to every point, then suddenly caught on to the implication. His face lit up with astonished delight. "Martial Uncle, are you about to break through again?" He found it utterly inconceivable. How long had it been since Martial Uncle formed his Nascent Soul? Could he truly break through to the mid Nascent Soul stage within a mere century? Grandmaster had once said Martial Uncle was born with five spiritual roots—could that have been untrue? After all, when Martial Uncle formed his Nascent Soul, he was roughly the same age as Li Yufu now, yet Li Yufu was still whiling away his days in the Golden Core stage. Li Yufu sank into profound self-doubt. "There are two more matters..." Qin Sang produced a visiting card and handed it to Li Yufu. "Once you return, arrange for people to travel abroad for experience while searching for clues on my behalf. After reaching the desert, take this visiting card to call upon Fellow Daoist Lu..." These primarily concerned two things: first, the whereabouts of Tan Hao; second, news regarding the Vajra Nut. After a moment's thought, Qin Sang said in a low, serious voice, "If any trace of Tan Hao is found, report it immediately. Remember never to act rashly!" Tan Hao had been missing for far too long, and whether the mysterious figure behind him was good or evil remained unknown. Qin Sang could not shake an uneasy premonition. Before long, Li Yufu respectfully withdrew from the cave. He lingered for a moment at the exit, exchanged a few words with the white cat, and then flew out of Peach Blossom Valley. The white cat raised its front paw to seal the restrictions of Peach Blossom Valley before returning to its own cave. A gentle breeze brushed past. The fragrance of peach blossoms drifted in the air. From that day forward, Peach Blossom Valley became a sacred sanctuary in the eyes of Qingyang Temple's disciples. And Qin Sang, the temple master, vanished for decades at a stretch. ... Inside the immortal's cave. Qin Sang added several more protective restrictions, then woke the fat silkworm and fed it a toxic algae fruit. Very few toxic algae fruits remained in his possession, and he had yet to find another food favored by the fat silkworm. At best, he estimated he could only push it to the late third metamorphosis. Facing a similar impasse was the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. At the trade fair, Qin Sang had obtained several more rare spirit medicines, but the Heavenly Eye Butterfly showed no interest in any of them. Normally, she drank only a bit of spiritual dew, which offered negligible help. Ever since breaking through to the fourth metamorphosis, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's cultivation had barely progressed. Qin Sang truly experienced firsthand how arduous it was to nurture spirit insects. The route connecting to the Canglang Ocean was severed, meaning heading to the Witch Clan to seek secret manuals was no longer an option. All Qin Sang could do was gather every variety of spirit flower and immortal dew that spirit insects favored and test them one by one. The Fire Jade Centipede, on the other hand, remained keenly interested in Fire Melting Pills, showing faint signs of breaking through to the mid third metamorphosis. He anticipated that throughout the third metamorphosis, he would likely have no need to fret over it. However, the bottleneck of the fourth metamorphosis remained a formidable hurdle. Fortunately, Qin Sang did not rely on the Fire Jade Centipede in battle, valuing only its treasure-seeking ability. Having finished feeding the three spirit insects, Qin Sang sat cross-legged. The Nascent Soul talisman puppet sat cross-legged opposite him. The Qianjun Ring flickered with light, and a jade box flew out. As the box opened, a corpse flower blood amber was revealed within. Having been purified by the spirit vein, the blood poison inside the corpse flower blood amber was entirely gone. Pure and translucent throughout, it resembled an exquisite spirit flower sculpted from crystal. Having already refined one corpse flower blood amber before, Qin Sang's subsequent actions were remarkably practiced. He closed his eyes and quietly channeled his true essence, executing the secret technique Jingyu had imparted to him. Following his movements, the corpse flower blood amber began to rotate gently. Streams of radiant light flew from Qin Sang's body, coalescing into a small vortex around the flower. The vortex spun faster and faster. *Crack, crack...* The corpse flower blood amber began to vibrate, fine fissures spreading across its surface. Qin Sang tapped his fingers repeatedly, sending countless runes sinking into it. The crystal burst open with a crisp pop, and immediately thereafter, the countless fragments melted into a ball of pure spiritual liquid. *Whoosh!* The spiritual liquid vanished into thin air. At the same moment, a stream of spiritual liquid appeared around Qin Sang's Nascent Soul, circling it. Eventually, the liquid assumed the shape of a cocoon enveloping the Nascent Soul, expanding and contracting like a steady breath. Qin Sang's aura settled into composure as he refined the medicinal potency bit by bit. It truly lived up to its reputation as a peerless spirit medicine capable of aiding a Transformation stage great demon in breaking through! And of such a medicine, Qin Sang possessed as many as three blooms! Throughout the refining process, Qin Sang's cultivation advanced at an astonishing pace. Had anyone witnessed it, they would have been left dumbfounded!