Who could have guessed that an incursion by a few foreign avian demons dropping "poison" could spark a disaster across the entire plateau?
"Things like this happen all the time," A'luo shook his head. "Every year brings an endless stream of chaotic emergencies. If they aren't handled properly, every one of them can turn into a massive crisis. But once we figured out the habits of these borers, the Elixir Office concocted a liquid solution. As long as it's sprayed onto the fields during their larval stage, it effectively wipes them out. So far, reports from the farming sectors have been good."
The battles surrounding Panlong City were far more complex than mere clashes of cold steel and physical brawls.
Just then, Helian Chen finally beckoned to He Lingchuan. "Come, come over here."
He Lingchuan walked over and looked; two formulas were laid out on the table.
"Are both of these for me?"
"Indeed. It depends on the quantity of Emperor's Flowing Dew you obtain," Helian Chen explained. "If you only gather a small amount next time, use this formula. Its primary effect is mild nourishment. The pills refined from it can be taken once every seven days, and each time you circulate your energy in cultivation, you will gain an extra twenty to thirty percent efficiency."
He Lingchuan said in surprise, "Could this be the formula for Blue Jade Paste Pills?"
A'luo rolled his eyes. "In your dreams!"
Blue Jade Paste, which could boost cultivation efficiency threefold, was a strategic resource in Panlong City. Even exchanging military merits for it was terrifyingly expensive—how could such a formula be given away lightly? His master was kind, but he wasn't an idiot!
Helian Chen coughed lightly. "Without Commander Zhong's consent, who would dare disclose the formula for Blue Jade Paste? The prescription I am giving you is adapted from the Hundred Virtues Pill, tailored specifically to your constitution. If A'luo were to take it, he might not even get the full effect."
"It's more than enough, more than enough," He Lingchuan beamed, pocketing the formula for the Hundred Virtues Pill. He understood the concept of compound returns very well. If every cultivation session saw a thirty percent boost, even if the medicine's potency only lasted for several cycles, the cumulative gains would be substantial.
Wait, could it really be calculated that way?
Helian Chen pointed at the other formula on the table.
"If luck is on your side and you obtain a large quantity of Emperor's Flowing Dew—and by 'large,' I mean at least larger than a pigeon's egg—then you will use this God-Slaying Pill!"
Helian Chen had been shielding the body of this formula with his sleeve earlier. A'luo had sneaked glances for quite a while without catching more than a couple of ingredients. Hearing this heart-stabbing name and now seeing the medicinal herbs listed on the formula, he couldn't help blurting out, "Master, why the God-Slaying Pill?!"
Just hearing the name made He Lingchuan think of some ferocious, desperate medicine, and seeing A'luo's reaction, his own heart began to thump with unease.
What did the old man mean by this?
Helian Chen gave a huff. "Why can't it be the God-Slaying Pill?"
A'luo stammered, "B-but this?"
If his new squad leader took this medicine, wouldn't he be gone from this world?
"You just never apply yourself, or your cultivation wouldn't be so pitiful!" Helian Chen snapped at his apprentice before turning back to He Lingchuan. "Do not be afraid. Although this formula is extremely toxic, only a medicine like this can match the potent efficacy of Emperor's Flowing Dew!"
Efficacy potent enough to kill? He Lingchuan did not dare voice his grumbling aloud. "Please enlighten me."
"You said you've practiced the Ziwu Formula for only half a year, but when I tested you just now, your meridians were fairly clear and your dantian was already full. That talent is quite commendable, and it shows you work diligently in your daily training." Diligence and hard work were basic expectations for soldiers of the Gale Army, so Helian Chen had no intention of heaping special praise on him, merely mentioning it in passing. "While attempting to open your extraordinary meridians, you have two choices going forward. The first is to advance into the realm of 'Liquefaction,' compressing your true power into liquid form so your dantian can store far more of it."
He Lingchuan noted a bit of trivia in his mind: liquids take up less volume than gases.
Helian Chen raised a second finger. "Alternatively, you have another choice: opening a second dantian ahead of time!"
During his practice of the Ziwu Formula, He Lingchuan had frequently attended open lectures at the Hall of Immortal Inquiries. He knew that the method he cultivated advocated opening three great dantians in the human body: the upper dantian at the Yintang acupoint, the middle dantian at the Shanzhong acupoint, and the lower dantian at the Guanyuan acupoint.
When people ordinarily spoke of the "dantian," they usually referred to the lower dantian. However, the later stages of the Ziwu Formula required the cultivator to open the other two dantians to accumulate true essence, gather qi, and calm the spirit.
To put it in the simplest terms: three reservoirs could hold more water than one.
Whether for a martial artist or a mystic, the power of arts and divine abilities—be it explosive burst or endurance—was generally correlated with the strength of one's true power. The stronger and more abundant the true power, the higher the chance of ultimate victory.
Therefore, He Lingchuan would have to tread both of these paths sooner or later.
Gaining some understanding, he asked, "And the formula for the God-Slaying Pill is meant for the second choice?"
"Precisely," Helian Chen stroked his beard. "If you wish to achieve 'Liquefaction' first, there is no need to use the God-Slaying Pill; the Hundred Virtues Pill will suffice. Compressing true power is slow, painstaking grind work—it requires patient persistence and dogged tenacity over time.
"If you want to move straight to opening a second dantian next, or if by the time Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives you are already looking to open the third, then use this potent dose of the God-Slaying Pill!" Helian Chen coughed, and A'luo hastily brought him a cup of warm water. "Opening a second or third dantian is by no means an easy task. They lie within two of the human body's most vital acupoints, where turbid qi clings stubbornly, locked in primordial chaos. Before your eight extraordinary meridians are fully formed, relying solely on your current abilities to punch through in one go is completely out of the question. However, Emperor's Flowing Dew presents an opportunity. By drawing upon its surging power, you might just succeed in a single strike!
"Others usually start by practicing 'Liquefaction.' If you can open a second dantian, you will gain an advantage in your cultivation."
He Lingchuan nodded to show he understood. If he opened a second dantian, he would be able to store twice as much true power, while others were still straining and sweating to liquefy their power thread by thread, bit by bit. Wouldn't he easily crush the competition?
"What if the second dantian fails to open?" Considering the worst-case scenario was the caution of a grown adult.
Helian Chen coughed again. "If it fails to open, the turmoil you unleash in the Shanzhong acupoint will be worse than taking an enemy blow. Your heart and lungs will both suffer damage, and you'll inevitably be bedridden for several months. If it's at the Yintang acupoint... well, you'll either go mad or end up an idiot."
"..." Sure enough, high returns came with high risks. "So for my second dantian, Shanzhong is the preferred choice?"
"Correct. The difficulty is somewhat lower that way. As for the Yintang—" Helian Chen smiled. "We can discuss that when the time comes. You still have a long way to go."
He added another line: "Both formulas have been given to you. Which one you choose is entirely up to you."
Worthy of a grand alchemist—even his disclaimers were delivered so naturally.
"Thank you, Grandmaster!" With the formulas in hand, He Lingchuan bid his farewell. Helian Chen was very busy; even this brief window had been carved out especially for him.
A'luo saw the two of them to the entrance of the Elixir Office before heading back inside.
He Lingchuan and Sun Fuling walked side by side, bathed in the gentle breeze of the fifth month as they strolled toward the market.
By the roadside, a great swath of evening primroses was in bloom, their color as lovely as tenderly scrambled eggs.
He asked Sun Fuling, "If Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives soon, which formula do you think I should choose?"
"That depends on whether you value stability or speed," Sun Fuling said earnestly. "My recommendation is to choose the God-Slaying Pill."
"Why?"
"An opportunity to open a second or third dantian is rare. If you don't borrow the power of Emperor's Flowing Dew, you will have to spend at least five or six times as much time," Sun Fuling said softly. "The most direct way to elevate one's cultivation is to expand capacity."
He Lingchuan chuckled. "I knew you would say that."
As for the risk, who didn't know high rewards brought high risks? But for soldiers of the Gale Army living in Panlong City, wasn't danger their daily bread?
What was more, he had come to understand Sun Fuling somewhat by now. From the calm confidence with which she placed her wager during Meng Shan's arena defense, He Lingchuan could tell she was someone who feared neither risk nor defeat.
Therefore, her choice naturally aimed to maximize returns in the shortest possible time.
As they passed through the market, Sun Fuling slowed her pace.
He Lingchuan noticed her gaze locked onto a small stall selling goldfish.
Three or four earthenware jars and several shallow pots were set out on the stall, filled with swimming goldfish of various colors, extraordinarily lively.
He Lingchuan pivoted on his heel, walked over, and asked, "How much are the goldfish?"
"However many you scoop up is however many you can take," the vendor pointed to a large stack of scoop nets beside the jars. "One copper coin per net."
He Lingchuan took a look. "Your nets are made of paper."
And the netting was only seven or eight centimeters in diameter. Crooked merchant!
The vendor laughed. "It's like this throughout the whole market. I've been selling here for seven or eight years; this is the kind of net used for scooping goldfish."
Still, the goldfish he raised were prettier than those from other stalls, boasting the brightest colors and liveliest movements.
He Lingchuan asked his companion, "Have you played this before?"
"When I was little, perhaps."
Just then, a young mother walked past with a child. The moment the little child saw the goldfish, their feet refused to budge, pointing at the jars and crying, "Fish!"
The mother had no choice but to dig out two copper coins.
The child seemed quite familiar with the process of scooping fish, eagerly picking up a net and going straight after the biggest goldfish.
The moment the net touched the water, the fish sensed the ripples and flicked its tail, darting away.
Its plump head and round body only looked chubby; it was surprisingly nimble.
Plunged into the water, the paper net tore without a sound.
Broken—swap for another.
Broken again—swap for yet another.
After going through three of them, not half a fish had been caught; the money had truly gone down the drain.
The mother firmly refused to part with any more coins, grabbing the child and dragging them away, paying no mind to the child looking back over their shoulder every three steps.
He Lingchuan took out five copper coins and handed them to the vendor, getting five paper nets in return, and thrust them into Sun Fuling's hands. "I want that biggest one!"
Sun Fuling burst into a laugh. "Why don't you do it?"
"The grand finale is always saved for last."
"What a waste, just handing people free money," Sun Fuling said, taking the nets and enthusiastically dipping one into the water.
She aimed for a black-calico goldfish.
With a reach of her hand, she almost scooped it up.
The net tore; she swapped to another.
Missed again.
With only two nets left, Sun Fuling looked at He Lingchuan and said, "Your turn!"
He Lingchuan took the net, but instead of chasing a fish, he simply dipped it into the water.
Good grief. Within two breaths of entering the water, a single twitch broke the paper net.
The paper was pasted with real care indeed—unbelievably thin.
He looked at the vendor, who was grinning ear to ear.
He Lingchuan asked him, "Are you truly scooping-only, not for sale?"
He was giving this vendor one last chance.
The vendor replied with absolute firmness, "Scooping only, not for sale."
"Fine." Meeting Sun Fuling's expectant gaze, He Lingchuan rolled up his sleeves and suddenly slapped the side of the jar.
Chapter 372