Wood Sparse Fire Brightly Shining

Two days later.

On the bed, Yan Chen suddenly sensed something, slowly withdrew his mind from meditation, opened his eyes, and the glimmer of fire energy suddenly dissipated.

Then, a golden light shone in his eyes, condensing into lines of tiny, tadpole-like characters.

After a cursory glance at the causal information, Yan Chen's lips curled slightly, and he murmured:

"Just as I thought, this so-called 'water and fire vine' was not originally the assessment content drafted by Danlan Valley, but rather a spur-of-the-moment idea of ​​Steward Zheng."

According to Wang Fu's causal information—

On the day the other party went to Danlan Valley with him and Meng Lian, and then left alone, he overheard people discussing the "assessment" outside the small courtyard with blue bricks, which seemed to be a favoritism.

Wang Fu, being an outer valley steward, did not alert Meng Lian. Instead, he waited until Meng Lian left the Zhiyu Hall before approaching him and telling him about the matter.

Just then, Steward Zheng returned to Danlan Valley. The two men stepped forward to greet him, and Meng Lian then explained Wang Fu's words to Steward Zheng.

Therefore, Zheng, the steward, suddenly had an idea and summoned Meng Lian to bring the spiritual seeds of the "Water and Fire Vine" as a new test.

This information is based on what Wang Fu saw and heard. There may be some omissions in the details, but there shouldn't be any major problems.

"In this way, there is no need to focus on the 'Qingyuan Chengming Danjue' anymore. This assessment is meaningless to begin with."

Thinking of this, Yan Chen smiled nonchalantly, not caring at all.

With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the causal information, and in the blink of an eye, several more lines of tadpole-shaped golden light appeared—

Name: Yan Chen

[Realm Level: First Stage of Qi Refining (Twenty-two cycles of Qi circulation)]

[Technique: Crimson Cloud Bright Light Control Technique (Rank 9)]

[Technique: "Tea Stove Brewing Sword Dance and Leaping Song"]

……

Wood disperses fire, and the nature of fire shines forth!

With the help of that bottle, containing the essence of Jia wood.

Yan Chen used Qi as a guide, Jia wood as fuel, and Bing fire to ignite the sword and sharpen its edge!

With two days of effort, he broke through the bottleneck in one go and completed six consecutive cycles of circulation, and has now completed twenty-two cycles.

Only two steps remain to reach the second level of Qi Refining and complete twenty-four cycles of Qi circulation!

However, at this crucial moment...

Yan Chen, however, focused his mind and did not choose to continue circulating his energy.

"Too much of a good thing is bad, and excessive joy may lead to sorrow..."

"Relying on the Jiamu Spirit Liquid did indeed break me out of my shackles, but I cannot be careless."

"In the path of Qi cultivation, breaking through realms is often fraught with danger and hidden dangers. The principles involved are far more complex than those encountered when breaking through a single level."

Yan Chen considered that he lacked experience in cultivation, and that blindly attempting to break through to the second level might be a chance of success.

But what if we fail?

Is it really that simple to just start over?

Yan Chen closed his eyes and pondered for a while. After a short while, as if he had made a decision, he sat up from the bed and stepped out of the house.

Last time, Steward Wen Wang mentioned that there is a cultivation "Dao Pavilion" on the second floor of Yanxuan Palace. Even ordinary people can enter it to cultivate as long as they pay the fee.

"After five days of 'seclusion' indoors, it's time to go out for a walk."

……

……

The world was desolate, and a chill permeated the air.

Outside Xuchunfang, along the narrow forest road for seven or eight li, you can see a stilted building standing against the mountain.

Then one could see that its eaves were like knives, its brackets were menacing, and it had no doors or windows, nor any light. Only several cloud ladders descended from the dark rooftop, step by step, to the ground.

A flag was still stuck in the ground, its color was black, its edges were tattered, and it was fluttering in the wind. The three large black characters "Qing Sheng Jiao" could be vaguely seen!

Inside the stilted building, in a dimly lit lobby, the atmosphere was oppressive.

Xu Shuying sat at a table, covered with a fur blanket, her face pale and expressionless.

In front of the table lay a corpse covered with a white sheet, and after several days, a faint odor lingered in the air.

"Seventeen years ago, the villagers near our village were reclaiming land for timber, and they forcibly took my parents away. They died suddenly one after the other within three months."

"At that time, I was ten years old, and my younger brother was not even four years old."

"Do you know how we've survived all these years?"

"Now that time has passed, I have met you, and my younger brother has also joined the Daoist lineage. I thought things were developing in a positive direction, but who would have thought..."

"But my younger brother is dead."

Xu Shuying's voice was calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Across from the desk.

"Damn it!"

Zeng Deyan frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and cursed in a slang term!

He then stood up and comforted Xu Shuying:

"Shuying, don't be too sad. Although Xu Hui is dead, there is still room for maneuver for our 'Holy Church'!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuying's eyes brightened slightly, and she asked urgently:

"Is there any way to bring the dead back to life?!"

Zeng Deyan pondered for a moment, then slowly began to speak:

"I once heard the elder of the main altar say that my 'Qingsheng Sect' is actually a branch of the ancient witchcraft lineage, and that the sect's inheritance and various secret methods are mostly related to the 'Witchcraft and Ghost Path'!"

"If I remember correctly, there is a secret technique within the main altar that can capture a soul and allow it to be reborn in another body!"

Upon hearing this, hope rekindled in Xu Shuying's eyes, and she said:

"Then hurry up and show us! Your sect has many disciples; just grab anyone of similar age and with a decent appearance!"

Zeng Deyan shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"Shuying, don't be impatient, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"First of all, the physical body required for possession cannot be an ordinary person; at the very least, it must have its meridians opened and its vital essence manifested, and its Qi seed condensed."

"Furthermore, only disciples of the main altar are qualified to practice this secret technique, and the 'Soul Summoning Banner' required to perform this technique is also located at the main altar."

"I have already sent a letter to the main altar. I expect that within a month, an elder at the third level of Qi Refining will come to the main altar to relieve our worries."

Xu Shuying murmured:

"A month... By then, not only will my brother's body be decaying, but his soul will have long since dissipated. What will be the point of talking about rebirth then?"

Zeng Deya said:

"There's no need to worry about that. I have a special method that can prevent the body from decaying and the soul from dissipating. As long as there are enough spiritual medicines to replenish the body, it shouldn't be difficult to last a month."

Xu Shuying frowned and said:

"But where in the 'Azure Saint Sect' would you find so many spiritual herbs?"

Zeng Deyan smiled slightly:

"Shuying, have you forgotten that the Zhao and Huang families outside Xuchunfang have secret channels with the 'Qingsheng Sect' to trade goods?"

"The previous manager of Cui Shu Lou was ignorant of his own abilities and tried to obstruct us, but he was tricked and killed by us. Now that the new manager has not yet taken office, we can take this opportunity to purchase a large batch of spiritual herbs!"

"As for the body that has been possessed..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Shuying interrupted him, saying angrily:

"As far as I know, the reason my brother died was entirely due to that mortal servant named 'Yan Chen.' Why not use him as a vessel to receive my brother's soul!"

Zeng Deyan shook his head without hesitation and said:

"That won't do. The other party is from a local clan, and it won't be easy to manipulate them. Moreover, Qu Ying and the other two have now fallen out with the 'Holy Church,' so they certainly won't help anymore."

Zeng Deyan pondered:

"The Li family, one of the three major surnames, considers itself superior and is unwilling to cooperate with the 'Holy Cult,' and has long wanted to punish them."

"It seems that there is a descendant of her sect who has joined Yu Xiu. We can devise a plan to lure him back. If Brother Xu were to possess him, we could substitute him for someone else and use his identity to re-enter the sect!"

"That is indeed a brilliant strategy!"

……

the other side.

Above the Forging Academy, a streak of fire trailed a fiery tail, disappearing into the distance.

Below, inside the warm and fragrant house.

Lu Mao sat upright at the table, looked up at the two people in front of him, and said in a mocking tone:

"That letter from that night, you wrote it, didn't you?"

……