Chapter 164: Laying a Solid Foundation

The turtle pearl was taken by him from a giant turtle at the bottom of the Immortal Spirit Lake cave. Over centuries of cultivation, the giant turtle had condensed its essence, other than its demon core, into spiritual pearls. Since it was for his own use, he certainly couldn't be stingy; he immediately added one turtle pearl to the concoction.

As for the Chansu (toad venom), its origin was also extraordinary. Grand Master Sun Fuping had obtained it from the purple-gold toads that jumped onto the Walnut Boat while it was traversing the Coiled Dragon Desert. In essence, they were still toads, but mutated by the influence of the Grand Alchemist's Gourd. However, they still secreted a viscous fluid from their bodies and behind their ears, which, when dried, became Chansu.

Sun Fuping, recognizing its value, extracted the useful parts from the two dead purple-gold toads before throwing them overboard. He never expected that before his death, he would be robbed by He Chunhua, and his treasures would benefit his enemy.

Two catties of local honey and Imperial Spirit Nectar were added to the pot; the syrup immediately thickened, making it difficult to stir with a spoon. After the five medicinal ingredients were added, the syrup turned light black and became very cloudy.

He Lingchuan waited until it began to bubble before pouring in the last ingredients: the turtle pearl and Chansu powder.

Strangely, the liquid in the pot, which was originally dark and oily like swamp water, began to change color as soon as these two ingredients were added. It faded from light black to dark brown, then light brown…

Finally, it settled into an uneven dark yellow.

"No way, why is it this color?" He Lingchuan held a candle to illuminate the bottom of the pot. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled—

Unconvinced, he boiled it for another half an hour, but the color remained unchanged.

This round of alchemy was finished. Moreover, the liquid in the pot was now as thick as maltose, capable of being stirred with chopsticks. If he boiled it any longer, it would scorch.

Alo had instructed that the better the quality of the Imperial Spirit Powder produced, the more beautiful its color would be. The most successful batches were golden, crimson, or reddish-gold; at the very least, it should be deep green. The color He Lingchuan ended up with was, frankly, barely passable.

If Alo were here, he might have kicked over the pot in disgust.

There was nothing he could do; he was just a novice, after all. The most likely factor, of course, was the poor quality of the medicinal ingredients bought from town.

He Lingchuan, holding chopsticks, carefully scraped the paste from the bottom of the pot.

The dark yellow paste wrapped several times around the bamboo chopstick, growing thicker and rounder with each turn.

This color, this shape... sigh.

He still had to eat it.

Even though he knew exactly what it was, it was quite embarrassing to put it in his mouth, especially since he was a clean freak.

He Lingchuan closed his eyes and ate it.

Hmm? It tasted pretty good, sweet, with no strange flavors.

He took a couple more thoughtful bites.

Just then, the barefoot cook suddenly rushed in from the back hall, holding an iron pot and shouting, "Who's here! Who!"

He had started his night shift and suddenly heard movement here.

"How dare you steal and eat the master's things, you little thief—ah!" The cook abruptly stopped as He Lingchuan instinctively turned his head.

The cook's tone twisted sharply and then rose:

"—It's Young Master He! In that case, it's fine."

He said awkwardly, giving He Lingchuan a full-moon-like smile, and turned on his heel to walk back.

The moment he turned away, the smile vanished from his face.

What was Young Master He holding in his hand? What was on the corner of his mouth?

He hadn't seen wrong, had he?

No, it couldn't be. Young Master He had eaten all sorts of delicacies; why would he specifically—?

But then he suddenly remembered the dog they used to keep at home.

"I didn't..." He Lingchuan tried to explain, but the man was like grease on his feet, impossible to call back. "I wasn't..."

Even if he talked until his lips were chapped, would they believe him?

He could only silently finish sucking the paste off the chopsticks, then stood up and returned to his room.

He had only walked halfway when his stomach rumbled, followed by a sudden cramp that nearly doubled him over.

It took effect, this quickly?

But why was its effect in this particular area?

He Lingchuan didn't have time to think. He rushed directly to the latrine.

As soon as he squatted down, a profound rush of energy from his dantian led to an earth-shattering expulsion that nearly scared the night-roosting sparrows outside the latrine away.

Fortunately, it came and went quickly. When He Lingchuan stood up, he felt his entire body light and refreshed, as if he had instantly lost two or three kilograms.

When others took Imperial Spirit Nectar, and even when he himself had taken it that morning, a warm current would surge through their stomachs, making them want to immediately regulate their breathing. But why, after taking this Imperial Spirit Powder, was his first reaction to squat in the latrine?

A single character difference, and such a huge disparity?

He Lingchuan couldn't even muster the courage to look down. He quickly scooped water to wash his hands and face, then headed back.

As he took a step, he felt as if springs were attached to his heels; his walk became light and airy.

This feeling of lightness, like a swallow, was even more comfortable than after he had finished his morning meditation—no, even more comfortable than right after waking up.

Back in the room, He Yue was fast asleep. He wondered if it was the effect of the Imperial Spirit Nectar, but his second brother, who was usually reserved even in his sleep, was now snoring softly.

He Lingchuan sat on the bed but felt no sleepiness, as he had only been awake for a few hours.

Oh well, he might as well cultivate for a while.

He got up, took a round meditation cushion, and found a quiet spot to sit down.

The moonlight, like water, fell gently upon him.

The chirping of insects around him was much louder than last night, but it didn't disturb him.

As soon as He Lingchuan regulated his breath, he entered a meditative state, much faster than usual.

He meditated for another four hours.

When He Lingchuan opened his eyes again, it was already dawn, with the eastern sunlight shining directly on his face.

Two guards stood outside the courtyard, presumably sent by He Chunhua to prevent him from being disturbed by idlers.

Seeing him get up, the guards quickly turned and said, "Congratulations, Young Master He!"

He Lingchuan was about to ask what the congratulations were for when a gust of wind blew past, and he suddenly caught a foul, fishy smell, like rotten fish and shrimp festering on a dock for days.

While not as pungent as a concentrated stench, it was strong enough to make people keep their distance.

For example, the two guards visibly took three large steps back.

He Lingchuan lowered his head and sniffed, only then confirming that the foul odor was emanating from himself.

He pulled open his collar and saw that his skin was covered in a layer of light black, foul-smelling, sticky fluid.

It was on his arms, legs—everywhere.

Lady Ying happened to pass by and, from ten meters away, pinched her nose and called out, "You stink! Chuan'er, go bathe quickly, the hot water is ready!"

"Alright," he replied.

In the room behind the kitchen, several wooden tubs were lined up, steaming.

As soon as he stepped in, the mucus on his body dissolved into the water like ink, instantly blackening more than half a tub.

Helpless, he had to switch to another tub of water.

He repeated this five times, using soap four times and even a large brush, before the black oily residue was completely gone from his body. Soaking in the hot water, He Lingchuan felt all his pores open, and a warm circulation through his internal organs, an indescribable comfort.

After he had bathed, washed, and changed, he even had the illusion that every cell in his body was filled with power, as if he could punch a hole in the sky with a single reach.

He Lingchuan knew that this state indicated that the Imperial Spirit Nectar he had taken was finally having its true effect.

Humans are born pure and flawless, but as they live in the mundane world, their innate spiritual energy dissipates, and they gradually accumulate acquired impurities.

Accumulation of impurities in the heart fosters inner demons.

Accumulation of filth in the body depletes one's fundamental essence.

Over time, this makes it difficult to escape the suffering of illness and old age.

Setting aside changes in one's mental state, the first step for cultivators to truly advance is to cleanse themselves of these acquired impurities, returning their bodies to a state of purity. This forms the foundation for rapid progress later on.

Many people get stuck at this stage because the impurities permeate their fundamental essence, intertwined with it, making it impossible to fully remove them under ordinary circumstances.

Besides opening the minds of the ignorant, this is where the Imperial Spirit Nectar's greatest value lies.

The expulsion of this black sticky layer signified that He Lingchuan had successfully used the Imperial Spirit Nectar to achieve this breakthrough!

With this foundation laid, his cultivation efforts would now yield twice the results with half the effort.

He Lingchuan stretched, his bones crackling like a string of small firecrackers.

Yet, he felt a touch of regret.

In truth, the medicinal ingredients he had hastily bought from Shuanghe Town last night were of ordinary quality and insufficient age. The potency of the final medicine was limited, ultimately relying on the Chansu and turtle pearl for its invigorating effects.

Alo had also told him that the medicinal formulas developed in Coiled Dragon City for Imperial Spirit Nectar, besides being able to transform muscles and marrow the first time they were used, were most importantly used to stimulate and amplify the efficacy of other spiritual medicines.

What was Imperial Spirit Nectar? Its essence was purified spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the source of all life's vitality in the world. Once it entered a living body's circulation, it would provide the most suitable environment for the body's functions and cultivation.

Originally, the power contained in both Chansu and the turtle pearl was almost overwhelmingly potent for He Lingchuan. The former, in particular, was highly toxic; direct ingestion could easily cause his meridians to burst and lead to his death. But now, with the protection of the Imperial Spirit Nectar, the power of both was meticulously guided and controlled, slowly submitting to him over at least the next three months, truly completing the transformation from external power to his own vital energy.

With the amplifying and stabilizing effects of the Imperial Spirit Nectar, the potential for creating various medicinal formulas with it was truly boundless.

He Lingchuan mused that if even the crudest Imperial Spirit Powder he made had such miraculous effects, how powerful must the various wonder drugs concocted by the professional apothecaries of Coiled Dragon City using Imperial Spirit Nectar be?

What a pity, none of that concerned him. If only he could get his hands on some formulas.

Hmm, actually, the hardest thing to obtain was still the Imperial Spirit Nectar itself, wasn't it?

An opportunity that only came once every few decades had just passed him by. He didn't know when he would see Imperial Spirit Nectar again.

On another note, why was it that during the era of Coiled Dragon City, they encountered Imperial Spirit Nectar four times in three years?

Was it purely by chance?

He Chunhua and others were sitting in a circle outside the latrine, discussing matters, when they saw He Lingchuan pacing towards them, and they all froze.

Although he maintained his usual carefree demeanor, his eyes gleamed with sharpness, and his powerful stride gave off an aura that deterred others from approaching.

This made He Chunhua wonder:

"Is this really my good-for-nothing son?"

Unfortunately, He Lingchuan ruined the impression the moment he spoke: "I'm late, it seems I even missed lunch?"

Having completed his meditation, his stomach had settled, and it was now rumbling with hunger.

He Chunhua had no choice but to instruct his subordinates, "Go get him something to eat."

He Lingchuan found a bamboo chair and sat down. Beside him, Wu Shaoyi immediately cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Young Master He! Your foundation is complete!"

Whether in spiritual cultivation or martial arts, He Lingchuan had already crossed the high threshold that typically blocked the way. Wu Shaoyi, being experienced, saw this immediately.