Chapter 118: The Heart of Nature (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

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  ……

  In mid-air pavilion.

  The ancient zither's low, mournful sound, the joyful and lively music echoes and swirls, amidst the ripples of sound waves, the white orchids on the cave top sway gently, the fragrance wafts up, even more delicate and charming, the scent assaults the nostrils.

  Chen Mo stepped into the cave, looked up at the white orchid on the top of the cave that was still full of life, listened to the lingering ancient music, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He silently lamented, "It feels so good to be back home." It had been several days since he returned, but his mind still lingered on the thrilling battle in the Dead City.

  That battle in the dead city was extremely perilous, and I almost died. In the end, I paid a painful price of a small tender leaf to survive. However, it wasn't all for nothing - obtaining an advanced spiritual artifact cultivation method made it worthwhile.

  Moreover, after experiencing life and death transformations, he finally broke through the shackles once again and reached the level of a sixth-grade spiritual master.

  These spiritual orchids are the Master's treasured possessions, and he is extremely careful when entering or leaving this place, afraid of accidentally trampling on one and incurring his wrath.

  Carefully avoiding touching the wall, he walked all the way into the pavilion. He saw his respected Master Mu Lingwei, who was comfortably half-reclining on a rattan chair, with her beautiful eyes half-closed, looking languid and relaxed to the extreme.

  Xiao Ba, on the other hand, had its big turtle eyes wide open, shaking its head and wagging its body to curry favor with the female master, fawning and pawing at her feet, occasionally tapping her calf with its short front legs.

  "Hmm", this foodie's flattering skills have reached new heights! However, Chen Mo was already used to it. After all, this divine beast had long abandoned its dignity and pride, throwing them far beyond the nine heavens.

  The little raccoon dog made an extra effort and soon took effect. The goddess master, with a clever finger, pinched a third-grade elixir 'Clear Spirit Dan'. She casually tossed it to the little raccoon dog. The little raccoon dog's eyes lit up instantly, excitedly spinning around, accurately picking up the elixir with its mouth, and swallowing it into its belly. It wagged its tail like a happy dog that had gotten a bone.

  That appearance is as embarrassing as it gets. To be a divine beast and yet look like that, it's truly unprecedented.

  Chen Mo gazed at him with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred, his throat surging with emotion. He thought to himself, "Should I also learn from Xiao Ba's shamelessness and beg Master for some pills?" But then he thought, "I'm still a second-rate alchemist after all, I shouldn't lose face in front of Master." Forget it, forget it, let's focus on the task at hand.

  "Master, all the materials for the Revival Dan are ready. Please teach me how to refine it." Chen Mo said respectfully. The final dan-making competition was imminent, and if he didn't intensify his practice, he feared he wouldn't be able to defeat Jiang Chen and others.

  Whether it's Lin Junqian or Jiang Chen, they are all extraordinary strong men, how can they contend for the top spot without diligent practice?

  Seeing Chen Mo's dedication, Mu Lingwei nodded in approval. However, she felt sorry for his recent fatigue and couldn't bear him working too hard, so she said: "A sharp knife doesn't hinder chopping firewood. First, thoroughly read and memorize the prescription, and it will be twice the effort with half the result. You must carefully ponder the key points of the firing process, hand movements, and condensing into a real elixir. We alchemists emphasize clarity of mind and naturalness; being impatient for quick results will only lead to failure, understand?" Mu Lingwei took out a worn-out sheepskin scroll and handed it to Chen Mo.

  "Master, I understand."

  Facing his master's teachings, Chen Mo was sincere and eager, hastily nodding in acknowledgment of his mistake, very honest and obedient.

  Mulingwei was very satisfied, thinking of the children who were brought back to the valley and had not been properly settled.

  "I went to the Council Chamber."

  She turned to leave, but halfway through, she seemed to think of something and turned her head back to Chen with a clever smile. "By the way," she said, "before I return, you won't be able to master the Dan method unless you go to the Youxuan Pavilion, carry those two wooden buckets, and run around the lake 100 times."

  "Kou" Chen Mo's shoulders slumped, his face looking downcast, but he saw a hint of a smile playing on the corner of his master's mouth.

  Unconsciously, I couldn't help but smile, feeling that Master had become more concerned about me since returning from the Dead City. The emotions between us were like a warm and gentle stream in a secluded courtyard, giving me a sense of closeness to family.

  As soon as the thought turned, I suddenly remembered the sudden departure of Mingyou Lian. I don't know how she is now? It's just unfortunate that she didn't get to meet her master, and it's possible that she was indeed the twin sister who had been separated from her master since childhood.

  Xiao Ba saw Chen Mo's dejected appearance and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his limbs holding up the violently shaking turtle belly, rolling over and over, with a face full of schadenfreude. It seems that Boss is still the best? No need to work hard, and there are spiritual pills to eat.

  Kan De Chen Mo almost rushed up to beat Xiao Ba Bao, this glutton got a good deal and still pretended to be innocent. Seeing it in the last battle of Dead City, it was considered righteous, so he didn't bother to see it and went to study the prescription instead.

  ……

  In the afternoon, the slanting sun cast a golden glow on the distant Blazing Dragon Peak.

  In the pavilion suspended in mid-air, the spiritual energy is overflowing, and the floating and ethereal atmosphere makes even the air seem to carry a hint of intoxication.

  Chen Mo sat by the railing, leaning against the railing and looking down. The scenery of Changchun Valley, which was always spring for four seasons, was all in sight. The overhanging pavilion that fell suddenly, as if it had left the worldly noise far away, quietly and silently experiencing the years like flowing water.

  I don't know how our distant relatives are doing now.

  Missing the big sister and brother who have always doted on me, as well as Huo Wu. Missing the scene of our whole family sitting together, enjoying a happy dinner. Maybe this is what I want for my own happiness?

  The faint scent of orchids wafted from afar, causing Chen Mo to feel a little dazed and enchanted: "It's truly a heavenly place..."

  All the way crawling and rolling to now, both physically and mentally are a bit exhausted. From arriving at Changchun Valley, crossing suspension bridges, climbing empty pavilions, later exploring Devil's Cauldron, and venturing into Death City. All along the way relying on a strong willpower, one faith, supporting until now.

  Shaking his head, with the alchemy grand competition just around the corner, he still needed many breakthroughs and didn't have time to indulge in leisure.

  Gather your spirit and energy, pick up the elixir furnace and start practicing.

  There are only a few dozen medicinal materials in Dan Fang, but the proportion of medicinal materials, dosage, practice, fire and sequence, refining and detoxifying, liquefying and condensing dan, mental control and so on, the higher the level of Dan medicine, the more complicated.

  So if you want to refine the elixir, you must first memorize the method of practicing the alchemical formula.

  It was unknown how much time had passed when a soft cry of "Chen Mo" made him seem to be in deep thought, and he didn't even know when Mulanwei had returned. Chen Mo almost fell from the railing of the suspended pavilion.

  "Master? You... you're back..."

  Xiao Ba was secretly laughing on the side, seemingly having discovered that Mu Lingwei had been back for a while, but Lao Da hadn't noticed. Lao Da must have just been spacing out, and Dan Fang definitely didn't memorize it, let's wait until he runs around the lake 100 times.

  "Chen Mo, have you memorized the Dan Fang formula I had you recite?" Chen Mo's diligence had been observed by Mu Lingwei all along, but in order to motivate him to make a breakthrough in a short period of time, she could only add some pressure.

  "Of course I did." Chen Mo immediately straightened his back and began reciting seriously.

  Mulingwei nodded and walked towards the pavilion. Chen Mo pulled on Xiao Ba's tail, dragging this turtle that hung its head and basked in the sun, refusing to move, following behind.

  "Orchids are born in the empty valley, no one knows, the fragrance seeps into the air, you don't know." Mu Lingwei pointed to the orchids on the dome and the bottles and jars on the suspended pavilion, and said to Chen Mo: "These orchids were all personally cultivated by your master's ancestors. Every object here is a relic left behind by your master when he was alive. I have kept everything in its original place without moving it."

  Mulingwei continued to say with a thoughtful expression: "This Changchun Valley is the final resting place of your master's ancestor, I hope to guard it well."

  Chen Mo nodded silently.

  "Come with me." Mu Lingwei turned around and said: "I'll teach you the complete Hundred Refining Sacred String technique."

  Chen Mo's pupils contracted, this was the technique he had been dreaming of, and he had also secretly imitated it before, but could only get its shape, not its meaning. Now that he had the opportunity to be taught by his master in person, apart from being excited and impatient, he also felt a sense of responsibility deep down.

  This technique was created by the previous generation's Valley Master Lu, and it condensed the old Valley Master's lifelong dedication. Until now, it has never been passed on to outsiders. Just because of Master Wood Spirit's trust in himself, Chen Mo silently decided in his heart to guard the Long Spring Valley, from now on, there will be my share too.

  With suppressed excitement, I followed Mu Lingwei to the front of the medicine cauldron.

  "Do you still remember the Xiao Jui Ling Dan I taught you how to refine earlier?" Mu Lin Wei said with her back towards Chen Mo.

  "Of course I remember." Chen Mo replied lightly and also recounted the key points to note when refining the elixir.

  "Very well, although it's basic, any advanced skill stands out from the ordinary foundation." Mù Líng Wēi said as she began to heat the cauldron: "Moreover, everything in this world comes from nature. First, I will introduce the spiritual energy of Huǒ Lóng Fēng into the furnace to enhance the quality of the elixir."

  "I'll only teach you once, so pay attention."

  "Master, please begin." Chen Mo nodded in agreement.

  "Release your divine thoughts, feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, stir up the furnace fire, control the fire timing." Along with the stimulation of Mu Lingwei's Xuanqi, a red and green flame suddenly rose in the furnace.

  "The essence of spiritual medicine is the first difficulty, concentrate your mind and absolutely don't be distracted."

  "Watch closely." Mu Lingwei's eyes narrowed as she swiftly added the medicinal materials to the cauldron, her face focused: "Divide your spiritual energy in two, one part to protect the essence of the medicine and the other to eliminate impurities."

  Only to see one after another medicinal herbs, under the divine thought of Wood Spirit, rapidly spinning thousands of times, impurities were quickly removed and fell into the fire to become a wisp of clear smoke. And strand by strand, intact essence also rapidly rotated, shrinking into a ball.

  The peony is in bloom!

  It's just a moment, and it has already become a fledgling elixir. This speed has made Chen Mo, who is quite experienced in alchemy, exclaim in surprise.

  "Now the Great Fire Condenses Dan, this is also the last hurdle." Mu Lingwei said with a focused expression: "Remove its dross, refine it a hundred times, take a good look."

  Inside the alchemical furnace, the divine thought of Muling transformed into countless fine threads like the strings of a zither, repeatedly plucking, rotating, filtering, shrinking and condensing the infant elixir.

  This hundred paces saintly zither originated from the ordinary, yet far surpasses the ordinary. The scenes under Mu Lingwei's hands, in Chen Mo's eyes, seemed to have seen the magnificent feat of gathering sand into a pagoda and growing forests from tiny sprouts.

  Isn't this just the most ordinary law in nature? Only the smallest accumulation can build up to the greatest achievements!

  ……(。。)