In the afternoon, sunlight streamed into a tranquil courtyard. The endless fragrance of herbs permeated the air.

A handsome man sat before a stone table, his attention fixed on the medicinal herbs and tools before him. His long, cloud-like hair draped softly over his shoulders. A hint of valor and wisdom was subtly discernible between his brows, and his eyes were clear and bright. He skillfully placed various precious herbs into the Pill Furnace and gently adjusted the flame.

As strands of colorful Gang Qi were infused into the Pill Furnace, Qi Xiu meticulously fine-tuned the fusion of the various herbs' essences within the flames. Faintly, streams of divine marvel coursed through the herb essences. Under the harmonizing manipulation of the Gang Qi, these essences gradually melded, transforming into round, shimmering, azure-green elixirs.

"Extinguish!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, he quenched the furnace fire and swiftly gathered the five elixirs from the Pill Furnace into his palm. Watching the restless divine marvel within the elixirs gradually stabilize, Qi Xiu heaved a long sigh of relief. Just a moment slower, and these elixirs would have turned into explosives.

He pinched an azure-green elixir between his fingers. Its light fragrance wafted through the air, seemingly cleansing the surrounding atmosphere.

Dust-Avoiding Elixir. An Initiate Realm level elixir. Once consumed, it kept the body clean and unsullied by dust. Even without bathing for a year, not a speck of dirt could be found on the body. It would also emit a faint, pure fragrance. Beyond that, the elixir could also shield against various miasmas, evil spirits, and Strange Forces. It was a commonly used auxiliary elixir.

A bottle of Dust-Avoiding Elixir contained twelve elixirs. At the Hundred Grass Hut, a bottle sold for twenty Dao coins, but only in bundles with other elixirs, not individually. At Shen's Myriad Goods Pavilion, it could be purchased individually for twenty-five Dao coins. But the cost of herbs for producing a bottle of Dust-Avoiding Elixir was merely one Dao coin.

Twenty times the profit, eh. Gazing at the jade-like azure-green elixir in his hand, Qi Xiu was inwardly astonished. No wonder Fifth Uncle said that Elixirs, Talisman Scripts, Array Plates, and Magic Artifacts were all highly profitable industries. Mastering even one of these skills meant Dao coins would flow like an inexhaustible underground spring.

My technique can now ensure every furnace produces pills, but the quantity still falls short of that of bona fide Pill Masters; I produce sometimes as few as one or two pills, sometimes as many as five or six. However, as my proficiency grows, this gap will shrink. As for this Dust-Avoiding Elixir... should I also entrust Shen's Myriad Goods Pavilion with selling it?

Caressing the round, verdant elixir in his hand, Qi Xiu contemplated silently. Truthfully, he wasn't in dire need of money at the moment. The two Dharma Gates he had acquired were not yet mastered, so there was no need to purchase additional Dharma Gates. Moreover, Qingliu County was relatively peaceful for now. Even if trouble arose, his current strength was sufficient to ensure his own safety.

What's more, alchemy, compared to crafting Talisman Scripts, was very time-consuming. Refining a furnace full of Dust-Avoiding Elixirs took at least two shichen. If he were to truly start making them for sale, it would inevitably consume a great deal of his time. Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? Wouldn't it be better to use that time to improve his cultivation?

Having thought this through, Qi Xiu was no longer conflicted. He had been engrossed in alchemy recently, not just because he'd been initially provoked into a fit of pique by the explosions, but also due to his longstanding caution. It's always good to have more skills; another skill meant another ace up his sleeve.

Improving my cultivation is still the main priority. Otherwise, no matter how strong my other abilities may be, if I face a formidable enemy, I could still be crushed. Reaching the Initiate Realm only grants the ability to defend oneself; it's not absolute safety. Haven't many Initiate Realm cultivators died by my hand?

Clarifying his intentions, Qi Xiu casually took out a porcelain bottle and stored the freshly refined Dust-Avoiding Elixirs inside. He propped his chin on his hand, pondering his future cultivation.

Generally, after entering the Initiate Realm, cultivation focused on accumulating Gang Qi and strengthening the Body-Protecting True Gang. With a thought, a layer of Body-Protecting True Gang, as clear and transparent as flawless jade, slowly materialized on Qi Xiu's body, shimmering with a brilliant, colorful light.

A Cultivator of Dao, as long as their True Gang remains unbroken, is impervious to any attack on their physical body. When a cultivator first attains the Dao-Entering Realm, their Body-Protecting True Gang is clear and transparent, like crystal. To fortify this absolute defense, one must use internal Gang Qi to continuously temper and refine the Body-Protecting True Gang, allowing it to gradually transform.

The sign of completing a transformation is the condensation of a True Gang Mark in the void above one's head. It appears as a splendid flower, cascading radiance. A peak Cultivator of Dao can condense three True Gang Marks, a state known as Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

If the Body-Protecting True Gang is shattered after a True Gang Mark has formed, the True Gang Mark will then reconstitute the Body-Protecting True Gang. A depleted True Gang Mark will continue to draw on Gang Qi to condense anew. Once Three Flowers Gathering at the Top is achieved, it means that to breach the defense of such a Cultivator of Dao, one must shatter four consecutive layers of Body-Protecting True Gang! And this must be accomplished in a short span of time. Otherwise, if a True Gang Mark reformed, it would need to be shattered again.

My Hunyuan Gang Qi has a unique conceptual basis: return to simplicity, where the Ten Thousand Laws are as one, allowing me to command the Ten Thousand Laws. Therefore, I can cultivate almost all Dharma Gates. However, this also means that apart from pure defensive power, my Body-Protecting True Gang possesses no additional attributes. It has neither the fierce heat of the Fire Dao nor the solid resilience of the Earth Dao. But, there is one aspect where I am stronger than them. My Hunyuan Gang Qi can assimilate almost all spiritual qi, transforming it into Gang Qi. This also causes my Gang Qi recovery rate to be extremely fast. Once I condense a True Gang Mark, the speed at which it reforms will be difficult to estimate. If I progress further and reach the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, the speed at which an enemy shatters my Body-Protecting True Gang might not even match the recovery speed of my True Gang Marks.

Activating the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery, Qi Xiu was enveloped in swirling, colorful light, appearing as if he were on the verge of transforming into a rainbow and transcending the mundane world. Streams of Hunyuan Gang Qi surged from the Mixed Primordial Bead, spilling out through his seven apertures and continuously merging into his Body-Protecting True Gang. From top to bottom, it repeatedly scoured the Body-Protecting True Gang, making it increasingly compact and substantial.

...

...

"Ring out the old year and welcome the new, 'tis the Spring Festival with lanterns and festoons~"

Amidst the heavy snowfall, the cheerful sounds of firecrackers, gongs, and drums drifted from the county town. People held firecrackers, igniting them in the cold wind. Sparks blossomed in the sky, forming a myriad of shapes as beautiful and enchanting as twinkling stars in the night sky. In the county town square, simple stages had been erected, hosting folk plays, acrobatics, and other performances. The sounds of drums, singing, and laughter mingled, echoing throughout Qingliu County amidst the falling snowflakes.

Holding a bowl of steaming beef, Qi Xiu gently blew on the hot vapor, watching with interest as people streamed endlessly into the snack stalls, savoring the delicacies and reveling in the festive joy. In a year of great calamity, perhaps only Qingliu County could boast such a scene.

After sipping the fragrant, tart, and spicy broth and comfortably exhaling a breath of warmth, Qi Xiu was about to head home when a streak of Escape Light racing across the sky suddenly shot through the county gates.

Hmm? His gaze sharpened, a hint of surprise in his expression. The Escape Light was faint and damaged, clearly having suffered heavy trauma and on the verge of dissipating. Moreover, shadowy figures could be seen within it, suggesting more than one person. What Cultivator of Dao is this, escaping back from somewhere?

...

「Qingliu County Government Office, Rear Hall.」

Crashing heavily to the ground and sending up a plume of dust several meters high, a strikingly beautiful woman, her features fair and alluring, her eyes filled with panic and terror, struggled to climb out of a large crater. "Someone... come quickly…" Her voice was as pleasant as a silver bell, yet this strikingly beautiful woman wore an ill-fitting men's robe.

The loud crash of the Escape Light had long alerted everyone in the government office. Riding a streak of white light, Li Jiufang arrived at the rear hall in an instant. He strode in, his brow furrowed and his expression stern. Looking at the frail woman on the ground, his pupils contracted as he spoke in a deep voice, "Ge Chuan?"

"County Magistrate Li... save me…" Seeing Li Jiufang recognize her, Ge Chuan's face lit up with ecstatic relief. Just as she tried to push herself up, a sudden wave of weakness overcame her, and she collapsed, fainting on the spot.

"My lord!"

"County Magistrate Li."

Soon after, a group of military Lv Shuai arrived one after another. Although no one had notified them, Ge Chuan's Escape Light had been conspicuous upon her return, so they had come directly to the county government office.

"This is…" Looking at the woman Li Jiufang was trying to help, Chu Zhao's brow furrowed. The County Magistrate's mistress?

"There are more wounded over there; help bring them up," Li Jiufang said, pointing towards the large pit created by the Escape Light's impact.

The Lv Shuai stepped forward to look, their expressions turning startled and strange. Inside the pit lay several young women of decent appearance. Strangely, all of them were dressed in men's clothing, a bizarre sight indeed.

"County Magistrate Li has quite the unique taste," the female Lv Shuai remarked with a teasing glance at Li Jiufang.

"They are the ones who went to reinforce Shengzhou County," Chu Zhao interjected suddenly. His words made the Lv Shuai's expressions change, and they looked again at the group of unconscious women.

They really are... What happened to them...?

"The Ten Thousand Nurturing Origin Scripture!" Chu Zhao said slowly, turning to Li Jiufang, who was tending to Ge Chuan. "County Magistrate Li, it seems we won't have a peaceful New Year."

After stabilizing Ge Chuan's breathing, Li Jiufang slowly stood up, his gaze profound. "Everyone, the resurgence of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect is now a certainty. We may need to make preparations early."

...

「Nightfall.」

In the study.

Li Jiufang, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly paled and vomited a mouthful of inky black blood. The blood solidified upon hitting the floor, forming fist-sized black Buddha figurines that chanted evil scriptures. Instantly, the room was engulfed in demonic qi. Sinister laughter echoed, and countless illusions swirled, disorienting and beguiling, as if trying to convert Li Jiufang into a demon.

"Young Master." With a worried expression, Shou quickly approached, carrying a bowl of spirit soup in which numerous tiny, silver-white, fish-like lights swam.

The moment the light-fish entered the room, they leaped from the bowl and devoured the Buddha figurines one by one, as if they were bait. Then, they absorbed all the demonic qi and returned to the soup bowl.

Tilting his head back, Li Jiufang drank the spirit soup. His complexion returned to normal, and his breathing stabilized. That Wrathful Killing Arhat certainly lives up to his reputation as a veteran Old Demon. If I hadn't acted decisively and shattered the Cave God Order, my only option would have been to use the Pray to Heaven Skill and perish together with him.

...

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