Chapter 106: Unable to Be in Two Places at Once

Another month passed.

That evening, Cheng Xinzhan arrived at Pure Yang Hall. Although his master had returned, he had already consulted his grandmaster regarding this matter, and it was only right not to trouble two masters for the same affair.

"Grandmaster." He sat down across from Daoist Tongxuan.

Noticing that Cheng Xinzhan's left pupil had turned the color of cinnabar, resembling the morning sun, Daoist Tongxuan knew he had successfully opened his Yang Hall and cultivated the "Nine-Yang Reforming Cinnabar Pupil."

"Are you prepared?" Daoist Tongxuan asked.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and produced the lead bottle bestowed upon him by the Master of Pearl-Returning at White Jade Capital, which contained the "Yangming Cloud-Hall Gang."

Daoist Tongxuan took the bottle, uncorked it, and poured out the Gang dew. Like liquid milk, it surged in the air. Under their watchful eyes, it suddenly transformed into a mirage dragon. As Cheng Xinzhan leaned in to look, it shifted into a small cloud; peering closer, he saw a miniature marketplace atop the cloud. Before he could discern the details, it reverted into the milk-like dew.

"This is indeed the 'Yangming Cloud-Hall Gang.' This essence must be harvested from the mirage clouds exhaled by a mirage dragon. When the mirage clouds form a landscape on the cloud-tops precisely at noon, exposed to the scorching sun, every hundred miles of cloud yields only an ounce of this dew. You have half an ounce—that is quite substantial," Daoist Tongxuan said with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised; he had never opened the bottle since receiving it and was unaware of its origins or its shifting nature.

"Those who refine this essence will find their bodies as light as swallows. Without the need for magical power or external aid, a single thought allows them to fly freely, as ethereal as smoke and clouds. If you refine this into a cloud-dwelling to serve as a cloud-root, it can exhale luminous mirage clouds, perfect for confusing or trapping enemies. Since you have half an ounce, if you use it to temper a flying sword, it will be consumed; using a small portion in your Yang Hall is sufficient, lest it be a waste of such a precious treasure. You may save the rest to refine into your Twelve-Story Tower as a cloud-root."

Cheng Xinzhan agreed, never having imagined the "Yangming Cloud-Hall Gang" possessed such marvelous utility.

"This essence can be paired with the Cold Owl Yin-Wind Fiend. When the Yang cloud and Yin wind intersect, they can condense into a Rain Cinnabar. The cloud confuses the eyes, the wind confuses the ears, possessing extraordinary illusory powers."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, though he did not pay it much mind. Given his focus on the Five Elements, such a Golden Cinnabar was too specialized and ill-suited for his path.

"The greatest difficulty in drawing Gang and Fiend essences into the body is the pain. However, since you have already endured the True Fiend piercing your acupoints, these pains should be manageable."

Daoist Tongxuan extracted only a small portion of the Gang dew and returned the rest in the lead bottle to Cheng Xinzhan.

"Gang and Fiend are rare spiritual objects between heaven and earth; they are the fruits born from the intersection of Primordial Yin and Yang energy within the mechanisms of postnatal creation. Humans are postnatal spirits; encountering objects tainted with Primordial energy is naturally uncomfortable. You, of all people, should know this best."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. They say a fishbone in the throat is uncomfortable, but having Gang and Fiend in the body is like magnifying that pain a thousandfold.

"To comprehend these spiritual objects containing Yin-Yang energy, our ancestors devised many methods. It is said that everything has its natural counter; after countless trials and many lives lost, they discovered that lead and mercury are the means to restrain Gang and Fiend. After many more years of generational refinement, we now have the safest method for swallowing Gang and absorbing Fiend. I shall teach it to you now."

As Grandmaster Tongxuan spoke slowly, Cheng Xinzhan listened intently.

"Lead has a steady nature, while mercury is agile. Thus, mercury is often used to forge flying nets to capture and subdue Gang and Fiend, while lead vessels are used for storage. Lead is hot by nature, and mercury is cold. When consuming them, one must consider the nature of the essence being refined. When using lead and mercury to suppress them, one must balance Yin and Yang. For example, your 'Yangming Cloud-Hall Gang' is of a scorching Yang nature, so it must be tempered with cold mercury. As for your previous 'Purple Fire Rotten Peach Fiend,' despite the word 'fire,' it is actually a subterranean ghost-fire, and the word 'rotten' implies decay—it is fundamentally an icy-cold object, so it should have been paired with hot lead."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded repeatedly. He had assumed he could simply use the lead bottle as it was.

Seeing his young disciple had no mercury gold and was at a loss, the grandmaster laughed. "Since you have prepared the Yang Gang, I shall gift you a portion of flying mercury."

The grandmaster flipped his hand, revealing a floating bead of mercury in his palm, and handed it to Cheng Xinzhan. He reached out to take it. Lead and mercury were not only for subduing essences but were also rare treasures for alchemy and Qi cultivation, highly valued on the mountain. He had once possessed a portion of flying mercury, also gifted by the Master of Pearl-Returning, called "Frost-Flowing Flying Mercury." The master had said it could enhance the flexibility of his blade "Autumn Water," so he had fed it all to the sword.

Now that he thought of it, he needn't have fed it all to "Autumn Water"; keeping some would have come in handy now.

Just like this "Yangming Cloud-Hall Gang"—had it not been for the grandmaster's reminder, he would have used it all to refine "Taodu." He had little money and was prone to being overly extravagant with his belongings; he would have to change that habit in the future.

"Mercury liquid flies when it encounters fire. After swallowing it, immediately rise a strand of fire-attribute magical power from your Twelve-Story Tower to clash with the mercury. Upon hitting the fire, the mercury will transform into 'flying brilliance'; do not let it descend back into the Twelve-Story Tower, but guide it directly through the Sibai and Chengqi acupoints into your left eye's Yang Hall," Grandmaster Tongxuan instructed.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and swallowed the mercury bead.

The bead felt like an ice cube, instantly frosting his mouth. Cheng Xinzhan felt as if his teeth might fall out, but he immediately circulated a strand of fire-attribute power from his Twelve-Story Tower. As the cold mercury met the fire, it transformed into flying brilliance—invisible and intangible, yet in his inner vision, it appeared as a vast, white, icy mist.

Following his intention, he guided this mist from his mouth through the Sibai acupoint, then into the Chengqi acupoint, and finally into the Yang Hall.

After Cheng Xinzhan had opened his Yang Hall, it was a bright, empty aperture, much like his first time entering the cave stone with his intent—everywhere was luminous, yet boundless. "Taodu" was in this aperture, darting back and forth like a shuttle. Though it lacked Yang fire, the Yang Hall possessed an inherent solar nature, making it an excellent place to warm and nourish "Taodu."

In this aperture also sat a cinnabar-red fireball—the manifestation of his cultivation of the "Nine-Yang Reforming Cinnabar Pupil." When nine such fireballs appeared, his pupil technique would be perfected.

The icy mist entered the Yang Hall, chased about by the fireball and "Taodu," remaining in a state of cold mist, unable to condense into beads. His left cheek felt frozen solid.

"Now, using the same path, swallow the Gang dew. You must keep your throat tightly shut, locking the Twelve-Story Tower to force the Gang energy to follow the route the mercury took. Be quick to lead it into the Yang Hall."

He nodded and ingested the Gang dew.

Upon entering his mouth, the dew erupted into a surging mass of Gang energy, losing the gentle, milky appearance it had moments before. The energy rampaged in his mouth, but his mouth was coated in the frost left by the cold mercury. As the fierce energy touched the frost, it recoiled; unable to descend through the throat, it was forced along the only path, entering the Sibai and Chengqi acupoints. Since the meridians were coated in frost, the Gang energy was compressed into a bundle, forced to follow the path carved by the mercury.

Upon entering the Yang Hall, the space suddenly expanded. The Gang energy tried to disperse, but the mercury brilliance, squeezed into a corner by the cinnabar Yang, pounced upon it like a hungry beast. The mercury brilliance tightly swaddled the Gang energy, allowing not a shred to escape.

Truly, everything has its natural counter.

"Taodu" flew over to watch, circling the mercury brilliance as if curious about what lay inside.

That said, even with such a small amount of dew, such a short path, and the protection of the mercury brilliance, the piercing, swelling pain was still quite difficult for Cheng Xinzhan to bear. However, it was merely uncomfortable compared to the agony of the True Fiend piercing his acupoints.

"In the future, you will control the cold mercury to slowly release the Gang energy, then use your magical power to refine it bit by bit, grinding away its fierce and irritable temperament, and comprehending the laws within. For now, the most important thing is to experience the 'Yang' within it. Based on what you swallowed today, it will take at least several months to refine, after which you can use it freely. Only then will you be able to transform Gang into fire to temper your flying sword. When you consume Gang and Fiend for the purpose of forming a Golden Cinnabar, the quantity will be such that the refining time will be measured in decades." Grandmaster Tongxuan observed Cheng Xinzhan's smooth progress with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Grandmaster Tongxuan seemed to recall something and laughed aloud.

"I wonder why you are laughing, Grandmaster?" Cheng Xinzhan asked, puzzled.

"I suddenly thought: you propose using Yang Gang as fire and the Yang Hall as a furnace to temper your flying sword. If one day you could gather eighteen Yang Gang and thirty-six Yang Fiends to refine your sword, what quality would it reach? A Spiritual Treasure? By the same logic, if you gathered eighteen Yin Gang and thirty-six Yin Fiends to refine it in the Yin Hall, what power would the sword possess when both Yin and Yang are released together?"

Grandmaster Tongxuan laughed heartily. "Throughout history, I have never heard of anyone gathering thirty-six Heavenly Gang and seventy-two Earthly Fiends. Don't mind me, consider it the ramblings of an old man. However, heh, if you have the fortune to obtain a dozen or so Yang-attribute Gang and Fiends to temper this sword of yours, I suspect the result would be an extraordinary treasure."

Cheng Xinzhan's eyes sparkled.

"If you wish to truly understand lead, mercury, Gang, and Fiends, you must study alchemy. The subtle transformations of the 'Chaste Maiden and Golden Sire' are all written in the alchemy books; they are profound indeed."

Cheng Xinzhan gave a bitter smile and nodded. There was more and more to learn; he felt one incarnation was no longer enough.

Having successfully guided the Gang into his body today, it had gone far more smoothly than he had expected. Bidding the grandmaster farewell, he returned to Mingzhi Mountain.

Passing the small pond, he glanced at it. There wasn't a single sea loach left, only some shellfish clinging to the stones. The Nine-Orifice Dustless Lotus was truly a spiritual species; since he planted it, it remained unaffected by the seasons or the type of water. The seed had now sprouted a single green leaf, though he did not know when it would bloom.

Cheng Xinzhan felt deeply that one incarnation was not enough—not for fighting, and not for masking his identity, but simply because there was too much to learn. When the flower bloomed, he would refine it into a new incarnation. It didn't need to be as sentient as his bamboo body; he only needed it to host a strand of his consciousness to learn new things.

Entering the Wuyou Cave, the most eye-catching object was the massive shadow wall in the center: the "True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains."

Contemplating the form of the Eastern Mountain brings peace to the spirit and longevity to the life.
Contemplating the form of the Southern Mountain prevents the five evils and aids in sensing malice.
Contemplating the form of the Central Mountain keeps one standing firm, rooted in the earth.
Contemplating the form of the Western Mountain makes one adept at the five weapons and immune to blades.
Contemplating the form of the Northern Mountain subdues a hundred poisons and grants lasting fortune.

Cheng Xinzhan had been contemplating for a month. Now, even in his daily movements, a sense of law manifested, carrying the weight of a mountain. Especially when refining at the Weapons Institute, Jiang Weishan had often praised him for his steady demeanor and calm heart, remarking that he was naturally suited for alchemy and weapon-refining. However, he suggested that since alchemy was too dull, Cheng Xinzhan should switch to weapon-refining.

The most direct benefit of contemplating the "True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains" was the astonishing improvement in the power of his "Suppress" character mantra. Now, when he used it, even the Green Dragon Gu Qin could only resist if submerged in the lake; if she were playing in the air, she would be struck down by the mantra.

Opposite the shadow wall was his writing desk, and hanging beside it was a scroll: "Prince Bingling Inspects the Three Mountains and Gods."

The image still depicted Prince Bingling surveying the gods, but a closer look revealed it lacked the spiritual essence of the one Wen Sukong had produced; it was merely a likeness. He had painted it himself.

The original contemplation map given by his master had become a blank sheet of paper. The first time he entered it to contemplate Prince Bingling, the Prince's form vanished after he grasped the intent. Later, he entered the painting several times to observe the Three Mountains, until even the mountain shadows vanished.

This month, his desk had been piled high with papers where he had copied the two scrolls. He sat down, cleared a space on the desk, and took out more paper. He looked between the shadow wall and his desk, writing and painting. But looking closely, what landed on the paper was not the majestic mountains, but talismans.

He was not simply copying; he was drawing talismans based on the mountains. He contemplated the true form, grasped the legal intent, and let it fall onto the paper as a talisman.

He had gained some understanding of the "True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains." In three or five days at most, he would return it to his master. He had grasped the intent; now it was a matter of application.

Moreover, the Five Sacred Mountains were vast, connecting heaven and earth. A single map could only allow him a glimpse of their true essence. In comparison, the very real Mingzhi Mountain allowed him better insight into the Earth-attribute laws, and his magical power was slowly accumulating in his body, preparing for the opening of his residence.

Without noticing, he realized dawn was approaching. There was a matter he had been putting off for too long. He took an envelope from the cave stone, pulled out a sheet of paper, spread it on the desk, and wrote with his talisman brush:

"Seeing these words is like meeting face to face, may your heart be at ease upon reading. I ask after the well-being of the Eleventh Lady. Affairs on the mountain are busy, and I am pulled in too many directions, leaving me not a moment's leisure to lay out paper and brush..."