Chapter 342: Chapter 59 The Tu Family Village, A Sense of Déjà Vu
“Regarding this secret realm, I’ve checked the records within our sect, and it seems to be the location of ancient Xiangtan,” Sima Changyan said with a smile, “Legend has it that in ancient times, King Chu Zhao toured Zhao Mountain and encountered a strange creature that collided with his boat on the river below the mountain, known as the ‘duckweed fruit’.”
“King Chu Zhao ate it and found it incredibly delicious. Later, when he sent troops to aid Chen Country, he ascended to the heavens in broad daylight. Tens of thousands in the army only saw the red clouds above, soaring across the sky like birds.”
“Although legends are just legends, the duckweed fruit is indeed a favored food of the phoenix. It contains ample Yimu spiritual energy, representing the principle of using wood to generate fire. Eating it can improve one’s True Essence Attributes, benefit the use of fire-type Daoist Magic and magic artifacts, and increase one’s Refining Mansion Cultivation by thirty years.”
“Senior Sister An’s Life-bound Sword Artifact is of the fire attribute,” laughed Duan Fenhai. “If we can find the duckweed fruit, it would greatly benefit her swordsmanship.”
An Zhisu nodded reservedly, while Ling Yunpo watched silently, at a loss for words.
They spoke this way, intentionally showing goodwill towards you, yet, Senior Sister, you remain so indifferent. It’s more trying than social anxiety – at least everyone can tell there’s a problem with one’s abilities. With you, who knows if you truly don’t care or just pretend not to care?
Sure enough, seeing An Zhisu’s cool reaction, Sima Changyan gave a dry laugh and steered the conversation elsewhere:
“Senior Brother Duan, with your Purple Mansion Cultivation, you must already be secure in achieving a High Grade Golden Core, yes?”
Duan Fenhai laughed heartily:
“How could that be? I entered the path at forty, completed Marrow Cleansing at ninety, and reached the Refining Mansion stage at a hundred. I have only one hundred years of natural lifespan left.”
“Even with the sixty years from Mercurial Elixir Liquid and forty years from the millennia mammary, I can barely meet the threshold for a High Grade Golden Core—yet the mammary requires an annual campaign to the Southern Border, and I’ll need to drink it for forty years.”
“If anything goes awry along the way, I’d miss the High Grade Golden Core by an inch.”
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“There’s no need to worry so, Senior Brother Duan,” Sima Changyan chuckled, shaking his head. “You have a hundred years left. As long as you can drink the millennia mammary for forty years, you can secure a High Grade Golden Core.”
“Who says so?” sighed Duan Fenhai helplessly. “Even a hundred years of natural lifespan doesn’t necessarily equate to a hundred years of true Refining Mansion Cultivation.”
“Facing cultivation bottlenecks, suffering severe injuries that require seclusion, entangled in worldly matters… who can ensure that the hundred years will transpire smoothly? Unless one hides in the Cloud Sea Empty Cocoon.”
“How’s Cultivator Ling’s Refining Mansion Cultivation?” Sima Changyan asked curiously. “I heard you entered the path at twenty?”
“Average, just average,” said Ling Yunpo modestly. “I’ll be satisfied if I can achieve a High Grade Golden Core like Senior Sister An and Senior Brother Duan.”
“Hypocrite,” suddenly interjected the Kunlun Mirror. “How many years have you accumulated in your Refining Mansion Cultivation?”
“Just considering the Secret Medicine and secret realm bonuses, I’m about five hundred and ten years in,” responded the Green Duckweed Sword for him. “I’ve been calculating it very carefully!”
“Sixty years from the Mercurial Elixir Liquid, thirty years from the Cloud Sea Empty Cocoon, seventy years from meditating in the Kunlun Heaven’s Gate Hall, fifty years from the Dynasty Yuan Spiritual Energy, seventy years from the Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid, thirty years from the Vermilion Marrow Pill, forty years from the millennia mammary, thirty years from the sea bodhi, one hundred years from the Yangxia Zhu Ming Pill, and thirty years from the Jade Pond Golden Lotus, totaling five hundred and ten years… Two hundred ninety years to go before I can form a Core right here, then be bombed to death by the supreme Heavenly Tribulation of the First Grade Golden Core.”
Ling Yunpo: ………
“That, the Heavenly Tribulation for a First Grade Golden Core, is it very formidable?” he asked carefully.
“Who knows,” the Green Duckweed Sword replied indifferently. “Nobody’s formed a First Grade Golden Core in usual times… Oh, the great beings who founded the Clarify Cult and Intercepting Cult, they should be of First Grade Golden Core status.”
“Stop scaring him,” chided the Kunlun Mirror. “The Heavenly Tribulation for a First Grade Golden Core isn’t that formidable, and he has cultivated so many Immortal Laws and secret techniques! If all else fails, we’ll assist him, right?”
“Ah Jing, Qing Ping!” Ling Yunpo was deeply moved. “You truly are my dear friends and companions, my wise helpers!”
“Ptui, ptui, ptui!” the mirror and the sword objected in unison, “Don’t think we don’t understand what a ‘wise helper’ means!”
Ling Yunpo just laughed without saying a word, secretly smirking to himself.
Five hundred and ten years of Purple Mansion Cultivation might seem simple and easy, but it’s actually quite challenging.
The Mercurial Elixir Liquid is probably the easiest to obtain, available to anyone hailing from one of the three righteous sects of Kunlun, Shushan, or Penglai, and outstanding among the disciples in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The Cloud Sea Empty Cocoon requires one to be among the top hundred on the Shushan Immortal Sword Ranking to enter the Demon Locking Tower and obtain it;
Both the millennia mammary and the sea bodhi require the Shushan disciples to battle in the Southern Border, and both are unreliable as the former’s process is too lengthy and the latter is not stable enough—mostly unfeasible.
Sensing the Way at Heaven’s Gate Hall was a privilege granted only to the chief disciples at the Foundation Establishment Realm of Kunlun, which happened only once every two hundred years, with only one person able to attain it.
The Dynasty Yuan Spiritual Energy was the secret location of Penglai Yuqing View, which could only be known to the elite disciples within the sect.
All of the above required not only a noble and upright origin but also hard work and striving within one’s faction, fully involved in the internal competition, climbing to the very top of all the disciples at the Foundation Establishment Realm to grasp that precious opportunity.
As for rare treasures like the Yangxia Zhuming Pill and the Jade Pond Golden Lotus, he had acquired them only after surviving life-and-death situations, exploring various dangerous secret locations, and relying on great wisdom, determination, and fortune, which included how much sweat and tears?
If another person were here, even with the aid of the Kunlun Mirror and the Green Duckweed Sword, could they accomplish the great achievements I have achieved?
“Oh, it seems we’ve arrived at Zhao Mountain,” the Kunlun Mirror, unable to endure his inner monologue any longer, quickly reminded him.
Ling Yunpo took a careful look and indeed, Sima Changyan had already led the way by descending the sword light, so he hurried to control his sword and descend as well.
The four of them landed on the outskirts of a village at the edge of Zhao Mountain and then proceeded on foot into the village.
Within the village, the Tu people lived alongside others, and their clothing customs were quite different from those of the northern Central Plains. Sima Changyan found the village elder and spoke in the local dialect:
“Jili gulala jili gulala…”
Ling Yunpo and the others were bewildered, but then they heard the village elder nodding his head and ordering someone to summon a Tu Family girl.
“So, you’re bringing people into the mountain this time?” The Tu girl, with her lively eyes and very standard Central Earth accent, chatted merrily with Sima Changyan, “Let me remind you again, if you follow the route I show you, you absolutely won’t encounter any danger.”
“But if you don’t follow my route, I can’t guarantee your safety if something happens.”
“We’re not here to sightsee, young lady,” Sima Changyan said with a smile.
What he implied was that they definitely would not keep following her.
Perhaps if they saw some spiritual medicine along the way, they might leave her guidance immediately.
The Tu girl snorted and started to converse with the elder in their dialect.
Her speech was quick and urgent, and it was unclear what they were discussing.
Ling Yunpo seized the opportunity to come over to Sima Changyan and asked in a low voice:
“Are we having her guide us? She’s not a cultivator, right?”
“This girl is said to have been to the secret locations several times and is very familiar with the environment, routes, and the demonic beasts and insect swarms inside,” Sima Changyan replied quietly.
“I see,” Ling Yunpo then understood.
If it was as Sima Changyan claimed, then they indeed needed to rely on this Tu Family girl as their guide… Huh?
He suddenly felt a familiar sense of recognition toward the Tu Family girl, but upon closer inspection, he could not find any similar appearance or temperament in his memory.
“Ah Jing,” Ling Yunpo whispered, “have I… met this girl before?”
“No,” the Kunlun Mirror didn’t see any issue, “She isn’t employing any illusion technique; her appearance is real.”
“That’s strange,” Ling Yunpo squinted his eyes, fixating on the delicate features of the Tu girl.
An Zhisu tugged at his sleeve from the side.
“What’s wrong, Senior Sister An?”
“Don’t keep staring at the girl,” An Zhisu cautioned, “It’s impolite.”