After the closed-door training, Zhang Yan would condense the clear and turbid air in the middle of the night, when the sun was rising, and combine them into one. With the help of the Moonseizing Jade Amulet, his progress was extremely fast.
In addition, he took out two hours every day to refine the Fate Determining Jade Amulet. Every time this jade was refined, it could withstand three attacks from a transcendent artifact. In Zhang Yan's opinion, it was more valuable than a normal transcendent artifact. As for the rest of the time, he used it to practice the Internal Orifice Technique.
Once he mastered this technique, he would be able to identify many medicinal properties even without the broken jade. Not only that, even if the spiritual roots of the immortal herbs were deep underground, he would be able to identify them as long as he passed by. It was the most useful technique.
He thought to himself that if one day he was no longer in the Ying Cang Sect, he would be able to use this technique to refine elixirs and medicines without the help of others.
After cultivating like this for about a hundred days, he had merged the seventy-five breaths of clear and turbid Qi into one. In addition to the ones he had refined earlier, he now had seventy-eight breaths of spiritual Qi in his body. He only needed to refine three more to break through. He reached the third level of the Clear Qi Stage in one breath.
Just as he was about to continue, he heard the sound of a golden bell outside. He retreated from his meditation.
He opened the door of the quiet room and walked outside. Luo Xiao, who was waiting in the corridor, came up and said, "King Ji's youngest son, Prince Zhen, Ji Zhang, has sent an envoy. He is waiting outside the Bi Yun Pavilion."
"Oh?"
Zhang Yan didn't expect that Ji Zhang would actually come looking for him. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
Everyone knew that Ji Jiushang, the king of the Water Nation, had the intention to abolish the East Palace and make Prince Zhen the crown prince. If nothing went wrong, he would definitely be the next king. Moreover, he was the protagonist of this Elixir Gathering. He could not afford to offend him and left him outside.
Luo Xiao obviously knew the importance of the matter, so she specially reported to him. He gave her a look of approval and took out a talisman to dispel the restriction on the island.
On the surface of the lake, more than fifty people were standing on a huge lotus leaf. The person in front was wearing the court uniform of the Water Nation of the Dang Region. Her face was like a peach blossom and her figure was graceful.
It was a female official!
Zhang Yan's expression changed. The Sect Leader of the Yue Cang Faction liked to use female cultivators, and this Ji Jiushang also liked to use female officials. This caused the entire Shui Nation to follow suit, and it seemed like this King Zhen was no exception.
Seeing that the prohibition had been opened, the female official and her group stepped onto the island. Behind her were four female servants who were carrying a tray. As they approached the island, she first glanced at Zhang Yan, then smiled sweetly and said, "His Royal Highness King Zhen has decreed that Zhang Yan, the emissary of the Ming Cang Faction, is highly skilled in alchemy, so he has specially bestowed a Dazzling Luo Robe."
Her enunciation was clear, and her voice was loud but not muffled. It was a little hoarse, but it was very comfortable.
She ordered someone to bring a dark purple Daoist robe to Zhang Yan, then said, "This robe can ward off water and fire, block metal, gather qi and calm the mind. Please accept it, Fellow Daoist Zhang."
Zhang Yan waved his hand, indicating for Luo Xiao to accept it. Almost every alchemist who came here was rewarded by the Water Royal Family, so he was not surprised.
Following that, he had Luo Xiao offer over a hundred spirit shells as a presentation according to the rules.
Who knew that the female official would reject it with a smile. At first, Zhang Yan thought that she thought it was too little, but then he heard a female servant say, "My master doesn't care for these spirit shells of yours."
The female official's phoenix eyes turned, and she scolded her, saying, "Wan 'er, don't be rude. Fellow Daoist Zhang is the direct descendant of Master Zhou, how can you be rude?"
The female official said in a low voice, "Yes."
Zhang Yan could tell that this female official seemed to have other matters to attend to, so he cupped his hands and said, "May I know how to address you, Senior Official?"
The female official also cupped her hands in return, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang need not be so courteous. I am Zhen Ming, and I don't deserve to be called Senior Official. You can just call me Fellow Daoist."
Since the other party didn't mention her position in the Water Royal Family, Zhang Yan was happy to do so. He turned to the side and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhen, please come into the pavilion for a chat."
Zhen Ming, however, extended her lily-white hand and waved it lightly. She said, "There's no need. I've come today for official business, and also for a private request."
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "I don't know when, please tell me, Fellow Daoist. “
Zhen Ming sighed and said, "This lowly official has a younger brother. A month ago, he was too aggressive in his cultivation of the mysterious technique, which resulted in the evil fire's backlash, causing his internal organs to be injured. He needs to be treated with the Imperial Lu Pill. Although this pill is easy to refine, only the one with the most medicinal strength is useful Just Now. For the rest, there is no benefit in taking too many. I heard that Grandmaster Ren once highly praised Fellow Daoist Zhang, praising him for his friendly ability to discern medicinal properties and understand pharmacology. As such, I have come to ask for Fellow Daoist's assistance."
Zhang Yan nodded. He understood the purpose of the other party's visit. It turned out that it was because Ren Cai wanted to spread his name.
The Imperial Lu Pill was extremely famous in the field of alchemy. It could calm one's inner fire, remove poisonous gas, and temper one's meridians. Those who practiced the Path of Strength would sometimes be too aggressive and would be attacked by the internal and external fire. This would cause their minds to become dull, their tempers to be irritable, and they would kill at the slightest provocation. It was extremely difficult to control. If it was not properly treated, it was very possible that they would lose their mind.
However, he felt that it was a little strange. There were so many alchemists in Shui Country. Could it be that none of them could discern medicinal properties? Why did they have to ask him for help? There must be some other reason behind this.
Zhang Yan thought to himself, I heard that this Zhen King loves alchemy and is practically obsessed with it. Could it be that she heard of my reputation and is using this as a pretext to test me?
Thinking of this, his spirits rose, and he asked, "Where are the pills?"
Zhen Ming said, "I've brought them with me. Wan 'er, why haven't you presented them yet?"
Wan 'er made a sound of acknowledgment and brought out the Coiled Crane Copper Cauldron in her hands.
Luo Xiao stepped forward to receive it, but Wan 'er suddenly pouted and said, "Once this cauldron is opened, it needs to be consumed within two hours. Don't brag about it because you don't have the ability. Otherwise, you'll waste this cauldron of pills and cause Second Lang to suffer for nothing."
Zhang Yan's expression did not change, but he put down the hand he was about to extend. He stood there silently, not saying a word or moving.
Zhen Ming's eyebrows rose, and her phoenix eyes shone with power. She said coldly, "Wan 'er, slap yourself ten times."
Wan 'er was stunned, and an expression of grievance appeared on her face. However, she did not dare to resist. She raised her white palm and repeatedly slapped her own face. When she stopped, a sliver of blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth.
Zhen Ming turned to look at Zhang Yan and said, "My daughter has never been disciplined. I've made a fool of myself in front of you."
Zhang Yan smiled slightly, and only then did he extend his hand to receive the medicine cauldron. He reached out to open the cauldron. As soon as the lid was opened, a wisp of white gas rose up, and a wave of fragrance rushed into his nostrils. He squinted his eyes, and after a moment, pointed at one of the pills and said, "This is it."
Zhen Ming looked at Zhang Yan with surprise, and instructed a female attendant beside her, "Take it and give it to Second Lang. Come back quickly."
The female attendant did not dare to be negligent. She used a silk handkerchief that she had prepared to take the pills, and hurriedly returned to the lotus leaf in the lake. She could faintly see that there was still a youth who was trapped in the middle. His ankles and wrists were shackled, and when he saw that someone was feeding him pills, he began to struggle.
Presumably, this person was Zhen Ming's younger brother. Zhang Yan did not think that she would actually bring him here. He did not want to look any longer, and since he had nothing to do, he stood where he was and began to chat with Zhen Ming.
As they chatted, Zhen Ming was very surprised. This Zhang Yan had originally thought that he was only an alchemist, but he did not expect that this person was not only familiar with ancient records, but also knew all kinds of miscellaneous anecdotes. She did not feel bored talking to this person at all, and her interest in the topic was unconsciously aroused. After a few more words, the female attendant turned back and reported, "After Second Lang took it, his mind was relaxed, and he has already fallen asleep."
Zhen Ming's face revealed a joyful expression. "Fellow Zhang is indeed an outstanding talent of the present age."
Zhang Yan smiled faintly, and said, "I wouldn't dare. I was just lucky."
Zhen Ming muttered to herself for a moment, and looked at Zhang Yan. She said, "With Fellow Zhang's intelligence, you must have understood the Monarch's intentions by coming to the Alchemy Gathering."
Zhang Yan glanced at the other party, and nodded lightly.
Zhen Ming seemed to heave a sigh of relief, and said, "However, Prince Zhen will naturally not let Fellow Zhang suffer a loss. This time, he has agreed that the Lustrous Cloud Shellfish Field will henceforth belong to the Yue Cang Sect, and the Three Pools will not provoke him over this matter. In addition, Fellow Zhang and Prince Zhen can be considered to be fellow cultivators, so I wonder what Fellow Zhang wants? His Royal Highness will do his best to satisfy you."
This time, Ji Jiushang was using the Alchemy Gathering to create momentum for Prince Zhen, Ji Zhang, so that everyone in the world would know that he was the next Monarch. As for the Essence Metal Life Fruit Book, it was a technique to cultivate "strength". Anyone with a discerning eye could naturally see that the winner of this book could only be Ji Zhang.
However, since it was the Alchemy Gathering, he could not go overboard. Others had come to support him, so he had to give them some benefits, right? Furthermore, he could also use his wealth to win over the hearts of fellow cultivators in the world. After this Alchemy Gathering, Prince Zhen's position as crown prince would definitely be stable.
Zhang Yan thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If it's possible, I would like to borrow the Essence Metal Life Fruit Book to take a look."
Zhen Ming did not think that Zhang Yan would make such a request. She was stunned at first, then said in shock, "Fellow Daoist, you are a human cultivator. Forgive me for being blunt, but reading this book is useless."
Zhang Yan, however, shook his head and said, "I'm not reading this book for cultivation. I'm just trying to resolve a doubt in my heart. However, I won't take it for free. My esteemed teacher has a bottle of medicinal pills called the" Pill of Transformation ". As long as one's cultivation reaches a certain level, as long as they consume this pill, they will definitely be able to transform and shed their shells."
"Oh?" Zhen Ming's eyes brightened. In the Water Nation, even the direct descendants of the royal family might not be able to transform. It should be known that only after transforming could they cultivate profound techniques. This was similar to the opening of meridians for human cultivators. If this bottle of Pill of Transformation was really as Zhang Yan had said, then its value to the royal family was practically immeasurable.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to report this to Prince Zhen."
Zhang Yan nodded and said, "That's how it should be."
Zhen Ming seemed to be rather impatient. After saying a few more words, she hurriedly bid farewell and left.
Zhang Yan, however, seemed to have thought of something. He first whispered a few words into Luo Xiao's ear, then stood there in a daze for a while before returning to the Water Pavilion to meditate.
He originally thought that exchanging medicinal pills for books would drag on for at least ten days or half a month, and at least two or three times. He did not think that Zhen Ming would come to visit again that very night.
After leading her into the inner chamber, Zhen Ming took out a book made of gold and said seriously, "Prince Zhen found out about this medicinal pill and was unable to contain his joy. He urged me to quickly show this book to you. I hope that you can swear an oath that after reading this book, you will not reveal even half a sentence of this book to a second person."
Zhang Yan looked at the book in his hand. He did not think that this book was already in Prince Zhen's hands, yet he would so easily show it to him?
Even he, at this moment, felt a sense of disbelief in his heart.
No wonder people said that Prince Zhen loved to do ridiculous things and treated medicinal pills as if they were his life. It seemed like he really did it on a whim and did not care about anything else.
Judging from Zhen Ming's behavior, it seemed that this book was also secretly brought out. However, wasn't this a good thing for him?
He immediately swore an oath. Zhen Ming's expression relaxed and she handed the book to Zhang Yan. She said, "Friend, please finish reading this quickly. I need to bring this book back as soon as possible."
Zhang Yan nodded and began to flip through the book. With his current memory, he could naturally memorize the content after reading it once.
Not long after, he put down the book and took out a bottle of medicinal pills from his sleeve. He handed it to Zhen Ming. "Prince Zhen is an expert in this field. You can tell if it's real or fake with one look."
Zhen Ming accepted the bottle and left happily.
After the woman left the island, Zhang Yan stood by the railing of the Water Pavilion and looked at the vast expanse of mist in front of him. "Friend Luo, has there been anything strange in the city recently?"
Luo Xiao replied, "If Fellow Daoist didn't mention it, I really wouldn't have paid attention to it. During the day, I investigated and found that other than the disciples of the various sects, there were quite a number of demons with high cultivation bases gathered in one place.
Zhang Yan shook his head and sighed. "Prince Zhen is frivolous and does things according to his own will. He is not the type of person a ruler should be. I'm afraid that the matter of the Elixir Gathering has changed."
He heard that the original Crown Prince of the Water Country had been in power for a hundred years. Now that he had been abdicated, if he did not fight now, he would not have another chance in the future. Whether it was Ji Jiushang's intention to use this opportunity to sweep away the Eastern Palace's forces or the Eastern Palace's unwillingness to fail and counterattack, this was not a place to stay for long.
However, he had already achieved his goal. The Water Country might be in a civil war, and it was inconvenient to enter and exit the Water Country. If he did not leave now, he might not be able to leave again.
Zhang Yan said in a low voice, "A storm is brewing. Friend Luo, we should leave quickly."
…
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