Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 276 The Tide-Watching Sword Gathering

"Although all four Water Paths are skilled in healing... in reality, the [Wall Water] path is the most proficient in this art..."

"Water is born from the yang of heaven, hence the name 'Heaven gives birth to water'... As the saying goes, 'Heaven gives birth to water, and earth completes it'... Therefore, the supernatural power recorded in this 'Heaven gives birth to water' is called 'Heaven gives birth to water'... Even injuries to the origin of supernatural power can be healed."

"Among the spiritual waters of heaven and earth, there is also a kind called 'Heaven-Given Water,' which is closely related to this supernatural power. Its grade is considered high among the spiritual objects of the Purple Mansion. It can purify the cultivator's original true qi and foundation, strengthen their roots and improve their aptitude... Even if a Purple Mansion True Person is seriously injured and on the verge of death, they can be completely cured after drinking it, and even the danger of Dao transformation can be greatly alleviated... Therefore, purifying the foundation of lower cultivators is the most extravagant use."

Master Leshan then explained.

Fang Qing understood.

Even the White Wood Immortal, who came from the Purple Mansion family of the [Ji Shui] lineage, was tormented to the point of wishing for death by a supernatural power. This was a wound to the very source of the supernatural power, and neither his own [Jiu Gan Lin] nor the [Healing Spring] of the [Fen Shui Huan] could heal it.

However, if one finds a "Heavenly Life" Purple Mansion True Man with the supernatural power of "Wall Water", one can be cured immediately.

"Thank you, Master. For the other one, I'll choose [San Shui]."

Fang Qing clasped his hands together, transforming back into a handsome and elegant monk.

"Haha, Du Zi is really interesting, unlike those cultists in the Secret Realm."

Master Leshan gave the order, and not long after, the same Dao Foundation cultivator came in carrying two volumes of cultivation manuals and respectfully knelt down.

Fang Qing picked up "The Heavenly Water Technique," glanced at it a few times, then picked up another book and discovered that this "Water-Refining" technique was titled "Ou Yeyang's Miscellaneous Records of Sword Refining and Tempering"...

"【San Shui】 refers to freshly formed, cool water. Because of its exceptional purity and spirit, many master swordsmiths prefer to use it for quenching..."

Master Leshan explained.

Fang Qing nodded, casually flipping through the book, and discovered that the true qi gathered in "Ou Yeyang's Miscellaneous Records of Sword Refining and Tempering" was closely related to the metal element, ranking at the upper level of the seventh rank. The Dao foundation formed by it was called "Tempering Cold Edge," a rare killing and divine power among the water elements...

……

a few days later.

After leaving the Canghai Sect, Fang Qing randomly found a desolate mountain and opened a cave to cultivate in seclusion and digest what he had gained this time.

"Our trip to the Canghai Sect not only yielded spiritual treasures from the Purple Mansion, but also completed and acquired three Water Virtue Purple Mansion cultivation techniques. Truly impressive..."

Reflecting on the past few days, he sighed, "But... we've now formed a grudge with the Wu Yue Sword Pavilion... There's nothing we can do about it. The power of the Purple Mansion is too great; we can't remain neutral even if we want to. They'll force us to take a stand."

Fang Qing needed the help of the Canghai Sect, and had already fallen out with the Sword Pavilion Master, so he had almost no choice.

Moreover, according to the distinction between righteous and demonic paths, the Sword Pavilion is the leading sect of the Taiyi Xuanmen, while I am from the demonic path; we are inherently incompatible...

"Just be careful, we can't let the Sword Pavilion or even the royal family's great swordsman Li Que corner us..."

Fortunately, I have the *Plum Blossom Divination* and, on a whim, I can't escape divination even in the later stages of the Purple Palace realm...

Fang Qing first checked his own injuries.

[Female Earth] is not as good as [Kang Metal]. Although he managed to withstand Xu Qing Zhenren's last sword strike, the sword energy and intent remained in his body. If left untreated for a long time, it might damage his foundation and harm the source of his supernatural powers!

But he wasn't flustered at all.

"The Dao gives birth to the Pearl!"

As the golden finger was activated, Fang Qing's [Female Earth] Dao Foundation disappeared instantly, and flames raged all around him, making him look like a crimson deity. A flame burned fiercely between his eyebrows, radiating bright light.

It was the transformation of the [Winged Fire] divine power—'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix'!

【Winged Fire】is the proper position of the Fire element, and 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' is a divine power personally passed down by the Phoenix, so it is naturally extraordinary.

Under the stimulation of supernatural powers, the power of "Illumination of Ignorance" reached a new level, and began to burn the sword scar on his chest, turning it into endless golden energy.

"After all, they are all manifestations of the Daoist tradition, but [Kang Jin] is not the proper position of metal, so there are still differences in strength... Moreover, this sword energy is just water without a source, a tree without roots..."

Just as Fang Qing was about to open his mouth to expel the ball of golden energy from his body, his mind immediately changed again.

In an instant, the aura of the Yellow Court emanated from his body, a yellowish-brown color, carrying the weight of the earth.

A faintly visible giant cauldron appeared, which was none other than the [Stomach Earth] divine power - 'Refining Yuan Cauldron'!

The large amount of golden energy was absorbed by the 'Refining Yuan Cauldron' and transformed into wisps of pure spiritual energy, nourishing the body.

"Use fire to overcome metal, and earth to transform..."

Fang Qing opened his eyes and felt that his Purple Mansion magic power had greatly improved, as if he had swallowed a powerful tonic.

"Generally speaking, after mastering one supernatural power, one must cultivate it to perfection before one can begin cultivating the next supernatural power..."

This is also the difference between a newly initiated Great Master who has just entered the Four Dharmas and a Seeking Gold Seed who has perfected the Four Dharmas.

"I've only just advanced to the Purple Mansion realm, yet I've already taken a step forward..."

"This is all thanks to that abundant metal energy..."

After his chronic illness was cured, Fang Qing took out the completed "Whale Swallowing the Vast Ocean Technique" and studied it carefully.

……

I don't know how much time has passed.

Fang Qing's aura changed, resembling the sound of whales singing under the bright moon and the rolling waves of the sea.

A point of light, representing the Zhen River, shone brightly between his brows.

"Divine Power—'Position Above the Abyss'!"

Fang Qing opened his eyes, his pupils turning into sapphire-blue crystals, as if he saw the inexplicable 'causal lines' in the void.

"It's better to weave a net than to stand by the water and envy the fish..."

"To weave a network of cause and effect, one must act in advance... The key lies in planning ahead and proceeding step by step. It is often only effective against those below, as manipulating their fate is easy, while manipulating their inner palace is extremely difficult... It is also a divine skill for crushing the weak!"

"If I really want to influence the next revision, wouldn't it be better to use the phrase 'words become law'?"

"The enhancement to movement techniques is indeed very useful in battles within the Purple Mansion realm..."

……

After some experimentation, he opened the "Heavenly One Water Technique" again. The true qi required to cultivate this technique is called "Earthly Six Yang Qi," which is ranked in the lower ninth grade and is quite extraordinary.

"Logically speaking, my 'Primordial Qi' is the primordial Qi, ranking as the ninth-grade supreme quality, capable of transforming all true Qi... It should be able to directly transform the required true Qi. However, when I cultivate this technique, I need to ingest a stream of true Qi as a catalyst. This must be because I haven't yet mastered a certain key technique..."

Fang Qing tried again and found that his plan to directly enter the "Heavenly One Water Technique" by relying on "Primordial Qi" had failed shamefully.

But he didn't care. It was just a wisp of true qi, which he could easily obtain whether he gathered it himself or bought it from outside.

After all, it's not like the taboo-prone "Great Sun Purple Qi" of the ninth-grade superior level, so it's still quite easy to collect.

"If I cultivate a technique that has already absorbed true qi, I can naturally convert it directly using 'primordial qi'. However, when I first start using a brand-new Purple Mansion technique, I still need to absorb a wisp of true qi as a catalyst."

"The Heavenly One Water Technique, the condensed divine power is called 'Heavenly One Water'... It does seem to have weakened to the point that it only has the function of healing, but even so, the speed of healing and recovery is extremely fast, far exceeding the other three water virtues..."

Fang Qing carefully perused the cultivation manual and gained some insights.

This is also an attempt to enhance one's own water virtue: "'Heavenly One Water' is skilled in nurturing and healing... but it is still somewhat inferior to the true Purple Mansion wonder 'Heavenly One Water,' having an effect similar to a diluted product..."

"If a True Person of the [Wall Water] cultivates this divine power and is willing to spend three Jiazi (60 years) refining various water essences, they can also give birth to a true 'Heaven-Given Water'."

"Of course, three Jiazi is too long. There's an even more convenient method: destroy a [Wall Water] True Person and see if they happen to produce this Purple Mansion Spiritual Object..."

"Pah... How did I become so evil?"

"Sigh... Ever since I learned that the Qi Refining Path is very likely to be the Primordial Heaven, I've become more and more localized... My bottom line! I can't abandon my bottom line."

Fang Qing secretly reminded himself.

At that moment, a thought struck him, and he felt the call of the 'Dao Sheng Pearl'.

Immersed in the moment, I saw the bearded man I had collected earlier logging into the Mysterious Void Heaven and talking to Yin Kaitian.

"Is it something important?"

After a moment's thought, Fang Qing took full control of the disciple.

……

Inside the private room at Xuanxu Heaven.

"Fellow Daoist, are you referring to... Qiantang City?"

Fang Qing then spoke, and Yin Kaitian, oblivious to the danger, nodded and said, "Our leader has personally ordered... all brothers from all sides to gather in Qiantang City for something big!"

"You bunch of rats everyone wants to kill, are you going that way to deliver your food?"

Fang Qing thought to himself, then said, "Could it be... the Tide-Watching Sword Gathering?"

"Indeed, it is the Tide-Watching Sword Gathering... Every year when the Qiantang River tide rises, spiritual tides surge in, which is very beneficial for cultivation... As the capital of the Wu Kingdom, it attracts geniuses from all walks of life to gather together to compete in martial arts and swordsmanship... This year's sword gathering is even more sensational. It is said that the Wu Emperor personally issued an edict, not allowing the Northern Zhou's monthly evaluation to monopolize the limelight. We in the South must also select our own new talents."

Yin Kaitian said excitedly.

"Something like the Eight Great Swords?"

Fang Qing understood.

Throughout history, countless people have died in the struggle for fame and fortune.

"That's right, but this time it's not the eight famous swords of the martial arts world, but the eight famous swords of the cultivation world..."

Yin Kaitian said excitedly.

"It's pitiful that countless young heroes become sacrificial lambs, willingly taking the fall for others' attacks..."

Based on the influence of Xu Qing Zhenren's supernatural powers, Fang Qing knew without divination that the Qiantang Sword Gathering was all for Li Lu alone!

Perhaps after this, this person will be able to go into seclusion and break through to the Purple Mansion realm.

With this thought in mind, Fang Qing's eyes faintly took on a hint of azure, like a vast ocean, as he glanced at Yin Kaitian in front of him.

This person's karmic threads were tangled, but one end faintly pointed to the Qiantang River. That karmic thread was large and dark, indicating that there was a high probability of a fatal calamity!

"As expected, another expendable pawn!"

"The fate and cause of this 'Linyuan' are mysterious and wondrous; they are quite useful for observation, as they can clarify many forces and interpersonal relationships..."

Fang Qing had some new insights into "Positioning at the Abyss".

"Those who attempt to weave a web of fate will also suffer the consequences... If a knot is tied too tightly, the rest will be a tangled mess... As the saying goes, 'If you can't cut it, you can't untangle it...'"

"Fellow Daoist, how is it?"

Across from him, Yin Kaitian looked on with anticipation.

"Since it's an order from the church, I naturally have to go."

Fang Qing readily agreed, a cryptic smile playing on her lips...