Meng Nan took out paper and ink and painted the scene from his memories: himself and Zhao Xiaoshuang being killed.
That mountain.
That man.
Vivid as life.
Then he asked Zhao Xiaoshuang, "Do you recognize this place? This man?"
"This is Zhang He, a Rogue Cultivator from Yanxia Ravine. He's at the peak of True Essence and is skilled with a set of Mysterious Yin Flying Daggers. He's notorious."
"Yanxia Ravine isn't far from Yaozi Mountain. It's to the south."
"As for this place—"
Zhao Xiaoshuang studied it for a few moments, then remembered. "This is Candle Stand. Look here: this formation resembles a candle, with a platform on top, which is how it got its name. It's to the north."
Candle Stand.
Zhang He of Yanxia Ravine.
One to the south, one to the north.
How had they ended up together?
"What is this?"
Zhao Xiaoshuang looked at Meng Nan.
"When I lost my memory, images flashed through my mind. Five months from now, at Candle Stand, the two of us will seize a Great Medicine. As we flee, Zhang He will ambush and kill us."
Meng Nan carefully described the scene from his death-flashback to Zhao Xiaoshuang.
"This..."
"Foreknowledge of the future?"
Zhao Xiaoshuang furrowed her brow.
The ability was so bizarre that most people would find it hard to believe. They might even think Meng Nan was imagining things.
But although Meng Nan had lost his memory, he was perfectly normal, and felt just like he had when she first met him at nineteen. That left Zhao Xiaoshuang unsure what to believe.
Meng Nan didn't rush to convince her. Instead, he asked, "What Great Medicine is at Candle Stand? Can it increase Primal Qi?"
"Great Medicine."
"If it really is a Great Medicine..."
Zhao Xiaoshuang remembered that Meng Nan's memories were incomplete. She thought for a moment, then changed the subject. "Do you still remember that there are three ways to advance from True Essence to Qi Refining?"
"Three?"
Meng Nan was taken aback.
In his third and fourth lives, he had tried to learn how to advance to Qi Refining. But even what he'd asked Zheng Shanpeng in his fourth life had only revealed two methods.
The first was to rely on oneself.
At the peak of True Essence, with five levels of Sense Imprint, one forcibly opened the Three Cavities.
The Three Cavities were the separate channels of Primal Qi, responsible for circulating the three forms of qi through the five viscera and six bowels.
Once opened, they were like a treasure trove of Primal Qi thrown wide. Primal Qi would surge rapidly for a short time, until it reached its peak.
If one managed to find the spark of inspiration during this process, one could break through.
But if one failed, the wide-open gates of the Three Cavities were like a furnace burning at full blast, quickly consuming all the Primal Qi of a True Essence cultivator.
Like an ephemeral flower.
Like fireworks.
A momentary bloom. If one failed to reach Qi Refining, one would quickly fade away.
It was a gamble.
Most Rogue Cultivators took this path.
The other method was called Dan Yuan Wandering Veins, commonly known as Enlightenment.
For this method, when a True Essence cultivator opened the Three Cavities, a Qi Refining Immortal Master used their own magical power and Dan Yuan as a guide, circulating it through the cultivator's body to draw forth the elusive spark of inspiration from within the Three Cavities.
The instant they caught it, they would advance.
This method consumed an Immortal Master's magical power, and the price was steep. They wouldn't do it for anyone but a trusted disciple.
Many Rogue Cultivators hoped to become disciples of an Immortal Master so that one day the master might grant them Enlightenment, let them comprehend the immortal spark, and ascend to Qi Refining.
Meng Nan in his fourth life had hoped for the same.
But this method had a low success rate, too, and also required one to open the Three Cavities. Failure still meant death.
Outside these two methods, Meng Nan hadn't heard of a third in his third or fourth life.
"The three paths are divided into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Methods."
Zhao Xiaoshuang knew Meng Nan had lost his memory, so she carefully explained. "The Lower Method is Dan Yuan Wandering Veins. Even setting aside the odds of success, the magical power one gains after breaking through is impure, and one's future prospects are limited. Take Tianlin Immortal Master, for example. He advanced using the Lower Method. His magical power was impure, and after reaching Qi Refining, he could barely make progress. He could only sit in Tianlin Cave, practicing day and night without rest. But ten years of cultivation might not match another person's single year."
Those who advanced using the Lower Method were the most inept.
Magical power was the most important thing in Qi Refining.
Once it was impure, one's future grew bleak.
"Next is the Middle Method."
"It's called Great Medicine Steaming and Boiling."
"There are wondrous medicines in the world that can draw forth the spark of inspiration. Although one's magical power remains impure after breaking through this way, it's much better than with Dan Yuan Wandering Veins, and the success rate is extremely high."
"With the Lower Method, perhaps not one in a hundred succeeds."
"Even an inferior Great Medicine near the bottom of the rankings gives one about a one-in-ten chance of finding the spark of inspiration and advancing to Qi Refining."
"The hard part is finding a Great Medicine."
The Lower Method: Dan Yuan Wandering Veins.
The Middle Method: Great Medicine Steaming and Boiling.
"Great Medicine!"
"So that's why!"
Meng Nan finally understood why the two of them would risk their lives five months from now.
Even the lowest-ranked Great Medicine gave them at least a one-in-ten chance of advancing to Qi Refining. And those who advanced this way had far better prospects than those who used the Lower Method. A Great Medicine was naturally precious beyond measure. To stumble upon one was a stroke of great fortune, worth risking one's life for.
"There's a Great Medicine at Candle Stand!"
Meng Nan's heart stirred.
With the Great Medicine in hand, Qi Refining was within reach!
In all his lives, this was the closest he had ever come to reaching Qi Refining.
Even if he didn't use the medicine himself and gave it to Zhao Xiaoshuang, she would still have at least a one-in-ten chance of advancing to Qi Refining.
With a wife at the Qi Refining Stage, what did Meng Nan have to worry about in this life?
"I have to risk it!"
Meng Nan thought.
But there was no need to rush. Zhao Xiaoshuang was still explaining the Upper Method.
"If your foundation is solid and your True Essence pure, then when you open the Three Cavities, you may find the spark of inspiration on your own and break through in one stroke."
"If you do it all in one breath, you'll achieve perfection. Your magical power will be pure, flawless, and free of impurities after you advance, and your prospects will be the brightest."
"This is the Upper Method."
"Even if you can't find the spark of inspiration right away after opening the Three Cavities, a large supply of spirit sand and precious medicine can sustain your life and Primal Qi, allowing you to remain in the Three Cavities realm for a long time. The longer you stay, the greater your chance of finding the spark. Once you do, you can break through. This can barely be counted as the Upper Method, too. Your magical power will have only slight impurities, which won't matter much."
"The only problem is that the cost is enormous. Even Qi Refining Immortal Masters can't afford to support someone this way."
"Probably only the direct disciples of patriarchs and the true disciples of great sects get such treatment."
Zhao Xiaoshuang sighed.
After a century of cultivation and traveling across the Three Mountains, she understood that on the road to immortality, you either had extraordinary talent and relied entirely on yourself, or you had powerful backing, with great cultivators supporting and guiding you.
Otherwise—
A Rogue Cultivator?
A dead end!
"The Three Qi Refining Methods."
Only after hearing Zhao Xiaoshuang's explanation did Meng Nan gain a more concrete understanding of how to advance to Qi Refining.
Dan Yuan Wandering Veins.
Great Medicine Steaming and Boiling.
Breaking through on one's own.
Each of the three methods had its strengths and weaknesses.
The Lower Method required one to pledge themselves to an Immortal Master and become a trusted follower.
The Middle Method required finding a rare Great Medicine—under the vast blue sky and across the boundless wilderness, it was like searching for a needle in the sea.
The Upper Method required good talent and a deep foundation, as well as breaking through early. The younger one was, the greater one's potential, and the longer one could endure in the Three Cavities realm. With spirit sand, precious medicine, and other supplements, one could last even longer.
By now, Meng Nan and Zhao Xiaoshuang were both old and frail, with no vast stockpile of spirit sand. They had consumed plenty of pills when they were young, and their True Essence couldn't be called pure.
So the Upper Method was out of reach.
Cha Mountain had been destroyed, and the Immortal Masters were dead or scattered. The Lower Method was out of reach, too.
Only the Middle Method remained.
They would cross mountain ranges, gamble on luck, and search for a Great Medicine. Along the way, they would try to accumulate as much spirit sand as possible. If their lives were nearly over and they still hadn't found a Great Medicine, they would attempt a breakthrough using the Upper Method.
But that would be a desperate gamble on the brink of death, with slim odds of success.
That was the path most Rogue Cultivators took.
Five months later.
Meng Nan and Zhao Xiaoshuang found a precious medicine at Candle Stand!
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