Spring Passed, Autumn Came

Cultivation knew no days or months. Wei Yuan breathed in and out the moonlight day after day, and at last he saw Zhang Sheng again.

Another half month had passed since their last meeting.

Wei Yuan had been terribly excited, but when he saw Zhang Sheng's cold, impatient face, he knew his master was still angry. But what kind of anger could last a whole month?

Wei Yuan didn't dare ask. He could only stand there obediently and wait for Zhang Sheng to inspect his lessons and cultivation progress. By then, Wei Yuan had been expanding his visualization diagram for over fifty days, already surpassing the longest time on record. Yet the shadow in the full moon showed no sign of fading—it hadn't even budged.

Wei Yuan felt a little guilty whenever his cultivation progress came up. It had taken him over fifty days to expand the visualization diagram to eight zhang. Its size was passable, but his daily progress was truly slow. And the diagram showed no unusual signs at all. The red line on the Jade Toad's back had simply vanished while Eldest Senior Sister washed it, bit by bit.

Generally speaking, there was only one explanation for this: Wei Yuan lacked aptitude. It couldn't be that the Jade Toad was a fake and had lost its color from washing, could it?

When Zhang Sheng heard that Wei Yuan was still expanding his visualization diagram, he showed no surprise. He merely told Wei Yuan to manifest it for him to see.

Wei Yuan followed his instructions and circulated his cultivation art. The Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon appeared in his sea of consciousness once more.

Aside from its considerable size, the visualization diagram was utterly unremarkable. The ground was bare, the boulders were dull, and the Jade Toad's skin was pallid. Only the shadow in the full moon was somewhat unusual.

Those who could cultivate the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram all possessed great fortune, and that fortune was chiefly reflected in the full moon. The strange visions manifested by such great fortune were naturally extraordinary. The visualization diagrams recorded in the collected insights of generations of disciples were all remarkable: dragons, phoenixes, auspicious beasts, and more. There were even sacrificial tripods, towering green peaks, and grand immortal halls—each one enough to make your hair stand on end. But surely those who left their diagrams in books wanted later generations to admire them?

Gods and Devils swarmed within the full moon of Bao Yun's visualization diagram. She, too, qualified to have her diagram recorded in the disciples' collection of insights, and it ranked near the top.

By comparison, Wei Yuan's shadow looked rather shabby. Not only did it look shabby, but its actual effect was mediocre too. The foundation it transformed into was extremely unstable, and even after Ji Liuli refined it, it could only be called passable.

After looking over the visualization diagram, Zhang Sheng made no comment. He continued by asking Wei Yuan about history and technical theory.

History was Wei Yuan's strong suit, and he answered fluently. Technical theory mostly covered miscellaneous studies. With his foundation still unsettled, Wei Yuan spent nearly all his time breathing in and out the moonlight. How could he find time to study technical theory?

While Zhang Sheng was testing his knowledge, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate. A Daoist in servant's robes came in, delivered an envelope, then turned and left without saying a word.

The envelope was addressed to Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng snorted. Someone must have learned he was here and sent it over specifically for him. He couldn't be bothered to guess who it was. He took the envelope, opened it, and pulled out a sheet of paper. But at a glance, his brows twitched slightly.

Wei Yuan wanted to see what was written on the paper, but Zhang Sheng turned away, giving him no chance to read the letter. Wei Yuan had sharp eyes and caught a glimpse of a long number. It seemed to be an amount of Immortal Silver, counted in tens of thousands of taels.

After reading the letter, Zhang Sheng turned the two pages into balls of fire in his hands, and they vanished.

He looked at Wei Yuan and asked, "Has Ji Liuli been refining your foundation for you all this time?"

"Yes. She said it would take three months in total."

For some reason, Wei Yuan felt that Zhang Sheng had seemed faintly relieved when he heard it would take three months.

Zhang Sheng took out a jade bottle and set it on the table. "This is a Peiyuan Pill. It can greatly replenish your vital energy and speed up your cultivation. Take one every three days. This is enough for a month."

"Thank you, Master!" Wei Yuan bowed in gratitude, but felt even more pressure weigh on his heart.

At Taichu Palace, pills were an essential part of cultivation. When it came to alchemy, Taichu Palace ranked among the very best in the entire cultivation world. Many pills produced by Zaohua Temple were renowned for their gentle medicinal properties and remarkable effects. The Peiyuan Pill, for example, could greatly accelerate Body Forging, especially the tempering of muscle and sinew. One pill could equal ten days of cultivation. Its medicinal properties were extraordinarily mild, and it could be taken almost without limit. It was hailed as a holy medicine for Body Forging.

Everyone needed such a miraculous medicine, so it wasn't cheap. Each pill cost one hundred and twenty taels of Immortal Silver, and its price never dropped. That was why only the core heirs of powerful clans could afford to take it like a meal.

Wei Yuan's monthly stipend for a whole year would only buy one Peiyuan Pill, so he had never even considered getting one before. Zhang Sheng might look at Wei Yuan with utter disdain, but this bottle of Peiyuan Pills revealed his true feelings.

After setting down the pills, Zhang Sheng said, "I'll come again next month."

"Disciple has one more question." Wei Yuan hurriedly called after Zhang Sheng and voiced the confusion in his heart. "I've already spent longer expanding my visualization diagram than anyone in history. What should I do now?"

"As long as the shadow in the moon remains, keep cultivating. Don't worry about anything else."

With Zhang Sheng's answer, Wei Yuan finally felt at ease. Before he could even see his master off, Zhang Sheng shot into the sky and vanished in an instant. It seemed he couldn't be bothered to say another word to him.

After Zhang Sheng left, Wei Yuan immediately began cultivating. His progress was already far slower than everyone else's, so he had to seize every second. Now that he had pills, he dared waste even less time. Every Peiyuan Pill was a massive boulder weighing on his heart.

After taking the Peiyuan Pill, Wei Yuan saw an obvious change in his cultivation of the visualization diagram. A fine drizzle fell once more. It couldn't compare to the Chonglou Dinghai Pill, but it still caused the speed at which Wei Yuan breathed in and out the moonlight to surge more than tenfold.

Wei Yuan discovered that as the Jade Toad and the full moon grew larger, the speed at which he breathed in and out the moonlight also increased.

Over the next month, Wei Yuan breathed in and out the moonlight. At month's end, Zhang Sheng arrived right on time and brought another bottle of Peiyuan Pills.

Seeing the second bottle of Peiyuan Pills, Wei Yuan grew a little puzzled. By Taichu Palace's usual rules, Dao Foundation disciples received a monthly stipend of one hundred taels, while True Persons received a thousand. One bottle of Peiyuan Pills was worth a year's stipend for Zhang Sheng. Under Taichu Palace's rules, a genius disciple like Zhang Sheng would receive a stipend above the standard amount, but it could never exceed that of a Dharma Idol True Person. At the rate of one bottle of Peiyuan Pills a month, sooner or later Zhang Sheng would be eaten into bankruptcy by Wei Yuan.

As soon as Zhang Sheng arrived, the servant Daoist appeared right on time and delivered an envelope identical to the one from the previous month. Zhang Sheng read it, burned it as usual, then glanced at Wei Yuan's visualization diagram and left. He didn't even test his lessons.

Wei Yuan sensed that Zhang Sheng was extremely irritable, though he was forcing himself to keep it bottled up. After opening and reading the letter, he seemed even more so—Sword Qi was practically about to spill out of him. But Zhang Sheng cared deeply about his dignity. Asking about anything he didn't want to discuss was asking for death. Having followed him for so long, Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't invite that misfortune.

In the fourth month, Wei Yuan breathed in and out the moonlight, fretted over the progress of his visualization diagram and Zhang Sheng's purse, and ate Peiyuan Pills.

In the fifth month, Wei Yuan breathed in and out the moonlight, forgetting both himself and the world.

In the sixth month, the Jade Toad breathed in and out the moonlight.

In the seventh month, he contemplated the life of a toad.

In the eighth month, life as a toad didn't seem worth it.

That month, Zhang Sheng didn't open the letter. He tore it up on the spot.

In the ninth month, the students attending the group lessons somehow got into a conflict with disciples of the Zhi Gu Sect. Bao Yun and Cui Yu proclaimed themselves leaders of the Ding Xin Sect and led their classmates to settle the score. As expected, a fight broke out. Wei Yuan naturally couldn't miss out on something like that. But while everyone else had begun Body Forging, he was still expanding his visualization diagram, so he got beaten until his face was bruised and swollen.

In the twelfth month, the Jade Toad gave up thinking.