True Essence Flow

After Zhou Er put away the Foundation Establishment Pill, he continued talking with Bai Zhuozhuo and Gu Fan about the secret realm.

Bai Zhuozhuo had only just returned and had plenty to tell them as well.

"Sister Bai, you said Wugu Dao Demon Spawn had infiltrated the Yunmeng Marsh Secret Realm. What exactly is Wugu Dao?"

Zhou Er asked.

He had never heard of Wugu Dao before. This demonic path seemed to operate only around Chu State.

"Wugu Dao is one of the Xiantian Demon Sect Thirty-three Demon Dao Remnants."

Gu Fan explained it to Zhou Er.

The Xiantian Demon Sect had been a demonic force that ruled the entire Yuan Ci Realm thousands of years ago. It had thirty-three branches, and Wugu Dao had been one of them, ruling over Chu Land.

Later, the Righteous Path rose to power. The Demon Venerable was sealed and slain, and the Xiantian Demon Sect was destroyed.

But demonic forces could never be wiped out completely. Every so often, these demonic cultivators would cause trouble again.

The root of the problem lay in the bizarre nature of demonic cultivation methods.

Take Wugu Dao, for instance. Its followers didn't need spiritual roots or aptitude. They only had to plant a poisonous Gu in their bodies to cultivate, and they advanced extremely quickly.

The other demonic paths were much the same. They didn't care about aptitude; as long as someone dared to risk everything, they could burn away their own life to gain extraordinary power.

Because of this, demonic cultivation methods had spread among ordinary people and were impossible to eradicate.

And the stronger one's demonic cultivation became, the more one's words and deeds came to reflect the traits of a demon of that path.

Slay one Wugu Dao follower today, and another would appear tomorrow.

Wildfire could never burn it all away; when the spring breeze blew, it sprang up again.

No one had found a way to eradicate these demonic paths once and for all.

Wugu Dao's resurgence had dealt a heavy blow to Yunmeng Sect, and the entire Chu State Cultivation World was on the verge of chaos.

The Wangyue Lake Area, however, hadn't been affected too much.

Places like Wangyue Lake were naturally easy to defend and hard to attack, with the great lake cutting them off from the outside.

Even during the Xiantian Demon Sect's rule, this region had never been governed closely.

Only internal strife could bring Bashui Immortal City down.

So they could cultivate here without too much worry.

They talked for a long while, learning the general state of affairs beyond the lake, then went their separate ways to cultivate.

There were spare rooms in the courtyard, so Bai Zhuozhuo could stay there.

After Bai Zhuozhuo returned, Gu Fan had tried to find her a physician several times. They were all Qi Refining physicians, and none could do anything for her.

If Bai Zhuozhuo's severed arm had still been there, it could have been reattached. But it had been lost, so that was clearly impossible.

There was another option: transplanting an arm from a person or corpse whose body was compatible with Bai Zhuozhuo's.

Gu Fan spent a great deal of Spirit Stone and tried every method she could think of.

At last, three months later, she found an arm suitable for Bai Zhuozhuo and hired someone to transplant it.

The new arm was frail and reacted much more slowly, but having it restored made things far more convenient for Bai Zhuozhuo, and her future cultivation would go more smoothly.

The only problem was the cost. The procedure had eaten up a full two thousand Spirit Stones.

Gu Fan had already spent a great deal rebuilding Fanhua Island after the Cultivator Robbers' attack. Now, after this expense, she had only a little over a thousand Spirit Stones left.

Still, it had been worth it.

Although Bai Zhuozhuo had her arm back, her cultivation hadn't returned to its peak.

She would need several more years to regain it.

Zhou Er wasn't especially concerned with that. He simply focused on his own cultivation.

Of course, he was glad Bai Zhuozhuo had gotten her arm back.

During those few months, the Gu Family had swept through the areas around Wangyue Lake. At least for the next few years, there shouldn't be any more Cultivator Robbers.

Bai Zhuozhuo then suggested returning to Fanhua Island.

"Someone still needs to look after Fanhua Island."

Bai Zhuozhuo told them.

Zhou Er disagreed.

He still felt that someone had their eye on Fanhua Island. It was dangerous, and this wasn't a good time to go back. So he said:

"Sister Bai, we're doing fine in the immortal city, and there are people looking after the island. There's no need to go back."

"Son-in-law, I'll protect you both on the island. You don't need to worry."

Bai Zhuozhuo said.

She knew Zhou Er was worried that the Cultivator Robbers would attack again.

They argued for a while without reaching an agreement. In the end, Gu Fan told Bai Zhuozhuo to return to the island first, rest, and keep an eye on things there.

They would remain in Bashui Immortal City until Zhou Er reached Foundation Establishment.

Seeing this, Bai Zhuozhuo had no choice but to leave it at that. She returned to Bashui Immortal City by herself, not wanting to disturb Zhou Er and Gu Fan.

By then, Zhou Er had mastered Heavy Water Cage and Cloud Rain Technique.

He had now mastered five Water Attribute Spells and solidified the Mystic Water Insight attribute. From then on, he would learn Water Attribute Spells much faster.

Besides that, the Mind Stabilization attribute of the Calm-spirit Cushion was nearly solidified.

[Mind Stabilization: Stabilizes the soul and increases Spiritual Sense Strength by one-tenth.]

[Solidification Condition: Meditate for one thousand hours. (996/1000)]

It would be solidified in another day.

Some slots in Zhou Er's Equipment Slot had opened up, and he realized he ought to look for some new items to acquire attributes.

He hadn't given it much thought while focusing on mastering spells lately. Now he could spare some time to browse Wanbao Pavilion.

But he had only a little over three hundred Spirit Stones on hand, not enough to buy anything particularly good.

Gu Fan had also been having a hard time lately. Zhou Er couldn't keep asking her for money.

So it was essential that he return to his old trade and start making talismans to earn Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, he had the Snow Fox Brush. Equipping it granted the green Wondrous Brush attribute, guaranteeing at least a thirty percent success rate. He had also grown proficient in Water Mirror Technique, so he could try drawing talismans with it.

He was still lacking a great deal of Second-tier Rune knowledge, though.

So Zhou Er planned to seek Gu Jiu out and exchange insights.

After all, Gu Jiu was an old hand. He had surely tried making Second-tier Talismans and would know at least a little.

The following day, Zhou Er told Gu Fan he was going to visit Gu Jiu, then left.

Gu Fan knew he was going to exchange Talisman Making Insights and didn't stop him.

"Old Brother Cang, it's been ages since you last came to my place."

Gu Jiu greeted Zhou Er with a beaming smile.

"Uncle Jiu, I've been studying spells lately, so I haven't been able to visit often."

Zhou Er replied with a smile. Like Gu Fan, he called Gu Jiu Uncle Jiu.

The two went into a room, sat across from each other, and started talking about talisman-making.

After a few exchanges, Zhou Er steered the conversation toward making Second-tier Talismans.

Gu Jiu had studied Second-tier Talismans, but he didn't have a complete system of Second-tier Rune knowledge.

Rune knowledge was vast and complex. Most Talisman Masters only studied the runes for the few talismans they knew, mastering those well enough to use. That was all they needed.

To draw a Water Mirror Talisman, Zhou Er needed to consult a Talisman Master who knew how to make one—at the very least, someone who studied Water Attribute Spell Runes.

Gu Jiu clearly wasn't such a person.

Even so, as an old hand, Gu Jiu knew a senior who could make Water Mirror Talismans.

"Senior Xie Jingyi of the Xie Family is a Water Attribute Second-tier Talisman Master, skilled in many Second-tier Talismans. But she's a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so you can't just go see her whenever you like. You'll have to wait until Bashui Immortal City holds a Talisman Master Gathering. Then you might get the chance to meet her."

Gu Jiu said.

Hearing this, Zhou Er realized it wouldn't be easy.

But there was no point rushing it.

"That's fine. I'll wait a while longer."

Zhou Er said with a smile.

After chatting with Gu Jiu a little longer, Zhou Er said goodbye and left.

Not everything went smoothly. Zhou Er could only set aside making Water Mirror Talismans for now and wait for another opportunity.

Besides, Xie Jingyi belonged to the Xie Family. Since he was with the Gu Family, the Xie Family might not be willing to teach him anyway.

For now, Zhou Er could only gather other knowledge wherever he could and slowly work things out for himself.

Fortunately, he had a Foundation Establishment Pill and wasn't short on cultivation resources.

After leaving Gu Jiu's home, Zhou Er still had some time, so he went to Wanbao Pavilion.

He looked around.

He couldn't afford the expensive items, but he could buy a few kinds of pills.

[Qi Replenishing Pill: Restores the user's Mana in a short time.]

[Equipped Attributes: True Essence Flow (White)]

[True Essence Flow (White): Increases Mana Recovery Speed by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Complete one hundred cycles of Mana Consumption and replenishment.]

[Equip?]

Zhou Er had finally found an attribute that could increase his Mana Recovery Speed.

Qi Replenishing Pills weren't expensive. One Spirit Stone bought one.

A single Qi Replenishing Pill was enough to restore a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator's Mana to full.

They restored Mana more conveniently than absorbing Spirit Energy from a Spirit Stone. However, one could only take a single pill in a short period; otherwise, it would damage the Dantian Sea of Qi.

Besides Qi Replenishing Pills, Zhou Er also spotted another pill with a useful attribute.

[Blood Qi Pill: Replenishes Blood Qi after Body Refining.]

[Equipped Attributes: Blood Qi Abundance (White)]

[Blood Qi Abundance (White): Increases Total Blood Qi by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Consume and refine one hundred Blood Qi Pills.]

[Equip?]

The Blood Qi Abundance attribute increased Total Blood Qi, which determined the strength of a Body Refining Cultivator.

Though Zhou Er probably didn't have the time to focus on Body Refining.

Still, he had the attributes for refining and Taotie, so he wouldn't have much trouble digesting a hundred Blood Qi Pills.

So Zhou Er bought a little over a hundred of them.

Blood Qi Pills weren't particularly expensive. Two came to one Spirit Stone, and Zhou Er spent a little over fifty Spirit Stones.

There was nothing else worth looking at, so Zhou Er left Wanbao Pavilion.

"How did it go with Uncle Jiu?"

When Zhou Er returned, Gu Fan came over to ask.

"He doesn't know how to make Water Mirror Talismans. Senior Xie Jingyi of the Xie Family is skilled in them, but she's in seclusion, so it wouldn't be appropriate to disturb her."

Zhou Er said regretfully.

"I see!"

Gu Fan nodded.

One couldn't just disturb a Foundation Establishment Expert in seclusion. There was nothing she could do to help, either.

"Sister Fan, don't worry. If we wait a while, we might get a chance."

Zhou Er said with a smile.

After speaking with Gu Fan for a few moments, Zhou Er said he was going to cultivate and went alone to a room.

There were three rooms in the courtyard. Normally, apart from when he cultivated the Yin-Yang Great Joy Manual, Zhou Er didn't cultivate together with Gu Fan.

After all, cultivation required a calm mind and complete focus.

Having someone nearby would affect him to some extent.

He entered the room, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and checked the panel.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Tenth Layer (89.13%)]

[Equipment Slot (3/3): Calm-spirit Cushion, Golden Cicada Slough, Storage Bag.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Mind Stabilization, Cicada Concealment (Green), Void Breaking (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: Mystic Water Insight (White), Size Manipulation, Defensive Guard...]

The Mind Stabilization attribute was almost ready to solidify. The Void Breaking attribute from the Storage Bag was of no use for now, so he could remove both items from the Equipment Slot.

After making a few plans, Zhou Er sat down cross-legged and began cultivating.

Two hours later, Zhou Er had cultivated enough for the time being. He checked the True Essence Flow attribute.

To solidify the Qi Replenishing Pill's True Essence Flow attribute, he needed to exhaust his Mana, replenish it, and repeat the process a hundred times.

Conveniently, Zhou Er could use talisman-making to consume Mana.

He couldn't make Water Mirror Talismans yet, but he knew how to make other First-grade Talismans.

Back on the island, he had used up most of his Life-saving Talismans. Now he could replenish his supply—ideally bringing each kind of talisman up to a hundred.

Besides, he could earn some Spirit Stones. If he ran into a Wanbao Pavilion Auction later, he could bid on magic artifacts, Magic Treasures, and the like.

So Zhou Er switched out two items, swallowed a Blood Qi Pill, and began making First-grade Talismans as he had before.

Of all of Zhou Er's Spirit Pet, Xiao Cang was the happiest when he took up his brush again.

That meant it could lick up the leftover Spirit Ink again.

He drew for three hours straight and made more than ten talismans. When his Mana was nearly depleted, Zhou Er stopped, put the talismans away, and left Xiao Cang to clean up.

With the Beast Language Mastery attribute, Zhou Er could give Xiao Cang orders with ease.

The only pity was that Xiao Cang's bloodline was still too weak. Even after following Zhou Er for so long, it hadn't improved much.

But Zhou Er didn't mind. He had always kept Xiao Cang half-wild and never expected it to do much for him.

The intensive talisman-making had nearly drained Zhou Er's mana and left him a little tired, so he went to take a short nap. He would restore his mana through cultivation after he woke up.

After resting for two hours, Zhou Er felt refreshed.

Even though he hadn't done anything for those two hours, the entries Qi Induction and Taotie had automatically restored some of the mana in his body.

At the same time, Zhou Er checked how much of the Blood Qi Pill his body had digested.

After all, he had been cultivating for more than three years and knew his body very well.

From what he could tell, most of the Blood Qi Pill had already been absorbed.

At this rate, it would take less than a hundred days to complete the solidification of the Blood Qi Abundance entry.

But now, Zhou Er had another task: cultivating to solidify the Mind Stabilization entry on the Calm-spirit Cushion.

So he temporarily removed the Blood Qi Pill from the Equipment Slot, replaced it with the Calm-spirit Cushion, and began meditating.

Two hours later.

[Mind Stabilization: Stabilizes the spirit and soul, increasing Spiritual Sense Strength by one-tenth.]

[Solidification Condition: Meditate and cultivate for one thousand hours. (1000/1000)]

[Entry Mind Stabilization has been solidified.]

[True Essence Flow (White): Increases Mana Recovery Speed by three-tenths.]

[Solidification Condition: Complete one hundred cycles of mana consumption and replenishment. (1/100)]

After two hours of cultivation, Zhou Er had not only solidified the Mind Stabilization entry, but also fully restored his mana, adding one point to the solidification progress of True Essence Flow.

Now he could finally take off the Calm-spirit Cushion and switch back to the Blood Qi Pill.

By then, dawn was close.

Zhou Er didn't rush to make talismans. Instead, he went to find Gu Fan and chatted with her briefly, to ease the tedium of cultivation.

Then Zhou Er told Gu Fan what he planned to do over the coming stretch of time.

He planned to cultivate hard and make talismans.

First, he would save up some Spirit Stones as quickly as he could, then see whether the auction at Wanbao Pavilion had anything good.

After hearing his plans, Gu Fan didn't linger to disturb him. She was busy trying to break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer herself.

Ever since she and Zhou Er had become Dao Companions, her Cultivation Speed had improved a little. Now, in less than a year, she was showing signs of another breakthrough.

Zhou Er was happy for her. He was nearly ready to break through himself in less than a month, but he wouldn't slack off from his daily cultivation.