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Chapter 5: Interrogation

  Chapter 5: Inquiring about Difficulties (Seeking Collection)

  It's another nearly 4,000-word long chapter, and there will be another one tonight. If you think it's not bad, please collect it with a wave of your hand, thank you ~

  *****

  But seeing the person wearing a white robe, with sleeves fluttering like an immortal banished to the mortal world, unsoiled by worldly dust. The face is pale and expressionless, unable to discern joy or anger, but the features are delicate and refined, as if carved from jade, without any blemishes. Like a rare orchid in a secluded valley, pure and untainted.

  It's Fuling!

  Just as Qi Ming was about to make a move, Fu Ling suddenly arrived and stopped him. Of course, they couldn't fight anymore, not only because of Fu Ling's identity but also her cultivation base at the second layer of foundation establishment, which was enough to make them dare not act rashly.

  "Old Master Fu." The crowd of outer sect disciples hastily bowed and greeted him.

  Feng Ling's eyes swept down: Ling Xiao had Feng Yi protected behind him, being cautious; while Feng Yi was tugging at the corner of Ling Xiao's clothes, with a look of both shyness and annoyance. Meanwhile, Qi Ming across from them would occasionally cast a few glances with unclear intentions towards Feng Yi...

  This scene...

  At that moment, Fu Ling misunderstood. He furrowed his brow slightly, put on a stern face, and said calmly: "On the path of cultivating immortality, longevity is the fundamental goal, and one's own cultivation is the ultimate reliance! These romantic entanglements will only distract you from your focus. And to cause disputes over this is even more foolish!"

  What's going on here?

  Ling Xiao's forehead was sweating, and his conscience was clear. He really hadn't thought much about it... Fengyi's face turned bright red on the side, and she lowered her head, not saying a word.

  A strange and eerie silence fell over the scene.

  After a long while, Ling Xiao finally opened his mouth: "No, Fu Changlao, we haven't reached that step... not..." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized there was something wrong with them and hastily corrected himself, "I mean, it's not that kind of relationship..."

  Fengyi's face turned even redder, scorching hot, her head almost lowered to her chest. The surrounding disciples also had strange expressions on their faces...

  Fu Ling was also taken aback, her face slightly flushed.

  She was just a young girl in her early twenties, although she had profound cultivation, but as for the matters between men and women, she had never been in contact with them before. The previous conversation had already mustered up a lot of courage to say it out without any expression. As a result, it turned out to be a misunderstanding?

  Despite her calm demeanor, she felt a bit awkward in her heart. Fortunately, she was not a fledgling who had just left the nest, and she still maintained her composure, saying lightly, "We are fellow disciples, let's not quarrel."

  Her eyelids barely perceptibly lifted, swept over Ling Xiao's body, and then returned.

  Turning around, he walked towards the front of the grand hall.

  Qī Míng glared fiercely at Líng Xiāo, but didn't dare make any more small movements. Without a word, he turned and left. The surrounding disciples also gradually dispersed, and Líng Xiāo pulled Fèng Yí to sit down in another place.

  This was Ling Xiao and Fu Ling's first real meeting, with a bit of awkwardness and embarrassment. However, it was just a small interlude before the big lecture began.

  When Fú Líng sat down in front of the main hall, he had already regained his composure, and the people below gradually quieted down, waiting for Elder Fú Líng to begin his lecture. However, instead of starting immediately, Fú Líng sat upright and swept his gaze downwards, his lips slightly parted as he calmly asked, "Who is Líng Xiāo?"

  An ordinary outer sect disciple, unexpectedly managed to refine 80% pure Nine芝 grass powder. She was quite interested in this outer sect disciple. In her mind, she thought that if the talent was indeed good, it wouldn't be bad to make an exception and take him as a disciple, cultivate him well, perhaps he would become a great help.

  It was already somewhat intentional to ask at this time.

  Ling Xiao's scalp felt a numbness, how was it him again... His heart tightened secretly, could it be that the powder didn't pass? He had no bottom line in his heart, but he also didn't dare to hesitate. He quickly stood up and said with some embarrassment: "Feng Changlao." As an outer door disciple, he could only address him as Feng Changlao, and couldn't call him Shifu like Huang Jian did.

  There were many outer disciples around who had just witnessed the scene, and they couldn't help but feel even more suspicious and puzzled. They whispered to each other, "How did Ling Xiao get involved again?"

  Fuling couldn't help but stare for a moment, how was it him again... She couldn't help but think of the embarrassing scene from just now, and her face grew hot again... Fortunately, she remained calm and composed, and others couldn't tell anything was wrong. After calming herself down, she remembered why she had called him over in the first place, and gave him a glance, immediately furrowing her brow - he only had one layer of Qi refinement?

  Refining elixirs requires not only techniques and experience, but also the support of true energy and spiritual intent. If one's cultivation is too low, even if they have a natural talent, their achievements in refining elixirs will be limited.

  Pei Yuandan's low-grade elixir is nothing, but high-grade elixirs require a long time to refine, and the temperature of the earth fire used for refining is extremely high, making it difficult to control. Without sufficient thick true energy, it is very difficult to use the method of controlling the earth fire for a long time without stopping, and to refine the elixir. And if one's spiritual mind cultivation is not high, it is equally difficult to accurately perceive the changes in the furnace and cauldron, and to precisely control the true energy...

  For example, the second-order elixir Xiaohuandan, without a cultivation base of at least four layers of Qi, is fundamentally insufficient to support the consumption of true energy and divine thoughts during the alchemy process. Even slightly inferior Xuan Yindan or Jiu Zhi Dan require at least three layers of Qi cultivation...

  She had already felt a few points of disappointment in her heart, but still asked lightly: "How many years have you been practicing? How many times have you heard me lecture?"

  Ling Xiao couldn't quite grasp why Fuling was asking him these questions, so he replied honestly: "Reporting to the elder, I've been a disciple for four years now, and I've only heard the elder give lectures three times."

  There was another time when Fuling Elder gave a lecture, but it was in the second year after Ling Xiao joined the sect. He failed to complete the sect's task and naturally couldn't attend.

  Feng Ling nodded, she didn't come to give lectures often, at most once or twice a year; then asked: "What about the other elders of the sect teaching alchemy? How much have you learned? Have you ever personally refined any elixirs?"

  Inside the Ziyun Sect, there aren't many elders who can lecture on alchemy, and she also wanted to see Ling Xiao's cultivation progress.

  Ling Xiao couldn't help but reveal a few hints of embarrassment, and said in a low voice: "The disciple has heard the lectures of Sima Dian's elder Sima Changlao and Ji Wuxin's elder Ji Changlao several times, and is basically familiar with the process of alchemy. However, it was only when listening to the elder's lesson that time that I had the opportunity to refine a dan once, but... but nothing came of it..."

  Newly admitted disciples, who are almost completely ignorant of alchemy, would not be allowed to practice it even by Fowling, but only let them try to purify some materials. As for Ling Xiao's only attempt at alchemy, everything was also very unfamiliar, and many spiritual medicines were wasted in vain.

  Feng Ling nodded calmly, seeming to have accepted it. In his heart, he secretly thought that perhaps the reason for the low success rate was that there were too few opportunities to refine the elixir, so the purification of materials wasn't thorough enough.

  She naturally understood the requirements for outer sect disciples to complete the sect's tasks. However, this was a move by the sect to encourage competition among these outer sect disciples, so she didn't dare say more. Thinking about it, being able to refine powder of 80% purity, he probably still had some innate talent for alchemy. Of course, his cultivation level was indeed a bit too low...

  Although somewhat disappointed, he said: "So, from now on, as long as I'm the one lecturing, you can come in and listen directly without needing any contribution points!"

  Ling Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and all the disciples below were also taken aback, stunned.

  Handing over a bag of purified Ninefold Grass powder, he actually got such benefits in return? Ling Xiao was delighted in his heart, but also secretly on guard, fearing that the purity of this Ninefold Grass powder was still above 75% or so.

  This mysterious flame is indeed extraordinary, but I must be even more cautious now.

  Although his cultivation time was short, he often heard about the weak being preyed upon by the strong among cultivators, and the law of the jungle where the strong seized treasures from the weak. Not to mention others, just looking at himself, those few stalks of longing grass, didn't Qi Ming seize them from his own hands relying on his deep cultivation?

  A few stalks of Lonesome Grass, it's already like this, what about the mysterious flame within myself? If others were to find out, I fear not only would the flame be extinguished, but my own life would also be in danger!

  He thanked Fuling with a bow and sat down carefully, but his heart had become more vigilant.

  The other disciples looked at Ling Xiao with a gaze that was both shocked and envious. Qi Ming, on the other hand, was consumed by jealousy - what kind of luck had this kid encountered to be so highly valued by the venerable Ling Chang?

  This was just a small interlude before the formal lecture began, and it passed quickly. Elder Fu Ling also started his formal lecture soon after.

  Ling Xiao also gathered his thoughts and listened carefully.

  The lecture given by Fuling Elder today is naturally related to alchemy. Although she is not very old, her attainments in alchemy are quite deep, and she has introduced many fragmented knowledge in a thorough and easy-to-understand way.

  Ling Xiao listened with great interest and only then did he realize that there were many different methods for just refining a single elixir.

  The immortal's magical skill is indeed mysterious and unpredictable.

  In the art of alchemy, some are like the Qi Yun Sect, which refines the materials into powder before alchemy, and then uses earth fire to condense the powder into a pill, known as the Condensing Pill Method.

  Apart from the Condensing Elixir Method, there are also the Mixing Elixir Method and the Water Elixir Method. The so-called Mixing Elixir Method is to mix all the materials together and throw them into the medicine furnace to make the medicine, which eliminates the step of purification. As for the Water Elixir Method, it involves dissolving all the medicinal herbs in water, refining the elixir water, and using the elixir water to condense the elixir... The three methods of alchemy each have their advantages and disadvantages, and it's hard to say who is more brilliant.

  These three are also the most widely spread alchemy methods today, apart from these, there are other unusual techniques such as using thunder to refine elixirs and using wood to give birth to elixirs, however they are relatively rare, and Fú Líng Elder only briefly mentioned them.

  Apart from this, some other scattered knowledge also interested Ling Xiao greatly; and the introduction of the flames used for alchemy by Fuling Elder attracted his attention.

  Only by listening to Fuling's elder did he learn that fire was one of the five basic elements between heaven and earth, with the most violent nature and the strongest attacking power. And in this world, there were countless varieties of flames.

  For example, lamps, candles, and flames are all kinds of worldly fires; the spiritual energy contained in them is also very weak. Using this kind of fire to refine elixirs is absolutely impossible.

  And above these ordinary flames, there is the earth fire, which is drawn from a depth of ten thousand feet underground, with extremely high temperatures and fierce flames, and the contained fire spirit is very abundant; once it is drawn out, it will burn fiercely into a piece. It is the most commonly used flame for alchemists to refine elixirs. However, it also requires a special formation to control, in order to be used by low-level cultivators.

  Apart from the earthly fire, there is also the cinnabar fire. It is the golden elixir period of great refinement, when the golden elixir is formed, the innate fire flame that is refined and transformed, accompanies and gives birth to the golden elixir; because it is connected with the practitioner's innate nature, it can control the natural spirit freely, and is actually an excellent choice for refining the elixir.

  Apart from terrestrial fire and cinnabar fire, there are also beastly fire and ghostly fire, only relatively rare. Fú Líng even said that she had never seen them before, only read about them in the sect's classic "Qī Yún Dān Fǎ". Beastly fire is a kind of flame that some demonic beasts naturally possess, related to their own divine abilities. Ghostly fire, on the other hand, is a type of yin-yang flame generated by the convergence of sinister and desolate lands, extremely cold...

  Finally, Fuling also mentioned that there is a legendary heavenly fire in the world, which is said to be generated occasionally by lightning strikes above the 10,000-meter-high Qingming, making it even rarer.

  Ling Xiao secretly compared the terrestrial fire, cinnabar fire, beast fire, ghost fire, heavenly fire with the mysterious flame in his body, and felt that they were all very different.

  He couldn't help but have doubts in his heart, and he didn't know what kind of flame was burning inside him. So, he plucked up the courage to ask: "Feng Chang, are there other flames besides these? Do these flames pose a threat to humans? Can they be tamed by people?"

  Frowning, "These various flames are all heavenly and earthly treasures. It's normal for you to have a covetous heart, but don't be overly ambitious! Not to mention the Heavenly Fire and Earthly Fire, even some of the weakest Beast Fires and Ghost Fires, when you haven't even succeeded in building your foundation, it's absolutely impossible for you to subdue them! If there's even a slight mistake, they'll instantly incinerate you!"

  It was a lesson from the very beginning.

  After a slight pause, he continued: "As for other flames, there may be some, but I haven't heard of them either. Even the Beast Fire and Ghost Fire are rarely seen. Let alone in my Qi Yun Sect, even in the entire Qi Yun mountain range of hundreds of miles, only rumors say that Blood Demon Senior has mastered a kind of Ghost Fire. As for whether it's true or not, I don't know."

  Xuemo Old Ancestor, residing on the Blood Pine Mountain over a hundred miles west of Qiyun Peak, was a great cultivator in the Golden Elixir stage. In this Qiyun mountain range, he was one of the top figures. Not to mention Ling Xiao, even Fowling found it difficult to catch a glimpse of him.

  Ling Xiao sat down quietly, afraid of arousing suspicion from others, and didn't dare ask more questions.

  But in his heart, he was even more bizarre. The mysterious flame in his body, what kind of fire is it? Adding a few more anxious, being hidden in the dantian by it, also unknown whether it's good or bad luck.

  After Ling Xiao sat down, several other outer door disciples also followed up with questions, and Fu Ling answered them one by one.

  Among them, Qi Ming took the opportunity to ask Fú Líng Elder about the technique of alchemy. Of course, he also showed his understanding and skills in alchemy that far surpassed those of ordinary outer sect disciples. This made Fú Líng nod his head in praise. This also made Qi Ming even more self-satisfied.

  Of course, actually these have nothing much to do with Ling Xiao anymore.

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