The Alchemy Room.
In front of an open tal secret door.
Wang Ping, Feng Miao, and Xia Yao had looks of disgust on their faces as they leaned against the wall, dry heaving. This struck the Qi Cultivators stationed in the Alchemy Room as odd. Two of them, unable to suppress their curiosity, stepped through the secret door. A mont later, they too joined the ranks of those retching.
"Monstrous... Ugh... Close the door, quickly!" Feng Miao glanced at Cai Tong, who was cowering in the corner. The man imdiately walked over, intending to shut the secret door.
"Don’t close it yet. We still have to go in. This whole thing..."
Before Wang Ping could finish, Guangxuan appeared at the entrance to the Alchemy Room. He looked at the retching group and said, "My spiritual sense is picking up the chaotic consciousness of countless souls, filled with despair, pain, and malice."
"It’s in there. You’d better brace yourself," Xia Yao said, straightening up and pointing into the secret doorway.
Passing through the secret door revealed a large, circular hall. A round, fleshy growth pulsed with red light from the ceiling, serving as the hall’s only light source and casting a grotesque atmosphere over everything.
The growth on the ceiling was connected to the floor by countless tendrils of flesh. Surrounding it were nearly a thousand "human pigs"—limbless people—imrsed in a thick, bloody mire. Piles of bleached bones and bloated, rotting corpses bobbed in the fluid, seemingly serving as fertilizer for a dense carpet of smaller fleshy growths that covered the surrounding walls.
All of it was perfectly fused together, connected via an Array to a raised platform in the center that was also composed of flesh.
"I’ve long heard that humans are the most spiritually-attuned life forms in the world. I’ve also heard... that so Evil Cultivators use human lives to construct Spirit Gathering Arrays to aid their own cultivation... but it was always just sothing I’d heard. I never imagined I’d see it with my own eyes. Great Celestial Venerable Taichu above, how can such a wicked Array exist in this world!"
Guangxuan’s whole body trembled uncontrollably; he had forced those words out through gritted teeth.
"They’re using human lives to refine cultivation aptitude. And this isn’t the first ti," Xia Yao said, struggling to remain calm. "This is their business!"
"May the Great Celestial Venerable Taichu protect us..."
Feng Miao ford a Taoist Hand Technique, chanting the worldly deeds of the Great Celestial Venerable Taichu.
anwhile, Wang Ping, who had been observing the complete Array, wore a completely baffled expression. His light screen panel had popped up again:
[Yin Yang Body Refining Array: Absorbs the essence of the sun and moon to temper one’s aptitude. Requires four hours of body refinent within the array. It is remarkably effective for up to two years.]
[Note 1: After using this technique, one’s aptitude can never be improved again.]
[Note 2: The degree of aptitude improvent is entirely dependent on luck. The upper limit is ’Mid-Low.’]
[Note 3: You must find two Celestial and Earthly Treasures, one of extre yin and one of extre yang, to serve as the array cores. Then, combine them with a Yin Yang Spiritual Object and lay down a Spirit Gathering Array at key positions.]
[Note 4: The Yin Yang Attribute must reach a certain level to be effective. Current progress (65/100), barely passable.]
[Note 5: Array diagram as follows...]
’A way to improve my aptitude!’
’This is definitely a good thing. Even though it only works for those with Mid-Low aptitude, that’s more than enough.’
’But in the hands of these people, sothing so good was twisted into a depraved and evil Array.’
"They still show signs of life!"
After finishing his chant to the Great Celestial Venerable Taichu, Feng Miao stifled his revulsion and walked up to one of the "human pigs" to examine it. The person was clearly still alive, but their mind was in utter chaos; they had likely already gone insane.
"That’s even more despicable!"
In a rare display of fury, Guangxuan waved his hand and declared, "Destroy all of this. It should not exist in this world." He gave the order while he still had the authority to do so.
Upon hearing this, the others, including Wang Ping, silently withdrew from the hall.
Outside the secret door, Wang Ping and the others had barely caught their breath when they heard the wretched screams and cries of the "human pigs."
Feng Miao and Xia Yao paused for a mont before hurrying out of the Alchemy Room. Wang Ping followed close behind, with Cai Tong sticking near him.
Back in the Dao Field in the loft, no one spoke of what was inside the secret door again. They each found a quiet spot to sit and enter a ditative state.
Yu Lian sensed the turmoil in Wang Ping’s emotions. She opened her eyes to study him for a mont before closing them again, quietly waiting for his heart to find peace.
「The next day.」
As soon as the sky began to brighten, Feng Miao and Xia Yao found Wang Ping. Feng Miao spoke first. "Fellow Daoist Changqing, my apologies for all the trouble this ti. If you ever have need of in the future, just have soone send a letter to White Crane Mountain. I guarantee I’ll co at once!"
"Thank you for your help this ti, Fellow Daoist..."
Xia Yao also cupped her fist in thanks, then took out a jade token engraved with the na ’Linshui.’ "I’ll be at the Daoist Scripture Hall for the next few years. If I’m not there, it ans I’ve returned to Dongxu Island to enter seclusion for my Foundation Establishnt. Fellow Daoist, if you have an urgent matter and need my help, you can send soone with a letter. I will certainly do everything in my power to assist!"
The search of the mountain was now over. Both the ruins within and the city built by the monsters had been thoroughly explored. All that remained was to wrap things up, and it was ti for Feng Miao and Xia Yao to depart.
It was ti for Wang Ping to leave as well...
"I’ll leave with you both. We can part ways in Shang’an Prefecture!"
"Sounds good!"
And so, the three of them went to bid farewell to Guangxuan. There was no excessive ceremony, nor any attempt to persuade them to stay. Partings among Qi Refiners were a perfectly normal occurrence.
As they erged from the mountain forest, Wang Ping saw that a dozen or so Inner Sect Disciples from Qianmu Temple had already packed their belongings. More than half of them were injured, one even needing a donkey to carry him. Thankfully, no one had died, which was likely thanks to Guangxuan’s protection.
There was no need to rush on the return journey. The group traveled at a leisurely pace, arriving at Shang’an Prefecture City eight days later. In those eight short days, the events in Shu County already seed like a distant mory to Wang Ping.
After parting ways with Feng Miao and Xia Yao in Shang’an Prefecture, Cai Tong bade Wang Ping a profusely grateful farewell and returned to his ho in the city.
The rest of the group continued their leisurely journey toward Qianmu Temple. Along the way, they were guided by wealthy local families, and when the mood struck, they would climb to a high vantage point to gaze into the distance.
By the ti they returned to Qianmu Temple, it was already November, and the weather had turned cool.
The first thing Wang Ping did, of course, was go to the back mountain to pay his respects to Yu Cheng Taoist. The Daoist was just as Wang Ping rembered him, sitting in his small courtyard and reading a book while basking in the winter sun.
"Disciple greets Master!" Wang Ping said, bowing respectfully.
"Ah, you’re back. What did you gain this ti?" Yu Cheng Taoist asked as he invited Wang Ping to sit.
"Yes, Master. I was just about to report to you..."
Wang Ping recounted everything that had happened since he and Yu Cheng Taoist had parted ways. After a mont of thought, he added, "Disciple also learned a strange Secret Technique from a mural in an Alchemy Room, and I hoped to ask for Master’s guidance..."
Yu Cheng Taoist listened quietly, not seeming overly concerned even when he heard that Wang Ping had discovered a Secret Technique on a wall. When he was sure Wang Ping had finished, he stroked his beard and said, "There are countless Secret Techniques in this world. Since you were fortunate enough to obtain one, you can try to see if you can successfully create it. But you must never, ever cultivate it."
"Yes, Master!"
"A Secret Technique is no small matter. Once you choose one, there is no turning back. So are inherently flawed, like the one you’ve found. If one wishes to glimpse the boundless Supre Dao, there are only seven known Secret Techniques that offer a path..."
"May I ask which seven they are, Master?"
"You will know when you formally begin to study Secret Techniques," Yu Cheng Taoist replied, shaking his head as he picked up the teapot to pour tea for Wang Ping.
The fragrance of the tea awakened Yu Lian, and Yu Cheng Taoist produced another teacup.
After finishing his tea, Wang Ping spoke again. "Disciple made another discovery on this trip. After observing the Array in the secret hall..." He then reported what he had learned about the Yin Yang Body Refining Array to his master.
’The entire Qianmu Temple is currently supporting my cultivation,’ he thought. ’Now that I have a way to repay them, I can’t just keep it to myself. Besides, only by improving Qianmu Temple’s overall strength will it be able to provide with more cultivation materials in the future.’
This ti, after listening to Wang Ping, Yu Cheng Taoist’s eyes lit up with praise. "You truly are blessed with innate wisdom..."
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