Chapter 103: The Three Flowers Converge at the Summit

In the afternoon, sunlight spilled into a tranquil courtyard, where the scent of medicinal herbs permeated the air. A man with delicate features sat before a stone table, his attention entirely focused on the herbs and instruments arrayed before him. His long hair, soft as clouds, draped loosely over his shoulders. His brow carried a faint air of nobility and wisdom, and his eyes were clear and bright. With nimble hands, he placed various rare medicinal ingredients into the alchemy furnace, gently adjusting the heat.

As streaks of vibrant, colorful Qi flowed into the furnace, Qi Xiu meticulously regulated the fusion of the herbal essences within the flames. Faint, mystical ripples of energy swirled among the essences. Under the guidance of his Qi, these essences gradually merged into a single entity, transforming into small, round, glowing azure pills.

"Extinguish!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he snuffed out the furnace fire, his hands moving with lightning speed to collect the five pills from within. As he watched the turbulent, vigorous mystical aura inside the pills gradually stabilize, Qi Xiu exhaled a long breath. Had he been even a fraction of a second slower, these pills would have turned into mere gunpowder.

He picked up one of the azure pills; a faint, refreshing fragrance drifted out, cleansing the very air around him. This was a Dust-Exile Pill, a pill of the Dao-Entry rank. Once consumed, one would remain untouched by filth or grime; one could go a year without bathing and not find a speck of dirt on the body. It would even emit a faint, pure scent. Beyond that, the pill could isolate one from demonic mists, miasma, and evil forces. It was a common and useful auxiliary pill.

A bottle of twelve Dust-Exile Pills sold for twenty Dao coins at the Hundred Herb Cottage, though they were not sold individually and had to be bundled with other medicines. At the Shen Family Emporium, they could be bought separately for twenty-five Dao coins. Yet, the cost of the ingredients to refine a bottle of these pills was only a single Dao coin.

"A twenty-fold profit," Qi Xiu murmured, clicking his tongue as he gazed at the jade-like azure pill in his hand. No wonder Uncle Five always said that pills, talismans, and magical arrays were all highly lucrative industries. If one could master just one, the Dao coins would flow like a spring from beneath the earth, endless and impossible to exhaust.

"My technique is now consistent enough to guarantee a yield from every furnace, though the quantity still lags behind professional alchemists—ranging from one or two to five or six pills. However, as my proficiency increases, this gap will narrow. Should I send these to the Shen Family Emporium as well?"

Qi Xiu pondered silently, rubbing the smooth, verdant pill. In truth, he was not currently short on funds. He had yet to master the two cultivation methods he had already acquired, so there was no need to purchase others. Furthermore, Qingliu County was currently peaceful; even if something were to happen, his current strength was sufficient to ensure his own safety. Moreover, alchemy was far more time-consuming than talisman making. Refining a single batch of Dust-Exile Pills took at least two hours. If he were to produce them for sale, it would surely consume a vast amount of his time. That would be putting the cart before the horse. It would be far better to spend that time improving his own cultivation.

Having settled this, Qi Xiu stopped fretting. He had been obsessed with alchemy for some time, initially because he had been frustrated by his failures, but also due to his long-standing cautious nature—the more skills one possessed, the more trump cards one held.

"Improving my cultivation remains the priority. Otherwise, no matter how strong my other abilities are, I risk being crushed if I encounter a powerful enemy. Entering the Dao only provides the ability to protect oneself; it is not absolute safety. After all, have there been few Dao-Entry practitioners who died at my hands?"

Clearing his mind, Qi Xiu placed the freshly refined pills into a porcelain bottle. He rested his chin on his hand, contemplating his next steps in cultivation. In general, after entering the Dao, one had to accumulate Qi and strengthen the protective True Qi armor. With a thought, a layer of transparent, glass-like protective Qi emerged on his skin, shimmering with vibrant, colorful light—a truly magnificent sight.

For a Dao-Entry cultivator, as long as the protective True Qi remains unbroken, no attack can reach the cultivator’s physical body. A newly ascended cultivator’s protective Qi is clear and transparent like glass. To strengthen this absolute defense, one must use the Qi within their body to continuously temper and polish the armor, allowing it to evolve. The sign of completing such a transformation is the condensation of a "True Qi Seal" in the void above the head, shaped like a brilliant flower that rains down radiance. A peak Dao-Entry cultivator can condense three such seals, known as the "Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown."

Once a True Qi Seal is formed, if the protective armor is shattered, the seal will transform back into protective armor. The consumed seal will then continue to absorb Qi to reform itself. Once the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is achieved, breaking the defense of such a cultivator requires shattering four layers of protective Qi in quick succession. If one fails to do so, the seals will simply reform, forcing the attacker to start all over again.

"My Primordial Chaos Qi has a unique essence—it returns to simplicity, unifying all laws, and allows me to wield all kinds of techniques. Because of this, I can practice almost any method. However, it also means my protective Qi lacks any specific attributes; it is neither as scorching and fierce as the fire path, nor as solid and tough as the earth path. But there is one thing I am better at: my Primordial Chaos Qi can digest almost any spiritual energy and convert it into Qi. This leads to an incredibly fast recovery rate. Once I condense the True Qi Seals, the speed at which they reform will be immeasurable. If I take it a step further and reach the realm of the Three Flowers, the speed at which an enemy breaks my armor may not even keep up with the speed at which my seals recover."

Channeling the secret essence of the Primordial Chaos Dragon-Tiger Sutra, Qi Xiu was enveloped in colorful light, looking as ethereal as if he were about to ascend. Strands of Primordial Chaos Qi surged from his Dantian, overflowing through his senses and continuously merging into his protective armor, tempering it layer by layer, making it increasingly dense and heavy.

...

"Out with the old, in with the new, it's New Year! Lanterns are lit and the Spring Festival is here!"

Amidst the swirling snow, the joyous sounds of firecrackers and gongs echoed through the county. People held firecrackers in their hands, igniting them in the biting wind, sending showers of sparks blooming into the air. These sparks blossomed into ever-changing shapes, as beautiful as dancing stars in the night sky. In the town square, simple stages had been erected, featuring folk plays, acrobatics, and performances. The sound of drums, singing, and laughter mingled together, echoing throughout the town as the snowflakes drifted down.

Holding a bowl of steaming beef, Qi Xiu blew gently on the rising heat, watching with interest as a constant stream of people visited the snack stalls, tasting the delicacies and enjoying the festive joy. In such a year of disaster, perhaps only Qingliu County could host such a scene. After sipping the savory, sour, and spicy broth and letting out a satisfied breath, Qi Xiu prepared to head home. Suddenly, a streak of light cut across the sky and slammed into the city gate.

"Hmm?" His gaze sharpened, and his expression turned to one of slight surprise. The streak of light was tattered and dim, clearly the result of a near-fatal blow. Moreover, there were shadows within it—it seemed there was more than one person. A Dao-Entry cultivator escaping from somewhere?

...

In the back hall of the Qingliu County Magistrate’s Office, a beautiful, fair-skinned woman with a look of panic and terror struggled to crawl out of a deep crater she had smashed into the ground.

"Help... help me..." Her voice was like a silver bell, melodic and sweet, yet this woman of such grace was dressed in an incongruous man’s long robe. The loud crash had long since alerted the others in the office.

Li Jiufang, the County Magistrate, arrived in a flash of white light. He strode into the back hall, his brow furrowed and his expression grave. As he looked at the weak woman lying on the ground, his pupils contracted. "Ge Chuan?"

"Magistrate Li... save me..." Seeing that Li Jiufang recognized her, Ge Chuan’s face filled with frantic joy. She tried to stand, but a wave of weakness washed over her, and she collapsed, losing consciousness.

"My Lord!" "Magistrate Li!"

Before long, a group of military commanders arrived. Although no one had notified them, Ge Chuan’s streak of light had been too conspicuous.

"This is..." Chu Zhao frowned as he looked at the woman Li Jiufang was attempting to save. The Magistrate’s mistress?

"There are more wounded in the crater. Help them up," Li Jiufang commanded. The commanders stepped forward and looked down, their expressions turning strange. Lying in the crater were indeed several young women of fair appearance, but strangely, all of them were dressed in men’s clothing, which was quite bizarre.

"Magistrate Li, your tastes are quite unique," one of the female commanders teased.

"They are the people who went to support Shengzhou County," Chu Zhao suddenly said, causing the commanders’ expressions to shift as they looked at the unconscious women again.

"It really is them... what happened to them?"

"The Ten Thousand Nurturing Source Sutra!" Chu Zhao spoke slowly, turning to look at Li Jiufang, who was still tending to Ge Chuan. "Magistrate Li, it seems we won't be having a peaceful New Year."

After stabilizing Ge Chuan’s breathing, Li Jiufang stood up, his gaze profound. "Everyone, the return of the Golden Flower Mother Cult is inevitable. We must prepare ourselves early."

...

At night, in his study, Li Jiufang, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly turned pale and vomited a mouthful of ink-black blood. As the blood hit the floor, it formed small, fist-sized black Buddha statues that began chanting evil scriptures. Suddenly, the room was filled with demonic energy and eerie laughter, creating countless illusions intended to lead Li Jiufang into madness.

"Young Master." Old Shou, looking concerned, hurried in carrying a bowl of spiritual soup in which countless silver-white light-fish swam. As soon as the fish entered the room, they leaped out of the bowl and devoured the small Buddha statues like bait. Then, they absorbed all the demonic energy and returned to the bowl.

Li Jiufang drank the soup, and his complexion returned to normal. "That Arhat of Greed and Killing is indeed an old monster of many years. If I hadn't made the decisive choice to shatter the Divine Cave Order, I would have had to use the Heaven-Prayer Technique to perish with him."