Vol 1 Chapter 9 (1/2)
Volume 1, Chapter 9 – The Surging Undercurrent Gradually Turned into the Tide [1]
With the broken jade’s help, the ‘Truth Seeker Illumination Manual’s’ difficult problems could be easily solved.
After this discovery, Zhang Yan didn’t ponder about the other abstruse Dao law terminology anymore, such as, “across the light, up high”, “revolving the force, in small revolution”, “emptiness stage, along the path”, and the other remaining terms. But, he violated the conventional approach and directly practiced it with his avatar in the jade s.p.a.ce.
However, he didn’t blindly rely on the jade’s function. He only used the jade if he encountered a difficult problem. As he deduced the problems first before he verifying it in the jade with his avatar. As he used this approach more often, he gradually discovered many different ways to solve the issues he had. This deepened his comprehension toward those profound terminologies. After a few days more, Zhang Yan’s intuition grew keener as he could grasp most of the meanings without using the jade s.p.a.ce.
After the fourth day, he could understand about 70-80% of the cultivation law’s terminology in the manual. He could also roughly perceive most of the terms used by the various ancient families in deciphering the Dao laws. From just these discoveries alone, it could be said that Zhang Yan had gained a great harvest.
This also made him feel that this piece of jade was, without a doubt, a heavenly object. Recalling the previous event, this jade fell along with a meteor. Thus, its origin should be very big.
An idea quickly crossed his mind. This jade was originally empty. There was nothing in here except his avatar now. But, since his avatar was growing in accordance with his true body and could be controlled with his thought, could other objects also exist in this jade’s s.p.a.ce and change?
This idea may perhaps be feasible. His avatar in this s.p.a.ce was not naked but was dressed in a robe.
The avatar’s clothing was the robe he had always been using. And since the avatar could have a robe, could it mean that other objects could also exist here?
When he thought about it, he took out the manual, and tried to bring the manual inside the s.p.a.ce to practice the cultivation laws written in the ‘Truth Seeker Illumination Law’. However, before he even did so, he suddenly felt that his chest was slightly numbed. Right after, his conscious was forcefully ejected from his avatar and returned back to his true body.
Zhang Yan abruptly opened his eyes. He felt a painful headache, which was like it was about to crack his head open, as cold sweat streamed down his back.
He couldn’t help but become greatly scared. He hadn’t felt this sensation since he broke through to the Primordial Qi Condensation realm. Zhang Yan hurriedly scrutinized his body and found that his body seemed to have been excessively overworked. Not only was his spiritual force exhausted, his Primordial Qi was also severely consumed. He could only think that his previous guess was perhaps correct. That this was caused by his action in trying to bring the manual to cultivate in the s.p.a.ce inside the jade.
He nodded as he quickly realized. It seemed that his attempt before, whether it was feasible or not, was not something his present self could achieve. But Zhang Yan was not depressed in light of this.
To be successful, one had to face many difficulties. Worrying and being discouraged was unnecessary. And trying to brave through it blindly, would only create a knot in the heart for Zhang Yan.
As he thought about it, his heart gradually settled, and he calmly accepted this failure. He cast away those negative thoughts in a flash.
He took out the small bottle of ‘Main Spring Pills’ that he had received from Ai Zhongwen, opened the bottle and poured out a pill onto his palms. A delicate fragrance was quickly emitted from the pill as it soothed his nerves the instant the fragrance entered his nose. He felt that the air in his lungs was very smooth and eased a lot. He immediately realized that this concocted pill was really unusual. Zhang Yan quickly opened his mouth and swallowed the pill as he then silently sat down. The pill quickly melted in his mouth and the energy within it created a warm heat, which flowed into his internal organs and spread out all over his body as it rejuvenated it.
Generally, after taking a dose of this concocted pill, to fully absorb the pill’s effect, a cultivator must guide the energy within the pill to circulate all over the body. Otherwise, once the energy was clogged up, it would injure the cultivator. Zhang Yan realized this and didn’t dare to neglect it, as he quickly meditated.
An hour later, he had fully absorbed the energy from the pill. The fatigued sensation he felt before was completely dissipated. He could feel that his Qi was fully restored and his spiritual force had also recovered. The energy contained within this pill was comparable to the energy he usually acc.u.mulated from an entire night of meditation.
Zhang Yan was secretly surprised. He also knew that concocted pills were quite helpful for a cultivator. However, he had never thought that the effect was this extraordinary. He really underestimated the efficacy of concocted pills. It was no surprise as to how those cultivators from those ancient families advanced so quickly into the Primordial Qi Establishment Realm. They not only had an excellent cultivation law, they were also aided by these concocted pills.
It was unfortunate that he could only take this pill at crucial times. He only had a few of them and could not use them wastefully. Zhang Yan secretly noted that he had to pay more attention to these kinds of concocted pills in the future, as he needed to collect some. If opportunities to obtain pills arose, he must absolutely try to get these compounded drugs.
However, Zhang Yan was really ignorant. The “Main Spring Pill” in the bottle was a high grade compounded drug even in the eyes of those ancient families. Ai Zhongwen intentionally gave a bottle of these pills to Zhang Yan because he feared that Zhang Yan would not return the poem parchment. The other reason was that he wanted to build a good relations.h.i.+p with him. Had Ai Zhongwen knew that Zhang Yan regarded these pills—which were given out of his good intention— like worthless cabbages, he would have succ.u.mbed to depression and incurred internal injuries.
When Zhang Yan tortured himself in his cave mansion to practice, on one of Cangwu Mountain’s peaks, Zhou Zishang was listening to his servant’s report about Zhang Yan in a pavilion at Endless Night Peak.
“You said that Zhang Yan recently interpreted the Eclipse codes and is now famous within the Three Great Schools?”
The attendant replied in a very courteous manner, “Replying to the young master. Yes, he interpreted the ancient Dao manuals.”
Zhou Zishang’s brows curdled, he didn’t speak. Astonis.h.i.+ngly, his thought and Ai Zhongwen’s were amazingly similar. He didn’t believe that Zhang Yan could understand and was able to interpret the Eclipse codes by himself. He had a deep suspicion that there was an expert secretly directing him from behind. And that expert should not be a deacon or master from the Profound Virtue Temple or the Blue Ocean Sect. That expert should also be the same person who had instigated Zhang Yan to climb Cangwu Mountain. Zhou Zishang couldn’t help but feel deeply suspicious. However, that expert was not at this place and only secretly directed Zhang Yan on his cultivation path. Thus, Zhou Zishang felt that the latter’s likelihood was much more possible.
“If the circ.u.mstances have changed like this; dealing with Zhang Yan will not be easy.”
He carefully thought as it seemed that he could not be reckless in handling this matter. Other means must be used to deal with Zhang Yan. But since Zhang Yan was only a novice disciple from the temple and was not from the Blue Ocean Sect’s upper court, he had other means to make him succ.u.mb to him.
He brought three servants to this mountain, which have been respectfully waiting at his side. A stout and strong looking steward then walked and whispered, “Young master, do you want this lowly servant to…. Or not?” A ferocious and vicious expression flashed over his face as one of his hands made a grasping action.
Zhou Zishang’s brows only twitched. He waved his hand and replied, “It’s inappropriate! I, Zhou Zishang, am also a cultivator. How could I resort to that kind of method?” He let out a confident smile, “This Zhou Zishang has come to Cangwu Mountain. How could I leave empty handed? And you! Look for more information. I will absolutely make this good Zhang Yan descend the mountain before the third month!”
The three servants who followed him to the mountain were experienced people. As they listened to his words, they voiced their obedience and didn’t speak about it anymore. But still, they were puzzled, from where did their young master’s confidence come from?
Zhou Zishang only faintly smiled and didn’t explain any further.