Chapter 6

### Chapter 6: Return to Red Fire Island

"Still no good, what's wrong? Could it be that my intuition is off?"

Feng Rui Shan, who had just used his magic and exhausted all his spiritual energy, sat on the ground, exhausted, took a deep breath, and drank a large mouthful of spirit wine.

Over the past six months, he had spent a lot of time trying to improve the variant spells that Zhu Yubei jokingly called the "Five Elements Basic Spells of the Feng Family." At first, things went as expected. As he became more proficient, his casting speed increased, and the spells became more unpredictable. However, the transitions between different spells still felt awkward, and the overall rhythm was not smooth, limiting their power. He clearly felt that he should be able to switch between spells freely, and he had indeed managed to do so a few times. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't capture that fleeting feeling, which left him feeling very frustrated.

On the bright side, refining spirit medicines went well, and he even made progress in developing a pill to restore his divine sense.

After careful deliberation, he used the pollen of the Thousand Illusions Flower as the main ingredient, referencing the formula of the Thousand Illusions Pill. He first refined a large number of spirit medicines to familiarize himself with their properties, then, based on his understanding of the properties of the medicines and the Five Elements spiritual energy, he carefully selected the 30 most promising combinations of spirit medicines and conducted relentless experiments.

Different quantities, different sequences, and different levels of heat led to repeated failures, which were disheartening. There were times when he almost gave up.

But in the end, he persisted and analyzed each failure. After converting all his savings into spirit medicines and seeing them turn to ashes in repeated failures, he finally found a formula that could restore his divine sense.

He never succeeded in refining the pill, but fortunately, he could make spirit wine. Although the recovery effect was much worse than he initially expected and it didn't increase his divine sense, he was still very satisfied with the spirit wine and with his own persistence.

After experiencing hundreds of failures, he realized the difficulty of inventing a new pill formula and found it amusing that he once thought it wouldn't be hard. It wasn't just a matter of conducting a large number of tedious experiments; it also required the persistence to endure despair and the sudden flash of inspiration necessary for success.

To commemorate his persistence and dreams over the past six months, he named the wine "Dreamy Spring." With Dreamy Spring, his cultivation speed could greatly increase, provided he had enough spirit stones and pills. The problem was, he didn't have them now.

Feng Rui Shan was now penniless. Even with his method of refining pills one by one, and the fact that most of the spirit medicines other than the Thousand Illusions Flower pollen were not precious, the sheer quantity required was overwhelming, and he was only spending without earning, essentially burning through spirit stones.

The main issue was that the Thousand Illusions Flower couldn't be considered a spirit medicine. Apart from the Thousand Illusions Pill, no other pills used it. Through countless failures, Feng Rui Shan knew the properties of the Thousand Illusions Flower best.

The pollen of the Thousand Illusions Flower was very fragile and easily destroyed, and the spiritual energy within it was difficult to blend with other spiritual energies, which was why he had never successfully refined a pill. The Thousand Illusions Pill also didn't perfectly blend the spiritual energy, but since it was a beast pill used only by the Thousand Illusions Butterfly, which had no chance to complain, no one had succeeded in using it on other spirit beasts. The reason was that the Thousand Illusions Butterfly was naturally fed on the Thousand Illusions Flower.

Because of this, no one was interested in the Thousand Illusions Flower, and it wasn't sold in the market. He didn't dare to ask anyone to collect it for him. Fortunately, thanks to Dugu Feng, he still had a good amount of Thousand Illusions Flower pollen, but the future supply of pollen was a big problem.

"Being a wandering cultivator is tough, no one cares, and everything has to be done by oneself." Looking at the small green gourd in his hand, "Do I have to plant a couple of Thousand Illusions Flowers myself?" Feng Rui Shan's heart stirred, and a fist-sized green stone with strange, curved cracks appeared in his hand.

"Why not give it a try? Even if it doesn't work, I won't lose half a spirit stone. Yes, let's do it."

This was the stone that Feng Mu Bai had given him years ago. After careful study, Feng Rui Shan determined it was a Fairy Mansion Stone.

The Fairy Mansion Stone was one of the most precious treasures, capable of creating a fairy mansion with its own space. If the appropriate array was inscribed on it, the fairy mansion's defensive power would be astonishing.

The biggest difference between a fairy mansion and other storage spaces was that a fairy mansion could support the life of a complete soul, including cultivators. The fairy mansion could be stored in a cultivator's dantian for nurturing, and as time passed and the cultivator's cultivation improved, the fairy mansion's defensive power would become stronger, and its internal space would expand. As long as there was spiritual energy in the fairy mansion, cultivators could cultivate normally inside, and spirit medicines could grow normally.

According to legend, a fairy's fairy mansion could even evolve into a world.

However, Fairy Mansion Stones were extremely rare. At least, Feng Rui Shan didn't know of any cultivators on the current Chinese mainland who possessed one. He had only seen occasional records of the power of ancient great cultivators' fairy mansions.

Thanks to his cultivation of ancient methods, Feng Rui Shan had always been interested in ancient records. He had seen such introductions, and Feng Mu Bai, due to his son, had always been attentive to these rare and strange things. By a stroke of luck, Feng Rui Shan had picked up a great bargain.

After confirming it was a Fairy Mansion Stone, Feng Rui Shan agonized for a long time. His cultivation was too low, and his array knowledge was extremely rudimentary. If he refined it now, he had no means to enhance the fairy mansion's defensive power, which would come entirely from the Fairy Mansion Stone. He could only store it in his dantian for slow nurturing, using it as a powerful storage bag. He was also afraid of destroying the Fairy Mansion Stone or affecting its future evolution. Waiting to refine it later would be better, but the question was, would there be a later? After much hesitation, Feng Rui Shan finally decided to refine it immediately.

Ideally, refining a fairy mansion should include the best treasures to maximize its functions, but Feng Rui Shan had none of those. He only inscribed the most basic spirit-gathering array and spirit-sealing array. The spirit-gathering array absorbed spiritual energy, and the spirit-sealing array prevented it from leaking. He didn't dare to inscribe any other arrays, leaving that for later. Then, he refined a drop of his essence blood into the Fairy Mansion Stone every day. After a full year, he finally established a connection with the Fairy Mansion Stone and successfully stored it in his dantian without any major issues.

Feng Rui Shan activated the cave's restrictions, placed the Fairy Mansion Stone on the ground, and scanned it with his divine sense. There was no spiritual energy fluctuation, and he nodded in satisfaction, feeling proud of the effect of his spirit-sealing array. With a thought, he appeared inside the fairy mansion.

Actually, Feng Rui Shan didn't know that divine objects naturally concealed their presence. Even without his spirit-sealing array, cultivators below the Soul Formation stage would find it difficult to detect the spiritual energy fluctuations of the fairy mansion with their divine sense. They could see an ordinary stone with their eyes, but cultivators were accustomed to sensing all spiritual energy changes with their divine sense, and no one would specifically use their eyes to detect spiritual objects unless they were deliberately searching or, like Feng Rui Shan, had the opportunity to hold the stone and notice its unusual nature.

The fairy mansion was an irregular ellipse, about 2 li long and 1.5 li wide, with a height of over 20 zhang. Although there was no sunlight, it wasn't dark, and the spiritual energy concentration was clearly much higher than in his cave.

On the dark, fertile land, over 500 spirit medicines grew, mostly common varieties, with a wide variety of types and ages. A small part looked quite old, transplanted by Feng Rui Shan when he had the chance, while most were one or two-year-old seedlings, clearly just planted.

In the middle was a small pond with a few common red-tailed carp swimming around, which Feng Rui Shan had whimsically added to increase the vitality.

Feng Rui Shan briefly checked the growth of the spirit medicines, shook his head, and realized that these were the best he could manage. They wouldn't mature for hundreds of years, so there was no point in rushing.

The fairy mansion didn't feel empty. Feng Rui Shan had planted ordinary fruit trees in various areas, including peach, pear, apricot, apple, lychee, and orange trees, among others, and a grapevine. Under the trees, variously shaped wine barrels were haphazardly placed, with the years, types, and ingredients written on them in crooked letters. Thanks to the abundant spiritual energy, all the fruit trees were lush and thriving, and there were even a few beehives buzzing busily in the woods.

This wasn't a whim. Feng Rui Shan planned to use these fruits to make wine, using non-spiritual original wine to carry and blend spiritual energy, which would help him better understand the effects of spirit wine. Pruning these trees would also help him practice the accuracy of his minor spells without hindering his cultivation. Originally, Feng Rui Shan hoped that different fruit wines would bring unexpected effects, but so far, only the taste was different, with no other surprises.

Under the grapevine was a stone table, two zhang long and wide, with a few stone stools scattered around, covered in green moss, indicating they had never been used. The table was filled with dozens of bottles and jars, where Feng Rui Shan usually conducted various spirit medicine fusion experiments. However, he wasn't there to fuse spirit medicines but to sit on a cushion and recover his spiritual energy. In fact, his recovery mainly relied on refining spirit wine, and the external spiritual energy had little effect, but he liked the smell under the grapevine and the greenery, which was more pleasant than the barren cave.

...

Five days later, on a large rock on Red Fire Island, Feng Rui Shan looked at a huge Thousand Illusions Flower not far away, his expression uncertain.

The Thousand Illusions Flower was over a person's height, with heart-shaped leaves the size of a palm, bright green, and thick. The branches were covered with inch-long thorns, and only a small, not yet withered flower remained at the top. The flower had nine petals, each of a different color, almost transparent, and shimmered in the sunlight, appearing lively and vibrant, contrasting beautifully with the thick green leaves. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, as if mocking Feng Rui Shan's overconfidence.

He had been on Red Fire Island for two days and couldn't figure out how to transplant the Thousand Illusions Flower into the fairy mansion. No matter how he concealed his aura, as soon as he approached within 20 zhang of the Thousand Illusions Flower, he would be attacked by Red Fire Bees. Once, he was almost surrounded and had to fight his way out, injured, fortunately having prepared pills to counter the fire poison.

He tried several times, and each Thousand Illusions Flower was guarded by Red Fire Bees. The smallest group had over 5,000 bees, and the larger groups had tens of thousands. It was impossible to kill them all at once. Gradually wearing them down was also dangerous, as the island wasn't just one group of Red Fire Bees. If he lost control, he couldn't count on having the same luck every time.

"These Red Fire Bees are back, don't they find the outside world interesting? Dugu Feng is really useless, not even able to drive away these small Red Fire Bees thoroughly. He deserves to be captured. How will I collect pollen next time? Forcing the Red Fire Bees to relocate would make them even less willing. Should I wait until I reach the Golden Core stage to collect the Thousand Illusions Flower pollen? Then my Dreamy Spring would be a waste. Should I just give up? I, the great Feng Rui Shan, being laughed at by Red Fire Bees, Lin Feifeng would die of laughter. I guess I have to take a small risk."

After a lot of self-talk, Feng Rui Shan couldn't think of a better plan and decided to go with it.

Feng Rui Shan waited another 10 days on Red Fire Island, confirming that no cultivators were interested in it. With a thought, the fairy mansion appeared in his hand. He habitually scanned it with his divine sense, then carefully placed it among the rocks and flew to a nearby Thousand Illusions Flower. When he was still over 20 zhang away, the nearby group of Red Fire Bees seemed to receive a signal and flew over, a black cloud that made his scalp tingle. This group had over 10,000 bees, a significant number, but fortunately, they were far from other groups, making them easier to control.

The Red Fire Bees arrived in an instant. Feng Rui Shan suppressed the urge to run and gripped a golden spear about a foot long in his right hand. With a strong swing, a golden light shot towards the bee swarm, instantly growing to over a zhang long. It was the Golden Spear Technique. Before the spear reached the bee swarm, a fireball the size of an egg appeared in his palm. With a slight wrist movement, the fireball shot out, quickly growing to the size of a basin, emitting intense heat. Two Red Fire Bees were pierced by the golden spear, turning into red powder, and a few others hit by the fireball let out shrill squeaks and fell from the sky. The golden spear and fireball lost their glow and turned into wisps of spiritual energy, disappearing.

The bee swarm was unaffected and surged towards Feng Rui Shan like a tidal wave. He tapped his storage bag, and three palm-sized round shields, covered in runes, flew out. The shields grew to over a person's height in the wind, and Feng Rui Shan formed hand seals, making the shields fly around him, forming a small defensive array that protected a two-zhang radius.

While manipulating the shields to block the bee swarm, he cast spells to kill the Red Fire Bees that broke through the shield's defense. At this moment, he had no time to consider the smoothness and rhythm of his spells, only one thought in his mind: "Faster, faster." He cast various minor spells without thinking, killing the Red Fire Bees on contact.

In the midst of the chaos, he suddenly wondered what Lin Feifeng would think if she knew. He felt a sharp pain in his back, having been stung by a Red Fire Bee. Shaking his head, he focused on the Red Fire Bees in front of him.

After manipulating the three shields and casting spells to attack the Red Fire Bees, even with his far more substantial spiritual energy and divine sense compared to other cultivators of the same stage, he could only hold on for less than an hour. Seeing more and more Red Fire Bees around him, he changed his hand seals, and the shields shrank back to palm size, returning to his storage bag. With a thought, he appeared in the fairy mansion, immediately sitting down and drinking a large mouthful of spirit wine to quickly recover his spiritual energy and divine sense.

"Indeed, the Red Fire Bees can't detect the secret of the fairy mansion. This method works, but I need to be quick to avoid any unforeseen events. If a high-stage cultivator passes by and discovers the fairy mansion, I'll be in trouble. The Red Fire Bees are good for practicing basic spells, far better than practicing alone at home. Pressure is indeed the driving force for improvement, but unfortunately, I can't stay here long. Otherwise..."

Two hours later, Feng Rui Shan's figure appeared among the rocks, feeling much better as he saw no Red Fire Bees around him. He mustered his energy and charged towards the bee swarm again, muttering to himself.

Feng Rui Shan had long discovered that as long as he stayed within 100 zhang of the fairy mansion, he could return to it at any time. Although he didn't know the spiritual energy fluctuations of the fairy mansion while he was inside, he assumed they were minimal. The Red Fire Bees, being spirit insects at the Qi Condensation stage, lacked intelligence and couldn't find him, eventually leaving on their own.

The only fear was that a high-stage cultivator might pass by. However, there was no such thing as a risk-free endeavor, and Feng Rui Shan knew the principle of seeking wealth in danger. Besides, the risk didn't seem significant.

One month later, at noon, Feng Rui Shan casually cast a fireball. Suddenly, he felt a great light in his mind, and various spell techniques flooded his thoughts. He waved his hand, and various spells emerged effortlessly, without the need to recall the techniques or pay attention to the flow of spiritual energy through his meridians. Whether it was the Fireball Technique or the Wind Blade Technique, he could use them at will, and the transitions between spells were smooth and fluid, with no hindrance. He felt increasingly elated, experiencing an indescribable sense of satisfaction and exhilaration, and couldn't help but let out a long, loud howl. The howl startled a group of crows in the distance, whose "cawing" was unusually hoarse as they flew away without looking back.