Chapter 35

Stepping in the moonlight, Wei Shizheng returned to the foot of Tiandu Peak. As the saying goes, "With food in hand, there's no panic in the heart." The Penglai bag was filled with the flesh and blood of an entire beauty python, enough to sustain him for some time. However, one thing troubled him: the lower half of the beauty python was a snake. He had eaten it, but what about the upper half? Was it considered human?

Qin Zhen had been pacing for a long time, extremely anxious. Seeing her senior brother return, she rushed forward with red eyes and choked, "Senior Brother, Master... Master..."

"He has passed away," Wei Shizheng continued, "Who told you this?"

"It was Xu Li. He ran over and said Master was no longer with us, and asked me to go to Xianyun Peak to find a new master," Qin Zhen replied, stunned.

"Pay him no mind. Did he say how Master died?"

"No. Senior Brother... what should we do?"

Wei Shizheng patted her head and said, "Leave it to me. Don't worry, and don't ask too many questions."

Qin Zhen leaned into his embrace, smelling the scent of peaches on his clothes, and gradually calmed down. She missed the simple times on Tiandu Peak, focusing solely on cultivation with her senior brother by her side, living each day in peace and happiness.

The next morning, Xun Ye left the Eagle's Beak Rock on Xianyun Peak and came to the foot of Tiandu Peak. He circled the stone room, gathered Yue Zhilan and the others by the Crescent Moon Pond, and informed them of the tragic news of Qi Yunhe's death. He ordered them to continue their cultivation and told them to seek him out in Qiutao Valley if they had any questions.

His expression was somewhat dejected, clearly dissatisfied with his master's arrangement for him to manage the outer sect. However, for Yue Zhilan and the others, this was good news. With the master's top disciple looking after them, the disciples of Lu Shizhong and Zhang Jinghe would certainly treat them differently.

Xun Ye inquired about their progress in cultivating the *Taiyi Foundation Building Scripture* and gave them some guidance before dismissing them, except for Wei Shizheng. Yue Zhilan noticed this and thought that Qi Yunhe and Xun Ye must have a special reason for valuing Wei Shizheng so highly.

Wei Shizheng paid his respects to his master again. Xun Ye's expression softened slightly as he carefully inquired about Wei Shizheng's progress in cultivating the *Howling Moon Technique* and the *Heqi Zhenjing*. He was quite satisfied with Wei Shizheng's ability to smoothly open three *acquired* orifices with his *innate*资质, and gave him some encouragement. Seeing Xun Ye's improved mood, Wei Shizheng took the opportunity to mention that his junior sister Qin Zhen had exceptional talent. She had cultivated at the Bitter Spring and the Boiling Spring, opening four *acquired* orifices in less than a month. Now she had hit a bottleneck and her cultivation had stagnated. If she could continuously absorb the *Li Fire Qi*, her potential would be limitless.

Xun Ye had heard Qi Yunhe mention Qin Zhen's name. After a moment's thought, he said, "About three hundred miles east of Tiandu Peak is a place called Guimen Abyss, where the *Li Fire Qi* is very dense. However, the Guimen Abyss is occupied by monsters and is extremely dangerous. Only a few disciples who have no hope of forming a Dao Fetus would risk going there. Qin Zhen's seven *innate* orifices are distributed along two meridians: five in the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and two in the Conception Vessel. Her talent is excellent, even among the inner disciples of Xianyun Peak. The *Li Fire Qi* at the Boiling Spring is not pure enough, which is why she ran out of steam after opening four orifices. There's no need to rush. Advise her to take her time and be patient. There's no need to risk going to the Guimen Abyss."

"Does opening more *acquired* orifices make it easier to form a Dao Fetus?"

"Exactly. At least seven *acquired* orifices need to be opened along one meridian. Of course, seven is still too few. Although it's possible to attempt forming a Dao Fetus, the chances of success are low, and even if successful, the quality of the Dao Fetus would be the lowest. Qin Zhen should focus on the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and aim to open thirteen or more orifices before attempting to form a Dao Fetus, which would result in a medium-quality Dao Fetus."

...

Before leaving, Xun Ye examined the dan poison in Wei Shizheng's abdomen and frowned, finding it quite challenging. He instructed Wei Shizheng to temporarily stop cultivating the *Howling Moon Technique* to avoid the outer membrane breaking and the dan poison leaking out.

Wei Shizheng could only smile bitterly.

He wandered by the Crescent Moon Pond all night. At dawn, he brought Qin Zhen back to Tiandu Peak and settled down at the Boiling Spring again. He shared Xun Ye's opinion with his junior sister, and Qin Zhen was indifferent, leaving it to her senior brother to decide.

Wei Shizheng stayed with Qin Zhen by the Boiling Spring for a few days. Calculating the time, the dan poison that Ruan Jing mentioned was about to flare up. He left the green wolf to look after his junior sister and went into the wilderness alone, finding a hidden tree hollow to prepare for the ordeal, enduring and waiting until the dan poison was completely exhausted.

He injected a small amount of yuan qi into the Penglai bag, took out the beauty python's flesh, cooked it, and placed it beside him. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, focusing inward. After about two to three hours, the dan poison suddenly stirred, the outer membrane contracted, and the poison rushed like a tiger descending a mountain, immersing his internal organs and causing intense pain that spread throughout his body, but he couldn't pinpoint where it hurt.

Yuan qi from the orifices flowed into his organs, gradually consuming the dan poison and repairing the damaged internal organs. However, it quickly ran out. Wei Shizheng was prepared and stuffed the snake meat into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it whole.

The old demon had cultivated for countless years, and the meat contained an exceptionally abundant amount of yuan qi. A small piece was almost equivalent to the old bear in Heisong Valley. The dan poison lasted for less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick before being overwhelmed by the yuan qi. The damaged internal organs gradually recovered, and the excess yuan qi rampaged through his body, causing a buzzing in his ears and a fuzzy mind. The familiar dull pain awakened his memory, and Wei Shizheng instinctively arched his back and slammed into a tree, stumbling back and then slamming into another tree.

Using the tree trunk as a hammer and the yuan qi as a drill, the orifices vibrated, producing a series of faint "clicking" sounds. The fifth *acquired* orifice, the Tao Dao orifice, suddenly opened, and the remaining force also loosened the Dazhui orifice.

Wei Shizheng's mind cleared, and he suddenly remembered the "fragile" dan poison. His heart sank, and he relaxed, exhaling a thick white vapor that shot out like an arrow, reaching three zhang away.

The dan poison remained in his abdomen, swaying gently, showing no signs of abnormality.

Relief, fatigue, hunger, and joy mixed together, a complex blend of emotions. Wei Shizheng's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, closing his eyes, feeling dizzy.

The feeling of being alive was wonderful! The feeling of cultivation was wonderful!

He staggered, struggling to get up, and crawled into the tree hollow, falling into a deep sleep like a hibernating bear.

After an unknown amount of time, Wei Shizheng suddenly opened his eyes. It was pitch black outside the tree hollow. He felt parched and ravenous. He crawled out, looked up at the sky, and saw a crescent moon hanging high, its cold light shining on him. But that light was not just light; it was clearly the essence of the moon, yet he felt nothing.

Wei Shizheng stretched his limbs, and his bones cracked softly. He could sense that his meridians, flesh, tendons, bones, and organs had all been refined by the yuan qi, and he had taken a significant step toward physical cultivation. The path ahead became clear and definite. He knew what he wanted and how to achieve it.

He tidied his clothes and walked out of the forest with large strides.