Chapter 51

When Zhang Yan saw that the location of the Moon Viewing Festival was on "Jade Earring Island," his expression instantly became somewhat subtle.

This "Jade Earring Island" was one of the "Six Rivers and Four Islands." He had just tricked them, and now they were inviting him to the island. Upon careful consideration, he realized there must be a deeper meaning behind this.

According to his knowledge, the Six Rivers and Four Islands had expelled the clan members who had committed offenses from the Ling Cang Sect a month ago, but he did not know how much they had paid to save their lives. As for the Feng family, although they were still stubbornly refusing to yield, their attitude had already softened, and it was only a matter of time before they bowed their heads.

He flipped through the letter again and found it to be quite peculiar. The handwriting was elegant, clearly from a female cultivator, and the invitation did not even include a formal invitation card. Was this an invitation or a refusal?

Shaking his head, he casually tossed the letter aside.

In his view, whether to go or not was not particularly important. Instead of wasting time on this, it was better to focus on improving his cultivation.

However, before that, he had to solve a not-so-small problem.

To practice the second step of the Taiyi Golden Book, the Kun Ling Turbid Qi, he had to release all the Qian Ling Clear Qi to draw up the heavy sha from deep within the earth. This was extremely troublesome and inefficient. He wondered if there was a way to store the sha qi.

After pondering for a long time, a bright idea flashed through Zhang Yan's mind. In the alchemy techniques given to him by Zhou Chongju, the "Inner Qi Technique" was used to create additional qi points in the body to accommodate various different qi energies. Could this not serve as a natural storage place for the sha qi?

After all, this qi point was isolated from the outside, capable of containing various toxic and tangible medicinal forces, let alone intangible heavy sha. Moreover, what could be more convenient than storing it in his own body?

With this thought, he quickly retrieved the alchemy book and read through it carefully.

According to the book, these qi points corresponded to the five elements and the five senses. A person could open up to five qi points, and the key to practicing the "Inner Qi Technique" lay in the preparation of the alchemy pills in the later stages. The technique itself was very simple and posed no difficulty for him.

Sitting on the jade platform, he began to practice the technique as described in the book. In less than half a day, he successfully opened three qi points. However, when he tried to continue, he found it impossible. He realized that with his current cultivation, he had already reached his limit.

The heavy sha, being turbid, would sink back into the ground once the clear qi was no longer drawing it up. The golden wind and fierce fire would also slow down and sink back down.

Zhang Yan then exhaled the clear qi, circled it around the fire vent, and instantly drew up the half-sunken heavy sha. He gently flared his nostrils, carefully inhaling the qi energy and guiding it into the qi point in his chest. Once inside, the heavy sha settled down and remained still.

Seeing that the method was effective, he felt reassured but did not hastily swallow all the heavy sha. Instead, he slowly and steadily guided it in.

After two hours, one qi point was filled with heavy sha. Zhang Yan carefully examined his body, confirming that he felt no discomfort. He then decided to fill another qi point. If there were still no problems, he would fill the third qi point as well.

It took him about a night to collect the heavy sha. By the time the sky was just beginning to lighten, he had filled all three qi points.

In fact, based on the amount of heavy sha required to refine the turbid qi, the heavy sha he had stored in one qi point was enough to reach the second level of cultivation. However, he felt that the heavy sha might have other uses, and to be on the safe side, he decided to store more, just in case.

Despite the hard work of the night, his face still radiated vitality, with clear qi swirling around it, showing no signs of fatigue. At this moment, he suddenly heard someone shouting outside: "Is Uncle Zhang here? Is Uncle Zhang here?"

Recognizing the voice, Zhang Yan stood up and went out. He found that the person shouting was the Daoist child from the front of the Dan Ding Hall, which made him slightly tense.

Seeing Zhang Yan come out, the Daoist child, without even observing proper etiquette, rushed forward and grabbed his sleeve, saying, "Uncle, the Ancestor has summoned you!"

Is something wrong?

Zhang Yan's expression turned serious, and he nodded. After tidying up, he followed the Daoist child onto a flying boat and headed for the Dan Ding Hall. They traveled swiftly, and in less than an hour, they reached the sky above the mainland. The Daoist child did not stop but hurriedly drove the flying boat straight to the mountain gate. After circling the mountain a few times, they soon saw a boat moored in the middle of the river.

As soon as the flying boat landed, Zhang Yan walked a few steps onto the boat and saw Zhou Chongju sitting in the hall, his face so gloomy it seemed about to drip water. Zhang Yan's heart sank, and he asked, "Brother, what's happened?"

"You're here?" Zhou Chongju pointed to a chair, indicating for him to sit down, but he himself stood up and said in a solemn voice, "A few days ago, the Water Kingdom of Dangyu sent an envoy. In six months, it will be the birthday of their ruler, Ji Jiushang, and they want to host a Dan Conference. Therefore, they specially sent an envoy to our sect to request several alchemists to attend, and in return, they are willing to give up a pearl bed to show their sincerity. The sect leader naturally agreed, as it would resolve the matter without conflict."

The Water Kingdom of Dangyu was actually a demon cultivator tribe, but its power was extremely vast. Even the Three Lakes demons, who had fought with the Ling Cang Sect for over a decade, were nominally just their vassals.

Zhang Yan listened quietly, knowing there was more to come.

Zhou Chongju slammed his fist on the table, "Last month, I was invited by Elder Jiang to refine pills, and the affairs of the hall were temporarily handled by Deputy Hall Master Dou. I didn't expect that while I was away, when selecting the envoy, he actually put your name down. Now that the Water Kingdom envoy has returned, I only discovered this when I returned today, and it was already too late."

Zhang Yan remained calm, as if this matter had nothing to do with him, and asked, "What did Deputy Hall Master Dou say in his defense?"

Zhou Chongju's eyes were full of anger, and he snorted, "Dou Ming said it was due to the negligence of a subordinate, and he has already killed that person. He also offered to resign and retire, no longer serving as Deputy Hall Master."

Zhang Yan mocked, "I'm sure he has already arranged his escape. Moreover, with this, Brother has no way to hold him accountable."

Dou Ming could easily evade responsibility, especially since Zhang Yan was indeed a member of the Dan Ding Sect and a disciple of Zhou Chongju. With someone taking the blame, it would be difficult to hold him accountable, and at most, he would receive a reprimand, which would not harm him in any significant way. As for the future, whether he could be found was still a question.

"Someone must be behind this!" Zhou Chongju said angrily, "I suspect Feng Shang. This is very much his style."

What Zhou Chongju feared was that if it was indeed Feng Shang's doing, then all the apparent loopholes were actually traps. In such a case, sending someone else in Zhang Yan's place or not going at all would be completely unfeasible, and they might be waiting for you to do just that.

While Zhang Yan was in the Ling Cang Sect, his status as a true disciple made it difficult for them to do anything to him. However, Zhou Chongju was worried that once he left, the situation would be entirely different, and there would be many opportunities to act against him.

Zhou Chongju turned his head, his eyes fixed on Zhang Yan, and said in a solemn voice, "Brother, the matter is settled. If you don't go, what do you plan to do? If you don't want to go, I will risk my old face to seek help and ensure your safety!" The muscles on his cheeks twitched, as if he was thinking of something extremely embarrassing.

Zhang Yan lowered his head and thought for a moment. When he looked up, a smile gradually appeared on his lips, and he said, "Brother, I am willing to go."

"Really?" Zhou Chongju looked at him in surprise, "Have you thought it through?"

Zhang Yan said, "I may not be safe in the sect either. Such schemes will continue to emerge, and I cannot guard against them. Although I am not afraid, it might hinder my cultivation. Going to the Water Kingdom, away from the eyes of the noble families, could be a chance for me to spread my wings. It might be an opportunity."

Zhou Chongju pondered for a moment and slowly nodded, "You have a point."

He paused and continued, "However, you must still be cautious. Based on my judgment, if they want to act against you, there are two likely scenarios: one is to attack you on the way, and the other is to create trouble for you in the Water Kingdom. I believe the latter is more likely. If you fail there, the sect leader will not investigate, but will instead blame it on another sect trying to stir up discord."

Zhang Yan nodded, understanding. Although he was a true disciple, if he truly met with misfortune in the Water Kingdom, the Ling Cang Sect would not easily go to war over him. They would try to resolve the matter peacefully, and perhaps use his death as an excuse to break ties with the Water Kingdom of Dangyu, but not to seek revenge for him.

Zhou Chongju sneered, "I checked the roster. Besides you, several others who are close to Dou Ming are also going to the Water Kingdom of Dangyu. This is not without reason. You cannot refine pills, so this matter is not significant, but you are my disciple. If someone stirs up trouble in the Water Kingdom, spreading rumors and sowing discord, it could lead to a deterioration in relations between our sect and the Water Kingdom. In such a case, you will be the first to suffer."

After saying this, he looked at Zhang Yan and sighed, "There are ten days before departure. In these ten days, I will teach you as much as I can. It's like treating a dead horse as if it were alive."

Ten days?

Zhang Yan thought of the true disciple's moon viewing event. Could there be a connection between the two?

At this moment, he also recalled another matter. Luo Xiao knew a bit of alchemy, indicating that demon cultivators were not lacking in alchemists. Why, then, did they need to borrow alchemists from the Ling Cang Sect?

He asked Zhou Chongju about this, and he replied, "You don't know, but demon cultivators can only refine basic pills. They can refine ordinary pills, but not high