Chapter 10: The Mortal Realm's First Layer (Seeking Recommendations!)

  The cinnabar was bright red, and Chong Shan added various materials one after another. Finally, the ten seven-son Schisandra chinensis were also added in. The alchemy furnace suddenly burst into flames, shooting out from the gaps.

  The mountains and rivers are delighted beyond expectation: This is a manifestation of excellent raw material quality.

  He couldn't help but think to himself, this Chong Zhong isn't completely useless after all. These ten Seven-son Schisandra fruits are actually quite good, and among ordinary medicinal materials, they're considered top-grade.

  He was in high spirits, but didn't think that the alchemical fire in the crucible wouldn't subside. The originally excellent medicinal materials were quickly consumed by the fierce flames, which should have receded soon after, but this time the fire only grew stronger and more intense, turning the entire crucible bright red in an instant. Chongshan watched as he lost control, and panicked. Several spells later, the crucible showed no signs of cooling down, instead growing even more intense, scaring Chongshan half to death, who didn't hesitate to abandon the crucible and flee.

  "Boom!"

  A loud explosion sounded, and the dan furnace exploded. Chong Shan had already run out, but was still blown away by the blast for dozens of feet before heavily crashing to the ground.

  "What's going on!"

  A loud rebuke came, and the Taoist priest Wan Qing walked out with his hands behind his back, his face iron-green. He was at a critical moment in refining the elixir, and this explosion made him lose his concentration, ruining a furnace of precious medicine, so he was naturally in a bad mood.

  "Master! Disciple... disciple is incompetent..."

  "Has the furnace exploded? What kind of pill are you refining?"

  Chong Shan's face turned red, and he stammered: "Jiǔ Jiǔ Yún Dān..."

  Wan Qing was furious, and with one kick, he knocked him to the ground: "Good-for-nothing! You've been practicing with me for decades, and you still can't even refine a basic Nine Qi Pill without exploding the furnace! Get out of my sight immediately, I don't want a useless disciple like you, it's humiliating!"

  "Master, please forgive me and give me another chance... I beg of you..." Chong Shan wailed, knocking his head repeatedly. If he were to be expelled, he would never have the opportunity to rise again in Su Bao Mountain. The difference between a personally transmitted disciple and an ordinary inner sect disciple was enormous, like heaven and earth.

  "Shut up! If you don't scram, I'll kill you with one slap!" Just thinking about the precious raw materials that were just wasted made Mo Qing's heart bleed, and his anger intensified.

  Chong Shan knew his master's temper and didn't dare say another word. He knocked his head three times, then turned around with a sorrowful expression and left.

  Just two steps away, Wang Qing suddenly moved his nose: "Wait a minute!"

  Chong Shan was taken aback, and the Daoist priest walked into the ruined Dan room with a frown, pinched a bit of powder between his fingers, sniffed it under his nose, and immediately changed color: "What material did you use to refine the Jiu Qi Dan?"

  Chongshan didn't understand why his master asked this question, but he still answered honestly.

  Wan Qingdao's face sank as he asked, "Where did you get the Qi Zi Shou Wu? Did you steal it from my medicine storage?"

  Chong Shan was startled and knelt down with a thud: "Disciple dare not! These ten seven-son first Wus were sent by Chong Zhong, my junior fellow disciple. He said they were the output of this year's new disciples' seven exams. Originally, he wanted to show respect to Master, but we disciples thought that although these ordinary seven-son first Wus could be considered top-grade, they would still not meet your standards, so we took the liberty of using them..."

  "Fart!" Man Qingdao scolded loudly: "Seven trials at the entrance? New apprentice? Could you cultivate a hundred-year-old Qi Zi Shou Wu when you first entered the sect?"

  Chongshan was stunned: "A hundred-year-old... how is this possible?!"

  He suddenly understood: "A hundred-year-old one, no wonder, no wonder the apprentice would explode the furnace. It turns out that those seven-son Polygonum multiflorum were not ordinary quality, but a hundred-year-old quality! Chong Zhong is harming me!"

  Wan Qing's complexion improved somewhat, and he thought to himself that Chong Zhong had probably spent a hundred years searching for the Seven Sons of First Raven to try to curry favor with him, but didn't dare say it out loud. What a pity, having such a foolish apprentice was a waste.

  A hundred-year-old Qi Zi Shou Wu is absolutely a precious medicinal material that can be encountered but not sought. Even the Daoist Wan Qing, has only seen it twice until now.

  In this world, famous mountains and rivers, deep forests and ancient woods, all kinds of spiritual herbs are extremely numerous. The problem is that it's not like you can just enter a dense forest and find a spiritual herb. Even if there is a spiritual herb in this forest, how lucky would you have to be to find it as soon as you enter?

  So a hundred-year-old spiritual medicine is placed in front of you, even if it's a cultivator like Mo Qing who would normally tear his face to grab it. If it were a thousand-year-old one, it wouldn't be unusual for people to lose their lives over it.

  Like Qi Zi Shou Wu, a spiritual medicine that normally takes half a year to mature, in the tile jar of Su Bao Mountain, it can be matured in just one month.

  Wang Qingdao usually used 20-30 year old Qi Zi Shou Wu, but the 100-year-old Qi Zi Shou Wu was gone just like that. Wang Qingdao's heart ached as if bleeding, his face turned gloomy again, and he glared at his apprentice: "Still not leaving?!"

  He was thinking of calling Chong Zhong over and asking him thoroughly about the hundred-year-old Qi Zi Shou Wu, where he got it from, and if there were any more...

  ……

  Sun Li's seven bonus points can be cashed in immediately and do not have to wait until the end of the seventh exam.

  To put it bluntly, this kind of merit reward or the task points for disciples within the sect are actually just like the silver and copper coins at the foot of the mountain, used to buy things from the sect.

  When the mountain gate was opened, each of the disciples received a jade plaque that had been refined by the senior elders. Inside it was sealed with the aura of the disciple holding the jade plaque, which could not be forged. The jade plaque also recorded the points for rewards and penalties.

  Knowing that Yu Shi rewards can also be exchanged for things, Luo Huan urged Sun Li to hurry up and see what he could exchange.

  Luohuan has many ideas, but now there are too few resources on hand, and it's impossible to implement them.

  Sun Li was originally punished by Chong Ba with a deduction of ten points, which would have been deducted directly. However, Luo Huan chose to postpone the deduction and exchange it for the resources they needed first.

  With resources, future exams will be no problem, these ten points will definitely be deducted back.

  The place to exchange rewards is the "Canglang Hall" inside the gate, and the disciple in charge of the rewards is already an inner door disciple. He has some attainments in the art of divination, and at a glance, he can see that Sun Li's qualifications are ordinary, and his cultivation is not high. And the eight excellent recognition reward points on the jade card represent third place in one exam! No matter how he looks at it, Sun Li doesn't seem like someone who could get third place.

  But the records on the jade plate won't be fake, although he was puzzled, he still pointed to the light screen on the wall with a wave of his hand: "You can see for yourself, just call me when you're done."

  The words on the light screen indicate the points that have been exchanged for various things.

  There are Fa Bao, Ling Dan, Ling Shou, and raw materials, etc., and the prices are also high and low.

  "Ugh, this Broken Cliff Sect is so petty. Eight points are basically useless."

  The lowest-grade spirit stones and spirit jade cost one point per piece. With Sun Li's current wealth, he would be left with nothing after exchanging for eight pieces.

  Actually, for a newly admitted disciple, one piece of spiritual stone can be used for half a year, and even if it's an inner door disciple, eight pieces of spiritual stone are not a small fortune. Many disciples work hard to take on tasks all year round, but they may not necessarily earn that much. However, in the eyes of someone like Luo Huan, eight pieces of the lowest-grade spiritual stone are really too shabby to be seen.

  Wu Yao impatiently said: "Luo Huan, stop complaining and think carefully about what you want to exchange."

  Luohuan pondered for a moment before saying to Sun Li, "I have a method that can speed up your cultivation progress, but it consumes a bit more spiritual stones."

  "What's with all the nonsense? Get straight to the point! Hurry up and say what you've chosen!" Wu Yao seized the opportunity to scold.

  Luohuandao: "Five elements attribute spirit stones, each exchange for one piece, and lower grade spirit jade exchange for two pieces...hmm, there is still one point left, let me take a look..."

  On the light screen, a line of text jumped into Sun Li's eyes. Luo Huan was overjoyed: "This is it!"

  "What's this?" Sun Li also hesitated, because that thing also required a precious point count, but it was just a single seed of the Ink Jade Grass!

  Chong Zhong will send seeds, but Sun Li doesn't understand why he wasted such a precious recognition reward point to exchange for a seed.

  Luohuandao said: "Listen to me, no mistake, just change this one."

  "Alright."

  Sun Li took the jade token and exchanged it for what Luo Huan had said. As he was about to leave, the disciples of Canglang Hall also found it strange that the seed of the ink-colored grass was obtained by a disciple who went out on a mission many years ago, and even the alchemy master of the sect, Danyuan Daoren, couldn't cultivate it. What use could this kid have for it?

  ……

  Sun Li returned to his own house, Luo Huan's tone was serious: "Sun Li, close the door."

  Sun Li said she would close the door and insert the door bolt.

  Luohuan used some unknown means to display a picture in Sun Li's mind. Sun Li furrowed his brow: "This is... an array?"

  Luohuan said helplessly: "This is the only spiritual array you can depict so far. If you succeed, your cultivation speed will increase greatly if you cultivate in it."

  Sun Li had also heard of the Spirit Gathering Formation, but according to the legend on Su Bao Mountain, this formation's effect was not particularly remarkable, it only made the heavenly and earthly spiritual energy around the body slightly denser, the true cultivation speed still depended on the cultivator themselves.

  "Stop comparing your broken and tattered sect's Spirit Gathering Array to mine! I don't know what's wrong with the current Cultivation world, but that kind of trashy array that has an effect that's been reduced to nothing is actually called a Spirit Gathering Array?"

  "You draw the Spirit Gathering Array as I told you, and you'll understand when the time comes."

  Sun Li took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself.

  The last time that tile only supplemented six array method carved lines, and he was exhausted to death. This time, an entire array method must be drawn, the task is even more arduous.

  Sun Li counted and found that this formation had a total of thirty-six array lines, although Sun Li's current cultivation had increased greatly, but it was estimated to be an extremely painful process.

  Following Luo Huan's guidance, Sun Li began to engrave the formation method. As he had guessed, after drawing only three lines of the formation method, Sun Li was exhausted and collapsed to the ground. After resting for a moment, he started practicing the "Mortal World One Life Heaven" technique, and after recovering his strength, he continued to engrave.

  After repeated attempts, Sun Li was exhausted and finally managed to complete the simplest soul-gathering array in Luo Huan's mouth.

  After a rest, under Luo Huan's guidance, the Five Elements Spirit Stones and Spirit Jade were embedded in the array nodes, then calmed down and sat cross-legged in the middle of the array with a hint of expectation.

  The formation gradually lit up, Sun Lixun turned his work into a clear feeling, the Zhou Tian star power in the formation became more and more dense. At first, it was like a gentle breeze blowing in, later it was like threads of silk sliding on the skin. Later, it became a thick porridge that soaked Sun Li entirely.

  Sun Li was startled, and the effect of this Spirit Gathering Formation was also too astonishing!

  "Concentrate your mind and exert your strength!"

  Luo Huan let out a loud roar, and Sun Li hurriedly calmed his mind and focused all his energy on circulating the "Mortal World Heavenly Cycle" technique. Before long, he began to thank Luo Huan, for just as Luo Huan had reminded him, the incredibly dense Zhou Tian Star Power within the Spirit Gathering Array suddenly started frantically pouring into his body through every pore.

  Suddenly, a large amount of Zhou Tian Xing Li surged in, and Sun Li's meridians almost couldn't withstand it. He could only frantically circulate his Gong Fa to first absorb the incoming Zhou Tian Xing Li into the Yintang acupoint on his forehead, transforming the divine holes.

  The starlight energy gathered more and more, and the speed at which it surged into Sun Li's body also became faster and faster. At this time, Sun Li was forced to focus his mind without any distractions, fully operating his internal skills.

  Sun Li was in unbearable pain, feeling as if his limbs were going to burst.

  At this time, if you can't hold on, your whole body's meridians will shatter, and in this life, there is no hope of practicing again!

  Sun Li didn't need anyone to remind him, he already knew the pros and cons, but he gritted his teeth and focused solely on operating the Turning Wheel Technique. Although the speed at which Zhou Tianxing's energy merged into the Yintang acupoint was slightly slow, it was constantly being transported out from the meridians.

  Mental strength is barely holding on, with enormous consumption.

  The body is strong and self-supporting, but the pain is unbearable!

  Sun Li himself did not have confidence, he could not hold on. But in his heart, there was a determination, I absolutely cannot give up! Just persist a little longer, and success will be achieved!

  It wasn't long before the light of the Spirit Gathering Array beneath Sun Lishen grew weaker and weaker, and the Heavenly Star Force around him also became increasingly thin. Finally, the light of the Spirit Gathering Array flashed once, and then completely extinguished, a stream of spiritual fire ignited from under his body, instantly incinerating the array, leaving the ground scorched black, without even a hint of the array's existence remaining.

  The Zhou Tian Star Force continued to surge into Sun Li's body, and he was already handling it with ease.

  When the last strand of Zhou Tian Xing Li sank into Yintang Hole, this acupoint had already emitted a brilliant light like stars, and this meridian had been completely divinized!

  A faint aura emanated from Sun Li's body, like an invisible giant hand sweeping across the entire room. The doors and windows trembled slightly before calming down after a while.

  Sun Li opened his eyes, and with a mouthful of air, he spat out a faint silver starlight. From this moment on, he officially left the mortal realm and entered the ordinary person's boundary.

  The vast road had just opened a slight crack for him!

  He stepped into the first heavy, he was one step closer to the third heavy of the mortal realm in Su Bao Mountain.

  Sun Li was the tenth among all disciples of this generation to enter the mortal realm, but his hardships were not something that other disciples could compare with.

  He was already far behind in terms of qualifications, and his resources were far inferior to those of the top nine disciples. He had only managed to obtain seven merit points through his own hard work, which he exchanged for seven pieces of spiritual stone. Apart from that, he had no external help.

  If it were said that he had broken through to the mortal realm within a month, perhaps no one in the entire Suo Bao Mountain, or even the entire Xiuzhen world, would dare to believe it.

  "Xinghe Zhenjie", the number one under heaven.

  In this world, one's foundation is what makes them supreme.

  Luohan gathers the spirit array, unparalleled in the world.

  Sun Li, unmatched in moral integrity and unparalleled in determination!

  (This chapter has over 4,000 words, please recommend! The ranking of the new book is quite far behind, please move up, please change positions, please become popular!)