Free Web NovelChapter 300: Chapter 64: Fellow Daoist Fang, Please Help Me Cultivate
Inside the Jade Tower.
A man and a woman sat facing each other, the delicate fragrance of Spirit Tea drifting between them.
Chen Yu Yan was dressed in her usual simple purple dress. Her tall figure was graceful and elegant, and with her almond eyes and rosy cheeks, she possessed a gentle air, like a lone orchid in a secluded valley.
Her features were exquisite, her brows faintly drawn, her skin fair and tender. She was a true rarity, a beauty in no way inferior to Fang Cheng’s many wives and concubines.
Come to think of it, they had known each other for over a decade.
She, Wen Qianqian, and Wang Xingzhi had all witnessed Fang Cheng’s meteoric rise firsthand.
Now, a vast gulf separated them in status. If Fang Cheng hadn’t been so sentimental about their old friendship, she wouldn’t even have the right to sit and chat with him like this.
Years ago in the Dragon Spine Archipelago, she had thought their Cave Mansions were close enough that they could meet often. But who would have known that Fang Cheng would directly enter the Inner Sect, condense a Life Talisman just a few years later, and then move to Demon Lion Peak to continue his Cultivation.
Their lives intersected less and less.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, here are one catty and three taels of Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads I recently acquired from the Merit Pavilion. Please inspect them to see if there are any issues."
Chen Yu Yan produced an exquisite jade box, placed it on the table, and gently pushed it over to Fang Cheng.
"Oh? This much..." Fang Cheng opened the box and examined its contents closely. It was filled entirely with Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads.
’Looks like the temptation of a million merit points is no small matter,’ he thought. ’It’s finally yielding results.’
He was pleasantly surprised that Chen Yu Yan had managed to bring him so much, and the smile on his face widened.
He put away the Geng Metal Profound Silkworm Threads and resumed his idle chat with her.
Chen Yu Yan lowered her eyes, sipped her Spirit Tea in silence, and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Fang, Wang Xingzhi also condensed his Life Talisman not long ago. Among the four of us, I’m the only one still stuck in the Sensing Realm."
Her words were tinged with a faint melancholy.
Fang Cheng nodded. "I imagine Old Wang used the Joyful Zen Skill to form his Life Talisman. With the Chixia Wang Family as his backer, he’s probably not short on beautiful women. Life must be good for him."
A slight smile touched Chen Yu Yan’s lovely face. "He has more than thirty concubines now. After he reached the Life Talisman Stage, people started calling him the ’Flower Picking Wanderer’..."
Fang Cheng looked at Chen Yu Yan and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, there’s no need to be anxious. The fact that the four of us inherited the legacy of the Dragon Elephant Wanderer means we each have our own destiny. It’s just that our paths to the Dao progress at different speeds. As long as you persevere and remain patient, you will eventually part the clouds and see the clear sky."
Chen Yu Yan’s delicate brows furrowed. "Perhaps I am being too impatient," she said softly. "You’re not an outsider, Fellow Daoist, so I can be honest. I do have a stroke of destiny waiting for me, but I can’t claim it until I reach the Life Talisman Stage. Perhaps it’s this constant preoccupation that’s holding me back from the final step."
A flicker of interest crossed Fang Cheng’s face, but he didn’t press her for details about this destiny.
’This woman’s origins are a mystery. It’s quite remarkable for her to have come this far from being a mere Servant Disciple.’
’But that’s as far as it goes. The world is filled with countless Loose Cultivators just like her.’
’Ultimately, not everyone is blessed with a heaven-defying opportunity.’
He looked into Chen Yu Yan’s almond-shaped eyes and asked with a smile, "You seem troubled today, Fellow Daoist. Do you have something else in mind?"
Chen Yu Yan’s face flushed slightly as she avoided his gaze. "I am indeed thinking of taking a different path," she said slowly. "I came here today partly to seek your advice."
"And what do you intend to do?" Fang Cheng asked, intrigued.
To condense a Life Talisman, cultivators generally relied on one of three things besides their own innate talent: rare Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects, Spiritual Elixirs and Wondrous Medicines, or unorthodox Secret Techniques.
Myriad Manifestations Celestial Dew and the Celestial Lake Spirit Pill were examples of the first two categories. Wang Xingzhi’s Joyful Zen Skill, on the other hand, used the power of a Tripod Furnace to achieve a breakthrough.
Myriad Manifestations Celestial Dew was a legendary Spiritual Object, seen perhaps once in a millennium.
The Celestial Lake Spirit Pill was incredibly difficult to refine, and the required Spiritual Medicines were all exceedingly rare and precious—treasures one could only hope to encounter by chance, not actively seek out.
Therefore, Fang Cheng guessed that Chen Yu Yan was planning to cultivate the Joyful Zen Skill.
’Her disposition is cool and aloof, with a hint of pride. It couldn’t have been easy for her to choose this path.’
Just then, Chen Yu Yan spoke in a soft voice, "I’m preparing to practice the Joyful Zen Skill. Right now, I lack a treasure to suppress the Heart Demon. I was wondering if you might be able to help me..."
’With her looks and her status as an Inner Sect Disciple, she must have countless suitors,’ Fang Cheng thought.
’She probably wouldn’t have any trouble finding a male cultivator to act as a Tripod Furnace. Her only worry would be how to deal with the Heart Demon that arises from cultivating such a Demon Skill.’
After she finished, Fang Cheng pondered for a moment before replying, "The Joyful Zen Skill is a path of harvesting and supplementing; it is heavy with demonic intent. To cultivate it is to walk along the edge of an abyss. Unless you have absolutely no other choice, I would not recommend you practice it. Furthermore, this skill is a method of plundering another’s Magical Power, so it’s not particularly effective for breaking through cultivation bottlenecks."
Chen Yu Yan nodded. "I am aware of what you’ve said, Fellow Daoist. But for me, this is the only way to break the stalemate."
Fang Cheng took out a jade slip and handed it to her. "I have a Secret Technique here that is miraculously effective for breaking through Cultivation bottlenecks. You might want to take a look."
This was the very Secret Technique that the Cyan Bird Cang Wuya had given to Hua Yutang.
Hua Yutang and Fang Cheng had engaged in Dual Cultivation no less than a hundred times, and both were well aware of its effects.
Fang Cheng had later even asked Hua Yutang for a bottle of Profound Fire Pills, planning to use them to spice things up with Ye Yan and his other women.
Since this technique was effective enough to help one break through to the Mid-Life Talisman Stage, passing the trial of condensing a Life Talisman should be no trouble at all.
Most importantly, this method was pure and gentle, with no negative side effects.
Curious, Chen Yu Yan accepted the jade slip and pressed it to her forehead. As she read its contents, a deep blush bloomed on her fair, lovely cheeks.
Within the jade slip was an incredibly detailed description of how to execute the Secret Technique.
The instructions for using the Profound Fire Pill, in particular, described things she had never even heard of. The mere thought of them was mortifying.
And here she was, reading about it right in front of a male cultivator...
She slowly lowered the jade slip, her beautiful eyes fixed on Fang Cheng, her gaze now carrying a hint of flirtatious ambiguity.
’If only I had been more proactive back then...’
With a silent sigh, Chen Yu Yan parted her red lips. "Fellow Daoist Fang, I wonder... would you be free to help me practice this technique soon?"
In that instant, her gaze was bold and coquettish, a thread of open frankness woven into her bashful expression.
Fang Cheng looked at his old friend’s beautiful, porcelain-smooth face. Her eyes were warm and clear, stirring ripples in the lake of his heart.
’He was not a man who lacked for female companionship, but it was true that every woman possessed her own unique beauty. At this moment, he found it impossible to refuse. She’s an old friend, after all. It’s only right to help her if I can.’
He nodded. "When would you like to begin your Cultivation, Fellow Daoist?"
Chen Yu Yan’s lovely eyes darted about playfully. "There’s no time like the present," she said softly.
Fang Cheng smiled. "Very well."
「A short while later.」
The two left the Jade Tower, mounted their Escape Lights, and flew away from Cangwu Mountain, arriving over a vast, misty lake.
The lake was immense, its surface shimmering as water and sky merged into one.
They stood upon the water’s surface. Seeing that they were alone, Chen Yu Yan took out a block of cyan stone and cast it forth.
It was her Stone Meditation Hut.
She channeled her Magical Power and recited a few incantations. The cyan stone shot from her hand, instantly expanding in mid-air until it became a ten-foot-tall boulder suspended silently in the void.
Chen Yu Yan formed another Spell with her hands. The surface of the giant rock flashed, and countless lines of light streamed out, sketching the outline of a doorway.
She took the initiative to take Fang Cheng’s hand, and they walked side-by-side into the glowing portal.
They disappeared inside the stone. The glowing runes on the boulder’s surface slowly faded, and it returned to its normal appearance before sinking beneath the lake’s surface.
Inside the stone was a circular, domed hall. The ceiling and walls were covered in bas-relief carvings of various birds and beasts.
Jade stones embedded in the hall’s surfaces emitted a soft glow, illuminating the interior as if it were daytime.
Compared to the first time Fang Cheng had visited, the furnishings and decorations of the Stone Meditation Hut were now vastly different, its style more elegant, warm, and serene.
Chen Yu Yan led Fang Cheng into the bedroom, her face flushing with shyness. "I’m going to bathe first. Please wait for me here."
...
