Gateway of Immortality

Ever since he had stepped into the world of immortal cultivation, after recognizing his own talent, Qin Sang no longer dared to casually talk about immortality.

The Spiritual Infant.

He had only dared to dream of it.

In fact, even during his time in the Qi Refining Realm, he hadn’t dared to hope for the Core Formation Realm.

As the saying goes, "After gaining a foot, one desires a mile." After reaching the Foundation Building Realm, Qin Sang’s ambitions had grown.

He couldn't help but think: now that he had achieved Foundation Building, what if he accidentally succeeded in forming a core? After forming the core, if he kept cultivating to the late stage of Golden Core Realm, wouldn't that be the time to use it?

It was said that within the immortal cultivation world, there were miraculous herbs that could extend one's lifespan.

Such rare treasures only came by once in a lifetime; there was no way one could obtain a second. Having it within his grasp, letting it slip away would be such a pity—it would be like inviting heavenly punishment.

If he truly managed to form a core, the Du'e Pill could increase the chances of advancing to the Spiritual Infant Realm by twenty percent. He would directly surpass the so-called geniuses. The significance of this could not be overstated.

Now, Qin Sang was certain that Sect Leader Yi from the Kuiyin Sect was scheming against the Yuanzhao Sect, and it was definitely for this Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid.

Sect Leader Yi’s lifespan was nearing its end. If he didn’t make a desperate gamble to advance to the Spiritual Infant Realm, he would only face death by old age.

At this thought, Qin Sang couldn't help but mock internally. If Sect Leader Yi really obtained the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, and then discovered that it has only undergone seven metamorphoses, needing at least another 500 years to be used as medicine, would he die on the spot out of rage?n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Unless he had a way to force the herb to mature.

Qin Sang flew out of Treasure Tower Peak. With a flip of his palm, a few jade slips appeared in his hand. These jade slips were legacies from a master alchemist, and one of them specifically mentioned the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid. Not only did it contain records about the orchid, but it also included the recipe for the Du'e Pill. To conceal his true intentions, Qin Sang had pretended to study alchemy and bought them all.

He wasn’t sure if Senior Brother Zhang had given him a discount out of respect for Sage Mawu, but he had only charged him one middle grade spirit stone.

However, Qin Sang had also noticed that the alchemy room was filled with many incredible pill formulas, yet they were casually thrown into the corners, seemingly neglected for a long time.

Without the necessary spiritual herbs, no matter how amazing the pill formula, it had no value at all.

Qin Sang picked out the jade slip and carefully placed it into his Mustard Seed Pouch.

Reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm was like a dream too distant to touch. For now, all he could do was plant the seed of that dream.

What he needed to focus on now was cultivating steadily, finding a way to form a core, and only then think about the Du'e Pill.

After standing in place for a while, Qin Sang finally set off toward the sect leader's hall.

He waited in the sect leader's hall for some time before Sect Leader Yu returned to the sect. Qin Sang set down the teacup in his hand, stood up, and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Sect Leader Senior Brother."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Brother Qin."

Sect Leader Yu smiled as he returned the greeting, sizing up Qin Sang before saying, "Junior Brother Qin, you look well—congratulations!"

Qin Sang gave a bitter smile and replied, "I owe it all to the Nine-Yang Pill that you gave me. I took it just in time to restore my vital energy, and I haven’t had the chance to properly thank you yet, Senior Brother."

Sect Leader Yu chuckled. "That was just my duty. No need for such formalities, Junior Brother Qin. Besides, the Nine-Yang Pill was Sage Mawu’s designated compensation. Speaking of which..."

He paused for a moment, and Sect Leader Yu clapped his hands abruptly. "I almost forgot! I mentioned earlier that after completing your mission, you could make a request. Have you decided what you want, Junior Brother?"

Hearing this, Qin Sang didn’t hesitate for long before replying, "Senior Brother, I have no other requests. I just wish for an array that can protect my cave dwelling, defend against external enemies, and ideally have a concealing effect so I can cultivate in peace. However, since I have little knowledge of arrays, I’ll have to trouble you to choose one for me."

When Sect Leader Yu had made the promise earlier, he hadn’t set any limits, as if he could grant any wish.

However, Qin Sang wasn’t naive. The Dragon Ginseng gifted by the Spiritual Infant grandmaster to aid him in reaching the Foundation Building Realm had already covered most of his debt. If he made an excessive request now, it would show a lack of gratitude.

While drinking tea earlier, Qin Sang had already made up his mind.

The Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid had very specific requirements for its environment. The master alchemist had mentioned in the jade slip that a spiritual spring was ideal for its growth.

The spiritual spring in his cave dwelling wasn’t fully formed yet, but it was far superior to other spiritual eyes. Planting the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid there was just right, and he could always transplant it to a true spiritual spring later when he found one.

But his cave dwelling in the Yuncang Marshlands lacked proper protection and couldn’t be left without an array to guard it.

Although the existing array in the cave dwelling, laid by the bamboo demon, was still functional, it was originally just meant to protect the cave. Once he planted the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, Qin Sang would no longer feel secure.

Unaware of the details, Sect Leader Yu misunderstood his request and said with surprise, "Junior Brother Qin, are you planning to establish a cave dwelling outside the sect? If that’s the case, you can head to the Treasure Tower Peak's Spirit Beast Hall later. There are several spirit beasts there that can help you locate spirit veins and detect spiritual eyes. You can borrow one for your use."

In Shaohua Mountain, disciples who broke through to the Foundation Building Realm were allowed to have their own cave dwellings. They could choose an already assigned one within the sect, or if they didn’t want to remain bound to the sect, they could head to the Yuncang Marshlands and search for a suitable location with the help of the sect’s spirit beasts to establish their own cave dwelling.

The spirit veins of Shaohua Mountain were among the best for thousands of li around. Even ordinary cave dwellings without spiritual eyes had purer spiritual energy than anywhere else.

Setting up a cave dwelling outside would make it hard to find one better than those within Shaohua Mountain, not to mention the safety concerns.

Requesting an array to protect his cave dwelling was quite reasonable.

Sect Leader Yu, deep in thought, nodded silently. He had originally worried that Qin Sang, being young and impulsive, might make an overly demanding request. But now it seemed he understood how to behave appropriately, making things much easier.

After thinking for a moment, Sect Leader Yu's eyes lit up. "Junior Brother Qin, you came at just the right time! The sect recently acquired a set of array flags called the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Array[1]. It’s perfect for protecting a cave dwelling! Please wait for a moment..."

Sect Leader Yu quickly left, and after Qin Sang had waited for a short while, he returned with several pitch-black small flags and handed them to Qin Sang.

There were seven flags in total, each adorned with shimmering water ripples. Upon closer inspection, the ripples seemed to be flowing, and within the waves, a black tortoise appeared and disappeared, floating in and out of sight.

As Qin Sang gripped the flagpole, he felt a slight chill seep into him, realizing that the coldness came from the qi of Xuanming swirling around the flags.

"Junior Brother Qin, this Xuanming Tortoise Shell Array is no ordinary array. It was left behind by a cultivator from the Yuanshen Sect, who was a master of arrays. Once set up, the array generates qi of Xuanming, which has a concealing effect. It’s difficult to detect with the naked eye, and even Golden Core Realm cultivators using their spiritual consciousness would struggle to find it. If an enemy invades, the tortoise manifests, and the defense it provides is equally astonishing. If this suits your needs, I’ll gift this set of array flags to you."

1. Xuanming, also more popularly known as Xuanwu, is one of the four major gods in ancient China and the god of the north and winter. One of Xuanwu's forms is a tortoise entwined with a snake. ☜