Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 86 – Very Much Could

Pill Crucible finally compromised, though he continued to remain angry. He cried again and again that if Qin Yu were to fall into a pit in the future, he had better not cry out for help or regret it! Qin Yu’s smile didn’t change. He repeatedly guaranteed that he was only trying to perceive it a little and wasn’t truly trying to cultivate it. But, with Pill Crucible rolling his eyes again and again, it was clear he didn’t believe this.

The Five Element Sword Array’s sword diagram was soon sent over. And, the one who brought it left Qin Yu shocked. He quickly stood up and bowed.

Pill Crucible had a tired expression. “You’ve come.”

Jiang Li cupped his hands together. “Greetings, Valley Master.”

Pill Crucible coldly coughed. “Enough with the superficial politeness!” He tried to hold back his words, but in the end he couldn’t. “I already said long ago that something so self-destructive like the Five Element Sword Array’s sword diagram should have been destroyed a long time ago. You deliberately didn’t listen to me and now you’ve even caused more trouble. This brat is the one who wants the sword diagram; go talk to him yourself!”

Qin Yu respectfully said, “Greetings, Senior Jiang Li.”

This was the man who had controlled the Five Element Sword Array to force back three demonic path Nascent Souls. The battle that day had been magnificent beyond compare, and now he was the one to bring over the sword diagram.

Jiang Li had a calm expression. “You are the Valley Master’s junior-apprentice brother. In terms of rank, we’re about the same. It’s fine if you call me senior-apprentice brother.”

Qin Yu cupped his hands together. “Junior doesn’t dare.” Although he was Pill Crucible’s junior-apprentice brother, his cultivation didn’t match up. When he faced Nascent Soul powerhouses he should still remain polite and respectful.

This was the custom.

Jiang Li didn’t make any more small talk. He sat down and directly asked, “Why did you request the Five Element Sword Array’s sword diagram?”

Qin Yu thought for a moment. Of course, the real reason was because he thought that the Five Element Sword Array was extremely strong. But, if he were to respond with such an answer, the sword diagram might just fly away.

With a switch in his thoughts, Qin Yu’s face filled with deep respect. He said, “The Five Element Sword Array may be difficult to cultivate, but it is still something that sages from ancient times spent incredible effort and care to create. It is broad and vast with infinite might. Even though our generation cannot grasp its secrets, that doesn’t mean we should let the painstaking efforts of the past geniuses be wasted, or even destroyed.”

Jiang Li’s eyes brightened. “Didn’t you want to study it?”

Qin Yu lifted his head and looked straight forwards. “I do. But, what I hope even more is that I can tell future disciples and relatives that a peerless sword diagram has been passed down and inherited in this world, and it has yet to find its master!”

Jiang Li laughed out loud. “Good! We swordsmen must have this sort of bravery and spirit!” He turned around, “Valley Master, this junior-apprentice brother of yours is quite good!”

Pill Crucible rolled his eyes back even further.

After conversing with Qin Yu for a long time, Jiang Li was even more satisfied with him. Not only did he leave behind the sword diagram but he even passed over the insights that he had gained over the years. Of course, the insights of a Nascent Soul cultivator might seem simple to them, but one didn’t need to be a genius to know how profound they truly were.

Pill Crucible’s complexion was as dark as dirt. Qin Yu smiled at him as he carefully put away the sword diagram.

“Stop faking it. I already know that you’re itching to go back and perceive that sword diagram. Go, just hurry up and go, lest I get sick and tired of looking at you!”

Qin Yu seized the chance to leave.

He didn’t return to the Eighth Furnace station. Beneath the stunned gazes of Eclipse Yuan and the others, Qin Yu hurriedly flew into the Pill Disposal Department. The reason was simple – if he were beneath that vast sword curtain, then wouldn’t it at least be a little helpful to him in perceiving the Five Element Sword Array?

After a full day, Qin Yu drew back his divine sense, his eyes bloodshot. He shook his head, finally understanding why Pill Crucible kept calling this sword diagram a giant pit!

It was wonderful, so wonderful that it reached the peak of wonder. With his current cultivation and insight, he could see just how powerful the Five Element Sword Array was. And, this wasn’t some fake rumor that was passed around. It was real and solid and right in front of him. As long as he could cultivate it, he could obtain this horrifying strength. And most importantly, crossing the threshold into the Five Element Sword Array wasn’t difficult at all; in fact, it was quite simple. Qin Yu took several deep breaths, hurriedly tamping down his desire to immediately start cultivating it.

He sat down with his eyes closed. It was only two days later that he fully recovered from the exhaustion to his mind.

He took out the ‘simple insights’ that Jiang Li had gifted to him. As he read it with his divine sense, he instantly understood just how terrifying a Nascent Soul cultivator was, as well as a much clearer understanding of their capabilities. This mighty and unconstrained method of thinking was short and simple. The keen understandings of a swordsman left him drunk on how magnificent it was.

And this was only something that Jiang Li had casually recorded many years ago. Even as Qin Yu’s heart was shaken, he carefully read through it, not passing over a single sentence.

At the end of these insights were a few sentences from Jiang Li where he extrapolated the approximate requirements to cultivate the Five Element Sword Array. Without missing anything, it was as follows:

First, one’s magic power had to increase rapidly.

This was a precondition. The Five Element Sword Array required one to cultivate five different sources of magic power. Using Qin Yu as an example, he would need to cultivate five Golden Cores. If a person’s magic power rose slowly, then even cultivating a single Golden Core would exhaust them to death, much less cultivating five together. If they couldn’t accomplish this, they could simply forget about such daydreams.

Second, one’s soul was powerful enough.

After passing the first test and having a rapidly increasing magic power as well as five different sources of magic power, then one also required an incredibly strong divine sense to control these magic powers. Otherwise, cultivating five magic power sources might not be a good thing at all. If one’s magic power began to rampage out of control, then let alone mastering the Five Element Sword Array, they would simply blow themselves up into a half-dead state.

Third, one’s mortal body had to be strong.

This was a simple truth. If magic power was water, then one’s body was like a barrel. If there was an increasing amount of water in a situation where the total volume of the barrel didn’t increase, then there would only be increased pressure against the barrel. If one couldn’t withstand this, the barrel would eventually burst open.

Fourth, one had to possess multiple attributes.

The Five Element Sword Array was as simple and straightforward as its name. One had best be familiar with the five elements to smoothly cultivate it. Originally, this attribute aptitude should be placed in the very first position of difficulty, but as time passed and there were developments made in the cultivation world, it was possible for the flaws in attributes to be filled in using other methods. Relatively speaking, while this may seem a bit more difficult than the first three requirements, it might have been a solvable problem in Jiang Li’s eyes, thus why he had arranged it in last place.

Qin Yu opened his eyes. Although his mind was a bit tired, his eyes were bright. The sword curtain reflected in his pupils, shimmering with a translucent halo.

As a pill-based cultivator, when it came to magic power and how ‘fast’ it increased, he had full confidence in this aspect. Similarly, swallowing pills without a care in the world gave him a powerful soul far surpassing others of his realm. And, the existence of the Soul Mushroom would definitely allow him to walk further on the path of having a dreadfully powerful soul. As for his mortal body, the Demon Body was undoubtedly potent and could even be constantly enhanced. To withstand five times the amount of magic power shouldn’t be a problem.

Besides the fourth requirement, no matter how Qin Yu thought about it, this Five Element Sword Array was perfectly suited to him. And that fourth requirement could be made up for using external forces! In other words, the bottomless pit that Pill Crucible referred to, and that technique that Jiang Li earnestly warned him not to try, this Five Element Sword Array was actually something he could cultivate!

No. It was actually something that he very much could!

Qin Yu reared his head back and laughed to the heavens!

After a long time, he stopped laughing. Thinking a bit, he left the Pill Disposal Department once more.

Jiang Li received Qin Yu’s visit. There was a smile on the corner of his lips. “Very good! If you can come to visit an old man like me, that proves you haven’t been tempted by the Five Element Sword Array and become entranced by it.”

He turned and lightly said, “Valley Master, it seems you have lost the bet.”

Pill Crucible suddenly appeared. He wrinkled his nose, “Those Hundred Altar Flowers are yours.” He ruthlessly glared at Qin Yu. “You brat, whenever you show up, nothing good happens!”

Qin Yu forced a laugh.

Jiang Li brightly smiled. “Qin Yu, what did you come here for today?”

Qin Yu cupped his hands together. “This junior has looked through senior’s insights. In the end, I also saw the four prerequisite conditions you listed to cultivate the Five Element Sword Array.”

Jiang Li laughed. “That was a bit discouraging, right? In the past, I was just like you. When I came to this conclusion, I couldn’t even eat for several days. Maybe I should have erased that part earlier so that it didn’t affect your self-confidence.”

Qin Yu blinked his eyes.

Jiang Li continued to say, “One’s magic power needs to be five times higher, one’s soul force needs to be five times greater, one’s bodily intensity needs to be five times stronger. If it weren’t for such severe requirements, the Five Element Sword Array wouldn’t have fallen to its current state today.” He sighed and asked, “Qin Yu, what did you want to ask me?”

Qin Yu said, “In the fourth requirement that senior mentioned, it was said that the disparity in attributes could be changed and made up for through external forces. I was wondering what senior’s ideas for that were?” Seeing Jiang Li’s strange complexion, he continued to say with a straight face. “The first three points were too difficult, so I have no choice but to ask about the fourth. Even if I cannot cultivate it, it would be good to pass this information on in the future.”

Jiang Li was full of praise. “If we swordsmen could all think like you, then we wouldn’t have had countless supernatural techniques disappear in the river of time.” He revealed a helpless look. “As for the fourth point, when I first concluded that I wasn’t able to cultivate the Five Element Sword Array, I didn’t think much more about it. That is only an idea that I have.”

Qin Yu was crestfallen, but he didn’t reveal this. “I guess I was too presumptuous. If I have a chance in the future, I will go to Heavenseek Pavilion and hope I can find an answer there.”

“Heavenseek Pavilion?” Pill Crucible frowned. “What connection do you have with them?”

Qin Yu honestly said, “Before I broke into the Golden Core realm, I went to them to find out some information, and it was indeed useful to me.”

Pill Crucible’s mind relaxed, but his expression remained dark and serious. “In the future, keep your distance from Heavenseek Pavilion. Don’t approach them too closely.”

Jiang Li slowly said, “Qin Yu, you must listen to the Valley Master on this matter. This Heavenseek Pavilion…they aren’t some good force at all!”

Qin Yu’s heart chilled. He cupped his hands together. If even two great Nascent Souls were being so careful and warning him about them, then the renowned Heavenseek Pavilion definitely had some extraordinary secret behind it.

After exchanging some more words, Qin Yu bid his farewells and left.

Pill Crucible frowned. A rare grim expression crossed his face. “Fellow daoist Jiang Li, since Qin Yu mentioned Heavenseek Pavilion, has our investigation into them produced any results?”

Jiang Li shook his head. “We only made some preliminary probes. They are very cautious so we haven’t been able to determine anything for the time being.”

Pill Crucible shouted out loud, “If I find out that they were in any way involved with my child’s accident, I will not hesitate to pay any price to completely annihilate them!”

…..

Since Qin Yu couldn’t resolve the issue of having multiple attributes, he temporarily laid the matter of the Five Element Sword Array to the side. After organizing his thoughts, he returned to the Pill Disposal Department. He took out a storage bag and searched it with his divine sense. Various materials were prepared within; it seemed the preparations were basically complete.

Leaving Immortal Eclipse Valley was inevitable. The existence of the little blue lamp was something that could never be revealed. If it were to be found out then a catastrophe would occur. Even if Pill Crucible didn’t have any intention of harming him, he just couldn’t take the risk.

But before he left, Qin Yu had to refine a pill.

The pill was called Heaven Mending – Nascent Soul rank.

This pill could be called a higher rank version of the pill he had given Cao Han. Its medicinal efficacy was far more powerful. It could heal all the secret diseases and injuries within a cultivator, restoring their mortal body to peak condition.

The Heaven Mending Pill wasn’t meant for Qin Yu. Rather, he wanted to gift it to Daoist Wang. Daoist Wang had passed him his lifetime’s worth of understandings, and as Qin Yu’s skills in alchemy rose, he realized more and more just how precious they were. It was truly everything, a complete pouring of a great alchemist’s knowledge. It had tempered Qin Yu’s alchemy foundation, allowing him to obtain the greatest advantages in the inheritance Samsara.

This was a great graciousness that he had no choice but to repay. And, the Heaven Mending Pill was Qin Yu’s repayment. Daoist Wang was stranded at the peak of the Golden Core realm. With this pill helping him, he might be able to step into Nascent Soul! But now, Qin Yu’s skills were still a bit lacking. He prepared to undergo his last enlightenment in alchemy here, and then he would begin refining the pill.

After that, it would be time to leave Immortal Eclipse Valley.

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