Chapter 65: A Peeling-Off Medicated Bath
Deep within Yixing Peak, there is a specially designated medicinal bath room.
The door was tightly closed, with Mo Yun and Tie Pan standing guard on either side of it, their expressions serious.
Inside, steam rose, and a rich medicinal aroma mingled with a strange, refreshing scent of herbs and plants wafted through the air.
Inside a huge bathtub, the medicinal liquid displayed an extremely eerie five-colored spectacle: crimson, dark blue, dark gold, dark green, and deep purple intertwined, emitting scorching heat!
"Go in, disciple! Soak for a full hour!" Master Qingxuan called out from outside the door, his voice coming through the door panel.
Fang Li looked at the bubbling, colorful "hot pot soup" and swallowed.
With a determined effort, he removed his outer robe and carefully dipped his toes into the medicinal liquid.
"Hiss—Aow!!"
A piercing scream pierced through the door! Fang Li felt as if she had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil, and she immediately sprang to her feet! Clutching her jade-like feet, which were as red as branding irons, she was in so much pain that tears almost welled up in her eyes!
It's too hot! The medicinal power feels like countless red-hot needles piercing into the skin and meridians!
"Master!" Fang Li cried out, her voice trembling with tears, "Are you refining a person or a pill?! It'll get cooked!"
A slightly guilty but composed reply came from outside the door: "Disciple, endure it! The stronger the medicine, the more stable your foundation! Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become an immortal! Think of your master back then... (his voice suddenly rose) He tempered his body in the icy pool for forty-nine days! What is your little bit of suffering compared to that! Go in quickly! You must not come out until the appointed time!"
Fang Li was on the verge of tears. Looking at the bubbling, multicolored medicinal soup, she steeled her heart, closed her eyes, and sank into it!
"Aaaaah—!" An even more intense pain instantly swept over her body! She felt every inch of her skin and every meridian being frantically washed, torn, and reshaped by the violent medicinal power! Pain, numbness, itching, and burning sensations—a mixture of feelings that were hard to describe!
She screamed inwardly, "System! Help! I feel like I'm being steamed, braised, and deep-fried all at once! Master's way of raising disciples... is too hardcore! Is this really a master?!"
[Tongzi: "Sister! Hold on! Hang in there! Once you get through this, you'll be as strong as steel! Your spiritual energy will circulate incredibly fast! ...Hey? An abnormal energy fluctuation has been detected at the door! Is that Shen Bingtuozi, the one holding that ice block trying to throw into your medicine bucket?! Hahaha! Senior Brother Mo caught her! Well done, Senior Brother Mo! (He loves watching the drama unfold)"]
Fang Li: "..." She was in too much pain to complain, so she could only grit her teeth and circulate her spiritual energy in the scalding hot medicine to guide the violent medicinal power to temper her body.
An hour felt like an eternity.
When Fang Li was pulled out of the medicinal liquid by Mo Yun and Tie Pan, which had lost most of its color, she (wearing an undergarment) looked like a cooked red jade shrimp, her whole body glowing an unnatural crimson, and she leaned limply against Tie Pan's strong arm.
Strangely, the flow of spiritual energy within his body was more harmonious and smooth than before, and his skin subtly revealed a warm and restrained jade-like luster.
Master Qingxuan stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at his disciple's "freshly baked" appearance: "Hmm! Not bad! Your foundation has become much more solid! This is truly my good disciple!"
Fang Li slumped in the chair, too weak to even lift a finger, her voice barely a whisper: "Master... next time... could you... perhaps use a gentler prescription..."
Master Qingxuan's eyes lit up, and he said with great interest, "Gentle? Yes! I also have a 'Nine Revolutions Soul Refining Soup' here, specifically for tempering the soul, with even better effects! It's just that the ingredients are rare, and it requires..."
"Goodbye!" Fang Li jolted awake, and with a sudden burst of strength, she sprang up from her chair and staggered toward the door, her back view conveying a sense of fleeing in panic.
A few days later, Fang Li's birthday arrived.
Yixing Peak was bustling with activity on a small scale.
Master Qingxuan presided over the ceremony, with fellow disciples such as Moyun, Tiepan, and Lingshuang in attendance.
Although Shen Yunzhou, Xie Chen, and Ji Qianqiu had already sent their congratulatory gifts in advance, they all showed up at the event.
(Shen Yunzhou: A defensive jade pendant containing pure sword energy; Xie Chen: A set of exquisite portable array flags; Ji Qianqiu: A large box of rare monster jerky)
The atmosphere was fairly harmonious. Master Qingxuan chatted and laughed, Moyun presided over the meeting with gentle manners, Tiepan focused intently on the spiritual food, and Lingshuang sat quietly sipping tea.
Shen Yunzhou sat silently in a corner, Xie Chen wore an impeccable smile, and Ji Qianqiu occasionally tried to speak to Fang Li, only to be subtly stopped by Mo Yun. The banquet was a scene of undercurrents yet remained calm on the surface.
Not long after the birthday banquet ended, a detached imperial edict reached Fang Li: The Immortal Venerable summons her.
The Forgotten Dust Palace remains as cold and desolate as ever.
Ye Wuyang stood by the window, his black hair flowing freely, his figure seemingly blending into the sea of clouds. Fang Li bowed respectfully before he slowly turned around.
His gaze swept over her, and he immediately sensed that her spiritual power and foundation were more abundant than before: "Her foundation is acceptable." He uttered four words indifferently, without any indication of praise or criticism.
Fang Li's heart stirred slightly. To receive a "not bad" from the Immortal Venerable was already an extremely high evaluation.
"Enter the Taixu Secret Realm in three days." Ye Wuyang's voice was completely flat, concise and to the point.
After saying that, he flicked his wide sleeves, and the two items floated lightly towards Fang Li.
A blue jade slip, exuding an ancient aura.
A palm-sized jade pendant, neither gold nor wood, engraved with mysterious runes.
"Jade pendant, foundation of the secret realm." Ye Wuyang paused, his gaze lingering on the array plate for a moment: "Jade pendant, activated in danger, can provide protection for a short time."
Fang Li quickly caught the jade slip and jade pendant, which were cool to the touch: "Yes! This disciple obeys!"
His mind was racing: "It's finally here! System! Stop slacking off! Get back to studying! The Void Realm! New map! Let's start exploring!"
[System: "Ding! Data loading! Jade slip content decryption begins! The Great Void Secret Realm... Ancient battlefield fragments evolve... Spatial disorder... Rare treasures and dangers coexist... Sounds exciting! Host, remember the core principle: Survive! Hold on tight to the Immortal Venerable's thigh! Never take a turn if you can lie down! (Hold on tight)"]
The news that she would enter the Taixu Secret Realm three days later spread instantly through her thoughts, as if it had grown wings.
Shen Yunzhou suddenly opened his eyes inside Lengyou Peak, his body surging with sword energy. He immediately got up and headed straight for the depths of the Sword Pavilion on Lengyou Peak. The Taixu Secret Realm was dangerous, and he needed a stronger sword talisman and a more reliable means of protection.
Yixing Peak, Xie Chen's Cave.
Xie Chen put down the jade bone fan in his hand, his fingertips rapidly tapping on the Zhou Tian Star Chart, his eyes deep and profound.
The Immortal Venerable leading the team... is both an opportunity and a challenge. He needs more refined deductions, and... to ensure that certain "accidents" do not occur.
Tianyuan Peak.
Ji Qianqiu slammed his hand on the table, making it vibrate. Without a word, he rushed into his storeroom, which was piled high with various ores and animal bones, and began rummaging through everything. "I need to find something sturdy! My junior sister might need it!"
The main hall of Yixing Peak.
Master Qingxuan circled around Fang Li, his face etched with the worry of a father whose son travels a thousand miles, while constantly pulling out various shimmering talismans from his hands:
"My disciple! Take this 'Vajra Protection Talisman'! It will save your life!"
"Keep this 'Ten Thousand Mile Escape Talisman' safe! It's essential for escaping!"
"And this 'Mind-Clearing and Barrier-Breaking Talisman'! It's an anti-illusion spell!"
"I will be outside the secret realm then, don't be afraid! Be careful once you're inside! Don't run around! Don't be curious! Don't cause trouble! Don't..."
Fang Li, both amused and exasperated, clutched a large stack of talismans, feeling as if she were carrying a mobile talisman vault: "Master, this disciple has memorized them..."
As night fell, Fang Li stood alone by the window of the Green Bamboo Garden.
He clutched the jade pendant given to him by Ye Wuyang tightly in his palm. It was icy cold to the touch, and the runes on it shimmered with a faint, dark light in his hand.
She raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the Forgotten Dust Palace. The palace was only a blurry outline in the night, and further away, the boundless sea of clouds outside the Forgotten Dust Palace, under the cold moonlight, resembled mysterious and dangerous silver waves, rising and falling erratically.
The path to the Mysterious Realm of the Great Void is fraught with uncertainty, its fate unknown.
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