Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I give you seven days
His soul was like broken glass, covered with scars, which reflected in his body, causing pain everywhere. It was not until dawn that Zhu Dan could no longer resist the sleepiness and took a nap, but he was soon woken up by the heat again.
Looking inward at the soul, the huge natal alchemy cauldron was spewing out flames, trying to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world.
Zhu Dan smiled bitterly and couldn't fall asleep anymore.
In her first life, she was just an ordinary college student. Like everyone else, she was worried about whether to find a job or take the civil service exam or postgraduate entrance exam after graduation. Unexpectedly, a hike in the suburbs brought her to the world of cultivation.
This world of cultivation is very strange. The spiritual energy in it is poisonous and must be tempered by the natal alchemy cauldron before it can be absorbed into the body.
Generally speaking, people have an innate vital energy protecting their bodies before the age of five, and their natal alchemy cauldron will awaken at the age of five. If it cannot awaken, there is only one way to go, and that is death, unless the parents are willing to spend a lot of money to build a soul-free room similar to a sterile room.
Because the fragile body will be invaded and destroyed by the violent spiritual energy until death.
Zhu Dan was very unlucky, she was wearing.
But she was lucky, she fell from the sky and landed in the center of a pill furnace left by a powerful person, and obtained the extremely pure spiritual liquid after purification.
After soaking in the spiritual fluid, she awakened at an advanced age.
Zhu Dan's awakened natal alchemy cauldron is still capable of growth, which is unique in the entire cultivation world.
For her, refining elixirs became as easy as eating and drinking.
Even her alchemy furnace developed intelligence, able to record the recipes she had used and automatically refine pills.
Zhu Dan seemed to be cheating and was promoted to Dan Emperor.
Unfortunately, just after he was promoted, he was ambushed by some cruel ancestors.
Although Zhu Dan tried hard to keep a low profile and made a fortune quietly, her sudden emergence was as dazzling as a meteor.
Under the premise that the ladder to heaven in the world of cultivation has been broken, the old cultivators decided to fight to the death and use spiritual veins and spiritual objects to refine the ascension pill, become earthly immortals, and live for tens of millions of years.
Unfortunately, Zhu Dan and her growth-type alchemy furnace are both considered the main ingredients for the Ascension Pill.
Even though she was already the Alchemy Emperor, reaching the ceiling of the cultivation world, she had just been promoted and her strength was unstable. She was also attacked by several old masters who joined forces to set up a large formation specifically targeting alchemists.
The next second after being thrown into the blood-colored cauldron, Zhu Dan chose to expose himself and take everyone away.
This enormous force tore through the space, and she was stunned to sense the coordinates of the Earth, using up her last bit of spiritual power to fly away.
Even if he dies, Zhu Dan will return to Earth.
This terrible world of cultivation is unbearable to stay in for even a second.
Zhu Dan didn't expect that she could still open her eyes. She did return to Earth, but the timeline moved forward more than two thousand years. She is now a female alchemist disguised as a man in the Xianyang Palace.
In his soul, the flame of his natal alchemy cauldron unwillingly went out. After being busy for a long time, he only absorbed a wisp of spiritual energy as thin as a hair from the outside world.
Without the illumination of the flames, the alchemy furnace was gray and covered with cracks, as if it would shatter into pieces in the next second.
The heat in her body quickly disappeared. It had just rained in April, so Zhu Dan quickly pulled the quilt that had been kicked aside to cover herself, but she still couldn't help sneezing.
She wanted to sigh, but her body began to ache again.
Fortunately, the spiritual energy here is normal. Even if the alchemy furnace only absorbs a hair's worth of it, more than 90% will remain after tempering and removing impurities. The most important thing is that it is very gentle, completely unlike the spiritual energy in the world of cultivation, which is still unruly even after being tempered by the alchemy furnace. When it enters the body, it is like a wild bull charging. Zhu Dan felt the comfort of having his soul and body nourished for the first time in a long time.
She couldn't help but close her eyes, and it took her a while to sort out her chaotic memories.
Although there was a slight deviation on the way home, this is the Qin Dynasty and her idol Zulong is still alive!
When Zhu Dan was in middle school, he even fantasized about traveling back to the Qin Dynasty and helping Qin Shi Huang unify the world. Then he would never have to learn English again because the whole world would be speaking Chinese, hahaha.
Now she has indeed come to the Qin Dynasty and has indeed met Brother Zheng, but... Zhu Dan's expression is subtle.
Her timing was really unfortunate.
"Mr. Zhu, are you awake? It's time for breakfast." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Is it already this late? Zhu Dan stood up and opened the door.
There were three palace servants standing outside the door. The one leading them was called Su. Su had an ordinary face and was holding a food box in his hand.
The other two people came to help Zhu Dan wash up. There was warm water in the ceramic basin, neatly folded cloth for washing the face, and a bronze object in the shape of a pipe.
This is a toothbrush that only nobles can use. Common people - Qianshou - can only use their hands dipped in salt to clean their teeth. They can't even use salt because the salt in the Qin Dynasty was also government-operated and not cheap.
Zhu Dan was flattered by such treatment, but when she recalled the scene when she first came here yesterday, it became clear to her.
When she opened her eyes, the palace was in chaos, surrounded by layers of armored guards.
Zhu Dan roughly knew what had happened based on the original owner's fragmentary memories and the panicked discussions of the people around him.
This was in 212 BC, the 35th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign. Alchemists such as Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng fled after failing in their quest for immortality.
Zheng Ge was furious and went to settle accounts with the remaining alchemists in person.
She traveled to the scene of the controversial book burning and burying of scholars in the graves!
Guard Jia had already thrown the person in front into the pit. Zhu Dan subconsciously called out "Brother Zheng" excitedly.
Obviously Ying Zheng was not very close, but he could still see over clearly through the cries and pleas for mercy of the other alchemists.
Locked in by his idol's sharp gaze, Zhu Dan took a deep breath, tried to remain calm, and offered his services: "Your Majesty, I, I received a technique from an immortal in a dream that allows me to refine the elixir. I wish to help Your Majesty achieve immortality!"
When he was in the world of cultivation, Zhu Dan thought many times about what lines he would say if he could meet his idol.
After saying that, he summoned the alchemy cauldron with full confidence, ready to give Zheng Ge, who yearned for immortality, a shock. However, the alchemy cauldron was as dead as if it were dead, and did not respond.
Zhu Dan: “…”
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and she was extremely anxious. She then realized that her body had lost all its magical power and the spiritual energy around her was also very thin.
Guard Jia's eyes showed fear, knowing that the king hated hearing this the most, so he reached out to grab Zhu Dan in a hurry.
Zhu Dan took a step forward and stared at Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, Brother Zheng, please believe me! I really can make elixirs..."
The next second he was caught, twisted and thrown into the big pit.
Zhu Dan shouted anxiously, "Your Majesty! The immortals enlightened me with their magic in my dream, but I am a mortal and cannot adapt to it. Please give me some time, Your Majesty. I will definitely refine a golden elixir that will satisfy you! Your Majesty!"
"I can prove it, Your Majesty!"
She yelled until her voice broke.
Zhu Dan has realized how dangerous her situation is. The power she has cultivated over the past three hundred years has disappeared without a trace, and she is now just a weak mortal.
In a panic, Zhu Dan prayed frantically.
History books, don't lie... History books don't lie! Under the astonished gaze of the guards, Ying Zheng actually walked to the front of the pit and asked condescendingly, "How do you prove it?"
"I, I..." Zhu Dan's mind raced. How could she prove it? All her valuables were stored in the alchemy furnace. As for the magic? A mortal body lacked spiritual power.
At the critical moment, Zhu Dan screamed: "I, I am a woman now!"
Everyone: “…”
What kind of reason is this?
Ying Zheng frowned and said, "Continue."
"The immortal transformed my body, changing me from a male to a female," Zhu Dan said, braving the situation. "Because men are yang, and alchemy requires fire, the energies of the extreme yang collide and are incompatible, making it particularly easy for the furnace to explode. Women are yin, and the balance of yin and yang is what allows them to refine true golden elixirs. The reason no one before them succeeded was because their furnaces exploded before the elixir was even formed, so the immortal transformed me."
"Your Majesty, please give me a chance. I'm willing to use a month to prove myself. If I don't have the golden elixir by then, it won't be too late to bury me alive!"
Ying Zheng ordered someone to take her for a checkup. When the results came out, he looked at Zhu Dan coldly for a long time and said, "I will give you seven days."
"After seven days, if there is no golden elixir, all the alchemists will be killed."
*
The palace maid came forward to help Zhu Dan wash up, but Zhu Dan waved her hand to refuse and brushed her teeth with a bronze toothbrush in an unskilled manner.
To be honest, it's not very easy to use. The pipe-shaped round hole is stuffed with cloth. Due to the backwardness of the Qin Dynasty, the cloth is very rough and has a lot of friction.
But without toothpaste, it always feels like I haven’t brushed my hair at all.
When I was in the world of cultivation, I could solve all problems with just one cleaning technique. I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t need toothpaste when I came back.
After rinsing his mouth and washing his face, Zhu Dan started to eat breakfast.
Breakfast was corn porridge with meat sauce.
Corn is millet. At that time, it was pounded by hand. Even if it was picked, it was not as fragrant and smooth as the millet porridge in later generations. It was not only irritating to the throat, but also tasted a bit bitter.
As for the meat sauce, it was even more fishy.
But Zhu Dan poured the meat sauce into the porridge, stirred it, and started eating it with big mouthfuls. He didn't show any disgust at all, and even showed a hint of nostalgia on his face.
She did miss it. She hadn't eaten normal food in three hundred years.
The spiritual energy in the world of cultivation is poisonous, and the plants and animals that grow in this environment are also poisonous. They cannot be simply cooked and eaten, but can only be used as ingredients for alchemy.
It can be eaten after being tempered in the alchemy furnace, but it is also in liquid form that is most suitable for fusion. To put it simply, what Zhu Dan eats in the world of cultivation is either meatballs or nutrient solution.
Later, when she was strong enough, she simply stopped eating.
——The essence after high-temperature quenching rarely retains its taste and is as bland as boiled water.
Zhu Dan finished her hearty breakfast and smiled happily.
Seeing that she was satisfied, the three palace maids also breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Geng asked, "What does Zhu Sheng need to make the elixir? The king instructed me yesterday to do whatever he says."
Zhu Dan: “…”
She looked at him with some resentment: Can't you let me be happier?
Although he had signed a military order in front of Zheng Ge, Zhu Dan also felt that as the Emperor of Dan, no golden elixir could stump him as long as the conditions were met.
But the problem lies in this condition. Even a good cook cannot cook without rice.
At the beginning, Zhu Dan first exposed herself and then traveled through time and space. She was lucky to be alive. Both she and the alchemy furnace suffered heavy damage. To make matters worse, the spiritual energy here was almost non-existent.
When Zhu Dan couldn't sleep last night because of the pain, she tried to communicate with the spiritual energy around her. She clearly felt their closeness to her, but it was too little. No matter how good her aptitude was, she couldn't withstand this environment that was comparable to the Dharma Ending Age.
The ladder to heaven in the world of cultivation is broken, and there is no replenishment of spiritual energy when the gate of heaven opens. Isn’t that bad enough?
But even in the poorest places, the concentration of spiritual energy is ten or even a hundred times higher than this.
Zhu Dan had investigated and found that the alchemy furnace could only produce fire once a day.
If she could only absorb a strand of hair every time like before, her broken alchemy furnace and soul would definitely not last more than three days!
So instead of refining the golden elixir to prove it to Brother Zheng and escape the life-and-death crisis in seven days, Zhu Dan is more urgently concerned with finding enough spiritual energy to stabilize the alchemy furnace.
That’s right, the alchemy furnace is more important.
The natal alchemy cauldron was closely connected to the soul. When it broke into pieces, Zhu Dan's soul was also destroyed.
The cultivator's intuition told her that this was her last life and there was no chance to start over.
After wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, Zhu Dan began to think about shortcuts to obtain spiritual energy. The first thing she thought of was spiritual stones and spiritual veins.
The spiritual energy here is so thin that it is impossible to find a spiritual vein. As for spiritual stones... it is probably impossible too.
What about jade and antiques?
Although in the world of cultivation where she had lived, everyone practiced cultivation and there was no distinction between immortals and mortals, and spiritual jade and spiritual marrow were more precious than spirit stones, in some fantasy settings, jade was considered a low-end version of spirit stones.
Since there is spiritual energy here, could there be special objects like jade or antiques that can store spiritual energy?
Zhu Dan was not greedy. He did not want it to be sufficient to supply him with energy to draw into his body. At least he wanted to repair the cracks on the alchemy furnace, otherwise he was really afraid that he would die suddenly tonight.
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