Chapter 172 Marvellous Aspects in the Practice of the Alchemy
The Shakyamuni spoke lightly: "Open up your Spiritual Sea and send out a wave of Spiritual power from the Mud Ball Palace. Next, lead it to the place between the nipples of your chest and spread it across your heart and lung. Finally, you will lead it to your shoulder and bring it to your two arms..."
Following Shakyamuni Li Huo’s instruction, Qin Wushuang followed the directions precisely and discovered this road. Indeed, it was one of the moving path of the "Twelve Regular Channels".
To Qin Wushuang, moving his Qi around like this was his homework each day. At the moment, he had easily pushed the Spiritual QI to his palm.
"How do you feel?" Shakyamuni Li Huo asked lightly.
"I feel two lumps of heat focused on my palm and waiting to gush out." Qin Wushuang answered honestly.
If he pushed it even more, it would shoot out from the tips of the hands. Apparently, it was a type of abstruse move of the <Coagulated Sword>.
To Qin Wushuang, it was the most familiar feeling.
"Yes?" The eyes of Shakyamuni lit up, "Try pushing it out."
Inwardly, Qin Wushuang thought that if I had to push it more, I would shoot out sword Qi. However, he was smart and knew that the Shakyamuni would have doubts if he sent out sword Qi. Then, he would expose all the secrets of the <Coagulated Sword>.
Thus, he opened up his ten fingers and allowed that burning presence to spread out from his ten fingers.
"Can you discharge that burning heat?" Shakyamuni asked while being emotionally moved.
Qin Wushuang opened his ten fingers and a dense fog emerged out. Like a light smoke, this dense fog rose in spirals.
The Shakyamuni patted his thigh and could not help but yell: Nice!"
Confused, Qin Wushuang could not understand the reason for his exclamation.
The Shakyamuni laughed: "Qin Wushuang, is the Second Palace Master at the Green Cloud Palace?"
"Yes." Qin Wushuang answered subconsciously.
"Haha, then I will discuss a matter with him." Suddenly, Shakyamuni seemed to have changed as a person. Appearing deranged, he did not seem to have a trace of arrogance as a virtuous and honored person.
Dumbfounded, Qin Wushuang never expected that the personality from an elite person could show such drastic changes. Earlier, he appeared as a mysterious old man. How come he suddenly turned into a playful child figure?
"Go go go, come with me." Without letting Qin Wushuang speak any more, the Shakyamuni dragged Qin Wushuang to walk outside.
Qin Wushuang could not help but ask: "Shakyamuni, what about the pills?"
"That’s not a big deal. When we return, I will make it myself and guarantee satisfaction. However, you must answer one of my condition."
"What condition?"
The Shakyamuni laughed for a bit and did not answer directly. He only said: "Wait until we see your teacher."
Without a choice, Qin Wushuang could only walk with this Shakyamuni. Although he did not know the reason why he wanted to see his teacher, from his face full of smiles, it should not be a bad thing. At the moment, he could only follow his intention and walked outside quickly.
When those disciples from the Li Huo Palace all saw Shakyamuni Li Huo dragging a young teenager while brimming with joy, they were all dumbfounded and could not believe what they saw.
At the entrance, that disciple guard felt even more resentment when he saw this situation. From the look of the Shakyamuni, it was obvious that he got along with this young teenager. And he had lied viciously earlier. Thinking here, his scalp was feeling numb.
Fortunately, the Shakyamuni did not bother with him. Instead, he pulled Qin Wushuang to walk faster.
When they walked into the yard, Tong Yan was sweeping the ground. He also had a face full of astonishment when he saw Shakyamuni Li Huo dragging Qin Wushuang along. He couldn’t help but stop what he was doing.
Qin Wushuang called out bitterly. The Shakyamuni was stunned: "You know each other?"
"We are from the same place." Qin Wushuang answered truthfully.
"Ok! Nice!" Shakyamuni nodded. After a moment of thinking, he waved his hand, "You kid, no more sweeping. Go to your Big Brother and take some other task. Just tell him that I had spoke."
Brimming with joy, Tong Yan said: "Yes, thank you, Shakyamuni."
"Why thank me? If you want to thank someone, thank your friend. It’s nice that you guys are from the same place." Shakyamuni laughed and pulled Qin Wushuang walk forward.
Although Tong Yan was surprised, he was beaming from ear to ear. He threw the broom away and walked inside. He knew that for sure Qin Wushuang was part of it when he could escape the fate of sweeping. At least, he did not need to sweep despite not knowing the reason.
Since the Shakyamuni had spoke, of course the Big Brother could not give him a random task.
...
While meditating, suddenly Tan Zhongchi heard clamorous footsteps from outside the Palace. He listened to it carefully and realized there was also yelling from the Shakyamuni Li Huo.
Inwardly, he couldn’t help but be stunned: "Why did he come here? Could it be that Wushuang had offended him for asking him to make the pills? This old guy is coming here to ask for a reason? Humph, only making pills? Why is this old guy not knowing his place? Don’t even think about bullying my prized disciple."
Before he had finished thinking, Shakyamuni already walked up laughing: "Master Tan, Master Tan, I knew you were here."
Tan Zhongchi pushed the door and walked out. He saw Shakyamuni pulled Qin Wushuang and his disciple showed a face full of doubt and embarrassment. Confused, he asked lightly: "Shakyamuni Li Huo, what are you doing? Did my disciple offend you?"
Hearing the unfriendly tone from Tan Zhongchi, Shakyamuni Li Huo could not help but get distracted. Then, he understood and smiled: "No no, this disciple of yours, I can’t wait to be happy about it, how could he had offend me? Master Tan, I would not have come here without business. Today, I came here specifically to discuss a matter with you."
"To discuss a matter?" When Tan Zhongchi remembered about the voting from last time, he still felt anger inside, "What?"
Shakyamuni Li Huo said with a smiley face: "I want your disciple to study Alchemy with me!"
"No!" Both Tan Zhongchi and Qin Wushuang almost said together in unison.
"Why not?" Suddenly, the Shakyamuni was stunned, "This Qin Wushuang was extremely sensitive to the fire attribute and showed exceptional talent. For sure, he has the most superior quality to become an Alchemist. It would be too unfortunate if he did not learn it. Master Tan, the practice of Alchemy also corresponds with the training of martial arts. Isn’t Alchemy also a form of comprehension? Could it really disturb his martial arts training?"
The primary reason for Tan Zhongchi to refuse Shakyamuni Li Huo because he still had some remaining anger from the voting. Since you did not show me face from last time and voted against, how could I easily agree when you came to ask me?
On the other hand, Qin Wushuang refused because he did not want to get distracted. Before going there, his teacher also mentioned how no one from the Stargaze Palace wante to do alchemy.
From this viewpoint, the practice of alchemy was surely not a proper work.
"Second Palace Master, other people have misunderstood. Being one of the five Palace Masters, you should know it clearly. The practice of alchemy would not only not disturb his training, it would enhance it. Those sayings about how the practice of alchemy would disturb the training was because they did not have in depth knowledge about it. They did not have the talents and bad mouthed alchemy. Indeed, they are vile!" Shakyamuni Li Huo was feeling bitter.
For this matter, one must read it from both sides. Regarding the practice of alchemy, if one could truly grasp an extent and study it from a certain viewpoint and did not fall into intrinsical obstruction, it would enhance training. At least, regarding medicine attributes and the grasp of Spiritual Qi, alchemists would have much more sensitivities towards it.
Besides, in the Upper Sky Spiritual Martial Force, sometimes pills were crucial to achieve a breakthrough.
Alchemist lacked everything except pills.
However, on the path of alchemy, it was easy for one to make an unconventional gambit and fall into the practice completely. Then, one would ignore their own training and put their hope in the pills. Thus, they would defy the natural order and enter into a demonic state.
Therefore, the practice of alchemy had pros and cons.
Seeing Shakyamuni Li Huo was requesting something from him, Tan Zhongchi was extremely proud. He couldn’t help but feel as if Qin Wushuang was a rare commodity that was worth hoarding and said slowly: "I knew it a long time ago that this disicple of mine had exceptional talent. Or else, why did I go ahead to grab him?"
Shakyamuni Li Huo smiled apologetically: "Yes yes, you had good foresight."
"You want Wushuang to study alchemy with you? At the very least, your Li Huo Palace has a few hundred people. Isn’t it kind of a joke to grab people from my place?"
"Ah!" Shakyamuni sighed helplessly, "If I could find a disciple with such sensitivity towards the fire attribute, I would not have taken in those few hundreds. The practice of alchemy emphasizes on quality and not quantity. A suitable disciple is much more useful than thousands of mediocre disicple. Master Tan, if you are willing to exchange, I will immediately let all of my disicples study under you. It would be enough for me to take in Qin Wushuang alone."
Tan Zhongchi laughed: "In your dreams!"
Qin Wushuang smiled bitterly. It seemed these two old guys treated him as if he was invisible.
"Wushuang, Shakyamuni Li Huo is appreciating you. I would be happy to do him a favor, what do you think?" Tan Zhongchi asked with a smile.
Qin Wushuang answered honestly: "I am not very interested in the practice of alchemy. I only want to focus on martial arts and do not want to get distracted. Please respect my choice."
Tan Zhongchi nodded: "You see? My disciple does not want to learn alchemy. Shakyamuni, it’s not because I wanted to hold him back."
Shakyamuni could not help but ask: "Wushuang, don’t make your decision in a haste. Let me ask you, how much do you know about the practice of alchemy?"
"I know nothing." Qin Wushuang answered straightforwardly.
"Since you don’t know, how would you know the profound mystery within alchemy? How would you know if it would affect your pursuit of martial arts? From the ancient times, those elite warriors who had become grandmasters, how many of them did not know about alchemy? The higher your stage of martial arts, the more apparent the effect from the pills! I would speak boldly that the higher you reach in the path of martial arts, the more crucial the pills would become!" From the tone of Shakyamuni, it was filled with extreme confidence.
Suddenly, Tan Zhongchi smiled: "Wushuang, there is the so called that having more skills would not burden you. From what I know, those elite warriors in the martial arts have more or less touched the field of alchemy. Soon or later, you would step onto this path. Since Shakyamuni Li Huo has offered and with such a famous teacher, why not?"
After finished speaking his words, suddenly Tan Zhongchi straightened his face and said to Shakyamuni Li Huo: "I say, Li Huo, it’s okay for my disicple to study alchemy with you. However, in the future if anything else were to happen in the Stargaze Palace, you must never team up with others. Additionally, you must never say no if my disciples were to ask you to make pills. Also, you must charge us less."
The Shakyamuni grinned: "Don’t worry. In the future, your disciples will not need to come to me to make pills!"
After he had said those words, he glanced at Qin Wushuang with a face full of appreciation.