Chapter 325: Chapter 48 Huanzhu Building
The power of the Ginsengfruit wasn’t limited to this, even if this Ginsengfruit wasn’t that kind which could prolong life by forty-seven thousand years, it still provided Jiang Li with endless benefits.
After having opened four Qi Seas, the pure Dao Light circulated among the nine Qi Seas, where Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the Three Elements—interconnected with each other.
Jiang Li utilized the Golden Core Technique of Luu Dongbin Dao Fruit to govern the Three Elements, commanding the innate Qi with Divinity, nourishing Essence with Qi, and then Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi to Spirit, performing the Five Qi Returning to Origin, and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top practice.
The Qi Seas around his body formed the Nine Palaces Eight Trigram Image, integrated the principle of Yin Yang Tai Chi, and further refined through the Innate True Body Method to merge Innate Qi.
At the same time, he employed the Wind Queen’s Qimen to govern the Qi Seas, conducting the Qimen Dunjia within his body.
"The next step in ’Qi Tomb’ is to comprehend the principles of the eight qi, and then it will be about unifying them into one..." Jiang Li thought.
Jiang Li had only stolen a part of "Qi Tomb" from Jiang Zhuyun, and the rest was evolved by himself, in conjunction with the Divine Farmer’s appearance. Though he didn’t have a proper cultivation technique, he understood that the evolution of "Qi Tomb" began with the Divine Farmer’s appearance, and by standing on the shoulders of Emperor Yan, an ancestor, Jiang Li already knew the variations of "Qi Tomb" and only needed to follow this path to continue its derivation.
The integration of the eight qi couldn’t happen without including the principles of Yi Dao. He had long heard that the Jiang family’s Gui Cang Yi and "Qi Tomb" were two sides of the same coin, and it was inevitable to combine the two.
Jiang Li had stolen the "Qi Tomb," but trying to deduce Gui Cang Yi from "Qi Tomb" was still extremely tough. Fortunately, he had become a disciple of Tianxuan and practiced the Wind Queen’s Qimen.
Without the Jiang family’s Gui Cang Yi, the Ji Family’s Qiankun Yi would also suffice.
Continuously pondering in his heart, he calculated the compatibility of Wind Queen’s Qimen and the Divine Farmer Nine Springs. Dao Light soaked his entire body, and in the Sea of Consciousness, the fledgling form of the Primordial Spirit was gradually filling out, acquiring the contours of a human body.
Jiang Li was immersed in his cultivation, while Tianxuan saw that the Dao Light ceased to overflow, slowly retracting her hand and dispersing the starry sky surrounding Jiang Li.
She waited a little longer until Jiang Li had completely converged the Dao Light and proceeded with refinement. Then, she split a trail of Divine Sense to monitor the situation and left the building.
Not far from the building, by the side of a small lake, Elders Kaixiang and Tian Ji had already arrived. However, since Jiang Li was in the process of refining the Ginsengfruit, he could not be disturbed, and Tianxuang kept the two elders waiting outside.
Seeing Tianxuan come out, Elder Tian Ji immediately asked, "What’s happened?"
"I’ve detected the traces of the Immortal Queen; she has come too. Right now, she must be around the Divine Capital concocting the Immortality Elixir," Tianxuan said indifferently.
She did not mention that the Emperor, the Immortal Queen, and even the Sect Leader might all be in alliance together, both because such news should not be spread and because Tianxuan did not trust these two elders.
Without a doubt, Elder Tian Ji was loyal to the Sect Leader, and he now also supported the Sect Leader’s Disciple, Yun Jiuye, in taking over the Sect.
Despite Elder Kaixiang’s constant complaints about his own disciple, he similarly stood on the Sect Leader’s side.
"The Immortal Queen has also come to Divine Capital?" Elder Tian Ji wondered without suspicion, furrowing his brows.
’It seems he is yet unaware of the Sect Leader’s actions.’ Tianxuan observed microscopically to gauge the situation.
"I was wondering why the Plain Cloud Realm Flag would appear in Divine Capital; turns out not only did that Old Witch Su Nu come, but also that old lady, the Immortal Queen," muttered Elder Kaixiang, "It’s a good thing I didn’t chase after them before."
Had he caught up with Su Nu before, even if he could withstand the Plain Cloud Realm Flag, Elder Kaixiang would have taken a fall.
Fighting a fourth-rank and a third-rank coming out; the scene was too horrifying, something Elder Kaixiang truly didn’t want to imagine.
Both of their expressions didn’t appear feigned, as if they were both unaware of the Sect Leader’s intentions and actions.
Nearly four years had passed since the Emperor’s bedridden state, and the Sect Leader arrived in Divine Capital over a year ago, not returning to the Sect since. In between, only Yun Jiuye visited Divine Capital for some time; the other elders mostly communicated with the Sect Leader via letters.
And letters, secured or not, were unlikely to contain discussions on important matters.
So, theoretically, these two should be unaware of the inside information.
Tianxuan did not show any signs of worry; she was calm and composed from the beginning, not letting the two elders perceive anything superfluous.
"If the Immortal Queen successfully concocts the Immortality Elixir, her next step might be to make a move against you."
Elder Tian Ji looked toward Tianxuan and said, "That year, you teamed up with the Taiping Sect’s Master of Rain and the Princess, thwarting the then newly third-grade Immortal Queen, causing her ascent to present three flaws. Unless she defeats you, preventing her from being recognized as the foremost among female cultivators. Following that, the advancement of Guanyin from Buddha Country to third-grade added to her obstruction."
"If it hadn’t been for your joint effort, the Immortal Queen would have definitely become the leader among female cultivators, even if just temporarily. She most certainly harbors deep resentment against you all, especially you."
After all, it was Tianxuan who had taken the lead in coordinating with them.
This also led to a possible development; if the Immortality Elixir was completed, the Immortal Queen’s first target might be Tianxuan.
Because her hatred was the greatest, the distance was the closest, and she was not currently within the Sect.
"Do you want me to return to the Sect?" Tianxuan discerned the implied meaning in Elder Tian Ji’s words.
As long as she returned to the Sect, even a third-grade entity wouldn’t dare to act recklessly within the Dinghu Sect.
Prior to this, the attack by the Giant Snake Baqi was mostly a scheme by the Dinghu Sect to lure the snake out of the hole. Moreover, at that time, the Heluo God hadn’t anticipated causing any real damage to the Dinghu Sect, intending only to take advantage of the situation to investigate the whereabouts of the Drought.
He hadn’t expected that Elder Tianxuan would directly engulf the entire area surrounding Dinghu into the Void Illusion Realm, causing him to take a significant fall and later having to travel to Yong Province to absorb Disaster Qi for his injuries, ultimately being suppressed under Five Finger Mountain.
"What’s there to fear? The Sect Leader is also in the Divine Capital," Elder Kaiyang stated bluntly.
"But it’s still not as safe as the Sect," Elder Tianji retorted, "Moreover, the Divine Capital is now rife with undercurrents, the perfect time for fishing in troubled waters."
There are always days to play the thief, but not a thousand days to guard against one; relentless vigilance would eventually reveal flaws.
Elder Tianxuan was aware of this too, but she was not yet willing to leave just like that.
"This matter, I have my own plans for it."
Elder Tianxuan spoke indifferently, "What’s most urgent now is to first determine the whereabouts of the Immortal Queen. Elder Tianji, have your people search through the Divine Capital, to see if they can find any clues. Additionally, look into whether there are any rumors related to the Bright Pearl within the Divine Capital."
Elder Tianxuan still remembered Jiang Li’s experiences inside the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, naturally, she would not forget the secrets hidden within the Seal Technique in Ji Jiji’s body.
—Bright Pearl in the casket, concealing light, enduring humiliation.
This phrase was cryptic; it mentioned the Bright Pearl being in the casket but not where the casket was located.
Currently muddled by the Heavenly Mechanism and unable to divine, Elder Tianxuan could not pursue the matter using Exchange Skill.
However, Ji Jiji had left such a cryptic message likely because there were already rumors about this "Bright Pearl." Therefore, Elder Tianxuan made such a request.
The investigation of the Immortal Queen’s traces was actually a diversion, or perhaps to prevent Elder Tianji from realizing she already knew the Immortal Queen’s location. The subsequent investigation about the Bright Pearl rumor was the real objective.
"Bright Pearl?" Elder Tianji was taken aback upon hearing this.
He had not expected Elder Tianxuan to suddenly make such a request.
Without much further thought, after pondering for a moment, he said directly, "Speaking of the Bright Pearl, the Huanzhu Building of the Imperial College is the most famous for that."
"Given that the Imperial College is guarded by Vast Qi, those with ulterior motives will find it difficult to endure prolonged contact with it. Hence, my informants know very little about the Imperial College. To truly understand the Huanzhu Building, one would have to ask Elder Tianquan and..."
Elder Tianji turned his gaze toward Elder Kaiyang.
"Him?" Elder Tianxuan raised an eyebrow.
It was expected for Elder Tianquan to have knowledge about the Imperial College, having sought education there in his youth and even attended lectures by the Great Sacrificial Officer. But Elder Kaiyang...
Elder Tianxuan said nothing, only expressing her skepticism towards the uncouth martial artist.
She was quite familiar with the backgrounds of the various elders within the Sect, and her memory did not include any information about Elder Kaiyang intersecting with the Imperial College.
"What are you looking at? My Guan Family is after all from a scholarly lineage. I got into the Imperial College when I was young; there’s nothing so strange about that," Elder Kaiyang said unhappily, "I even still read the Spring and Autumn Annals to this day."
Elder Tianxuan was aware that the Guan Family was a scholarly lineage from Jingzhou, a small family lineage that had been passed down for three generations in a direct line. With Elder Kaiyang being a lifelong bachelor, this direct line had come to an end.
The achievement of entering the Imperial College from such a lineage made sense, but if this individual was Elder Kaiyang... To be frank, although the Imperial College was an official institution, backdoor dealings and nepotism were of no use there.
Even if you were a native of the Divine Capital, born under the Emperor’s feet, to enter the Imperial College, you still needed genuine merit—there was no opportunity for favoritism.
"Sixty-five years ago, Kaiyang indeed was admitted into the Imperial College. However, due to being implicated in a certain secret matter, he was expelled, and that incident was personally erased by the college’s Great Sacrificial Officer, who even obscured the Heavenly Mechanism. Thus, there had never been any record of his enrollment. I came across this piece of information purely by chance," Elder Tianji explained leisurely. "After being expelled from the Imperial College, through the introduction of the Great Sacrificial Officer, he joined our Sect. As for Elder Tianquan, he sought education in the Imperial College after achieving some success in cultivation, recommended by the previous Sect Leader. Honestly, if we’re talking about being a scholar of the Imperial College, Kaiyang is the true one."
"Are you born in the year of the rat? Sneaking into every crevice, digging up stuff from sixty years ago," Elder Kaiyang retorted with a grimace before helplessly adding, "Huanzhu Building, right? Let me think. I recall it to be about two hundred and some years ago, a Great Scholar fell in love with a beautiful lady, with a pair of Bright Pearls as their token of love. Unfortunately, they did not end up together and were separated for decades. Unexpectedly one day, someone brought the Bright Pearl and brought news of the lady’s death."
Disgusted with the cliché, Elder Kaiyang continued, "In any case, it’s some stale tale of romance which, because it involved a Great Scholar, was hailed as a splendid story. That Great Scholar’s residence thus became the Huanzhu Building."
"So, there is indeed a Bright Pearl?" Elder Tianxuan immediately focused on the main point.
Having a tangible object would make the investigation much easier.
Elder Kaiyang nodded, "Indeed, that Bright Pearl should still be inside the building."