Painting of the Nine Immortals

Chapter 137: Isolation

Translator: Tatienne Editor: Rundi

The night sky was decorated with countless stars.

This place was a forest with towering tall trees, luscious and lively.

Right beneath a thousand-yard-tall waterfall, Ling Xian sat in a lotus position with both of his eyes closed. Like an old monk, he sat there, unmoving. Strands after strands of spiritual energy appeared in the air and entered his body.

He has consumed the Drunken Immortal Brew with the Petal of Enlightenment. He was at the very entrance of the foundational level.

The Drunken Immortal Brew was categorized as an alcohol. Made with over a hundred different ingredients. The Taoism community agreed that it was a high ranked spiritual alcohol. With only one sip, one could perfectly breakthrough to the foundational level. In a world where alchemists have yet to make a Dan without side effects, this brew became a treasure that countless Heaven's Favorites linger after.

The Petal of Enlightenment was even more astonishing. If consumed with the Drunken Immortal Brew, it would balance out the overpowering medicinal effects but at the same time, multiple the benefits from the brew! Having had both of them, Ling Xian was very confident that he would reach the foundational level, maybe even step into the intermediate phase of the foundational level!

Right now, Ling Xian's eyes were tightly shut, and he was holding his breath. His body was working hard to absorb all the medicinal benefits.

The combination of the Drunken Immortal Brew and the Petal of Enlightenment were imposing onto each other, pushing the medicinal ingredients into his organs, limbs, and bones. The medicine washed over every inch of his blood and skin, and every single one of his bone, forcing him to be reborn and metamorphose from a moth to a butterfly.

A green smoke engulfed him as his white robe started to waltz in the wind. His breathing was becoming hasty as he stepped closer and closer to the foundational level.

In the middle of his dantian, his air-like mana was converging, strengthening, and materializing into a liquid form. This was an important step that occurred when stepping into the foundational level from the meditational level.

The Liquification of Mana.

The spiritual energy in the meditation level is in a gaseous state like air. While at the foundational level, spiritual energy runs like water. The difference between the two levels is gigantic. This was the reason why powerful foundational cultivators could easily kill those in the meditation level.

The change of state in spiritual energy makes an earth-shattering difference.

Only when those in the meditation stage convert all their energy into liquid form can they breakthrough to the foundational level.

Currently, Ling Xian was in the middle of completing this step. To him, this was a very simple task, but it was very time-consuming. Estimating conservatively, this would take roughly three days.

...

While Ling Xian was concentrating on his training, Mo Qing Fu, Tang Thirteen, and Shui Lian Yi were sitting on a grass field, sipping on tea brewed with the Petals of Enlightenment.

The Petal of Enlightenment was a heaven-defying spiritual object that can be used to either make medicine or to make tea. Every single petal was invaluable, and usually, only Supreme Masters were privileged enough to own a few.

Only when they encounter bottlenecks during training, or when they require enlightenment in order to perfect a technique, would they feel lavish enough to make tea with one petal. This would lead them onto the path of enlightenment and help them figure out a way to overcome the obstacle they were facing in their cultivation journey.

It was obvious that these three were being extremely extravagant. In each of their teacups floated three to four petals. Unstoppable waves of fragrances entered their nostrils, soothing their bodies and relaxing their minds.

"Wow… tea made from Petals of Enlightenment really does live up to its name. Not only is it flavorful and fragrant, but after only a few sips, I already feel like I am understanding stuff I never understood before. I feel like a path is opening up before my eyes and I am becoming an Immortal." Mo Qing Fu's eyes were blurred. His entire body was gushing out a medicinal scent, and he felt like he was about to grow wings and fly away.

Tang Thirteen was behaving just the same. Her white and delicate cheeks were flushed with drunkenness. She gulped down her tea ungracefully as if drinking boiled water rather than enjoying priceless tea.

"Petal of Enlightenment… My dad doesn't even have a lot of this. I once saw him make a cup of tea with one petal very very carefully. I asked him for it, but he only let me take a tiny sip. I was so mad," Tang Thirteen muttered as her big wide eyes stared into space. It seemed like she was really enjoying this. "Hehe, now I have so many Petals of Enlightenment. I can drink it standing up, sitting down, or lying around. I can drink however much I want and whenever I want. What now dad?"

"I can even drink a cup, and then dump a cup. Haha, if my dad sees the way I behave, he would puke blood." Tang Thirteen laughed. She seemed to really want to see how her dad would react to her lavish ways.

"If you dad sees you now, he would definitely faint. But before he does, he will for sure beat you up." Shui Lian Yi's gently sipped on her tea and tasted it carefully. Her powdered complexion, draw-on brows, coupled with the painting-like grass field she was sitting on made this scenery absolutely mesmerizing.

"Hehe, my dad likes me too much to hit me," Tang Thirteen argued. Her mosquito-like low voice showed how she didn't really believe in what she said.

"Thirteen, others don't know you, but I know you. Though uncle loves you very much, he has never been soft when it comes to raising you. If he sees how you are wasting such great tea, he definitely will hit you." Shui Lian Yi grinned. Beside her, Mo Qing Fu laughed as well.

In the entire Yunzhou, everyone knew how "Crazy Tang" behaves. Though he spoils Tang Thirteen and cares for her very much, he also trains Tang Thirteen as the next leader of the Clan. He never went easy on her, and he has always punished her when she does something wrong.

However, after every punishment, this famous muscle man would apologize to Thirteen with sad eyes and make it up to her like she is his ancestor. He would buy her food and do everything he can to cheer her up.

This was an on-going joke in Yunzhou.

"He can hit me all he wants. I am not scared of him. After he hits me, he always makes it up to me. I will ask him to hit himself when he asks me what I want. It really releases my anger." Tang Thirteen's eyes were squinted into crescents from laughing.

Shui Lian Yi shook her head. Suddenly remembering something, she frowned, "Wait, Thirteen. Tell me honestly. You came out to the Vast Mountains behind his back, didn't you?"

"How's that possible? My clan sent me here to see what the good fortune is about." Tang Thirteen seemed to be escaping others gazes, as she lowered her head to drink more tea. The way she behaved made it so obvious that she was lying.

"You! You don't even tell me the truth." Shui Lian Yi extended her index finger and pressed Thirteen's forehead. "If I remembered right, Uncle Tang has already grounded you and said that until you reach the foundational level, you are not allowed to leave your home. But you ran away. I can bet you that the first thing you see when we step out of the ruin is your old man's face."

"That's fine. I am not scared of him," Tang Thirteen muttered in a low voice.

"Crazy Tang... No, I meant, Uncle Tang will definitely come…" Mo Qing Fu accidentally referred to the Tang Clan Leader by his nickname. Seeing the deadly glare Tang Thirteen threw at him, he quickly changed it to Uncle Tang. Grinning apologetically, he said, "Thirteen, you gotta pray this time. If that man comes to the Vast Mountains himself out of rage, you definitely cannot escape a heavy beating."

"Man… What do I do." Tang Thirteen supported her chin with her palm and sighed out of frustration.

"Whatever, let's not talk about this anymore." Mo Qing Fu gently chuckled. He then moved his gaze onto Ling Xian and asked, "How long do you guys think it will take him to reach the foundational level?"