Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

A flash of golden light disappeared in an instant.

An alchemical pill furnace, standing twelve feet high, appeared at the original spot.

This pill furnace was different in design from the usual three-legged, two-eared tripods.

While it did have three legs and two ears, the central structure was not a tripod—it resembled a gourd, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

The gourd had apertures on all four sides, through which the Six Ding Divine Fire burned perpetually inside the furnace's belly.

Flames flickered out from the four gaps in radiant flashes.

Its internal space appeared small, but once Song Lin entered, he discovered that it housed a boundless sea of fire.

Failing to locate the Eight Diagram positions would most likely result in being reduced to ashes by the flames.

"An Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Dao of Creation."

Song Lin murmured to himself.

This was a pill furnace that embodied the Dao of Creation.

It could transform decay into wonder, elevate the quality of pills, refine Spirit Pills into Treasure Pills, and Treasure Pills into Golden Cores.

Similarly, it worked for artifact refining as well.

If other fire-requiring spells were used, the effects would be similarly enhanced.

With exceptionally advanced cultivation techniques, the furnace might even serve to heal injuries or bring the dead back to life.

Of course, such feats required immensely profound alchemical skills—perhaps attainable only upon achieving the rank of Heavenly Master within one's lifetime.

Song Lin approached the furnace and explored its functions, familiarizing himself with its uses.

"The East Wind approaches. It's time to enter seclusion," Song Lin thought to himself.

In the Real World, his cultivation stood at the Purple Mansion Early Stage, yet he had barely condensed a single Lead Flower.

Core Formation, Purple Mansion, Tribulation Crossing, and Primordial Spirit.

He lagged behind a Heavenly Master by two realms—no, it should be four realms.

The Wind Tribulation, Fire Tribulation, and Lightning Tribulation associated with Tribulation Crossing effectively accounted for three major realms.

But of course, his aim wasn't to contest a Heavenly Master—such ambitions were far too distant.

That task was better left to Zhi Xin and the future disciples of the Yin Spring Palace lineage.

Speaking of them, they had yet to send word; it was uncertain where they'd gone.

Approximately seven years remained before Zhengsi would emerge from seclusion.

During this time, Song Lin planned to refine Xuanye Pills using alchemical techniques, condense a second Silver Flower, and further enhance his Eight Sceneries Primordial Spirit.

Additionally, he intended to advance the Nine-Transformation Copper Skin Iron Bone Unbreakable Body from First Transformation to Third Transformation.

Based on Song Lin's estimates, the defensive capacity and instant recovery ability of the Third Transformation Unbreakable Body would rival that of a top-grade Spiritual Artifact.

However, the so-called "instant recovery" wasn't as simple as sealing a minor wound immediately.

It encompassed instant recovery from spell-induced injuries and purging negative statuses.

In other words, Song Lin would possess a body resistant to poison and impervious to myriad spells.

Of course, excessively powerful spells remained beyond its protection.

Even at the Third Transformation, the Nine-Transformation Unbreakable Body hadn't achieved the ability to regenerate severed limbs. If it reached Fourth Transformation and attained the physique of a lower-grade Taoist Device, then perfection would be within reach.

All in all, there were three objectives: cultivating flowers, body refinement, and becoming a mage.

The first and third objectives were merely matters of time; the second required unwavering resilience to avoid being incinerated into ashes in an instant.

"Nonetheless… I have experience," Song Lin mused.

With lessons summarized from the story world, all he needed was to follow the established principles.

As for the others—Donghua Hidden Lineage, Yin Fu Two Jungles, Yin Spring Palace descendants—they could only rely on their own fortunes.

Song Lin merely presented the plans; how others executed them depended on destiny.

Crash!

Song Lin's figure plunged into the Furnace of Eight Trigrams.

A fitting mantra resounded—"Casting oneself into a golden furnace, earning immortality for a thousand ages."

Or perhaps: "If destiny lies within my grasp, then I shall sow golden lotuses within fire."

Time ebbed and flowed like tidal currents.

The Alchemy Department's business flourished steadily, securing an annual income of two million for both Donghua Jungle and the Smoke Cave Ghost Market.

The mere two million wasn't reflective of the department's capabilities but stemmed from a lack of trained alchemists.

Its head, Luu Yunsheng, subsequently broke through to Divine Establishment.

The Alchemy Department's wealth-gathering pace astonished even the people of Shi Yinhua.

Indeed, cultivation depended heavily on essential elixirs; these products faced no shortage of demand.

On another front, four new county cities within Yin Mountain progressed steadily.

Golden Bull County and the Five Poison Corpse Gu Temple.

As the first newly established Taoist Temple, the Corpse Gu Temple experienced promising growth.

Its temple master, Xiao Xuan, practiced the Five Drawbacks and Three Shortcomings Technique, trading a lifetime of solitude for rapid cultivation.

On this day, the skies above Golden Bull County sprawled with fiery clouds stretching dozens of miles.

Scorching flames baked the earth while emitting a relentless buzzing sound.

Upon closer inspection, the fire clouds weren't clouds at all but a mass of tiny golden insects resembling beetles.

The fiery clouds quickly vanished.

Below, Xiao Xuan emerged from seclusion.

A Golden Cicada Gu clung to his shoulder, identical to the fire-cloud insects above but larger in size.

"Phew, I've finally achieved Core Formation," he said.

The sixth cultivator to reach Core Formation, following Shi Yinhua, Wang Ziyue, Guu Yuchan, Yan Jiuge, and Qingyu.

Furthermore, his was a Golden Core forged through Gu Techniques.

The Golden Silkworm Gu had just evolved into the Ten Thousand Fire Golden Silkworm Gu, entering the Core Formation Realm.

The Dao of Gu concentrated solely on advancing the evolution of the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Apart from Golden Bull County, others in the neighboring county cities broke through as well.

Naturally, none achieved Core Formation.

Elevating a single cultivator to Core Formation could take two to three centuries of effort.

No matter how favorable Donghua Jungle's conditions were, it was impossible to produce one every few years.

At the Yuanfu Taoist School's headquarters within Yuanfu Jungle, in a certain concealed blessed land.

Eight individuals meditated atop a peculiar blood-red altar.

Leading them was Xiangling.

Xiangling's exquisite facial features were marred with dark green patterns, enveloped in solid black mist.

Her presence exuded beauty intertwined with malevolence.

Behind her, the black mist condensed into a hundred-foot-tall black demon.

The demon's form and demeanor shifted ceaselessly: it wielded swords, spears, manifested dual forms, and possessed a three-headed and six-armed figure.

Countless faces flashed by in an instant.

This was the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Divine Demon Dharma Image.

Originally in the early stage of Core Formation, Xiangling controlled a single Divine Demon Dharma Image.

Following standard practices to complete the Divine Demon would likely take hundreds of years.

Thus, she had Zhi Xin rapidly burn his life force to borrow future potential.

Now, her remaining lifespan was less than sixty years.

If Xiangling failed to ascend beyond Purple Mansion within sixty years, she would face certain death.

Even if she succeeded, her lifespan would remain capped at sixty years due to the life force borrowed from the future.

In short, she could only spend sixty years as a high-ranking cultivator.

No one could likely ascend from Purple Mansion to Tribulation Crossing within sixty years.

Song Lin hadn't hidden these truths from them.

He operated with uprightness, exerting force rather than relying on schemes or manipulation.

If they were willing, they could proceed; if not, alternatives were available.

Song Lin had been sequestered for several years, only occasionally offering new pill recipes or refining existing ones.

He inched closer to becoming a mage, with his reputation growing among members of the Taoist Alliance, shrouding him in mystery due to his prolonged absence.

The progress of Donghua Jungle was plainly visible.

Those at the Holy Might Taoist School recognized that given time, Song Lin was destined to defy the heavens and rise.

Some began scrutinizing the evolution of Donghua Jungle.

Aside from Song Lin's legendary efforts, there wasn't much to say.

The Three Refuges and Nine Precepts were largely dismissed by most people, deemed outright unreasonable.

Had a Gu-raising model been adopted, it might have enhanced strength by several folds.

Yet a minority discerned its underlying principles and sought to imitate them.

Unfortunately, all attempts met failure.

Without upper-level practitioners setting examples, it was impossible to enforce compliance with lower-level ranks.

Some faced practical constraints preventing them from adopting this approach due to cultivation technique limitations.

For instance, the Rampant Soldier Dao required cruel practices such as killing and extracting bones, with the strength of spirits correlating to the intensity of their suffering.

Under such circumstances, adherence to precepts was unattainable.

If not for Song Lin's transformation of the Rampant Soldier Skill—allowing practitioners to summon wild spirits solely through temple rituals, modified by the Temple Emperor Seal without harming humans—and later enabling Rampant Soldiers to be summoned merely with mana input, it could never have been integrated.

At last, removing its barbaric foundations allowed promotion of the Three Refuges and Nine Precepts; otherwise, it would have remained an unattainable ideal.

Such obstacles embodied the difficulty of Song Lin's advocacy.

The ultimate solution may require his direct intervention to modify things.

Meanwhile, at Mingxing Peak.

A graceful woman suddenly appeared in front of Zhi Xin's humble shed.

"What brings you here?" Zhi Xin emerged from its interior.

The woman turned out to be Ziyun.

"Zhengsi has attained the Avici Asura Body; you should know this technique. He has openly declared that he will compete with Song Lin for the Cloud Platform Tribulation," Ziyun said.

She glanced at the rudimentary shed and then chuckled lightly. "Won't you invite me inside to sit?"

"There's no need," Zhi Xin coldly replied, before changing the topic. "Zhengsi's actions are his concern. It has nothing to do with you. If there's nothing else, I ask that you leave."

With that, Zhi Xin prepared to send her away.

Ziyun frowned slightly, displeased. "I genuinely want to repay you. With the Avici Asura Body and two Innate Spiritual Treasures, do you think Song Lin still has a chance of winning, relying on those Thunder Pearls?"

"Donghua Jungle has only just started thriving. Will you stand by and watch it decline?"

She planned to directly intervene with Zhengsi, forbidding him from troubling Song Lin.

Zhi Xin laughed in response and said, "Save your grand talk of repayment. Say what you truly want."

"Perform your special technique one more time!"

......

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