CHAPTER 44: MASTER WEN RUO

Liu Wei grinned in response.

He said, "Aren’t you more pathetic? Like a parasite, thinking you are able to take control of me, yet you can do nothing but just remain a leech. How does it feel to know your death is imminent in the future?"

Liu Wei smirked.

"Pathetic."

The baby’s face turned ugly.

It remained silent for a while and then turned around, entering towards its house.

Liu Wei smirked and did not bother with it anymore.

He then closed his eyes and returned to reality.

...

Liu Wei opened his eyes and ruminated over what happened.

He clearly did not expect it.

Although he anticipated he would meet the original owner of the body, as the System stated that the owner’s original body died and his soul already entered the afterlife, his consciousness remained, for some reason.

Perhaps, a wisp of his soul remained and clung to Liu Wei, too.

He was already ready to meet him, but he did not expect he would possess a heavy animosity.

He thought.

He might have been influenced by Demonheart Origin Body’s consciousness. Nevertheless, as long as they linger in my body, they are dangerous. I have to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Liu Wei settled the matter immediately.

He decided what to do next.

That dumb bastard gave me an idea on how to tame the secondary mind. Thanks to him, I guess?

Without hesitation, Liu Wei stood up and searched for the peak Spirit Rank cultivation technique that focused on alchemy.

...

Liu Wei took some time in the alchemy part of the cultivation technique section

.After all, he had to choose the suited cultivation technique—it must fit the conditions of the Dual Mind Thought, as his other cultivation technique has been decided and currently being cultivated.

Hence, Liu Wei was being meticulous.

If possible, he wanted to read all the alchemy cultivation techniques available at the moment.

Thankfully, as per the System’s arrangement, the available cultivation technique in the alchemy part was suited for him.

Every single one of them.

After all, according to the System, the current books that will be shown in the library always depend on what kind of book the visitors or the librarian himself were looking for.

Liu Wei even took more time, hesitating which of the books to choose.

In the end, he was able to choose one after hours and finally brought it back to his seat.

There was a main reason why he chose it.

The book was authored by Master Wen Ruo himself.

Liu Wei believed it would only be a matter of time until he would receive the Dao of Alchemy by Master Wen Ruo.

Choosing his cultivation technique was the wise choice.

As soon as Liu Wei sat, he began to contemplate.

Dual Thought Breathing is simply a mental and circulatory technique, not a full cultivation method. As a result, it allows me to run two techniques at once.

Normally, two cultivation paths are like two rivers colliding, resulting in two floods.

However, the Dual Thought Breathing acts like a canal system, separating rivers to flow without collision to maintain the balance.

Hence, Dual Thought Breathing, despite it being a cultivation technique, simply creates compatibility to allow a cultivator like me to possess two different cultivation techniques without exploding.

Liu Wei admired how unique a mental and circulatory technique was.

It allowed him to form a second dantian on his lower abdomen and coexist it with the demonic blood dantian.

Liu Wei tossed the unnecessary thoughts at the back of his head and opened the book.

It was a manual called Verdant Cauldron Sutra.

It was a support cultivation type technique, where it obviously focused on alchemy.

In the sub-title in the cover, below the header, Liu Wei read it.

This manual converts chaotic herb essence into pure medicinal qi, cultivator’s dantian evolves into a Living Cauldron.

Liu Wei read the following pages, containing the excerpt of the author.

"The flames of greed, slaughter, or desire burn wildly in the hearts of men. Yet the flame that an alchemist seeks is different—gentle but enduring, fierce but balanced.

Within the cauldron lies a mirror of the cultivator’s soul: if the heart is turbulent, the pill will scatter; if the mind is tranquil, the pill will condense.

I, Wen Ruo, failed many times on the battlefield, when smoke choked the heavens and screams shook the earth. But it was then I realized—if I cannot still my heart, I cannot refine medicine even with the finest herbs.

Thus, I forged this method: a path to harmonize flame and wood, to calm chaos, to turn the body itself into the Verdant Cauldron. If the world collapses, the cauldron within will remain unbroken."

– Master Wen Ruo, Wandering Alchemist of the Eastern Deserts

Liu Wei was taken aback by the expressiveness of the Master Wen Ruo’s words.

It evokes emotion within him, especially as an aspiring alchemist.

Liu Wei even speculated if Master Wen Ruo was a martial arts cultivator before he pursued alchemy.

Liu Wei shook his head and forgot about it.

He read the entire manual for half an hour, memorizing every detail.

Obviously contrary to the Blood Demonheart Sutra, the Verdant Cauldron uses orthodox channels—Five-Element circuit + Ren/Du.

In other words, Liu Wei has to open his meridians before forming his dantian.

There were five stages he must practice and master to fully comprehend the cultivation technique.

Without hesitation, Liu Wei sat in the lotus position to practice the first stage.

However, Liu Wei suddenly opened his eyes and laughed awkwardly.

I don’t have a physique perfect for alchemy, so I must use resources. However, my body has been blessed with teas and vegetables that provide nourishment to my body, to begin with.

Nevertheless, Liu Wei went and grabbed a tea pot and a cup of tea and placed it on the table.

According to Master Wen Ruo, it would be used as remedies later once he practiced the first stage and the heat spikes and panic rises.

Liu Wei was confident it would unlikely happen, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

Then, Liu Wei returned to the lotus position and practiced the first stage.

The goal of the first stage is to establish the cauldron-visual in the lower dantian and open the first, essential meridian points so Fire (Heart) and Wood (Liver) qi can be balanced.

He first fixed his posture according to Master Wen Ruo.

He sat cross-legged, back straight, and tried to relax his muscles and nerves as much as possible.

He then placed his right hand over the lower dantian and his left hand was on his lap.

He then performed the manual’s breathing technique, using his secondary mind of course.

It was called Calm Spirit Breathing, which stabilizes his thoughts.

During the cultivation of one technique, he has to shut off the other mind, to prevent interfering.

In other words, his blood dantian and Crimson Heart Chain remained dormant, following the owner’s orders without hesitation.

Hence, his main mind focused on the Verdant Cauldron Cycle now.

Opening Meridian Points was quite easy, since it was an orthodox style.

To open a point, first he visualized the cauldron turning slowly in the lower dantian.

He then utilized the Calm Spirit Breathing—inhaling slowly for three breaths, exhaling in three breaths, for the secondary minds to maintain serenity.

Then, his main mind, or the primary mind, compresses a gentle pulse of qi into the first meridian point, the Tanzhong or the chest center as it links hearts energy to cauldron.

He pressed the Tanzhong point physically with his thumb while pushing a warm band of qi into it using imagery of green-gold warmth.

He pulsed the point nine times in a small, rhythmic pushes.

Eventually, he felt the Tanzhong point gave him a mild warmth and a soft snapping inside his chest.

The point was finally opened.

Just like that.

Compared to the unorthodox style.

Liu Wei could only shake his head and chuckled.

As soon as the Tanzhong point was opened, the Conception Vessel opened, linking his heart and lung qi to his lower dantian.

It stabilized heart-fire input for the cauldron.

For the next three hours, Liu Wei opened another three meridian points.

The Shenmen point, to be found in the wrist crease.

It calmed his mind and stable fire input control.

It prevents emotional surges while heating.

Then, the Taichong point, to be found on the dorsum of foot.

It enabled wood qi movement into the cauldron.

Lastly, the Qihai or in the lower abdomen.

It acts as a lower reservoir link, giving the cauldron its first basin to seat condense qi.

In the end, he finished the first stage.

He was able to establish the first circulation loop, or the mini meridian cycle.

As a result, dantian seed began to coalesce at the lower abdomen.

After Liu Wei was finished, he looked outside and saw it was already evening once again.

Since he was not cultivating the Blood Demonheart Sutra, he remained the door open while cultivating.

Liu Wei did not fancy going outside now, as he already learned all the sword techniques.

There was no need to practice it anymore.

In fact, he was currently preoccupied with the desire to cultivate the Verdant Cauldron Sutra.

Hence, without hesitation, he decided to cultivate until morning or wherever he felt sleepy.

For the next six hours, Liu Wei was able to finish the second stage.

As a result, the Qi naturally refined into Verdant Flame, capable of gentle heating instead of wild burning... like how any other fire qi.

Now, his lower dantian finally fully forms, levitating beside the Blood Dantian, as it was now a vessel that could hold Verdant Flame.