Chapter 128: I Will

"If the other party imprints your primordial spirit during energy extraction, it could indeed pose endless risks. However, Sage Mawu would never do such a thing. After dual cultivation, there will only be a few emotional ties entangling your primordial spirit, which might trouble you. Along with the depletion of your vital energy, your future progress in cultivation could indeed be somewhat affected, making it harder to reach Core Formation or Spiritual Infant Realm than it would be for others. But you will still be yourself, and the sect will provide additional compensation."

With that, and without waiting for Gong to respond, Sect Leader Yu silently mouthed a few words.

Gong's face froze, his eyes revealing a hint of hesitation before he lowered his head in silence, appearing to be swayed by what had been said.

Another elder clasped his hands together in respect and asked in a hoarse voice, "Senior Brother, if I agree to cultivate this art, will it benefit my descendants?"

Sect Leader Yu returned the greeting and replied solemnly, "If Junior Brother Zhao leaves behind any bloodline, the sect will certainly take care of them..."

He then transmitted some more words via sound transmission. The elder nodded slightly but did not immediately express his stance.

He Mu, who had been standing motionless to the side and remained expressionless even when the Gong-surnamed cultivator exposed the secret of the energy extraction technique, suddenly spoke up, "Sect Leader, having thoroughly studied the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

, it seems that we Qi Refining Realm disciples will find it extremely difficult to cultivate to the third stage. Is it possible that I lack the insight to comprehend the subtleties of the art?"

Sect Leader Yu smiled warmly at Qin Sang and the other two, replying, "You’re not mistaken. After you three reach the third stage, you will indeed encounter a bottleneck when attempting to condense the Jade Cauldron. Moreover, this secret art requires your dual cultivation partner to be at least at the Foundation Building Realm. For this reason, whichever of you three can condense the Jade Cauldron first, the sect will fully support in advancing to the Foundation Building Realm. This is part of the compensation we offer. In addition, we will grant each of you one more request."

The hall fell silent. Everyone understood that Sect Leader Yu’s offer was quite sincere; otherwise, there would be no need for such an elaborate arrangement.

Chu Wenjian suddenly straightened his back like an unsheathed sword, raised his head, and declared in a loud voice, "Please forgive me, Sect Leader. My heart is set on the Dao, and I am confident I can form a Golden Core on my own. I have no desire to become a furnace cauldron."

Gong took a deep breath, then furiously flicked his sleeves and resolutely declared, "I would rather die than help others cultivate an energy extraction art!"

Sect Leader Yu nodded, showing no sign of anger and not forcing the issue. He simply turned his gaze to the others.

"I will!"

"I will!"

Two voices suddenly spoke in unison. One was He Mu, and the other was Qin Sang.

Upon hearing that the sect would help them advance to the Foundation Building Realm for free, Qin Sang no longer had any hesitation. Although the mysterious orchid he possessed might fetch a high price, bringing out an item that had caused a war between two major sects could be riskier than the current situation.

Opportunities like this only come once and pass in the blink of an eye.

So what if his Qihai would be slightly smaller? Wouldn’t he still be a Foundation Building cultivator?

At worst, he would avoid directly confronting other Foundation Building cultivators in the future. The Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions and his ebony sword could also make up for some of the disparity.

As for Core Formation and Spiritual Infant Realms, such goals were completely out of reach for Qin Sang at the moment. All he could do was occasionally dream about them while taking one solid step at a time.

As long as he could break through to the Foundation Building Realm, gaining over a hundred more years of lifespan, anything was possible!

What surprised him, however, was that He Mu had also made his decision so quickly.

Qin Sang glanced sideways at He Mu, noticing that his face, which seemed never to show any emotion, was still expressionless. However, his eyes were fixed on Sect Leader Yu, filled with intense anticipation.

Seeing this, Qin Sang sighed softly in his heart.

If he were to find himself in the same situation as He Mu, trying everything but still unable to break through to the Foundation Building Realm, even without the assistance of the Jade Buddha, Qin Sang was sure he would make the same choice.

After a moment of hesitation, the Zhao-surnamed cultivator said, "Senior Brother, I am also willing to give it a try."

The other two Foundation Building Realm cultivators exchanged glances and communicated with Sect Leader Yu via sound transmission for a few moments before they too agreed in the end.

Once the Gong-surnamed cultivator and Chu Wenjian had left, Qin Sang and the remaining five followed Sect Leader Yu out of the grand hall, flying towards the rear of Shaohua Mountain. They eventually arrived in front of a row of cave dwellings on a high cliff, each selecting one for themselves, and entered to begin their arduous cultivation of the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

.

After sealing the cave dwelling, Qin Sang pondered in silence. From what Sect Leader Yu had implied, it seemed that only one of them would be qualified to become the furnace cauldron—namely, the one who could cultivate the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

to the third stage the fastest and successfully condense the Jade Cauldron.

Even competing to be a furnace cauldron... Qin Sang sighed inwardly, then took out the jade slip and began carefully contemplating the intricacies of the art.

The first stage seemed quite simple. Abandoning the

Netherworld Scripture

and switching to this art, the progression was smooth. As long as one's vital energy was cultivated, there wouldn’t be any bottlenecks, just as with transitioning to other arts, and one could proceed step by step.

This indeed turned out to be the case. Qin Sang spent only a month to master the first stage.

At the second stage, the "embryo" of the Jade Cauldron could be formed, accumulating the Jade Liquid.

By this point, Qin Sang had already gained some insight.

In fact, the moment one began cultivating the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

, they had essentially become a furnace cauldron.

However, before the Jade Cauldron was fully formed, the vital energy and Jade Liquid in the body were only in their initial stage. If energy extraction occurred at this time, even at the second stage, the fragile Jade Cauldron embryo would easily collapse, causing the yang essence to dissipate and the vital energy to be completely drained. In such a case, not even the Nine-Yang Pill could reverse the damage, leaving one as nothing more than medicinal residue—completely crippled.

At this stage, performing energy extraction would be akin to draining the pond to catch the fish; the benefits for the extractor would be far less than those gained at the third stage.

After Qin Sang had successfully cultivated the second stage of the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

, he probed the jade slip with his spiritual consciousness. Only after seeing all the hidden secrets of the third stage did he realize that when one reached the third stage, they would constantly be influenced by Mara[1], which made him understand why one had to first pass through the trials of the Gourd Illusion Realm.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Mara lured the heart, giving rise to lustful emotions. It represented the most primal desires of a person, indistinguishable from heart demons.

Without a firm mind, anyone entrapped by Mara would be unable to extricate themselves and would have no hope of completing the third stage.

Qin Sang spent a long time examining the jade slip, feeling as though the technique for the third stage wasn’t entirely complete, as if part of it had been erased. However, the overall process of cultivation remained intact.

Casting aside distractions, Qin Sang focused on the technique described in the jade slip, engraving it deeply into his mind before settling into a meditative state and beginning his cultivation.

The Illusion realm of red dust, the temptations of Mara.

As soon as he began cultivating, Qin Sang fell into the illusion realm of Mara, where heart demons abounded. Before him was a scene of bewildering chaos, with lewd sounds surrounding him, and a strange fragrance stirred the deepest emotions and desires in his heart.

If it were someone else, even if they could maintain their composure for a while in the illusion of Mara, they would eventually have to stop and stabilize their mind to escape the influence of the illusion.

Otherwise, any flaw in their mental state would be difficult to recover from.

However, just as in the Gourd Illusion Realm, Qin Sang’s mind remained exceptionally clear. He viewed the illusory beauty as nothing more than skeletons draped in flesh and was completely unaffected by the temptations.

Because of this, Qin Sang had no need to worry about the effects of Mara. He continued cultivating day and night without interruption, and his Jade Cauldron rapidly began to take shape, gradually filling with Jade Liquid.

1. Mara, in Buddhism, is a malignant celestial king who tried to stop Prince Siddhartha from achieving Enlightenment by trying to seduce him with his celestial army and the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is associated with death, rebirth and desire. Nyanaponika Thera has described Mara as "the personification of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment." ☜