Chapter 148: True Essence of Earth and Water

"Junior Sister?" Yu Xiao asked in confusion.

"It seems there is something beneath this bird's nest!"

With that, He Xiaoshu cast aside all maidenly propriety, hurriedly squatting down and tearing away the branches and leaves with both hands. Such a commotion immediately drew the attention of the others. After a moment, a large hole was gouged out of the True Man White-Hair's nest, vaguely revealing the ground beneath. Who knew what thoughts might cross the True Man's mind if his spirit in heaven were to witness this spectacle?

Just as she had claimed, a faint milky-white radiance seeped through the subterranean blue bricks, easily overlooked if one was not paying attention.

"There is definitely a treasure here!" He Xiaoshu said happily. "This old eagle senior put all those scrap items up top while actually hiding the truly good things down below. How mischievous!"

Zhou Qian touched his nose. No matter how one looked at it, these treasures could hardly be called 'scrap items.' Xiang Xiaoyue, who had been a well-bred young lady before practicing immortality and valued etiquette and rules quite a bit, remarked, "Senior White-Hair only asked us to take those specified treasures. Searching about without permission is probably not quite right."

"Bah! It's fine. We are all leaving anyway. Surely we wouldn't let these treasures remain buried under the water forever? Besides, if Heaven gives and you do not take, you will instead incur blame!" He Xiaoshu had already begun preparing to pry open the stone slabs. From the look of her, she seemed more interested in the thrill of the search than the reward itself.

Following a clattering din, the bluestone slabs were successfully dug away. A brilliant white light erupted, accompanied by a soothing fragrance that refreshed the minds and invigorated the spirits of everyone present. Exchanging glances, they realized there truly were celestial rarities below! He Xiaoshu took the lead and jumped down. Concerned for his junior sister, Yu Xiao followed suit. Seeing this, the remaining few felt there was no need for hesitation now that matters had reached this point.

When Zhou Qian landed, he roughly estimated the distance to the surface to be about thirty zhang—not particularly far. Scanning his surroundings, he saw the source of the white light not far ahead. Just as he was about to approach, he suddenly felt a softness beneath his feet, as though stepping on cotton. Looking down, he gasped involuntarily; there was nothing solid beneath him, only a thin layer of shimmering yellow light. Below that lay an unfathomable, pitch-black abyss where rapid currents roared, as if an entirely separate realm had been carved out within the subterranean water veins—truly wondrous to behold. At the center stood a transparent crystal pillar, supporting the cavern roof above and connecting to the water vein below. Periodic bursts of white mist overflowed from it, condensing into pearls that lingered in mid-air.

"This is the Primordial Earth-Water Essence!" Lu Yurong said with rare astonishment.

"Primordial Earth-Water Essence!" Zhou Qian was equally shocked. This was a rare and peerless heavenly treasure, hailed as one of the ten great treasures of the world. Its renown was so great that even a junior like him, shallow in his cultivation, had heard of it, which spoke volumes of its potency. These ten treasures were said to be nurtured by heaven and earth; no mortal method could cultivate them, and obtaining them relied entirely on karmic affinity with the immortals. Rumors had it that the Primordial Earth-Water Essence could regenerate severed meridians, regrow limbs, and purify magical power. No matter how severely damaged one's physical body might be, drinking this substance would restore it completely. Furthermore, it was said to extend one's lifespan. Any single property of this item was enough to incite primordial spirit experts to fight fiercely for it. No wonder True Man White-Hair had not mentioned it—he must have worried about such a scenario. The Devil Lord of Cavernous Mystery had exhausted his efforts likely for this very reason.

Everyone fell silent. After a long while, Yu Xiao licked his dry lips and hesitated, "This treasure is far too precious. How should we divide it?"

"Needless to say, finders keepers!" He Xiaoshu declared.

Involved as it was with high stakes, the group suddenly felt a subtle shift in atmosphere. If they considered themselves fellow righteous practitioners, Emei, Qingcheng, and Tianmen should naturally share it equally, which would leave little old Xiao Liu out. Zhou Qian always valued loyalty and camaraderie, so he would likely be reluctant to accept it either. If it were distributed by contribution, Senior Sister Lu ought to receive the largest share, though the other four might harbor their own thoughts. Moreover, the treasure had been discovered by He Xiaoshu, which added another layer of complexity. In short, the treasure was too precious; an unfair distribution risked provoking disaster.

"Junior Sister Xiaoshu is right. This treasure was nurtured by heaven and earth and is inherently ownerless. Naturally, those with affinity shall obtain it," Lu Yurong took the lead in saying, clearly taking the brunt of the sacrifice.

"Senior Sister!" Xiang Xiaoyue stamped her foot in dissatisfaction. In her opinion, since her senior sister had even parted with her beloved psychic fairy sword Linglong, she deserved the lion's share.

"Say no more." Everything Lu Yurong did exuded the demeanor of a great sect's successor, secretly earning Zhou Qian's admiration. If everyone in Emei was like this, how could they have acquired a reputation for bullying others over the years? It made him deeply puzzled; could those rumors have been entirely fabricated?

As for Zhou Qian's own intentions, he had no desire to accept such a precious treasure. After all, he had merely stumbled upon it by chance and had no prior friendship with True Man White-Hair. However, he suddenly thought of the Wine Daoist. It had been quite some time since they parted ways at the Lianshan Sect, and the elder had yet to return to the mountain, presumably still recuperating from his injuries. This treasure was supreme in repairing mortal flesh and blood, and perhaps it would prove immensely helpful to him.

"This Primordial Earth-Water Essence yields the best results upon first use. Shall we try refining it now?" Yu Xiao asked, looking rather embarrassed. Everyone knew what he was thinking. Given their character, none of them would swallow it in secret; most would likely turn it over to their respective sects, where elders might grant them some minor reward, but how could that ever compare to a celestial wonder? Since they could not keep it entirely, at least tasting the first brew was permissible, right? Who said sword immortals lacked selfish thoughts? It was just that ordinary worldly objects could no sooner move their hearts.

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately elicited a chorus of enthusiastic approval—

"Yu Xiao, that's a wonderful idea!" He Xiaoshu nodded in a feigned manner, expressing her agreement.

"Senior Brother Yu makes sense. Who knows if this treasure is genuine or not? Naturally, we must verify it first!" True to orthodox Emei styling, Xiang Xiaoyue spoke with utter justification.

Seeing everyone else cross their legs and close their eyes to begin refining the Primordial Earth-Water Essence, Zhou Qian glanced over and noticed Xiao Liu doing the same. He felt a slight oddity—when did this kid become so thick-skinned? But seeing that everyone else was doing it, it went without saying that he should follow suit. Second Brother Li once said, "Only a fool refuses a free advantage!" Zhou Qian deeply agreed.

With the five centers facing the heavens, his mind slowly settled. The Grand Qing Immortal Qi circulated along the third-layer Great Heavenly Cycle pathway of his mental cultivation technique. With his tongue pressed against his upper palate and mouth slightly open, a wisp of white mist was drawn toward him within moments. Zhou Qian knew this was the vapor transformed by the Primordial Earth-Water Essence. Swallowing it into his abdomen, it was instantly absorbed by the Grand Qing Immortal Qi. Curiously, the Grand Qing Immortal Qi did not grow; instead, it shrank by a full circle, yet this alone was enough to fill Zhou Qian with boundless joy. One had to know that various sects possessed different teachings, and the true qi they cultivated differed as well. However, there was no doubt that among the most difficult to cultivate, the Grand Qing Immortal Qi ranked in the top three, given that it required capturing the ethereal qi from the ninefold heavens—the difficulty can be easily imagined. Moreover, once it entered the mortal realm, the ethereal qi became mixed with worldly impurities, making it even harder. Yet now, the Grand Qing Immortal Qi circulating within his body was gradually forming a mist-like, almost formless state, which was precisely the portent of returning from the acquired state back to the innate state. If Zhou Qian had to cultivate this painstakingly on his own, it would likely take a dozen or twenty years of effort. Such a transformation laid a profound foundation for his future cultivation.

That was not all. Starting from his dantian, the Grand Qing Immortal Qi divided into two parallel streams, rising to the Spirit Courtyard and descending to the Bubbling Spring. Along the way, the hidden injuries in the Three Yin, Three Yang, Chongmen, Biguan, and other acupoints—sustained previously when his sword qi forced past the barriers—were gradually repaired and healed by the earth-water essence qi. After a long while, Zhou Qian opened his eyes and exhaled a three-foot-long stream of pure qi, which dissipated only after a considerable duration.

"Congratulations to Junior Brother Zhou for your great advancement in cultivation," Yu Xiao smiled. He was an extremely steady and restrained person, gentle and warm in his dealings with others. Only such a temperament could tolerate his junior sister bossing him around, though looking at the expression he gave He Xiaoshu, perhaps there were deeper romantic sentiments involved after all.

Seeing that everyone else had already stood up, Zhou Qian figured his cultivation must be the shallowest, which was why his refining process took the longest. Feeling rather sheepish, he quickly used his gourd to collect the remaining Primordial Earth-Water Essence. This gourd had been refined by Ape Lord to be quite marvelous; it had six layers, each the size of a large vat, making it extremely convenient.

With this matter concluded, the group prepared to leave. Zhou Qian noticed that Xiao Liu and Lu Yurong both cast involuntary glances at the crystal pillar, causing him to keep a secret watch. Able to produce such a treasure as the Primordial Earth-Water Essence, the pillar itself must certainly be extraordinary. However, it was the key component suppressing this realm; if it were removed, the entire water eye would likely burst open, causing a calamity far worse than the emergence of an old dragon...