Chapter 1 The Inspection

Within the Forbidden City, Longde Hall.

From the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) until the first quarter of Xu (7:15 PM), Ji Xiang had been absorbing the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth for a long time, his mind sinking into his inner world, his eyes seeing brilliant light.

What flowed within this body was no longer blood, but the power of incense.

And in his cultivation, he had begun to make some progress.

His cultivation started from the first realm, the Xinghuo Realm (Conducting Fire Realm), and the highest realm was one that no one had yet managed to reach.

The first realm was the Xinghuo Realm, called "Fire Forcing Metal into Action," at this time, the fire energy circulates throughout the body, forcing out the firm and indestructible golden energy within;

The second realm was the Zhuji Realm (Foundation Establishment Realm), called "Hundred Days of Foundation Establishment," at this time, the Qi Sea of the Heavenly Cycle is operated, running through the whole body, cultivating the foundation for the birth of the sacred embryo;

The third realm was the Yubi Realm (Jade Wall Realm), called "Golden Tendons and Jade Bones," at this time, the bones of the whole body are like white jade, and the tendons give birth to golden light. In ancient times, people said, "Penetrating golden light and fragrant marrow, golden tendons and jade bones are all pure Yang." This is a major step in refining the flesh, laying the foundation for the transformation of the body into pure Yang.

Each basic realm, one step at a time, will affect the strength of later realms. If the foundation is not solid, it is like a castle in the air, strong on the outside but hollow on the inside, a tofu-dreg project that collapses at the first touch, only able to put on a show to scare people.

From the first realm to the ninth realm, all preparations are made for refining the Golden Elixir with Fire, and this so-called fire is actually the various fire energies contained in the human body. These fire energies normally exist in the human body, maintaining a balance. Once a problem occurs, the body becomes weak and develops diseases.

Among these fire energies, the Jun Huo (Monarch Fire) located in the heart is the most important. The ancients said, "People cannot live without this fire."

But for Ji Xiang, the weakness of the Jun Huo in the heart no longer exists. Not being human naturally has its advantages. The physical body is a vessel for living in the world, while the true body is a god condensed from incense. What does it matter if his head is cut off or his heart is pierced? On the surface, physical attacks seem to cause high damage, but Ji Xiang can directly reattach his head without any problems.

And during this period, Ji Xiang had an unexpected discovery while breathing.

The blank divine tablet in his inner world could actually help him accelerate the digestion of the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth that he inhaled into his body.

This made the speed at which the Yuan Qi replenished his body very fast. According to Ji Xiang's estimation, and from the memories of his predecessor, his current speed of inhalation and digestion was at least three times faster than that of a normal person's cultivation.

And this digestion speed seemed to be increasing.

But his physical body was already approaching the limit of Yuan Qi's capacity.

At this time, his essence, Qi, and spirit were extremely vigorous. Ji Xiang felt that his physical body was full of power. A thought arose in his mind, and he felt that he could grab a strong man with one hand and spin him three and a half times in the air with a slight movement.

Of course, there was no strong man present to allow him to put this into practice.

"Such a huge amount of absorption has saved me three times the cultivation time. I only came back to life this morning, and I have entered the third realm, with bones like white jade and tendons like gold. Now I have absorbed a large amount of Yuan Qi, which is accumulating in my body. This rapid cultivation has brought the state of my physical body to a height that I have never reached before!"

"The Yuan Qi I absorb is far more than the turbid Qi I exhale. At this rate, I will soon be able to enter the fourth realm of cultivation, the realm of fetal breathing, which is the so-called forming of the sacred embryo."

"The condition for entering the fourth realm is to lock the Qi in the body. The total amount of inhaled Qi must be much higher than the exhaled and dissipated Qi. In the past, people often meditated for a long time and looked for places with abundant heaven and earth Yuan Qi to breathe in, often hiding in famous mountains and great rivers, closing their seven orifices to prevent the escape of Qi, and relying on the inhaled Yuan Qi to carry out internal life cycles."

"At this time, one breath goes by itself, neither entering nor leaving, able to be like a baby in the mother's womb, internally taking in internal Qi, holding firmly and guarding the One. At this time, the outline of the sacred embryo appears in the body. This sacred embryo is another name for the inner elixir refined from the combination of essence, Qi, and spirit. Only by obtaining the sacred embryo can one truly become a great mage."

"The three realms before the fourth realm are just an introduction. Peeking through the door at the initial stage of Xinghuo, and only after a Hundred Days of Foundation Establishment can be considered to enter the door. Golden tendons and jade bones are just a transitional change, so all under the sacred embryo are mortals."

Ji Xiang felt it was very magical. Although he was not human, he could still use human cultivation methods to cultivate. As long as the incense did not dissipate, the physical body could slowly recover no matter how much damage it took. Being unkillable was his greatest asset.

"This blank divine tablet may have other uses... Before, in Fu Li, I saw the positions and duties of the gods, and their names were written on the tablets, but this guy was the only one without a name. I also saw many gods forgotten by the world, but their names were all properly engraved on the divine tablets..."

"When I cultivate to the fourth realm, move towards the fifth realm, and pass the first demonic trial, I will receive the position and duties. Since this thing comes from Fu Li, it must be related to the position and duties. At that time, I should be able to see a little more of its divinity."

Ji Xiang felt that this thing should be more than just a Yuan Qi digestion accelerator and a compendium of gods and ghosts.

And at the moment Ji Xiang stopped breathing, suddenly there was a rapid and loud sound of footsteps outside!

..........

After Zhu Changluo came in the morning, he still had his learning tasks, so it was not until the afternoon that he met the scarlet-robed Fire God. The eunuch who had been controlled by the scarlet-robed Fire God had already reported Zhu Changluo's whereabouts to Consort Zheng in the morning.

Consort Zheng acted quickly.

She told the Wanli Emperor that Mount Wudang was suspected of being involved with demonic Daoists and blew in his ear, roughly saying that during the Jiajing Emperor's reign, the demonic Daoist Shao Yuanjie came from Longhu Mountain and recommended the demonic Daoist Tao Zhongwen. Now, to be on the safe side, shouldn't Wudang be investigated?

She also said that the eldest prince might have been bewitched and that he should be careful that her son would also be bewitched, never straying far from the matter of the crown prince.

The Wanli Emperor thought it was unnecessary. The Daoists who came from Wudang this time were said to be very young, and what demonic Daoist powers could a young child who was still wet behind the ears possess?

Besides, Zhu Changluo had only gone once, and to say that he had been bewitched and use this as a reason to exclude him, even to deprive him of his rights as the quasi-crown prince, was something that the civil officials would definitely disagree with.

Consort Zheng persisted, and the Wanli Emperor told her that when Zhang Zhenren came in two days, she could ask him about anything. But Consort Zheng said, what if Zhang Zhenren was also involved with demonic Daoists?

These words displeased the Wanli Emperor.

Seeing the Wanli Emperor's face change, Consort Zheng immediately apologized, but still insisted on investigating Longde Hall. There was no way. The Wanli Emperor always favored her, so he had to casually dispatch some people to make a gesture.

Thus, before Longde Hall in the Forbidden City.

This place, which had always been deserted, was suddenly crowded with people.

The clashing of armor, hurried footsteps, and the swaying light of many lanterns illuminated their figures in the twilight before nightfall.

Green embroidered robes, brown hats, identity plaques, sabers.

Helmet, round-necked yellow armor, identity plaques, red sticks.

Black turban, scarlet collar, blue armor, identity plaques, holding a sword.

Creak...

The gate of Longde Hall was pushed open, and these people poured in. The leader was dressed in a light yellow robe with a wide lapel and slanted collar, wide sleeves, a continuous back panel, pleats on both sides, and a horse-face pleat on the front panel.

A Qilin was embroidered on this robe.

The Jin Yi Wei ( Embroidered Uniform Guard) wearing armor stood on both sides of the courtyard of Longde Hall, while the Jin Yi Wei in green embroidered robes followed the Qilin-robed Jin Yi emissary to the front of the palace gate.

"Luo Sigong, the Pacification Envoy of the Southern Pacification Department, is ordered to inspect Longde Hall!"