Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Great Buddha Alchemy Pill

Li Hui took two days to rest and used this opportunity to consult Qian Qiu Yue about various questions.

Whether it was identifying rare items or discussing demons and magical beings, he significantly expanded his understanding. Despite the many texts in his mind, they contained numerous errors; sometimes, a single remark from Qian Qiu Yue could render his long-winded explanations useless. It was true that a true disciple’s words were worth more than volumes of unreliable books.

Why does a sect hold true disciples in such high regard? Cultivation is only one aspect; knowledge plays an important role too.

True disciples often possess firsthand information about cultivation, far surpassing their peers in perspective and understanding. As a result, the larger the city, the fewer opportunities there are to benefit from others; they are all perceptive, and good items will rarely reach you. They have long since fallen into the hands of the true disciples of various sects.

Now, Li Hui understood why Uncle Sun Zhengyang held the cultivators from the Great Xia in such high esteem; they were indeed extraordinary, from their cultivation philosophy to their everyday matters, they far surpassed those of the Dalong Sect and the Jade Symbol Sect.

In just two days, Li Hui gained invaluable insights, resolving many of his issues and clearing out a good twenty percent of the "dross" from his mind. It truly was dross, not a single useful point to take; he had been going further down the wrong path.

As night fell, the camp grew quiet.

Chef Zhao, while delivering dinner, clung to Li Hui’s leg and cried, “Brother, are you leaving? Don’t abandon me and Qiniang, please!”

“You’re like my own brother! I won’t be called Zhao anymore; I’ll follow your name and be called Li Kitchen Knife.”

Li Hui raised his leg to kick him playfully and laughed, “Could you try to be a little more ambitious? I didn’t say I wouldn’t take you and Qiniang with me; you have no choice. Go and ask if anyone wants to follow along. This time is different from before; the outer and external ring areas have already collapsed, which means we have survived the calamity. If everyone stays and lets Wan Nest Island sink together, they might be cut off from the outside world, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will die.”

Chef Zhao exclaimed, “Ah! We can still sink along with Wan Nest Island?”

Li Hui nodded. “Tell everyone to keep their immobilization talismans handy; even if the Hongmo Sect tries to meddle with the Slave Seals, they can block and interfere. If, in the end, there’s no way to leave, I too will follow the island into the sea. In any case, I can’t join the Hongmo Sect.”

“Got it, I’ll consult with Qiniang right away.” Chef Zhao hurriedly walked away; this was a major decision that might affect the next several years.

Once Chef Zhao left, Li Hui took out the Qi Yuan Decline Talisman. With the spiritual energy in the outer and external ring areas shrinking, the spiritual energy in the Inner Ring doubled, generating a substantial spiritual pressure. He should be able to use this body refinement treasure talisman now, but he needed to think carefully about how to minimize the pain.

“The alchemy in my hands has been concentrated and purified through the Clear Void Cup; it should yield some effects to counteract most of the damage and pain. The issue is that building a mountain nine times high can fail with just one last scoop of dirt—often, just one last tremor makes the difference. To ensure the last straw doesn’t break the camel’s back, I need to devise some methods.”

Thinking this, Li Hui took out three broken wooden pieces and called out, “Guang Jin, come out and see if these three pieces of wood are Prison Wood? It is said that Prison Wood can counteract inner demons; can it also alleviate physical pain?”

“My lord!” The young scribe appeared, noticeably taller, having changed from a four- to five-year-old boy to a seven- or eight-year-old. He smiled broadly and said, “This indeed is the Prison Wood used by demon cultivators to resist inner demons. Although it looks damaged, it’s still quite heavy! As for counteracting physical pain, its effects are certainly not trivial, but the drawbacks are very clear—it can confuse the mind. In a crisis, one can only leave it to fate and cannot react.”

“Was it a form of anesthesia for the mind?” Li Hui understood now; the miraculous effect came with significant drawbacks. Most items used by demon cultivators operated on this principle—seeking extreme stimulation as if self-torture was the only way to show their worth.

“Help me check these miscellaneous items; see if you recognize anything that can relieve physical pain.” Li Hui took out the assorted items he had obtained from the great demon cave, laying them out on the bed and table.

Half of the items had already been identified, while the other half remained unknown, and the truly valuable items probably lay among the remaining half.

Guang Jin knew Li Hui had gathered many miscellaneous objects, like picking up scraps, but it was undeniable that these were of high quality. Suddenly, he saw six clay balls about the size of baby fists and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Great Buddha Alchemy Pills? How could there be treasure pills from the Buddhist nation on Wan Nest Island? Could this place be related to the Buddhist nation?”

“Are you saying these clay balls are Great Buddha Alchemy Pills?” Li Hui became intrigued. It is commonly known that the Buddhist sect has the Great Alchemy Pill, which can not only heal external and internal injuries but also enhance cultivation. However, he didn’t know why it was specifically called "Buddha Alchemy" and what significance that added, as if there were some hidden mysteries!

Guang Jin appeared somewhat absent-minded as he introduced, “The Great Buddha Alchemy Pill hails from the Moko Buddhist nation. I have known about this pill for a long time because it was born there many years ago. Many Buddhist sects select their disciples from unborn infants, and this Great Buddha Alchemy Pill is a stability medicine that best cleanses the marrow and removes impurities…”

“Wait a minute, did I hear correctly? A stability medicine?” Li Hui leaned his forehead in disbelief. After all this time, it was just a stability medicine—what a scam!

“Indeed! It’s a stability medicine,” Guang Jin laughed. “The Great Buddha Alchemy Pill has a mild property, making it the most suitable for nourishing the body. When encountering injuries, it can continuously heal, lowering physical pain levels unobtrusively. While a small quantity may not work, with hundreds of pills in your hands, it’s certainly sufficient for nourishing.”

“Oh? Are you saying each clay ball contains hundreds of Great Buddha Alchemy Pills?”

“Precisely! These clay balls are the Buddhist clay used to nurture pills. The medicinal power doesn’t just remain intact; it can slowly increase over time. Who knows how many years it has been in the cave? If it’s been over five hundred years, the effects would be astounding but would require Buddhist power to catalyze.”

“I’ll give it a try!” Li Hui summoned seven lotus platforms, and after some time away, they seemed to have grown a bit. He clasped his hands together and focused his thoughts, picking up one of the clay balls and applying slight pressure. It melted away like snowballs, revealing a gentle golden light.

These Great Buddha Alchemy Pills were slightly larger than rice grains, making it difficult to associate them with pills; he detected not a trace of medicinal aroma.

Guang Jin explained, “Young Master, don’t be confused. The Great Buddha Alchemy Pill is refined through the wish power of sentient beings, using pure Buddhist power as its base; it also requires a high monk to expend merits for support. After going through over a dozen processes, it becomes a pill. Since it doesn’t draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to create the medicine, you won’t see pill patterns. Although they seem fragmented, each grain could become a Buddha child. These six clay balls likely comprise a Buddhist sect’s accumulation over a hundred years; they are indeed extraordinary! I wonder how they ended up here! Additionally, judging from their color, the nurturing time likely exceeds two thousand years.”

“Time is of the essence. I’m going to cultivate the Ideal Body. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to resort to the Prison Wood in the end.” Li Hui decisively picked up the Buddhist medicine. He must cultivate the Ideal Body to the mid-Gather Spirit stage; otherwise, on Wan Nest Island, it would be just as difficult as moving an inch!