The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 303: 10 Years

<Start of Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert>

As the saying goes: Cultivating immortality knows no years.

Xu Ziqing’s retreat lasted a full ten years.

In those ten years, he spent five years completely nurturing some essential seeds, especially the “Golden Blood Grass,” which took the most time. However, the result was worth it; not only was the life force of the Golden Blood Grass fully nurtured, but he also successfully collected it as a secondary wood.

After that, the seeds he nurtured near his heart aperture were three sword-shaped wood seeds. These seeds emitted sharp sword energy and were one of the best plants to balance the Qi of wood in his body, so he could not afford to be careless.

He also nurtured some spiritual herbs, including the Mei Baigu seeds, taking great care of them. However, the Mei Baigu was not an ordinary item; the life force it required was hundreds of times greater than that of ordinary spiritual herbs. Thus, among the many ancient spiritual herbs, only this one extraordinary item could not be integrated yet.

As for the sword-shaped wood seeds, their life force had not yet been nurtured sufficiently. The Golden Blood Grass had been fully nurtured, and a seedling had just begun to sprout when Rongjin immediately noticed it and quickly rushed out to swallow it… Xu Ziqing truly found it laughable and helpless that day, so he had to stop hastily nurturing them.

This was not to blame Rongjin for being impatient. Even if it had only consumed that seedling, it had already grown another size, and its vines had split again, resulting in sixty-four slender vines. How could this not make it greedy? Unfortunately, with Xu Ziqing’s current strength, the maximum amount of wood Qi he could accumulate in a day was only enough to produce that one Golden Blood Grass seedling. If he wanted to nurture a mature plant that would truly allow Rongjin to grow, he would have to advance his cultivation further. Nevertheless, with sixty-four vines, communication with Rongjin became much clearer. With a single thought from Xu Ziqing, it could connect with his intentions, working together more smoothly than before. Seeing this, Xu Ziqing felt very satisfied.

In addition, he spent another two years refining the Qingyun Needle.

This needle was the first shape of his divine power, but as long as he had not formed the Golden Core, it could not be perfected. However, he could refine it many times, creating several sets of formations to cooperate with his combat techniques. Each time it was invoked, it was quite methodical, completely without chaos. While simultaneously manipulating hundreds of Qingyun Needles, he could focus on multiple uses, honing his spirit and making it more refined, laying a foundation for extracting a trace of the primordial spirit when forming the Golden Core.

In the final three years, Xu Ziqing once again refined the bitter bamboo pipe gifted by his Shixiong, turning it into a magical treasure connected to his bloodline. He didn’t add any other spiritual materials; the bamboo itself was already a fine item. Unfortunately, without forming the Golden Core, he could not use the Dan Fire, which would have enhanced its power even more.

Nonetheless, the power of this bitter bamboo pipe was still formidable; it not only had the effect of calming and sharpening the mind, but it could also use sound to attack enemies. If he encountered someone else using sound-based techniques, it would likely overpower them. Moreover, since it was a remnant of the ancient innate spirit roots, its value lay in its ability to continually enhance itself with the master’s power. Every time Xu Ziqing advanced, he could refine it and increase its power.

Additionally, he practiced some techniques, particularly the “Ten Thousand Woods Transforming Spirits Art” technique, the most.

Transforming ten thousand woods into myriad things offered various wonders.

For instance, exploring, tracking, hiding, and confronting enemies—countless applications were beyond enumeration.

Xu Ziqing didn’t master much, but he was able to transform wood into eagles, wood into insects, wood into foxes, and wood into snakes. He easily learned the eagle and fox transformations due to his deep understanding of Chonghua and Hu Xue’er, while the insect and snake transformations were not difficult, as they were common in plants. However, to learn more… not only was time insufficient, but he also found it quite challenging to quickly conceptualize unfamiliar creatures. Moreover, this type of technique demanded a high level of control and consumption of true essence, making it even more difficult.

Additionally, he absorbed the seeds of divine trees and became familiar with various techniques he had previously practiced. Xu Ziqing felt as if ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he was filled with a sense of fulfillment, completely unaware of the passage of time. Eventually, he felt a thought stir in his mind and realized that the time to exit his retreat had come.

Without hesitation, Xu Ziqing stood up, broke the door seal, and walked out.

As expected, upon opening the door, he saw his Shixiong sitting cross-legged.

Yun Lie was dressed in white, sitting on the ground like a rock.

His expression was unmoving, his eyes slightly closed, and his aura was incredibly still and cold.

He seemed like an ice sculpture that would not melt for ten thousand years, radiating a murderous chill that was concentrated and unyielding.

This made Xu Ziqing shudder slightly as soon as he stepped out.

His Shixiong had indeed become stronger!

Then, Yun Lie opened his eyes.

Xu Ziqing smiled at him: “Shixiong.”

Yun Lie looked at him: “Have you encountered a bottleneck?”

Xu Ziqing sighed: “Indeed, it’s a bottleneck.” He had reached the peak of the late stage of transformation and was confident in extracting the primordial spirit, almost ready to form the Golden Core. However, he still had not condensed the Dao Seed.

The Dao Seed was essential for nurturing the embryonic form of the Great Dao and manifested the individual’s path. If one could obtain it before forming the Golden Core, it would be twice the result with half the effort; conversely, if obtained after, the effort would be doubled for half the result. However, to condense the Dao Seed, the cultivator must truly understand their own path; they could not take it lightly. Otherwise, if the condensation went wrong… either ascending to immortality would become impossible, or they would have to reincarnate and start over. Thus, it was both perilous and must be approached with great caution.

Xu Ziqing had seen a fair amount of the world, but the opportunities for him to engage directly in combat were not many. Most of the time, he had been under Yun Lie’s protection, which naturally made things a bit vague. Because of this, he spent ten years in the cave pondering and still could not come to a clear understanding.

However, this was not a major difficulty; Xu Ziqing had only been cultivating for a little over twenty years. To accumulate to this level and reach the peak of the late transformation stage was indeed rapid progress. As long as he gained more combat experience, it was likely that during a future battle, he would suddenly gain insights.

Yun Lie was also aware of this; having accompanied Xu Ziqing for many years, he understood Xu Ziqing’s progress deeply, no less than Xu Ziqing understood himself.

If Xu Ziqing could comprehend certain things, how could he not?

Thus, he pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s go down the mountain once.”

Xu Ziqing nodded earnestly: “I was just thinking the same thing, Shixiong.”

Yun Lie also stood up: “Let’s head to the Shifang Pavilion.”

The two quickly left the mountain and headed towards the Shifang Pavilion together.

The Shifang Pavilion was where disciples accepted tasks and exchanged merit points. Having not been here for several years, as soon as Xu Ziqing entered, he saw numerous managers in the side hall busily recording and exchanging points.

However, Xu Ziqing was not here to exchange merit points, so he naturally did not seek anyone out.

He and Yun Lie walked up to a tall black stone pillar in the main hall.

Undoubtedly, this pillar was called the Merit Column, and there were a total of one hundred and eight pillars in the main hall, corresponding to the number of heavenly and earthly spirits, which changed daily. The tasks written above were all for recent tasks that could be taken. Each task usually required some participants; typically, it could be few but not too many, especially for tasks issued by external parties, which had to be completed according to their demands. Otherwise, if the employer refused to acknowledge it, the merit points would be lost.

The two brothers arrived at the seventy-eighth pillar, where the tasks listed were mostly suitable for cultivators at the Core Formation and Golden Core stages, making it quite appropriate for both of them.

Xu Ziqing released his consciousness, intending to check from the top down.

Lines of golden characters danced, mostly detailing tasks such as searching for heavenly materials and earthly treasures, exterminating evil beasts, and escorting people. These tasks were not much different from what he had seen in places like the Loose Cultivators Alliance. It seemed that everywhere in the world where tasks were issued, there were commonalities.

However, he also noticed that among the many tasks, some were rather special. For example, certain tasks related to slaying demons and eliminating monsters could only be found in large sects of the righteous path, serving as a way to test and train disciples.

Upon seeing this, Xu Ziqing felt a slight stirring in his heart.

In terms of mindset, he was indeed somewhat weak, lacking the necessary ruthlessness. Although his heart towards the Dao was firm, he showed some flaws here. He could not be compelled to act only when absolutely necessary; however, if he were asked to stir up trouble, act violently, or even kill and plunder, he truly could not do it. Yet, taking on tasks like these would be very different.

Any task inscribed on the Merit Column of an immortal sect, as the name suggests, involved the extermination of demons, thus counting as merit.

These demons were undoubtedly individuals with numerous sins, and killing them would be considered a service to the people; failing to do so would mean aiding their tyranny.

As a disciple of the righteous path, no matter how soft-hearted he might be, he would hold no compassion for such evil creatures.

Thinking of this, Xu Ziqing was determined to take on a task.

However, the next moment, he heard Yun Lie’s voice: “This matter is suitable for you.”

Xu Ziqing looked over in response.

He saw his Shixiong pointing to a golden character, which shimmered with light and displayed the task.

It was about a band of sand bandits residing in the Tai Gu Desert, occupying the mountains of Tai Gu, specifically robbing travelers.

These sand bandits were a group of devil cultivators, each with considerable cultivation; the weakest among them was at the Foundation Establishment stage, while the leader was a formidable half-step Nascent Soul.

If they only robbed travelers, it wouldn’t have caused too much outcry.

However, these sand bandits were far too ruthless and excessively cruel.

Not only did they rob, but they also indulged in lust, regardless of gender or whether the target was a cultivator or a mortal. Anyone they encountered would be subjected to their desires.

If a mortal’s essence was drawn, they would instantly lose their life; and if a cultivator could not die immediately, they would be drained by dozens, even hundreds, of sand bandits, until their life force was exhausted and their blood depleted, ultimately turning into a pile of bones.

Over time, the Tai Gu Mountain, originally named Tai Jia Mountain, became known as “Tai Gu” due to the accumulated corpses, causing those who heard of it to change color with fear. Likewise, the Tai Jia Desert was renamed the “Tai Gu” Desert¹The change from “賈” (Jiǎ) to “骨” (Gǔ) signifies a shift from a potentially neutral or historical connotation to one that emphasizes death and decay. “骨” (bone) implies that the area is now associated with bones or remains, indicating a significant change in the landscape..

Years passed, and few cultivators dared to approach that place. While some genuine immortal cultivators were willing to slay demons and eliminate evils, those who ventured there were invariably devoured by the desert bandits, after which no one dared to return. As for Nascent Soul Laozu… individuals of such esteemed status, unless their family was harmed, were wholly focused on seeking the Dao and would not purposely go there. Thus, the sand bandits had continued their carefree existence until now.

The more Xu Ziqing read, the angrier he became; there was no doubt that these were evil demonic acts.

Even if he were to kill them all, it wouldn’t quell the fury in his heart!

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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• 1The change from “賈” (Jiǎ) to “骨” (Gǔ) signifies a shift from a potentially neutral or historical connotation to one that emphasizes death and decay. “骨” (bone) implies that the area is now associated with bones or remains, indicating a significant change in the landscape.