The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 20: Affairs of Frozen Snow Plains | Chapter 384:

Zhuang Wei sacrificed himself! Le Zheng Hezhi burned his lifespan using a secret technique! The elixir formula to extend lifespan!

This revelation from Le Zheng Hezhi left Xu Ziqing astonished.

All of this was truly shocking.

As a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, Le Zheng Hezhi’s vitality was incredibly robust, and Xu Ziqing had not noticed any abnormalities in his lifespan.

Now, knowing the extent of Le Zheng Hezhi’s sacrifice, Xu Ziqing admired him even more. Furthermore, this showed Le Zheng Hezhi’s deep feelings for his friend, strengthening Xu Ziqing’s conviction.

If it were only ordinary friendship, how could one be willing to offer up their lifespan? At most, they would help Zhuang Wei’s relatives and friends in the small world or protect his reincarnation. There was no need for such treatment. It now seemed that Zhuang Wei’s sincere feelings toward this second young master were truly justified.

However… Xu Ziqing pondered silently, knowing that Le Zheng Hezhi was not one to talk much. Now that he was willing to lay everything bare, it likely wasn’t just to share the past!

He raised his eyes to look at the young man in purple, “Since Palace Master Le Zheng has been so forthright, you might as well be even more honest.”

Was it really as he suspected, seeking something from him in the Zhoutian Immortal Sect? Or did he have some other purpose?

Le Zheng Hezhi’s expression softened as he nodded, “Are you a wood-element cultivator?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of foreboding and replied, “That’s correct.”

Le Zheng Hezhi continued, “I can’t see what kind of technique you practice, but it must be impressive. Given that you’ve cultivated to this level and are a pure wood body, you should have encountered quite a few spiritual herbs. Otherwise, your realm wouldn’t leave me feeling somewhat baffled.”

Xu Ziqing understood and nodded, “I may have some limited knowledge.”

Le Zheng Hezhi spoke seriously, “In that case, I won’t beat around the bush with you.” He waved his hand, and several ice mirrors appeared in front of him. Each mirror displayed an image of a type of herb, with the names of the herbs clearly listed below. “The herbs I lack are all here. Many are ancient items, and some are already extinct. If you have seen any of them or have any information, please let me know.”

If that were the case, he naturally could not refuse. Xu Ziqing’s expression turned serious as he carefully examined the ice mirrors. He possessed the “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique.” Although he had not yet reached the level of freely cultivating plants, if he had seeds, it would still be worth a try.

Mature plants were rare, but seeds could potentially be found.

Moreover, Xu Ziqing remembered that he had fused many ancient items from the wood category, including many extinct herbs.

If he happened to find one or two that corresponded, it would be immensely convenient.

At this moment, he could not afford to be careless.

There were a total of eight ice mirrors, each representing a different missing herb.

As Xu Ziqing looked through each one, he corresponded them with the materials in his body… Soon, his expression brightened with joy.

Le Zheng Hezhi could see clearly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Ziqing reached into his sleeve, channeling his true essence, and pulled out a herb.

This herb was one of those shown in the ice mirror, fully matured, which Xu Ziqing had earlier concealed in his sleeve and cultivated.

Le Zheng Hezhi was taken aback, quickly taking it and, after a brief examination, sensed the strong wood energy within. It was indeed what he had hoped for.

Then Xu Ziqing reached into his sleeve again and pulled out four more spiritual herbs, totaling an astonishing five!

Le Zheng Hezhi didn’t mind Xu Ziqing’s somewhat peculiar actions; he focused on carefully putting away the spiritual herbs, and the anxiety in his heart immediately diminished significantly.

However, even with this, there were still three herbs missing—herbs that Xu Ziqing, despite perusing countless spiritual herb texts, did not recognize. But compared to before, things had improved considerably.

Xu Ziqing looked again at the three ice mirrors, scrutinizing them closely and contemplating…

The previous five herbs were ancient and he had obtained their seeds, which had resulted in this unexpected joy. But with Zhuang Wei’s remaining lifespan down to only twenty years, even if only three herbs were still missing, he couldn’t be careless.

Spiritual herbs were different from ordinary materials; aside from wood-element cultivators who could cultivate and utilize various formations to hasten maturation, most were naturally grown. Often, even if they were found, they might take another thirty to forty years or even a hundred years to mature—what could be done about that?

Even if Xu Ziqing wanted to fuse those seeds, while seeds were indeed easier to obtain than mature plants, they were not readily available. Moreover, immature spiritual herbs generally didn’t shed seeds. Even if he were willing to spend true essence to cultivate them, success was not guaranteed.

With all these considerations, Xu Ziqing still felt he needed to either think further about the whereabouts of these spiritual herbs or consider whether there were alternatives.

Wait… alternatives.

However, each spiritual herb had different remarkable uses. When refining pills, it was precisely by combining these remarkable uses that the goal of increasing lifespan could be achieved. But what specific roles did the remaining three herbs serve?

Thinking this, Xu Ziqing raised his head and voiced his confusion to Le Zheng Hezhi, saying, “If there are alternatives, it wouldn’t hurt to consider them.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s expression grew serious: “That formula is an ancient one, and deriving it is exceedingly difficult. Many spiritual herbs were meticulously studied by numerous masters of alchemy before being confirmed. If we’re to find substitutes… unless their effects are superior, I fear they wouldn’t work.” He had also thought of alternatives, but even these few herbs were already the easiest to obtain.

Xu Ziqing frowned, “Then what purpose do these herbs serve?”

Le Zheng Hezhi replied, “They provide vitality. The three herbs must work in synergy to enhance vitality to a level that can compensate for several hundred years of lifespan.”

This was different from the way cultivators usually supplemented their vitality. That method allowed for gradual accumulation, using less precious, vitality-rich herbs daily, gradually invigorating oneself and healing internal injuries. However, this was a pill meant to replenish lifespan; the remarkable uses of many other spiritual herbs must enhance and transform each other, combining with vitality equivalent to several hundred years in order to be fully refined. Yet the ancient formula was extremely specific; the number of pills used could not exceed ninety-nine, or it would surely fail. However, the remaining required spiritual herbs could not be reduced, as they already used over seventy-eight herbs. Thus, they couldn’t invest more secondary herbs to replace those needed for vitality enhancement… After numerous calculations, these three were finally chosen, as their combined vitality was just enough to equal that of several hundred years.

Hearing this, Xu Ziqing paused: “What if there’s a spiritual herb that contains exceptionally strong vitality, capable of bringing the dead back to life…?”

Le Zheng Hezhi was startled, then asked, “Do you have such a miraculous herb?”

Xu Ziqing nodded slightly: “Years ago, I had an unexpected encounter, and within it was this herb. I’ll take it out, and if it can be of use, that would be even better.”

Le Zheng Hezhi was naturally shaken. However, he didn’t hold out too much hope. The last three spiritual herbs in the ice mirror were all considered miraculous, their vitality rare in the world, and together they formed a torrent, extremely dense. He could only think that Xu Ziqing and Zhuang Wei both came from a small world. Although Xu Ziqing had exceptional fortunes later on, he was only a little over a hundred years old; what he obtained might not truly have such effects. But regardless, even a sliver of hope was worth pursuing.

Xu Ziqing didn’t hesitate and quickly took out a herb called “Rou Baigu.”

It was entirely green, radiant with treasure light, and its shape resembled that of a tiger, vividly lifelike.

Just a glance revealed its overwhelming spiritual aura, and taking a breath brought a strong vitality rushing towards him.

Le Zheng Hezhi immediately took it, saying, “I’ll go show it to the alchemy elder; wait here for me a moment.”

Before Xu Ziqing could respond, he dashed out like a hurricane, leaving behind a trail of gusting wind.

Xu Ziqing was momentarily stunned and then felt somewhat emotional.

This second young palace master truly had a temperament akin to fire beneath ice; once the ice broke, the intensity only grew.

Before long, Le Zheng Hezhi returned at high speed, and there was a hint of joy in his eyes as if he couldn’t contain himself: “This herb truly has extraordinary effects; its vitality is more than enough!”

Xu Ziqing was overjoyed to hear this: “In that case, please, Palace Master Le Zheng, start refining the pills as soon as possible so that Brother Zhuang can recover quickly!”

Le Zheng Hezhi stood in front of Xu Ziqing, taking a deep breath, and said, “Thank you. If you hadn’t gifted me these many spiritual herbs today, the alchemy would have been very difficult.”

Xu Ziqing shook his head and smiled: “Brother Zhuang is my friend; a few spiritual herbs aren’t a big deal.” He paused for a moment and added, “However, don’t let Brother Zhuang know that I provided these herbs. He’s always reluctant to take from others; if he finds out, he might start overthinking.”

Le Zheng Hezhi smiled, “I won’t tell him.”

Just as Le Zheng Hezhi hadn’t disclosed to Zhuang Wei that he had burned two thousand five hundred years of his lifespan for him, Xu Ziqing also didn’t want Zhuang Wei to feel overly indebted to him.

Both Le Zheng Hezhi and Xu Ziqing were willingly doing this, without a hint of compulsion.

At the same time, they didn’t want Zhuang Wei to dwell on this matter too much, lest it become a mental burden for him.

After this, Le Zheng Hezhi began to place greater importance on Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie.

With this concern set aside, it seemed his mindset had improved, his cultivation became purer, and his realm more profoundly understood.

Although Xu Ziqing had yet to attain the Nascent Soul stage, he could still sense that this person was quite different from before.

In the following days, Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie stayed in the second ice palace for several days. Xu Ziqing didn’t focus on the progress of the alchemy. With Le Zheng Hezhi overseeing it, Zhuang Wei would surely be fine in the future, and how far he could go in the Golden Core stage depended on his own will; no one else could help him.

Moreover, after this incident, Xu Ziqing believed that Zhuang Wei wouldn’t dare to express his feelings. It was not only due to the two reasons he had considered before but also because he was aware that his life was not long. Once Zhuang Wei’s lifespan was replenished and he had experienced this life-and-death situation, he might be brave enough to speak out. Moreover, without the limitation of lifespan, Le Zheng Hezhi might also take the initiative to open up, sharing their feelings…

He only hoped that one day he would receive an invitation to the wedding of the two, so he wouldn’t have let down their sincere feelings for each other, nor would he have wasted these spiritual herbs.

Thinking this, Xu Ziqing spent the remaining days often in the company of Zhuang Wei, whether playing chess or watching Yun Lie and Le Zheng Hezhi spar. For a time, it was quite pleasant.

However, all good things must come to an end, and even the best of friends had their own paths to follow; they couldn’t stay together forever.

Therefore, after lingering for some time, Xu Ziqing bid farewell to Zhuang Wei and Le Zheng Hezhi, leaving the desolate snowy ice plains and heading towards the Zhoutian Immortal Sect.

<End of Arc 20: Affairs of Frozen Snow Plains>

Translator: Lynn

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

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