Daily Divination From Market Rogue Cultivator To Immortal Venerable - Chapter 374

Chapter 374 The Pill Cauldron Sect Assessment: Li Chang’an’s Potential (Seeking Subscriptions)

Stagnant magical power usually only means one possibility:

Poisoning!

“No, how could I be poisoned?”

Qi Yun Jin swallowed several antidote pills, utterly perplexed.

She had been cultivating in the palace recently and hadn’t gone to the Northern Region to fight the demonic cultivators of the Five Poison Valley.

As the eldest princess of the Great Qi, everyone around her had clean backgrounds and pure origins; even ordinary maids had undergone rigorous screening, making it unlikely they would poison her.

While pondering this,

Qi Yun Jin discovered another surprising thing.

The fourth-tier antidote pills she had swallowed were ineffective against her stagnant magical power!

“This poison is no ordinary poison!”

Her heart sank. If she couldn’t find an antidote, her cultivation path would be severed.

In this state, how could she break through to the Nascent Soul realm? She might

not even be able to complete the initial step of shattering the core and forming the nascent soul.

That day,

Qi Yun Jin ordered a thorough investigation of everyone around her, leaving no one unpunished.

However, everyone was clean, and even special interrogation techniques couldn’t elicit any information.

After eliminating all possibilities

, Qi Yunjin’s gaze finally fell on the Nine-Turn Fire Scale Pills she had consumed over the years.

“Could the pill formula be incorrect?”

She immediately took the formula and the pills to find the fourth-tier alchemy master, Le Zheng.

After some discussion, the two couldn’t find any problems.

Subsequently,

they sought out other alchemy masters, medical masters, and spiritual plant masters within the palace.

Many masters gathered to study Qi Yunjin’s poisoning.

But they also found nothing unusual.

“Princess, I and several other masters have carefully examined the ingredients in the formula; there is absolutely no problem.”

“Master Le’s alchemy techniques are also correct.”

In short,

everything was correct.

They were all at a loss regarding the poison Qi Yunjin had been afflicted with.

Even the fourth-tier medical masters couldn’t identify the poison.

They exhausted all means, even using several portions of precious fourth-grade high-quality spiritual herbs, but still couldn’t restore Qi Yunjin’s health, or even alleviate her symptoms.

As time passed,

the stagnation of Qi Yunjin’s magical power grew increasingly intense.

If this continued, she was highly likely to become a cripple unable to use her magic!

How could the dignified Princess of the Great Qi, a rare genius with a heavenly spiritual root, who had a high chance of achieving the Nascent Soul stage in the future, end up in such a state?

Just then ,

Le Zheng suddenly remembered what had happened years ago.

“Princess, do you remember that Fellow Daoist Li once suspected there was a problem with the Nine-Turn Fire Scale Pill’s formula?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Princess, Fellow Daoist Li, as a rogue cultivator, must have had considerable fortuitous encounters to have reached this point. Why don’t we go together to find Fellow Daoist Li and ask him if he has a solution?”

“Alright.”

After some discussion,

Qi Yunjin, Qi Yao, and Le Zheng set off for Changqing Mountain in the Southern Region.

Whether the problem was indeed with the pill formula, they still hadn’t figured it out.

“Several fourth-tier alchemists and fourth-tier spiritual healers have said there’s nothing wrong with this pill. The problem might lie in the demonic path. Could I have been affected by some kind of special demonic technique?”

Qi Yunjin pondered silently on the way.

…

Meanwhile,

Li Chang’an was still at the Azure Dragon Sect.

Zhuo Wanshuang told him that the Dream Luo

Leaf hadn’t disappeared. It existed within the “Azure Dragon Secret Realm,” controlled by the Azure Dragon Sect.

This Azure Dragon Secret Realm was of great significance to the Azure Dragon Sect, almost as significant as the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm was to the Vermilion Bird Sect.

Zhuo Wanshuang slowly said, “Within the Azure Dragon Secret Realm, there is an ancient Dan Ding Sect ruin. In one of its spirit herb gardens, the Dream Luo Leaf exists.”

Li Chang’an asked, “If that’s the case, why not pick the Dream Luo Leaf?”

“That spirit herb garden is protected by a near-fifth-tier formation, and there’s also a fourth-tier high-grade puppet guarding it. Furthermore, that puppet is intelligent and doesn’t allow us to enter. Only disciples of the Dan Ding Sect can go in and take a portion of the spirit herb.”

Zhuo Wanshuang sighed softly, explaining the troublesome nature of the matter.

That fourth-tier high-grade puppet was left behind by the Dan Ding Sect, its strength comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The highest-ranking cultivator in the entire Azure Dragon Sect was only at the early Nascent Soul stage.

It was impossible for it to enter the Spirit Herb Garden.   There was only one way

to get in :   become a disciple of the Dan Ding Sect.   Li Chang’an asked doubtfully, “The Dan Ding Sect and the other eight great immortal sects have long been destroyed by time. How can I become a disciple of the Dan Ding Sect now?”   ”That puppet has a disciple assessment set up,”   Zhuo Wan Shuang explained softly.   ”Fellow Daoist Li, only alchemists can pass the disciple assessment. That’s why I invited you here.”   Li Chang’an’s near-fourth-tier alchemy skills weren’t exactly a secret.   He had sold many high-grade pills during this war between good and evil   . However,   he had doubts about this so-called disciple assessment, fearing it might be some kind of trap.   Zhuo Wan Shuang saw his worry.   ”Fellow Daoist Li, there’s no need to worry. Many disciples of my Azure Dragon Sect have passed the assessment, but their results were unsatisfactory. Although they became disciples of the Pill Cauldron Sect, they could only obtain a low-grade spiritual herb.”   ”Is that so?”   Li Chang’an pondered for a moment.   He then asked, “Didn’t the fourth-tier alchemy masters of the Azure Dragon Sect attempt to pass the assessment?”   ”Of course they did,”   Zhuo Wanshuang truthfully replied.   Among the alchemy masters of the Azure Dragon Sect, two were rejected by the puppet because their cultivation was too high—they were already Nascent Soul True Monarchs.   The puppet clearly stated that Nascent Soul True Monarchs had already forged their own paths and could no longer become disciples of the Pill Cauldron Sect.

If the Dan Ding Sect still existed, he could become a guest elder.

But the Dan Ding Sect is gone.

Of course,

according to the puppet, the Dan Ding Sect wasn’t destroyed, but merely temporarily hidden from the world, and would return one day.

As for alchemy masters at the Golden Core stage, the Azure Dragon Sect also had some.

Several had passed the assessment.

However, their assessment scores weren’t high enough to qualify them for the Dream Luo Leaf.

“Even fourth-tier alchemy masters aren’t qualified?”

Li Chang’an frowned.

He had just stepped into the fourth tier of alchemy.

If the fourth-tier alchemists of the Azure Dragon Sect weren’t qualified, then he probably wasn’t either.

Zhuo Wanshuang explained, “That puppet said that alchemy rank is only part of the assessment; talent and potential are also important. Fellow Daoist Li, you are still young, only a little over a hundred years old.”

She indicated that the previous alchemy masters were all over four hundred years old, one even approaching five hundred, and had slowly reached the fourth tier over time.

Therefore, they were considered to have little potential.

In her opinion…

Although Li Chang’an’s alchemy skills were not as good as those others, he was much younger and, being a rogue cultivator, had reached the near-fourth level through self-exploration without the guidance of seniors. This was enough to prove his talent and potential.

Zhuo Wanshuang’s voice was gentle: “Fellow Daoist Li, there’s no need to feel too much pressure. It’s just a try.”

“Is there no young alchemy grandmaster in the Azure Cloud Sect?”

Li Chang’an found it strange.

The Azure Dragon Sect was so large, with countless disciples; it was impossible for it to have no young grandmasters at all.

“There are.”

Zhuo Wanshuang mentioned two cultivators to Li Chang’an.

Both of them were under three hundred years old and were fourth-level alchemists with great talent and potential. They had not yet undergone the Dan Ding Sect’s disciple assessment.

“They will go to the Azure Dragon Secret Realm tomorrow to undergo the assessment. Fellow Daoist Li, would you like to go with them?”

“I am just an outsider. What conditions are required to enter the Azure Dragon Secret Realm?”

Li Chang’an couldn’t help but think of the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

Back then, he had gone to great lengths to enter the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

Hearing this, both Zhuo Wanshuang and Chi Qingxuan smiled.

“Fellow Daoist Li, rest assured, our Azure Dragon Sect is not as stingy as the Vermilion Bird Sect. No conditions are required; you can simply come in with us.”

“That’s good.”

Li Chang’an felt relieved; he didn’t want to go through the trouble of collecting treasures again.

Speaking of which,

the story of him being harassed by the Vermilion Bird Sect seemed to have spread.

The eight major Nascent Soul forces all knew about it.

As a result, many people would tease him about the Vermilion Bird Sect’s stinginess when they talked about it.

…

The next day.

Li Chang’an and Zhuo Wanshuang left the Azure Dragon Sect.

Not long after, they arrived at the entrance to the Azure Dragon Secret Realm.

At the entrance,

two people were already waiting.

These two were the two young fourth-tier alchemy masters that Zhuo Wanshuang had introduced to Li Chang’an yesterday.

One was named Chai Rui, and the other was named Zhai Yu.

Zhuo Wanshuang introduced them: “Fellow Daoist Chai, Fellow Daoist Zhai, this is Fellow Daoist Li Chang’an.”

“Haha, we already know; he’s the fellow Daoist who was harassed by the Vermilion Bird Sect.”

Both of them smiled and acted very friendly.

Chai Rui smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Li’s talent in alchemy is remarkable. At such a young age, he already possesses near-fourth-tier alchemy skills. If he could receive guidance from a renowned master, perhaps he could become a true fourth-tier alchemy grandmaster, just like us.”

Zhai Yu also said, “Indeed, it’s truly remarkable for a rogue cultivator to have reached this level.”

Both of them acknowledged Li Chang’an’s talent.

However…

In their view, Li Chang’an was ultimately not a true fourth-tier grandmaster.

They couldn’t place their hopes on him; they had to rely on themselves.

“This time, we must do our utmost. Whether True Monarch Fusheng can awaken depends on our assessment results.”

“If neither of us succeeds, it means that puppet is deliberately making things difficult and doesn’t want us to obtain high-grade spiritual herbs!”

The two exchanged telepathic messages, discussing the assessment.

A moment later,

the group of six passed through the fourth-tier illusion-breaking treasure at the entrance to the secret realm, confirming there were no outsiders impersonating them, and successfully entered the secret realm.

The environment of the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was different from the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

Looking around,

the mountains were verdant, and the water was as clear as a mirror.

The entire secret realm was a harmonious blend of mountains and water, without any sense of oppression or strange aura.

“This secret realm is called the ‘Azure Dragon Secret Realm’ not because of my Azure Dragon Sect, but because deep within it lies a vast Azure Dragon Lake.”

“Beneath Azure Dragon Lake is a dragon palace called the ‘Azure Dragon Palace,’ similar to the ‘Vermilion Bird’s Nest’…”

Chi Qingxuan’s clear voice explained the origin of the secret realm’s name to Li Chang’an.

Their destination wasn’t deep within the secret realm, but rather in its central part.

A few days later.

A vast ruin of a sect appeared before Li Chang’an.

At the center of these ruins was their destination: the ancient spirit herb garden.

From afar, an astonishing array enveloped the entire spirit herb garden, isolating it from the outside world.

Through the array, one could see that the garden was filled with spiritual mist, and countless radiant spirit herbs swayed gently, their precious light so intense it was almost blinding.

It was unknown how many high-grade spirit herbs were inside.

“As expected of the spirit herb garden of the Divine Transformation Immortal Sect.”

Li Chang’an immediately recognized dozens of fourth-grade spirit herbs, almost all of which were extremely beneficial to cultivation.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t take it away; he could only observe it through the array.

Outside the array,

there was a high-grade fourth-tier puppet, entirely black.

Zhuo Wanshuang stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Senior.”

“People of the Azure Dragon Sect, you’ve come again.”

The puppet slowly opened its eyes, its voice flat and devoid of emotion.

Its gaze swept indifferently over the crowd.

“How many will be taking the Dan Ding Sect disciple assessment this time?”

“Senior, there are three this time.”

Zhuo Wanshuang’s voice was gentle as she introduced Li Chang’an and the other two to the puppet.

Upon hearing that two of them were fourth-tier alchemy masters, and under three hundred years old, the puppet’s expression changed slightly.

Its gaze lingered on Chai Rui and Zhai Yu for a moment, then it nodded slightly.

“Their talent is acceptable.”

Hearing this, both of them were overjoyed.

This puppet was extremely strict and had never praised anyone before.

It seemed

their chances of obtaining the Dream Luo Leaf this time were extremely high!

The puppet slowly spoke: “Disciples of my Dan Ding Sect are roughly divided into four categories: miscellaneous disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and core disciples. If you three wish to obtain the Dream Luo Leaf, you must pass the highest difficulty test to obtain the status of a core disciple.”

“We understand!”

Li Chang’an and Chai Rui responded in unison.

“Since you understand, then come in.”

The puppet waved its hand.

A crack immediately appeared

in the array in front of them. What appeared before them was not a spirit herb garden, but three dark entrances.

These corresponded precisely to the three of them.

Li Chang’an had already heard Zhuo Wanshuang explain that each disciple would undergo the test in a separate space.

Chai Rui and Zhai Yu entered the first two entrances respectively.

Li Chang’an entered the third.

Soon,

the crack closed.

He was alone in a small, secret chamber.

The puppet’s phantom appeared in front of him, explaining the test content.

“The first test for disciples of my Dan Ding Sect is identifying spiritual herbs.”

“Before you are two jade slips. One slip contains ten million kinds of spiritual herbs. You must identify these herbs one by one and record them in the other jade slip.”

“Successfully identifying ten thousand kinds of spiritual herbs qualifies you to become a menial disciple.”

“Identifying one hundred thousand kinds of spiritual herbs qualifies you to become an outer disciple…”

“…”

The puppet’s voice was extremely cold, echoing in Li Chang’an’s ears.

To qualify as a core disciple,   Li Chang’an had to identify ten million kinds of spiritual herbs

in this first test !   The vast majority of these were low-grade spiritual herbs, similar in shape, difficult to distinguish, and extremely challenging.   ”As an alchemist, if you cannot even identify spiritual herbs, then you are harming others. Begin!”   Having said that, the puppet phantom stopped speaking and stood quietly in place.   ”Yes!”   Li Chang’an bowed.   He stepped forward, picked up the first jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense.   Soon, tens of thousands of spiritual herbs appeared in his perception, as numerous as the stars in the sky.   Li Chang’an, a rogue cultivator for over a hundred years, was participating in such a formal disciple assessment for the first time.   He focused intently, carefully distinguishing the herbs.   ”Azure Flower, Sky Blue Star, Exquisite Fruit…”   In the blink of an eye,   he identified dozens of spiritual herbs.   For the next few days, he remained unmoved, continuously identifying various spiritual herbs and recording them in another jade slip.   Seven days later,   Li Chang’an slowly put down the two jade slips.   ”Hoo…”   He let out a long breath, rubbing his temples, feeling a throbbing headache.   The puppet glanced at him and said indifferently, “If you can no longer distinguish them, then this assessment is over. Don’t waste your time.”

For the past seven days, he had been focusing almost entirely on the other two, paying little attention to Li Chang’an.

At this moment, the other two were still engrossed in identifying the spiritual herbs.

Li Chang’an, however, had already put down the jade slip.

In the puppet’s view, Li Chang’an should be giving up.

But Li Chang’an said, “Senior, I have completed the analysis of all the spiritual herbs. Please take a look.”

“Hmm?”

The puppet was skeptical, reaching out to take the two jade slips.

He held the slips, carefully sensing them, a hint of surprise gradually appearing on his face.

After a moment ,

he put down the jade slips and re-examined Li Chang’an.

“Out of a full ten million spiritual herbs, you only got one hundred and eight wrong. Even in ancient times, such an achievement is extremely rare.”

His words carried a hint of disbelief.

Clearly, he hadn’t expected Li Chang’an to achieve this.

Li Chang’an was equally incredulous.

“Senior, I actually got one hundred and eight wrong?”

Of all the spiritual herbs, he was unsure about fewer than ten.

He truly hadn’t expected so many mistakes.

The puppet said irritably, “You brat, do you think 108 plants are a lot?”

Li Chang’an respectfully replied, “Senior, I really didn’t expect so many mistakes. Could you tell me which ones I made?”

“Of course, come here, I’ll show you!”

The puppet was very patient, pointing out the errors to Li Chang’an.

“Look, the Mist Lotus Fruit and the Mist Essence Fruit are the same shape, have similar medicinal effects, almost identical. Even a fifth-level alchemist could easily confuse them…”

It not only pointed out the errors but also explained the value and various uses of these spiritual herbs.

Li Chang’an benefited greatly from this.

In terms of knowledge,

Li Chang’an was quite remarkable.

Along his journey, he had traversed numerous ruins, read countless ancient books from the Nine Great Immortal Sects and even the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, received the inheritance of a Nascent Soul elder from the Pill Cauldron Sect, and had even been guided by Dan Chengzi.

But he still couldn’t compare to this puppet.

After all, this puppet itself came from ancient times.

About half an hour later,

Li Chang’an learned all the errors.

He bowed deeply: “Thank you for your guidance, senior!”

“No need to thank me. Your talent is exceptional; this is what you deserve.”

The puppet waved its hand, its tone less cold than before.

Next,

Li Chang’an entered the second trial.

This trial still tested spiritual herbs, but instead of identifying them, it tested their growth.

Before Li Chang’an were thousands of spiritual seeds of various kinds.

“By cultivating just one seed, you will qualify as a menial disciple.”

The puppet explained the rules to Li Chang’an in a calm tone.

To qualify as a core disciple, one needed to cultivate all one thousand spiritual seeds.

Almost every alchemy inheritance included a method for cultivating spiritual seeds, but not every alchemist could perfectly utilize this method.

“You are a wood-elemental cultivator, and your affinity for spiritual plants is naturally greater than that of cultivators with other spiritual roots. Therefore, my requirements for you will be stricter. Begin.”

(End of Chapter)