Chapter 24: Qi Refining Requires Removing Miasma

Sun Zhang glanced at Su Changyu and patiently explained, "For Mortals to cultivate, they must remove the miasma within their bodies. For you Mortals returning from the Land of Exile, the concentration of miasma in your bodies is far higher than ordinary people. So without removing all the miasma, cultivation is impossible."

Su Changyu frowned and said, "We already knew this. But how is this miasma removed?"

Sun Zhang said, "There are several methods to remove miasma. The first is the Net Body Spiritual Pool on the island. Soaking in the Spiritual Pool for a day and a night can completely remove all miasma from the body. Unfortunately, the Materials required to open the Spiritual Pool are astonishing. Even though our Liuli Island is wealthy, it can only be opened once every three years. Let me think, the last opening was a year ago, meaning we have to wait almost two more years for the Spiritual Pool to open."

"Moreover, the number of spots to enter the Spiritual Pool is limited, and competition is fierce. You outsiders have no Foundation; how could you possibly compete with the people on the island?" Sun Zhang shook his head.

"What about other methods?" Su Changyu continued asking.

"The second method is to cultivate the Mystic Yellow Heart Cleansing Mantra, combined with specific medicines and diet. Over time, it can gradually change your Physique and eventually completely eliminate the miasma in your body. Although this method takes a long time, often requiring five or six years of effort, it is stable and requires no special price. The Mystic Yellow Heart Cleansing Mantra and corresponding Medicinal Pills can be bought at the island's pharmacy."

"Five or six years…" Su Changyu murmured softly, then asked reluctantly, "Is there anything else?"

"The third method is to become an experimental subject." As he said this, Sun Zhang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, as if he felt an uncontrollable fear. But he still answered Su Changyu.

"Experimental subject?" Su Changyu looked confused.

"That's right. Some immortal masters are very interested in the miasma within us Mortals. Every year, they select volunteers from the island's Mortals to serve as experimental subjects. The immortal masters use special methods to continuously extract miasma from the experimental subjects for research. Within a few months, they can extract all the miasma from the experimental subject."

As if recalling something, Sun Zhang's face turned pale: "But this process is extremely painful. It can be described as a state where one can neither live nor die. Most people cannot endure until the miasma is completely extracted and end up completely driven mad."

"I don't recommend you use this method. It is truly unbearable for ordinary people."

It was unclear whether Su Changyu had taken Sun Zhang's advice to heart. He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are there any other methods?"

Sun Zhang shook his head: "It is said that the direct Mortal descendants of those immortal masters can use heavenly treasures to reshape their bodies. Not only can they no longer worry about the miasma, but they can also improve their cultivation Aptitude. However, such means are beyond our imagination. Even our Liuli Island Lord does not have such treatment."

"That's all I know. If you truly want to cultivate, think it over carefully in the coming days."

Having said that, Sun Zhang saw Su Changyu looking somewhat dejected and couldn't help but console him: "I know that after enduring countless hardships to return from the Land of Exile, you all have a heart set on the Dao. Who wasn't like that at first?"

"Unfortunately, the immortal path is extremely difficult. Even if you can remove all the miasma, very few can sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and guide Qi into the body. Why trouble yourselves? There's nothing wrong with being a Mortal." Sun Zhang seemed to be comforting Su Changyu, and perhaps himself as well.

"With the invisible nourishment of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, even if you cannot cultivate, you can live longer than in the Land of Exile. That makes it worth the great cost your families paid to send you out."

"Instead of painfully pursuing the immortal path, it's better to enjoy life, indulge yourself, and live in the moment."

…

After finishing his speech, Sun Zhang left.

Among those present, some looked delighted and deeply agreed with Sun Zhang's words, as if finding an excuse to indulge; others couldn't accept that cultivation was so difficult and burst into tears; others were full of worry, not knowing what to do…

Only Su Changyu had a resolute expression, as if he had secretly made some decision.

Watching everyone's reactions, Li Fan sighed inwardly. All living beings in the world have different dispositions.

And each person's choice determines their completely different fate.

Not wanting to meddle, Li Fan quietly slipped away while the others were distracted.

After asking around, he found the place on the island where free housing was provided.

Li Fan showed his spirit talisman, and then, under the guidance of a specialist, arrived at a residential area in the northern part of Liuli Island.

Countless houses were densely packed here, some empty, some already occupied.

Most of these houses had only one room, but fortunately, each had a small courtyard enclosed by walls, so they didn't look too shabby.

"Sixth row, seventh house—this is it." Impatiently handing the key to Li Fan, the person hurried away.

Li Fan opened the courtyard gate, walked in, and casually closed the door.

The house was very simple, with only a bed and a few tables and chairs, which made Li Fan quite uncomfortable.

But he didn't care about such external things. After a simple cleaning, Li Fan rested and pondered his next plans.

"Good luck at the start; I settled down without much effort. Thanks to those people from the Li Realm. Unfortunately, aside from Su Changyu, the rest seem to be ordinary people without any heart for the Dao, unlikely to achieve much."

"Although this dwelling is a bit simple, at least safety is not a concern. I asked earlier; Liuli Island has immortal masters stationed, and there haven't been any reckless troublemakers for a long time."

"The primary goal now is to remove the miasma from my body. Although the spots to enter the Net Body Spiritual Pool are precious, I have countless treasures plundered from the Taiyan Boat. Forcing a spot shouldn't be difficult. The downside is that it would be too conspicuous; wealth should not be revealed. As an outsider without a Foundation, suddenly displaying so much wealth will surely attract greedy eyes. I need to plan carefully."

…

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Li Fan's thoughts.

"Who is it?" Li Fan became alert.

"It's me." The voice was low and somewhat familiar.

Without showing any reaction, Li Fan took out the Taiyan Boat, retrieved a dagger, and hid it in his sleeve.

Opening the door a crack, Li Fan saw who it was.

It was actually the fat young man who had tried to strike up a conversation with him earlier.

Li Fan decisively chose to close the door.

"Wait…" The fat young man quickly blocked it with his hand and whispered, "You're not from our Li Realm, are you?"

"What?" Li Fan was stunned.

The fat man took the opportunity to slip in.

He looked Li Fan over and said maliciously, "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose for sneaking into Liuli Island?"

"How do you know I'm not from the Li Realm?" Li Fan countered.

The fat man sneered: "When I fell into the water, I vaguely saw your sneaky figure. At first, I thought it was an illusion. After seeing your performance last night, the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off, so I kept an eye out. Seeing you rush to find housing, I secretly followed you here to test you."

"Sure enough, as soon as I tried, you revealed your flaw." The fat man was somewhat smug.

"So it seems you are quite shrewd and observant." Li Fan nodded.

"Of course, besides me, none of those idiots noticed that a stranger had infiltrated."

"Are you sure no one else noticed this besides you?" Li Fan asked.

"Of course! How could those fools compare to me…"

The fat man's words were cut short.

Because a sharp dagger had pierced his chest.

Looking at the fat man lying on the ground, Li Fan's expression remained unchanged.