Chapter Eighty-Four: Vermilion Fruit

“Heavenly Blade Mind Technique?”

Sun Fanbai looked up at Little Gold. What had just entered his brow was indeed a mind technique, called the Heavenly Blade Mind Technique.

Little Gold said, “This technique is a unique sword-control method. The more swords you control, the greater its power—one plus one increases the force, two plus two doubles it. But you know that sword mastery relies on sincerity of heart; a true master needs but one sword. This mind technique, however, goes the other way. Records show the maximum number ever controlled is four treasured swords, so it seems quite useless.”

“But you are different.” Little Gold smiled. “Your Eight Trigrams formation must be operated by the power of your mind; you expend immense mental energy to control the five-element changes of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kan, Gen, and Dui.”

“With this immensely powerful Dutian Fiery Banner added, I imagine trying to control so much at once is exhausting.”

Sun Fanbai clasped his hands in respect. “Senior, you see clearly. I can manage the Eight Trigrams formation with ease in four directions, but with six, I begin to struggle, and with eight, I must exert myself fully. If I add the Dutian Fiery Banner, I simply cannot manage it.”

Little Gold nodded. “That is precisely the benefit of the Heavenly Blade Mind Technique—it strengthens your ability to divide your mind.”

“In fact…” Little Gold raised his hand and summoned a golden needle. He opened his clenched right fist, and the needle in mid-air instantly split into eighty-one needles.

With a thought, Little Gold sent the eighty-one needles to the ground, where they moved about, astonishingly writing!

Each needle wrote a different character, and after a few moments, the needles stopped, merged back into one, and returned to Little Gold’s hand.

Everyone looked down and saw that the ground was inscribed with a long poem:

"Who first saw the moon by the riverside?
In what year did the river moon first shine on man?
Life goes on, generation after generation, endlessly,
Yet the river moon seems the same year after year.
Who knows for whom the river moon waits?
Only the long river sends the flowing waters away.
A single cloud drifts far and wide,
Blue maple bank, sorrow cannot be borne.
Whose boat tonight drifts alone?
Where does longing gaze upon the bright moon from a tower?
Pity the moon above the tower, lingering,
Shining on a woman’s mirror at her dressing table.
The jade door curtain cannot roll away the moon,
On the stone washboard it returns again..."

Sun Fanbai sighed. “This…”

Little Gold smiled. “This is the benefit of the Heavenly Blade Mind Technique—it allows you to use your mind for many tasks at once.”

Sun Fanbai bowed deeply. He knew well the value of this technique. As Little Gold had said, ordinary cultivators might not need such divided focus, but for Sun Fanbai, it was a most practical talent.

Little Gold looked at everyone and spoke slowly, “The four of us have lost. As agreed, when we leave the illusion, I will give you the Vermilion Fruits.”

Shi Qi and his companions looked ahead and saw that the bodies of the Three Friends were almost transparent. The three glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

Ximen Shuai said, “Who would have thought, after ten thousand years, the last remnants of our consciousness in the Twelve Provinces are about to dissipate. Well, it’s time—we three should have entered reincarnation long ago.”

Zhang Tongyuan laughed loudly. “We should have entered the cycle long ago. I wonder what that fellow is like now. Little Gold, do you know?”

Little Gold shook his head. “I woke only a century ago, always remaining within this cave. I have never left, nor can I, so I have no news of the master.”

Jue Se shook her head. “Rest assured, that fellow is surely living far better than us. He must have ascended ages ago.”

Ximen Shuai said, “Knowing him, he would never ascend. I wager he used some secret technique to lower his cultivation and is sleeping somewhere in the Twelve Provinces.”

Zhang Tongyuan said, “Our era has passed. We old ones should go.”

Jue Se pressed her hands together. “Amitabha. If only we had wine and meat for one last feast together.”

Hearing this, Shi Qi quickly took out his own stash from his pouch, placing it in front of the three. “Seniors, I have some.”

The three looked at the glutinous rice chicken and fiery liquor before them, exchanged glances, and laughed out loud.

Ximen Shuai said, “Old Zhang, do you remember our first meeting?”

Zhang Tongyuan replied, “How could I forget! I was teaching a lesson to a little thief who spied on women bathing. I’d just cut off his manhood when you and that other fellow arrived.”

Ximen Shuai chuckled. “Then you started trouble with us; the three of us fought a few rounds and chased you off.”

Zhang Tongyuan snorted. “Two against one, and you still boast!”

Jue Se said, “Exactly! And when we asked for the Heartless Vine from Master Qingshui, those two bullied me alone!”

Ximen Shuai said, “Why not recall the day we competed…”

The three ate and drank, reminiscing from their first meeting, to the martial arts tournament, to slaying monsters together, braving rival sects’ islands, fighting the Evil King, escaping the pursuit of the Nine Phoenixes, and uniting the heroes of the Twelve Provinces against the calamity of demon evil…

Eating, drinking, laughing, weeping…

Finally, they gradually faded into transparency, disappearing before Shi Qi and his companions.

“Amitabha!” Yuanwu sighed.

Sun Fanbai said, “The bond between these seniors was deep. To ascend together is fate indeed.”

Bai Qiu said, “How lucky are we, to receive the legacy of such predecessors.”

Shi Qi said, “A single glance, ten thousand years; ten thousand years, but a moment—what is the meaning of living?”

The four turned and looked at each other. Each felt a strange emotion in their heart; perhaps, in the fate of the ancient Four Friends, they glimpsed their own future.

“Clap, clap!”

Little Gold clapped his hands, interrupting their reverie.

“The Three Friends have long since ascended. What remains here is only their sealed consciousness. Do not let your minds be disturbed.”

Everyone nodded.

Little Gold continued, “That’s enough. My task is complete. Please follow me out of the illusion.”

With that, Little Gold waved his hand.

The environment shifted once more, and moments later, they found themselves back in the cottage of the cave mansion.

“Let’s go,” Little Gold beckoned to them and strode out first, the four following closely.

Outside, Little Gold went to the courtyard. With a gesture, the five Vermilion Fruits in the medicinal field flew from their vines into his hand.

He placed four fruits before them and said, “These are yours. You may take them now.”

Shi Qi took his fruit and examined it closely.

It was about the size of a chestnut, blood-red throughout. Holding it in his palm, Shi Qi could feel the powerful spiritual energy emanating from it.

Without hesitation, Shi Qi tossed it whole into his mouth, and the others followed suit.

The fruit melted instantly. Shi Qi felt a warm current flow down from his mouth, straight to his dantian!

So hot!

That was Shi Qi’s first reaction.

He felt as if his dantian had caught fire, a surge of intense pain radiating from there.

“Sit down, focus on your dantian, endure it!”

At that moment, Little Gold’s voice reached Shi Qi’s ears.

Everyone immediately sat down and focused their minds on their dantian.

Instantly, agony and surging true energy erupted from Shi Qi’s demon core, powerful energy flooding through his meridians, filling them to bursting. Shi Qi felt his meridians swelling painfully from the impact.

Shi Qi clenched his teeth, bearing the torment, and began to guide the flow of true energy.

Normally, if the meridians suffer such an onslaught, they can rupture or burst; this is why cultivation must proceed step by step.

The expansion and reinforcement of the meridians is a gradual process; impatience only leads to injury, and damaged meridians directly affect future cultivation.

Yet the intense, scorching energy from the Vermilion Fruit, though it filled Shi Qi’s meridians to painful bursting, seemed to strengthen their resilience, so no matter how the energy surged, the meridians could contain it.

The pain, however, was excruciating.

Little Gold watched the four before him, their faces contorted with pain, and nodded.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn,

Shi Qi’s agony gradually dulled, becoming numb, then slowly faded. By then, he was drenched in sweat.

As the pain subsided, Shi Qi no longer had to endure such torment, and began to observe his inner self.

He saw his meridians had expanded to more than double their original size. Within those thick channels, the true energy, which once flowed like a small stream, now surged like a mighty river.

Looking at his dantian, his demon core was now completely orange, with sparks of lightning dancing joyfully across its surface.

Shi Qi activated his demon core, and a powerful surge of true energy burst forth.

“This power…”

Shi Qi had never felt so strong!

He opened his eyes. Bai Qiu, Sun Fanbai, and Yuanwu had also emerged from their pain and were inwardly examining their own transformations.

Shi Qi stood, using his true energy to evaporate the sweat from his body, then looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.

Little Gold stepped forward and patted Shi Qi’s shoulder. “Well, how does it feel?”

Shi Qi said, “Fantastic!”

As soon as he spoke, the other three snapped out of their meditation. All looked radiant, their foreheads shining, faces flushed.

Bai Qiu said, “I’ve achieved full mastery of the Golden Core.”

Sun Fanbai added, “So have I.”

Yuanwu said, “Amitabha, this little monk as well.”

The three looked at Shi Qi.

Shi Qi replied, “Hmm…mid-stage Golden Core.”

Bai Qiu was startled. “What kind of physique do you have? Such powerful energy, and it only pushed you to mid-stage Golden Core? Your meridians must be exceptionally robust!”

Sun Fanbai joked, “Perhaps this fellow is a monster?”

At Sun Fanbai’s words, Shi Qi’s heart skipped a beat, but seeing that ‘monster’ was merely a metaphor, he relaxed.

Bai Qiu continued, “Actually, the meridians of the demon race are indeed much thicker than those of humans.”

Shi Qi quickly interrupted, “Enough chatter! You three have reached full Golden Core, just a step away from Nascent Soul. I don’t know how long it will take me!”

The four chatted, their faces filled with joy.

They had expected the Vermilion Fruit to only slightly increase their cultivation, but the effect was astoundingly potent!