24: The value of the golden elixir

Chen Changqing, having obtained the notes, was eager to research an antidote, and his attitude towards Lu Yuan had greatly softened.

He waved his hand, signaling Lu Yuan to leave.

A Golden Core Cultivator's favor.

A bag of abundant resources sufficient for Foundation Establishment.

In this transaction, Lu Yuan had already profited immensely.

Any normal Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator at this moment would immediately retreat, taking this immense Opportunity and finding a place to hide, fearing the other party might go back on their word.

Lu Yuan did not move.

He still stood in the center of the hall, his eyes downcast, his figure as straight as a spear.

Chen Changqing's brow furrowed.

"Is there anything else?"

His tone once again carried impatience and wariness.

Lu Yuan raised his head, and a formulaic smile, a professional smile belonging to an "information merchant," appeared on his ordinary face.

"This Junior merely wishes to offer a reminder."

"The Pill Formula in the notes is called 'Ice Heart Cleansing Pill'."

"The harshness of its Materials and the danger of its refining method mean that the slightest mistake will not only fail to detoxify but will instead detonate the foreign species fire toxin within the body, destroying one's Dao Foundation."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Changqing's recently softened expression tightened again.

He had indeed seen the complexity of the Pill Formula, but he had not expected the risk to be so great.

Lu Yuan's words directly extinguished the flicker of hope that had just ignited in his heart.

This also made him realize that this young man, or rather the "Heavenly Secret Pavilion" behind him, understood this matter far better than he had imagined.

Lu Yuan caught the subtle change in the other party's gaze and continued to speak.

His voice was devoid of emotion, merely stating facts.

"To be frank, Family Head Chen, in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's records, there have been several cases similar to the Fierce Sun True Art, where Dao injuries resulted from a Cultivation Technique being excessively Yang."

He paused.

"All antidotes only treated the symptoms, not the root cause."

"The true root lies in the Cultivation Technique itself."

"The 'foreign species fire toxin' is not an external poison; rather, it is a type of excessively pure 'Yang Sha' that cannot be refined when the Fierce Sun True Art converts the world's fire Spiritual Qi, and it precipitates."

Chen Changqing's body trembled.

His pupils suddenly constricted as he stared at Lu Yuan.

Every word the other party spoke struck his Divine Soul, causing reverberations.

Yang Sha.

This term, he had only seen it in the oldest ancestral instruction notes of the Chen Family.

This secret, more deeply and centrally buried than the "foreign species fire toxin" itself.

His body involuntarily leaned forward, his voice dry from extreme shock.

"Continue."

Lu Yuan knew the fish was hooked.

A silent psychological operation, centered around the core of the Cultivation Technique, officially began.

"According to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's analysis, any Cultivation Technique, if it has Yang, must have Yin; isolated Yang cannot endure."

"The Fierce Sun True Art excessively pursues extreme 'Yang' but neglects the guidance and balance of 'Yin'."

"Every time the Cultivation Technique is circulated, unresolvable 'Yang Sha' precipitates in the deepest parts of the Meridians."

"Accumulating over time, this is the current situation."

Lu Yuan's voice was steady and clear.

Chen Changqing's breathing, however, grew heavier and heavier.

He had been hit where it hurt.

Every word dissected his Dao Foundation, showing him the decaying root cause.

He could no longer maintain the composure of a Golden Core Cultivator and spoke anxiously.

"But... but the Cultivation Technique clearly has a method to resolve it, why..."

Lu Yuan laughed inwardly.

But the expression on his face remained compassionate and professional.

"That method of resolution merely forces the Yang Sha from the Meridians into the Dantian, temporarily storing it."

"This is not a long-term solution."

"The Dantian has its limits; once full, it will be the day the poison erupts and leads to death."

He looked at Chen Changqing's pale face and continued to apply pressure.

"Moreover, I suspect this process must be completed at a specific critical juncture."

"A juncture where Yang transitions to Yin, attempting to forcibly balance."

Chen Changqing was completely lost in thought.

He murmured to himself.

"Yang transitions to Yin..."

"Returning to the Origin Aperture..."

"Could it be... could it be that the 'Returning Origin Aperture' has a problem?"

He spoke the name.

Lu Yuan's heart was calm.

It was done.

Returning Origin Aperture.

This was the final answer to the Azure Bird mission.

But the expression on his face showed no change; instead, he revealed a contemplative look.

"Returning Origin Aperture? That's an interesting name."

"It sounds like a node where True Qi returns to its origin, re-transforming Yin and Yang."

"If I'm not mistaken, when this acupoint operates, it will inevitably generate a huge tearing force, making each transformation imperfect."

"There will always be some 'Yang Sha' that seizes the Opportunity to escape and precipitate."

Chen Changqing leaned heavily back against the chair.

He looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with complexity.

There was shock, fear, but more than that, a sense of powerlessness, as if resigned to fate.

He knew that the greatest secret of his Family's thousand-year Legacy had no hiding place before this young man.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lu Yuan did not delve deeper.

He appropriately withdrew the sense of pressure, offering a "seemingly viable" solution.

"Actually, it's not entirely without a solution."

"Since the tearing force during transformation is too great, perhaps one could try introducing extremely gentle and compliant foreign energies as a buffer before impacting the 'Returning Origin Aperture."

"For example, thousand-year profound ice Qi, or the flow of Grand Yin True Water."

"Of course, this is just a Junior's immature idea, and it may not work."

He spoke modestly, yet he pointed out a "new" path to Chen Changqing.

A path that seemed full of hope, but was in fact a dead end that would require immense time and resources to verify.

Sure enough, a light rekindled in Chen Changqing's eyes.

Yes, a buffer.

How had he not thought of it?

He immediately fell into deep thought, rapidly deducing the feasibility of this plan in his mind.

He was completely unaware that his most important secret had already been extracted, word for word, by the other party during their recent conversation.

Lu Yuan watched him in contemplation and bowed slightly.

"Since Family Head Chen has gained something, this Junior will not disturb him further."

He turned and walked out of the hall.

This time, Chen Changqing did not stop him, nor did he even look up.

He was completely immersed in the "improved plan" that Lu Yuan had constructed for him.

Lu Yuan walked out of the City Lord's Mansion, and the afternoon sun fell on him, warm and pleasant.

He squinted his eyes.

Deceiving a Golden Core Cultivator brought no guilt.

Completing the task brought no joy either.

This was just a transaction.

One piece of intelligence exchanged for another.

Nothing more.