Chapter 28: Moonlight Refinement (Please add to favorites! Please keep reading!)

However, Shao Heng quickly suppressed her emotions and focused her thoughts in deep contemplation.

The secret realm would open in three months, and the profound magical power contained within the Moon-Inquiry Token would spontaneously guide its holder into the realm.

Six months after that, the secret realm would close, followed immediately by the Great Disciple Competition.

In Zhao Tang's eyes, if Shao Heng could secure enough opportunities within the secret realm, let alone a smooth promotion to the inner sect, it was even possible for her to be handpicked by an inner sect elder as a true disciple—which would naturally be even more beneficial for obtaining the Longevity Azure Pill.

By gifting her a scroll of immortal arts, Zhao Tang had exhausted all reasonable social obligations; her intention was to ensure that even if Shao Heng later promoted to the inner sect and discovered the discrepancy in value between the Longevity Azure Pill and the Moon-Inquiry Token, she would not resent Zhao Tang for using a favor to seek repayment.

Although this scroll of immortal arts was not the combat-oriented type Shao Heng desired most, the general principles of [Three Thousand Miles of Moonlight] contained the essence of the Way of Light and Shadow, making its quality superior among low-grade immortal arts.

"There are only three months left until the secret realm opens. I am confident I can break through to the middle stage of the First Realm, but the time is too short to advance further to the late stage. By then, the Profound Moon Secret Realm will be filled with many First Realm perfectionist cultivators with over nine hundred furnace-loads of magical power. Given such a vast difference in cultivation, escape techniques will indeed be more useful."

Why had Shao Heng's previous Wind-Blowing Art rendered those seven people completely unable to fight back?

Aside from her mastery and ability to exert greater power from the technique, the most crucial factor was, of course, her high level of magical power.

Among those people, even the highest-cultivated, Zhao Chuanzhen, had a furnace-load count that wasn't even a fraction of hers; naturally, he was easily toyed with.

Once she reached the Profound Moon Secret Realm, Shao Heng would face similar advantages and disadvantages when confronting elite disciples who possessed hundreds of furnace-loads more magical power than her and were being intensively cultivated with inner sect resources.

When the enemy is strong and the self is weak, mastering escape techniques is indeed the utmost priority.

"But it really is a bit stifling."

With her left hand rubbing Duobao's fluffy head, Shao Heng pressed the jade slip against her forehead, meticulously reading and memorizing the entire contents of [Three Thousand Miles of Moonlight].

Compared to basic techniques, the most critical aspect of a graded immortal art was that this jade slip also concealed a wisp of the "True Intent" of the immortal art. Such intent could only be etched into the mind via divine sense by high-level cultivators who had already mastered the corresponding immortal art.

Without the comprehension of this True Intent, even if one obtained all the technical incantations, they would be unable to truly unleash its efficacy.

The more Shao Heng attempted to perceive this wisp of True Intent within the jade slip, the thinner it became, until after half a quarter of an hour, it dissipated completely, preventing any possibility of it being passed on.

In the hierarchy of "Law, Companion, Wealth, and Land," Law ranks first, referring to both cultivation methods/scriptures and the inheritance of immortal arts. The vast majority of humanity's "Law" was concentrated within immortal sects. If one were to seek it outside the sects, Shao Heng had observed the trading markets for a long time without finding any news of immortal arts, illustrating the difficulty involved.

"Truly profound."

This immortal art was based on the *General Principles of the Bright Moon Reflecting Shadows* and derived many variations of escape techniques.

Though Shao Heng had only just begun to comprehend it, she had already glimpsed its essence, realizing that this technique was far more exquisite than all the basic techniques she had previously learned combined.

"Three months is enough for me to achieve basic proficiency in this immortal art."

She looked at the little golden monkey curled up on her lap, picked it up, placed it on a chair, and then took out a prayer mat to sit cross-legged.

Following the records in the general principles, Shao Heng used her magical power in advance to condense several acupoints to serve as vessels for the subsequent circulation of moonlight.

After she had practiced there for half a day, the sun set in the west, and the white moon hung high above the clouds.

Shao Heng shifted from a relaxed posture to the "Five Hearts Facing Heaven" position, silently chanting incantations to make the magical power within her body circulate rapidly through its cycles.

She soon sensed the omnipresent moonlight, which, in her eyes, had transformed into a substance as tangible as flowing water.

Beside her, the golden monkey scratched its head, its silver eyes instinctively revealing a look of longing as it drew closer to Shao Heng.

Most demon tribes practiced the custom of moon worship. It was rumored that during the Gengshen Night, which occurred once every sixty years—the moment when the essence of moonlight is most concentrated—a wondrous sight would appear where the moonlight condensed into countless olive-like shapes, gathering myriad golden threads to hang down in heavy strings, known as "Imperial Flowing Fluid."

If a mundane beast obtained this, it could awaken intelligence and embark on the path of demon cultivation; if a demon with existing cultivation obtained one, it would be worth months of bitter cultivation.

It was clearly not a Gengshen Night, yet as Shao Heng began to swallow the moonlight, a terrifying suction force erupted from her entire body.

The moonlight gathering around her grew increasingly dense, eventually forming several golden threads that wrapped around her waist. Silver-white objects resembling olive fruits manifested out of thin air, drifting one by one toward Shao Heng's forehead and merging into her Niwan Palace.

Shao Heng felt an incomparable sense of comfort. The Taiyin moonlight did not make her feel cold; instead, her spiritual platform became clearer than ever before.

During her internal inspection, her bones, muscles, and meridians were coated in a faint silver-white light, becoming increasingly resilient under the cleansing of the moonlight.

When the moon set and the sun rose, and the first light of dawn broke through.

Shao Heng opened her eyes, her gaze filled with disbelief.

"My Yellow Sprouts have actually been tempered by the moonlight once. The magical power cultivated by the *Qi-Nurturing Essence Art* was already considered pure, but after being tempered, it has gained an extra layer of Taiyin cold qi."

Shao Heng's furnace-load count had not increased, but as she formed a hand seal with her right hand, an ice-forged long arrow instantly manifested out of thin air. She shot it toward the field, and with a loud *bang*, her face filled with pleasant surprise.

"The power of the technique has increased by thirty percent!"

However, neither the tempering of the Yellow Sprouts nor the enhancement of the technique's power was recorded in [Three Thousand Miles of Moonlight].

Thus, Shao Heng was more inclined to believe that this was her own innate talent!

Her thoughts extended further: if the method of swallowing moonlight was like this, what about swallowing sunlight or starlight?

If it was as she imagined, then wouldn't that mean...

"It's a pity that such swallowing methods are too rare. I only saw a low-grade immortal art scroll titled [Golden Crow Embracing the Sun Visualization Map] on the fifth floor of the Myriad Law Pavilion; perhaps it contains incantations for swallowing solar radiance?"

But that scroll of immortal arts required a full 2,100 contribution points.

"If I can obtain the [Golden Crow Embracing the Sun Visualization Map] combat immortal art before entering the Profound Moon Secret Realm, my chances of competing for the realm's opportunities will be even greater."

A sense of urgency rose in Shao Heng's heart; there were only three months left.

Approximately ninety days to amass 2,100 contribution points, yet the number on her disciple token was currently a big zero.

How bitter!

The priority was to advance to the middle stage of the First Realm, and then quickly begin accepting tasks to accumulate contribution points while training her combat strength.

Shao Heng looked toward the spiritual field. By early morning, Duobao had already woken up and had conscientiously fetched three buckets of well water. It brought a white porcelain bottle, poured in the spiritual liquid she had prepared in advance, stirred it evenly with its paw, and began irrigating the rice seedlings.

Once it finished irrigating the field, it held the porcelain bottle out to Shao Heng.

Shao Heng had long discovered that the [Azure Emperor] spiritual liquid had an expiration period; if not used within ten days, it would lose its profound efficacy, so it needed to be replenished promptly.

She extended a finger to the mouth of the bottle, circulating her divine ability to stimulate the production of spiritual liquid. Once it filled half the bottle, she withdrew her hand and gave Duobao two drops to taste. The creature smacked its lips in satisfaction and obediently curled up to lie by her feet.

Shao Heng looked closely at the silver mark on its forehead; it was indeed a bit clearer.

As for what this represented, she would likely have to wait until Duobao grew further before exploring it.