Chapter 28: Refining Treasures in the Dantian

Lu Qingquan pondered for a moment, then said,
“Second floor, Wuzi shelf, fourth row—Volume Six of ‘Jade Mirror of Magical Treasures.’
Second floor, Dingwei shelf, first row—the preface of ‘Origins of Demon Beasts.’
Third floor…”
He listed six books in succession, then gently added, “Find these first. If you have more questions, come ask me again.”
Jiang Min was deeply grateful. She hurriedly bowed in thanks, delighted. “Thank you, Uncle Lu. You’re so kind!”
The information she sought was scattered across various texts—some in anthologies, some in collections, some in reference works… If she had to search alone, who knows how many years it would take.
This Uncle Lu truly lived up to his reputation as a bibliophile, remembering so many books with clarity. Many disciples came to the library and, unable to find what they sought, would boldly ask him questions. He was approachable; as long as one was polite, he patiently answered.
With his guidance, Jiang Min found each book in turn. As expected, they all described methods for refining magical treasures, with materials drawn from demon beasts.
However—
These methods differed from what she had imagined. They required natural earth fire or other means for refinement, all conducted outside the body.
But her peach branch—
It was inside her dantian.
“Dantian treasure refinement—using the body to refine the treasure, fusing it with one’s life force… Yes! That’s what I need.”
Lost in confusion, Jiang Min suddenly felt a surge of hope. She found a brief mention of dantian refinement, but the book offered only a few words, no details.
She had to trouble Lu Qingquan again, apologetically asking about it. Lu Qingquan showed no impatience, listing all the books that recorded the dantian treasure refinement technique.
After gathering the references, Lu Qingquan’s expression flashed briefly with concern, and he added, “The dantian refinement method is demanding and extremely difficult to cultivate. The usual methods suffice, and both yield the same results.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Lu. I’ll consider it carefully.”
She didn’t know why he offered those words, but his intentions were surely kind, so she made sure to express her gratitude.
Then—
Jiang Min sought out the texts.
After reading them, she understood what Lu Qingquan meant by ‘demanding conditions.’
The dantian refinement method was originally for Foundation Establishment cultivators to refine their life-bound treasures, but after generations of experimentation, even those in the Qi Refining stage could attempt it.
Yet for Qi Refining cultivators, the prerequisite was body refinement; without it, the body and dantian couldn’t withstand the materials’ power, risking backlash and even life-threatening danger. The descriptions of this backlash matched her peach branch’s situation, confirming she was on the right path.

But body refinement required copious rare spiritual herbs for medicinal baths. Even cultivation had to be done immersed in these baths, and the body refinement techniques themselves demanded the ingestion of various spiritual medicines and treasures.
Everything cost money.
Lots and lots of money…
Jiang Min’s heart sank halfway.
Body refinement was a Daoist technique, only available in the Scripture Pavilion. While these books lacked specific medicinal bath recipes, they listed common ingredients for body refinement, each one precious, making her vision swim.
“Luo Moon Root, Yuanbao Flower, Snake Demon Fruit… What? For any body refinement bath, the guiding herb must be at least fifty-year-old Jadevine Fruit? Last time at the marketplace, I saw someone selling a twenty-year Jadevine Fruit for twenty lower-grade spirit stones—how much would a fifty-year one cost?”
“All right, all right, add up these expenses—even if I scrimp for years, I couldn’t save enough spirit stones!”
Staring at the rare herbs required, Jiang Min furrowed her brows, troubled. Without some wealth, body refinement was nearly impossible.
Yet—
Given her situation, dantian refinement was her only option.
The peach branch needed to be dealt with quickly.
This constant stabbing pain in her dantian was unbearable; she didn’t want to endure it another moment.
Jiang Min took a deep breath, raising a determined smile.
“It’s fine! If I don’t have money, I can earn it. As long as I’m not afraid of hardship, I’ll find spirit stones. Now, I’ll go to the Scripture Pavilion.”
Both body refinement and the treasure affinity technique were Daoist arts, only taught in the Scripture Pavilion.
She boarded a ferrying flying boat,
Arriving at the mountain where the Scripture Pavilion stood.
Its location was closer to the inner sect, guarded far more strictly than the library. All attendants were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the instructors of Daoist arts were mostly Golden Core masters. Rumor had it even Nascent Soul lords guarded this vital place.
The grand, imposing pavilion was even more majestic than the library.
Jiang Min entered, showing her identity jade badge to the steward at the desk. After verifying it, he asked, “What would you like to learn?”
“I wish to learn a body refinement technique and a treasure affinity art.”
Upon hearing this, the steward drew a book from a tall stack and handed it to her.
“The treasure affinity art costs one lower-grade spirit stone. These are the body refinement arts—choose one.”
Jiang Min opened the book, seeing an array of body refinement methods.

“Copper Skin Technique: temper the skin with medicinal power, making it as tough as bronze. Five lower-grade spirit stones.”
“Jade Bone Refinement: temper the bones until they’re like jade and stone, enhancing physical strength. Three levels. Eight lower-grade spirit stones.”
“Fire Marrow Body…”
The further she read, the pricier the methods became. Though she couldn’t afford the latter ones, curiosity compelled her to glance at them.
“Wind and Thunder Body: temper the body with the power of wind and thunder, condensing their essence. When mastered, swift as the wind, fierce as lightning. Four levels. Five hundred lower-grade spirit stones.”
When she reached Wind and Thunder Body, Jiang Min couldn’t look away. This technique combined body refinement, martial arts, and footwork—a lifesaving tool. Yet five hundred spirit stones equaled ten years’ resources for an outer sect disciple, not counting the ongoing costs. Better not to think about it.
At present,
She had a total of sixty-five lower-grade spirit stones.
Jiang Min regretfully looked away and respectfully asked, “Uncle, I’d like a body refinement technique where the first level can be completed with fifty spirit stones or less. Do you have any recommendations?”
The steward was momentarily surprised by this unusual request, then replied calmly, “Fifty spirit stones for the first level? Well, the biggest cost in body refinement is the medicines. Let me see… Try these, the five-element refinement arts. They’re simple, easy to learn, and the medicine costs are modest.”
He turned to a page in the book.
Jiang Min saw techniques named for their elements: Gold Light Body, Water Essence Body, Wood Healing Body, Crimson Flame Body…
“Crimson Flame Body: temper the body with fire, warding off evil. Three levels. First level uses fire spiritual power, second level uses fire spiritual energy, third level uses actual flames. When mastered, impervious to ice and fire. Twenty lower-grade spirit stones.”
Jiang Min felt Crimson Flame Body suited her well. First, she was at the fourth Qi Refining stage, specializing in fire spiritual power, perfectly fitting the first level’s requirements. Second, the peach branch was wood; wood generates fire, fire burns wood. This would aid her cultivation of Crimson Flame Body and help suppress the peach branch.
“Uncle, I’d like to learn Crimson Flame Body, plus the treasure affinity art.”
The steward nodded, took out a jade slip, recorded her choices, then confirmed, “Crimson Flame Body and treasure affinity art—twenty-one lower-grade spirit stones, payable now.”
Jiang Min handed over the spirit stones, and, following the steward’s instructions, went to a classroom where a Golden Core master would teach her the treasure affinity art and the body refinement technique, providing the formulas for the necessary medicines.
Now,
All that remained was to master Crimson Flame Body.
Once she achieved mastery, she could begin dantian treasure refinement, finally subduing the peach branch. The treasure affinity art was only an auxiliary tool.
Once the peach branch was refined and its backlash suppressed,
She could continue to use it to absorb demon energy, rapidly advancing her cultivation.