Song of Adolescence

Side Story Arc: Follow the Dao, Chapter 7: Refinement of the Three Treasures

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After resting for two hours, the official in charge announced, "The second round of the Daoist Congress begins. Luo Fei of Wudang versus Zuo Tianxuan of Buxiu Forest!"

Zuo Tianxuan of Buxiu Forest had just gone through a difficult fight. Although he had recovered some of his physical strength after the two-hour rest, he still looked extremely tired. On the other hand, Luo Fei's expression remained indifferent. He stepped up, yawned widely and stretched his back, as if he had just woken up from an afternoon nap.

"You're just Wudang Mountain. How dare you look down on others!" Zuo Tianxuan growled in a low voice.

Luo Fei blinked, then grinned at him. "I am looking down on you. What's wrong with that?"

"Are you so sure you'll win?" Zuo Tianxuan sneered, "Do you think we, Buxiu Forest, are really inferior to your Wudang Mountain?"

"The next fight is probably going to last longer. I need to finish you off quickly so that I can continue my afternoon nap. Enough nonsense, hurry up," Luo Fei said lazily, as if talking too much was making him tired and he even started to look displeased.

"Haah!" Zuo Tianxuan exploded and his qi surged instantly!

"This is…" Celestial master Tan Ze frowned and said, "This is Buxiu Forest's Transform qi into Dragon?"

Huang Kunlun sighed. "A technique that raises his entire body's qi in an instant to deal a decisive attack at his opponent. This ultimate skill is imparted only in Buxiu Forest. If he uses it well, he can clinch an instant victory. Otherwise, his qi will backlash and he won't even know how he dies."

"He's crazy. Is this kid crazy!" One of the Buxiu Forest elders shouted angrily from the stands.

Luo Fei scratched his head. "Your qi is very strong. Not bad."

"Not enough yet!" Zuo Tianxuan yelled again, and his qi exploded instantly. Sand and gravel flew everywhere causing most of the audience to squint their eyes or hide themselves in corners or use their own qi to protect their bodies.

Fei Xuan felt a sudden spell of dizziness and he whispered to Xie Xuan, "Mister Xie, I… I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer."

Xie Xuan nodded, carried Fei Xuan in his arms and walked out of the door. "It's alright. Let's talk outside."

"What a strong qi. Can this kid from Buxiu Forest really take down the fellow from Wudang Mountain?" One of the disciples from Longhu Mountain said. "But, after using this move, I think this kid won't be able to fight in the next round. So, as long as shixiong can beat that child, he'll win."

But Xuan Ze simply returned a cold smirk. "Just this little bit of qi and he thinks he can fight against a pure Yang Wuji skill?"

"Are you done?" Luo Fei rolled his shoulders.

Zuo Tianxuan couldn't answer him anymore. His eyes turned fiery red and his clothes were shredded by his own qi. His power was extraordinary but a discerning person could tell at a glance that he had already lost his mind.

The elder from Buxiu Forest was furious in the stands. "What's this kid doing!"

Before he finished speaking, Zuo Tianxuan's entire body spun around and jumped at Luo Fei. Luo Fei's eyes lit up, sweeping away his idleness and leapt into the air. He turned his hands in midair, forming the shape of a flower.

He turned them again and formed another flower.

He turned them one last time and formed another flower.

Then, he slapped it down on the top of the other's head!

"This is Refinement of the Three Treasures!" Tan Ze rushed to his feet and shouted, "He's going to kill that kid!"

The adjudicator moved instantly.

With a loud bang, a huge pit was gouged into the ground and the entire arena was filled with smoke and dust. The people in the audience wiped their eyes, the people from Buxiu Forest especially anxious.

Lei Wujie, sitting at the top of the platform, was also scared witless. "This Refinement of the Three Treasures is so powerful. I don't think I'm a match for him either."

Lanyue Marquis drank a sip of tea. "Such a simple job is not easy for me either. Just watching has me trembling in fear."

Tan Ze exhaled a long sigh of relief and sat down. "So, that's how it is."

The dust in the arena settled. Luo Fei had one fist pressed against the adjudicator's and the other on Zuo Tianxuan's head. He turned his head impatiently. "Brother, this fist of yours is damn hard."

The adjudicator withdrew his fist and tilted his head slightly. "It was my mistake."

Luo Fei withdrew his palm from Zuo Tianxuan's head, lifted Zuo Tianxuan who had passed out, and flung him towards the people from Buxiu Forest. "He's already seen death once now. Remind him not to act so impulsively in the future."

The elder from Buxiu Forest took care of Zuo Tianxuan hurriedly, bowed his head and said, "Thank you, little master!"

So what happened was Zuo Tianxuan forcibly exerted himself to execute the Transform qi into Dragon and all the qi in his body had vented explosively. After that, even if he didn't die, he'd have been crippled. Luo Fei did not intend to kill him with his Refinement of the Three Treasures. Instead, he was forcing Zuo Tianxuan's qi back into his body and suppressing his venting qi back into his body. He had really saved the other's life.

"I've used up all my energy to do that. How vexing." Luo Fei rolled his shoulders and walked down with annoyance. But, he glanced imperceptibly towards the corner.

However, Fei Xuan, who was supposed to be standing there, was gone.

Outside the courtyard, Fei Xuan was pressing his hands to his forehead, an expression of pain on his face as he sweated profusely. And under all that sweat, his face actually started to dissolve.

Drops of muddy water fell to the ground.

Fei Xuan raised his head again, but he had turned into another person.

He was the Daoist boy most dear to State Preceptor Qi Tianchen, Zitong.

"You've just recovered from a serious illness. It's only natural that you can't control your Great Dragon and Elephant Strength well." Xie Xuan rubbed his head. "Don't blame yourself."

Zitong wiped away his tears. "I've wasted Mister's effort in making this face for me."

"That Daoist from Longhu Sect has a cultivation stronger than others. If you'd really gone, you wouldn't be able to beat him anyway. At this point, there's nothing more we can do. Let's just hope that Fei Xuan will get here in time." Xie Xuan sighed.

But, just as he spoke those words, an announcement sounded from within the courtyard. "Luo Fei of Wudang Mountain wins!"

Xie Xuan said wryly, "Well, that was really quick."

"The second round, Xuan Ze of Longhu Mountain versus Fei Xuan of Qingcheng Mountain."

After the official in charge made the announcement, only Xuan Ze stood there alone. He called three more times, but no one answered. He frowned and looked up at the high platform.

Lanyue Marquis raised his eyebrows. "Celestial masters, how should we handle this?"

Tan Ze cleared his throat. "Why don't we wait a little longer?"

"Then… let's wait a little." Lanyue Marquis nodded and said to the official in charge. "Burn three incense sticks. We continue when they burn out."

Heavenly Revelations Imperial Palace.

The black mist that enveloped the deserted cold palace receded.

The Severed Space Array was broken and the young Daoist known as the "feathered-robe high minister" vomited a mouthful of fresh blood. His feathered robe had been torn to shreds. He stared at the person in front of him with alarm before he fled in a panic.

A pair of golden pupils that looked like they had been ignited with flames started to dim little by little. Fei Xuan gasped heavily and wheezed out, "What a powerful Daoist priest."

Li Fansong was amazed. "Was that the sixth level of the Great Dragon and Elephant Strength?"

"Less talking, we have to leave quickly." Fei Xuan turned his head.

"Right, we have to get to the arena!" Li Fansong nodded. "I'm afraid we may already be too late."

"No, we'll go look for the emperor!" Fei Xuan seemed to have matured by a few years within an instant and his voice became solemn. "We'll go and ask him, what does it mean to be the Preceptor of the State!"

*

Note:

三花聚顶 [sān huā jù dǐng] - Refinement of the Three Treasures

This is the title of the chapter and the name of the skill used by Luo Fei. Literally, the four words are translated as 'three flowers congregate on top'. The so-called three flowers refer to 精气神 (essence, qi and spirit), which are the fundamental components of 内丹 (internal alchemy) in Daoism. When the three are congregated at the top of one's head, one will have refined / distilled an elixir that combines the three. Modern translations refer to the three as Three Treasures. As you can imagine, its implication is that of a very powerful Daoist technique.