Chapter Three: The Three Sovereigns Bestow Their Arts

Looking at the Hundred Herbs Pill in his hand, Liu Fan was astonished. Its color was a blend of yellow and green, about the size of a longan, with spiritual energy swirling around it and a rich medicinal fragrance pervading the air. Taking a deep breath brought clarity of mind and a sense of invulnerability to illness. Swallowing it whole, he felt it melt instantly, a warm current spreading throughout his limbs and bones, far more invigorating than any sauna. Yet as the saying goes, joy often leads to sorrow; before long, Liu Fan felt his entire body swell as if inflated like a balloon, his bones under relentless refinement, as though he were trapped inside a furnace, unbearably hot.

“Ah…” Liu Fan had long known the dangers of recklessly taking medicine, and though he had dismissed them, experiencing it firsthand revealed the true agony. His meridians broadened and expanded, pain pierced his heart like a thousand needles. Had he not grown resilient from enduring hardships in his frail youth, he might have fainted long ago.

Sweat poured from him, his face twisted in a grimace, resembling a fiend from hell. Yet his will remained steadfast; seated cross-legged, he was steady as Mount Tai. This impressed the three sages—Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor—who watched with pleased smiles, stroking their beards and nodding.

Just as Liu Fan neared collapse, the power of his Pure Yang Severed Meridians manifested. Stimulated by the Hundred Herbs Pill, the Pure Yang energy within him broke the shackles of his severed meridians, reversing his vitality and releasing innate Yang energy. This merged with the pill’s power, forming a pale golden mist that spiraled toward his dantian, spinning rapidly like galaxies in the night sky, resplendent with starlight.

As time passed, the concentration of the starlit cluster within him thickened, gradually turning liquid and forming a sea of true essence. Inwardly, it appeared vast as an ocean. Yet as this sea continued to expand, the uncontainable energy surged through his qi sea and meridians, bringing back the excruciating pain, now a hundredfold worse than before.

An ordinary mortal body could not bear such immense power. Even with innate Pure Yang energy, conversion was slow; Liu Fan’s body began to crack, alarming fissures appearing like shattered porcelain, blood seeping from the wounds, making him look like a devil bathed in blood.

Just as his nerves threatened to numb, a green light flashed and entered his body, bringing immense comfort. The cracks on his skin began to heal. He knew the three sages were assisting him, so he calmed his mind, quickly stabilizing himself. After enduring this ordeal, his foundation was finally established.

“Hmm! Fan’er possesses such tenacious will—he will surely achieve greatness in the future,” Shennong said kindly, exchanging a glance with the Yellow Emperor as Liu Fan completed the first stage of his cultivation.

Awakening to praise from Shennong, Liu Fan blushed. If not for the grime covering his face from the ordeal, he might have resembled a red-faced monkey. He scratched his head and laughed, “It’s all thanks to Master’s miraculous Hundred Herbs Pill. I feel brimming with endless strength now!”

“Though you have completed your foundation, the pill’s power is merely suppressed by Shennong’s divine skill. If you do not soon achieve the body of the True Dragon, you risk your body exploding. Therefore, it is too early to rejoice,” the Yellow Emperor cautioned, though gratified by Liu Fan’s resilience. As the saying goes, deep love brings stern guidance.

“Calm your mind, enter a state of emptiness and meditation.”

The Yellow Emperor then swiftly formed hand seals and pointed his sword-shaped right hand at the jade slip before Liu Fan. A golden light infused it, and the jade slip slowly rose, projecting a purple ray into Liu Fan’s forehead. Sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, Liu Fan’s mind was clear and free of distractions, unaware of the outside world. Then he sensed an obscure but vivid script pouring into his mind.

“Focus your mind, comprehend the method,” the Yellow Emperor’s voice sounded as Liu Fan tried to understand what was happening. The purple light from the jade slip contained the “Ninefold Dragon God Method” and the insights of the three sages. Liu Fan steadied himself and delved into the method.

The first realm, the Dragon-Birth Stage, required guiding the qi of the dantian into form, creating true dragon qi. Time was pressing; Liu Fan followed the sages’ cultivation insights, directing his true essence to spiral rapidly, forming a vortex in the sea of true essence. The vortex expanded like a tornado, taking on a phantom dragon shape.

Knowing he had broken through to the Dragon-Birth Stage, Liu Fan dared not slacken. If he did not soon reach the Dragon-Transformation Stage, all his progress would vanish. He poured more true essence into the phantom dragon, urging it to take shape. Heaven rewards diligence; with repeated infusions, the phantom dragon gained definition, its scales faintly visible. Scales began to appear on Liu Fan himself, gradually covering his body, and in a moment he achieved the Scaled Dragon Stage.

With this breakthrough, the fusion of Pure Yang energy and the pill’s spiritual force accelerated a thousandfold, dragon scales covering his entire body, forming claws and a dragon head. Thus, the Condensed Dragon Stage was achieved, only the eyes yet to be awakened—once done, he would birth the Dragon Infant and ascend into the skies as a true dragon.

As Liu Fan’s comprehension of the method deepened, his realm steadily rose, and he felt transformations within his body. The sea of true essence gathered and compressed, gradually forming an irregular golden pellet spinning rapidly, until finally it became a Golden Core—the legendary Great Golden Core.

With the Golden Core rotating, the hidden immortal energy from the Hundred Herbs Pill and Pure Yang qi surged madly toward it. The previously dormant dragon now radiated brilliance, swimming vividly around the Golden Core, resonating with it. Soon, the dragon swallowed the core.

A distant, clear dragon’s roar echoed through heaven and earth. Golden light burst from Liu Fan, his body exploded with a boom, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon soaring skyward, roaming the heavens. A golden-scaled dragon is never meant for a pond—once it meets wind and clouds, it becomes a true dragon.

The dragon is the king of heaven and earth, its might enough to make all beings bow in submission.

Having just gained divine powers, Liu Fan did not flaunt them; returning to human form, he landed in the courtyard of the grass hut. When he opened his eyes, they were deep and restrained, filled with confidence—this was the gaze of a true strongman.

“Thank you, Masters, for recreating me. I have nothing to offer in return except my deepest respect.” Liu Fan, feeling his newfound strength was owed to the three sages, was filled with gratitude and bowed three times to them.

“Ha ha, excellent! In just a few hundred years, Fan’er has cultivated to the fourth realm of the ‘Ninefold Dragon God Method’—the Dragon-Transformation Stage—thus joining the ranks of immortals. Clearly, the innate Pure Yang body is extraordinary. But your first task now is to cleanse yourself; we three have other instructions for you.” Seeing Liu Fan’s courtesy, the Yellow Emperor smiled warmly, his gaze full of kindness.

“Uh—” Noticing the black grime covering him after several centuries of meditation, Liu Fan scratched his head in embarrassment. With a flash, he moved to the stream outside the hut and leapt in, bathing vigorously.

“Wah-ha!” Emerging from underwater, Liu Fan shouted as he reached the bank, tidying his long beard and hair, nearly wild after centuries without grooming. Soon he finished, and looking at his reflection in the water, he was startled. “Good heavens! Is this really me?”

In the water’s reflection was a handsome man, face like polished jade, sword-like brows and starry eyes, features sharp as if carved by blade and axe. His previous likeness was faintly visible, but now Liu Fan estimated his height was well over a meter. As he gazed, something felt amiss—when he transformed into a dragon, all his clothes had been destroyed. Now he was entirely naked, his physique perfectly proportioned, lines distinct, tall and fit, muscles well-defined. Especially the area below his waist was so robust that even foreigners would be embarrassed.

Liu Fan was very satisfied with his appearance and build, though his skin was a bit too fair, giving him a somewhat delicate look.

“No, I must sun myself more after I return—can’t have people calling me a pretty boy,” Liu Fan resolved. He dismissed the matter, humming a tune as he headed back to the hut.

Returning to the hut, he saw Fuxi and the others seated under a tree, chatting and sipping tea, lively and cheerful. He hurried forward. Along the way, a question weighed on his mind: “If I’ve cultivated here for centuries, surely everything at home has changed.”

“Master Yellow Emperor, you said I’ve cultivated for several hundred years—what’s the world outside like now?” Liu Fan asked urgently, anxiety in his heart.

“Hmm! Fan’er, rest easy. This place is within the spatial domain of the River Map and Luo Book; time here flows differently from the outside world. Though you’ve cultivated for centuries, only about a month has passed outside,” the Yellow Emperor explained, sipping his tea. Hearing that only a month had gone by, Liu Fan finally relaxed.