Inside the Ice Snow Hall.
Fang Qing spent a full half hour before finally finishing the inventory of Zhan Hongxiu’s harvest.
“Not bad, thirty percent of these alone would be enough to exchange for a Core Formation Pill.”
Zhong Lingxiu nodded and collected the spiritual items filling the hall.
Fang Qing, however, inwardly grumbled:
‘After secretly pocketing the most valuable portion, the remaining items are still worth this much, as expected of a child of destiny, a woman favored by fortune.’
‘Still, that only makes her better for harvesting wool from. Conveniently enough, I’ve also been troubled by the karma tied to the Devouring Sea Art.’
He immediately spoke up.
“Congratulations, Island Master. After taking inventory, this subordinate discovered that the supplementary ingredients needed for the Core Formation Pill formula are now more than half complete. The remaining materials will not be difficult to gather. Presumably, the furnace can be opened to refine pills very soon.”
But the moment she heard mention of refining a Core Formation Pill, she could no longer bring herself to leave.
“Correct. Once a pill is successfully refined, one shall be delivered to that ‘Guest Elder Bai.’ He is a sword cultivator from the Eastern Sea and also a friend of mine. He only agreed to help this time because of that single Core Formation Pill.”
Zhong Lingxiu said.
“Guest Elder Bai… is that the swordsman?”
Hearing news of her benefactor, Zhan Hongxiu immediately paid closer attention.
“Indeed. Sigh, that Guest Elder Bai is also a pitiful man. I heard he has enemies everywhere in the Eastern Sea and had no choice but to flee to this remote wasteland.”
Zhong Lingxiu continued, “I’ve heard he has grudges with all nine great powers of the Eastern Sea: the One Palace, One Temple, Three Sects, and Four Islands. Truly difficult for him.”
‘Quick, girl, ask her where the Zhoutian Star Palace is now!’
Before Zhan Hongxiu could speak, Old Turtle’s voice rang out within her heart.
‘That won’t do. How would I know anything about the Zhoutian Star Palace? Asking about it would only arouse suspicion.’
Zhan Hongxiu instead asked, “Island Master, this subordinate has long yearned for the Eastern Sea cultivation world. Unfortunately, I do not possess the Island Master’s courage from back then, daring to cross the Ten Thousand Li Sea Route at Foundation Establishment. What is the Eastern Sea like? What great powers exist there?”
“The Eastern Sea is vast beyond measure, filled with endless opportunities. The greatest powers are naturally the One Palace and One Temple. Both possess late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators, and rumor says they even carry Soul Transformation foundations.”
“The Palace is Watermoon Palace, while the Temple is Thunderclap Temple.”
“Watermoon Palace? Thunderclap Temple? Damn it, those are merely the Watermoon Hall and Thunderclap Hall! Back then they were only two branch halls beneath our Zhoutian Star Palace, yet now they actually dare proclaim themselves sect masters? And they even possess Soul Transformation foundations?”
Old Turtle cried out furiously.
“The one who ascended to Soul Transformation back then was clearly the ancestor of our Zhoutian Star Palace! Damn it, could it be these two factions betrayed the Star Palace and divided up its inheritance?”
Fang Qing’s ears twitched slightly.
He had originally only intended to uncover some secrets regarding the Devouring Sea Art, yet unexpectedly he had stumbled upon something much greater.
‘Enough. Better stop listening here. If this continues any longer, Zhan Hongxiu may grow suspicious.’
‘As for the matters concerning Devouring Sea, there will be plenty of opportunities to probe them slowly in the future.’
‘More importantly, the Zhoutian Star Palace. The final cultivator to ascend to Soul Transformation?’
He recalled a travel journal he had once read. Ten thousand years ago, the Eastern Sea cultivation world had produced a Soul Transformation great cultivator who ultimately shattered the void and ascended to the upper realm.
The era in which that cultivator appeared aligned almost perfectly with the period when the Soul Transformation ancestor of the Zhoutian Star Palace supposedly existed.
If the Eastern Sea cultivation world of a single era could only support one Soul Transformation cultivator, then the probability of those two being the same person was extremely high.
Several days later.
Ice Soul Cave.
Fang Qing looked at the various spirit herbs and minerals Zhong Lingxiu had delivered and nodded in satisfaction.
“Another massive harvest. This batch is even greater than Xiang Dahu’s tribute last time.”
After all, Xiang Dahu had only been one person, and his cultivation back then had been limited.
This secret realm expedition, however, had involved two Core Formation-level combatants alone.
And thanks to the lessons learned from the previous operation, they had entered fully prepared with targeted methods. A greater harvest was only natural.
“The main ingredients and supplementary materials required for the Core Formation Pill formula have all been gathered.”
“The next step is to ignore all outside matters and focus entirely on pill refinement.”
A jade slip appeared in Fang Qing’s hand. Recorded within it was precisely the Core Formation Pill formula.
Speaking of this formula, he had originally obtained it from Tianding years ago.
“The main ingredient, the Five Elements Spirit Fruit. Supplementary ingredients, Heavenly Wheel Flower, Withered Year Leaf…”
“Most of these precious supplementary materials have long vanished from the Minor Huan Sea, yet they happened to exist within the secret realm’s medicinal garden. This is likely no coincidence. Ancient cultivators probably arranged the herb garden specifically according to the needs of the Core Formation Pill formula, cultivating all the required supplementary ingredients in advance.”
Truthfully speaking, the Core Formation Pill was considered difficult even among third-rank pills.
Had Fang Qing not gained considerable enlightenment from refining the Great Barrier-Breaking Pill previously, combining the alchemy methods of both worlds and greatly advancing his alchemy skills, he truly would not have possessed much confidence.
“This is where the advantages of water-method alchemy reveal themselves.”
“When refining pills of such difficulty, the process can be deliberately stretched out over a longer period to reduce the challenge. That also accords with the subtle transformative nature of water.”
“Mm… I could also visit Sangji and request a few Dao Foundation spirit artifacts that enhance success rates.”
“Perhaps he could even perform a Purple Mansion ritual to bless me and increase the chances of successful refinement.”
Fang Qing silently reviewed the methods at his disposal.
Just then, he sensed a transmission talisman swaying outside the cave abode. A faint smile appeared on his lips. He knew it was once again Zhan Hongxiu.
Using the excuse of discussing the refinement of the Core Formation Pill to visit him was perfectly reasonable.
‘It is about time I met her.’
‘And this is also a good opportunity to probe that turtle spirit.’
Thinking of the arrangements he had made earlier, Fang Qing could not help but smile as he transmitted outward with his divine sense.
Not long afterward, Zhan Hongxiu entered the Ice Soul Cave. She wore a flowing green robe with crimson-red sleeves. The first thing she felt was the astonishing chill in the air.
“What terrifying cold qi… Sigh, Island Master Fang has truly suffered.”
“Hmph. This old man wishes to see exactly what sort of elegance this third-rank alchemist possesses, the one you keep thinking about day and night. Could he compare to that sword cultivator from before?”
Within her sea of consciousness, the turtle spirit spoke disdainfully.
Then Zhan Hongxiu stepped deeper into the cave abode and saw the spring fountain, the brocade carp, the wind chimes.
A strange spiritual atmosphere spread through the surroundings, making Fang Qing appear even more like an immortal detached from the mortal world.
“Eh? This place is strange… It actually carries traces of Dao resonance?'
“How is that possible? Even Nascent Soul cultivators only produce such phenomena after attaining profound depths of cultivation over many years.”
The turtle spirit’s voice rang out within Zhan Hongxiu’s mind, filled with disbelief.
“Dao resonance?”
Zhan Hongxiu felt somewhat strange inside and nearly blurted the words aloud.
Then she saw Fang Qing calmly drinking tea and immediately felt relieved.
“I originally thought Fellow Daoist was being imprisoned here to refine pills, living a life of misery. But after seeing things today, I can finally feel at ease.”
“After all, I am a third-rank alchemist. Within the Eastern Sea cultivation world, that is enough to associate with Core Formation cultivators as equals.”
Fang Qing poured a cup of Azure Sparrow Spirit Tea for Zhan Hongxiu and smiled. “True Personage Zhong has been trying to win me over and sent quite a number of good things. Taste this tea.”
Meanwhile, inwardly he mocked himself: ‘Now that the old grandpa has arrived, she instantly got inflated with confidence, she even dares call me a fellow Daoist now.’
“What wonderful flavor…”
Zhan Hongxiu took a sip, her eyes lighting up. The turtle spirit within her sea of consciousness, however, grew increasingly restless.
After all, it was merely a remnant consciousness and had long since lost all desire for food and drink.
“Fellow Daoist Hongxiu must have come today because of the Core Formation Pill matter. To speak honestly, I have already gathered all the auxiliary ingredients and am merely waiting for an auspicious day to open the alchemy pool. However, refining this pill successfully, and even producing multiple genuine pills, leaves me with very little confidence… Therefore…”
A trace of difficulty appeared on Fang Qing’s face.
“Fellow Daoist should take a look at this first.”
Zhan Hongxiu handed over a jade slip.
Fang Qing swept it with his divine sense and immediately froze.
“This is… the Core Formation Pill formula? No, there are annotations dozens of times longer than the formula itself. These seem to be the accumulated experiences of some great alchemy master refining Core Formation Pills over many years. What a treasure.”
He secretly laughed inwardly, knowing that for the sake of her Dao path, Zhan Hongxiu had once again been thoroughly fleeced by him.
Although this alchemy handbook only concerned the Core Formation Pill, the techniques, alchemical methods, philosophies, and medicinal processing experience recorded within it were extraordinarily valuable. With only slight supplementation, it could practically be considered a complete third-rank superior-grade alchemy inheritance.
“With this added, how much confidence does Fellow Daoist now possess?”
Zhan Hongxiu asked nervously.
“Hmph. If this little Fang still cannot refine at least two successful pills after obtaining this, then his title as a third-rank alchemist is completely fraudulent and undeserved. What this old man gave you contains the refinement experience of a fourth-rank alchemy grandmaster from my sect in refining Core Formation Pills back in the day.”
The turtle spirit huffed indignantly.
“It should raise my confidence to around fifty percent.”
Fang Qing accepted the jade slip, pondered for a moment, then answered slowly.
“However…”
“However what? Is there still something lacking?”
Zhan Hongxiu immediately became anxious again.
“No. It is merely that water-method alchemy consumes a great deal of time. It may require several years.”
Fang Qing smiled faintly.
“Several years is no issue. I have not yet reached Foundation Establishment perfection anyway.”
Zhan Hongxiu let out a long breath of relief. Only after advancing to late Foundation Establishment had she realized how immense the effort required to fully perfect one’s mana truly was.
It was a fathomless chasm, no wonder late-stage cultivators were all referred to as great cultivators within the same realm.
“I must also thank Fellow Daoist for gifting this alchemical text…”
Fang Qing poured her another cup of spirit tea while listening to her recount the events within the secret realm.
After chatting leisurely for some time, he deliberately asked: “Did Fellow Daoist Hongxiu happen to obtain any ancient secret arts or archaic cultivation methods from the secret realm?”
“Why does Fellow Daoist ask this?”
Zhan Hongxiu instantly became somewhat vigilant.
“I heard from Fellow Daoist Xiang Dahu that several ruthless figures have recently appeared on the Sea-Destroying Alliance side. They cultivate a strange demonic art. Unlike the previous demonic flame techniques, they instead control black water and call it something like the ‘Devouring Sea Art.’”
Fang Qing spoke casually, as though mentioning idle gossip.
This was not a lie. If Zhan Hongxiu investigated, she would indeed discover such demonic cultivators existed.
They truly did cultivated the Devouring Sea Art, though only a simplified version Fang Qing himself had comprehended and secretly spread through Yu Xianger.
‘The Blue Sea Sect is still technically my sect. Taibai Island is unsuitable. Other than Heiyuan True Personage, who else could shoulder this blame?’
Fang Qing sighed inwardly.
“What? The inheritance of the Devouring Sea Demonic Sect… has appeared? Could the one who entered the Void-Stepping Hall last time have been that Yu Xiang’er you mentioned?”
Within Zhan Hongxiu’s sea of consciousness, the turtle spirit immediately began shouting in alarm.
“Senior Turtle Spirit, please calm yourself.”
Zhan Hongxiu rubbed her brow helplessly.
“How can this old man remain calm? That Devouring Sea Demonic Sect may very well have been the true culprit behind the decline and fragmentation of the Zhoutian Star Palace!”
The turtle spirit sounded deeply grieved.
“If not for the war against the Devouring Sea Demonic Sect, our Zhoutian Star Palace might still be the number one power in the Eastern Sea cultivation world even today.”
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