Stealing Immortal

Chapter 139: Chapter 138: An Encounter

Yun Ci furrowed her delicate brows. "Speak!"

Chen Qingyang knew this Master was intelligent and decisive. There was no beating around the bush with her.

"Master, my cultivation has improved, and my own master has bestowed upon me the ability to refine two new types of elixirs: the Earth Root Biochemical Pill and one based on the Spirit Yang Breaking Yuan Formula. I’ve noticed you have many disciples, especially those in the Upper Three Realms of Qi Refining, who require..."

He had barely finished when the Master raised a hand, her phoenix-like eyes turning to him. "Say no more. I understand, and I agree. However, I will set the numbers."

Continuing to refine Tier Four Yang Replacement Powder was becoming pointless. Beyond the repetitive labor, it was hard to learn anything new. Even exchanging them for Spirit Stones was likely less profitable than these two new elixirs.

He had to produce elixirs one way or another, so he might as well make some that benefited himself. Refining these two elixirs would, for one, improve his proficiency and Fire Control ability. Second, someone else was providing all the Alchemy Raw Materials. And third, it wouldn’t violate his original agreement with Master Yun Ci.

Her swift agreement saved Chen Qingyang a great deal of explanation.

"Please enlighten me, Master."

Yun Ci didn’t hesitate, stating directly, "For a one-year period: twenty Earth Root Biochemical Pills and thirty from the Spirit Yang Breaking Yuan Formula. They will still be Tier Four. This way, one of these will count as five of the old ones. You won’t be at a disadvantage."

Chen Qingyang immediately bowed. "That is very fair, Master. It shall be as you say."

With elixirs, you either knew how to make them or you didn’t. If you knew, you could produce three from a single furnace. If you didn’t, you’d get nothing, and you might not even be able to acquire the Pill Formula in the first place.

Therefore, this arrangement saved Chen Qingyang a significant amount of time.

Yun Ci, of course, knew what he wanted. "I will supply all the necessary Alchemy Raw Materials," she said. "But remember, you are doing this as atonement. Don’t think you can get anything more from me."

At this, she took a few more light steps. "However... it’s said that if the water is too clear, it will hold no fish. So, I will permit you the occasional ’mistake’."

Chen Qingyang knew this was the greatest concession she would make, and it was a reasonable one. He no longer hesitated and immediately agreed. "Yes, Master."

Yun Ci seemed satisfied with his attitude and nodded lightly. "And Xu Baoling... she is my disciple, after all. How have you been treating her?"

’The last time I was here, she didn’t ask about this. I’d assumed that, like the Ice Skin Jade Bone Technique she cultivates, she was cold through and through.’

"I have been nurturing her with elixirs. She has now reached the Seventh Realm of Qi Refining. If she breaks through to Essence Condensation, she will form a Yin Soul Body, which will allow her to fully utilize the effects of the Righteous Great Divine Dao."

After a moment of contemplation, Yun Ci said, "If she wishes to return, she may. If not, treat her well. You should know that the reason I didn’t kill you was because, when weighing the pros and cons, I considered the fact that Xu Baoling was not dead."

With that, she said no more and turned her back to Chen Qingyang again.

Chen Qingyang figured it was probably time for him to leave. Descending to the second floor, he happened to see the same young attendant from his last visit.

"Senior Brother Chen, so it turns out all those elixirs Master gave us were delivered by you! What an incredible skill!"

Chen Qingyang noted the boy’s cultivation level; he was right at the stage where he would need Yang Replacement Powder. He nodded lightly. "The Master gave no instructions just now. What should I do?"

The attendant smiled. "If she said nothing, it means it’s the same as last time. Senior Brother, you should rest here until tomorrow before returning."

But Chen Qingyang shook his head. "No, I have things to do back at my place. Could I trouble you to give Senior Sister Leng Yueru a message? Ask her to make the delivery for me tomorrow. She already knows the way, after all."

’I can’t stay. The Master’s presence is too intimidating, and she’s always been curious about my Li Yang Earth Fire. How could I dare to remain here?’

The attendant snickered, as if understanding his thoughts. "I understand, I completely understand. I’ll see you out, Senior Brother Chen!"

As they reached the entrance, Chen Qingyang asked, "I don’t believe I caught your name, Junior Brother?"

The attendant replied, "My name is Qingfeng."

’I wonder if there’s a Mingyue around here too,’ he thought. "Alright. Thank you for your hospitality both times, Junior Brother Qingfeng. I don’t have anything on me today, but next time I come, I’ll bring a Yang Replacement Powder for you to help with your cultivation breakthrough."

To his surprise, Qingfeng hurriedly replied, "I know you mean well, Senior Brother Chen, but Master is very strict with us. She has forbidden us from accepting gifts. After all, our every action outside reflects on our Master’s dignity."

Chen Qingyang hadn’t expected that response. He glanced up toward the top floor one last time, then cupped his hands. "Farewell!"

He executed a Void Step Shadow and shot away from the mountain.

The midsummer night was muggy, sometimes like a pool of stagnant water where not even a breeze could stir a ripple. The air felt like it was sticking to his skin.

But as soon as he entered Cyan Bamboo Peak, the oppressive heat vanished, replaced by the coolness of a spring evening.

He returned to his small courtyard, closed his eyes, and began to meditate, waiting for Leng Yueru to deliver the materials the next day.

Sure enough, she arrived as expected just before noon. When she saw the Nine Luminaries Returning Ruins Formation that Chen Qingyang had set up, a look of utter astonishment crossed her face.

"I always thought Cyan Bamboo Peak had decent Spiritual Qi, but with what you’ve done, it’s like we’re soaking in it. This is incredibly beneficial for cultivation. Who would have thought your skill with arrays was so impressive?"

Calling it ’soaking’ was a bit of an exaggeration, but the Spiritual Qi here was incomparably better than at Four Golden Peaks.

Chen Qingyang replied, "You’re too kind, Senior Sister. Even if one were truly soaking in Spiritual Qi, it would still depend on one’s own comprehension and effort. After all, any qi that isn’t absorbed into one’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians is useless."

Leng Yueru nodded. "That makes sense."

As she spoke, she flicked her sleeve, and a mountain of raw materials appeared in the courtyard.

Chen Qingyang was curious about Leng Yueru’s Universe in the Sleeve technique. Just how much could she hide in there? And how did one even cultivate such an ability?

As far as he knew, the world of cultivators was fundamentally based on qi. The process of Refining Essence into Qi was about turning the tangible into the intangible. Only this intangible qi could be stored in the Dantian or in various magical artifacts to unleash all sorts of immense powers.

Even a Divine Soul Body like Xu Baoling’s could be stored in a magical artifact, but he had never seen anything that could store tangible objects like this.

If such a method truly existed, was it an array, or some unknown Divine Power?

"It seems your deal with the Master has changed?" Leng Yueru added.

Chen Qingyang understood she was referring to the fact that these materials were completely different from last time. Although she didn’t practice the Alchemy Dao, as a Steward of the Four Golden Peaks’ Law Enforcement Hall, there was little about Immortal Cultivation that she didn’t know.

Chen Qingyang replied, "You have a sharp eye, Senior Sister. Things have indeed changed. However, the implications of this matter are significant. You’ve shown me kindness, so it’s best you don’t inquire any further."

Leng Yueru was someone who took advice. "Fine. It’s not like I was curious anyway."

Chen Qingyang took out an elixir and offered it to her. "Senior Sister, this elixir may be nameless, but it was created by a Master based on the Glazed Heaven Repairing Pill. It’s greatly beneficial to the Divine Soul. Please accept it as a gift."

Of all the elixirs he could refine, this was the most precious. He remembered how much Leng Yueru had helped him in the beginning. As a Steward of the Law Enforcement Hall, she hadn’t investigated many things too deeply, effectively letting him off the hook.

Chen Qingyang always remembered the favors he received, no matter from whom.

Leng Yueru was not one for pleasantries. She took it and inspected it closely. "Based on the Glazed Heaven Repairing Pill... Can your version really compare to the Immortal Grade original?"

"Not now, but it might in the future."

Leng Yueru said, "You certainly are a loyal and sentimental person."

Chen Qingyang knew she was thinking of Li Qianxue. "I once heard you mention, Senior Sister Leng, that you’d met Senior Sister Li once. I wonder how deep that ’one meeting’ was?"

’I’ve always been curious about that, but I never asked before.’

Leng Yueru said, "That year, she was Xuanwei Master. I was in mortal danger, and she saved my life with a single slash of her sword. That was our ’one meeting’... I’ll accept this elixir."

With that, she didn’t linger. Without so much as a sip of Chen Qingyang’s tea, she left the small courtyard, and her figure vanished in an instant.

Once their guest had departed, Hong’Er came over. "Senior Brother Chen, can we put away these materials now?"

"Yes."

With his permission, the three youths got busy, moving everything into the Alchemy Room. Master Yun Ci had sent a truly staggering amount of materials, far more than what she had originally stated.

Four Golden Peaks was, after all, a massive mountain in the Tai Xu Sect, and it had quite a few Spirit Fields. For Master Yun Ci, the Peak Master, providing these things was as simple as a wave of her hand.

The three youths arranged the materials, with Li Sheng taking up a brush to write out labels for each. Hong’Er held a ledger, meticulously recording everything. This way, they could track all incoming and outgoing supplies, and it would be perfectly clear if any one item ran low.

Chen Qingyang would have struggled to think of all these details. This was the benefit of having many hands make light work. No matter how high one’s cultivation was, one couldn’t be omniscient. Not even an Immortal could manage that—otherwise, how could the Ancient Divine Court have fallen!

He paid no mind to their bustling and went to cultivate and meditate.

He had already reached Tier Four with the Earth Root Biochemical Pill; he could slowly improve on that later. He had yet to start on the Spirit Yang Breaking Yuan Formula, so for the next few days, all his attention was focused on it.

This elixir was less complex than the former, and Chen Qingyang managed to bring his refinement of it to Tier Four within a few days. After that, it was just a matter of diligent practice, striving to produce three or even more pills from a single furnace.

...

「That night.」

A light rain pattered outside. The ground was just barely stained with moisture before the drizzle showed signs of stopping.

It was as if the rain had come only to freshen the air a little.

As Chen Qingyang was cultivating, he suddenly sensed something amiss in his mind, and then a scene appeared.

Under a peach blossom tree, Bao Sheng sat on the ground, facing the trunk with his legs crossed.

Suddenly, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. His face turned ashen, and a wisp of green qi floated upward from him.

Stealing Immortal floated above his head, plucked a white flame, and obtained Immortal Seedling 671.

’What the...’

Even Chen Qingyang was baffled. ’Isn’t this over yet?’

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