Chapter 60

In the Zhongqin Wang's mansion, there is a well, and the well is not filled with water but with accumulated black ice. According to the wise, this well is called the "Mysterious Yin Eye," connected to the yin-cold energy in the earth's veins, making it extremely yin and cold. Ordinary people would freeze into ice sticks if they approached within ten zhang of the well. The princess's private residence was built around this "Mysterious Yin Eye." This well is absolutely beneficial for cultivators practicing extremely yin and cold techniques. To suppress the "poison fire" in her body, Long Ziyang practiced such techniques. When she left her family to come to the Zhongqin Wang's mansion, she had her eye on this "Mysterious Yin Eye."

The Zhongqin Wang directly went to the pavilion beside the "Mysterious Yin Eye" and indeed saw Long Ziyang meditating on a high platform above the well. Strands of cold air were being inhaled through her nostrils, her face half white and half crimson. As the cold air entered her body, the white gradually intensified, and the crimson color gradually faded.

The Zhongqin Wang knew that Long Ziyang was using the extreme cold from the well to dispel the fire poison, so he stood aside without disturbing her.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the crimson color on Long Ziyang's face completely dissipated. She took a deep breath, finished her practice, and stood up.

"Your Highness, this old minister pays his respects." Seeing that Long Ziyang had finished her practice, the Zhongqin Wang approached and bowed. Although he was a prince, Long Ziyang was a princess appointed by the previous emperor, and she was the ruler while he was the subject, so their statuses were different.

Long Ziyang smiled and said, "Prince Zhongqin, there's no need for such formalities. You are the master here, and I am just a guest."

"Not at all, in front of Your Highness, this old minister would never dare to consider himself the master. The world is vast, and Your Highness can go anywhere. Who would dare to call you a guest?" The Zhongqin Wang smiled broadly, and even in front of the Holy Emperor, he had never been so humble.

Long Ziyang smiled faintly and did not argue further on this topic. She asked, "Prince Zhongqin, is there something urgent you need to discuss with me?"

She knew that when the Zhongqin Wang had nothing to do, he would try to avoid meeting her. After all, her status was special, and someone like the Zhongqin Wang, who held high power, would not want to face someone who made him feel oppressed. So whenever the Zhongqin Wang came to see her, it was usually for something urgent.

"Your Highness, this old minister has sinned," the Zhongqin Wang sighed and continued, "The hundred-year-old Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem, which the Angzang Kingdom offered as tribute, was robbed on its way through Langya Town. So this old minister has come to confess his guilt."

"Oh? Who is so bold as to rob the tribute near the capital?" Long Ziyang's eyebrows arched, and her face showed anger. The Zhongqin Wang had previously told her that the Angzang Kingdom had a medicinal herb called the Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem, which had a significant inhibitory effect on her condition. He had specially asked the Angzang King for it to make medicine for her. Long Ziyang, plagued by the "poison fire" in her body, wanted to try any method that could help her condition. The hundred-year-old Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem was so precious that she had harbored some hope. If this herb could cure her "poison fire," it would be a great blessing. So when she heard that the tribute had been robbed, her anger flared up immediately.

The Zhongqin Wang then detailed the incident of the tribute being robbed to Long Ziyang. She frowned at first, but after listening, she pointed out incisively, "The other party's intelligence was very accurate, and they made very targeted arrangements. They caught the escort team off guard. These people are not simple; they are definitely not ordinary bandits."

The Zhongqin Wang, who had long been impressed by the princess's intelligence, was not surprised by her analysis. He nodded and smiled, "Your Highness is truly brilliant, and your thoughts align with mine. With such strong intelligence and action capabilities, this is definitely not an ordinary bandit but a very formidable force."

Long Ziyang smiled and said, "Prince Zhongqin, do you have a lead?"

"Without hiding from Your Highness, this old minister believes that the person who robbed the tribute is Prince Ming, Song Xinghai." In front of Long Ziyang, the Zhongqin Wang did not intend to hide anything. He continued, "Song Xinghai is favored by the Holy Emperor and manages the three special task forces. Only he has the motive and the capability to rob the tribute. The bandits' intelligence was precise, and their actions were well-organized, swift, and lightning-fast. No other force in the capital can match the three special task forces."

"By doing this, aren't they clearly telling others that they robbed the tribute?" Long Ziyang said calmly, "Sometimes, the most likely person is the least likely person."

The Zhongqin Wang did not contradict Long Ziyang's statement. He and Long Ziyang viewed the issue from different angles. Long Ziyang analyzed it objectively, while he viewed it from a political perspective. The Zhongqin Wang believed that this incident of robbing the tribute was a warning and a suppression from the Holy Emperor, indicating that the Holy Emperor would gradually reclaim his power. The Holy Emperor was not afraid that the Zhongqin Wang knew he was behind it; on the contrary, he deliberately let the Zhongqin Wang know.

Long Ziyang's thoughts were strange. When she heard Song Xinghai's name, the first thing that came to her mind was "Song Li." Song Xinghai and Song Li were father and son, and everyone in Holy Lion City knew this, including Long Ziyang. Although she had not had any direct interaction with Song Li, from the rumors, she could sense that this young man was not simple. Unlike the Zhongqin Wang, who suspected Song Xinghai as the mastermind behind the robbery, she believed that Song Xinghai had no need to do this. Although she was not involved in the power struggle between the Zhongqin Wang and the Holy Emperor, she understood some of it. Currently, the Holy Emperor and the Zhongqin Wang were wary of each other and would not easily provoke each other unless they were certain of victory. No one would initiate a conflict during a sensitive time.

Although Song Xinghai was the prime suspect, Long Ziyang believed that he was not behind the robbery.

She suspected someone no one would think of: Song Li.

From Song Mojie and Song Qingshan, Long Ziyang learned that Song Li could escape from the heart of the earth's fire. At that moment, she felt that this young man was extraordinary and must be hiding some secret. Everyone knew that Song Li's mother was a mid-level alchemist, and the Snow Mountain Black Mud Stem was a treasure that all alchemists dreamed of. If Song Li, for his mother, used the intelligence and resources of the three special task forces under his father's control to plan and execute the robbery, it was not impossible.

Long Ziyang knew that no one would believe her suspicion, as no one would consider a sixteen-year-old playboy a true opponent. No one would think he had the ability to steal the tribute from 360 Iron Blood Camp warriors and escape unscathed.

But Long Ziyang thought differently.

If someone could survive the heart of the earth's fire, what else could they not do?

It must be said that a woman's intuition is terrifying. Although Long Ziyang's suspicion was not entirely accurate, it was not far from the truth.

The Zhongqin Wang promised Long Ziyang that he would do his best to recover the tribute and offer it to her for medicine, then took his leave.

Long Ziyang watched the Zhongqin Wang's back and thought that she needed to meet this mysterious Song Li.

Song Li spent five days practicing the first move of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, "Shi Shi Bao," before he finally mastered it. With one strike, a tree trunk as thick as a bowl was severed at the waist, and a rock as large as a basin shattered into pieces, creating a formidable momentum. As the saying goes, the beginning is the hardest part. After mastering the first move, he basically grasped the method of using force. Although the other five moves were more complex and difficult, he practiced them much faster. By the time he mastered the first six moves, half a month had passed.

"Shi Shi Bao," "Kai Bei Shou," "Ba Ma Lie," "Tie Shan Kao," "Xuan Feng Wu," and "Feng Yun Dong" are six palm techniques, each extremely powerful. Song Li had now fully mastered them. He was confident that, facing an opponent of the same cultivation level, he could defeat them with the power of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm. Even against an opponent one level higher, he still had a chance to win.

This fortuitous acquisition of such a powerful combat technique was a great boost for Song Li.

During his practice of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, Song Li did not stop his research into alchemy. After half a month, he not only mastered the first six moves of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm but also made a qualitative leap in alchemy. Under Yun Lin's meticulous guidance, Song Li could now independently refine mid-grade earth-level elixirs!

According to the levels of alchemists and the grades of elixirs, a junior alchemist can refine low-grade and mid-grade human-level elixirs; a mid-level alchemist can refine high-grade human-level, supreme human-level, and low-grade earth-level elixirs; a senior alchemist can refine mid-grade and high-grade earth-level elixirs; a super alchemist can refine supreme earth-level elixirs; a junior alchemy master can refine low-grade mystic-level elixirs; a mid-level alchemy master can refine mid-grade mystic-level elixirs; a senior alchemy master can refine high-grade mystic-level elixirs; a super alchemy master can refine supreme mystic-level elixirs; a junior alchemy grandmaster can refine low-grade holy-level elixirs; a mid-level alchemy grandmaster can refine mid-grade holy-level elixirs; a senior alchemy grandmaster can refine high-grade holy-level elixirs; and a super alchemy grandmaster can refine supreme holy-level elixirs. Above the super alchemy grandmaster is a "grandmaster" who can refine heaven-level elixirs!

Since Song Li could refine mid-grade earth-level elixirs, it proved that he had officially entered the ranks of senior alchemists! This was a height that Yun Lin had not reached in thirty years. A sixteen-year-old senior alchemist could be called a prodigy anywhere in the Nebula Continent. The rapid progress in his alchemy skills was ultimately due to his extraordinary ability to control fire. For most alchemists, controlling fire was the most difficult part, but for Song Li, this most difficult part became the easiest! With his mother Yun Lin's meticulous guidance, Song Li's progress was rapid.