Chapter 35

The roaring furnace fire turned the alchemical cauldron a deep red!

Fang Ling, his face slightly pale, stared intently at the white smoke rising from the cauldron.

His expression was a mix of anticipation and tension.

This was Fang Ling's twenty-third attempt at refining the Rehmannia Pill.

Although the Rehmannia Pill was just an ordinary alchemical pill for Fang Ling, this time, he felt he was closest to success.

"Mixing the ingredients, nurturing, forming the liquid, and pulling the pills—any slight mistake in the furnace fire can ruin the entire batch. Being an alchemist is really not a job for humans." Fang Ling's face showed a hint of joy as the white smoke turned a light purple, and he spoke with a touch of reflection.

He sat back down on the stone, gently closing his eyes.

All the steps were done; now he just needed to wait for a quarter of an hour before opening the cauldron to retrieve the pills.

This wasn't the first time he had encountered this situation. In his previous twenty-two attempts, he had faced this scenario three times.

And each time, the result was a pile of ashes.

Thinking about the previous results, Fang Ling now wanted to know the condition of the pills inside the cauldron. Unfortunately, his divine sense was too weak to enter the cauldron, so he couldn't know the situation inside.

What would it be like to control the cauldron with divine sense?

Thinking of the content in the Alchemical Canon, where Daoist Xuanyue wrote with envy about the foundation-building cultivators using divine sense to refine pills, Fang Ling felt a surge of anticipation.

For cultivators, the importance of divine sense was no less than that of spiritual energy!

For some cultivators, divine sense was even more important.

At the seventh level of Qi Cultivation, internal energy transforms into spiritual energy, making one a cultivator.

At the foundation-building stage, a cultivator's divine sense stabilizes, forming a primordial spirit, allowing them to control artifacts with their mind!

"Boom"

Fang Ling forcefully lifted the lid of the cauldron, and a burst of fiery heat shot out.

Fang Ling waved his sleeves, and a gust of internal energy blew away most of the heat, then he lowered his head to look inside the cauldron.

This time, the cauldron was not filled with black ash as before, but with four deep yellow pills of varying sizes.

The sizes varied because the largest was as big as a baby's fist, while the smallest was the size of a peanut.

Picking up the four pills, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted up.

It was the Rehmannia Pill.

He had finally succeeded in refining the Rehmannia Pill!

Fang Ling felt a mix of joy and a bitter smile. He wouldn't dare to show these four pills to anyone.

Wouldn't the difference in shape make people laugh?

Gently closing the lid of the cauldron, Fang Ling stepped out of the space in the West Suburban Zoo.

"Master, good day!"

"Master, good day!"

The servants in the courtyard, busy with their tasks, respectfully greeted Fang Ling. Fang Ling smiled and nodded at them, chatting briefly with a few familiar ones.

In the West Garden, the blooming flowers added a fresh fragrance to the courtyard. This was where Fang Ling and Huashuying used to live, and they still resided there.

When Fang Ling entered, the entire West Garden was quiet. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear the rustling of leaves and the fluttering of flowers within a hundred feet.

In Huashuying's room, he heard her gentle breathing.

Walking slowly to Huashuying's window, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the quiet bed through the half-open window.

At this moment, Huashuying's face was solemn, adding to her cold beauty.

However, what caught Fang Ling's attention was not her beautiful face but the faint greenish aura emanating from her head.

Though the aura was minimal, standing outside the window, Fang Ling felt a chill.

The first level of the Profound Yin Essence Technique was complete!

Fang Ling had thought it would take Huashuying at least half a year to reach this stage, but in just a few days, she had achieved it!

The faint green aura continued to increase, and Fang Ling extended his hand through the window into the room.

Though it was only a little over a yard away, the coldness increased twofold.

This sister Huashuying is truly a remarkable genius!

Fang Ling, feeling a sense of admiration, knew she was at a critical moment and did not disturb her, leaving quietly.

Returning to his room, he was about to start his cultivation when a thin monkey respectfully entered and reported that a guest had arrived.

When Lin Muceng left, the Fang family had many visitors, but after Chen Shengnan's daughter became a concubine of a Golden Core cultivator, the visitors disappeared.

Fang Ling had no interest in dealing with these sycophants. However, he had to meet this guest.

Because the visitor was Daoist Zhao!

As one of the few cultivators in Dinging City, Daoist Zhao held a high status, and Fang Ling owed him a favor for the incident at the Tiger Might Martial Hall.

When Fang Ling entered the hall, Daoist Zhao was quietly drinking tea, dressed in ordinary clothes, seemingly no different from before.

As Fang Ling observed Daoist Zhao, Daoist Zhao was also scrutinizing Fang Ling. It had only been a little over a month since the secret realm of La Mountain, yet Fang Ling had changed significantly.

He had grown taller, and his entire presence was more formidable.

Like a longsword unsheathed, he exuded a sharpness that could pierce the heavens!

"Hmm," Daoist Zhao's eyes narrowed, and he felt a sense of shock.

Fifth level of Qi Cultivation!

He must be seeing things; Fang Ling had reached the fifth level of Qi Cultivation!

A little over a month ago, he was only at the third level. How did he reach the fifth level now?

In his youth, Daoist Zhao was also considered a cultivation genius, or he wouldn't have become a seventh-level Qi Cultivation Daoist. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized the difficulty of advancing.

Advancing two levels in a month—what kind of monster is this!

Daoist Zhao had forgotten, or rather, hadn't noticed Fang Ling's state when he entered the secret realm of La Mountain. Otherwise, his eyes would have been even wider.

"Daoist Zhao, how have you been? I was just planning to visit you these past two days, but I didn't expect you to come in person. It's truly an honor for the Fang family." Fang Ling smiled and greeted Daoist Zhao.

Seeing Fang Ling's warm and natural demeanor, Daoist Zhao felt even more admiration. This young man's bearing was entirely that of a family head.

This made him even more cautious, and he stood up from his chair, smiling lightly. "Lord Fang, I came uninvited, please forgive me."

The two exchanged pleasantries and then took their seats.

Although Fang Ling knew Daoist Zhao wouldn't come without a reason, he didn't immediately ask about his purpose, instead talking about trivial matters.

In the end, it was Daoist Zhao who couldn't hold back. He had planned to let Fang Ling ask first, then smoothly reveal his intentions, but this young Fang Ling, free of childishness, showed remarkable maturity in dealing with people.

This young man is truly not like an ordinary person.

"Lord Fang, I have come to propose a transaction."

A transaction? Fang Ling felt a sense of surprise but remained calm. "I wonder what Daoist Zhao wants to trade with the Fang family?"

"This transaction, proposed by me, will not disappoint Lord Fang." As Daoist Zhao spoke, he spread his hand and took out over a hundred spirit stones from his small spatial bag, placing them on the table.

A hundred spirit stones were worth ten thousand taels of gold.

And spirit stones, as cultivation treasures, were not something that could be bought with gold.

Seeing the gleaming spirit stones, Fang Ling felt a bit tempted. Spirit stones were good things; just today, the alchemical cauldron he obtained from Daoist Xuanyue required spirit stones to fuel the fire.

Daoist Zhao was not a generous person, so the hundred spirit stones he took out must be for something extraordinary.

Fang Ling remained silent, calmly watching Daoist Zhao.

"These hundred spirit stones, I only want one thing." Daoist Zhao spoke softly. "The Alchemical Canon from the Xuanyue Daoist Temple, I hope Lord Fang can lend it to me for a look."

The mention of the Alchemical Canon from Daoist Xuanyue made Fang Ling's heart skip a beat, but he quickly calmed down. As one of the few cultivators in Dinging City, if Daoist Zhao didn't know about Daoist Xuanyue and himself, he wouldn't be able to stay in Dinging City.

"Lending the Alchemical Canon to Daoist Zhao is not a problem, but I do not lack spirit stones."

After hearing Fang Ling's straightforward admission that the Alchemical Canon was in his possession, Daoist Zhao felt relieved and even more impressed with Fang Ling.

Fang Ling's refusal of the spirit stones was within his expectations.

"Besides spirit stones, I have two other items." Daoist Zhao took out a few small flags and a bottle of pills from his sleeve. "This set of Five Elements Flags can block spiritual energy. When used with spirit stones, they can double the density of spiritual energy."

Doubling the density of spiritual energy made Fang Ling's heart race, but he didn't show it, waiting for Daoist Zhao to continue.

"This is a bottle of Golden Vigor Pills. When used with the Great Strength Vajra Technique, it can help Lord Fang achieve the Vajra Body within half a year."

The Vajra Body, of course, was relative to those below the sixth level of Qi Cultivation. For cultivators, it was a joke.

But it was very useful for the current Fang Ling.

After a moment of contemplation, Fang Ling examined the set of Five Elements Flags and suddenly said, "I've heard that Daoist Zhao is an expert in formations. This set of formations must have been refined by you, right?"

"Indeed." Daoist Zhao's words carried a hint of pride.

In Dinging City, he was the most skilled in formations.

Fang Ling's idea, which had been forming in his mind, became even clearer. If he could implement his plan, his combat strength would increase significantly.

Half an hour later, Daoist Zhao left the Fang family satisfied, and Fang Ling now had a small book on formation techniques and the bottle of Golden Vigor Pills.

...

On a thousand-foot-high mountain peak, a gray giant bird was flying swiftly toward Dinging City. From the top of the mountain, one could only see a face-sized bird and a faint white figure on it.

PS: I have a cold and was a bit confused, almost forgot to update. Please give me some recommendations and votes!