Chapter 704 - 555: Nu Feng Mountain, Thunder Valley
The light cocoon disappeared, and the Earth Qilin let out a joyful roar, cautiously flying into the lush branches of the Gathering Essence Tree, starting to frolic.
With the materials for the Gold Core Pill in hand, Ji An prepared to refine the pill as soon as possible.
He took out the Fire Crane Dan Yang Furnace and moved away from the Gathering Essence Tree to avoid the spirit tree being scorched by the flames; the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root is a precious treasure beyond compare.
At this moment, Ji An sighed deeply, remembering that Senior Brother Zhengyang once risked traveling with a Merchant Flying Ship to the Central Continent
which took thirty years each way, a cost too enormous for cultivators to bear.
Back then, the sect had gone through countless hardships to acquire the pill formula for the Gold Core Pill, yet now he held four portions of the Gold Core Pill materials in his hands.
"Strength commands respect," he sighed. Regardless of the world, this principle is universal.
Those with little influence cannot speak loudly.
Ji An took out a furnace of herbs, spreading them on the ground with lotus patterns, formed a spell, and the Pill Furnace floated in the air, rapidly expanding, then the three legs landed firmly.
He took out the jade slip summarizing his experiences from a few days ago, refreshing and improving his knowledge.
After clarifying the best approach for this alchemy session, he formed the Three Yang Pill Fire Technique, invoking the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire.
The layered flame evenly heated the Pill Furnace quickly.
His Divine Sense reached inside, feeling the changes in the furnace’s temperature.
The feathers of the Fire Crane relief gradually lit up with golden texture, the fire essence in its mouth glowing more red, while the embedded Pill Furnace’s internal Li Fire Spell revealed its characters.
Sensing the suitable furnace temperature, he swiftly placed a medicinal ingredient inside.
Under his control, the flame underwent subtle changes, and the furnace’s temperature was skillfully manipulated.
The medicinal liquid was extracted, while the residue fell from the furnace’s fire outlet, with wisps of scented spirit medicine fluttering outside.
He withdrew the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire, and the furnace’s temperature quickly dropped.
The golden lines on the feathers of the Fire Crane relief swiftly dimmed, the symbols spinning rapidly inside the furnace slowly faded, and eventually vanished.
After cooling, the medicinal liquid transformed into crystalline Divine Essence.
Ji An cleaned the Pill Furnace, working nonstop, spending another half an hour refining all the Spirit Medicine Divine Essence.
He used the Small Cloud Rain Technique to clean the Pill Furnace thoroughly and took a short rest.
His hand stroked the beard on his chin as he pondered the next steps of refining.
After much thought, he decided to divide the Spirit Medicine Divine Essence, planning to refine pill by pill.
If his hand felt right and he could form a pill, he would have the confidence to refine one portion at a time.
Half an hour later, the Gold Core Pill was refined, with threads of medicinal fragrance spreading.
Ji An shook his head in dissatisfaction; some details were handled roughly, making the pill of average quality.
He used the Small Cloud Rain Technique to cleanse the Pill Furnace, drank a pot of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea to restore his Divine Sense, and after a short break resumed refining with renewed effort.
This time he formed another pill, possessing three pill patterns, a high-quality pill. Today’s pill formation success rate was 100%!
...
Three days later, Ji An placed the freshly formed Gold Core Pill into a jade bottle, unable to hide the smile at the corners of his mouth.
With four furnaces producing six pills in total, half of them high-quality, achieving over a 70% success rate, he nodded in satisfaction.
Such achievements could easily rival those who had been crafting the Gold Core Pill for decades.
He stored the jade bottle in a Grotto Void Stone and left the Little World, then carefully hung the Gourd Stone around his neck, keeping it close.
Stepping out of the grotto mansion, the Azure Dragon Woods planted outside now reached ten feet high, lush and green, providing shade under the sun.
The sky was a clear blue, like a pristine gemstone, without a hint of blemish.
Ji An rode the clouds, flying towards the Immortal City, his clothes billowing in the wind, leaving a trail of red spirit light.
...
Certification Association.
Ji An placed two jade bottles on the desk, saying:
"The pills have been refined, a total of five pills formed, two of them high-quality."
With four furnaces of pills, submitting four pills would suffice to complete the task; hence he kept one high-quality Gold Core Pill to himself.
Additionally, with the pills refined using leftover materials during the certification, he now had two high-quality Gold Core Pills, which he planned not to sell for the time being.
He intended to ask someone to speak to the sect once the Business Alliance’s flying ship set off again for the Western Continent, to have the sect send someone to collect the resources.
Traveling back and forth on the Merchant Flying Ship offered a level of safety assurance.
"Daoist friend, your efficiency is remarkable."
Feiyun Zhenren praised as he opened the jade bottle, carefully examining the pill’s texture and pattern.
"Very well, the rest will be handled by the association, and we will negotiate with the client.
Once we receive the remaining compensation, I will notify Daoist friend."
"Thank you."
Ji An lowered his voice, asking:
"How much commission does the association take?"
According to customary rules, it sufficed to submit ordinary quality pills, but with two high-quality pills submitted, he would receive an extra reward.
"The association only takes a basic service fee; daoist friend can earn an additional reward due to your exceptional skill, and the association will not charge further."
"Excellent, no wonder the association has grown so large."
Ji An, feeling very pleased, was now able to earn two thousand top-grade Spirit Stones,
after breaking through the Golden Core Stage, his ability to earn Spirit Stones had improved by leaps and bounds.
Of course, all of this is based on the premise that he can accomplish things that most alchemists cannot.
Being able to quickly master a pill he has no experience refining is the key to his success.
"The stewards behind the association are all Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs, including some Late-stage Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs.
From their heights, their perspectives are destined to be very vast."
Feiyun Zhenren spoke with a proud sense of honor.
Ji An showed an exaggerated expression at the right time, "Late-stage Nascent Soul Daoist Monarchs? I really want to experience their state while cultivating.
By the way, I would like to ask a question, is there a realm above the Nascent Soul? What is the content of cultivation?"
He stared eagerly at the other party, expecting a response, and based on the information he gathered, he was sure realms beyond the Nascent Soul must exist.
Feiyun Zhenren chuckled, "Your curiosity is strong, my friend. I only know there is a realm above the Nascent Soul, but nothing beyond that.
If your realm is not there yet, knowing some things doesn’t really help."
For her, managing to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and enjoying a lifespan of three thousand years was a great honor, hoping for more was too ambitious.
Ji An felt relieved at once and asked:
"Are there any cultivators beyond the Nascent Soul in the Cultivation Realm?"
He believed such cultivators should be hidden in places ordinary cultivators couldn’t reach, observing the world from afar.
Feiyun Zhenren gently shook her head, pointing upwards to the sky, she said:
"I heard that cultivators above the Nascent Soul cultivate in the Outer Heaven, whether it’s true or not, I don’t know.
My friend, strive hard. Once you break through to the Nascent Soul stage, the world will gradually reveal its hidden veils."
She chose not to discuss this further and changed the topic, asking:
"Would you be interested in joining a great power?"
A Pill Master with Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire would surely be welcomed by many forces.
Hearing such a straightforward question, Ji An was momentarily stunned, then he gently shook his head and firmly responded:
"I have no such plan."
The core members of a power are inevitably selected from disciples they nurture from a young age.
Joining partway would raise various suspicions and would involve unknown trials.
If he couldn’t secure a position as a core disciple, it wouldn’t be very appealing to him.
If he breaks through to the sixth layer of the Golden Core, but doesn’t get the subsequent cultivation technique of the Five Elements Rotation, then he’ll consider joining a Nascent Soul level force.
If that step can be avoided, it should be, because he already has a sect, and joining another power would draw malicious suspicion.
Feiyun Zhenren spoke with a bold spirit:
"I know your concerns, but I also know that if your alchemy continues to improve, many concerns can be disregarded.
If one day you feel like joining a power, you can tell me."
The other party is a cultivator from the Western Continent, so concerns would be a lot less.
Ji An nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He changed the topic, asking:
"Do you know of a place where lightning frequently strikes?"
After several interactions, the two formed a bond, allowing him to ask non-confidential questions.
"What do you intend to do?"
Feiyun Zhenren thought of the words he said while watching the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation and wanted to offer advice.
But she felt it wasn’t her place to advise deeply upon shallow acquaintance, so she chose to remain silent.
If one cannot comprehend the Yin-Yang Transformation through understanding Thunder Techniques, watching however many lightning strikes is futile, as they are all superficial.
"I have a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact, and I want to refine it with thunderbolts to elevate it to a Magical Treasure level."
Ji An openly shared his intention, as this matter required no secrecy.
Feiyun Zhenren recalled briefly, then said:
"Six thousand miles southwest of Immortal City, there’s a large mountain called Nu Feng Mountain, split in half by a valley.
This valley is known as ’Thunder Valley,’ and every summer, there are often situations of flickering lightning and loud thunder.
You can buy a Map Jade Slip of the area around Immortal City to easily find Thunder Valley’s location."
She had heard of many examples of refining Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts using Celestial Thunder, but rarely successful cases.
Many believed they would be among the lucky few, but this wasn’t the truth, and she never gave advice on such matters.
Ji An solemnly bowed, and said:
"Thank you for the information, this is very important to me."
In over a month, it would turn into summer, and he could go to Thunder Accumulation Mountain to try refining the Magical Treasure.
Feiyun Zhenren smiled and waved her hand, "Even if I didn’t say it, you could find out from other cultivators."
...
Two months later, at Thunder Valley.
Ji An rode the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, hovering high in the air, looking down.
A massive dark cloud, like ink, covered most of the valley; occasionally, a faint blue forked lightning would strike down, echoed by a rumble of thunder.
A torrential rain was pouring, a water mist enveloped the valley, yet the chaotic sound of rain brought a feeling of tranquility.
Bad weather arrives quickly and departs just as fast. About two double hours later, the clouds dispersed, and sunlight shone on the rain-bent grass blades.
A gentle breeze passed by, and the droplets of water, like white jade beads, fell and shattered all over the ground.