The First Immortal of Destiny

After that night, it seemed as if there was a significant change in the relationship between Shen Mo and Chen Mengze, yet it also seemed as if nothing had changed!

The next day, Chen Mengze entrusted the affairs of Green Cloud Peak to the deputy Peak Master and the elders within the peak, while she herself entered Dark Ice Cave Mansion to begin her closed-door meditation, attempting to advance to the late-stage of the Golden Core, and even considering a leap to the peak of the Golden Core.

Many years ago, she had already found her ’path’ and had been steadfastly following it forward.

Now, her Path Heart, talent, cultivation methods, spiritual items, opportunities, and so on, were all complete, and Shen Mo believed she could go very far on the path to immortality, at least not stopping at the Golden Core and Divine Bridge!

In the coming period, Shen Mo held a multi-day high-level meeting in the Longevity Hall to plan strategies and arrangements for the Riverside Sect in case the Hollow Venerable returned alive to the Corpse Mountain Range; more specific matters were discussed and supplemented by the senior members.

After handling sect affairs, he returned to Guanyun Mansion in the Vacuous Zone.

Afterwards, old acquaintances from within the sect, the older generation like Yuan Jing and Jin Chinian, the new generation like Cao Ren and Lu Ming—all those who were still inside the Fairyland and hadn’t gone out for training or closed-door cultivation—came to Guanyun Mansion to privately visit Shen Mo;

Besides the original cultivators of the Riverside Sect, there were also people Shen Mo had met early on, such as Xiao Ling’er, Li Chen, Meng Sanchi, Yang Chi, Yuxin Sword Master, Chu Zhen, Giant Corpse Master, Chou Jiuyian, Sea Ape Yuan Tunjing, Sea Cucumber Monster Tieya, and various others. Some came alone, others in groups, making Guanyun Mansion quite lively for a time.

Before ’ascension to the Immortal Realm’, as long as these old acquaintances hadn’t fallen, their cultivation had grown, more or less; many had even condensed a Golden Core.

Along the way, no one knows how many familiar faces disappeared completely;

After a thousand years, among the existing old acquaintances, how many could step into the Divine Bridge Realm, and how many would fall due to disaster, the end of lifespan, or other reasons?

Therefore, even though Shen Mo was eager to study elixir recipes and cultivate alchemy, he still made time to warmly entertain them, especially those closer like Cao Ren, Lu Ming, Ming Yu, Jiang Lingfeng, Flower Fairy Ami, specifically hosting an immortal banquet for them.

And those who came to visit weren’t limited to old acquaintances from within the sect. Since he had slain the great demon Mingpeng in the Formless Realm, his reputation rose rapidly at Jade Spring Mountain, prompting various forces to send disciples to pay homage.

Forced by circumstances, Shen Mo simply cut out a Gecko False Body to handle sect affairs and meet the visitors!

His real body, however, along with Zhao Lingyin, hid in the Alchemy Room and began studying the ’Summary of Enlightenment Pill Recipe’.

The jade slip recording over a thousand elixir recipes had been copied into multiple versions by Shen Mo and distributed to the Herb Hall of Hundred Arts Hall. Wu Gong and other alchemists researched over 150 valuable recipes related to Grade V and below. Meanwhile, Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin focused on deducing 21 Grade VI recipes and 13 Grade VII recipes.

As for the remaining six Grade VIII recipes, they could only study and refine them once their Alchemy Path rose to Grade VII, using spiritual medicines found or available from Red Flame Sect to replace the original alchemy materials required by the recipes!

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Guanyun Mansion.

At regular intervals, disciples would deliver various alchemy materials to the mansion, which were then sent into the Alchemy Room by maid and disciple Lu Taorui and others.

With Red Flame Sect designating Five Dragon Mountain as its own territory, including resources like spiritual herbs and minerals, materials started pouring back ceaselessly into the sect’s Treasure Hall, far richer than the Blood Snake Ridge base, and not even inferior to the entire Green Cloud Cave’s production!

Add that Red Flame Sect was supporting Shen Mo, the Sect Master of Divine Bridge Realm, with the combined forces of the sect, allowing him and Zhao Lingyin to not lack top-notch spiritual items when developing Grade VI and VII elixirs;

Though the consumption of alchemy materials was huge, their efficiency was exceptionally high, capable of researching an entire Grade VI recipe in almost a month!

When they grew tired from studying, they would pause, rest for a while, and take the opportunity to cultivate ’The Sutra of Cloudy and Rainy from Wushan’, resulting in not only the fragrance of medicine permeating the Alchemy Room but also various strange phenomena from time to time.

During this time, Lady Scarlet came knocking several times.

Shen Mo had already seen her not long after returning to the sect, but he had just reorganized his relationship with Chen Mengze and really didn’t want to incur another debt involving a beauty.

After being rebuffed several times, Lady Scarlet had to return dejectedly, yet her Charming Body would ensure she wouldn’t easily give up. Even if Shen Mo granted her desire, this troublesome connection couldn’t be severed unless she could fully control her spiritual body one day!

If continuing this way, Shen Mo might have to consult Guan Ling in the future to see if this celestial artifact spirit could resolve the ’negative effects’ of Lady Scarlet’s Charming Body?

That day, the fragrance of medicine filled the Alchemy Room, blending with the immortal charm.

In front of Shen Mo, the Fire Chi Cauldron, under the blaze of Samadhi True Fire, looked blistering hot, as if the Fire Chi inside had come alive, continuously exhaling true flame to assist Shen Mo in finely controlling the fire, ensuring accurate fire control so he could perfectly refine the spiritual medicine essence into a cohesive ball!

Zhao Lingyin was also attentively watching from the side, the firelight rosy on her delicate face, looking quite adorable.

’Refine!’

Shen Mo murmured lightly, forming seals with his hands, a faint spirit light glowing from them, then transforming into a talisman that struck the Fire Chi’s Dantian.

The medicinal liquid inside the cauldron gathered, interweaved, and began undergoing various strange transformations under the control of layers of seals and the Fire Chi’s phantom, finally forming a mysterious and pure essence aggregate engulfed in flames and spirit light, without any uncontrolled changes!

At this stage, the alchemy was half successful, and next were the final stages of birthing the elixir’s spirit and condensating the Core and shaping the body.

Time passed unknowingly, and when Shen Mo felt the medicinal properties and fire control were right, he executed another seal!

’Ding-dong!’

A pleasant sound resonated from within the cauldron as the lid suddenly flew off.

Amidst swirling smoke, brilliant purple light erupted from the cauldron, flooding the entire Alchemy Room.

As the smoke and spirit light gradually dissipated, eight elixirs with a hint of purple filled with profound immortal charm appeared, quietly floating in mid-air like eight purple stars!

’It’s done!’

Shen Mo laughed heartily, reaching out to seize the eight elixirs into his hand, handing one to Zhao Lingyin.

{Successfully using Multicolored Bauhinia, Thousand-year Polygonum Multiflorum, Qianyuan Fruit, Soul Infant Grass, etc., you refined a Grade VI Five Qi Gathering Pill. Through the process, your understanding of the Alchemy Path has improved, Alchemy Path experience +150.}

The Five Qi Gathering Pill, recorded in ’Summary of Enlightenment Pill Recipe’, was a Grade VI elixir, which after days and nights of study and refining, Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin finally replaced the original herbal spiritual medicine in the recipe with available materials of similar properties and successfully refined it!

Even Shen Mo’s long stagnant progress bar on the Alchemy Path had jumped forward a large segment.