Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk

"Miss Cao, you're burning the bridge after crossing it!"

Ling Xi's eyes widened.

"Just now, when I saved you from that Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle, you promised to help me refine the Blood Lotus Pill."

"Ling Xi, you're an Alchemist too, so you know the rules of our trade."

Cao Ying snorted, her eyes narrowing like a fox's.

"The Blood Lotus Essence, Ice Spirit Flame Grass, and Fourth-Order Ice Attribute Magic Core that Dan Xuan and I agreed to give you—that's your compensation for stepping in."

"Besides, we Alchemists never work for free."

At that, curiosity flickered across Cao Ying's face.

"The flame on you is probably some Seventh-tier Magical Beast's Beast Flame. Given your current strength, it should be more than enough."

"And the Blood Lotus Pill, a fifth-grade pill, has no use beyond helping refine a flame."

Cao Ying truly lived up to being someone Xuanji Zi valued enough to take as a disciple. Her reasoned deductions left Ling Xi momentarily speechless.

Not just Cao Ying—even Dan Chen and Dan Xuan nearby wore curious expressions.

After all, for an Alchemist, a powerful flame played an irreplaceable role in the pill-refining process.

"If Miss Cao doesn't want to help me refine it, so be it."

After a brief silence, Ling Xi suddenly smiled.

"Just give me the medicinal ingredients you promised. Once I leave this realm, I'll find my teacher to refine it."

Ling Xi had originally planned to train here for a year or so—that was Ling You's idea too.

But cutting the training short for an Exotic Flame was no big deal; the Central Continent had plenty of places for him to gain experience.

"Brother Ling, you jest."

Dan Xuan, having swallowed several pills, looked a bit better.

"Once I recover, I can refine the Blood Lotus Pill for you too. Consider it repayment for saving my sister and me."

As he spoke, Dan Xuan winked at Ling Xi.

"Then many thanks to Brother Dan Xuan..."

Though Ling Xi had no idea what the wink meant, he started to express his gratitude.

But before he could finish, Cao Ying cut him off irritably.

"Dan Xuan, are you deliberately undermining me?"

Cao Ying glared at him, her beautiful eyes sharp with annoyance.

"With injuries like yours, I think you'd better head back to the Dan Family and rest properly. Don't end up with lasting damage."

"Relax, I brought healing pills with me this time."

Dan Xuan raised an eyebrow, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"A few days of medication and meditation, and my wounds will be fully healed."

"What, you're allowed to be ungrateful, but I'm not allowed to repay a kindness?"

At that, Cao Ying's pretty face flushed bright red.

"I don't need you meddling!"

Cao Ying shot Dan Xuan a glare, then turned to Ling Xi.

"Hmph, I won't ask what flame you're refining. I'll make that Blood Lotus Pill for you!"

"This..."

Ling Xi deliberately hesitated.

"Don't worry. I'm a woman of my word—if I say I'll refine the pill unconditionally, I mean it."

Seeing Ling Xi's hesitation, Cao Ying snapped angrily.

"Brother Dan Xuan, you're badly injured. Let Miss Cao handle the Blood Lotus Pill."

Ling Xi pretended to deliberate for a moment before speaking to Dan Xuan.

But out of Cao Ying's sight, his Hands secretly gave Dan Xuan a thumbs-up.

For someone as clever and tsundere as Cao Ying, this kind of playing hard-to-get worked like a charm.

"Since Brother Ling says so, let Cao Ying refine it for you."

Catching Ling Xi's thumbs-up, Dan Xuan took the cue and backed down.

"Pfft!"

Seeing her brother and Ling Xi team up to trick Cao Ying, even Dan Chen couldn't help but laugh.

After resting a while and Dan Xuan downing a few more pills, the four of them entered the cave where the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle had made its lair.

The cave was vast and deep, with none of the usual stench of a magical beast's den.

Flames swirled around each of the four figures, illuminating the pitch-black cave as bright as day.

"How strange. Could Master have been mistaken? The Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk isn't here?"

They encountered no danger along the way and soon reached the cave's end, but all that stood before them was a stone wall.

"That shouldn't be. If there were truly no treasure here, the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle wouldn't be guarding this spot."

Dan Xuan's expression also darkened, but he still spoke in a low voice.

He had nearly been beaten to death dosing the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle with medicine. If there really was no Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk, wouldn't he have taken those blows for nothing?

Ling Xi said nothing, instead staring at the stone wall at the end for a long while before cautiously reaching out to press his hand against it.

"Hm?"

Seeing this, the other three followed suit, pressing their palms against the stone wall.

"I probed with my Soul Power for quite a while. This stone wall is solid."

After a long moment, Dan Xuan opened his eyes first and spoke with some frustration.

A little while later, Cao Ying and Dan Chen also lowered their hands from the stone wall.

What they had sensed was the same as Dan Xuan—the wall was indeed solid.

"Why don't you try using a Dou Technique on this stone wall?"

After another pause, Ling Xi finally lowered his hand and spoke to the three.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Cao Ying frowned slightly, looking at Ling Xi with some confusion.

"This stone wall is far too hard, completely different from the walls of an ordinary cave."

Ling Xi didn't keep them in suspense. He reached out and punched the stone wall with all his might.

Thud!

A dull echo immediately reverberated through the cave.

Under Ling Xi's full-force punch, the stone wall remained completely unscathed. Instead, Ling Xi himself was sent stumbling back several steps by the recoil.

"It really is unusual."

Now Dan Xuan and Cao Ying also noticed the anomaly.

"The Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk is formed when Mysterious Yellow Earth Qi is compressed over millions of years into liquid milk. These stone walls have likely been tempered by the Mysterious Yellow Earth Qi as well, becoming harder than metal or stone."

Ling Xi shook his head, flexing his slightly numb hand.

Mysterious Yellow Earth Qi was a peculiar energy deep within the earth. It was said that all metal on the continent was formed by Mysterious Yellow Earth Qi condensing to varying degrees.

"I'd say even this cave was dug out bit by bit by the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle."

Ling Xi surveyed the cave once more, a look of understanding dawning on his face.

"If even the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle can't break through this stone wall, there's no hope for us."

Dan Xuan, Dan Chen, and Cao Ying exchanged glances, all seeing a hint of defeat in each other's eyes.

A priceless treasure lay right before them, yet an unbreakable wall of rock stood in between.

It was a truly frustrating feeling.

"Ling Xi, I recall that the golden flash from your Nakai Ring was what knocked out the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle."

As if a thought struck her, Cao Ying quickly turned to Ling Xi.

"You should have a way to break through this rock wall, right?"