Extracting

After Lin Ming and his group left the Alchemist Trade Fair, Lin Ming, with his Soul Power far surpassing that of his peers, was able to detect the auras of those who had been following them as soon as they began to follow.

However, just as he expected, those people seemed to have only confirmed the direction they left in. After following them for a few blocks, they quietly disappeared into the complex flow of people and the shadows of buildings, without making any further moves.

"Just a clown, no need to pay him any mind." Lin Ming's tone was calm, carrying an undeniable confidence. Seeing this, Xu Shilin said no more; he had absolute trust in this mysterious and powerful junior brother.

Without lingering any longer, the group quickened their pace, their figures flashing through the night before returning to the quiet Courtyard belonging to the Ye Family — Ye Courtyard.

After entering Ye Courtyard and exchanging words with his senior brother and Ye Zhong, Lin Ming led Elder Yao and Xiao Yi Xian to a room where the three of them usually discussed important matters.

The room was simply furnished, with the gentle scent of sandalwood incense wafting through the air, isolating it from the noise of the outside world.

The three of them sat around a round pearwood table in the center, on which lay the strange bronze piece that had just been obtained by exchanging a Seventh Grade Intermediate pill formula.

Under the stable light of the room, the details of the copper sheet became clearer. It had an antique pale yellow color, but the surface was not smooth. Instead, it was covered with twisted, worm-like green patina. This patina not only obscured the luster of the copper sheet itself, but also eroded and obscured some of the blurry patterns engraved on it, making them difficult to recognize, exuding a strong sense of vicissitude and mystery.

At the table, the ruddy-faced Elder Yao picked up the copper piece with great interest, weighed it in his hand, and looked at Lin Ming with undisguised curiosity in his eyes.

"Lin Ming, tell me, how exactly did you recognize this Ancient Bronze Fragment?"

Lin Ming smiled bitterly to himself. How could he dare say that his confidence stemmed from possessing such an overpowered cheat as "Original Work Memory"? It was simply inexplicable. So, Lin Ming put on a perfectly timed awkward smile, touched his nose, and spoke in a tone that carried a hint of "luck" and "gambler's mentality."

"Elder Yao, you really overestimate me. How could I possibly recognize this bronze piece? I just had a feeling that it was quite unusual, and the ancient aura on it was undeniable. Besides... hehe, you know, the recipe for the 'Suxin Pill' was something I traded from the Venerable Yao's Storage Ring. Since it wasn't mine, I naturally didn't feel any reluctance! So... I took a gamble and exchanged it. What if there really was something good inside?"

"Puff--"

Hearing Lin Ming's "honest" explanation, which was almost shameless, even with Elder Yao's composure, he almost choked on his own saliva. His eyes widened as he looked at Lin Ming as if he were a monster.

"Feel... feel? Don't you feel any heartache?!" It took him a while to catch his breath, and he pointed at Lin Ming, both laughing and crying.

"You brat... you brat really are... just because you sensed something was unusual, you dared to gamble with a Seventh Grade Intermediate pill formula that would cause a sensation on the market?! This... this is damn..." He couldn't find the right words to describe Lin Ming's extravagant gambling behavior, which could only be described as "wasteful".

It should be understood that Seventh Grade Intermediate pill formula is an important strategic reserve for any force. How could it be squandered recklessly based on "feelings"? Moreover, he actually guessed right! Although Elder Yao did not yet know exactly what was inside the bronze piece, with his knowledge and Soul Perception, he was almost certain that what was hidden inside was far more valuable than the Su Suxin Pill!

"Look at your expression, Elder Yao, haha, it seems I really made the right bet this time!" Lin Ming clapped his hands and laughed when he saw Elder Yao's choked and shocked look. He perfectly played the role of a lucky person who had hit the jackpot.

Amidst laughter, Lin Ming brazenly pushed the copper plate on the table towards Elder Yao, saying, "Since Elder Yao seems to recognize this thing, you should know how to handle it! Let's not trouble two people with one matter; this task of uncovering the secret will have to be done by you, sir. Xiao Yi Xian and I will just observe and learn from you."

"Haha, you little rascal, you sure know how to order people around!" Elder Yao shook his head and chuckled upon hearing this, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

For a powerful elder like him, exploring the unknown and solving mysteries is a great pleasure in itself. "However, it's been a long time since I've seen such an ancient artifact. Since you've asked me to handle it, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Elder Yao smiled and immediately took the copper piece back into his hand, his eyes becoming focused. He bent two fingers together, and a wisp of pure and powerful Dou Qi rapidly condensed and compressed at his fingertips, eventually transforming into a thin needle of Dou Qi Needle, as thin as a cow's hair, yet shimmering with a sharp light.

Holding the fine needle imbued with highly controlled Dou Qi Needle, Elder Yao, like the most skilled sculptor, carefully and obliquely inserted it into the raised, twisted green patina cracks on the surface of the copper sheet.

Under his control, the Dou Qi Needle precisely pried at the base of the patina without damaging the copper sheet itself. The stubborn green patina began to peel off slowly, turning into tiny fragments that drifted onto the smooth tabletop.

Xiao Yi Xian, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at Elder Yao's meticulous actions, completely bewildered. In her view, if one wanted to explore the secrets of the copper sheet, one should either forcefully break it open or use Soul Power to penetrate it. This method of scraping away the rust bit by bit was simply... inconceivable.

She couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at Lin Ming, only to see Lin Ming intently watching Elder Yao's actions, with a knowing smile on his lips, as if he had already anticipated this scene.

Elder Yao, focused on his work, ignored Xiao Yi Xian's bewilderment. This task was extremely mentally taxing and required incredibly precise control of his Dou Qi. After nearly half an hour, Elder Yao finally managed to remove all the green patina covering the patterns on the surface of the copper sheet, revealing the relatively smooth, but still somewhat blurry, pale yellow copper sheet underneath.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian thought the mystery was about to be solved, and her spirits lifted as she stared intently at the copper piece.

However, in the next moment, something happened that left her speechless—

Without even glancing at the "clean" copper piece, Elder Yao casually tossed it away like trash, sending it flying in an arc before crashing to the corner of the room with a clatter.

"This... Elder Yao, what are you doing...?" Xiao Yi Xian's lips twitched slightly. She was utterly bewildered by Elder Yao's completely illogical actions, utterly confused as to what trick he was playing. Did he really go through all this trouble just to throw away the copper piece?

"Sigh, Xiao Yi Xian!" Elder Yao finally raised his head and saw the bewildered and incredulous expression on Xiao Yi Xian's face. He couldn't help but shake his head helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of an elder advising a younger generation, "Although your strength is greater than Lin Ming's, your experience and composure are far inferior to his..."

As he spoke, Elder Yao slightly bent his palm, and a suction force suddenly burst forth, drawing all the seemingly useless green copper rust fragments that had accumulated on the table for more than half an hour into his palm.

Then, with a slight surge of his Dou Qi, he forcibly compressed and condensed the debris he had cleared away, eventually forming a rough, dark green copper sphere no bigger than a thumb.

After doing all this, Elder Yao immediately said to Lin Ming and the other man in a low voice, "The real secret has never been on that seemingly main copper plate."

Having finished speaking, Elder Yao flicked his finger, sending the unremarkable green, patina-covered ball hurtling towards Lin Ming. A knowing smile spread across his face as he continued:

"But it lies within these 'dirts' that are most easily overlooked or even disliked. The ingenuity of the ancient artifacts and the depth of their concealment cannot be deduced by common sense."

At this moment, Elder Yao looked intently at Lin Ming and said, "Boy, use your Heavenly Flames to refine it! I also want to see what kind of treasure this thing, which has been hidden so carefully, is!"

At this moment, Lin Ming reached out and took the green copper ball that contained the true secret. It felt heavy in his hand and had a cool metallic feel. He glanced at Elder Yao, then at the expectant and bewildered Xiao Yi Xian beside him, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately conjured a ball of purplish-red flames carrying an aura of annihilation from his palm. The flames quickly engulfed the green copper ball and began to fiercely burn it.

As the Heavenly Flames appeared, the temperature in the room soared, and the air itself seemed to distort slightly.

At first, the green copper ball remained unchanged under the burning of the purplish-red flames; it didn't even change color.

"Huh?" Xiao Yi Xian let out a soft exclamation, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes.

She was acutely aware of the terrifying power of Lin Ming's Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, which combined four Heavenly Flames. Ordinary metals would instantly melt and liquefy upon contact with Lin Ming's flames, yet this sphere of copper rust remained completely unharmed?

"Haha, there's definitely something going for it!" Upon seeing this, Lin Ming immediately showed a look of delight rather than surprise, and laughed.

Lin Ming then focused his mind again, unleashing a surge of Soul Power to fully control the purplish-red flames, causing their temperature to rise sharply once more! The flames became even deeper in color, and the furniture in the room even began to emit faint crackling sounds as it struggled to withstand the pressure. If it weren't for the protective barrier of Dou Qi, it would probably have already burst into flames.

After being subjected to such extreme high-temperature firing for nearly half a cup of tea's time, the stubborn green copper ball finally began to show subtle changes on its surface. The color seemed to have faded slightly, and there were extremely fine signs of melting at the edges.

As the copper ball melted faster, Xiao Yi Xian keenly noticed that the deep green color on the copper ball was visibly fading and disappearing at a rapid pace.

As the green faded, tiny, almost invisible, pale yellow dust particles, as if liberated, silently detached from the gradually melting copper rust matrix and then floated lightly inside the raging purplish-red flames.

These pale yellow dust particles, not numerous, floated quietly, shimmering and emitting a soft, Spirituality glow, like a group of living fire sprites dancing gracefully.