Near midnight, all was silent. The moonlight was pale, and the stars dotted the sky.
Ning Family Courtyard, third floor.
Ning Chuan sat cross-legged in the center of his bedroom, his eyes fixed on the Azurewood Longevity Furnace floating before him.
Beneath the furnace, the Flintseed obtained from the Heavens Trash Recycling Station had been fully activated, transforming into a fist-sized flame of life, amber-colored and warm in hue, endlessly flickering.
Unlike ordinary blazing flames, it was neither violent nor scorching. Instead, it radiated a vibrant vitality that refreshed the spirit.
The floor had long been arranged according to the Azurewood Heaven-Returning Pill refining requirements recorded in the Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal.
The purified Nature Spirit Remains replacing the main ingredient, the Five-Hundred-Year Azurewood Heart, rested beside the furnace. Its emerald crystal cast a soft glow in the firelight. Three Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit pits, serving as Hundred-Year Blood Jade Lotus Seeds, radiated gentle heat. The Moonlight Moss substituting for the Three-Colored Nether Epiphyllum shimmered silver, while Morning Dewdrop, used in place of Rootless Water, was held in a jade bottle, clear to the bottom.
The remaining auxiliary herbs had likewise been sorted and neatly laid out.
Ning Chuan took a deep breath, suppressing every distracting thought and bringing his mind to an unprecedented state of clarity and focus.
This pill refinement concerned not only the recovery of his injuries and a breakthrough in his cultivation, but was also a crucial step toward rapidly increasing his strength amid the delicate situation following the Blackwater Gang's destruction and the City Guard's watchful interest. There could be no mistake.
"Rise!"
With a low shout, Ning Chuan's hands fluttered like butterflies through flowers, forming one profound and intricate fire-control seal after another.
The Azure Emperor Longevity Art within him circulated faster than ever