As he carefully observed the effects of the surging medicinal power within his body after swallowing an Elixir Fruit,
Liu Dongqing pondered for a dozen breaths or so, then reached out and plucked three Elixir Fruits from the Medicine Vine Fruit Tree.
But this time,
Liu Dongqing did not swallow the Elixir Fruits directly.
Instead, a glimmer of azure light bloomed between his brows. As Sky Light descended, a mass of pure Bing Fire Azure Flame formed in his palm.
At that moment, Liu Dongqing completely reined in the Crimson Crow Spirit Incantation and the Lesser Thought Art, summoning only his own Primordial Candle Flame to carefully envelop the three Elixir Fruits.
In an instant,
the moment the Elixir Fruits touched Liu Dongqing's magic power, they turned directly into clear, pure pill slurry.
The azure flames swirled, gathering the slurry in their center and refining it into a perfectly round ball. Then, as Liu Dongqing clumsily followed the pill-collecting method recorded in the Ghost Vine Lineage's notes, he slowly formed several hand seals with one hand.
When he looked again, as the spiritual light flickered, the pill slurry within Liu Dongqing's Primordial Candle Flame had turned into a solid, perfectly round treasure pill.
The treasure pill was still pale azure, but the moment the pill-collecting seals came down, they inevitably altered the medicinal power of the slurry, deliberately rousing the thread of natural power contained within the Elixir Fruit.
Yet as that natural power dissipated, the natural power being steadily consumed and scattered merged into the spiritual light of the pill-collecting seals.
In the end, faint white wisps like traces of smoke were left across the treasure pill's originally clear, pale-azure surface.
At first glance, they looked like wisps of cloud; on closer inspection, one could make out the graceful air of sigils among them.
Liu Dongqing's face took on an expression that was difficult to keep in check.
Though he truly knew nothing of orthodox Pill Dao,
he might never have eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run.
Liu Dongqing knew a thing or two about treasure pills. Above ordinary pills, there was a category of supreme treasure pills, each bearing special pill patterns when successfully refined.
Only pill refiners exceptionally experienced in a particular kind of pill and exceptionally gifted could achieve this.
The pill patterns revealed the pill refiner's technique or innate qualities.
But no matter what kind of pill pattern it was, it meant that while the treasure pill possessed abundant medicinal power, its properties had also been brought as close as possible to balance and harmony.
Well, would you look at that? I've gone and refined a pill with pill patterns too.
But it does make sense. What I'm really doing is degrading the medicinal power of the Elixir Fruit. Those three precious threads of natural power have been used up, and the pill slurry has been gathered and refined into a pill. Of course all that's left is this bit of balanced, harmonious power...
As he lightly pinched the azure-and-white treasure pill, its fragrance filled the air. It felt gentle to the touch, with a trace of warmth from the fire.
Anyone who merely saw the treasure pill in Liu Dongqing's hand would think he had just finished refining it in a pill furnace.
The Medicine Vine Fruit Tree bore three hundred and sixty fruits. Three Elixir Fruits were gathered and refined into this one genuine Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Pill.
Six batches of spirit ingredients for opening a pill furnace yielded a hundred and twenty finished treasure pills.
Twenty treasure pills to a batch, and every one of them bears pill patterns. Are there any cultivators on Departure Peak with Pill Dao talent who can match my efficiency?
Besides, I've experienced it firsthand.
This pill is a match made in heaven for the Lesser Thought Primordial Furnace Fire-Nurturing Art!
No, to be precise, it's probably a match made in heaven for every art in the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame lineage!
That's also why Zhang Qiwei herself once studied this pill formula.
And it suggests something else, too—
Why did Zhang Qiwei study pill formulas? She probably lacks a way to buy finished treasure pills directly!
Considering Zhang Qiwei is already capable of revising ancient formulas, her orthodox Pill Dao talent must be considerable. If even she can't fully grasp the formula for the Li Fire Void-Soaring Origin-Unity Pill, just imagine how difficult this treasure pill is to refine.
Perhaps there isn't a single pill refiner at Rising Mist Dao Academy, among the Aristocratic Clan disciples of her generation, who can refine this treasure pill!
And if a finished treasure pill were set before you at a time like this...
Senior Sister Zhang, would your heart stir?
What would you trade for it?
I haven't even delivered the first batch of Jade Cloud Fruits yet, dear Senior Sister. I'm already going out of my way to create new demand for you!
Among the clouds and mountains of Departure Peak,
Mei Ran walked slowly into the familiar cave dwelling, its warmth enveloping her. She saw a young man sitting cross-legged on the cloud bed, one hand slowly raising a seal.
Above his hand seal, azure flames were condensed to the utmost, their light furiously splitting and multiplying with every flicker.
At Mei Ran's first glance, there were only a dozen lifelike birds flitting among the flames. By the time she came closer, the wildly multiplying birds already numbered more than a hundred.
They were packed so thickly that at a glance, they looked like a swarm of bees.
When Mei Ran came to a stop,
the young man shook his head, looking bored.
With a wave of his hand, the azure flames filling the room first grew dim and obscure, then vanished completely in a flash of fading light.
"Splitting flames and condensing spiritual aspects isn't really anything impressive. I can use Ding Fire to control Bing Fire, and Earth Yin to counter Heaven Yang, and accomplish the same thing in an instant—perhaps even better than that person."
"After all, Bing Fire itself possesses the spiritual essence of birds soaring through the sky."
"He may have condensed the aspect of birds, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's especially gifted. Most likely, he simply sensed the spirit within the fire and, like me, went with the flow. It came together in an instant."
"Compared with that, the obvious traces of wrathful flame are more worth talking about."
"To enter the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame Path so quickly—that's what makes it clear this person really has some talent."
At that, the young man's eyes abruptly turned dark and gloomy.
"But none of that—not the birdlike spiritual aspect, nor the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame Path—is what I really want to see, what I really want to know!"
"What exactly did he and Little Seven get on Autumn Water Plateau?"
"He put up with being bullied for three or four years, then went out once and came back standing tall. How?"
"He's turned things around. Does that mean Little Seven is about to turn things around too—or that she's already done it quietly?"
"The real stuff!"
"What I want to see is what this person can really do!"
As he spoke, the young man's gaze settled on Mei Ran.
"Go tell Zhao Ruiyang—"
"Since this person has already mastered the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame Path, his next move must be a clash between the Seven Dipper Heavenly Rainbow and Seven Emotions Enter the Flame lineages!"
"If there are methods that cross the line, then use them decisively!"
"In an inner-sect struggle for position, when things get heated, it's no great harm if one of our own kids goes a little too far..."
"As long as he wins, as long as he proves that the entry-level art of the Seven Dipper Heavenly Rainbow Lineage is superior to that of the Seven Emotions Enter the Flame lineage, the elders of our lineage will naturally step in and protect him."
"I'm already on the path of Yin-Yang Origin-Unity, Bing-Ding Return-to-Truth, and condensing Innate Li Fire."
"I can be counted as half one of our own in the Seven Dipper Heavenly Rainbow Lineage, and half an elder to Zhao Ruiyang."
"So when I speak, he'd better listen carefully—and after he's listened, he'd better do as I say!"
"If we can get Liu Dongqing to reveal even more of his true abilities..."
"If anything happens, I'll cover for him!"
Before you continue