The Furnace Opens

After a boom, everyone saw the array patterns begin to shatter. Power surged, and they reacted at once, soaring backward for fear something might go wrong.

At the heart of the Taiyi God-Lock Array, spiderweb cracks spread, spilling radiance in every direction.

In an instant, an ancient, primordial aura poured out with a pill fragrance that refreshed the heart and soul. Like a wind sweeping away clouds, it rolled across heaven and earth.

Crack, crack, crack—

The ancient array barrier surrounding the furnace gradually broke apart.

Scalding Mystic Qi roared out in torrents, like an upside-down waterfall surging straight into the sky. The sight was magnificent!

A wave of heat struck Xu Yan's face. He flicked his sleeve, and a layer of Primordial Qi Force appeared over his Dao Body, keeping the searing wave of spiritual energy at bay.

Thump, thump, thump—

Then a heartbeat-like sound rose from within the Heaven and Earth Furnace. The pill aura that had been pent up for so long tore through the sky like thunder, surging out in waves.

Xu Yan's brow twitched. He activated his Edict Script and examined it carefully with his spiritual sense.

"It's as though something is smelting all things."

Xu Yan pondered this.

"An ancient pill is coming out of the furnace!"

Not far away, Jiang Qingcheng called out.

The disturbance lasted half an incense stick. Then everyone flew through the air and landed at the furnace's rim to peer down.

From the bottomless black depths, flashes of spiritual light seemed to surge upward. An ancient pill fragrance filled their noses, leaving their souls intoxicated.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a pill the size of a longan shot upward, trailing billowing Mystic Qi. Like a meteor cutting across a black abyss, it was impossible to miss.

"Look!" a disciple cried.

Everyone stared, barely holding back from making a move.

But they had agreed earlier that Senior Brother Jiang would retrieve the pills.

Unhurried, Jiang Beixuan swept a wide white sleeve. A surge of dense Mystic Qi roared forth. It resembled a great fog, seemingly gentle but harboring divine power within.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Jiang Beixuan raised a curved palm. His Mist Image Dharma Power spread over the pill, and with the Object Manipulation Technique, he seized it.

Everyone looked closely and began to examine it.

A wisp of turbulent golden energy wrapped around the pill. Flawless and unblemished—it was a supreme-grade treasure pill!

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that a Dragon Breath Pill?

Beside Jiang Beixuan, Wei Daowu's eyes darkened slightly. "What sort of treasure pill is this? Its Mystic Qi is dense, and it holds a hidden force of vital energy and blood."

Jiang E's beautiful eyes gleamed as she stared at the pill. She seemed to recognize it. "This is an ancient Pulse Opening treasure pill from the Primordial Era, the Dragon Breath Pill. It can be refined for its Mystic Qi and can also strengthen a cultivator's physical body!"

"A supreme-grade Pulse Opening Pill? You don't see those often," someone said.

"And it's an ancient treasure pill from the Primordial Era, with the power to strengthen the body."

Refining a flawless, unblemished treasure pill required not only a Mystic Gate master of extraordinary alchemical skill but also time for the pill to mature.

Aristocratic Clans with deep reserves naturally had such pills, but most were bestowed on direct-line heirs or exceptionally gifted disciples.

Jiang Beixuan held the treasure pill and looked around. His Pulse Opening cultivation was nearly complete; a pill like this was of little use to him now.

"An ancient Dragon Breath Pill from the Primordial Era, a supreme-grade Pulse Opening Pill," Jiang Beixuan declared. "Any fellow Daoist who wants it may name a price."

Expressions varied around him as thoughts raced through the crowd.

Prodigies at the eighth or ninth level of Pulse Opening would sooner or later reach its peak. The pill was good, but compared with a divine treasure like the Heaven Mending Pill, it fell far short.

"Fifty spirit stones!"

Not far from Xu Yan, Yang Qian suddenly raised his great saber and shouted his bid.

"One hundred spirit stones," Tuoba Ke said calmly from among the Nine Star Kui Island disciples.

Bids came one after another. Before long, the price had reached three hundred and fifty spirit stones—an exceedingly high sum.

Someone from Nine Star Kui Island wanted to bid higher, but Tuoba Ke stopped him. Clearly, they were holding back. If a Heaven Mending Pill appeared, they would need to spare no expense to win one for Murong Ziyao.

An ordinary high-grade Pulse Opening Pill cost around fifty spirit stones. A supreme-grade one cost at least five times that. The Dragon Breath Pill was different: as an ancient pill from the Primordial Era, it was even more precious.

The bid of three hundred and fifty spirit stones came from an heir of a lesser sect. It was his entire fortune, and his face showed the pain of parting with it.

The pill clearly held greater appeal for Rogue Cultivators and Daoists from lesser sects.

Xu Yan considered this and gripped his Qiankun Bag.

Even counting what he had robbed from those Nine Star Kui Island disciples, he had only three hundred and twenty-one spirit stones to his name—all flawless, unblemished high-grade spirit stones.

For cultivators on the Foundation Establishment Path, spirit stones were a lifeline. They could be used for trade or crushed to aid cultivation.

"Forget it. I'll take things slowly."

Xu Yan shook his head and let go of the Qiankun Bag. He still had two Dragon Breath Pills. They were indeed excellent pills, best suited to helping a Daoist who cultivated both body and qi, like him, advance through Pulse Opening.

No one else bid. Jiang Beixuan looked toward the disciple from the lesser sect.

Just then, Qin Yiren, standing beside Xu Yan, suddenly spoke up. "Four hundred spirit stones."

"Are you... fellow Daoist Qin of Tiandu Immortal City?" Jiang Beixuan recognized her and asked in a low voice.

"I've long heard of you, Brother Jiang." Qin Yiren nodded in reply, her expression unchanged.

Quite a few people turned to look at the silver-robed woman from the Immortal City.

Qin Yiren was a direct-line disciple of the Qin Clan of Tiandu Immortal City. Her father was the lord of Heavenly Capital City, a senior figure of considerable renown in eastern Cang Province.

Immortal Cities like Tiandu had only appeared in eastern Cang Province during the Late Ancient Era, that turbulent age when the Taiyuan Divine Sect had been rising.

Back then, some Immortal Cities had joined forces with other sects in eastern Cang Province to resist the Divine Sect. They had met miserable ends.

The Immortal Cities that still existed were, for the most part, powers that had maintained good relations with the Divine Sect from the beginning.

The lesser sect disciple did not bid again. It was not because he feared Qin Yiren's background; he simply had no more spirit stones. He sighed and shook his head.

"Then this pill belongs to fellow Daoist Qin."

With a sweep of his sleeve, Jiang Beixuan sent the Dragon Breath Pill over using his power. Qin Yiren caught it and sent the spirit stones to him in turn.

Jiang Qingcheng looked over with a strange smile. "Fellow Daoist Qin, you have an Extreme Yin Spirit Vein. The Dragon Breath Pill's medicinal power is fierce. It doesn't seem suited to you."

Qin Yiren ignored Jiang Qingcheng. Holding the treasure pill between her fingers, she stole occasional cool glances at Xu Yan. She seemed a little awkward, unsure what to say.

With so many people here, she felt even more self-conscious.

Xu Yan looked at her and said casually, "Fellow Daoist Qin, that Dragon Breath Pill..."

"This pill is for you, Brother Xu." Qin Yiren held it out to him without meeting his eyes. Her gaze flickered as she hurried on, her voice a little strained. "Thank you for helping me obtain the Great Teleportation Token earlier!"

Xu Yan stared at her, momentarily taken aback. Qin Yiren was remarkably observant. She had seen him reach for his Qiankun Bag and realized he had meant to bid on the pill.

Xu Yan did not stand on ceremony. He took it. "Thank you, fellow Daoist Qin."

At this, quite a few people cast the two of them odd looks. Their stares made Qin Yiren even more ill at ease, but she said nothing and pretended nothing had happened as she gazed into the abyss below the furnace.

I'd almost forgotten. She's a direct-line heir of an Immortal City. Her family must have deep reserves.

Xu Yan put away the pill, his thoughts wandering. They had traveled together after receiving guidance from the same Dharma King and had formed a good connection. She seemed cold, but she was a person of genuine feeling, worth getting to know better.

Only a few breaths passed.

Another ancient pill burst forth from below.

There were not only Dragon Breath Pills but Huangtian Pills as well. Those were extraordinary: they held the Mystic Qi of the five elements and could help cultivators temper their Dao Embryos. They were rare treasure pills.

A host of disciples immediately scrambled for them.

In less than half an hour, more than twenty treasure pills emerged, every one a flawless, unblemished supreme-grade pill. The sight left everyone astonished.

Xu Yan stared into the furnace. The aura of a particular pill seemed to be rising slowly from below, and the Edict Script in his palm grew faintly warm.

"This is..."

"It's here! A Heaven Mending Pill is coming out of the furnace."

At the sight of that spiritual light, everyone's eyes trembled. They focused with every ounce of attention they had.