Seventy-Two Forms

[Nine-Ring Wizardry: Eight-Nine Mystical Art (Draft Version).]

Three days later.

Yin Ming's magic power and mental strength had been completely exhausted.

His eye sockets were sunken and dark, his face pale as golden paper, as though he had spent three years idly reading in Ember.

During that time!

He had consumed over a hundred Grain-Repelling Pills, yet his body had still thinned by a full circle. Only his eyes remained bright and glowing like those of a night owl.

"It's finally done! The wizard version of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art."

Yin Ming released his brain from its high-frequency state and lay exhausted on the floor. Smiling faintly, he murmured, "In theory, as long as it can be fully deciphered and converted, once immortals and wizards flow into the same river, the Eight-Nine Mystical Art can indeed grow to the Ninth Ring. Defining it in advance as 'Nine-Ring Wizardry' isn't entirely empty boasting!"

The Eight-Nine Mystical Art!

It was the true sect-protecting art Yin Ming had found upon an Ascension Platform deep within Wuyi Mountain.

Whether it was the original technique from the Immortal Realm was impossible to know. In any case, it took the Elder Gods and Devils as its foundation, stood apart from the three paths of Qi Refining, Golden Core, and Corpse Liberation, and was a divine art worthy of standing in a category of its own among all methods and supernatural abilities.

The art was divided into Eight Forms and Nine Transformations. It transformed into the forms of myriad spirits and carried out the wondrous changes of all forms, thereby serving his Dharma-Form True Body.

"The draft version lacks the power of transformation. It cannot nourish the true body through all forms, nor can it perform the nine transformations. Better give it a more low-key name. I'll call it Seventy-Two Forms!"

"..."

The meditation chamber opened!

Warm light spilled across his face.

After merely three days of secluded cultivation, Yin Ming felt as though a lifetime had passed.

Yet that was not an illusion. After all, he truly had consumed a year of his lifespan.

His maximum lifespan had fallen from ninety-eight years to ninety-seven.

"First, I'll go to the Flame-Burners Association's Exchange Building and look for materials to refine an External Core!"

Materials for an External Core were not difficult to find. Even ordinary iron, lead, and mercury could be used for refinement. The better the materials, the shorter the consecration and refinement time; the worse the materials, the longer it took.

The External Elixir Art was not an upgraded version of alchemy.

Among the first Daoists who cultivated the Golden Core Great Dao, the death rate in nurturing the mysterious embryo remained alarmingly high. Thus, some Daoists began cultivating the External Elixir Art.

They used gold and mercury to refine the harmony of yin and yang, making it into a false core and false body to serve as a cultivation simulator.

Later, some Daoists abandoned the Internal Elixir entirely. Since the External Core possessed nine apertures and could form an elixir, why not ascend directly through the External Core? They opened another path and founded the External Elixir school.

"..."

"Scholar Eno! You... spent these three days deeply exchanging ideas with a Succubus warlock?"

Anthony Silvercoin was horrified when he saw Yin Ming.

He was gaunt as a skeleton, his beard unkempt, as though a skeleton frame had been draped in a layer of human skin.

Anthony Silvercoin truly could not imagine anything other than an Abyssal Succubus that could wring a man dry to the marrow in such a short time.

"A Succubus doesn't have that ability! How did the efficacy testing go for the Golden Sore Medicine I left behind last time?"

In recent days, Yin Ming had used all the Element Crystals condensed by the Scavenger Gourd to restore his magic power.

Now he had only 500 Merit Points left. He urgently needed the status of a pharmacist to earn Merit Points and purchase materials for refining an External Core.

"Its healing effect is comparable to a Basic Healing Potion, but a Basic Healing Potion can heal fifty percent of injuries the instant it is consumed, so—"

Anthony Silvercoin returned the remaining two Golden Sore Medicines and said apologetically, "The Flame-Burners Association does not intend to add it to the Merit Point exchange list."

"Um... why does Golden Sore Medicine have to be compared with a Basic Healing Potion?"

Yin Ming examined the other man's greasy, fat face, paused, then said, "The price of Golden Sore Medicine only needs to be one-tenth of that, or even lower!"

One-tenth?

A Basic Healing Potion sold for ten standard Element Crystals.

One Element Crystal, or even less—could that even cover the cost of the Magic Plant ingredients?

"Honored Scholar Eno, would you be willing to go upstairs for a cup of black tea and discuss this in detail?" Realizing the enormous profit hidden within, Anthony Silvercoin's eyes, narrowed into slits, widened into two round silvercoins.

"..."

"No need! One Element Crystal for each Golden Sore Medicine. How much you buy is none of my concern."

Golden Sore Medicine contained no Magic Plant ingredients at all. It was a mortal-grade wound medicine that merely used an antibiotic formula, then underwent optimization by the Scavenger Gourd, achieving an effect comparable to extraordinary medicine.

Its ingredients could be purchased from the mortal world with gold and silver coins, making its cost practically nonexistent.

Its target customers were apprentice-level members like Johnny Green, who could not afford or could not bear to buy healing potions.

To maximize profits, one had to earn small profits but sell in great volume. As long as Yin Ming supplied enough Golden Sore Medicine, Anthony Silvercoin would never raise the selling price.

"No problem! But can you provide..."

Before he could finish, Yin Ming took out a thousand Golden Sore Medicines.

Anthony Silvercoin did not waste words either. Yin Ming's Merit Points rose from 500 to 100,500.

"Other than the Lava Troll Bloodline Potion, give me one of every other Second-Ring Bloodline Potion."

"One sample of every Magic Plant—"

"One fragment of every extraordinary metal ore—"

Merit Points could only be used at the Flame-Burners Association.

Yin Ming purchased as many things as he could, enriching the Scavenger Gourd's extraordinary database.

He did not dare ask to purchase the most expensive wizardry and extraordinary knowledge.

This amount of Merit Points was only enough to exchange for a few illustrated guides, or one experimental notebook from a One-Ring Wizard.

As for Zero-Ring Apprentice-level wizardry, unless it was a detailed explanation of runes, nothing was as useful as the "revolver."

"Two Second-Ring Bloodline Potions: Two-Ring Feathered Serpent Bloodline and Two-Ring Twisted Treant Bloodline."

"Seventeen Magic Plant samples: White Jade Fruit, Blood Crystal of the Crimsonblood Vine, Spirit-Draining Tree Sap, ..."

"Nine extraordinary metals: Refined Iron, Mithril, Adamantine, Starmithril Mercury..."

"Fragments of extraordinary metal ores for which the warehouse has raw ore will be given free of charge."

"For finished metals without raw ore in storage, one gram of each has been taken as a sample. A total of 76,000 Merit Points has been deducted."

Ninety percent of the Merit Points had been spent on Magic Plants.

But pharmacists all exchanged for raw materials to refine potions at the Flame-Burners Association.

He would inevitably be able to analyze the formulas for Blood-Fusing Potions, healing potions, and Bloodline Potions. This expenditure was well worth the price.

The bullets for flintlock muskets were made of Refined Iron.

It was an excellent material for refining sword pellets, but for refining an External Core, a material that hard was unsuitable.

Yin Ming stored the extraordinary metal samples in the gourd, then sat on the soft leather sofa, taking a moment from his busy schedule to leisurely drink black tea.

He analyzed the properties of each extraordinary metal and ultimately found the two best materials for refining an External Core.

"With the remaining Merit Points, exchange half for Adamantine and half for Starmithril Mercury," Yin Ming suddenly said.

"Certainly! I'll prepare them for you right away..."

The remaining 24,500 Merit Points bought him a piece of Adamantine the size of an adult's fist, as well as a small bottle of Starmithril Mercury.

Adamantine was relatively soft, dark golden in color, and among extraordinary metals, was the best at bearing magic power and mental strength.

Starmithril Mercury remained liquid at room temperature and resembled mercury. Countless specks of light flickered within it, giving it the finest conductive properties.

"Zero-Ring Wizardry: Crimson Flame Ring."

After returning to his residence, Yin Ming immediately entered the meditation chamber and began using flames to melt the Adamantine, turning it into three spheres slightly smaller than ping-pong balls.