Old Lord's Alchemy and the Banana Leaf Fan

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you." Queen Medusa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with slender fingers, a softness flickering through her beautiful eyes.

To the outside world, she was a ruthless beauty whose name could frighten children into silence. To the Snake-People Tribe, she was Queen Medusa, revered by countless Snake-People. But deep down, she was rather traditional...

Once she chose someone, she would stay devoted to him.

"It isn't just for you. It's for our future children, too..." Xiao Yan said after a long silence.

Queen Medusa's complete change of heart left him bewildered. They had hardly spent any time getting to know each other. Even though they lived close by, his daily pill refining meant they had barely met. He could still vividly recall her murderous grip on his throat six months ago, yet now she was his fiancée...

He still had a trump card he had not used against the Snake-People Tribe, but the Grand Elder had forced him to hold it back.

It seemed he would have to find time to take it out on Mo Bass instead.

"..." Queen Medusa glanced at Xiao Yan, her lips curving into a faint smile. In her eyes, he was still just a boy. His cultivation and talent were terrifying, but his experience—especially with women—was almost nonexistent.

She considered that a good thing. Marrying an innocent boy was better than marrying a worldly old hand who might think nothing of abandoning his wife and children.

Deep in the desert.

Xiao Yan sat on a wicker chair in a pavilion and took a sip of tea. Fewer Snake-People soldiers now guarded—or watched—him, though those who remained were more capable.

Hua She'er, for instance, stood guard at the entrance.

She, too, had an alluring figure and a pretty face, but compared with Queen Medusa, she fell far short.

As commander of Queen Medusa's personal guard and a Dou Wang, she had been sent to protect him early that morning, following the confirmation of their engagement the day before.

Once, such "protection" had been meant to keep him from escaping. Now it was protection in earnest. After all, he had reached Peak Dou Ling; only a Dou Wang expert could truly protect him.

"What did she tell you?" Xiao Yan asked, sipping his tea as he reclined in the chair.

"Her Majesty said that whatever the royal consort requests, the Snake-People Tribe will spare no resources to provide it," Hua She'er replied gently from outside.

"One snow lotus from the Heavenly Mountains, two cliff grasses, and..." Xiao Yan rattled off a list of exceedingly rare medicinal ingredients, then waved for Hua She'er to go find them.

The woman outside was silent for a while before accepting the order and leaving.

Xiao Yan rubbed his hands and looked at Old Lord's phantom beside him. "Teacher, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"A mere Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python has only reached the Dou Sheng realm in this world. It has not even touched the Dou Di realm. How could this be any trouble?" Old Lord said with a smile, stroking his beard.

He gave Xiao Yan a teasing look. "I never expected you to be so popular, boy."

"Heh..." Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed.

"You've advanced to a Grade 6 alchemist and begun to understand this world's alchemy. Watch closely, then. I'll only refine this once." Old Lord flicked his whisk, his expression calm.

The entire Snake-People Tribe's territory shuddered. Snake-People on guard and at rest alike watched in alarm as the yellow sand churned beneath them. Then every gaze turned skyward, where an enormous dark-yellow furnace emerged through the clouds, blotting out the sun.

Intricate patterns covered it. A single glance left one dizzy; they resembled ancient script.

And a figure stood atop the giant furnace.

Spiritual energy poured into the Eight Trigrams Furnace in a torrent, a fearsome sight. With another sweep of his whisk, Old Lord stripped the impurities from the herbs, turning them into liquid that fell into the furnace.

Xiao Yan stood to one side, stunned. This was the first time he had seen Old Lord use even a fraction of his power—though perhaps the old man had merely lifted a finger...

Old Lord's voice rang in his mind like a deep, resonant chant.

"The Qian Position corresponds to heaven. Pure yang burns fiercely there; the furnace fire is strongest, making refinement easiest."

"The Kan Position corresponds to water, where water and fire clash."

"The Gen Position corresponds to mountains. It is stable, with a steady, enduring fire best suited to refining treasures."

"The Zhen Position corresponds to thunder. It is violent and unstable."

"The Xun Position corresponds to wind. There is wind but no fire, only billowing smoke. That monkey hid there to escape the flames, only for the smoke to give him Fiery Golden Eyes."

"The Li Position corresponds to fire. It is the place of utmost yang, the source of the Six-Ding Divine Fire. Its heat is greatest and can refine all things."

"The Kun Position corresponds to earth, which bears all things. Its gentle heat readily nurtures a pill's spiritual nature."

"The Dui Position corresponds to marshes. Damp and cold, it has the weakest fire and is suited to..."

"Remember: each of the eight positions has its own purpose. Do not confuse or misuse them."

"Yes, Master. I'll remember!" Joy flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Until now, he had used the Eight Trigrams Furnace Old Lord had given him like an ordinary pill furnace—just an exceptionally sturdy one. At last, he had been given the key...

"Fan the fire!"

Old Lord glanced at Xiao Yan and tossed him a Banana Leaf Fan.

"Right away!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. Swallowing eagerly, he examined the Banana Leaf Fan in his hands. Since it was meant to strengthen the fire for pill refining, it must be the yang fan.

It was surely not the true supreme treasure. Still, anything Old Lord casually produced could hardly be ordinary, even if it was not a fine replica.

The fan looked small in his hands, but actually swinging it nearly killed him. His face reddened as he strained with all his might just to complete the first sweep.

And that single sweep left him dumbstruck.

For an instant, the desert fell silent for hundreds of miles around, as though the air had vanished. Then yellow sand filled the sky, and several tornadoes thousands of feet high rose to ravage the land.

Several Snake-People elders were startled out of their courtyards. Hovering on wings of Dou Qi, they stared in shock at the enormous furnace blotting out the sky. It looked capable of refining heaven and earth.

"What is that...?"

"It's coming from Master Xiao Yan's direction..."

"This is far beyond what a Grade 6 alchemist could do." The Grand Elder swallowed, horror flashing in his eyes. He had seen a Grade 7 master refine pills before, and that display had been nothing beside this.

A Grade 8 Pill? Or a Ninth Grade one? Did either require such a spectacle?

"Is this the pill he intends to refine?"

Queen Medusa's eyes held a complicated look. Only yesterday, she had told him a pill that could advance her bloodline would be difficult to refine. Today, he had unleashed something of this scale.

And the ability to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth like this was surely beyond a mere Dou Ling.

Could it be... had his teacher come in person?