"So that's how it is..."
Those words immediately brought Xu Taiping back to his senses.
His white bone aptitude made his cultivation painfully slow, and he urgently needed a way to speed it up, but if the danger truly was that great, there was no need to risk it.
"There's no rush to obtain the fire spirit mushroom. Our immediate priority is Seed Burning, so the earth fruit can undergo its second transformation."
Fairy Lingyue looked at Xu Taiping with a solemn expression.
"I understand. Tomorrow, I'll use these Merit Coins to buy a True Fire Talisman."
Xu Taiping nodded firmly.
Through his recent cultivation, he had come to understand just how slowly he progressed with white bone aptitude. The earth fruit had therefore become the key to breaking through his bottleneck.
Several days later.
At dusk.
"Xu Taiping, your purchase is here."
Bai Yu flew down in front of the Green Bamboo Abode, carrying an exquisite leather bag in the beak.
"Coming."
Xu Taiping's voice rang out from the courtyard.
Whoosh!
Almost at the very instant his voice sounded, Xu Taiping shot out of the Green Bamboo Abode like a gust of wind.
"Whoa, when did you learn the Wind Shadow Step?"
Bai Yu asked in astonishment.
"Yesterday."
Xu Taiping answered readily.
He had found the Wind Shadow Step among the Tiger Demon's hoard of treasures. Since he happened to lack a movement technique, he had simply learned it.
"As if I'd believe that."
Bai Yu rolled both eyes at Xu Taiping.
"It's only two moves. They're very simple."
Xu Taiping walked over, looking rather helpless.
The Wind Shadow Step was a respectable movement technique of the Azure Profound Sect, available to both outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples. However, outer sect disciples could practice only the first two steps of the Wind Shadow Seven Steps. The manual found on the Tiger Demon had belonged to an outer sect disciple who had died at the demon's hands.
"Catch."
With a flick of the beak, Bai Yu tossed the exquisite leather bag to Xu Taiping.
"Thank you."
Xu Taiping reached out and caught it.
"Little Taiping, you must have plundered quite a haul from that Tiger Demon, eh? Now you're even bold enough to shop at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."
Bai Yu teased Xu Taiping with a laugh.
The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was where the Azure Profound Sect sold magic artifacts and treasures. Its prices were exceedingly high, however, and few of its wares could be sold to outer sect disciples, so hardly any of them shopped there.
"I did make a little."
Xu Taiping smiled and scratched his head.
Seeing how honest Xu Taiping was, Bai Yu lost interest in teasing him further and flapped both wings. "Little Taiping, I still have deliveries to make, so I won't disturb you. I'll come over for roast lamb another day, when I have time."
"Of course. When you're free, send a feather to let me know in advance."
Xu Taiping nodded and agreed without hesitation.
"All right."
Bai Yu answered, then beat both wings hard and soared into the air.
"Sister Lingyue, the True Fire Talisman is here."
As soon as Bai Yu left, Xu Taiping swept back into the courtyard like another gust of wind. He shut the gate securely and called out to Fairy Lingyue as he headed toward the back courtyard.
What he had bought from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was precisely the True Fire Talisman needed for the earth fruit's Seed Burning.
Although it contained only the weakest firstfold true fire, far less powerful than threefold true fire, its price was anything but low. It had cost him a full two thousand one hundred Merit Coins.
Without the Tiger Demon's hoard, he probably would not have been able to scrape together that many Merit Coins until after joining the Seven Peaks.
"They actually dare charge two thousand one hundred Merit Coins for a True Fire Talisman of this grade. It seems the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has no intention of selling its wares to outer sect disciples."
With a single glance, Fairy Lingyue gained a rough understanding of the strength of the True Fire Talisman in Xu Taiping's hand.
"Can we use it for Seed Burning?"
Xu Taiping asked worriedly.
"It should just barely suffice for the first Seed Burning."
Fairy Lingyue nodded.
"That's a relief."
Xu Taiping let out a long breath.
Unlike Fairy Lingyue, he had grown accustomed to such unfairness since childhood, so he thought little of it.
"Before we begin the Seed Burning, there are still a few things we need to prepare. Come with me."
Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping.
"All right."
Xu Taiping nodded and followed her.
Late that night.
The Medicine Garden at the Green Bamboo Abode.
Boom!
Xu Taiping activated the pill cauldron magic artifact he had obtained from the Tiger Wraith once more, then placed the earth fruit's bean stalks, which he had dug out of the ground, inside.
"Next, activate the True Fire Talisman and place it in the cauldron."
Fairy Lingyue nodded to Xu Taiping.
"All right."
Without another word, Xu Taiping took out the True Fire Talisman he had bought for two thousand Merit Coins, channeled a strand of spiritual power into it, and tossed it into the pill furnace.
Boom!
The fire essence power within the True Fire Talisman erupted, becoming a mass of searing crimson flames that surged out of the pill furnace.
Although he had already retreated ten feet away, Xu Taiping could still feel the immense fire essence within those crimson flames. Even with crimson dawn true qi protecting his body, the heat scorched his cheeks painfully.
"Although firstfold true fire falls far short of threefold true fire and sixfold true fire, it is the bane of creatures such as Tiger Wraiths. Even that Demon Tiger couldn't remain in these flames for long."
As the true fire inside the furnace began burning the earth fruit's bean stalks, Fairy Lingyue took the opportunity to explain a little about true fire to Xu Taiping.
"Once my cultivation advances further, will I be able to refine firstfold true fire too?"
Xu Taiping gazed eagerly at the flames rising high from the pill furnace.
"Once you cultivate the Setting Sun Glow Art to its third level and reach full mastery of the gate opening realm, you should more or less be able to."
Fairy Lingyue nodded.
Reaching the third level of the Setting Sun Glow Art was, in fact, one of the signs of full mastery of the gate opening realm. At that point, Xu Taiping would be able to control his crimson dawn true qi freely.
"The third level..."
Xu Taiping murmured to himself.
A few days earlier, he had only just exchanged for the second level of the Setting Sun Glow Art through the bronze mirror, and he had yet to master it completely. The spontaneous generation of spiritual qi during his earlier breakthrough into the gate opening realm had merely been a fluke.
More importantly, only inner sect disciples could exchange for the third level of the Setting Sun Glow Art.
Thus, to advance any further, he had to pass the Seven Peaks' selection in two years.
I wonder if Sister Linglong and Brother Qingxiao still remember me.
He suddenly thought of Zhao Linglong and Qingxiao, who had brought him up the mountain.
Buzzz...
Just then, the pill furnace gave a faint, trembling hum. Immediately afterward, Xu Taiping saw its formerly crimson flames turn pure blue-green.
"Don't worry. This is the Earth Treasury Fruit undergoing its transformation. Once the blue-green flames die out, the earth fruit's seed will be mature."
Fairy Lingyue reassured Xu Taiping.
Hearing this, Xu Taiping immediately relaxed.
Sure enough, before long, the blue-green flames went out.
But just as Xu Taiping was about to retrieve the Earth Treasury Fruit from the pill furnace, the furnace suddenly split in two with a crack.
"This pill furnace was only a low-grade magic artifact. It couldn't withstand the scorching true fire. I'll help you find a better one in the future."
Seeing the regret filling Xu Taiping's eyes, Fairy Lingyue smiled and offered him another word of comfort.
"Yes, we'll definitely find a better one!"
Xu Taiping nodded firmly.
Then he pushed aside the broken pieces of the pill furnace and searched carefully through its contents, eventually finding a seed among the ashes.
"This... looks a little like the gourd seeds I planted as a child."
Xu Taiping held the unremarkable-looking seed between his fingers, his face full of wonder.
"That's right. After Seed Burning, the Earth Treasury Fruit's second transformation is the Gourd Fruit."
Fairy Lingyue smiled and nodded.
Before you continue