Xuan Yi: Can We Stop Bringing Up the Love Triangle?

"We can't refine Demon Puppets right now, we don't have any Eighth Rank Magic Cores... and the key is, even if we did, we wouldn't be willing to use them."

The corpses of two Dou Zun are Advanced materials for refining Demon Puppets, but if you want to use these two corpses to refine a real Heavenly Demon Puppet, then Eighth-Rank Magic Core and some white Dou Zun Solution are very necessary.

However, the rarity of Eighth-Rank Magic Cores...

Even the Central Plains don't produce much; at least Sun Buxiao searched through the Ice River Valley's inventory and the Storage Rings of several high-ranking officials but found nothing.

The main reason is the Magic Beast family system. Advanced Magic Beast are no different from humans. Eighth-Rank Magical Beast is equivalent to a human Dou Zun. This level of Magic Beast family...

Just think about it.

"You continue refining first. I need to make some preparations. Later, I need to send some things to the Hall of Souls Branch in the Southern Region."

Sun Buxiao waved his hand, signaling Xiao Yi Xian to continue refining the toxins from Bing He's body, while he himself began to ponder over a pile of Storage Rings.

The Hall of Souls should already know about the destruction of Ice River Valley... and without a doubt, this is one of their achievements.

Since it's considered an achievement, a portion of what I gained from the Ice River Valley should be handed over to the Hall of Souls.

After all, he was a loyal subject of the Hall of Souls!

Just pick something you don't need to make do...

However, resources are irrelevant. Ice River Valley was conquered by Sun Dog himself. Even if the Hall of Souls wants more resources, it's just a formality. What the Hall of Souls truly needs...

"But this thing..."

Sun Buxiao took out the Millet Porridge condensed from Tian Shuangzi's soul and licked his lips.

He divided Tian Shuangzi's Millet Porridge into two portions, one larger and one smaller, then filled the glass tube with regular Millet Porridge and shook it well.

Okay, the two copies of the Dou Zun Solution submitted to the Hall of Souls are complete.

The portion with more white Millet Porridge is what Bing He left behind after his death, the portion with less is what Tian Shuangzi left behind... The Hall of Souls can't tell the difference.

The Hall of Souls doesn't actually utilize souls very efficiently, at least not in Sun Dog's opinion. He had noticed this when he stayed at several Hall of Souls Branch, so even if his Millet Porridge was diluted, it could still fool them.

The truly good things should be kept for ourselves.

Well, although Sun Dog wasn't truly loyal to the Hall of Souls, his behavior certainly had the Hall of Souls's style.

Outsourcing.

Afterwards, perhaps we could discuss with the Heavenly Nightmare Saint, or even directly with Hun Miesheng, to see if we could intercept the Hall of Souls's Dou Zong Solution and then line our own pockets.

And the Hall of Souls should thank him.

"Don't laugh, little brother, what are you doing..."

Gu Ling seemed to have finished the meeting, so she came over and looked at Sun Buxiao, who was mixing the solution, with a hesitant expression.

"I'm currently selling the stolen goods, and while I'm at it, I'm also thinking about how to deal with those smiling tigers."

"You've finished your meeting? Oh wait, that guy from your Starfall Pavilion, what's his name, Sun Lang? I think that's it. Hasn't he been stuck at the Peak Nine-Star Dou Zong for several years? Could you call him over for a moment? I want to do some experiments."

After inserting the two vials of diluted solution into the Storage Ring that was to be sent to the Hall of Souls, Sun Buxiao stood up, took out the vial of solution from Bing He, and waved it at Gu Ling.

"Um?"

Gu Ling's face was completely blank.

"So... is there anything I need to do?"

Looking at this young man who was also Nine-Star Dou Zong, yet was already capable of Dou Zun expert, Sun Lang's face showed a hint of awe.

On the path of cultivation, the strong are respected, even if the other party is young, especially since the other party brought news of the Medicine Pavilion Master.

"Wait for me, let me try it myself first, just in case there's any danger if I turn around... Take a look at this first."

Sun Buxiao handed Sun Lang a piece of paper.

Sun Lang accepted it with a bewildered expression.

This product is not suitable for children, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with unstable emotions. Mild abdominal pain and dizziness may occur after consumption, but these are normal. Of course, most importantly, you will also experience a certain degree of negative emotional impact.

Sun Lang:???

What the heck?

This can be considered one of Sun Dog's traditional skills before serving Millet Porridge to others.

Sun Buxiao took a drop of the pure white solution, put it in his mouth, and sipped it.

This feeling...

He frowned and covered his Temples with his hands.

The difference between the mental shock and the Death Solution isn't significant, but the throbbing pain in the soul is much more intense than with the Death Solution.

To withstand this power, enduring the pain of the soul expanding is key—uh!

Sun Buxiao shook his head, trying to shake the feeling out of his head. His soul strength had already reached the edge of the Heaven Realm, and the pure solution had no effect on him.

But it's different for Sun Lang.

"Alright, you need to be careful to withstand the swelling pain in your soul, that's the most important thing. Also, those things you see are just some residual images left behind by Bing He before he died, don't worry about them."

"Keeping your true self is the most important thing, understand?"

Sun Buxiao grabbed Sun Lang's shoulder and said seriously.

"Could you please explain what you're going to do first?"

Sun Lang remains in a state of confusion to this day.

He was inexplicably summoned here by the Pavilion Master, and then Sun Buxiao started... acting crazy.

While saying this might be disrespectful to this powerful figure and benefactor of the Starfall Pavilion, it truly reflects Sun Lang's most direct opinion.

"Let's get to the point—your Dou Qi cultivation has been stuck at the Nine-Star Dou Zong for several years, which means there's nothing wrong with your Dou Qi cultivation itself. So the problem is quite obvious."

Sun Buxiao tapped Sun Lang's head.

"Soul!"

This is also the most important reason why most people are stuck at certain levels.

"And what I have in my hand... is the soul essence left behind when Bing He died. What you need to do now is to withstand the negative effects of this solution, and then—you will be able to complete the transformation of your soul and break through to the Dou Zun. Do you understand?"

"This is my innate ability to transform scattered souls into this liquid, so you can drink it without worry. According to your..."

In terms of Soul Power... half a tube, maybe. More than that might be a waste, or you might not be able to withstand the pressure.

Hearing Sun Buxiao's words, Sun Lang's eyes widened slightly, and then his breathing became rapid.

"You mean... as long as I take this, I can break through to the Dou Zun?"

"Correct answer."

Sun Buxiao nodded – as expected of a top student from the Starfall Pavilion, at least his ability to grasp the key points is quite good.

Is there any danger? What if they can't withstand such an impact...?

It was indeed something Gu Ling wanted to see the Starfall Pavilion gain an extra Dou Zun, but if the risks were too great... he was still uneasy.

"There are definitely risks involved, but if you want to become stronger... it's impossible to avoid taking risks, right?"

Sun Buxiao looked at Sun Lang with a smile, waiting for the other party's decision.

Sun Lang's expression changed rapidly as he looked at the half-tube of white solution that Sun Buxiao had placed in front of him, though the struggle hadn't actually lasted very long.

About ten seconds later, he picked up the half-tube of white solution.

"Pavilion Master, I still... don't want to give up this opportunity."

"Alright, then you can meditate here. I will Guardian you."

With a soft sigh, Gu Ling knew that the opportunity to become stronger was right in front of her, and not seizing it would make her a true weakling, so she could only nod.

After exhaling a breath of stale air, Sun Lang picked up the glass tube and poured all the solution inside into his mouth. Without swallowing, the solution transformed into a wondrous power that flowed into Sun Lang's limbs and bones.

Hmm, a strange smell...

A sharp, throbbing pain surged into his mind, and various fragments of pain flashed before his eyes. It had begun.

"It's not much different from the Death Solution, but its soul-strengthening effect is much stronger. It seems that the only way to develop a new type of solution is to wait until I break through to the Heaven-Realm Soul stage."

Sun Buxiao clicked his tongue in slight regret.

However, overall... it's probably because even Dou Zun's soul strength is only at the "Spirit Realm".

Therefore, the pure Death Solution that is condensed is not significantly different from the Death Solution, except that its utilization efficiency is even better.

Now it all depends on whether this Great Elder can break through to become Dou Zun. While Sun Buxiao and Gu Ling were still selling stolen goods in the Starfall Pavilion, the Eastern Region of the Central Plains had already fallen into complete chaos.

First, the Myriad Sword Pavilion began to greedily devour the territory that Ice River Valley had left before its demise. The two largest forces in the Eastern Region of the Central Plains were Ice River Valley and Myriad Sword Pavilion. Previously, the two forces checked each other and barely maintained a balance. Now that Ice River Valley had collapsed, Myriad Sword Pavilion had become the sole dominant force.

Sword Venerable's face broke into a wide grin.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Myriad Sword Pavilion devoured a large area of land in a very short time, expanding its territory by nearly double.

However, the Myriad Sword Pavilion's encroachment ended there. Even with the foundation of a mere Dou Zun Myriad Sword Pavilion couldn't hold onto any larger territories it conquered.

Then there's the Pill Tower.

The location of Pill Tower is considered to be in the center of Central Plains, and it is not far from Ice River Valley. However, Pill Tower not interested in territory. Instead, it controls various economic industries in the Eastern Region and strives to collect various resources.

Aside from the open and covert rivalry between the Pill Tower and the Myriad Sword Pavilion (as the Myriad Sword Pavilion sees it), various smaller forces at the Dou Zong-level are fighting tooth and nail.

Amidst this chaotic situation, everyone is speculating about which Major Forces will take over the Eastern Region.

Eventually, a Major Forces will surely emerge and reclaim its ecological niche in the Ice River Valley. Everyone knows this, but at least for now... there's no sign of that yet. The Eastern Region will likely remain in chaos for some time.

The most likely candidate is Sun Buxiao, who rose to prominence unexpectedly. However, after the Battle of Shuocheng Sun Buxiao returned to the Starfall Pavilion with Venerable Feng and there has been no news of him since.

However, at the same time, inside the Pill Tower...

"Is this what you brought back?"

"This is truly... unheard of!"

The one speaking was Xuan Yi, one of the Pill Tower Giant, who looked at the tube of dark blue solution with an extremely serious expression.

Her soul perception could clearly sense the fear within the solution, but...

Aside from the power of fear, what remained was an incredibly rich and pure Soul Power, so pure that she had never even seen it before!

"As long as you can withstand the onslaught of fear, you can use this to directly strengthen your soul!"

"Where did you find this thing?"

Xuan Yi suddenly turned his head and looked at the Pill Tower disciple who had bought these solutions.

"Um, at the Shuocheng Auction House?"

"This is actually the item that Sun Buxiao auctioned... At the time, we didn't think it was anything special, but then the Battle of Shuocheng happened, and considering Sun Buxiao's special status, we brought this item back."

The Pill Tower disciple shrank back and said.

With Pill Tower's power, it would be easy to figure out who's behind each item in the auction.

But he didn't expect Sun Buxiao to be such a ruthless person... Generally speaking, even if a battle across levels happens, it would only happen to someone below the Dou Emperor. Who knows where this freak who could fight Dou Zong against Dou Zun came from?

So he took the items that Sun Buxiao auctioned to Pill Tower, and it turns out he made the right choice.

As expected, the things that Sun Buxiao threw out were all big-ticket items.

"Good stuff, really good stuff!"

Xuan Kongzi, another Pill Tower Giant, also stared at the Fear Solution with shining eyes. He could sense that the pure Soul Power contained within it, if fully absorbed, could easily help a Mortal Realm soul transform into Spirit-Realm Soul!

"Sun Buxiao... there are actually some suspicious points about this person."

Another elderly man, standing in a triangular formation with Xuan Yi and Xuan Kongzi Xuan Yi, frowned slightly as he looked at the Fear Solution, his eyes filled with hesitation. His name was Tian Leizi, and he was also a Pill Tower Giant.

"That's true..."

Xuan Kongzi nodded, but also had some doubts.

Sun Buxiao is just too... mysterious.

They inexplicably appeared in Central Plains and inexplicably got into a conflict with the Ice River Valley.

They wiped out Ice River Valley for no apparent reason.

So far, apart from knowing that he is very strong, no other details are known. The current mainstream speculation is that this Sun Buxiao is a powerful figure who crossed space from the edge of the Dou Qi Continent to come to Central Plains in search of an opportunity to become stronger, but it is unknown whether this is reliable or not.

"... Should we contact the Starfall Pavilion?"

"Although Sun Buxiao's origins are a mystery, you all know how valuable this stuff is. If we had enough of this solution, those disciples in our Pill Tower who are stuck on the edge of becoming Seventh-Grade Alchemists would all be able to undergo a transformation. At that time, the overall scale of our Pill Tower would definitely reach a new level, and we wouldn't have to be so restrained when facing the Hall of Souls."

Tian Leizi looked at Xuan Yi, then at Xuan Kongzi, and said seriously.

All three of them highly approved of the solution's effectiveness, but only two tubes were available. Several other tubes had slightly weaker effects, which was far from enough for the large and powerful Pill Tower company.

The three leaders fell silent, weighing the pros and cons of the matter.

Final..

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi both looked at Xuan Yi.

Xuan Yi:...?

Why are you all looking at me?

She spread her hands, looking at her two colleagues with a blank expression.

"Um...

... Xuan Yi, I remember you and Starfall Pavilion have a past relationship?"

Xuan Kongzi said with a smirk.

Xuan Yi's brows furrowed.

Do you really have to bring this up?

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi shrank back and stopped talking.

Xuan Yi sighed and shook his head gently.

She, Yao Chen, and Senior Sister Han Shanshan... Their story was known throughout the entire Pill Tower. But later, Han Shanshan died, and after Yao Chen adopted that little bastard named Han Feng, he seemed to avoid relationships. Xuan Yi, heartbroken, stopped pursuing Yao Chen.

But what followed was... news of Yao Chen's death.

She did have some past connections with the Starfall Pavilion and knew Venerable Feng, Gu Ling, but that was all. This matter... making her step forward would not only be awkward, but also leave her feeling powerless.

"Let's contact Starfall Pavilion through official channels. I can personally intervene, but I can't represent myself."

"I'm representing Pill Tower."

After closing his eyes and thinking for a few minutes, Xuan Yi opened them and said helplessly.

I heard that Gu Ling has been searching for Yao Chen all these years, although I no longer hold that belief, but...

If you see it, it's best to ask.

"Yes, things should be fine now. The Great Elder's soul has completely stabilized, which means his soul did not collapse under the onslaught of negative emotions and memories of the Bing He."

"Next is breaking through to the Soul Realm, and then breaking through to the Dou Zun. This process may take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on how smoothly the Great Elder progresses."

"I am deeply grateful, Young Friend Sun. If you ever need my Gu Ling in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"From now on, my Starfall Pavilion will be your most steadfast ally, Young Friend Young Friend Sun!"

Gu Ling was at a loss for words and could only bow to Sun Buxiao in thanks.

Sun Buxiao had only been around for less than three months, yet he had already helped him immensely, not only bringing back news of Yao Chen but also adding a Dou Zun to the Starfall Pavilion.

Saying it's like being given a second life is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's definitely a great favor.

"Hey, hey, the one in front is fine, but the one behind won't do."

"Come on, now we should have established a relationship of trust, right? So there are some things I can openly discuss with you."

Sun Buxiao laughed as he led Gu Ling into the Quiet Chamber next door.

What does Young Friend Sun intend to say?

Seeing Sun Buxiao's expression gradually turn serious, Gu Ling's expression also became serious.

"Well, what I want to say can only be heard by the two of us - this is related to the future structure of the entire continent, and it is also the most fundamental purpose of me, and Xiao Yan in the future, coming to Zhongzhou."

Let me show you this first.

Sun Buxiao took out his Hall of Souls Elder's Token and placed it in front of Gu Ling.

"This is my second identity."

"Besides being the Sect Master of the Heavenly Poison Gate, I am also— Elder of the Hall of Souls."

"This identity is extremely important."

Upon hearing Sun Buxiao's words, Gu Ling's pupils constricted sharply.

The Hall of Souls Elder —what does that mean?