"Senior Kumu wasn't driving you away!"
At the front of the valley, Wang Dun walked alongside He Pingsheng, comforting him as they went. "It's because your main spiritual root is the Fire Attribute. There really isn't much use for you here most of the time!"
"Don't worry. Senior Kumu plants Blazing Sun Flowers every year!"
"If he needs disciples to tend them next year, I'll definitely pick you!"
He Pingsheng smiled. "It's fine... By the way, Senior Brother Wang, this alchemy furnace of yours..."
He took out the palm-sized alchemy furnace.
The flesh on Wang Dun's face twitched slightly. "Junior Brother... that's a low-grade magical artifact. I spent over fifty spirit stones on it back then!"
"I thought that since I had metal, fire, and wood spiritual roots, I could refine pills. Maybe I could even become an outstanding alchemist someday, and make my path of cultivation a good deal smoother!"
"Unfortunately, after trying a few times, I realized I simply wasn't cut out for it!"
"Ah... what a waste of money!"
"Keep it with you for now. Once I have the spirit stones, I'll come redeem it. A real man's word carries the weight of nine cauldrons. I can't go back on it!"
"Ah..." Wang Dun let out another deep sigh. "Actually, I should have sold it last time I went to Horsehead Mountain. But I still had a little hope left in my heart. I kept thinking I might become an alchemist someday!"
"Forget it, forget it. Enough of that!"
Seeing how insistent Wang Dun was, He Pingsheng nodded. "All right... Here's my home address. Just come find me beforehand when the time comes!"
He Pingsheng gave Wang Dun a slip of paper bearing the address of his home in the small town below the outer sect's mountain.
Once they reached the valley entrance, He Pingsheng bade Wang Dun farewell and headed down the mountain alone.
He returned to his little courtyard.
He Pingsheng closed the door, then took out everything he had acquired recently to take stock.
First!
Two Divine Refining cultivation manuals, one belonging to the demonic path and the other to Orthodox Xuanmen.
Next, two Paper Cranes, each capable of twelve flights.
Finally, a bottle of [Blazing Sun Flower] pollen.
Of course, there was also an alchemy furnace, but it did not belong to He Pingsheng yet, so he could not count it as his own.
It was merely being kept with him for the time being.
His gains this time were considerable.
Yet however he looked at them, they had not fulfilled his cultivation goals.
After all, there were neither spirit stones nor pills.
"The Fire Attribute energy in this Blazing Sun Flower pollen has almost completely dissipated!" He Pingsheng took out the jade bottle, opened the lid, and glanced inside, pursing his lips. "In another ten days, this stuff will probably be utterly worthless!"
The originally scarlet pollen had already begun turning pale.
Sell it now?
With it in this lousy condition, Abundant Harmony Manor probably wouldn't even accept it, would they?
Besides, I've only just come down from the mountain. If I rush straight off to Horsehead Mountain, that fellow Kumu might grow suspicious.
What if he's watching me?
Forget it!
I can't take the risk.
He Pingsheng stared at the pollen in his hand, thinking it might still be salvageable!
"Let's do this!"
He Pingsheng took out his Treasure-Gathering Basin, opened the bottle, and poured all the pollen into it.
Then came the wait.
But He Pingsheng could hardly sit idle while he waited!
Although he could not cultivate the Lihuo True Method, he could still practice Divine Refining!
Back to it!
Early the next morning!
He Pingsheng pulled the Treasure-Gathering Basin out from beneath his bed.
The powder that had begun turning pale had now changed color entirely.
Purple!
He drew in sharp breaths...
"This is... supreme grade?" He Pingsheng was stunned.
Wang Dun had told him that Blazing Sun Flowers came in four grades: low grade was scarlet, middle grade was yellow, high grade was gold, and supreme grade was purple.
He Pingsheng had only wanted to restore its quality. He had never expected to accidentally push it straight to the very top.
Supreme grade!
But...
Looking at what lay in the basin, He Pingsheng found himself in a quandary again.
If he took this to Abundant Harmony Manor or anywhere else, it would inevitably cause a sensation. Even setting aside whether someone might drag him away and slice him up for study, if word of this reached Kumu's ears, He Pingsheng would have no way to explain himself.
His face turned bitter. "Couldn't you have just given me middle grade instead?"
"Forget it... I'll put it away for now!"
He Pingsheng bottled the pollen again.
He had poured in only one bottle, yet now it filled two whole bottles.
Since it was no use anyway, he would put it away for now.
Over the days that followed, He Pingsheng continued practicing Divine Refining.
One day, two days, three days!
In the blink of an eye, another four months passed.
For those four months, he did nothing but cultivate the [Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula].
His divine sense had also reached the fourth level of the Qi Refining Chapter.
At last, it had caught up with his cultivation.
Boom...
At that moment, He Pingsheng's divine sense spread out like a net blanketing heaven and earth.
His divine sense, which had previously reached only about ten zhang, could now extend more than thirty zhang around him.
Inside the house and outside it, every minute detail stood revealed.
"Huh... is that... snow?"
Absorbed in cultivation, He Pingsheng had forgotten the passing of time. When he opened the door, he saw snow already fluttering thickly outside.
The ground, the rooftops, the distant mountains-everywhere was pure white.
"Another year has passed!" He Pingsheng looked himself over with a sigh.
He was sixteen now.
Compared with when he had gone to Bamboo Peak to carry water the year before last, his appearance had changed completely.
He had grown a foot taller and considerably sturdier, while his slightly childish face had transformed into that of a resolute youth.
Anyone unfamiliar with him would never recognize him at first glance.
"Heh..." Watching the snow flutter down through the air, He Pingsheng turned his gaze toward the Great Void Sect. "That fellow Wang Dun-it's been four months, and he hasn't said a word about paying back my spirit stones!"
"Does he not want his alchemy furnace anymore?"
As he spoke, He Pingsheng went back inside and took out the two jade bottles.
They had originally contained supreme-grade [Blazing Sun Flower] pollen, but after four months of losing its medicinal potency, its quality had dropped considerably.
It was yellow now, probably only middle grade.
Looking at the swirling snow outside, He Pingsheng decided it was time to visit the Horsehead Mountain Market.
Before leaving, though, he needed to put all his belongings into the Treasure-Gathering Basin.
Finally, he changed into ordinary clothes, taking off the Daoist robe bearing the Great Void Sect's insignia.
That way, even if he stirred up a few waves, he would not have to worry about anyone tracing them back to the Profound Mystery Sect.
Cold wind struck his face, and the snow drifting through the air was like primordial chaos.
He Pingsheng thought this heavy snow was perfect. It would obscure him from other people's eyes as he flew.
He did not dare take off from his own courtyard, however. Instead, he walked all the way to Hao Yun's grave before taking out a Paper Crane and activating it.
A flash of spiritual light passed, and the Paper Crane instantly grew to over a zhang in size.
He Pingsheng jumped onto the Paper Crane and, with a stir of his divine sense, guided it into the air.
The Paper Crane shot high into the sky with a whoosh.
He Pingsheng looked down beneath his feet. Between heaven and earth, all was boundless haze and swirling chaos.
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