"No wonder that fellow was so intent on getting the Bodhi Fruit. He actually had a recipe for the Bodhi Vajra Pill."
"Ten-thousand-year purple bamboo liquid, everlasting rehmannia essence... he'd already gathered all these ingredients apart from the Bodhi Fruit."
"With that old man's cultivation, gathering all these ingredients couldn't have been easy," Fang Ling said with a smile.
While sorting through the belongings left by the master and disciple, he had found quite a few good things.
Tian Quanzi had toiled for half his life, hovering between life and death time and again, before finally gathering all these ingredients.
Now, in the blink of an eye, they had all become Fang Ling's.
He had every ingredient needed to refine the pill. It would hardly be right not to put them to use.
But he had no proficiency whatsoever in pill refining, and none of his masters had ever taught him.
"That old fellow Master Qingmu seems to know how to refine pills, but who knows when he'll reach Dragon City."
"Physician Dou next door seems quite capable. Why not..."
He left his room, walked to the door next door, and knocked softly.
"Who is it?" Dou Qin's voice came from inside, carrying a trace of wariness.
"It's me, Fang Ling from next door," he replied.
With a clunk, Dou Qin's young disciple opened the door.
She looked a little frightened. As soon as she opened it, she scrambled back onto the bed and hid beneath the covers.
Naturally, both master and disciple had clearly heard the screams from next door earlier, which was why they seemed so uneasy.
"It's so late. What can I do for you, Young Master Fang?" Dou Qin asked.
Her high-piled bun had already been let down; it seemed she had already gone to bed.
Fang Ling took out Tian Quanzi's pill recipe and handed it to her.
"Here's the thing. I have a pill recipe, and I'd like you to take a look at it, Physician Dou," he said.
Dou Qin took the recipe and studied it carefully for a while before saying, "This recipe accords with the principles of pill refining and medicinal properties. There shouldn't be any problems."
"But it calls for exceptionally fine ingredients. These materials are rare, and even money won't easily buy them."
"Then what effects does this Bodhi Vajra Pill have?" Fang Ling asked.
"Naturally, it strengthens the body," Dou Qin replied. "And its effects are terrifying. It can bring out ten times the medicinal efficacy of a Bodhi Fruit!"
"However, the Bodhi Vajra Pill's medicinal properties are far too fierce. If the person taking it lacks sufficient bodily strength, that violent medicinal power will burst them apart instead."
"That's why the Bodhi Vajra Pill is also called the Life-Reaping Pill. Its fatality rate is very high."
"Many people think their bodies are strong enough to withstand the impact of the Bodhi Vajra Pill's medicinal power, but in reality..."
"Thank you for clearing that up, Physician Dou." Fang Ling nodded. "There's also something else I'd like to trouble you with."
"I actually have both the recipe and the ingredients. I simply lack the skill to refine pills."
"If you're willing to help refine it, Physician Dou, I'll give you a reward you'll be satisfied with."
At his words, Dou Qin's dark brows knitted slightly, and she looked hesitant. "Well..."
"If you have any concerns, Physician Dou, please speak freely!" Fang Ling said.
"Young Master Fang, do you know the rules for commissioning someone to refine pills?" Dou Qin asked. "Pill refining is inherently full of uncertainty."
"So even the most skilled pill refiner will sometimes fail."
"And once that happens, all the ingredients painstakingly gathered will go down the drain."
"As for the losses involved..."
Fang Ling had never commissioned anyone to refine pills, but hearing Dou Qin's words, he understood what concerned her.
He immediately replied, "Please go ahead without worry, Physician Dou. If you accidentally ruin the pill, that's fine. I absolutely won't demand any compensation from you."
"With that assurance, Young Master Fang, I can help." Dou Qin murmured her assent and nodded.
"Then what would you like as payment, Physician Dou?" Fang Ling asked again.
"Name your price. As long as it isn't excessive, I'll certainly meet it."
Dou Qin smiled gently and said, "It seems you really do seldom venture out, Young Master Fang. There are many things you aren't familiar with."
"For us pill refiners, experience is the most precious thing."
"And the Bodhi Vajra Pill you want me to refine is a superior-grade pill."
"Both its ingredients and its recipe are seldom seen."
"Rather than saying you're commissioning me to refine a pill, it would be more accurate to say I'm basking in your reflected glory, fortunate enough to refine such a batch of precious pills."
"I'd be embarrassed to ask for payment. You needn't stand on such ceremony, Young Master Fang."
Since she wanted no payment, Fang Ling was happy to accept.
He then took out all the ingredients for refining the Bodhi Vajra Pill and placed them on the table.
Dou Qin inspected them one by one and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with any of them.
"It's late. I'll fire up the furnace and begin refining tomorrow."
"If nothing unexpected happens, it should take about seven or eight days."
"Please don't wander too far during that time, Young Master Fang, lest I be unable to find you when it's ready," she said.
Fang Ling nodded. "All right! I'll stay with the White Family during that time and await your good news."
Meanwhile, in Bai Jiang's room.
"Big brother, I asked the servants."
"About a quarter of an hour ago, Tian Quanzi and his disciple went to visit Young Master Fang."
"They never came back out after going inside. That scream was also..."
"Just now, an attendant saw Young Master Fang leave his room alone and go next door to Physician Dou's room, where he stayed for a short while," Bai Bo said.
Hearing this, Bai Jiang snorted coldly. "That fellow Tian Quanzi truly didn't know his place!"
"What sort of person is Young Master Fang? How could they possibly afford to provoke him?"
"That scoundrel must have been scheming to get that Bodhi Fruit and displeased Young Master Fang."
"Big brother, Tian Quanzi had some standing in our Southern Sun Kingdom's cultivation world. If word gets out that he died horribly at our White Family estate, I'm afraid..." Bai Bo murmured.
Bai Jiang pondered for a moment, then said, "Keep the news under wraps as much as possible. Don't let anyone know he came to our White Family estate."
"Fortunately, that old fellow always put on airs because of his status and offended quite a few fellow cultivators."
"The physicians who came with him should be willing to help us keep this secret."
"Young Master Fang... isn't as gentle and amiable as he appears, either. Immediately order everyone in the estate to treat him well. There must not be the slightest neglect."
"Don't worry, big brother. I've already given the instructions. No one will be foolish enough to offend him," Bai Bo replied.
After leaving Dou Qin's room, Fang Ling did not return to his own. Instead, he flew out of the city.
Naturally, he had come alone to these desolate mountains to refine that piece of the Sword in the Stone.
He had previously tried many methods, but none had allowed him to bypass the amber shell and directly absorb the Sword Qi within.
Thus, only one path remained: forcibly break through the shell with external force.
He hefted the piece of amber, then hurled it upward with all his strength.
Then he condensed the Blood Sword in his hand and slashed at it.
He held nothing back in this strike. He had thought it would split the stone shell, but it failed.
"Looks like I need an even stronger attack."
He drew a deep breath, and the might of the Blood Sword in his hand surged. "Dragon-Slaying!"
This strike shook heaven and earth, rocked the cosmos, and brimmed with murderous intent.
Every nearby mountain peak was sheared flat by the rippling Sword Qi.
Dragon-Slaying, Heaven-Questioning, and Prison-Subduing were three supreme sword strikes created by the Sword Demon himself, embodying his hundred thousand years of invincible swordsmanship.
Even though Fang Ling could now grasp only the barest surface of them, they were still terrifying.
Under the slash of this supreme sword strike, the hard stone shell finally could no longer hold and shattered with a crack.
The little sword suspended within the amber transformed into a golden streak of sword light and shot into Fang Ling's body with a whoosh.
Finally, it appeared between his brows, only to vanish again in a flash.
"What was hidden inside wasn't Sword Qi at all, but a sword soul!" Fang Ling exclaimed in shock.
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