Evergreen Temple.
Evergreen Master and Daoist Xuanqing, the martial brothers, sat in a waterside pavilion, leisurely savoring spiritual tea.
"Senior Brother, what do you think of the trade proposed in my young disciple's letter?" Daoist Xuanqing asked unhurriedly, setting down the white porcelain tea cup with blue patterns in his hand.
Yesterday, Fang Heng had sent a letter containing something that had greatly shocked Daoist Xuanqing.
Fang Heng wanted to trade five extraordinary items for Evergreen Temple's extraordinary Heavenly Gang Sword Orb.
The Heavenly Gang Sword Orb was an exceptionally special extraordinary item within Evergreen Temple.
Judging by its name, it seemed to be an offensive extraordinary item, much like a flying sword.
In truth, it was not.
It was an extraordinary item for escape techniques.
The Heavenly Gang Sword Orb could assist its user in merging body and sword, turning their body into sword-light, granting unparalleled escape techniques.
Whether used in spell combat or to flee for one's life, it was peerless.
The Heavenly Gang Sword Orb was enormously valuable.
Five for one—Daoist Xuanqing was quite tempted.
If they had been ordinary extraordinary items, Daoist Xuanqing could have agreed in a single breath.
But the Heavenly Gang Sword Orb was, after all, an exceedingly rare extraordinary item for escape techniques. Daoist Xuanqing still had to consult Evergreen Master, his senior martial brother and the temple master.
Evergreen Master accepted the letter and read it patiently.
A moment later, he nodded slightly.
"Then do as you say, Junior Brother."
"Have Yichen bring the Heavenly Gang Sword Orb and make a trip to Yujing City."
Fang Heng had no idea that Evergreen Temple had already agreed to his five-for-one request.
At this moment, looking at the Qi Nurturing Pills in his hand, he could not help grinning smugly.
His first attempt at alchemy had succeeded.
And he had even refined five Qi Nurturing Pills in one go.
With such a success rate, even a proper alchemist would have considered it a fine achievement.
"I really am an alchemy genius."
"Not only am I good at refining pills myself, I'm even this good at teaching others."
Autumn ripples flowed through Xiao Luoyu's bright eyes, shimmering with strange radiance.
Little Junior Brother was the one who understood me best.
It would be wonderful if Little Junior Brother became the temple master.
Then all those herbs in the temple treasury would be mine to use as I pleased.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother. Your very first pill refinement succeeded," Xiao Luoyu said joyfully in congratulations.
"It was all thanks to Senior Sister's excellent guidance."
"Of course it was!"
Xiao Luoyu beamed, lifting her fair chin slightly with an expression that said, Who do you think I am?
At that moment, her confidence in her teaching ability had swelled to bursting.
Seeing Xiao Luoyu like this, Fang Heng's mouth twitched slightly.
He could not bring himself to dampen her spirits.
"Second Senior Sister, does the temple have any pill formulas that require Yin-Yang Dual Flames to refine?"
"Little Junior Brother, you want to cultivate the Dual-Flame Alchemy Method? That won't be easy."
"This is a technique only Alchemy Masters can master."
The moment Xiao Luoyu heard Fang Heng's question, she understood.
Using two different flames at once for pill refinement was an extremely advanced method of flame control.
Ordinary alchemists simply could not grasp it.
"Your Junior Brother plans to enter the alchemy competition at the Five Emperors Dharma Assembly, so naturally I have to aim high."
"I see."
"But at the Five Emperors Dharma Assembly, this Senior Sister won't go easy on you."
Upon hearing that Fang Heng intended to participate in the Five Emperors Dharma Assembly, the doubts in Xiao Luoyu's heart immediately vanished.
In truth, beyond the superficial reason of participating in the Five Emperors Dharma Assembly.
The deeper reason was to prepare for refining the Heretical Poison Pill.
Refining the Heretical Poison Pill required Yin-Yang Dual Flames.
Before that, Fang Heng naturally needed to practice with other pills first.
"The Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill requires Yin-Yang Dual Flames."
"Its medicinal nature carries yang within yin and yin within yang. It can assist Jade Liquid Realm cultivators in harmonizing yin and yang and advancing into Myriad Manifestations."
Xiao Luoyu gave Fang Heng the pill formula for the Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill.
The Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill was exceedingly valuable.
Its ability to assist Jade Liquid Realm cultivators in advancing to the Myriad Manifestations Realm showed just how valuable it was.
The herbs it required were also quite precious.
However, neither Xiao Luoyu nor Fang Heng cared about that.
The ingredients for refining the Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill were indeed rare and precious to ordinary people.
But for Fang Heng, a prince, they were not difficult to obtain.
"Thank you, Senior Sister!"
After taking his leave, Fang Heng hurried back to the prince's residence and had Yun Menglan gather the ingredients for the Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill.
Fortunately, the internal treasury of the prince's residence had all the ingredients needed to refine the Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill, so Fang Heng did not need to search for them himself.
After taking ten sets of ingredients for the Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pill, Fang Heng began his closed-door cultivation.
Inside the pill chamber.
Fang Heng and Fire Barbarian sat facing each other.
Their expressions were solemn as they focused their minds and calmed their breaths.
"Begin!"
Fang Heng unleashed Pill Fire. Grounded in the Everlasting Evergreen Scripture, it was yang fire.
Fire Barbarian excelled at controlling fire; that was also why Fang Heng had bought him in the first place.
However, Fire Barbarian was a ghostly being. The white Ghost Fire he unleashed was yin in nature, icy cold to the extreme.
With Fire Barbarian's help, Fang Heng had taken a shortcut and exploited a loophole, directly mastering a flame-control method that only Alchemy Masters possessed.
Fang Heng had to admit that the Ghost Controller lineage held considerable potential.
If not for their inability to resolve the backlash problem, they would not have ultimately declined into obscurity.
"Fire Barbarian, faster."
"Fire Barbarian, make the flame stronger."
At first, Fang Heng and Fire Barbarian's cooperation was rather stumbling.
But as their coordination deepened, they became increasingly in sync.
It was as though their minds were connected, as though they were one person.
With a humming sound!
The pill furnace trembled.
A rich pill fragrance spread out from within the furnace.
Looking at the two crystalline Myriad Manifestations Reversion Pills inside the pill furnace, Fang Heng nodded slightly.
"It's done!"
"Next comes the Heretical Poison Pill."
After laying so much groundwork, it was finally time to get to the heart of the matter.
Fang Heng took a deep breath.
Rather than immediately beginning to refine the Heretical Golden Core, he chose to leave seclusion and frolic with Yun Menglan for a while, adjusting his state.
Yun Menglan seemed to sense something. Her slender jade-like hand stroked Fang Heng's chest, concern appearing in her beautiful eyes.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Don't worry. I merely obtained a secret method that will help with detoxification."
"I plan to try it!"
"Your Highness, you must put your safety first—not only for yourself, but for me as well."
Yun Menglan spoke softly. Paired with the charm of a beautiful mature woman from the watery towns south of the Yangtze, even steel tempered a hundred times could turn into softness wrapped around one's fingers.
"Don't worry. Once I leave seclusion, I'll still be waiting for you to ride the lotus," Fang Heng said with a smile.
Yun Menglan rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed.
Why was His Highness's mind always full of those shameful acts?
How could a woman ride on top?
That was utterly disrespectful!
Fang Heng had suggested it last time, but Yun Menglan had refused.
This time... Yun Menglan hesitated.
"Once Your Highness leaves seclusion, even if I must ride for an entire night, this concubine will accompany you to the end."
Determination filled Yun Menglan's brows as she watched Fang Heng enter the cultivation chamber, as though she were watching her newlywed husband lead an army on a distant expedition.
Entering the cultivation chamber, Fang Heng sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and calmed his breath.
After circulating the Everlasting Evergreen Scripture through three cycles.
His eyes slowly opened, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"Fire Barbarian, begin."
"Heretical Poison Pill!"
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