Chapter 251: Zhurong Pill Successfully Refined, Breaking Through to Third-Tier Alchemy Grandmaster!

After leaving the room, Qin Ming instructed Yan Ruyan, who was tending the spiritual fields outside.

"This old man has matters to attend to and will be gone for a few days; during this time, I leave the spiritual fields in your care. Also, do not forget to cast the Spirit Rain Technique several times every three days on those few spiritual herbs."

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Yan Ruyan hurriedly replied, "This junior will keep Elder Yu's words in mind."

She was already exhausted to the point where her front stuck to her back, yet she never expected she would still have to water the spiritual herbs with Spirit Rain; she could only hope time would pass quickly so this ordeal of a task would end soon.

Qin Ming nodded, then flew out of the Jade Bamboo Forest, reported his departure at the Steward's Hall of Qianyuan Peak, and left Xuanxi Valley.

More than an hour later.

Qin Ming activated his True Demon Illusion, once again transforming into the appearance of Daoist Long, and arrived at Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng.

This time, he headed straight for the location of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge within the city.

However, along the way, Qin Ming noticed some rather abnormal phenomena.

Specifically, the security within Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng seemed much stricter than before, and there were also quite a few cultivators from Xuanxi Valley participating in the patrols together.

Carrying his doubts, he reached the Mirror Jing Xue Ge branch in the Yunze Xiancheng and only then learned that, a month ago, several small waves of demonic beasts had actually assaulted Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng.

Fortunately, the scale of the beast herds was not large, so they did not cause too much damage to the Yunze Xiancheng.

Nevertheless, it served as a wake-up call for the State of Liang; ever since the previous beast tide was quelled, such a situation had never occurred again.

Now, it seemed they were beginning to stir restlessly once more.

"Senior Long, may I ask what I can do to assist you on this visit?"

The person managing the Mirror Jing Xue Ge branch within Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng was an old acquaintance of Qin Ming—Auntie Long.

Ever since the Chu Tianhe Market City was destroyed, she had been transferred by headquarters to the State of Liang, which was something Qin Ming only learned of later.

"Mm, this one urgently needs a batch of spiritual materials; I wonder if your pavilion can help me gather them?" Having said this, Qin Ming took out a sheet of paper he had prepared long ago and handed it to Auntie Long.

Roughly written upon it were seven or eight types of third-tier spiritual herbs; among them, some auxiliary materials Qin Ming already possessed, so there was no need to seek those again.

"Third-tier Golden Source Fruit, third-tier Purple Fire Dragon Scale Grass, third-tier Jasper Blood Earth Spirit Milk..."

Auntie Long read through the spiritual materials listed above line by line; without exception, they were all of the third tier, and she could not help but be secretly astonished.

No matter how she tried, she could not guess what purpose this powerful Senior Daoist Long before her had for needing so many third-tier spiritual materials; as the Shopkeeper of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, she would not inquire into a client's privacy.

Yet at the same time, Auntie Long felt extremely excited in her heart.

Because if this deal succeeded, it would add a brilliant and significant stroke to her performance record! After all, these were all third-tier spiritual materials; any single one of them would be exorbitantly priced in the outside world, requiring a veritable fortune to purchase.

If she were still at the Chu Tianhe Market City in the spiritual energy Archipelago, naturally she would be unable to obtain these third-tier spiritual materials.

But this was the State of Liang, and moreover, the most prosperous Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng.

The third-tier spiritual materials Qin Ming needed could still be procured here.

After pondering for a moment, Auntie Long then spoke to Qin Ming:

"Senior Long, the spiritual materials you require can all be gathered by our pavilion; however, it will take some time, roughly seven days or so; do you find that acceptable?"

"No problem, as long as the quality of the spiritual materials is guaranteed," Qin Ming replied in a muffled voice.

"By the way, since the amount of this transaction is huge, could you... perhaps prepay a portion of the deposit?"

"I have the authority to offer Senior Long a twenty percent discount," Auntie Long asked.

Qin Ming nodded. "How much needs to be prepaid?"

"Just pay five thousand mid-grade spirit stones first; the remaining spirit stones can be made up once the goods arrive," Auntie Long said.

Qin Ming immediately deftly took out five thousand mid-grade stones and handed them over to the other party.

Auntie Long accepted the spirit stones with a beaming smile; she had not expected 'Daoist Long' to be so straightforward.

Over the next few days.

Under Auntie Long's arrangement, Qin Ming stayed at the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, waiting for the spiritual materials to arrive.

The Shi Tian Shu inside the spirit beast bag was even more excited and agitated for several consecutive days.

During these few days, looking out into the city through the windows of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, Qin Ming could clearly sense a feeling of an approaching storm.

If even the powerful Immortal Realm of the State of Liang was like this, needless to say, the other three states were no different.

Five days later.

Qin Ming's room door was knocked upon; it was Auntie Long who had come.

"Senior Long, everything has arrived in full; are you available now?"

He opened his eyes from his meditative state, then rose to open the door, welcoming Auntie Long inside.

Qin Ming had not expected it to be this fast; it seemed the cultivation resources of Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng were truly exceptionally abundant.

Far beyond what the State of Wei could compare to.

"Senior Long, the third-tier spiritual materials you requested are all here; please take a look and see if they are satisfactory?"

Having said this, Auntie Long handed a storage bag to Qin Ming.

After opening it, Qin Ming inspected each of the seven or eight spiritual materials contained within the jade boxes one by one and confirmed there were no errors.

"Mm, the quality of these spiritual materials is quite good; they suit my intentions perfectly."

Next, Qin Ming made up the remaining spirit stones, then bid farewell to Auntie Long and left the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

"Senior Long, things are unsettled outside these days; you must be extremely careful. If you need any help, you may come find me within the city."

With a smile on her face, Auntie Long personally escorted 'Daoist Long' out the door.

"Thank you for the reminder, Shopkeeper Long; this one may still need quite a few spiritual materials later, and at that time, I will return to your honorable pavilion."

Upon hearing these words, Auntie Long smiled even more happily; if she could secure such a super VIP client as Daoist Long, her path to promotion would be just around the corner!

Subsequently, after registering at the city gate, Qin Ming exited Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng.

"All materials required to refine the Zhurong Pill are now prepared; next, I must find a secluded location to open the furnace and refine the pill." Qin Ming flew north for tens of thousands of li, putting distance between himself, Xuanxi Valley, and Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng.

He arrived before a cliff that resembled a natural moat, then descended.

Qin Ming took out the Green Phoenix Sword and, in no time at all, carved out a temporary cave dwelling on the mountainside.

After entering the cave dwelling, he released the three spirit beasts to guard the entrance.

Qin Ming discarded distracting thoughts, adjusted his state, and repeatedly deliberated over the Zhurong Pill formula in his mind; only after confirming there were no omissions did he proceed.

Next.

He took out the Profound Jade Furnace, then exhaled, sending forth a cyan-blue third-tier Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame that hovered beneath the pill furnace to begin warming it.

"This is my first time refining a third-tier spirit pill."

"I'm actually a little excited!"

"If I succeed, I will be the second third-tier Pill Refining Grandmaster in the entire Southern Wild Immortal Realm, second only to Gongsun Yang!"

Qin Ming took out all the spirit materials, using his divine sense to control them as they hovered around him.

He then began refining the pill according to the steps outlined in the formula, proceeding in an orderly and unhurried manner.

Time passed bit by bit.

Over several consecutive days, Qin Ming failed more than ten times in a row.

The spirit materials in his hand were also consumed by more than half.

The Shi Tian Shu at the cave entrance also noticed the situation inside; it was so anxious it scratched its ears and cheeks, yet it could not help in any way.

"No wonder it's a third-tier spirit pill; the difficulty of refinement is truly significant. Even with my divine ability, the Four Seasons Divine Light, assisting in the refinement, the failure rate remains surprisingly high."

Two days later.

Just as Qin Ming used up the last portion of spirit materials, a brilliant spiritual light suddenly erupted within the furnace! The phenomenon of pill formation!

A strange, clear chime emanated from within the pill furnace.

Subsequently, above the pill furnace, a patch of seven-colored rosy clouds appeared; within the mist, two colorful phoenixes seemed to faintly dance and flutter.

In an instant, a rich pill fragrance wafted over, striking directly at the soul, causing the three spirit pets at the entrance to simultaneously perk up! "It's done!!"

The Shi Tian Shu cried out excitedly and darted over to Qin Ming in a flash.

"Phew~"

"Refining this third-tier pill nearly exhausted me to death." Qin Ming wiped away sweat, then reached toward the interior of the pill furnace with a beckoning gesture.

Three spirit pills, crimson throughout, flew out and landed in Qin Ming's hand; the pills emitted astonishing spiritual essence, and their surfaces revealed a full nine Dao runes.

"A third-tier Pill Refining Grandmaster, I have finally reached this step!"

"I wonder if Su Yuqing has successfully advanced? If he knew about this, what kind of reaction or expression would he have? Hahaha!"

Having made a final all-or-nothing attempt, Qin Ming successfully refined three low-grade third-tier Zhurong Pills in one go, feeling immensely gratified in his heart.

This was only possible by relying on his exceptionally powerful divine soul, comparable to the divine sense of a mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator, along with his third-tier spirit fire and heaven-defying divine abilities like the Four Seasons Divine Light.

Having failed dozens of times in succession, accumulating vast experience, and nearly exhausting all spirit materials before finally succeeding, it was truly not easy! Qin Ming carefully examined the legendary third-tier spirit pill, then looked down at his three spirit pets, seeing that they too could hardly wait.

Thus, he tossed the Zhurong Pills in his hand, feeding one to each spirit pet.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing the pill!"

The Shi Tian Shu took the spirit pill and, without another word, went off to find a place to recover its strength.

The Profound Water Crocodile and the Silver-Winged Frost were also overjoyed, and each went off to find a place to break through.

Several days later.

Suddenly, a soul-shaking spiritual pressure surged forth from beneath the cliff, radiating the fluctuation of demonic power belonging to a third-tier Demon King! "Wah-kah-kah-kah!"

"This Great Master has finally returned to the peak realm, and my cultivation has even improved by a tiny bit!"

"Early third-tier, peak stage!"

The Shi Tian Shu revealed its massive body, dozens of zhang in size, laughing wildly at the sky and venting the joy and excitement within its heart. Years of grievance, unwillingness, and bitterness finally vanished like smoke in this moment. Once the might of the third-tier Demon King emerged, low-tier demonic beasts and cultivators within a radius of several hundred miles were terrified, trembling and scattering like birds and beasts.

After being happy for most of the day, the Shi Tian Shu finally shrunk its body, ran over to Qin Ming, and said with great gratitude: "Thank you, Master, for allowing me to recover my strength!"

"You can rest entirely assured! This time, let alone stealing a Jin Dan formula from that Sutra Pavilion,"

"Even the close-fitting underpants of a Jin Dan Laozu, I can steal for you! Hehehe!"

After experiencing so many events, the Shi Tian Shu was thoroughly convinced by Qin Ming.

With such a powerful master who can also refine third-tier spirit pills that provide huge improvements for demonic beasts, if one doesn't follow him, who else is there to follow?

The future is simply bright; why worry about what lies ahead?

Even just now, it dared to indulge in a small fantasy about the prospect of eventually advancing to become a fourth-tier Form-Transformation Great Demon. As for Qin Ming, he was also deeply gratified; with the Shi Tian Shu recovered to the level of a third-tier Demon King, he had gained a rare and powerful ally.

The original strength of a Demon King already surpasses that of an ordinary human Jin Dan Laozu.

Furthermore, with his own involvement, through unexpected cooperation, it might even be possible to kill a Jin Dan cultivator.

"Hmm, although my overall strength has now taken a huge step forward,"

"unless there are special circumstances, it is better not to engage in fighting and killing."

"Unless I can't hold back."

"To possess a third-tier Demon King as a spirit pet while still at the late Foundation Establishment stage makes me arguably the first person in eternity."

"Hehehe!"

(End of Chapter)