Chapter 263: Entry [Creation Pill Cleansing]

Several days later.

Qin Ming, riding his Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng, arrived in the bitter cold lands of the Northern Domain; if he continued further north, he would reach that misty swamp from which even Jin Dan cultivators never returned.

He descended toward a massive ice mountain not far away.

This location was one he had searched for a long time before finally finding.

Qin Ming dove straight into an ice fissure halfway up the mountain, then wound through seven turns and eight bends until he reached the deepest interior.

Half an incense stick later.

In the depths of the ice cave, a pool of extreme yin cold water, several zhang across, rose with misty white chill into Qin Ming's sight.

The moment he entered, even with Qin Ming's cultivation, he immediately felt a bone-piercing chill assault him.

He took the spiritual seeds of the Return-to-Darkness Haiyou Zhen Yin Hua from his storage bag and planted them in a spot he selected beside the cold pool.

These two precious spiritual seeds had been given to him by Fellow Daoist Lü Liang just before his death.

When Qin Ming brought them out again, seeing the objects made him think of the person, and he could not help but feel deeply moved.

Then, Qin Ming applied five 【Space-Time Leaves】 entries to the spiritual seeds.

In an instant.

Two ice-blue spiritual herbs burst from the earth, frantically absorbing the extreme yin energy within the cold pool.

The entire herbs were nearly transparent, as if carved from ice-blue glazed glass; one could even see the veins inside, where jade-marrow-like spiritual energy flowed, making them exceedingly beautiful.

Three days later.

Both Return-to-Darkness True Yin Flowers had grown to five hundred years of age and bloomed with seven or eight ice flowers.

At the same time.

Two golden, radiant entries came into Qin Ming's view.

【Name】: Return-to-Darkness Haiyou Zhen Yin Hua 【Entry】: Source of Magic Power x1 (Maturity 94%) 【Name】: Return-to-Darkness Haiyou Zhen Yin Hua 【Entry】: Creation Pill Cleansing x1 (Maturity 95%) 【Creation Pill Cleansing】: After use, it can strengthen a cultivator's Dao Foundation; when forming a pill, it can cleanse the Jin Dan, wash away impurities, and has a forty percent chance to improve the Jin Dan's quality.

"No wonder it is a third-tier spiritual plant; it can actually strengthen the Dao Foundation and improve the quality of the resulting Jin Dan. This entry is even sharper than any pill-forming treasure!"

Qin Ming's eyes brightened, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

His goal was at least a mid-grade Jin Dan or higher; with this entry, he felt even more confident.

After the Return-to-Darkness Haiyou Zhen Yin Hua blooms, it will continue absorbing extreme yin cold energy until it bears spiritual fruit and condenses the legendary 'Return-to-Darkness True Water'; this process requires two to three years and cannot be rushed.

Qin Ming immediately released the Shi Tian Shu.

As soon as the Shi Tian Shu emerged, it looked around at the surroundings, its whole body shivering.

It had a bad, very bad premonition; it exhaled a puff of breath, rubbed its hands together, and then asked Qin Ming:

"Hiss~ Ah~"

"Master, do you need me to do something?"

Qin Ming pointed to the Return-to-Darkness Haiyou Zhen Yin Hua beside the cold pool and said lightly, "I have planted a spiritual herb here, but it will take some time before harvest."

"During this period, I have other important matters to attend to; in the meantime, you must guard this flower for me. If the Return-to-Darkness True Water within the fruit has nearly condensed, notify me."

"Ah?!"

"Oh."

"Master... how long do I need to guard it?"

"Three years."

"."

The Shi Tian Shu agreed extremely reluctantly; it wore a drooping rat face, looking miserable and worried.

After giving his instructions, Qin Ming took off with the Silver Wing and left the place.

The Shi Tian Shu watched Qin Ming's figure disappear into the horizon.

It immediately slumped like a deflated ball, sighing heavily: "Sigh~ This great master truly has a bitter fate! I never expected that just after being liberated from daily farming life..."

'... I would be exiled again to this godforsaken, bitter cold land to guard spiritual herbs, and for three years at that...'

'What grudge? What resentment?'

On the other side.

Qin Ming rode his Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng toward Yunze Xiancheng, planning to rent a third-tier fire vein on the main peak to plant and accelerate the maturation of the Bathing-in-Fire Golden Lotus.

With a third-tier demon king like the Shi Tian Shu guarding the spiritual herbs in the Northern Domain's ice mountains, he felt entirely at ease.

Upon arriving at the xian city, Qin Ming recalled his spiritual pet, headed straight for Canghai Peak, and found Lu Wanjun.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, it has truly been a long time."

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin, on your improved cultivation and further progress on the immortal path!"

"Is there anything you need my service for?"

Over these years, Lu Wanjun had lost some of her playfulness and gained more reserve and maturity.

Seeing that Qin Ming had broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, she indeed felt extremely envious.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, unless one possesses vast cultivation resources, every single step forward is incredibly difficult.

This is especially true for scattered cultivators like them.

For this visit to Yunze Xiancheng, Qin Ming deliberately raised his concealed magic power aura from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the mid-stage.

This was to avoid causing too much shock to the world when he eventually advances to the Jin Dan stage.

"I wish to rent a cave dwelling with a third-tier fire vein, preferably one of mid-grade third-tier or higher."

Qin Ming smiled slightly and said to her.

"Given Fellow Daoist Qin's current status and position, along with the specially approved Canghai Token from the City Lord, that is naturally no problem."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, please follow me."

Lü Wanjun gave a gentle smile, then warmly led Qin Ming to the cave dwelling area on the main peak.

Upon entering here, one immediately felt the fire spiritual energy in the world suddenly increase, becoming extremely dense.

Qin Ming briefly sensed the spiritual vein environment and felt quite satisfied; this place was perfectly suited for nurturing a Bathed-in-Fire Golden Lotus.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, the three cave dwellings with the most abundant fire vein energy are currently all rented out."

"However, in three days, the Grade-A cave dwelling rented by Grand Alchemist Sun Jinnian will expire, and he should be coming out then."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qin can wait for three days?"

Lü Wanjun explained the situation regarding the cave dwellings here to him.

"Heh, I can certainly afford to wait three days." Qin Ming nodded, then asked Lü Wanjun, "By the way, how have you been these past years? I observe that your magic power is pure and refined; it seems you have not spared any effort in your cultivation."

Hearing Qin Ming's concern for her, even though she knew he was only doing so out of respect for her master, Lü Liang, her heart was still filled with joy. "Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Qin. Everything has been going well for me in Yunze Xiancheng. Thanks to the care of my master and yourself, my lord the City Governor has also shown me considerable kindness."

Qin Ming nodded slightly. "Mm, that is good to hear."

"If you ever need my help, you may come find me at Wangyue Island at any time."

"Hehe, then I thank you, Fellow Daoist Qin." Lü Wanjun reverted to her former demeanor, smiling playfully.

"By the way, may I ask a presumptuous question?"

"Fellow Daoist Qin, are you renting a Grade-Three Upper-Tier fire vein cave dwelling to refine pills, or...?"

Lü Wanjun's curiosity was also piqued, for only a very small number of cultivators could afford to rent a Grade-Three Upper-Tier fire vein cave dwelling.

The daily rent here was, even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a considerable expense.

To say it was burning spirit stones would not be an exaggeration.

"Mm, precisely. Recently I have been studying an ancient pill formula and intend to rent a high-grade fire vein to refine pills," Qin Ming said lightly; naturally, he would not reveal his true intentions.

Boom-rumble! Just as Qin Ming and Lü Wanjun were chatting, the formation of the Grade-A cave dwelling opened, and from within emerged an elder in splendid robes with a face covered in ash and dust—none other than Grand Alchemist Sun, a man of high reputation within the Xiancheng.

"Grand Alchemist Sun, you have exited closed-door cultivation!"

"May I ask if you still need to continue renting the cave dwelling?"

Seeing someone emerge, Lü Wanjun hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and asked.

Sun Jinnian brushed the dust off his Dharma robe, then cleared his throat lightly; his gaze fell upon Qin Ming, and he nodded slightly in greeting.

"Cough! I will not be renewing the lease for now."

"Is Fellow Daoist Qin intending to rent a fire vein cave dwelling?"

Lü Wanjun nodded in reply. "Exactly so; in that case, the cave dwelling can be rented to Fellow Daoist Qin."

Qin Ming observed that the flow of magic power around Alchemist Sun was chaotic and carried a faint, barely detectable scent of scorched medicine; clearly, his pill refinement had failed.

Moreover, based on his keen spiritual sense and experience in pill refining, Sun Jinnian must have been attempting to refine some kind of Grade-Three spiritual pill, trying to break through to become a Grade-Three Dandao Sect Grandmaster, but had failed.

Sun Jinnian also wore a look of deep depression; to gather the Grade-Three spiritual materials needed for pill refinement, he had spent nearly more than half of the family wealth he had accumulated over many years.

This failure in pill refinement was a catastrophic loss; for a Grand Alchemist like him, it was a blow that damaged his very foundations, causing him immense pain.

Furthermore, renting a Grade-Three Upper-Tier fire vein cave dwelling meant the daily rent was also a significant expenditure.

Even though, as a Grade-Two Upper-Tier Grand Alchemist, spirit stones came to him very quickly, he could not withstand such squandering, and thus had emerged early.

Seeing Qin Ming, a renowned master of dual arts famous far and wide, come to rent a cave dwelling, Sun Jinnian also stepped forward, cupped his fists in salute, and politely asked:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, it has been a long time!"

"Congratulations, congratulations! Your cultivation base has advanced considerably!"

"Are you preparing to refine pills?"

"Heh, greetings, Fellow Daoist Sun." Qin Ming returned the salute. "Recently I had a sudden whim and plan to try my luck by refining a few batches of pills."

"Then this old man offers his congratulations in advance for Fellow Daoist Qin's success in pill refinement," Sun Jinnian said politely to Qin Ming.

Ever since Qin Ming advanced to become a Grade-Two Upper-Tier Spiritual Plant Master and a Grade-Two Upper-Tier Dandao Master,

within Canghai Xiancheng, Qin Ming's reputation had for a time surpassed that of Sun Jinnian, the Grand Alchemist revered by tens of thousands.

Grand Alchemist Sun, unwilling to admit he was old, had intended to gamble everything to break through to Grade-Three Dandao Sect Grandmaster in one go and re-solidify his status in the hearts of the rogue cultivators, but alas, heaven did not grant his wish. "Heh, Qin Mou thanks Grand Alchemist Sun for his auspicious words."

After a brief exchange of a few words with Qin Ming, Sun Jinnian turned and strode away.

Just at that moment,

Lü Wanjun asked Qin Ming, "Fellow Daoist Qin, I wonder how long you wish to rent the cave dwelling this time?"

"On Canghai Peak, all cave dwellings of Grade-Three and above are rented by the month; the monthly rent for the Grade-A, Grade-Three Upper-Tier fire vein cave dwelling is three hundred medium-grade spirit stones."

"As Fellow Daoist Qin holds a Canghai Token, you are eligible for a twenty percent discount."

After pondering briefly, Qin Ming said, "Then I shall rent it for two years first."

Hearing this, Lü Wanjun thought she had misheard and confirmed again:

"How many??"

"Two years."

"Very well, very well, Fellow Daoist Qin; I will process the procedures for you immediately."

"After applying the discount, the total rent for two years is two thousand eight hundred and eighty medium-grade spirit stones."

Qin Ming immediately maintained an expressionless face, took spirit stones out of his storage bag, and handed them to Lü Wanjun.

After counting the spirit stones, she could not help but steal a glance at the ordinary-looking Fellow Daoist Qin.

Truly, he makes no sound until he startles the world! Renting a Grade-Three Upper-Tier cave dwelling for two years just like that, spending a total of over two thousand medium-grade spirit stones without even blinking an eye.

Could this be the joy of a Grandmaster-level cultivator? Even Grand Alchemist Sun Jinnian, who was preparing to leave, paused in his steps upon hearing their conversation.

Unlike Lü Wanjun,

an inconceivable idea suddenly sprouted in his heart! That was—

'Could it be that Qin Ming is also preparing to attempt refining Grade-Three spiritual pills and break through to become a Grade-Three Pill Refining Grandmaster here?!'

'He is renting a Grade-Three Upper-Tier fire vein cave dwelling for such a long time; only this explanation makes sense.'

Boom!

The cave dwelling closed.

Qin Ming had already entered the Cave Dwelling of Grade A.

He needed to use pill refining as a cover; cultivating the three-tier spiritual plant, the Fire-Bathing Golden Lotus, here would inevitably require some time.

Although he possessed the entry in hand, adjusting the spiritual medicine to a state suitable for ingestion and bringing it to maturity still required a period of cultivation, allowing the spiritual plant to fully absorb the extreme yang energy within the fire vein.

Therefore, he publicly declared pill refining as a disguise, while secretly advancing his true goal of cultivating high-tier spiritual plants.

In any case, the cave dwellings open to the public on Canghai Peak placed great emphasis on protecting guests' privacy, so he had no fear of being discovered.

Of course, disguise aside, Qin Ming truly intended to take advantage of the interval before the Fire-Bathing Golden Lotus matured to attempt refining a type of three-tier pill.

This pill's formula had been stolen by the Shi Tian Shu from the Sutra Pavilion of Xuanxi Valley and was named 'Dust-Extinguishing Pill'; it was a type of spiritual pill for consolidating the foundation and nurturing the origin, specifically targeting those at the early stage of Jin Dan.

The Dust-Extinguishing Pill also circulated among the circle of True Persons with Jin Dan cultivation in Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng; although its availability was scarce, it was not an exclusive formula of Xuanxi Valley, which was why Qin Ming chose to use the refining of this pill as his breakthrough point.

If he truly broke through to the Jin Dan stage, it would also prove useful to him.

As for the materials required to refine the Dust-Extinguishing Pill, they were already present in Linghu Yang's storage bag, as well as in Elder Yan's storage bag.

This saved him the trouble of searching everywhere to gather them.

Boom! The instant Qin Ming stepped into the upper-grade three-tier fire vein cave dwelling, a scorching wave of heat immediately rushed toward his face.

(End of Chapter)