Translator: Cinder Translations
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Song Wen's gaze was deep and solemn as he stared at Zhu Yin. His brow furrowed slightly, and his voice was serious.
"Fellow Daoist should know that alchemy cannot tolerate any disturbances. How can I focus on refining pills with you watching me?"
Zhu Yin curled her lips in a look of distrust.
"I can't just watch from the side. What if you secretly take the pills for yourself? If you refine the Nascent Spirit Pills but claim they weren't successful, who will I go to for an explanation?"
"I'm not that kind of person," Song Wen replied.
"You are," Zhu Yin said with a firm tone.
Song Wen's lips parted slightly but he didn't respond. Although her words were harsh, they were not without truth.
"Even if you don't trust me, what difference does it make whether you guard the cave from the inside or outside? Do you think I would run away under your nose? If you guard the cave, you will only disturb my alchemy," Song Wen explained.
As he spoke, his eyes unintentionally glanced toward the deeper parts of the cave.
There, hidden from view, were two other exits—emergency escape routes that Song Wen had left when carving out the cave.
Perhaps feeling that Song Wen's reasoning was sound, Zhu Yin finally stood up and stored her cushion away.
"Then I will do as you say, and hope you do not disappoint me," she said before leaving the cave.
Outside, she sat down among some scattered rocks, entering a meditative state.
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After sending Zhu Yin away, Song Wen spent several days recovering his energy, restoring his vitality to its peak state.
With a flick of his fingers, a faint blue flame shot out, landing beneath the pill furnace.
The molten magma fire from the earth's core, under Song Wen's control, slowly rose, the blue flame flickering and dancing. At times it blazed intensely, roaring like a dragon; at other times, it was gentle, flickering like a breeze.
With Song Wen's precise control, the temperature inside the furnace was maintained at the most suitable level.
One spirit herb after another was thrown into the furnace, their essences being extracted under the scorching heat of the Earth Core Refining Flame.
These essences slowly fused together, floating in the furnace, awaiting the next herb essence to be merged.
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One month later:
Song Wen placed a 400-year-old Purple Spirit Ginseng into the furnace.
The Purple Spirit Ginseng was the final ingredient for the refining of the Nascent Spirit Pill.
Under the optimal furnace temperature, the essence of the Purple Spirit Ginseng was extracted.
Next, Song Wen controlled the essence, carefully guiding it toward the previously extracted liquid to combine.
Although Song Wen had been exceedingly cautious, an accident still occurred.
Boom!
The furnace trembled.
The fusion failed.
The liquid turned pitch black and was reduced to useless waste.
Song Wen rubbed his slightly tired forehead and calmly accepted the failure of the first batch of Nascent Spirit Pills.
He swallowed two pills and began meditating to recover his mind and energy.
Meanwhile, he recalled the alchemy process leading to the explosion, trying to find his mistakes.
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Half a month later:
Song Wen began refining pills again.
This time, the process went surprisingly smoothly, so smoothly that Song Wen couldn't quite believe it.
Forty days later:
A pill rolled to the bottom of the furnace.
The pill was the size of a quail egg, crystal clear and radiant, filled with an aura of vitality.
Song Wen showed a smile of joy. With a slight wave of his hand, the pill flew into the air and landed in his palm.
He stared at the pill for a moment, confirming there were no issues, before taking out a jade bottle and storing it inside.
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Half a month later...
Song Wen began refining pills again. With the experience from the previous attempt, he was somewhat more composed this time.
However, forty days later, during the final stages of condensation, the attempt failed once more.
After a month of rest, Song Wen tried again.
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Song Wen, looking a bit worn out, emerged from the cave.
Zhu Yin, who had been waiting outside, rushed up eagerly to greet him.
"Ji Yin, did you succeed in refining the Nascent Spirit Pill?" Zhu Yin's voice was filled with concern.
Song Wen nodded. "I have not failed."
As he spoke, Song Wen tossed her a jade bottle.
Zhu Yin caught the jade bottle, checked it carefully, and after confirming that it contained the Nascent Spirit Pill, her face showed undisguised delight.
"Ji Yin, I knew I didn't misjudge you. You really did refine the Nascent Spirit Pill."
"Don't forget our agreement," Song Wen's voice remained steady. "I give you the Nascent Spirit Pill, and you give me a Primordial Nascent Soul Pill in exchange."
"I've already prepared it for you," Zhu Yin said, tossing him another jade bottle.
Song Wen caught the bottle, carefully inspected the pill inside, and once satisfied, he smiled contentedly.
"Thank you, Zhu Yin. I look forward to more collaborations in the future."
Zhu Yin smiled. "No need to wait for the future. We can collaborate again right now."
Song Wen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And how do you propose we collaborate this time?"
Zhu Yin said, "You must have more than one Nascent Spirit Pill, right?"
Song Wen answered, "Indeed. There are two in total, one for each of us."
"Only two?" Zhu Yin pressed on.
"The difficulty of refining the Nascent Spirit Pill is extremely high, and this is my first attempt. With five types of spirit herbs, managing to refine two pills is already quite rare," Song Wen explained.
Zhu Yin fell silent for a moment, as if weighing something in her mind.
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"Ji Yin, how about you give me one of those Nascent Spirit Pills?" Zhu Yin asked.
Song Wen gave her a sharp look and immediately rejected.
"Impossible! Zhu Yin, you're being greedy now."
"Don't you want to hear my terms? Perhaps the conditions I offer will move you," Zhu Yin suggested.
Song Wen smirked lightly, amused. "I'm curious to see what terms you can offer that could persuade a Golden Core cultivator to trade a Nascent Spirit Pill."
"I can become your companion," Zhu Yin proposed.
"Heh!" Song Wen sneered. "Zhu Yin, you're beautiful, but in my eyes, you're still not worth an Nascent Spirit Pill."
Zhu Yin didn't seem upset by his ridicule. Her expression remained calm as she spoke. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Don't be too quick to refuse, listen to what I have to say first."
"Go ahead, I'm listening," Song Wen said.
Zhu Yin looked out at the rolling sea, seemingly lost in thought, as if recalling something from her past.
"You must remember, I once told you that the cultivation method I follow is 'Mysterious Maiden Yin Devil Art.'"
Song Wen nodded, but didn't respond.
Zhu Yin continued, her gaze distant. "Before I reached the Golden Core stage, my cultivation method wasn't this one, and I wasn't a disciple of the Wu Ji Sect. I was the daughter of a small family clan's head."
"My talent was extraordinary, a rare eighth-grade spirit root. Since I was young, my father had high hopes for me, wanting to cultivate me into the family's first Golden Core cultivator, even a Nascent Soul powerhouse, to revive the family."
"I established my foundation at eighteen, and by the time I was thirty, I was already a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Everyone thought my path would be smooth, and that I would become the first Golden Core cultivator in my family."
"But life is unpredictable. That year, the island our family inhabited was suddenly attacked by sea monsters. These monsters surged from all directions like the ocean itself. Their howls were deafening, echoing across the island."
"Countless clan members were slaughtered by the claws and fangs of the monsters, ruthlessly killed and devoured."
"I should have perished in that calamity, but at the crucial moment, my father stepped forward. At the cost of his own life, he bought me the opportunity to escape."
(End of the Chapter)
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