The lingering scent inside the cave confirmed Ye Feng's suspicion—the elixir Lin Dong had refined was none other than aphrodisiac powder.
"Master Ye, what's aphrodisiac powder?" Lin Qingtan asked curiously, blinking with innocence.
"It's a type of elixir," Ye Feng replied bluntly, "that drives men and women to lose control. The only antidote... is to consummate in the bridal chamber."
"Bridal chamber? What's that?" she asked again, even more confused.
Ye Feng scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "It means… having a child."
"Ah?!" Lin Qingtan's face flushed a deep red. "Brother Lin Dong, how could you be so evil? You refined something that makes a girl… have a baby?!"
"I—uh…" Lin Dong coughed awkwardly, at a loss for how to explain himself. "Men… sometimes we mess around…"
Ye Feng chuckled. "No need to explain. We were all young once."
Lin Dong raised an eyebrow. "Master, your first time refining a pill… was it also an aphrodisiac?"
The words weren't meant to sting, but they struck their mark.
Lin Qingtan's eyes widened as she turned toward Ye Feng with a mix of surprise and shy curiosity. She covered her mouth and giggled, cheeks burning. So Master Ye was also a little bad back then...
"You two are terrible," she muttered with a pout, embarrassed yet amused.
Ye Feng cleared his throat with a cough, trying to reestablish some dignity. "Ahem. Enough nonsense. Lin Dong, what's your current pill refinement success rate?"
"About eighty percent," Lin Dong answered seriously.
"Then take out the pills you've made. Let me have a look," Ye Feng said with a commanding tone.
Lin Dong nodded and handed over a small porcelain bottle.
Ye Feng uncorked it, poured the contents into his palm, and narrowed his eyes. The so-called pill was misshapen, uneven, and dull in color.
"This... you dare call this a pill?" His voice grew cold as he flicked his fingers, instantly turning the flawed product into dust.
"Master! That was the result of a full day's effort!" Lin Dong protested, a bit disheartened.
Ye Feng glared at him. "You call that effort? Mixing random medicinal ingredients together and calling it alchemy? Shameful! Don't go around claiming to be the disciple of the Chaos Saint with trash like that."
Lin Dong looked down, ashamed, but didn't argue. Instead, he looked up with a spark of hope. "Master, my soul power is too low. If it were stronger, I'd definitely be able to refine pills that meet your standards. Do you have any way to help me raise my soul realm?"
"There are three methods to improve your soul realm," Ye Feng began, tapping his fingers on his arm thoughtfully. "First, long-term cultivation—day after day of steady training."
Lin Dong nodded. "That'll take too long…"
"Second," Ye Feng continued, "you can consume rare spirit herbs or soul-nurturing elixirs. But such treasures are difficult to find—most exist only in legends."
"And the third?" Lin Dong leaned in, anticipation written all over his face.
Ye Feng paused before replying, "Refining soul-form creatures and absorbing their essence to strengthen your own soul."
Lin Dong's eyes widened. "But those beings—aren't they all incredibly powerful? After death, their bodies may be gone, but their souls linger. Refining them sounds even harder than the other two methods…"
"That's true," Ye Feng admitted. "But…"
"But?" Lin Dong's gaze sharpened.
"I sensed a soul residing inside the stone talisman I found in this cave," Ye Feng said slowly.
Lin Dong's eyes lit up. "Master, can you refine it?"
"I can… but there's a complication," Ye Feng replied, expression unreadable.
That soul was no ordinary one—it belonged to the Celestial Demon Marten, once known as Xiao Diao, a former master of the stone talisman and one of the ancient tyrant clans. A creature with true sentience, once rivaling the strongest in the world. Its full strength in the past had reached the Reincarnation Realm, and its legacy stretched far. After a catastrophic battle, it was forced to self-destruct, its soul barely surviving inside the talisman.
In the original timeline, Lin Dong and Xiao Diao became brothers, bonded by trials and bloodshed… But now…
"Master?" Lin Dong pressed. "Can you refine it for me? Help me break through my soul realm?"
Ye Feng didn't answer immediately. Lin Dong glanced at Lin Qingtan, silently pleading for her help.
She hesitated, conflicted between her brother's desperate need and her respect for Ye Feng. In the end, she stayed silent.
Not wanting to put her in a difficult spot, Ye Feng took out the stone talisman.
The moment it appeared, a wisp of white mist drifted out and slowly condensed into a humanoid figure kneeling on one knee.
The Celestial Demon Marten had finally shown itself.
It looked up at Ye Feng and trembled. "Boss… spare me! Please spare my life!"
It was terrified. Ye Feng's overwhelming strength had made hiding the only option. The Marten had waited for the talisman to find a suitable host—someone it could aid in hopes of regaining a body. But Ye Feng needed no aid, and now its life was hanging by a thread.
"Master, don't listen to it!" Lin Dong urged anxiously. "There's no point keeping it alive. Please, refine it while we still can!"
"You dare to betray me?!" the Celestial Demon Marten snarled at Lin Dong before turning to Ye Feng. "Boss, don't listen to him. Keep me! I can help train him, and I'm powerful enough to protect him in the early stages. It would be a waste to refine me!"
"I don't need you," Lin Dong replied coldly. "I just want to improve my soul realm. I need to refine a healing pill strong enough to cure my father. That's my only goal."
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