Chapter 196: The Tier-4 Torch Stump
"What are the conditions?"
Xuan Tianhen asked. He knew that refining a higher-tier Solar Yang Pill wouldn't come cheap, and he was mentally prepared for a steep price.
Still, as long as it could dispel the demonic energy in his body, no cost was too great.
"Master, my friend is deeply interested in swordsmanship. He wants to witness the core heritage of the Grand Yan Sword Sect," Gu Mo stated after careful deliberation.
Refining a Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill wasn't something that could be asked for lightly, but neither could the price be set too high. The Grand Yan Sword Sect's current resources were limited, and they simply couldn't afford to part with too many treasures.
Gu Mo naturally didn't want to make an outrageous demand that would worsen the sect's already strained situation. But asking for it for free or at a low price wasn't appropriate either—even if they were friends, it wasn't to the point where a Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill could be gifted for nothing.
So he had to propose a condition that wouldn't strain the sect's resources but would still carry enough weight to justify the exchange.
In the end, Gu Mo chose the sect's core swordsmanship inheritance—the Grand Yan Sword Canon. This choice wouldn't impact the sect directly, and in the future, if he used techniques from it, there would be a clear reason.
It was a win-win. Now it all depended on whether Xuan Tianhen would agree, as this involved the sect's most closely guarded legacy. If he refused, Gu Mo would have to find another way.
"…Very well."
After a long silence, Xuan Tianhen finally nodded. He was well aware of his current condition—if the demonic energy inside him wasn't expelled soon, his combat strength would be severely hampered.
If another demonic sect infiltrator were to attack, he might no longer be able to defend the sect.
Moreover, Gu Mo had already reached peak Foundation Establishment and could form his Golden Core at any moment. When that time came, the demonic sect would surely strike again to prevent his breakthrough.
With the resin spirit liquid as a cover and after laying low for a while, Gu Mo could now freely reveal his peak Foundation Establishment stage. It was also in preparation for his upcoming Core Formation.
"Then I'll inform my friend at once," Gu Mo let out a long sigh of relief. This was the ideal arrangement.
"Good."
Xuan Tianhen nodded and returned to his cave to resume healing. He didn't take back the sect leader's token, either.
During his absence, Gu Mo had managed the sect surprisingly well. Especially the core members of the sect—their morale and energy had undergone a complete transformation, exuding a renewed sense of hope for the future.
As for the reason, he could more or less guess—likely due to the Solar Yang Pills they had taken earlier. While a Tier-3 high-grade pill couldn't resolve the Nascent Soul demon's curse inside him, it would be more than sufficient to purge the demonic energy in the Golden Core elders and Foundation Establishment disciples.
At that moment, Xuan Tianhen couldn't help but wonder—what kind of formidable friend had his disciple met in Shennong Valley? Surely not Elder Liu Shulan?
But on second thought, that didn't make sense. How could his disciple become friends with a Nascent Soul-level expert? Yet refining a Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill required not only Tier-4 Solar energy but also the skills of a Tier-4 alchemist.
And in Shennong Valley, Liu Shulan was the only one at that level.
"Could it be that Gu Mo from Shennong Valley?"
Suddenly, Xuan Tianhen thought of someone—Gu Mo from Shennong Valley. He had become somewhat renowned recently. The solar energy needed for Solar Yang Pills came from the SunlightGlaze Flower he cultivated. More than that, his fame as both an alchemist and craftsman had grown rapidly. The Torch Stump he developed was considered a divine tool for alchemy and forging.
Unfortunately, the only way to obtain one was through a trade involving a heavenly flame.
The Grand Yan Sword Sect didn't have any heavenly flames—otherwise, Xuan Tianhen would have tried to trade for one himself for the sect's Forging Hall.
---
Shennong Valley
With Xuan Tianhen's agreement, Gu Mo began researching the formula for the Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill. To that end, he went straight to Liu Shulan to request assistance from the Tier-4 alchemist.
"Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill? What are you up to now?"
When she heard his request, Liu Shulan was a bit stunned. Without Tier-4 Solar energy, how could anyone refine a Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill?
"Elder Liu, this is just being prepared in advance. By the time I cultivate a Tier-4 SunlightGlaze Flower, it'll be too late to start researching the formula," Gu Mo explained.
"Not bad. That's the kind of confidence a young person should have," Liu Shulan nodded approvingly. Since Gu Mo had succeeded in cultivating the SunlightGlaze Flower, it wasn't impossible that he could bring it up to Tier-4.
A Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill held tremendous strategic value. After all, in the conflict between righteous and demonic cultivators, battles at the Soul Transformation level were rare; most fights happened at the Nascent Soul level. And in those battles, injuries were inevitable.
Fighting against a Nascent Soul demon cultivator meant contending with their many curses. A Tier-3 pill was ineffective at that level, so every time righteous Nascent Soul cultivators fought, they'd spend a long time purging the demonic energy afterward.
That severely hampered their side's combat readiness, which was why the righteous sects could never maintain an advantage. But if they could produce Tier-4 Solar Yang Pills, it would allow Nascent Soul cultivators to rapidly recover and return to the battlefield—an enormous strategic gain.
However, developing a Tier-4 formula wasn't something that could be done overnight. Even with a Tier-3 formula as a reference, it was a complex and painstaking task.
As a Tier-3 alchemist, Gu Mo gained immense experience from participating in the process—thanks also to Liu Shulan's openness in sharing her complete knowledge without holding anything back.
Gu Mo made a mental note to remember this kindness.
While working on the pill formula, Gu Mo also prepared to upgrade the Tier-4 Torch Stump. He could've waited until the formula was complete and then simply handed the Tier-4 Sun Essence over to Liu Shulan.
But Tier-4 Sun Essence was a sensitive matter. For Tier-3 essence, he could say it was purified Solar energy. For Tier-4 essence, however, he didn't yet have a plausible explanation. Only once his SunlightGlaze Flower reached Tier-4 would he be able to justify possessing it.
So he'd have to refine the Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill himself.
At his current skill level, refining a Tier-4 pill was still out of reach—he needed external help. That's where the Tier-4 Torch Stump came in.
He turned his gaze to the nearly-upgraded second SunlightFlower. He decided to wait a bit longer since the formula still wasn't complete and Xuan Tianhen's condition was stable as long as he refrained from fighting.
---
In the cultivation space.
With the injection of a Tier-4 Sun Essence, the green upgrade arrow was finally filled. Without hesitation, Gu Mo tapped "Upgrade."
A familiar glow enveloped the flower. Moments later, as the light faded, the second SunlightFlower had successfully advanced to Tier-4.
"Hmm… huh?"
Gu Mo was thinking of naming the new Tier-4 flower when he suddenly froze.
This new flower hadn't developed intelligence.
It was indeed a Tier-4 SunlightFlower, identical to the first one in every way—but it lacked sentience.
"What's going on?"
Gu Mo transplanted the second flower into a Tier-4 spirit field and turned to the first flower, the one that had gained wisdom.
"Master, don't call me dumb! I'm very smart!" The little flower wiggled her leaves in protest, visibly upset.
"little flower, is this one also you?" Gu Mo asked, pointing at the second flower.
"Yup, yup!"
little flower nodded, her body swaying rhythmically. Soon, all the other SunlightFlowers in the field began swaying in unison.
In that moment, Gu Mo understood—only the first flower to reach Tier-4 would gain sentience. The others would not.
And little flower, the sentient one, could control all the others. She was the undisputed Queen of SunlightFlowers. Fortunately, the lack of sentience didn't affect the second flower's ability to produce Sun Essence.
"That actually makes things easier."
Gu Mo let out a sigh of relief. This meant he wouldn't have to name every single flower. Since Little flower could command all of them, he only needed to give her orders, and she would relay them.
He guessed the same rule applied to other plants as well.
With two Tier-4 SunlightFlowers, his daily yield of Tier-4 Sun Essence doubled, accelerating plant upgrades.
This time, he chose to upgrade the Torch Stump.
"Greetings, Master!"
As expected, the first Tier-4 Torch Stump also developed sentience. A face formed on the trunk, scowling in perpetual rage. Its voice crackled with fury, and the angrier it got, the more intense the flames inside it burned.
Even better, the sentient Torch Stump gained a new ability: it could hold multiple types of flame within it. At Tier-4 Lower Grade, it could hold two. With future upgrades, that number would increase.
Gu Mo promptly stored both the Frostflame and the Molten Corefire inside. The Torch Stump would nourish them until they also reached Tier-4. With two Tier-4 flames assisting, his confidence in refining the pill grew immensely.
As for the Netherflame, it would have to wait for the next upgrade.
Just as Gu Mo finished upgrading the Torch Stump, Liu Shulan sent good news—she had successfully developed a Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill formula.
It hadn't been tested yet due to the lack of Tier-4 Solar energy, and it would be Gu Mo's job to test it.
Fortunately, the other ingredients weren't too rare. Over the years, Gu Mo had earned plenty of sect contribution points by refining top-grade Meridians-Expanding Pills, regular Solar Yang Pills, and providing solar energy.
Exchanging those points for the needed materials was no issue at all.
With everything ready, Gu Mo began refining.
Thanks to the dual flames supported by the Tier-4 Torch Stump, the process went smoothly. Even Tier-4 ingredients were easily broken down.
However, because the formula was untested, a few errors cropped up at first, leading to early failures.
But Gu Mo analyzed each setback, identifying the flaws. After more than ten attempts, he finally succeeded.
A Tier-4 Solar Yang Pill was born.
At that moment, Gu Mo could be considered a Tier-4 alchemist—at the Golden Core stage, no less. News of this would shock anyone.
Of course, Gu Mo knew this title was mostly due to his "cheats." Without the Tier-4 Torch Stump, he could never have done it.
He now fully understood how useful a sentient Torch Stump could be. With a single command, it would adjust the flame levels precisely, often anticipating his needs without being told.
It could even command the other Torch Stumps.
"All right, from now on, your name is Xiaohuo."
Since it had developed intelligence, Gu Mo named it, as he always did.
"Thank you, Master!"
Xiaohuo's angry voice echoed once more.
With the pill completed, it was time to deliver it to his avatar. As usual, he sent Xiaohua, who was thrilled about the task.
After all, every delivery earned her a tasty treat. Usually, she could only get those treats by trading Solar energy—or acting cute.
But as a senior martial aunt, constantly relying on cuteness was beneath her dignity. Still, with her tiny palm-sized appearance, her dignity was already long gone.
---
Grand Yan Sword Sect
Xuan Tianhen, still in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes. His figure vanished instantly.
He had just sensed the presence of a Tier-4 demon beast within the sect's borders—and the formation hadn't even reacted!
This alone set off every alarm in his mind. In his current condition, he couldn't handle a Tier-4 demon beast.
"Xiaohua?"
When Xuan Tianhen arrived at the source of the aura, he saw a palm-sized loli inspecting Gu Mo's avatar up close.
He recognized Xiaohua immediately. Even if he hadn't before, after her breakthrough to Tier-4 demon beast, her name was well known.
She was the only one in Shennong Valley to reach Tier-4 in the past few centuries.
"You're here. Did you bring the goods?"
Xiaohua, having failed to find anything new about Gu Mo's avatar, floated over. She had no wings, but for a Tier-4 demon beast, flying was as easy as breathing.
"…What goods?"
Xuan Tianhen blinked, completely confused by her cryptic words.
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