Wei Yunqing responded with a bright smile.
"Senior Brother Ye, leave this to me. I won't waste the good fortune you've shared with me."
Ye Shaotian saw how readily she agreed and smiled as well. Then he spoke seriously.
"Junior Sister Yun Qing, even though we're fellow disciples, fortuitous encounters like this are rare and hard to come by. I put in a lot of effort to get this seed. It cost me a hefty amount of spirit stones, and it'll take even more to accelerate the growth of the Enlightenment Fruit. That part, I'll have to ask you to cover more heavily."
"For our mutual benefit, it's best if we make a vow to the Heavenly Dao. No third person can learn of this. If word leaks, who knows if the fruit will ever make it into either of our hands."
Wei Yunqing lowered her gaze, considering his words. Ye Shaotian's conditions weren't unreasonable. Her only regret was for her recently fattened storage pouch, but a chance like this couldn't be missed. She nodded.
"Alright. I trust you, Senior Brother Ye. We supported each other from the outer sect to the inner sect — our bond is real. We seized the last opportunity together, and we'll seize this one too."
With that, she made a vow to the Heavenly Dao without hesitation.
Ye Shaotian appreciated her decisiveness and did the same. Afterward, the two rented a spiritual field, spent spirit stones to set up a high-grade Spirit Gathering Formation, and began the cultivation of the Enlightenment Fruit.
If Yun Xi knew about Wei Yunqing's new opportunity, she'd probably be so furious she'd flip the sky with her middle finger. But right now, she was still trapped inside the spatial realm, refining the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone.
Though Yun Xi was controlling Zi Yan to refine the outer shell of the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone, it wasn't without gains. At the very least, her synchronization with Zi Yan had improved significantly. Through this extended cooperation, Yun Xi had gained a deeper understanding of the alien flame, Zi Yan.
First, Zi Yan was born from the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder, making it extremely fierce and volatile. It belonged to the attack-type alien flames — a powerful asset in combat. But when used for alchemy, it required the utmost precision and delicate control.
Second, Zi Yan's power was currently weakened. Although it had retained its awakened consciousness, it still needed Yun Xi's spiritual energy to unleash any major power.
Zi Yan explained that the only reason it had been able to split from its original form was because it had siphoned off part of the spiritual energy while serving as the formation core. When the opportunity came, it had decisively severed ties with its previous master.
Third, as a sentient alien flame, it had a degree of autonomy. If its master was in danger or temporarily cut off from it, Zi Yan could either go dormant or defend itself, making it much harder to capture.
With all this in mind, Yun Xi once again marveled at the wonders of the cultivation world. The saying "All things have spirit" truly held weight here.
Twenty days later, Yun Xi had fully refined the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone. The deep violet crystal, no larger than a chicken egg, sat in her hand. Yun Xi felt an undeniable sense of accomplishment.
Zi Yan continued.
"Now we need to refine this stone further. Once it liquefies and all impurities are removed, we can divide it into ten portions. To upgrade your pill furnace, you'll only need a piece the size of a fingernail."
"Alright. Let me meditate and recover my spiritual energy first, then we'll continue."
Having already started the process, Yun Xi wanted to finish all the groundwork in one go.
After resting for a day, Yun Xi resumed her work on the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone. Removing the impurities was a meticulous task that required extreme patience and sharp spiritual perception. She focused on refining the stone in her palm, multitasking with practiced ease.
Outside the space, Li Chang had already lost his patience. He sent his divine sense out once more, sweeping over Yandang Mountain, but still found no trace of what he sought. He frowned, muttering to himself.
"Could they have already fled? Or maybe that disciple from Haoran Sect took the alien flame? Could the story about someone else taking it just be a diversion?"
After a moment of thought, Li Chang vanished from his previous location. He wanted to see if his absence would draw anyone out.
Sure enough, a day later, someone did appear where Li Chang had been. It was a Golden Core cultivator. The man looked around carefully but found nothing.
Not giving up, the man formed hand seals and activated a tracking formation, but again, he found nothing. Disheartened, he left in frustration.
Li Chang observed everything from the shadows, choosing not to reveal himself. He simply continued to wait in concealment.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi was still refining the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone inside the spatial realm, completely unaware of the game of predator and prey unfolding outside. She'd unknowingly sidestepped Li Chang's test with perfect timing.
Another twenty days passed. Once Li Chang was certain he'd gained nothing, he prepared to leave. Just before departing Yandang Mountain, he received a flying sword transmission. After reading its contents, his eyes lit up. With a flash, he disappeared from sight — this time, leaving for good.
Five more days went by.
Inside the space, Yun Xi finally succeeded in removing every last impurity from the Purple-Gold Meteorite Stone. She divided the stone into ten pristine shards and put Zi Yan away. Selecting a small box, she carefully stored the glossy, translucent pieces inside.
Once that was done, Yun Xi lay down and fell asleep almost instantly. Before long, the only sound in the space was her soft snoring. Dian Dian, drowsy from the peaceful atmosphere, let out a yawn and nestled into Yun Xi's arms to sleep as well.
A full day and night later, Yun Xi finally opened her eyes. After a long stretch, her energy was completely restored. She did a quick count — she'd been hiding in the space for nearly two months. She wasn't sure if Li Chang had left, so she reached out to Fei Xia.
Fei Xia had been living the high life in Yandang Mountain. With so many flowers blooming all over the mountain, it had been feasting happily and was just about to find a mate when its master summoned it.
"Fei Xia, has Li Chang left?"
"Seems like it."
"What do you mean 'seems like'?"
"I didn't dare get too close to where he was hiding. I could only vaguely sense that his aura disappeared."
"Tsk, sounds like you've been having a grand time out there."
"Master, give me a moment. I'll go check right now."
Flying Mist Butterfly reluctantly said goodbye to its new acquaintance and fluttered off.
Two ke later, Flying Mist Butterfly sent Yun Xi a voice transmission.
"Master, Li Chang has left."
Hearing that, Yun Xi cautiously sent out a thread of her divine sense. Once she was certain Li Chang was truly gone, she flashed out of the space and reappeared at the site of the previous battle. She immediately threw out her Yunxia Flying Boat, leapt aboard, and sped away from Yandang Mountain.
Flying Mist Butterfly obediently returned to its usual spot atop Yun Xi's hair, recounting its adventures on the mountain.
"Looks like it wasn't just evil cultivators who were unwilling to let go. Plenty of others were poking around too."
Yun Xi stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah. Lucky for you, Master, that you had the spatial realm. Otherwise, there's no way you could've escaped so cleanly."
Flying Mist Butterfly responded promptly.
"What about Wei Yunqing?"
"She probably returned to the sect by now."
When Yun Xi learned that Wei Yunqing had been taken away by a Nascent Soul elder, her mood soured. Given the situation back then, Wei Yunqing, being the closest to the alien flame, should've been in serious trouble. A confrontation was almost guaranteed, and escaping would've been uncertain.
But that Nascent Soul cultivator's sudden intervention had actually helped Wei Yunqing. No matter what the motive was, she'd ended up benefitting.
"No matter. If I didn't manage to trip her up this time, there's always next time. I don't believe someone will always show up to save her."