After collecting the ingredients Hai Bodong had prepared for the Zong Breaking Pill, Liu Xi bid him farewell and departed from the Miteer Family estate, making his way directly to the Alchemist Association.
Refining a Zong Breaking Pill created quite a disturbance, and during the process, he would need absolute focus—so the quiet chambers of the Alchemist Association were the best choice.
Liu Xi's arrival was warmly welcomed by Master Fa Ma himself. Upon hearing his purpose, Fa Ma personally led him deep into the association, to the secluded chamber where he often refined his own pills.
Liu Xi smiled and thanked him before stepping into the chamber under Fa Ma's eager gaze. The heavy stone doors closed behind him with a low rumble.
---
Days turned to nights, nights to days.
Seven days later, the sealed doors finally opened once again. During that time, the chamber had erupted with waves of turbulent energy twice—bursts so strong that even Fa Ma could feel them from outside.
As the doors parted, sunlight streamed into the chamber, falling upon a slightly tired but handsome face—Liu Xi's.
He squinted comfortably, raising a hand to shield his eyes, savoring the warmth of sunlight he hadn't felt in days.
"Master Liu, how did it go?" Fa Ma's voice carried both excitement and nervous anticipation.
A faint smile played across Liu Xi's lips as he lowered his hand. With a brush of his ring, a fine jade bottle appeared in his palm. Inside was a single, lustrous pill—the Zong Breaking Pill.
"I gave it my all," Liu Xi said with a light chuckle, handing it to Fa Ma. "Failure was never an option."
Fa Ma eagerly uncorked the bottle, his Spiritual Power probing the pill's surface. After a long moment of inspection, he exhaled deeply, a tremor of awe in his voice. "Truly a 6th Tier Zong Breaking Pill—and of top quality at that! Your alchemy skills far surpass anything I imagined, Master Liu."
Removing a ring from his own finger, Fa Ma pressed it into Liu Xi's hand with a grin. "Well, it seems I've gotten the better end of this exchange compared to Hai Bodong. A 6th Tier peak pill—heavens, I doubt I'll ever reach that level in my lifetime."
Liu Xi accepted it with an easy smile, sliding the ring onto his finger without even checking its contents. "An alchemist's work is about balance, not profit. Elder Hai's request was my pleasure."
Of the two sets of ingredients Hai Bodong had provided, Liu Xi had successfully refined both Zong Breaking Pills. One will go to Hai Bodong as promised; the other had been used to make a quiet trade with Fa Ma.
In exchange, he received a ring full of rare materials—including two portions of Soul Nurturing Saliva, and several ingredients for the 7th Tier Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill.
Since the Fallen Heart Flame was still sealed and unusable for a while, Yao Tianhuo remained his strongest hidden trump card. Restoring his soul strength and rebuilding his body required powerful materials—things that even the vast Alchemist Association would take time to gather.
Leaving a Zong Breaking Pill behind as gratitude was a fair trade.
"You're right," Fa Ma said with a smile. "By the way, Hai Bodong arrived four days ago and has been waiting in the outer hall ever since. He's been quite impatient to hear the results."
"Oh?" Liu Xi chuckled. "Then let's go give Elder Hai a pleasant surprise."
They made their way down the long corridor toward the western guest hall. Fa Ma pushed open the door first, calling out cheerfully, "Old Hai, stop grumbling for once—look who's here."
"Bah, I'm in no mood—" Hai Bodong started irritably, but his voice cut off when he saw Liu Xi step in.
"Elder Hai, sorry to keep you waiting," Liu Xi greeted with a smile.
The old Ice Emperor's eyes brightened immediately. "Little friend… the pill, is it—?"
Liu Xi flicked his wrist, producing another jade bottle, which he tossed lightly across the room. "Here."
"Hey—careful with that!" Hai Bodong scolded, though his hands moved fast, summoning a gentle suction force to catch the bottle. He clutched it to his chest, muttering, "A Zong Breaking Pill and you just… toss it?!"
Despite his words, his grin stretched from ear to ear. The gleam in his eyes said it all—this single pill represented the dream of every 9-Star Dou Huang.
After staring at it for a long while, Hai Bodong finally composed himself and stored the jade bottle reverently away. Then he removed a ring and offered it to Liu Xi with solemn respect.
"Little friend, no words can express my gratitude. Take this as a small token of appreciation. If ever you need me, say the word. As for fighting or killing—heh, this old man won't even blink."
Liu Xi didn't refuse the gesture, though he glanced at the nearly full collection of rings on his fingers and sighed inwardly. I'll need to sort these out later…
Meeting Hai Bodong's earnest gaze, Liu Xi smiled. "I'll remember that."
After bidding farewell to both Hai Bodong and Fa Ma, Liu Xi finally returned home. Seven days of sleepless alchemy had left him exhausted.
---
Half a month later.
Liu Xi sat cross-legged upon his Green Lotus Platform. Streams of milky-white energy coalesced in the air, surging into his body in thick torrents.
The Nine Nether Ghost Flame Technique operated at full capacity, refining the immense Heaven and Earth energy into pure Dou Qi. It flooded through his meridians, bones, and flesh, roaring like a tide of power.
The energy continued raging through the night until dawn broke—and then slowly faded.
When the light returned to the room, Liu Xi's skin faintly shimmered with a soft glow, his entire body exuding a sense of balance and vigor. His Dou Qi had climbed another peak—8-Star Dou Huang.
Opening his eyes, Liu Xi exhaled, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Heh… that old poison Xie Bi Yan was generous indeed. The Demon Poison Spot left behind before his death turned out to be a gift in disguise. Refining less than a tenth of it already pushed me to 8-Star Dou Huang. If I manage to absorb all of it, breaking through to Dou Zong might not be impossible."
He rose from the lotus platform, stretching his arms and joints with a content sigh. "No more delays. Time to check whether Yun Yun has gathered her pill ingredients. Once her Zong Breaking Pill is done, I'll prepare to head for the Central Plains. If both Elder Hai and Yun Yun can ascend to Dou Zong, the Jia Ma Empire will have three protectors at that level—enough to safeguard this land."
He chuckled quietly. "Wouldn't want to return from the Central Plains one day only to find my home gone. That'd be the real tragedy."
Retracting the Green Lotus Platform—a relic born from the Green Lotus Core Flame that continued to aid him immensely—Liu Xi stepped out into the sunlight once more, ready to ascend Yunlan Mountain again.
(End of Chapter)
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