About a few kilometers away from the small mountain peak, Yuan had already changed into his usual green robes and taken a second bath to cleanse the lingering scent of blood from his body.
It had been five full hours since the fight, and up until now, he hadn't even looked inside the alchemist's bag of holding. He preferred to return to the sect first, then take his time to examine the items and spiritual herbs properly.
But just as he was about to resume his journey, a strange sound echoed from the west.
A loud cry?
Yuan turned his head toward the direction of the sound. It didn't resemble the roar of an enraged beast.
No, this cry was different. It carried sorrow. It sounded… heartbroken. As if someone had just lost someone dear to them.
The longer he listened, the more Yuan could roughly pinpoint the origin. It came from the direction of the small mountain peak,where he had just been.
A sense of unease stirred in his chest.
He remembered the alchemist mentioning something cryptic before,something about "gone out with that damn bastard." At the time, it had seemed like nonsense. Now, the words echoed ominously in his mind.
A heavy, foreboding feeling settled over him.
Yuan quickened his pace, leaving the stone wolf mountain behind. His steps grew sharper, faster.
When the cry suddenly stopped, a chill ran down his spine.
He didn't let his guard down. Instead, his left hand instinctively moved to rest on the hilt of his sword.
Ready for anything.
Although Yuan didn't know exactly where this ominous feeling came from, he decided to trust it. The cry could have belonged to someone who had just lost control,someone who might kill out of frustration or grief. Either way, staying far away from something like that was always better than being close and helpless.
Step by step, he approached the edge of the Stone Wolf Mountain. Just a few hundred meters more, and he would be clear of it.
Fortunately, nothing happened as he finally crossed the boundary.
Without hesitation, Yuan began running toward the sect at full speed.
After over an day of continuous running, the towering peak of the sect's main mountain finally came into view. Seeing it, Yuan slowed to a walk, catching his breath as a small, satisfied smile formed on his face.
At last, it was time to return to seclusion.
After months of robbing, fighting, and killing, he had finally acquired enough resources to advance his cultivation,without any immediate obstacles or worries.
Standing before the sect gate, Yuan greeted the guards and handed over both his exit token and identification slate. After verifying their authenticity, the guards nodded and let him through.
Without wasting any time, Yuan made his way toward his cultivation cave.
Opening the seal to his cultivation cave, Yuan stepped inside. Everything was just as he had left it.
Without wasting time, he began drawing a communication meaning rune,dropped a drop of his spiritual blood on the ground to activate the rune to inform Ming Ze about a meeting, then he waited for a response. While he waited for a positive signal in return, Yuan sealed the entrance to his cave and turned his attention to the alchemist's bag of holding.
Breaking the seal was surprisingly easy. There were no protective runes or formations inscribed on it, which struck Yuan as odd. The alchemist had runes and formations around his cave,so why hadn't he done the same for his bag of holding?
Then again, Yuan couldn't care less about the thoughts of a dead man.
He began rummaging through the contents of the bag… and what he found immediately confirmed that killing the alchemist had been the right choice.
Inside were countless pills,most of them useful for cultivators in the Blood Purification Stage. Pills that, under normal circumstances, would've taken Yuan several more years of robbery to acquire.
With just this supply alone, he could easily support the cultivation of three other Blood Purification Stage cultivators.
If he had to guess, these pills were likely the alchemist's main business. He probably sold them to the sect, to loose cultivators, or even to a noble family.
But aside from the many cultivation pills, there were also other types.
Poison pills, detoxification pills, concentration pills, and even a few demonic pills!
Although demonic pills were powerful, they were also incredibly dangerous. When consumed, they damaged the user's internal organs and could wreak havoc on the entire body. Without significant resources to heal afterward or sheer luck,death was a very real possibility. These kinds of pills were meant to be used only as a last resort, when standing at death's door.
"But why didn't the alchemist use them?" Yuan wondered aloud, a frown forming on his face.
It was strange. In a life or death situation, someone like the alchemist should have used whatever was available. Maybe it hadn't crossed his mind, or perhaps he didn't have time? Whatever the reason, Yuan couldn't be sure.
There was more in the bag than just pills. A few books were tucked inside,Books on alchemy and spiritual herbs.
Yuan pulled them out and began flipping through the pages. The books on spiritual herbs were basic but thorough, describing how to handle different herbs and how to identify them. Some even included complete pill recipes.
To his surprise, all the spiritual herbs he had collected from the alchemist's garden were listed in these books. And if the information was accurate… then many of them were indeed considered rare in the lower plane.
The plants that had been grown in the alchemist's garden were incredibly valuable,especially for cultivation stages beyond Bone Forging.
The three spiritual herbs that Yuan already recognized were even useful for cultivators at the peak of the Marrow Essence Stage, particularly when used to refine specialized pills such as the Faster Essence Pill, which aided breakthroughs to higher stages.
One of the main ingredients for that pill was a 20 year old Cold Essence Root,something Yuan already had in his possession.
However, if he allowed it to grow for longer, letting it mature further, he could craft an even more potent version of the pill.
Unfortunately, since he had already harvested the herb, the best he could do now was preserve it and try to extend its age. Even with optimal care, he might be able to stretch its growth by five more years if he cultivated it for another hundred.
And that was being optimistic
Still, that was a concern for later..
For now, Yuan set aside the spiritual herb books and turned his attention to the alchemy book he had taken from the bag.
This, however, was no ordinary alchemy manual.
As Yuan flipped through its pages, his eyes widened with interest. It was a flame control technique,specifically designed for alchemists!
Alchemy flames were something only true alchemists could produce after reaching the Meridian Awakening Stage. They were essential tools in refining high-grade pills, allowing for precise control over heat and essence infusion.
Greatly increasing the quality and success rate of pill creation.
As Yuan continued reading, he grew more and more astonished.
This wasn't something a regular Meridian Awakening cultivator should possess. It was far too advanced,its structure, control methods, and layered flame manipulation techniques were beyond the standard level of alchemy seen in the lower planes.
Even the level of flame control described in the book was at least an entire realm higher than what should have been accessible in the lower plane. Yuan couldn't help but suspect that this technique had originated from a higher plane and somehow found its way down here.
His eyes widened at the thought.
He shook his head, wondering if there might have been an inheritance site nearby,some secret cave or formation that held more treasures. But there was no indication of such a thing.
The book made no mention of its origin, and the alchemist himself hadn't carried anything particularly special aside from the manual.
It seemed more likely that the alchemist had stumbled upon the technique by chance,just as Yuan had.
"Haaa…" Yuan let out a quiet sigh.
If there truly had been an inheritance, it might've held resources capable of accelerating his cultivation even further.
But then again, there had never been an opportunity like that to begin with.
So why feel regret?
With that, Yuan shifted his focus back to the flame control technique. Despite its simple name, it was far from easy. In fact, it was something only elite alchemists could hope to master,far beyond the reach of the average alchemist.
The first requirement was a special flame, either taken from a rare beast or born of some unique condition.
Then, after reaching the Meridian Awakening Stage and unlocking all meridians, the user was required to perform the an Minor Heart Refinement,a process to refine the heart and make it much stronger than normaly,so that i could hold the flame inside it
With just that alone, an average alchemist could ascend to become an exceptional one.
More than that, if done correctly, the cultivator could produce flame blood for brief moments. And by directing this flame blood from their fingertips into the pill furnace, they could precisely adjust the temperature,lowering or raising the heat as needed during refinement.
Such control over flame would significantly increase pill quality and the success rate.
But that wasn't what made this technique truly special.
Once a cultivator reached the Bone Forging Stage, the benefits became even more pronounced. The higher their cultivation rose, the more refined the heart would becomes,allowing them to produce more flame blood and store larger quantities of it within their heart.
This technique was, without a doubt, top tier when it came to heart refinement for the people in the lower plane!
While its ability to refine the heart far surpassed that of other techniques, the true brilliance of it didn't fully emerge until the Marrow Essence Stage.
At that stage, when a cultivator broke through, they had to use all of their spiritual blood to infuse it into their marrow and create Marrow Essence. But with this technique by fusing their flame blood into the marrow,they would form a rare and coveted evolution.
Marrow Pill Flame Essence.
It was something every alchemist would dreamed of.
And its usefulness wasn't limited to alchemy alone.
It even had powerful applications in combat as well.
With the Marrow Pill Flame Essence, the user's body could become resistant to extreme temperatures, particularly the cold. More impressively, they could channel a drop of flame blood from their marrow and use it to attack.
Unleashing real fire, not some illusion or spiritual construct, but a genuine, burning flame.
One that could sear flesh and scorch the earth.
Yuan began to wonder about the Azure Basilisk Flame.
After all, the Azure Basilisk Flame wasn't just any ordinary flame.
It was a true beast flame, in the purest sense.
If he could integrate that flame into the technique…
Then this technique would become much more Powerfull than he would imagine!