"Hahaha, Mr. Xiao Ming seems to have quite the popularity!" A burst of hearty laughter reached Xiao Ming's ears as he adjusted his clothes. He turned to see Ye Zhong and the scruffy old man in yellow robes, Yan Tian, standing together.
"Elder Ye, Senior Yan Tian," Xiao Ming greeted them, a hint of surprise in his voice as he hadn't noticed their presence earlier.
"Hehe, we were delayed on the road and arrived late. I hope Mr. Xiao Ming doesn't mind," Ye Zhong explained, dispelling Xiao Ming's curiosity.
"Not at all," Xiao Ming replied, shaking his head in reassurance.
However, his attention was piqued by their tardiness and he couldn't help but inquire, "What caused the delay for both of you?"
In response to Xiao Ming's question, Ye Zhong and Yan Tian exchanged a glance, seemingly reaching a silent agreement.
Without hesitation, Yan Tian flipped his hand, revealing a pale yellow copper plate covered in greenish bronze rust. Upon closer inspection, intricate patterns could be discerned on its surface.
This pale yellow copper plate looked like a piece of trash picked up from the roadside, drawing no attention whatsoever.
Xiao Ming's gaze lingered on the plate, his brows furrowing as he sensed an anomaly. Despite his careful observation, he couldn't detect anything extraordinary about it. It appeared remarkably ordinary to his perception, which raised his suspicion.
'Could this be the copper plate containing Spirit Nourishment Powder?' Xiao Ming wondered inwardly.
"Is this an ancient artifact?" Xiao Ming asked.
"You truly have a keen eye, Xiao Ming. You recognized it immediately. I had to consult ancient books to identify it," Yan Tian exclaimed, rubbing his nose with his free hand, his excitement evident.
Noticing Yan Tian's increasing enthusiasm and disheveled appearance, Ye Zhong discreetly took a few steps away before offering an explanation to Xiao Ming. "We stumbled upon these copper plates by the roadside, and I also have one."
With that, Ye Zhong took out the item, which was a copper plate similar to the one Yan Tian was holding.
"So, your delay was due to these items?" Xiao Ming inquired.
Ye Zhong nodded somewhat apologetically. He wasn't sure if the item was useful, and if it wasn't, then he would have wasted his time.
Yan Tian grinned and said, "You mentioned that if any ancient artifacts surfaced, people could come to find you. Well..."
"Why don't you try researching it yourself first?" Xiao Ming interjected.
"I've already researched it, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. All I know is that it's an ancient item, so I figured I might as well sell it to you," Yan Tian replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh?" Xiao Ming smiled. "What price are you looking for?"
"The same as last time - an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, one that has a special effect on me."
Xiao Ming was impressed with Yan Tian's boldness, considering he had no idea what the item was, yet was willing to ask for such a high price.
"And what about you? Do you also wish to sell it?" Xiao Ming didn't answer but looked at Ye Zhong instead.
"I am willing to sell, but the price can be negotiated," Ye Zhong replied. Since the Ye Clan still needed Xiao Ming's help, Ye Zhong wouldn't ask for an exorbitant price.
If Xiao Ming were to ask for it directly, Ye Zhong would probably just give it to him.
"Okay, I'm interested in this item. Hand it over to me," Xiao Ming nodded in agreement, surprising both Yan Tian and Ye Zhong, who assumed he must have discovered something significant.
But now that they had committed to the agreement, they didn't want to back out, so they handed the copper plates to Xiao Ming.
As soon as the copper plates touched his palms, a faint chill spread through Xiao Ming's hands. He examined the plates with interest, lightly rubbing them with his fingers. The rough texture felt like that of an ordinary copper plate. If it weren't for the intricate patterns drawn on them, few people would consider them treasures.
This old guy Yan Tian indeed had a sharp eye.
After playing with the copper plates for a while, Xiao Ming retrieved two scrolls from his storage ring and tossed them to the two old men.
"These are intermediate seventh-tier pill recipes. Take a look and see if you find them appealing," Xiao Ming stated.
Ye Zhong, without checking, stored the scroll directly in his storage ring. Yan Tian's face lit up with joy.
"Hahaha, this is perfect for me! You're so generous..." Yan Tian chuckled and hummed a tune before leaving.
Ye Zhong stayed behind.
"Elder Xiao Ming, did you want to talk to me about something related to the Pill Tower?" Ye Zhong was puzzled by why Xiao Ming had asked him to stay.
"No, I just wanted to borrow your Ye Clan's Sun Fire Ancient Altar," Xiao Ming responded.
The Sun Fire Ancient Altar was a location where sunlight gathered during the daytime. It had a special spot called the "earth eye" that led deep into the earth. Occasionally, magma would emerge from this earth eye, and when it interacted with the concentrated sunlight, it transformed into a unique flame known as the Sun Flame.
Although not an extremely rare flame, the Sun Flame possessed far greater power than ordinary beast flames. Members of the Ye Clan often used the Sun Flame to increase their success rate in alchemy. However, in recent years, the Sun Flame had weakened, and the Ye Clan had fallen into decline.
Currently, the Ye Clan was in a difficult situation, and only Xiao Ming could save them. So, after hesitating for a second, Ye Zhong agreed to help.
After seeing Ye Zhong off, Xiao Ming bid farewell to Cao Ying and left with Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa.
Once he returned to his residence, Xiao Ming immediately made his way to his bedroom and retrieved the two copper plates he had obtained earlier, tossing them into the cauldron.
During the calcination process, Xiao Ming noticed something peculiar about the copper rust. No matter how much he increased the temperature with the white flame, there was no sign of it melting.
"It must be this thing," he exclaimed with elation. Xiao Ming quickly raised the temperature, and after approximately ten minutes, the green copper plate finally began to show signs of melting.
As the copper melted, the green color gradually faded away. Tiny specks of pale yellow powder silently fell from the melted copper rust, suspending in the flame. They sparkled and flashed like ethereal beings, exuding a profound sense of spirituality.
After about two minutes of the powder falling, it ceased, and as the final specks landed, the copper plate vanished in an instant.
"It truly is the Spirit Nourishment Powder!" Xiao Ming exclaimed in amazement. He had truly struck it lucky this time!
...
There stood a colossal black palace emanating an overwhelmingly oppressive aura. Its sheer size was terrifying, and the entire structure was shrouded in shades of black and gray.
Black stone pillars rose high, adorned with numerous chains that entwined around them, forming intricate connections to innumerable shimmering spheres of light. Observing closely, one could discern ethereal figures within these radiant orbs, their eyes firmly shut.
The dark chains tightly encircled the necks of these soul bodies, and faintly, it appeared as though something was emanating from within the souls and coursing through the chains.
"Reporting to Zhai Xing Tianzun," a voice echoed, "there is news from the Pill Tower. Xiao Ming has become one of the Eight Great Elders."
"Hahaha, Mr. Xiao Ming seems to have quite the popularity!" A burst of hearty laughter reached Xiao Ming's ears as he adjusted his clothes. He turned to see Ye Zhong and the scruffy old man in yellow robes, Yan Tian, standing together.
"Elder Ye, Senior Yan Tian," Xiao Ming greeted them, a hint of surprise in his voice as he hadn't noticed their presence earlier.
"Hehe, we were delayed on the road and arrived late. I hope Mr. Xiao Ming doesn't mind," Ye Zhong explained, dispelling Xiao Ming's curiosity.
"Not at all," Xiao Ming replied, shaking his head in reassurance.
However, his attention was piqued by their tardiness and he couldn't help but inquire, "What caused the delay for both of you?"
In response to Xiao Ming's question, Ye Zhong and Yan Tian exchanged a glance, seemingly reaching a silent agreement.
Without hesitation, Yan Tian flipped his hand, revealing a pale yellow copper plate covered in greenish bronze rust. Upon closer inspection, intricate patterns could be discerned on its surface.
This pale yellow copper plate looked like a piece of trash picked up from the roadside, drawing no attention whatsoever.
Xiao Ming's gaze lingered on the plate, his brows furrowing as he sensed an anomaly. Despite his careful observation, he couldn't detect anything extraordinary about it. It appeared remarkably ordinary to his perception, which raised his suspicion.
'Could this be the copper plate containing Spirit Nourishment Powder?' Xiao Ming wondered inwardly.
"Is this an ancient artifact?" Xiao Ming asked.
"You truly have a keen eye, Xiao Ming. You recognized it immediately. I had to consult ancient books to identify it," Yan Tian exclaimed, rubbing his nose with his free hand, his excitement evident.
Noticing Yan Tian's increasing enthusiasm and disheveled appearance, Ye Zhong discreetly took a few steps away before offering an explanation to Xiao Ming. "We stumbled upon these copper plates by the roadside, and I also have one."
With that, Ye Zhong took out the item, which was a copper plate similar to the one Yan Tian was holding.
"So, your delay was due to these items?" Xiao Ming inquired.
Ye Zhong nodded somewhat apologetically. He wasn't sure if the item was useful, and if it wasn't, then he would have wasted his time.
Yan Tian grinned and said, "You mentioned that if any ancient artifacts surfaced, people could come to find you. Well..."
"Why don't you try researching it yourself first?" Xiao Ming interjected.
"I've already researched it, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. All I know is that it's an ancient item, so I figured I might as well sell it to you," Yan Tian replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh?" Xiao Ming smiled. "What price are you looking for?"
"The same as last time - an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, one that has a special effect on me."
Xiao Ming was impressed with Yan Tian's boldness, considering he had no idea what the item was, yet was willing to ask for such a high price.
"And what about you? Do you also wish to sell it?" Xiao Ming didn't answer but looked at Ye Zhong instead.
"I am willing to sell, but the price can be negotiated," Ye Zhong replied. Since the Ye Clan still needed Xiao Ming's help, Ye Zhong wouldn't ask for an exorbitant price.
If Xiao Ming were to ask for it directly, Ye Zhong would probably just give it to him.
"Okay, I'm interested in this item. Hand it over to me," Xiao Ming nodded in agreement, surprising both Yan Tian and Ye Zhong, who assumed he must have discovered something significant.
But now that they had committed to the agreement, they didn't want to back out, so they handed the copper plates to Xiao Ming.
As soon as the copper plates touched his palms, a faint chill spread through Xiao Ming's hands. He examined the plates with interest, lightly rubbing them with his fingers. The rough texture felt like that of an ordinary copper plate. If it weren't for the intricate patterns drawn on them, few people would consider them treasures.
This old guy Yan Tian indeed had a sharp eye.
After playing with the copper plates for a while, Xiao Ming retrieved two scrolls from his storage ring and tossed them to the two old men.
"These are intermediate seventh-tier pill recipes. Take a look and see if you find them appealing," Xiao Ming stated.
Ye Zhong, without checking, stored the scroll directly in his storage ring. Yan Tian's face lit up with joy.
"Hahaha, this is perfect for me! You're so generous..." Yan Tian chuckled and hummed a tune before leaving.
Ye Zhong stayed behind.
"Elder Xiao Ming, did you want to talk to me about something related to the Pill Tower?" Ye Zhong was puzzled by why Xiao Ming had asked him to stay.
"No, I just wanted to borrow your Ye Clan's Sun Fire Ancient Altar," Xiao Ming responded.
The Sun Fire Ancient Altar was a location where sunlight gathered during the daytime. It had a special spot called the "earth eye" that led deep into the earth. Occasionally, magma would emerge from this earth eye, and when it interacted with the concentrated sunlight, it transformed into a unique flame known as the Sun Flame.
Although not an extremely rare flame, the Sun Flame possessed far greater power than ordinary beast flames. Members of the Ye Clan often used the Sun Flame to increase their success rate in alchemy. However, in recent years, the Sun Flame had weakened, and the Ye Clan had fallen into decline.
Currently, the Ye Clan was in a difficult situation, and only Xiao Ming could save them. So, after hesitating for a second, Ye Zhong agreed to help.
After seeing Ye Zhong off, Xiao Ming bid farewell to Cao Ying and left with Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa.
Once he returned to his residence, Xiao Ming immediately made his way to his bedroom and retrieved the two copper plates he had obtained earlier, tossing them into the cauldron.
During the calcination process, Xiao Ming noticed something peculiar about the copper rust. No matter how much he increased the temperature with the white flame, there was no sign of it melting.
"It must be this thing," he exclaimed with elation. Xiao Ming quickly raised the temperature, and after approximately ten minutes, the green copper plate finally began to show signs of melting.
As the copper melted, the green color gradually faded away. Tiny specks of pale yellow powder silently fell from the melted copper rust, suspending in the flame. They sparkled and flashed like ethereal beings, exuding a profound sense of spirituality.
After about two minutes of the powder falling, it ceased, and as the final specks landed, the copper plate vanished in an instant.
"It truly is the Spirit Nourishment Powder!" Xiao Ming exclaimed in amazement. He had truly struck it lucky this time!
...
There stood a colossal black palace emanating an overwhelmingly oppressive aura. Its sheer size was terrifying, and the entire structure was shrouded in shades of black and gray.
Black stone pillars rose high, adorned with numerous chains that entwined around them, forming intricate connections to innumerable shimmering spheres of light. Observing closely, one could discern ethereal figures within these radiant orbs, their eyes firmly shut.
The dark chains tightly encircled the necks of these soul bodies, and faintly, it appeared as though something was emanating from within the souls and coursing through the chains.
"Reporting to Zhai Xing Tianzun," a voice echoed, "there is news from the Pill Tower. Xiao Ming has become one of the Eight Great Elders."
