Chapter 158: Xu Yan: Du Young Lady is a Grateful Person

Chapter 158: Xu Yan: Du Young Lady is a Grateful Person 

With an abundance of spirit herbs and supplementary cultivation pills, it was natural that the rate of improvement in cultivation would increase. In Su Lingxuan's Evergreen Pavilion, there were already over twenty members who had entered the Refining Marrow stage.

Kou Ruozhi was also not far from reaching the initial stages of martial arts.

However, the amount of pills consumed was no small number.

Su Lingxuan was refining pills almost every day, especially Qi and Blood Pills, to supply the Evergreen Pavilion and the Xu family.

As a result, the time she spent on her own cultivation had decreased somewhat.

More than half a month later, Su Lingxuan also broke through to the Great Perfection stage of the Qi and Blood Realm.

"Your disciple, Su Lingxuan, has broken through to the Great Perfection of the Qi and Blood Realm, and your Dao of Alchemy has reached Perfection (Xiantian Realm)

."

A golden light appeared.

Li Xuan looked at Su Lingxuan, thinking about a problem.

To cultivate martial artists from the borderlands and quickly enhance their strength, pills were indispensable. However, the number of pills required was no small quantity.

Spirit herbs were secondary; after all, most Qi and Blood Pills didn't require many spirit herbs to refine a large batch, and even if they fell short, one could use spirit herbs as the main ingredient and supplement them with precious herbs.

But how could Su Lingxuan alone manage to refine such a large number of pills?

Even if she had become extremely skilled in refining Qi and Blood Pills, producing dozens of them with each furnace, it would still be impossible for her alone to sustain such a massive quantity.

Moreover, Su Lingxuan also needed time to cultivate her martial arts, comprehend the Dao of Alchemy manual, refine higher-grade pills, and research alchemy techniques, among other things.

The borderlands were only a temporary dwelling, and it was inevitable that they would enter the inner realm. The Evergreen Pavilion would also expand into the inner realm, focusing primarily on the sale of pills.

It was easy to foresee that once the pills were introduced to the inner realm, martial artists there would inevitably be drawn to them.

This would undoubtedly attract covetousness and various forms of coercion from different factions, and it was uncertain whether the Tianbao Pavilion would be able to maintain its position.

As for cooperating with the Tianbao Pavilion, it would depend on what price they could offer.

Of course, regardless of the collaboration, the Evergreen Pavilion would retain the upper hand.

To have a large supply of pills, even if Su Lingxuan exhausted herself, she wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand.

Li Xuan thought of the assembly line production method and wondered if the same could be applied to pill refining.

The process of refining pills was also divided into several steps. While it was challenging to master the complete art of alchemy, individual steps were much simpler.

In the final step, the extracted essence of the spirit herbs was fused and refined, undergoing a final transformation to produce the pills.

By doing so, even if someone learned all the steps of pill refining, they would still struggle to master the art of alchemy, especially since each type of pill required unique refining techniques.

Only those who cultivated the Dao of Alchemy could grasp the methods of refining various pills.

There were only three types of pills that were widely sold in the inner realm.

Qi and Blood Pills, which were needed by the majority of martial artists. Even if the martial arts in the inner realm differed, the effects of Qi and Blood Pills would still be able to aid their cultivation.

Yungan Pills, which were suitable for Grand Masters.

And lastly, healing pills.

The Evergreen Pavilion only needed to produce these three types of pills to amass vast resources in the inner realm.

They could also accept tasks, such as exchanging a certain amount of spirit herbs for a batch of refined pills.

Once the Evergreen Pavilion established itself in the inner realm and promoted its pills, there would be no shortage of spirit herbs as martial artists would flock to reap the benefits.

Of course, at the beginning, they couldn't take too big of a step, or the sudden and intense impact would be overwhelming.

Li Xuan's trip to the inner realm was meant to be enjoyable, not a constant struggle to resolve various problems.

Therefore, they had to wait until the martial artists from the borderlands became powerful enough to form a formidable force before they could aggressively promote their pills. That way, even if they faced covetousness and challenges, they would have the strength to handle them without Li Xuan's intervention.

With this thought, Li Xuan called Su Lingxuan over and shared the idea of using an assembly line to refine pills, giving her a nudge in the right direction so that she could perfect the process herself.

"Master, this method is brilliant! I know what to do now," Su Lingxuan exclaimed joyfully.

From then on, she began to ponder the intricacies of assembly line pill refining. First, she needed to separate the steps of the refining process, figuring out the techniques for each step, how to preserve the semi-finished products, and how to transition to the next step.

These were all complex processes, and she would also need pill furnaces, which meant finding someone to forge them.

However, before that, she needed to find suitable alchemists to learn the separated steps of the refining process. Implementing assembly line pill refining was not something that could be done in a short time.

Fortunately, the number of pills required at the moment was not excessive, and Su Lingxuan had recently taken some time to refine a batch that would be sufficient for the time being.

As she contemplated the assembly line pill refining process, she also delved into the mysteries of the Eight Trigrams and the various martial arts techniques recorded in the Dao of Alchemy manual.

...

In the inner realm, Xu Yan had visited several factions and collected the rewards for the bounty.

As for the bounties offered by the three great countries, he had only approached the Great Yue Kingdom. Perhaps it was because of his reputation as a heaven-defying genius, or the powerful intimidation factor of having killed a Grand Master, or maybe the Great Yue Kingdom simply didn't care about that small bounty.

Regardless, they had readily handed over the reward, and Xu Yan was very satisfied.

As for the other two kingdoms, they were too far away, and he could only temporarily set aside the matter of collecting the bounties. He would retrieve them when the opportunity presented itself in the future.

Upon returning to Qixing City, Xu Yan met with Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan again and returned the Fei Yuan Order to Hu Shan.

"Brother Xu, your name has already shaken the entire martial arts world. Even the Killing Living Skull has fallen by your hand!" Xie Lingfeng exclaimed in awe.

Xu Yan had only reached the Great Perfection stage of the Xiantian Realm, which corresponded to the level of a Grand Master. Yet, he had already slain a Grand Master-level opponent.

He had truly surpassed a major realm in battle!

This was the true might of the martial path.

"Grand Masters are indeed powerful. The Killing Living Skull was the strongest Grand Master I've faced so far, and it took several strikes of my sword to defeat him!" Xu Yan said with a sigh.

Xie Lingfeng: ...

Several strikes of the sword to defeat a Grand Master with a formidable reputation—and he considered that a strong opponent?

"I'm going to take possession of Canglan Island. After that, it will be my territory. Once I've secured the island, I'll purchase spirit herbs and then return to Beihuan," Xu Yan said.

"Brother Xie, are you planning to stay in the Qixing Academy to study the martial arts manuals?" Xu Yan asked, curious about his companion's plans.

"I've condensed a body of true qi, but I'm not sure how to proceed with my cultivation from here. I want to seek guidance from a senior. Why don't you accompany me, Brother Xu?" Xie Lingfeng suggested after some thought.

His trip to the Sword Immortal Cliff had been primarily to find Xu Yan and seek advice on cultivation.

Since Xu Yan was returning to the borderlands, it was a perfect opportunity to travel together and seek guidance from a senior.

"That sounds good," Xu Yan nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right, Brother Xu, this is a gift from Du Young Lady," Xie Lingfeng said, signaling for Hu Shan to bring out a large box.

This was the gift that Du Yuying had sent to the Sword Immortal Cliff for him. He had arranged for it to be sent from the Sword Immortal Cliff so that he could deliver it to Xu Yan.

"Brother Xie, this gift was sent to you by Du Young Lady using your name. Please accept it," Xu Yan said, shaking his head.

"Du Young Lady sent it to you. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to accept it. Besides, using my name, Xie Lingfeng, has brought me fame. There's no need for you to be courteous, Brother Xu. Please accept this gift. After all, it represents Du Young Lady's gratitude," Xie Lingfeng insisted.

"These two boxes contain Yunwu Lingcha, a specialty of the Du Marquis' kingdom. It's said to be rare, with a rich aroma, and the tea leaves resemble clouds. When brewed, it's like having a pot of cloud mist," Xie Lingfeng said, holding up one of the jade cans from the box.

There were a total of three jade cans in the box, all filled with Yunwu Lingcha.

"Yunwu Lingcha is only a low-grade ninth-rank spirit herb, but it's quite famous. It gets its name from the cloud mist, and its fragrance is delicate and refreshing, favored by many Grand Masters," Xie Lingfeng added as he placed the tea can back into the box.

Xu Yan's eyes lit up. "Great! I'll take it!"

Yunwu Lingcha—his master would probably like it, right? Back in the borderlands, his master drank only coarse tea. Although his master's realm was too high, and he had returned to a simple and natural way of life, not paying much attention to such things, Xu Yan, as his disciple, couldn't let him drink coarse tea forever.

Now that he had obtained this spirit tea, he must bring it back to show his gratitude to his master!

"Hu Shan, put the box on your back, and let's go," Xie Lingfeng said happily.

"Yes, young master," Hu Shan replied as he picked up the box, tied it securely with a rope, and slung it onto his back.

Xu Yan asked curiously, "Brother Xie, don't you have a storage bag?"

Xie Lingfeng smiled bitterly. "Brother Xu, you don't understand. Storage bags are too expensive, and they can't be bought with just spirit crystals. Even with my status in Sword Immortal Cliff, I can't afford one."

There was another reason he didn't mention.

It was easy for Grand Masters to get robbed if they carried storage bags!

Even someone like him, with his reputation as Xie Tianheng's son, wouldn't be spared. They might not take his life, but they would certainly take his belongings.

Many Grand Masters couldn't afford storage bags, and those who could were envious of those who had them. If they found out that a Grand Master was carrying a storage bag, they would definitely try to rob him.

After all, not everyone had Xu Yan's strength.

Xu Yan was amazed. Storage bags were even more precious than he had imagined, to the point where even someone like Xie Lingfeng couldn't afford one.

As they walked, Xu Yan asked, "What kind of person can afford a storage bag?"

He had killed many Grand Masters, and some peak Grand Masters as well. For example, Kill Living Skull, who also had a fearsome reputation, didn't have a storage bag on him.

"Usually, only peak Grand Masters have them, but not all peak Grand Masters do," Xie Lingfeng thought for a moment before answering.

"Peak Grand Masters..." Xu Yan sighed.

They weren't easy to kill! With his current strength, killing a Grand Master at the Completion level wasn't a problem.

However, peak Grand Masters were a different story. Their strength was truly at the pinnacle, far beyond that of a Grand Master at the Completion level.

There weren't many peak Grand Masters in the inner realm, and any force that had a peak Grand Master was considered a top-tier power.

As they were leaving the guest quarters, they saw Du Yuying running towards them with Cui'er.

"Xu Gongzi," Du Yuying said. Her face was unveiled, revealing her exquisite beauty. Her pale cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, making her look even more enchanting.

"Du Young Lady," Xu Yan nodded.

"Xu Gongzi, are you leaving for Canglan Island?" Du Yuying asked softly.

"Yes," Xu Yan replied without hiding it. Suddenly, he remembered something and added, "Thank you for your generous gift, Du Young Lady."

Du Yuying's eyes sparkled as she noticed the box on Hu Shan's back, and her joy was evident. "I'm glad you like it, Xu Gongzi."

She turned and said, "Cui'er!"

Cui'er took out a bag and handed it to her. "Miss, here it is."

Du Yuying took the bag from Cui'er and held Xu Yan's hand with her other hand, placing the bag in his palm. "Xu Gongzi, there are 200,000 spirit crystals in here. It's not much, but it represents my gratitude towards you."

As she spoke, her delicate white hand gently stroked Xu Yan's palm, and her face flushed even more.

"I can't accept this without doing anything in return, Du Young Lady," Xu Yan shook his head and said.

Although he was poor and lacked spirit crystals, he had his principles.

"Xu Gongzi, you killed Kill Living Skull. This is part of the bounty on his head. He's been targeting our Du Marquis' kingdom for some time, and you eliminated him, solving a big problem for us.

"These spirit crystals can't possibly repay your kindness, Xu Gongzi. This is all I have with me for now, but please accept this small token of my gratitude. I hope you won't refuse," Du Yuying said, having prepared her explanation in advance.

With both hands holding Xu Yan's, she clasped his palms together and spoke softly.

"In that case, I'll accept it!" Xu Yan exclaimed happily, realizing that it was the bounty for Kill Living Skull. He withdrew his hand and took the spirit crystals.

Du Young Lady was a grateful person. She must have been too excited, as she didn't let go of his hand.

Xu Yan cupped his hands and said, "Du Young Lady, until we meet again!"

It was time to bid farewell.

"Xu Gongzi, I owe you a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain. If I manage to buy a storage bag to repay you in the future, where can I find you?" Du Yuying asked hastily.

"Storage bag?" Xu Yan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't hide his excitement. "Du Young Lady, you're too kind. Storage bags are extremely valuable..."

"No matter how precious a storage bag is, it can't compare to your kindness," Du Yuying said sincerely.

"In that case, you can try looking for me on Canglan Island, or you can find Brother Xie. He will help convey the message," Xu Yan replied, feeling even more that Du Yuying was a virtuous and grateful person.

"I'll remember that!" Du Yuying nodded.

"Brother Xie, let's go!" Xu Yan took a step forward, his figure moving swiftly.

Xie Lingfeng gave Du Yuying a strange look, shook his head, and didn't say anything. He quickly followed Xu Yan's pace.

"Du Young Lady is truly a grateful person. I'm glad I escorted her back then," Xu Yan said with emotion.

Hu Shan's lips twitched. Was this what they called being grateful?

It seemed more like she was infatuated with him!

"Du Young Lady has good talent, but there seems to be something wrong with her body. I'm not sure what the reason is, but she's already at the first-rank, and it won't be long before she becomes a Grand Master," Xu Yan continued, his impression of Du Yuying improving.

Of course, it was just a simple good impression.

Xie Lingfeng nodded. "Du Young Lady is a disciple of one of the grand academicians of the Qixing Academy. Her talent is indeed extraordinary, and it might have something to do with her unique physique as well."

Du Yuying was a disciple of one of the grand academicians at the Qixing Academy, which spoke volumes about her talent.

Just as the three of them were leaving Qixing City, a graceful figure approached, clad in plain white clothes. Even without seeing her face, one could sense her exceptional beauty.

"A beauty from the Unparalleled Pavilion, dressed in white," Xu Yan thought.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end