Chapter Thirty-Five: Special Pill Furnace

  Lin Xiao had just walked out of the hall with his green trowel when Old Man Li Le turned around and entered a small room behind the hall.

  The room was spotlessly clean, with a floor made of green bricks and walls constructed from water-milled bricks, covered with a layer of plain bamboo paper. In the center of the room, a grass cushion was placed, upon which sat an old man with three long white whiskers under his chin, looking refined and elegant, with eyes that seemed to be both open and closed at the same time, emitting a faint purple glow from between his eyelids. Upon hearing Li Le's footsteps entering the room, the old man slowly raised his head, shooting out a cold glance from his eyes, and asked in a soft tone: "Lin Xiao, young friend, what brings you here?"

  Li Le placed the thick stack of prescriptions respectfully in front of Yi Dao Ren, and said with a light smile: "Lin Gong Feng opened a prescription list, all are some commonly used materials for refining ordinary Dan medicine, only the quantity is really too large. Hmm, there are also several things inside that can't be explained what they are used for, but the quantity is much smaller." He bent down and picked up the top paper from the thick stack of prescriptions, respectfully handing it to Yi Dao Ren.

  "Hmm, the ten jin of refined gold and warm jade that were produced along with the fire-attributed spiritual stone vein, all ground into powder?" One of the Daoist priests tilted his head in thought, then suddenly let out a 'heh heh' laugh: "Interesting, Lin Xiao, you truly are a master of the Great Luo Golden Elixir, yet you still remember such trivial matters. Hmm, the powder of refined gold and beautiful jade seems to only have one use, especially when it comes to the naturally fire-attributed spiritual power-imbued refined gold and beautiful jade that were produced along with the fire-attributed spiritual stone vein?"

  He didn't even glance at the prescriptions, just nodded and said: "Prepare all the medicinal materials, each one increased by two tenths to be sent to Lin Xiao's friend. Hmm, pass on my orders, in the future if Lin Xiao's friend needs anything, give it to him completely." Yi Yi spoke in a low voice with some anticipation: "The Da Luo Dan Dao was destroyed, but perhaps he can bring us a surprise? In today's cultivation world, without those elixirs, it is indeed a matter of life and death. Let's see how much he learned from the Da Luo Dan Dao."

  Li Le slightly bowed his head, took three steps back towards the door, and was about to leave when he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Yidao Ren with a hint of hesitation, lowered his voice and said: "But Lin Gongzhu was injured earlier..." Li Le nodded towards the outside of the room, smiled wryly and said: "Those few people have the backing of a mysterious ancestor, an ancestor who is the former Taishang Huangdi from five dynasties ago. What do you think?"

  He gazed at them with piercing eyes, his voice cold as ice: "Send those five to the back mountain's woodshed for labor duty. Let them temper their minds through hard work for three more years. As for Yu Xian, I'll take care of him myself. You may go." A soft halo of light slowly spread out from Yi Yue's body, his figure gradually fading away until he vanished into thin air.

  Li Le silently walked towards the Pu team, bowed and grabbed a thick prescription, turned around and quickly left. A hint of a smile on his face, he hummed softly: "Hmph, you guys also have today? Usually arrogant and domineering, the old man can't do anything to you, but today you've provoked the Yi Zu Shi, now you'll get your just desserts!"

  Lin Xiao carried a green hoe and walked along the edge of a large lake. The lake was just below the foot of the high mountain that had just passed, stretching for hundreds of miles. A white stone embankment was built along the lake shore, with rhododendrons planted all over it. Inside the mountain gate of Yuan Zong, spring entered in all four seasons, and the rhododendrons were in full bloom, a sea of red flowers stretching from before his eyes to the horizon, the narrow stone embankment was like a thin silver chain in the sea of fire, Lin Xiao and Qing Luo walked slowly along this thin silver chain, with flames of flowers on either side, and the fragrance that filled their nostrils was intoxicating.

  He gazed blankly at the sea of flowers, and Lin Xiao's mind seemed to be stirred by something. He felt a surge of energy in his body. He turned his head towards the white lake surface, where several large boats were drifting slowly. A group of Yuanyu disciples wearing coarse linen robes were shouting and throwing nets to catch fish. In the sky, a flock of fish eagles were flying rapidly in circles, seemingly preparing to snatch some food from the disciples' hands to fill their bellies.

  Qing Yue quietly followed behind Lin Xiao, her small hand lightly tugging on his sleeve. She stared blankly at Lin Xiao's slightly thin and lifeless back, her mind only filled with the scene of Lin Xiao effortlessly sending the five seniors who had bullied her for years flying with just a wave of his hand. Qing Yue's small hand tightened, grasping Lin Xiao's sleeve even more forcefully. Apart from Li Le, who was extremely caring towards her, Qing Yue suddenly discovered that in this cold world, it seemed she had gained another person she could trust and rely on.

  Although Lin Xiao's face was always as cold as a dead person, and his voice was harsh like a ghostly cry, he gave Qingchu a very warm feeling. It was a safe, quiet, and heartwarming warmth that penetrated to her core. Unlike the warmth of elder love that Li Le gave her, it was a kind of warmth that made her feel a little confused.

  She grasped Lin Xiao's sleeve and quietly followed him. Looking at the white stone path beneath her feet, Qingchu wished that this path would never end.

  "Qingyue!" Lin Xiao suddenly shouted. Qingyue was still staring blankly at Lin Xiao, not hearing his call at all.

  Lin Xiao stopped suddenly, turned around and looked at Qing Huo. Qing Huo stared blankly at Lin Xiao for a moment, then suddenly realized that Lin Xiao had called out to her just now. She felt a little panicked, a little scared, and a little shy, lowering her head and saying in a low voice: "Lin big brother, um, what's up?" Before she even finished speaking, half of her face turned bright red, while the other half was pale green with a hint of purple, and the cold air emanating from within made the skin around her cheeks turn blue and white.

  "Hmm, does Yuan Zong have someone who is skilled in refining equipment?" Lin Xiao asked casually, without noticing Qing Yun's expression.

  "Refiner?" Qing Yu opened his mouth, furrowed his brow and thought for a while before hesitantly pointing to his own nose and saying in a low voice: "This... should be something that Yizhen Zushi, the head of the Refining Department, is most skilled at. But Yizhen Zushi rarely lends a hand to help others refine equipment, and wanting to meet him is basically impossible."

  She quickly looked up at Lin Xiao, then lowered her head again and said in a low voice: "I've never been to the Hall of Instruments either, I don't know where it is. All I've heard is that the Hall of Instruments is on 'Tian Huo Peak', but Tian Huo Peak..."

  He gently patted Qingchu's head and said, "It's hard for you to see him, but I'm a priest of Yuánzōng and I'm going to find him for Yuánzōng's sake, so it shouldn't be difficult. As for the location of Qìtáng..." Just then, a flying boat with a faint misty aura flew by in the sky, Lin Xiao grabbed Qingchu and chased after the flying boat with his Chìlóng sword.

  On the flying boat, a Yuanzong disciple who was driving the flying boat saw Lin Xiao fly up and hurriedly bowed his head in greeting: "I know my place, I've seen fellow Taoist. But may I ask who you are?" This Yuanzong disciple, who looked to be around fifty years old, looked at Lin Xiao with surprise, sizing him up from head to toe. Lin Xiao was still wearing the Dao robe made by Da Luo Dan, and at a glance, it was clear that he wasn't a member of the Yuanzong.

  "Lin Xiao, Yuan Zong is offering sacrifices." Lin Xiao asked faintly: "I don't know in which direction the Tian Huo Peak is?"

  Lin Xiao, the new supply? The efficiency of a certain Daoist is very high. In just one night's work, news about Lin Xiao has been passed on to all the executive disciples of the Yuan Sect. Zhi Ji naturally knows what kind of person Lin Xiao is. He immediately reacted and hastily bowed to Lin Xiao with a serious expression: "Zhi Ji has seen Supply Master Lin." He also saw that Lin Xiao's face was cold and uncommunicative, not one who spoke much. He casually pointed in the southwest direction and said: "Tian Huo Peak is 700 li away in this direction. Supply Master, take your sword and fly there, and you will see the highest mountain peak."

  He nodded and thanked Zhi Ji, then Lin Xiao grabbed the Qing Ding and flew southwest with his sword. A three-meter-long red light appeared in the air, but it was not very noticeable.

  Zhī Jī Dào Rén yì yì de niàn le yī shēng dào hào, dī shēng zì yǔ dào: "Lín Gōng Fèng de xiū wéi, kàn qǐ lái bìng bù shèn gāo, què shì zěn dì?" Yáo le yáo tóu, Zhī Jī jì xù qū dòng fēi zhōu, cāo chí qǐ tā de zhí sī.

  English Translation:

  The Mechanic Daoist muttered to himself in a low voice, "Lin Gong's cultivation doesn't seem very high, but how is that possible?" He shook his head and continued to operate the flying vessel, attending to his duties.

  Lin Xiao rode his sword forward, and soon saw a piece of cloud and mist appearing in front of him. In the midst of the red clouds, a high mountain was born, with a red light rising from the peak to an unknown height, like a heavenly pillar standing between heaven and earth. Under the red light was a grand palace complex, built with crimson jade stones, layer upon layer from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, and then extending from the foot of the mountain in all directions for more than two miles wide, with an unknown number of buildings and halls within.

  In the void in front of the high mountain, a colorful cloud and mist supported a fire-red archway, on which were clearly engraved the two characters "Qì Táng".

  Lin Xiao was still over two hundred zhang away from the archway when a clear and crisp sound of a chime rang out from beneath it. A Taoist priest with a blue robe and white beard emerged from behind the archway, laughing as he bowed to Lin Xiao from afar: "Fellow Daoist, please halt your cloud steps. Hehehe, ahead lies the 'Heavenly Fire Refining Form' restriction; fellow Daoist must not proceed any further. May I ask which esteemed person you are and what brings you here?"

  Is the Heavenly Fire Refining Shape forbidden? As soon as he heard the two words "Heavenly Fire", Lin Xiao couldn't help but think of the boundless pain brought by the Purple Thunder Heavenly Fire burning in his body when he was forming his elixir. He subconsciously shuddered, and Lin Xiao hastily replied: "Lin Xiao, specially requests to see Elder Zhen, the head of the Equipment Pavilion."

  "Lin Xiao?" The old Taoist guarding the gate was taken aback, and hastily bowed to say: "I know Ming, I have seen Lin Gong. He looked up and down at Lin Xiao, and saw that his appearance was indeed exactly the same as the Taoist method diagram transmitted by Yi Dao person. Knowing Ming Taoist glanced again at the green trowel held in Lin Xiao's hand, a faint light shot out from his eyes, and he turned it over several times on the trowel, and then found out that the trowel was practicing the entry-level technique of the lower disciples of the Yuan sect. Knowing Ming Taoist nodded, smiling: "Please show me your token."

  Token? Lin Xiao and Qing Yun were both taken aback, Lin Xiao's token had just been handed over to Li Le, who was told to gather medicinal materials. Where could he go to find a token now?

  Lin Xiao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he said expressionlessly: "The token has been handed over to Li Le, the manager of Yao Shan, to gather the necessary medicinal materials, so the token is not on me now."

  Lin Xiao said bluntly, and Zhi Ming Dao Ren was a bit stunned! Even if Lin Xiao's appearance in the image transmitted by Yi Bai was exactly the same as his usual self, without the token of authority, he wouldn't dare let Lin Xiao enter the Instrument Hall. The Instrument Hall was a place where Yuan Zong specially refined various instruments for his disciples, and there were countless secrets that couldn't be leaked out. How could they easily let someone who didn't even have proof of identity in? In the cultivation world, all sorts of sinister tricks and changes were endless, and Zhi Ming Dao Ren's cultivation was only at the initial stage of forming the Golden Elixir. How could he determine whether this young man, who looked exactly like "Lin Gong Feng", was really Lin Xiao?

  After a moment of silence, Zhi Ming Dao Ren sighed and said: "Lin Gong Feng, in that case, let me go ask the True Master Ancestor for guidance." He glanced at Lin Xiang with a hint of apology.

  Lin Xiao nodded his head in understanding and said with a cold face: "So be it, thank you."

  Zhī Míng Dào Rén cháo Lín Xiāo jì shǒu yī lǐ, jí cōng cōng de jià qǐ yī dào qīng guāng cháo tiān huǒ fēng diān fēng chù fēi qù. Jiàn guāng xùn sù, bǐ qǐ Lín Xiāo Yù jiàn de sù dù yòu kuài le hé zhǐ shí gè bèi? Zhī Míng xiāo xiāo de kàn zhe Lín Xiāo biǎo miàn de fāng xiàng, lüè yǒu kǔ chán de diǎn le diǎn tóu: "Běn mén Yù jiàn jué, bǐ zhī qí tā zhū mén, guǒ rán chà le yī duān!" Lín Xiāo xīn zhōng yòu duō le yī fèn xīn sī, zuò wèi Dà Luó Dān Dào jǐn cún de yī wèi mén rén, yě xǔ tā yīng gāi cóng gēn běn shàng gǎi shàn Dà Luó Dān Dào de mǒu xiē ruò diǎn.

  "Perhaps, if this sect had a powerful sword technique, we wouldn't have been defeated by the demonic path..." Lin Xiao's face turned gloomy, his teeth clenched tightly, making a 'cracking' sound. However, he didn't think that Dan Rong Dao Ren and the others were actually killed in an ambush without even fighting back.

  Just a brief moment, a red light and a green light flew out of the light column on top of the Heavenly Fire Peak. A Taoist priest with a fiery red robe, embroidered with large flames in gold thread, rode the red light and rushed over. From afar, he shot two golden lights from his eyes at Lin Xiao, scanning him. A thunderous laughter suddenly burst from his mouth, shaking the front plaque to "hum" with resonance. "Haha, Lin Xiao, my young friend, you've come to find me, what's the matter? Hehe, Zhiming, you're so ignorant, Lin Gong has arrived, why are you blocking him?"

  The red-faced Taoist pressed down the sword light, and a faint cloud pattern suddenly appeared under his feet, lightly sliding to Lin Xiao's face. He patted Lin Xiao's shoulder with force, laughing loudly: "Speak up, what do you need my help with? Hmm, I won't bother with other things, but if it's about refining some treasure or flying sword, I can help prepare a few good items for you."

  Yi Zhen's body was exceptionally robust, and Lin Xiao, who stood over eight feet tall in front of him, only reached his chest. The green-clad girl shrinking beside Lin Xiao couldn't compare, and Yi Zhen's massive body made her seem like a small dog standing before a majestic horse - completely insignificant.

  The old man's arms were almost as thick as Lin Xiao's thighs, and his powerful palms slapped Lin Xiao's shoulders, nearly knocking him off the sword light. Lin Xiao's body swayed, and he barely managed to steady himself on the sword light, but his shoulders felt a burning pain. Lin Xiao smiled dryly and bowed to the old man, saying: "Elder Yizhen, I also know that you are cautious and careful, so I didn't take it to heart. Hmm, this time I came to ask for your help, indeed."

  "Hmm! That's right! No one would come to Tianhuo Peak to find me anyway." Yizhen Lao Dao shook his head, opened his mouth and smiled: "They all think I have a bad temper, not like a cultivator, so they don't want to see me! Heh, since you have something on your mind, just follow me up. Hmm, the purple smoke wisteria that Tianhuo Peak is famous for is ripe, hmm, young friend can try some fresh ones."

  One hand grasped Lin Xiao's shoulder, and the old Taoist raised his sword light and flew towards the top of Tianhuo Peak. His vast true yuan formed a protective aura outside his body, wrapping Lin Xiao and Qingku tightly in it, carrying the two up to the peak as fast as lightning, rushing into that red glow, and slowly descending from the mountain top through a straight downward cave.

  The depth of the cave was unknown, and Lin Xiao and Qingchu looked down, unable to see the bottom. The thick red light was emitted from the depths of the cave, and as the three descended, the temperature outside grew higher. Yizhen Old Dao's cultivation was refined, and Lin Xiao's body had been tempered by heavenly fire, so they were not afraid of the high heat. However, Qingchu was sweating profusely, with beads of sweat rolling down her face. Yizhen Old Dao glanced at Qingchu, nodded slightly, and casually cast a spiritual seal on her, enveloping her in a green light that isolated her from the scorching heat outside.

  Qing Yun shrunk under Lin Xiao's arm, carefully and cautiously facing the true old Daoist to thank him: "Disciple Qing Yun, thanks to the ancestor."

  "Hmm!" Old Daoist Yi simply nodded at Qing Yun and didn't say much. Judging from the clothes on her body, she was just a miscellaneous disciple under his door, probably sent to serve Lin Xiao's little maid. What identity did he have? He wasn't interested in chatting with Qing Yun. What Old Daoist Yi was most interested in was what Lin Xiao had come to find him for.

  After descending over two thousand zhang in the cave, Lin Xiao saw that on the wall of the cave appeared a square hole about three zhang in diameter. In front of the door sat two Taoist boys wearing red robes, who were sitting cross-legged on a green jade plate at the entrance of the cave, panting and regulating their breath.

  One True Old Dao pulled Lin Xiao into the cave entrance, flying up his right leg and fiercely kicking the buttocks of two Dao children, loudly shouting: "Two little rascals, quickly go pick a plate of purple smoke wisteria fruit to entertain our guests. Hmm, see if the cold osmanthus wine that I buried behind the cave is still there or not. If there's still a jar left, dig it up. If not, then go find your First Ancestor Dao and ask for a jar of tribute wine."

  Two Taoist boys were kicked flying, and they rolled far away on the ground in a sorry state. They quickly got up, one flew out of the cave, and the other rushed to the back of the cave, apparently having a lot of experience in dealing with the true old Taoist's orders.

  One True Old Dao pulled Lin Xiao to the depths of the cave, and in a large stone chamber with an area of nearly 100 square meters, they sat down as host and guest. Only then did he smile and say: "I don't know what I can do to help you, little friend?"

  Lin Xiao silently pulled out three slips of paper from his sleeve and flicked them with his fingers, sending them flying towards Yi Zhen Lao Dao.

  An old Taoist took over the paper strip and quickly scanned it with a few glances.

  Suddenly, a real old Taoist jumped up from the couch and shouted loudly: "Heavens, is this an alchemy furnace? Where can I find an alchemy furnace that's over a hundred feet tall? This...this will consume how many materials?"

  Lin Xiao looked at the old Taoist with a calm and composed expression, saying lightly: "That's right, a specially made dan furnace that is over 100 meters high, one furnace can produce 100,000 grains of dan!"

  "A furnace produces 100,000 pellets of elixir?" The old Taoist's eyes turned green! He rapidly spun around the stone room several times, then suddenly slapped his thigh and loudly shouted: "Damn it, I'll go all out and lose this time, I'll refine this pellet furnace for you!"

  Then, the face of a true old Taoist suddenly turned pale, and he exclaimed: "How many materials will be enough for this?"

  Lin Xiao hung his head, staring at his own hands in silence.

  Qing Yue looked at Lin Xiao with eyes of utmost reverence, she had no idea what Lin Xiao was going to do, but a hundred-zhang-tall dan furnace? It sounded magnificent, Qing Yue thought Lin Xiao was truly extraordinary!