Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 286 Revisiting Master Geng Dan - Sudden Hearing of the Bitter and Silent Temple
After carefully putting away the magic talisman, Xiao Chen turned his gaze to the two letters.

The first letter, unsurprisingly, contained a mission from Jinluan.

Commander 'Copper Rich' temporarily set aside his task.

First, carrying the secret method for warding off evil spirits and the Bing Fire Treasure Gourd, they rushed to Zhiyi Cave to collect evil energy and send it to the so-called old place.

"Another gourd?"

Upon hearing the name 'Bing Huo', Xiao Chen suddenly had a whimsical thought: "Could the sea tribe have a whole set of gourds like this?"

But it doesn't matter, he just happened to get a bigger storage ring, so he can fit any more in.

The second letter describes 'Tongfu's' original mission.

The main content is divided into three parts.

The first part still focuses on the main task, which requires him to refine a massive amount of Transformation Pills and deliver the first batch to Jinluan before mid-February.

The Transformation Pill is indeed important to the sea creatures.

After all, as far as Xiao Chen knew, there were a very small number of powerful demon species that, even after breaking through to the fourth rank, were unable to achieve perfect human form on their own.

Even if it has multiple horns on its head or multiple tails behind it, not everyone will necessarily dare to laugh at it.

But there is always this demand.

The second part is a reminder of the action.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the action plan targeting the Mozhang faction will be postponed until next year.

However, the letter specifically stated that the previous promise to leave the Alchemy Hall to 'Tongfu' was still valid, reassuring him.

The specific timing of the operation will be announced separately after a decision is made.

The third part is a concluding encouragement.

I don't know if it's a different person here or what, but the tone of voice is no longer that of someone coldly assigning tasks to subordinates.

He seemed to have adopted a gentler tone.

Tell 'Copper Rich' not to overthink things because of the changes in the plan. His Highness and His Majesty both cherish talent, especially someone as capable as him.

Their power has not yet fully spread.

Firstly, it's inconvenient to redeploy manpower, and secondly, we don't want to alert the enemy.

However, at the latest, after taking over Pudu Temple, he will definitely send someone to deal with that old bastard Geng Danshi as soon as possible.

Furthermore, they will try their best to seize the fourth-order alchemy technique inheritance from the other party and use it to train him.

"Who? Master Geng Dan?"

Xiao Chen blinked, making sure he wasn't mistaken: "They shouldn't be people with the same surname, right?"

To be honest, there aren't many fourth-tier alchemists; in terms of total numbers, they are even fewer than fourth-tier cultivators.

Moreover, he remembered that when he last visited Master Geng, the other party seemed to have mentioned three wishes.

"Could it be that?"

Xiao Chen immediately returned to the cave and removed the bronze mask from 'Tong Fu's' face.

Sure enough, they saw a handsome young man whose face was exactly the same as the one in the portrait that day.

"Oh, what a coincidence?"

Xiao Chen was a little surprised: "So does this mean I've already fulfilled my first wish?"

"If that's the case, does that mean we won't need to make a special trip to Ankylosaurus Island to hunt dragon turtles anymore?"

If he remembered correctly, Master Geng had promised that he could have any one of the three regrets fulfilled.

"Forget it, what's the use of me just daydreaming here? I might as well take him there and ask him directly."

Xiao Chen immediately took out a previously empty wooden box and put 'Tong Fu's' head into it.

Anyway, after I came out of the new ruins, I originally planned to go to the market to deal with the miscellaneous items that had accumulated.

I might as well go and ask.

Whether it works or not, let's give it a try.

If the other party doesn't agree, then we'll think of another way.

Finally, there are those two Spirit-Nourishing Treasure Boxes.

Xiao Chen opened the first one and looked inside. Inside was a red gourd, which was the Bing Fire Treasure Gourd.

There's nothing much to see here; it's almost identical to Xin Jinbao's gourd.

He picked up the second Spirit-Nourishing Treasure Box, opened the lid, and took a look.

"Ok?"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly, noticing that the box contained a special stone.

Its entire body glows with a faint white light, but it is actually pitch black.

It has no clear shape; it is neither square nor round, neither triangular nor rhomboid, and it is completely asymmetrical in all directions.

However, it has a strange charm.

This unique charm makes anyone who sees it immediately feel that the stone is definitely not naturally formed, but rather artificially crafted.

To be honest, this feeling made Xiao Chen very uncomfortable.

Because if it had truly undergone artificial processing, it wouldn't likely have such an irregular shape.

When held in my hand, it didn't feel like a spiritual object; it didn't seem to contain much spiritual power.

"What a strange stone. Could it be some kind of keepsake?"

Xiao Chen couldn't find anything amiss: "But, does a token made of stone need to be stored in a Spirit-Nourishing Treasure Box?"

But since 'Copper Rich' did this, he must have had his reasons.

"Let's just take them together for testing."

Xiao Chen took another look at the unusual stone before putting it back into his storage ring.

They then left without stopping and returned to the seabed along the passage.

With the array flags provided by Zhang Shouquan, they easily passed through the buoys again without alerting the Arhats above.

Although the reason for the closure of Pudu Temple is unknown.

But at least the celestial artifacts and malevolent energy inside are now completely gone.

To be on the safe side, Xiao Chen deliberately distanced himself several thousand miles underwater to ensure he wouldn't arouse suspicion.

It was only then that it emerged from the seabed again.

"Wow!"

A large splash suddenly erupted on the calm sea surface.

It was nighttime outside, and the bright moon illuminated the splashing waves, making them look like clusters of fireflies.

Then a tall, slender figure leaped from the sea, creating huge waves, like a dragon emerging from the water.

However, this was a remote place, so this scene was not seen by outsiders.

"Finally out! That feels great!"

Xiao Chen took two deep breaths and immediately felt much clearer.

He wasn't a sea creature after all, and despite the help of magic, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to being underwater for almost two months.

Upon reappearing, he immediately mounted his flying sword and soared freely through the heavens and earth for quite some time.

It must be said that to truly experience the feeling of freedom and unrestrained existence, one must ride the wind while wielding a sword.

"Hey, something's not right, why is the wind getting stronger?"

Xiao Chen was initially riding the wind on his sword, but as he flew, he felt the wind around him getting stronger and stronger.

Especially as he approached Tinglangfang City, he almost caused visible waves to surge on the sea.

"Could I have accidentally wandered into some disaster zone?"

Xiao Chen had not forgotten that in the past two years, a new dangerous sea area would appear from time to time within the Compassionate Sea.

To avoid any strange accidents, he deliberately took a detour.

However, the wind did indeed weaken considerably after he had gone about 10,000 miles around.

However, as soon as he starts to approach Tinglang Market, he will face increasingly bigger storms.

As you venture a little deeper, the whooshing sound of the wind fills the air.

Why did the wind suddenly pick up so strong?

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Chen decided not to take a detour, but instead continued forward against the wind.

Fortunately, they did not encounter any strange dangers along the way and arrived at Tinglang Market smoothly.

"Clang!"

Just as it landed on the island, a red lantern with the character "福" (fortune) on it, which hadn't been properly hung, rolled to Xiao Chen's feet.

He then suddenly realized that this included the time spent traveling and taking detours.

Before we knew it, today was already the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month.

"Wow, it's almost Chinese New Year already!"

Xiao Chencai remembered that when he returned to Ji'e Island from Wuling, he stopped at Moshi Market for a day to celebrate the New Year.

Unexpectedly, another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Wow, that was fast!
"Hoo~!"

A strong gust of wind blew by, instantly lifting the red lanterns into the air, where they swirled and drifted away to who-knows-where.

"Crack crack!"

"Ding Ling Ding Cang!"

Several rapid sounds rang out.

Unlike before when Xiao Chen was at sea, where only the wind and waves howled.

Upon stepping onto the island, the wind blew around all sorts of things—doors, windows, decorations, and so on—causing a piercing sound.

"Crack!"

One branch even broke off and was carried away by the strong wind like an arrow.

Xiao Chen's gaze sharpened; he naturally recognized that it was a spirit tree.

In other words, this strong wind could potentially threaten some cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining.

In this environment, the number of monks on the streets has decreased significantly.

In particular, almost all of the Qi Refining cultivators, who usually make up the largest number of cultivators, have hidden themselves away, with only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators still coming and going despite the strong winds.

Fortunately, as long as they didn't get mixed up with other dangers.

Strong winds alone are not enough to affect Xiao Chen's actions.

He skillfully found the relatively secluded alleyway by relying on his memory.

However, just as they approached, they heard an old, stern voice from inside: "Stand still, what are you doing swaying your shoulders?"

"You can't even withstand this little breeze? Have you been slacking off when I teach you stance training?"

"Hold back your magic power! No secretly borrowing power!"

Upon entering the alley, one could see a young man dressed in a gray martial arts uniform practicing his stance against the strong wind at the entrance.

The white-haired Master Geng Dan was holding a smooth, long wooden stick, supervising and scolding people at the same time.

Without either of them using magic or true essence, he stood more steadily than the boy.

It's not surprising at all. Even without specifically practicing body refinement, the bodies of Golden Core cultivators are naturally much stronger than those of Qi Refining stage body cultivators.

However, as Xiao Chen walked over, his tall figure indirectly blocked some of the wind.

The boy immediately felt much more relaxed and his body stabilized.

Upon seeing this, Master Geng frowned slightly and stared at Xiao Chen.

But instead of speaking, he questioned her with a sharp gaze – What are you doing here?
"My name is Xiao Chen, and I have come to pay my respects to Master Geng!"

The other person remained silent and did not react at all, continuing to stare intently into his eyes.

"Ahem, I have already completed one of the tasks that the alchemist mentioned last time."

Xiao Chen looked at the young man: "I wonder if it's convenient to talk outside?"

Upon hearing this, Master Geng's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Acheng, go back to the backyard first. According to the formula I taught you yesterday, get a portion of the herbs for the Qi-Nourishing Pill." "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please come in!"

He then stepped back and gestured with his hand in a welcoming gesture.

"There are no outsiders here, fellow Daoist, you can take out your items now."

Upon entering the guest hall, Master Geng took out array flags and instantly deployed two different arrays.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately took out the wooden box: "The alchemist's request is in here. Please inspect it!"

"Ok?"

Master Geng frowned slightly, not understanding why it was a wooden box.

Until he twitched his nostrils and smelled a hint of blood.

His eyes widened instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he rushed to the box, his hands trembling as he opened the lid.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Upon seeing 'Tongfu's' head, Master Geng immediately gripped the box tightly and burst into laughter.

"For more than sixteen years, you traitor have finally received the retribution you deserve."

"Cang Lang!"

As he spoke, he actually drew his flying sword and cleaved the head in two on the spot.

Then he pointed at the wreckage lying on the ground and launched into a tirade of angry curses.

Most of them contain things like betraying one's master and ancestors, and karma and retribution.

He speaks very fast, but his word order is jumbled and difficult to understand.

He cursed for a full quarter of an hour before finally igniting his spiritual fire, burning the wooden box and all the other items to ashes.

He then picked up the teacup beside him, his hands still trembling, and took a sip of tea.

He calmed down and steadily placed the teacup back on the table.

Turning to Xiao Chen, he bowed slightly and nodded, "I'm sorry, I got too emotional when I saw this traitor and couldn't control myself. I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

"Fellow Daoist, please have a seat. I have been very rude today."

The two sat down facing each other.

Geng Danshi finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and his complexion became a little rosier.

Having gotten rid of a long-standing worry, she looked much more energetic.

“I remember you; you came here about half a year ago.”

He smiled slightly at Xiao Chen: "Back then, you brought me a Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Fungus, but you didn't grant my first wish."

"But it doesn't matter. Since you helped me get rid of this wicked disciple, I naturally won't bother with those trivial matters. I'll just help you refine a batch of spirit pills."

"Did you bring the main medicine with you this time?"

Goodness, just from the first half of the sentence, Xiao Chen thought he was going to reject him.

He naturally carried the main medicine with him, so he immediately took out the sealed jade box again: "Of course I brought it, please take a look, alchemist."

"If there's anything else I need to prepare, just let me know."

This mainly refers to some auxiliary drugs.

Normally, when a rogue cultivator asks someone to refine pills, he has to gather the medicinal materials himself and prepare the incense for the alchemy.

Alternatively, you can pay a fee for auxiliary medicines and incense.

Based on the current market situation, most cases fall into the latter category.

"No need. Since we have the main medicine, I have everything else."

Master Geng took the sealed jade box and opened it to examine it on the spot. He then frowned slightly and said, "Huh?"

Ok?
Xiao Chen had originally intended to give some spirit stones as a token, but seeing this, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the main ingredient?"

He had always thought this was the most certain step.

Don't wait until now to tell him that there's a problem with the main ingredient.

"This medicinal herb has some special characteristics."

Master Geng took out a pair of silk gloves, put them on, picked up the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Mushroom, and sniffed it: "How strange, the medicinal properties are well preserved."

A glint of light flashed in his hand, and then he sighed twice, "Strange, strange indeed."

"It looks like a defective product that hasn't been aged long enough, but it's full of vitality inside, and its condition is even better than those spiritual herbs that are almost fully ripe."

Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Oh, so that's what you meant. You startled me.

As long as the medicinal properties are fine, that's all that matters. As for the age, this thing was matured by the blood crystal, so of course it's not old enough. He already knew that.

"There's nothing wrong with the medicinal herbs themselves."

Master Geng put the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow back into the jade box and stored it away.

Then he looked at Xiao Chen and said, "There are some things that I, as an alchemist, should not say."

"However, Fellow Daoist Xiao has helped this old man resolve a long-standing problem. Even though we are not close friends, I feel I must say a few words today."

"This medicinal herb was most likely accelerated to maturity using a secret method."

"It contains an abnormally strong vitality, and it is very likely that it uses the legendary demonic methods."

"It is indeed not easy for you and me, as independent cultivators, to seek cultivation resources, but we must also be more careful."

"Firstly, to prevent being exploited by evil cultivators who might use the opportunity to plot against us; secondly..."

Master Geng paused for a moment, but continued, "Secondly, we must also be careful to distinguish between the righteous and the demonic, so as not to go down the wrong path."

The underlying meaning is actually a warning not to stray onto the demonic path in pursuit of breakthroughs.

Xiao Chen certainly wouldn't do that: "The alchemist is right, I'll remember that."

But he readily agreed without offering further explanation or engaging in pointless arguments.

Regardless of what the other party thinks, as long as they are willing to help me refine pills, that's fine.

"That's good."

Master Geng nodded: "The strong winds these past few days have made it difficult to start the furnace."

"It is said that the strong wind will dissipate in two days, at which time I will immediately help you refine pills."

"Then let's agree on the third day after the wind stops, when you come here to collect the spirit pill."

Do we have to wait another five days?

Xiao Chen himself knew a little about alchemy, so he knew that the wind outside had little impact on alchemy inside the house.

However, this varies from person to person. Some alchemists even have quirks that normal people cannot understand, which can inexplicably affect the success rate of alchemy.

Therefore, he did not urge him.

Instead, he directly agreed: "Alright, then I won't disturb you any longer, Master Alchemist. Farewell."

It's just a couple of days later, it's not like I'm short of time.

Besides, with the Lunar New Year just around the corner, Master Geng Dan might want to take a break.

Since Xiao Chen had been traveling around for so long, he decided to take the opportunity to relax in the market for two days.

I'll also take this opportunity to organize the information I have and think about my action plan for next year.

However, to formulate a plan, corresponding intelligence support is naturally indispensable.

After leaving Master Geng's place, Xiao Chen turned around and went to Lingtong Pavilion.

Although Lingtong Pavilion's intelligence is notoriously unreliable, having a lot of rumors and gossip is better than nothing.

If you're willing to analyze carefully, you can get some useful information.

In stark contrast to the desolation of the outside world.

As soon as Xiao Chen pushed open the door, he heard all sorts of shouts.

Some people are drinking and having fun.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Liu, may I offer you a toast!"

"Fellow Daoist Wang, this way please. We've been waiting for you!"

Some people were also venting their frustrations to each other.

"The wind was really strong last night, it blew all night long."

"That's right, all sorts of clutter are making a racket, it's so noisy I don't want to sleep at all."

In the middle of the stands, storytellers were still broadcasting the latest news.

"As for that Bitter Gourd Arhat, he was once a very famous monk in the east."

"Especially when paired with a round-headed shovel, he was a formidable figure in his early years who could fight against a three-headed Golden Core demon single-handedly without being at a disadvantage."

"Oh~!"

"It's a pity that this time they were surrounded by ten thousand demons in the Bitter Silence Temple and attacked them all at once."

"I managed to block the crab demon's pincers head-on, but then the fish monster ambushed me from behind."

"A thorn that was eight feet long pierced a hole the size of a large bowl right in the heart."

"How can the word 'tragic' even begin to describe it..."

Xiao Chen was just passing by when he suddenly heard the name of the Bitter and Silent Temple.

So I paid a little attention to it.

Just two months ago, he had seen the Bitter Gourd Arhat in the new ruins.

The man looked strong and sturdy; I even thanked him before I left.

So it turns out he actually got into trouble?

Isn't this right?

With the protective formation in place and the Zen Master Kuji in charge, how could Kuji Temple be so easily captured?

However, in the next instant, Xiao Chen immediately remembered that the sea tribe had set up an array specifically for Zen Master Kuji.

Could it be that there wasn't enough time to give a reminder?
hiss~!

He immediately took a breath of cold air.

Could it be that even Zen Master Kuji got into trouble?
That's a fourth-level cultivator comparable to a Nascent Soul True Monarch!
Thinking of this, Xiao Chen subconsciously quickened his pace: "Give me all the important intelligence from the past six months."

"Especially the events of the last two months, in the most detailed possible way."

The manager of Lingtong Pavilion remained calm and skillfully picked up a stack of prepared intelligence reports on his left: "There's been a lot of new information lately, so we'll have to sell them for a higher price."

"These will cost you two hundred spirit stones."

"Senior, stay!"

Seeing that the other party was about to leave after throwing down two hundred spirit stones, he quickly called out, "We also have a piece of gossip circulating in the streets, which should be what you want to see."

As he spoke, he picked up another intelligence report from his right side.

With a smile, she handed it to Xiao Chen: "The shopkeeper said that this item sells for one hundred spirit stones on its own."

"As for the content, you can flip to any page and take a look; it shouldn't disappoint you."

Xiao Chen frowned: "Is there any other information? If so, bring it out. I don't need your little bit."

Why are you hiding this?
"Please calm down, senior. The higher-ups are very strict about these kinds of information and won't allow us to sell them as intelligence."

The manager quickly put on a smile and waved his hands rapidly: "So I specially made a little secret, it's all here, nothing else."

Are they checking too closely?
Nine out of ten sentences in the things sold at Lingtongge are pure fabrications. Do we really need to investigate that?

hiss~!

Xiao Chen gasped again. Just how serious was the situation?
He immediately threw down one hundred spirit stones, no longer thinking of looking for another place.

He simply found a less crowded spot nearby, sat down, and started looking through the intelligence report.

The first page contains three large lines of text.

In mid-November, rumors circulated that someone had witnessed the Zen Master Kuji trapped in a formation and being attacked by a powerful demon.

Later that month, Kuji Temple was besieged by an unprecedentedly large school of sea fish.

As of the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, no new reliable information had been released.

(End of this chapter)