My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Ye Qingfeng took it, uncorked it, and smelled it.

It's just regular strong liquor, but it's very potent.

He tossed the inner elixir into the wine pot.

With a "plop," the inner elixir sank into the wine.

The hunters stared wide-eyed, wondering what the Taoist priest was going to do.

Ye Qingfeng placed the wine pot on the stone, made a hand seal with his right hand, and lightly pressed his left hand above the mouth of the pot, chanting:

"Heaven and earth are the furnace, creation is the craftsman. Yin and Yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper. Now, with this wine, we transform the demonic elixir within—removing its malevolent energy, preserving its essence, and fusing them into one, thus creating this exquisite nectar."

"Planting lotuses in fire, generating gold in water—this is the way of alchemy, and this is my command. Hurry!"

He read at a moderate pace, each word clear and distinct, reaching the ears of everyone present.

The hunters couldn't understand it, but they found it profound and mysterious.

Lu Yang couldn't understand, but he thought the immortal master was amazing.

Shen Zhaoyue couldn't understand it either, but she felt that she had heard similar words somewhere before—probably from some Taoist scripture.

Only Ye Qingfeng himself knew that this poem was improvised by him, pieced together from various sources, with alterations made from sentences in the "Cantongqi" and "Baopuzi".

They pieced together a spell that no one could understand but sounded very intimidating.

But it's okay.

The important thing is that they all believed it.

The hunters exchanged glances, their eyes filled with awe.

Lu Yang was so excited that he trembled all over. The immortal master had used his supernatural powers again! This time it was to refine the inner core!

The inner core suddenly changed.

Inside the wine jug, the originally cloudy liquor was becoming clear at a speed visible to the naked eye.

That clarity wasn't the clarity of water, but rather a kind of...transparency.

A faint golden light shone through the spout of the pot, casting a halo around Ye Qingfeng's fingers.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter, until finally, the entire pot of wine turned into—

Greenish-blue.

That green wasn't the green of leaves, nor the green of jade, but the color of tender buds just emerging from the soil in spring, so fresh and vibrant that you could almost squeeze water out of them.

The wine swayed gently, creating tiny specks of light that danced and shimmered within, like stars fallen from the sky into the pot.

The aroma wafted out.

It's not the aroma of wine, but an indescribable scent—fresh and sweet. Just one whiff makes you feel relaxed and lighter.

Lu Yang sniffed, his eyes practically popping into the pot.

Several hunters craned their necks, their throats moving.

Ye Qingfeng stopped, picked up the wine jug, and shook it.

The verdant wine rippled in the pot, its luster shimmering.

"It's done," he said.

Lu Yang asked impatiently, "Immortal Master, what is this?"

Ye Qingfeng: "The tiger demon's inner core has turned into the wine, and that's how the wine turned into this. Mortals cannot directly consume the inner core, but drinking this wine can strengthen the body and prolong life."

The hunters' eyes lit up.

Lu Yang swallowed hard: "Then...can I drink it?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him, but didn't answer. Instead, he asked:

Do you have a cup?

The hunters exchanged glances and looked at each other in bewilderment.

The young hunter scratched his head: "Master, we...we came out hunting, how could we have brought a cup..."

The bearded man said, "How about... we cut down a few bamboo stalks and make you some bamboo cups?"

Ye Qingfeng shook his head: "No need for that."

He stood up and walked to a large tree nearby.

The tree was about three zhang tall, with lush branches and leaves, and looked like a large open umbrella in the night.

Ye Qingfeng looked up and suddenly spoke:

"The plants and trees in the mountains all possess a spirit. Tonight, I borrow your branches and leaves to form a good connection."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently beckoned to the tree.

Several hunters stared wide-eyed, wondering what he was going to do.

The next moment, they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives—

The tree moved.

It wasn't just being blown by the wind; it was actually moving.

A branch as thick as an arm slowly extended from the tree, as if controlled by an invisible hand. The branch stretched longer and longer, lower and lower, until it stopped right in front of Ye Qingfeng.

Then, something started to grow on that branch.

It's not a leaf, but—

cup.

Small wooden cups sprouted from the branches and grew at a visible speed, reaching the size of a fist in the blink of an eye. The cups had rounded rims and smooth bodies, as if they were carved with the finest craftsmanship.

Seven or eight cups grew on a single branch.

Ye Qingfeng reached out and gently plucked it.

The cups then fell from the branches and landed in his hands.

He handed the cup to the hunters who were staring in disbelief.

"then."

The bearded man shakily took the cup, looked down at it for a long time, then looked up at the tree, then at Ye Qingfeng, his throat moved, but he didn't say anything.

The young hunter took the cup, his hands trembling, afraid of dropping this "grown" treasure.

Lü Yang also took one, examining it from all angles, clicking his tongue in amazement:

"Master, did this cup grow out of the ground? Did it really grow out of the ground?"

Shen Zhaoyue took the last cup, looked down at the warm wood grain, remained silent for a moment, and then looked at Ye Qingfeng with something indescribable in her eyes.

Ye Qingfeng picked up the wine pot and poured it into the first cup.

The verdant wine flowed into the cup, its shimmering light reflecting off the wooden cup and giving it a faint green hue.

He poured about half a glass and handed it to the bearded man.

"Drink it."

The bearded man held the cup in both hands as if it were some precious treasure, his lips trembling.

"Master, this...this is far too precious..."

Ye Qingfeng: "Drink up. This stuff is good, but you are mortals, so don't overindulge. This little bit is enough to transform you."

Upon hearing this, the bearded man stopped refusing and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine went down his throat, and he felt a jolt.

The feeling was like a warm current flowing from my throat, through my meridians, and down to my limbs and bones. It was as if I was soaking in a hot spring, with every pore relaxing.

He closed his eyes, his face filled with ecstasy.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and he was a completely different person.

Her complexion was rosy, her eyes were clear, and even the old wounds on her body—bites from wild boars when she was young, which would hurt on rainy days—seemed to have stopped hurting.

The other hunters, seeing this with envy, offered him cups.

Ye Qingfeng poured the cups for each person, giving them a small half-cup.

After finishing his drink, the young hunter jumped up and did several somersaults, shouting, "I'm all better! I'm all better!"—he had a back injury, but it was healed now.

After the hunters finished drinking, they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ye Qingfeng.

"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!"

Ye Qingfeng waved his hand, telling them to get up.

He looked at Lü Yang.

Lu Yang had been waiting nearby, his eyes fixed on the wine jug, his throat bobbing, his expression like that of a puppy waiting to be fed.

Ye Qingfeng poured him half a cup.

Lu Yang held the cup in both hands and carefully took a sip.

Then he froze.