Six Realms Immortal Emperor

"Besides assisting me in alchemy, you must diligently cultivate and not slack off. Strive to reach the third level of Qi Refining as soon as possible, and let's see what he can say then!" After being turned away by the Elder Guardian of Pills, Yuezhi placed all his hopes on Xu Jingtian.

"Yes, Elder Ochi!" Xu Jingtian readily agreed, willing to do anything as long as he wasn't sent to Elder Shoudan.

"You've been at Wan Dan Pavilion for quite some time now, and you've become quite familiar with alchemy. Today, let's refine a new kind of pill," Yuezhi said with satisfaction.

In fact, not only Elder Shoudan, but also Yuezhi felt that Xu Jingtian was quite good.

Since Xu Jingtian arrived here, he has never complained about even the hardest and most tiring chores, and he has never made a mistake with the materials. Often, when encountering new things, Xu Jingtian understands them instantly, without needing any explanation from him. If it weren't for more important matters, he wouldn't have been willing to send Xu Jingtian to Elder Shou Dan.

"Here, this is the prescription. Go downstairs and prepare all the ingredients." Ochi handed him a bamboo slip.

"Yes, Elder Ochi!" Xu Jingtian replied reluctantly.

Going to the storage room again made Xu Jingtian's head spin. However, assisting Yuezhi in refining pills was his primary responsibility at Wan Dan Pavilion, something he couldn't avoid.

Judging from Elder Shou Dan's tone, he didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards him for the time being. Xu Jingtian had no choice but to bite the bullet, take the pill formula, and go back to the storage room.

Although he had been here many times and was very familiar with it, it now felt somewhat unfamiliar to him, and he became even more cautious.

"Elder, I'm here to prepare materials for alchemy," Xu Jingtian said, bowing his head. He walked slowly past the Elder Guardian of Pills, trying to appear as natural as possible.

"Um."

Elder Shoudan merely glanced at him before paying no further attention.

Xu Jingtian secretly exhaled and quickly walked into the storage room.

In fact, he didn't know that although Elder Shoudan wasn't looking at him with his eyes, he was observing his every move with his divine sense.

It seems the person hiding around the corner last night was this kid. Elder Shou Dan observed him, nodding secretly. Very good. This kid was able to sense danger in advance; his spiritual sense was sharp enough, which perfectly met his requirements. Moreover, his physical body was also quite robust, far superior to that of ordinary disciples.

The only drawback is that this kid's cultivation level is a bit low. If all the cultivation is transferred to him, I wonder if he can handle it. Oh well, just to be on the safe side, let's wait a bit longer. He still has time. He's endured so many years already, there's no rush.

At this moment, Xu Jingtian had already gone deep into the storage room. Of course, he had no idea that Elder Shoudan was plotting against him. And coincidentally, it was Elder Shoudan who was on his mind.

What exactly does this Elder Shou Dan want? Xu Jingtian wondered as he searched for materials. The more mysterious the elder was, the more he wanted to know.

Even knowing the danger involved, his youthful curiosity couldn't be contained. And what did Elder Shou Dan want those discarded pills for?

Suddenly, a thought popped into my head: Could it be that Elder Shoudan has the same ability as me, to extract spiritual energy from discarded pills? He has prayer beads to help him, but what does Elder Shoudan have?

Xu Jingtian knew that the higher one's cultivation level, the greater the consumption of spiritual energy. This Elder Guardian of Core Formations spent most of his time in this storage room, and the meager spiritual energy around him was far from enough to sustain his life. If he could truly extract spiritual energy from discarded cores, it was simply unbelievable.

"Junior Brother Jingtian!"

As Xu Jingtian was thinking this, he suddenly heard a shout behind him. He quickly turned around and saw that it was Yuan Fei.

"Senior Brother Yuan Fei, are you here to prepare alchemy materials too?"

Yuan Fei, however, stood at a distance, a look of terror on his face, and pointed to a stone wall beside him, shouting, "Junior Brother Jing Tian, ​​come here quickly! Don't you know that we can't go near that room?"

Upon closer inspection, Xu Jingtian broke out in a cold sweat. He then realized that what lay before him was the room where the stone statues were kept.

He had never encountered many of the ingredients in this pill formula before. He had been so focused on the matter of the Elder Guardian of Pills that he had no idea he had arrived here.

Xu Jingtian quickly stepped back, pointed at the room, and asked, "Senior Brother Yuan Fei, what exactly is inside?"

Yuan Fei glanced around, suppressing his fear, and said mysteriously to him, "Junior Brother Jing Tian, ​​I'm telling you this because I consider you one of my own, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Yuan Fei, I know what I'm doing." The more Yuan Fei said this, the more curious Xu Jingtian became. He had a vague feeling that what Yuan Fei was about to say must be related to him.

"Junior Brother Jingtian, you probably don't know this yet. There's a strange phenomenon at Wan Dan Pavilion. Before you came here, Elder Yuezhi had a page, but for some reason, he was suddenly replaced."

"Elder Ochi is the sect's alchemy elder. What's so strange about replacing him with an alchemy apprentice?" Xu Jingtian asked, puzzled.

"Elder Yuezhi has the authority to do so, but over the past few years, he has changed a disciple every month. Changing once or twice is understandable, but the frequency of this change is too high! And have you ever thought that the longer a disciple has been practicing alchemy, the more experienced they are and the less likely they are to make mistakes, while new disciples will only cause him trouble?" Yuan Fei explained patiently.

"Hmm, there is a problem. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Elder Ochi might be too picky. What does that have to do with that room?" Xu Jingtian still defended Ochi. Although he also felt that Ochi's recent behavior was a bit strange, he didn't want to think about the negative aspects.

Yuan Fei lowered his voice, glanced at the room where the stone statue was kept, and said mysteriously, "But do you know where Elder Ochi's original attendants went?"

"You mean..." Xu Jingtian asked, pointing to the house, "Impossible! They definitely wouldn't be locked up in there."

"You've never seen it, how do you know it's impossible?" Yuan Fei retorted coldly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"You...have you seen this before?" Xu Jingtian was taken aback.

"No, not at all!" Yuan Fei's tone shifted at this point, "But every time they disappear, I find some of their personal belongings here. All the clues point to this place."

"Has no one gone to look for them?" Xu Jingtian pressed.

"Hmph, at first, some people would notice, but after so much time, and with this happening repeatedly, everyone in the Wan Dan Pavilion has become accustomed to it. Besides, even if a mere alchemy apprentice dies, no one will care. Elder Yuezhi is simply choosing a new apprentice."

"Hehe, about once a month, Ochi's boy disappears without a trace, and you've been here for almost a month now, junior brother!"

In the dimly lit storage room, Yuan Fei's voice trembled slightly, sending a chill down one's spine. In that instant, Xu Jingtian suddenly felt an urge to rush over and open the door.

"Senior Brother Yuan Fei, why are you telling me all this?" Xu Jingtian subconsciously took a few steps back, distancing himself from Yuan Fei.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Jingtian, don't you want to know what's in that room?" Yuan Fei's face revealed a sinister smile, his tone full of temptation. "Just walk closer, give it a gentle push, and the door will open!"

"I don't want to!" Xu Jingtian shook his head and said firmly.

He had already seen what was inside: a square table, candles, an incense burner, and a stone statue—everything about it exuded an eeriness, especially the stone statue, which did not look like an ordinary stone statue.

"Hehe, this concerns your safety, junior brother, don't you want to go in and take a look?" Yuan Fei's smile widened, and he reached out to pull Xu Jingtian.

"Go by yourself if you want! I'm not going!" Xu Jingtian said, and ran outside.

The spiritual energy beneath his feet instantly surged forth, and combined with the Illusory Wave Movement Technique, he quickly reached a distance of over ten feet, then turned a corner and disappeared from sight.