The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

They did not stop in the city this time.

Xiao Fan instructed Han Fei to bypass Shahe Town and head north, returning to Yan Yuan via the same route. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from desert to desert, with scattered patches of green and low hills appearing in the desert.

He had traveled the road to Yan Yuan once before, so he was familiar with the place.

As evening fell, the carriage stopped on a mountain ridge outside Yan Yuan. Xiao Fan stood on the high ground, gazing into the distance. The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the dark red mountain range, making it look like an ancient scar.

Even the messenger from the Earth Fire Hall could find his way to Shahe Town to intercept him, which means that Wei Huoshou was monitoring his every move.

Now that Wei Huoshou has come to our doorstep, we can't let him leave empty-handed. However, now that he has obtained the half-finished array base, he won't come to Yan Yuan City again. He wants to see the incomplete text, but he won't reveal the array base.

The next morning, a carriage slowly drove into a small town outside Yan Yuan City.

As expected, someone was already waiting at the town entrance. It was the middle-aged man in red from Shahe Town. Upon seeing Xiao Fan, he quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master Xiao has indeed kept his promise. The Hall Master has already prepared fragrant tea in Fire Spring Valley. Please follow me, both of you."

Xiao Fan nodded, then gestured to Han Fei, Master Gu Yuan, and the others, telling them to wait for him at the inn in town.

He only had Yun Ruoxi with him, and followed the middle-aged man's carriage through the Flame Abyss for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, finally arriving at the entrance of a steaming valley.

Sure enough, there was a fire spring in the valley.

The lake water was slightly reddish, steam rose from it, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur and minerals.

Beside the spring stands a bamboo pavilion, beneath which sits a stone table and chairs. Hot tea is being brewed on the table, its steam rising and its aroma filling the air.

Wei Huoshou sat in the bamboo pavilion, wearing a dark red long robe. Compared to when he was first seen at Ziyan Ferry, his complexion had improved considerably.

Upon seeing Xiao Fan enter, he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled.

"Young Master Xiao, it's so good to see you back. I've missed you terribly since we parted last time." He beckoned, "Sit down."

Xiao Fan didn't stand on ceremony, sitting directly at the stone table. He picked up a teacup, sniffed it, and didn't rush to drink. "In the letter Master Wei sent me, there was an incomplete cultivation manual. May I take a look?"

Wei Huoshou laughed loudly, took out a roll of silk from his sleeve, spread it on the table, and unfolded it.

The parchment was yellowed and slightly curled at the edges. It was covered with dense writing and a few simple diagrams of how to make fire.

Xiao Fan glanced at the line of text, his breath catching slightly.

He truly deserves the title of Grandmaster of Elixir.

The handwriting was exactly the same as the handwriting on the Nine Towers Array Diagram, and it did not look like a forgery. It described several methods for extracting the essence of different flames, including a phrase called "Yin Fire Refining Method," which was exactly the same method used by the gray-robed man at the edge of the Black Sand Sea.

He suppressed the turmoil in his mind, glanced at it calmly, and then put it down.

"As expected of a pill refined by the Grandmaster of Pill Refining." He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked up at Wei Huoshou. "Since Hall Master Wei has brought out such a precious item, I suppose he wouldn't just let me take a look."

Wei Huo held the teacup, slowly blowing on the steam. After setting the teacup down, he placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Xiao Fan.

"I want the Thunderfire Token."

He got straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush.

Xiao Fan held his teacup, his expression unchanged. "Hall Master Wei, how much do you know about the Thunderfire Token?"

"This is an item from the old ruins of Thunder Abyss, one of the treasures left behind by the Grandmaster of Pill Refining. It can draw upon the power of thunder and fire to temper the physical body, and its value is immeasurable for those who cultivate fire-based techniques."

Wei Huoshou said slowly and deliberately, "Moreover, I also know that with your current cultivation level, you can't unleash even 30% of the power of the Thunderfire Token."

Rather than letting it gather dust, it's better to use it for exchange. With the full support of the Earth Fire Hall, whatever happens in the future, the Earth Fire Hall will be there to help.

Xiao Fan leaned back, calmly watching Wei Huoshou. Outside the pavilion, steam rose from the fire spring, and a misty white vapor rose into the air.

Thinking it over, he put down his teacup and smiled. "Hall Master Wei, I cannot give you the Thunderfire Token. However, we can find another way—you lend me your cultivation grounds in Fire Spring Valley for a month, and in exchange, I will do something for you."

Wei Huoshou frowned.

"There is a method for purifying Yin Fire in the incomplete scroll of your Earth Fire Hall, which I have some knowledge of."

As Xiao Fan spoke, a wisp of Creation Fire flew from his fingertips. The crimson-gold flame moved nimbly across the tabletop and landed precisely on a small piece of ore on the edge of the stone table.

The ore immediately turned bright red, but it did not crack, as if an invisible force enveloped it, controlling the temperature with extreme precision.

Wei Huoshou stared for a moment, then suddenly grinned. "Why do you want my cultivation grounds in Fire Spring Valley?"

"Let me consolidate my cultivation first, and then I'll help you refine something." Xiao Fan put away the Creation Flame. "The Yin Flame materials you collected are not pure enough to achieve the quality you want."

I'll refine it for you again, guaranteeing it will be 20% better than what you described in the incomplete copy. A month of cultivation, and a copy. This is a worthwhile deal.

Silence fell over the bamboo pavilion. The moisture in the air, following Wei Huoshou's silence, silently gathered and then drifted out along the eaves.

At this moment, Wei Huoshou stepped forward, extended his hand to Xiao Fan, and said with a fawning expression, "It's a deal. I want to see the finished product within a month."

Xiao Fan stood up, extended his hand, and shook hands with him. The temperature of his palm was very hot and steady.

Wei Huo's hand gesture was forceful and heavy, but Xiao Fan remained unmoved. Their eyes met, and a deep glint flashed in Wei Huo's eyes.

Xiao Fan could tell what this person was up to.

But it doesn't matter. Over the next month, he'll be doing much more than just refining Yin Fire materials for the Earth Fire Hall. The semi-finished array base within his sea of ​​consciousness needs even higher temperatures and pressures to stabilize.

The heat beneath Firespring Valley is the furnace he built for the array base.

A month later, when he walks out of Fire Spring Valley, he will have two more things in his hands: a rubbing and a fully formed array base.

The depth of Firespring Valley is far more complex than it appears.

Wei Huoshou personally led the way, passing through an inconspicuous stone wall behind the bamboo pavilion. There was an iron gate on the stone wall, and after pushing it open, there was a downward stone staircase that led all the way into the depths of the dark red rocks.