The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

He closed his eyes again, focusing his mind. The patterns on the array base became clearer after this attack, and the rotation speed became stable, no longer as slow as before. In just ten more days, it will be fully adapted.

The last batch of underwater materials was also refined, and three more crystal beads fell into his hands.

He counted them twice; there were eighteen in total. Each one was full and bright, emitting a soft purple glow under the light of the dark red fire.

He carefully put away the crystal bead and continued to nurture the array foundation. In about ten days, he needed to completely root the array foundation in his sea of ​​consciousness, making it a living object that could mobilize and sense the Yin energy at any time.

On the morning of the thirtieth day, the iron gate was opened from the outside, and Wei Huoshou's voice came from the stone steps.

"Young Master Xiao, time is up."

Xiao Fan climbed out of the shallow water, a smug look on his face.

Ripples spread across his ankles. He stretched his shoulders and back, his knuckles cracking, and his breathing was much more stable than it had been a month ago.

His cultivation level is the second rank of the Tribulation Realm.

Two days ago, after the array base was completely stabilized, a rich spiritual energy from the center of the array base fed back into the meridians, breaking through the thin barrier between the first and second ranks of the Tribulation Realm.

The process was much smoother than he had imagined, as if an invisible hand had gently pushed him through the depths of his consciousness, allowing him to easily overcome it.

He picked up the bag, which contained eighteen Yin Fire Crystal Beads. He had just stepped onto the stairs when Wei Huoshou was already waiting there, a flicker of surprise in his eyes upon seeing him.

"You've broken through?" His eyes lit up.

"Good luck." He smiled. Xiao Fan handed him the bag. "Eighteen pills, twenty percent more than recorded in the manual. Take a look."

Wei Huo opened the bag and looked inside, then picked up a bead and twirled it a few times in front of the light.

His expression shifted from initial scrutiny to surprise, and then to deep thought. It took him quite a while before he finally put the crystal ball back in its place.

"Your crafting skills have exceeded my expectations." He looked at Xiao Fan, his tone no longer polite but serious. "What else have you done besides crafting weapons this past month?"

Xiao Fan remained expressionless. "The concentration of spiritual energy in the Earth Fire Spring is normal, but for me, it's a rare find."

Wei Huoshou gave him a deep look, but didn't ask any more questions. He nodded slightly, took out the tattered scroll from his sleeve, and handed it to him.

"As agreed, I will hand over the incomplete scroll to you. The people from the Earth Fire Hall will no longer cause you trouble. As for what happens to the others, that is none of my business."

He added meaningfully, "If you leave Firespring Valley and head southwest, be sure to be careful."

Xiao Fan paused slightly in the hand holding the rubbing.

Wei Huoshou had already turned around and was walking out of the valley. As he walked, he waved his hand and said, "I don't know either. It's just that a few days ago, there was a rumor that in a canyon 500 miles southwest of Yan Yuan, there was a fire that had been burning for several days, but it remained black. If you're just passing by, you should think about it carefully."

He walked into the bamboo pavilion at the valley entrance and disappeared. Xiao Fan stood on the stone steps in front of the iron gate, holding the rubbing that was still warm, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart disappeared.

The direction the array base pointed to was precisely the rift valley that Wei Huoshou had mentioned.

He put away the rubbings and walked out of the valley.

Yun Ruoxi and Gu Yuan stayed at the town's inn for a whole month.

Since Han Fei had nothing better to do, he counted the old locust tree behind the inn. When Xiao Fan pushed open the door and entered the inn, the three of them looked up at the same time, and Master Gu Yuan's hand, which was holding a teacup, froze in mid-air.

"Second Rank of Tribulation Realm?" Gu Yuan nearly dropped his teacup. "In just one month, he actually advanced from First Rank to Second Rank? Did you drink some kind of elixir under the Fire Spring?"

"Good luck." He smiled. Xiao Fan repeated the same thing, sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp. "Pack up, head southwest. I'm going somewhere else."

Han Fei hurriedly ran to the backyard and prepared a horse for himself.

Yun Ruoxi walked to Xiao Fan's side, looked him up and down, lingered in his eyes for a moment, then smiled, said nothing, and turned to pack her things.

That afternoon, the carriage departed from Yanyuan Town and headed southwest.

Xiao Fan sat in the carriage, closed his eyes, and examined his sea of ​​consciousness. The array base had completely stabilized, its patterns clearly visible, quietly suspended in the center of the Creation Flame.

He could feel that invisible connection, as if a pair of eyes were watching the outside world from the depths of his consciousness.

As the array base rotated, he could sense a faint spiritual energy fluctuation in the southwest, which was constantly pulsating and becoming increasingly clear.

The rift valley is just ahead; it will be there in three more days.

The further southwest they went, the less the terrain resembled that of the Daqing Empire.

As we walked along, the greenery gradually diminished, and large swathes of exposed bluish-gray rock layers came into view. The rock layers were covered with fine cracks, like an old tree bark with countless fine lines due to overstretching.

The wind howls through the cracks, making a chilling sound that is enough to send shivers down your spine even in broad daylight.

On the evening of the third day, the carriage stopped at the edge of a canyon that ran from east to west.

The rift valley was wider than Xiao Fan had imagined; it was at least three or four hundred feet from here to the other side.

The mountain walls are almost vertical, revealing dark red rocks underneath, as if they had been sliced ​​open by a giant, sharp blade. The bottom of the canyon is very deep, with no end in sight, only a faint warmth mixed with wisps of black smoke.

Xiao Fan stood at the edge of the valley and looked down. The array base in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly.

He was very familiar with this cloud of black smoke; it was the embers of the Yin, very low in concentration but extremely pure, as if it were the essence leaking from the depths of the earth.

"Let's go." He found a rock with a gentle slope, straightened his clothes, and took the lead in climbing down. Yun Ruoxi followed behind him. He posted two locator markers at the valley entrance, while Han Fei stayed at the entrance, watching the horse.

As he went deeper, the scorching heat became more and more pronounced.

The rock face was covered in charred marks, some areas appearing to have been melted and solidified by high temperatures, forming a glassy outer layer. As Xiao Fan climbed down, he observed the charred marks, and gradually, he understood.

These marks were not formed naturally. Each scorch mark radiates outwards from a central point, as if a violent explosion had occurred.