The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

"The Chiyang copper mine in southern Xinjiang has extremely high fire properties, but its texture is very hard, making it prone to furnace explosions during smelting." She turned to Xiao Fan, "Could you help me check whether the problem lies with the raw materials or the technique?"

Xiao Fan picked up the piece of ore and examined its patterns under the light.

He stretched out his hand and released a flame of creation, enveloping the ore within it. After a moment, the flame went out.

"The raw materials are acceptable. The direction of the gold vein is correct, which means it has not been corrupted by the extreme yin energy."

He put the ore back in its place. "The problem lies in the second step: controlling the flame. The Chiyang copper mine will be in a dormant state for a period of time before entering the third stage."

If you operate at the normal pace, you're very likely to get stuck in this temperature range, leading to an explosion. We need to apply one-third of the pressure earlier to accelerate warming.

Ye Ruolin tapped the table gently, lost in thought.

She wasn't too surprised, but rather quickly processed what was happening. After a while, she looked up, her eyes full of certainty.

"That makes sense. During the second explosion, I did feel the temperature of the flames rise for a fleeting moment."

She closed the first jade box, then the second. Inside the box was a small handful of grayish-white powder.

"This is a trace of Yin Fire ash left by our ancestors. It was originally useless, but over the years, I have tried to bring it back to life. I have discovered that if it is mixed with ordinary firewood, the fire it produces will become more refined."

However, I don't know the proportions. Too much and the flame will go out; too little and it won't have any effect.

Xiao Fan picked up a handful of powder, gently rubbed it between his fingers, and then ignited it with the Flame of Creation. The powder, after being scorched by the flame, instantly became crystal clear, like tiny ice crystals burned by fire.

"It's very simple." He reached into the material box next to Ye Ruolin's desk, took out a small piece of ordinary fire essence powder, mixed it with the handful of grayish-white powder in a one-to-one ratio, and then slowly heated it with the fire of creation.

Under the heat of the flames, the mixture gradually turned into a pale gold color, and finally condensed into a pea-sized particle of light.

Xiao Fan extinguished the flame, placed the pills on the table, and handed them to her.

"Remember this ratio. The activation point of the residual ash is about 30% below the ignition point. You just need to put the residual ash in a place with a sufficiently high temperature, and it will be activated."

Then apply it evenly. The proportions are the same as before, accurate to the millimeter.

Ye Ruolin stared silently at the pale golden bead on the table. She looked up at Xiao Fan, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"It seems that what Master Jiang said was true."

She put away the two jade boxes, stood up, poured Xiao Fan a cup of tea, and handed it to him. "I have a few questions I'd like to ask. If you're not in a hurry to leave, Young Master Xiao, please sit here a little longer."

Xiao Fan picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The courtyard was filled with the aroma of fire-attribute spiritual materials, which was carried in by the night breeze, mixed with a faint tea fragrance, making it particularly comfortable in the dim night.

Ye Ruolin opened the third box.

On the third night, Xiao Fan was organizing his exploration notes that he had dug up from underground in the courtyard of the Dan Tower when Ye Ruolin suddenly barged in.

She changed into a sleek, dark purple outfit, with a short sword hanging at her waist, its straps even tighter than before.

"Young Master Xiao, how about we have a friendly spar sometime?" She stood in front of the courtyard gate and got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

Xiao Fan closed his notebook, looked up, and stared at her.

Ye Ruolin's expression was serious and calm, not like she was nitpicking, but rather confirming—she had previously had a high opinion of his alchemy skills and wanted to test them this time.

"Okay." He stood up, walked to the open space in the middle of the courtyard, stretched, and said, "Let's stop here."

Ye Ruolin nodded and drew a short sword from her waist.

The sword is long and narrow, with a silver-gray body and a dark red pattern on it, suggesting that it was forged from fire-attribute spiritual materials.

She assumed a fighting stance, sword tip against sword tip, and slowly released the spiritual power within her body—the peak of the first rank of the Tribulation Realm, only one step away from the second rank.

Xiao Fan did not deliberately release the aura of a second-grade Tribulation Realm cultivator, but waited quietly. Ye Ruolin made the first move, her body leaving afterimages in the air, her short knife stabbing straight at Xiao Fan's left shoulder.

The sword strike was swift and ruthless, yet Xiao Fan saw it clearly, as if it had been slowed down. Chu Li dodged the sword with a sidestep, flicked his finger, and a burst of Creation Fire flew out, striking the sword.

With a "ding," the flame struck the sword, and Ye Ruolin's arm trembled slightly, causing the short sword to deviate by half an inch.

Using this force, she spun around, changing the sword's thrust from a straight stab to a horizontal slash. At the same time, she made a hand seal with her left hand, and a ball of grayish-white flame emerged from her palm, circling around Xiao Fan's body.

Yin Fire!

A glint of light flashed in Xiao Fan's eyes. Sure enough, she had already begun to try out the techniques in the rubbing.

Although the Yin Fire is still very immature, it has already taken shape and has made great progress compared to three days ago.

He didn't flinch or dodge, but instead took the initiative to extend his hand.

The flames of creation erupted from his palm, meeting the grayish-white yin fire.

Golden red and grayish white intertwined, resembling two snakes. With a gentle flick of Xiao Fan's spiritual power, Ye Ruolin's Yin Fire was drawn in, swirling in the air before slowly dissipating.

The entire process proceeded smoothly, showing no signs of being out of control.

Ye Ruolin sheathed her sword and stood there, looking at the situation in her palm.

The residual power of the flames had not yet dissipated, but she could clearly feel that Xiao Fan's control over the flames was so precise, as if a thin thread connected her spiritual power with Xiao Fan's.

Then, gently redirecting her power, she gently released it back.

"Why are you like this?" She looked up at him with a curious gaze.

Xiao Fan withdrew his hand and flicked his finger: "The Yin Fire has been stabilized, but the guidance is not smooth enough."

Just like the Yin Fire you attacked me with just now, it looked very similar, but then there was a corner, and the spiritual energy paused briefly there. I followed that path, and the entire flame followed me.

Ye Ruolin kept those words in mind, then sheathed the dagger and nodded to him: "Come again tomorrow afternoon."

After saying that, she didn't waste any more words and turned to leave.

Xiao Fan stood in the courtyard, watching her figure disappear into the yard. He could feel that the aloofness and politeness around her were slowly fading away, replaced by a very direct feeling.

The monk Gu Yuan poked his head out from the corridor, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, smacking his lips. "Three days ago, she acted all high and mighty, but now she comes to see you every day."