The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Meng Boyuan remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting uncertainly. Finally, he slowly withdrew his right hand, bowed to Xiao Fan, and said softly, "As expected of Young Master Xiao, I admire you greatly. I wonder if what you said about optimizing meridians is true?"

Xiao Fan gestured for him to sit down: "Senior, please sit down first. You just need to circulate your spiritual energy normally."

After a moment's thought, Meng Boyuan sat down cross-legged and began to practice his martial arts.

Xiao Fan stood side by side with him, closed his eyes and felt the flow of spiritual energy in his meridians. Soon, he discovered that there was a small gap between his dantian and left shoulder, directly facing his body.

"This is a small flaw in the cultivation process of the Three Flames Hall over the past thousand years. Because it was hidden so deeply, generation after generation, no one has ever discovered it."

However, as long as the harmonizing fire is used to nurture this point for seven days, the meridian can be completely opened. At that time, when yang fire is condensed, the spiritual power will not drop.

Meng Boyuan stared wide-eyed at Xiao Fan, his face filled with disbelief. He had vaguely sensed this before, but had never been able to find the reason—a problem that had plagued the Three Flames Hall for nearly a century without anyone being able to solve it.

Xiao Fan was able to pinpoint the exact location of the meridians with just a glance, a skill that even surprised Xiao Fan.

He stood up and bowed slightly to Xiao Fan. "Young Master Xiao's words are well remembered by the Three Flames Hall. We apologize for any offense we may have caused earlier."

Xiao Fan followed closely behind. "Senior, you flatter me. This young man..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the young man standing behind Meng Boyuan, his gaze falling on the scabbard on the young man's back, where there was a small crack.

"This scabbard has long been cracked, which will have a significant impact on the nurturing of spiritual energy. It's not too late to replace it now."

The young attendant was taken aback. He had sensed a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy within his body earlier, but he hadn't considered the sword sheath.

Meng Boyuan remained silent for a while, then patted his disciple's shoulder with a wry smile and said, "Alright, go back and change." He replied, "Okay."

Xiao Fan led them out of the front hall; snowflakes were still falling outside. When Meng Boyuan turned back, the hostility in his gaze had vanished, replaced by admiration.

"Young Master Xiao, my Three Flames Hall is located in the Eastern Territory, and you are always welcome to visit. Next time you come to the Eastern Territory, don't forget to let me be your host."

Xiao Fan clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and left. In the main hall, several Pill Tower deacons paled at the sight. In less than half a day, the news had spread throughout the Pill Tower, and further afield through word of mouth among passersby.

Sometimes, you don't need to do the dirty work yourself. Facts speak louder than words.

After the news came from the Three Flames Hall, the entire Pill Tower fell silent.

Inside the teahouse, the people who had been discussing the Green Fire Gang were now completely silent. Even the smaller factions that had petitioned the main alliance were now completely silent.

Xiao Fan knew very well that this silence could not last long. If someone wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work, they could do it in another way. At least for the time being, no one dared to challenge him.

As the New Year approached, the entire Dan Tower was bustling with activity. Han Fei tidied up the courtyard, hanging up bright red silk ribbons and lanterns.

Master Gu Yuan didn't go to grind the talisman paper. Instead, he sat on the veranda, took a sip of yellow wine, and gestured for Han Fei to hang up the lanterns. Yun Ruoxi took a piece of red paper and wrote a couplet. The characters on it were beautifully written, and the ink was flowing freely, filling the entire courtyard with a joyous atmosphere.

In the past few days, besides his normal cultivation and organizing his notes, Xiao Fan has been preparing for entering the Burning Bone Abyss next spring.

He took out a white cloth from his pocket and marked the location, distance, time, and supply points of all the valves. When he passed by the Three Flames Hall in the Eastern Territory, he added a line next to the map, saying that if he had the chance, he could go to Meng Boyuan's place to ask him about the meridian modification in person.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Yuan unexpectedly appeared in front of him.

He wore a worn-out, gray robe, and his face was much thinner, but he was in good spirits. Standing at the entrance of the Pill Tower, he cupped his hands in a respectful smile to Xiao Fan, appearing quite pleased. Xiao Fan welcomed him into the living room, where Han Fei served him a cup of hot tea and gestured for him to sit down.

"Old Song asked me to pass on a message to you." Chen Yuanduan warmed his hands with the teacup in his hand. "You don't need to worry about Zixiao Pavilion anymore. The guy surnamed Zhong has been purged from the inner circle. Now I'm in charge of everything."

Elder Song asked me to tell you that he has taken away your Fire Source. From now on, if anyone says anything wrong with the Burning Bone Abyss, just use it to shut them up.

Xiao Fan kept thanking him.

Chen Yuan waved his hand, saying no more. "After leaving Zixiao Pavilion, I plan to establish my own library, a repository for the Fire Dao inheritance, to organize the materials I've accumulated. My first stop is a small town at the foot of Danta Mountain. I hope Young Master Xiao will take good care of me in the future."

Xiao Fan poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, you've worked hard. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me. But this is only for academic exchange and cannot be shared with others."

Chen Yuan nodded, picked up his teacup, and drank it all in one gulp, a look of eagerness on his face. The two then discussed their experiences in organizing the fire-related classics, and Chen Yuan praised them, saying that he would definitely study them carefully in the spring.

Xiao Fan watched Chen Yuan's departing figure, then stood at the courtyard gate, gazing at the sunset on the horizon. The evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year was exceptionally quiet. The snow on the distant mountain ridges had not yet melted, and the orange-red sunset cast a soft golden hue on the snow-covered ground.

People walked by on the street from time to time, all of them looking drunk.

A year has passed quietly yet full of anticipation.

In the third week of spring, before the snow had completely melted, Xiao Fan set off.

This time he brought far fewer people than last time. Yun Ruoxi was still by his side, while Gu Yuan stayed at the Pill Tower to watch over Chen Yuanshu's shop.

Han Fei first drove his carriage eastward, as he had promised Meng Boyuan that he would visit the Three Flames Hall.

The Three Flames Hall is located on the mountainside of a mountain called "Flame Flag Mountain" in the eastern region. It covers a vast area and has magnificent buildings, even larger than the Zhou family's "Ye family's" "Inkstone Pavilion".

Upon hearing the news, Meng Boyuan personally went down the mountain to greet Xiao Fan. Changing his attitude from last year, he was warm and polite, welcoming Xiao Fan into the hall.

There were seven or eight people sitting in the hall, all of whom were key members of the Sanyan Hall. Meng Boyuan introduced them to each of them as a sign of respect.

Xiao Fan greeted him politely, and then, as agreed beforehand, carefully explained the blocked meridians in the Pill Tower Hall last year. He also provided some methods to assist in cultivation, taking into account the "Yang Fire Burning the Body" characteristic of the Three Flames Hall.