The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

The next morning, he bid farewell to everyone and went to Danta alone. The heavy snow had stopped, but the snow on the road was still very thick, and the horse's hooves made a crunching sound as they trod on it.

At noon, when we arrived at the foot of Danta Mountain, we saw Han Fei cooking something there, with wisps of smoke rising from the thick snow.

Horse hooves trod through the snow as Han Fei pushed open the door and waved to him. Master Gu Yuan, holding a freshly brewed cup of hot tea, walked over from the corridor.

Xiao Fan dismounted, tied the reins to the doorframe, and walked through the snow. The winter sun reflected brightly off the rooftops and shone on the people watching him from the porch.

Spring has passed and autumn has come, and the compilation of the Taixu Collection is nearing completion.

After reading the first three books and correcting some errors, Xiao Fan wrote down all of everyone's discoveries at the end of last year.

He already knew the structure of the fourth and fifth volumes by heart, and only occasionally could he gain something by flipping through the corresponding notes.

Every few days, Chen Yuan would come to Danta to retrieve his drafts, proofread them page by page, and then come back again after a few more days.

The apprentices in the library also joined in, and with enough manpower, efficiency improved significantly.

By March, the Taixu Collection had been completed in six volumes. Chen Yuan handed the annotations for the last volume to Xiao Fan. The six volumes were neatly arranged on the table, numbered one to six.

Xiao Fan looked at the row of books in front of him and reached out to touch the cover of the first book.

The paper is made from bamboo paper specially produced by the library, which is very tough, and the ink on it has a faint sheen after it dries. On the title page of each book are the four characters "Tai Xu Ji" and the table of contents of the book.

Chen Yuan rubbed his hands together and laughed, "One original is in the Pill Tower, one is in my library, and one has already been sent to the Imperial Capital Fire Dao Alliance Library. Only the last one is missing. Now that we have three sets, even if something unexpected happens, they won't all be destroyed."

Xiao Fan flipped through the books one by one, and after confirming that there were no problems, he closed the last book and put it back in its original place.

Chen Yuan waved his hand and laughed, "Once this book is published, the whole world will know about the Taixu Pill Saint's legacy. My library is just doing its small part."

No one expected that the "Tai Xu Collection" would actually circulate. Within a month, Chen Yuanshu's study was overflowing with letters from all over Daqing. Even the head of the Qianhuo Sect in the southern border region, Xu, wrote him a long letter expressing his gratitude.

Madam He from the Xihuo Sect also sent someone to inform them that the Xihuo Sect had received the news and would be sending a batch of high-quality ore as a congratulatory gift, waiting for the harvest of the Sandfire Ore.

Xiao Fan packed all the letters into a wooden box. He felt that this was more real than any honor or glory, and that as long as someone knew about it, they would definitely spread it widely.

That summer, the Taixu Collection began to circulate, and an uninvited guest arrived at the Dan Tower.

He was a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a faded gray-blue cloth shirt, carrying a tattered bundle, and standing at the gate of the courtyard with a travel-worn look on his face.

It was a thin face with piercing eyes, and he was holding a letter in his hand. When the gatekeeper, Old Zhao, delivered the letter to Xiao Fan, he said that this young man came from the easternmost part of the Daqing Empire and had traveled for nearly two months to get here.

Xiao Fan met the young man in the hall.

When Xiao Fan opened the letter, he found it was a recommendation letter from a teacher at the Fire Dao Academy in a remote town. The letter said that the young man's name was Shen Xiaochuan. He had been obsessed with the way of fire since childhood, but he had no way to get started. After accidentally seeing the "Tai Xu Collection", he was determined to find this teacher and become his apprentice. That's how he achieved what he has today.

The gentleman saw his determination and wrote him a letter of introduction, asking him to try his luck with the letter.

Xiao Fan put down the letter and his gaze fell on the nervous-looking young man in the main hall. Shen Xiaochuan gripped the straps of his old travel bag tightly with both hands, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he didn't blink.

Shen Xiaochuan's voice was a little hoarse, probably because he hadn't drunk any water along the way, but his tone was very serious and clear. "I stayed at the homes of kind people along the way, and I also helped people with farm work for a few days and got some dry food, so I'm walking a little slower."

Xiao Fan thought for a moment, then stood up, walked to the desk in the courtyard, took out a beginner's cultivation manual, and three fire element spirit stones. He wrapped them in cloth and handed them to Shen Xiaochuan.

"Take a look at this book first. If you don't understand anything, feel free to write to me. Three spirit stones are enough for you to cultivate to the next level. If you can continue cultivating even after you've used up all the spirit stones, I'll consider taking you as my disciple."

Shen Xiaochuan was stunned for a while before nodding firmly, taking the cloth bag, and hugging it tightly to his chest. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something to express his gratitude, but he swallowed the words back.

In the end, he could only bow deeply, turn around and leave. He reached the door, turned back and winked at Xiao Fan, then turned and disappeared around the corner.

Xiao Fan stood at the courtyard gate, watching him leave, his feelings a complex mix of emotions. The young man looked tired, but his back was ramrod straight.

He turned and sat down in the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the ginkgo tree, illuminating the courtyard. Gu Yuan walked to a stone chair and sat down, his gaze falling on the empty courtyard gate.

"The fact that this child was able to find this place within two months shows that he has an excellent character."

Xiao Fan nodded and said, "You just wait here for his news."

Summer in the courtyard is quiet and long. The afternoon breeze gently rustles the ginkgo leaves, making a very soft and rhythmic sound.

Xiao Fan leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed. Sunlight streamed through the leaves, falling warmly on his cheeks, making even his breathing seem to slow down.

From the village at the foot of the distant mountain, a few long cries echoed, accompanied by the sound of wind rustling through the leaves, filling the ordinary and peaceful afternoon.

Autumn has arrived again, and everything is in its usual stable state.

Nearly a month has passed since Shen Xiaochuan's letter, in which he said that he had mastered the first level of the basic chapter, using two and a half of the three spirit stones. There were two minor deviations, but he had already corrected them on his own.

At the end of the letter, there were some specific questions. Although they were somewhat basic, the ideas were very clear, showing that she had indeed read and tried them.

Xiao Fan replied, attaching a simple diagram explaining one of the reasons for deviating from the principle. Before sending the letter, he thought for a moment and then put a pebble in the envelope as a stepping stone to enter the Path of Western Fire.

News came from Chen Yuan's side that the third batch of "Taixu Collection" had been almost copied, and people outside of Daqing had also written to ask how to buy it.

Xiao Fan glanced at the letter and put it aside, showing no surprise whatsoever. The legacy of the Grandmaster of the Void Pill encompasses far more than just one region; it will inevitably spread sooner or later.