The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Three days after the Ten Thousand Fires Gathering, Xiao Fan stopped on his way back to Dan Tower. Seven or eight travelers gathered in the inn's hall, discussing something around a small mirror hanging on the wall.

Although this mirror was much smaller than the large mirror in the square, it was still very clear, and it was playing a highlight reel of the Wanhuo Festival.

Someone recognized Xiao Fan and whispered, "The main character has arrived," immediately attracting everyone's attention.

Xiao Fan acted as if nothing had happened. He walked to the counter, ordered a pot of hot water, sat in the corner, and slowly began to drink it.

Just then, a new announcement suddenly appeared on the Fire Mirror. This was an official announcement from the Federation, declaring that the rankings of the Ten Thousand Fires Ranking had been released, and that Xiao Fan's spirit seal, who ranked first, had become a permanent database of the Federation. The Federation also authorized libraries and fire-related schools in various regions to include his name and deeds in their teaching materials.

Someone whistled. Xiao Fan continued drinking his tea, seemingly oblivious to everything. Master Gu Yuan chuckled beside him, "You really are quite composed."

Xiao Fan downed the water in his cup in one gulp. "He's famous as a successor of the Taixu lineage, not me. Anyone who walks the path of the Taixu Pill Saint's inheritance will receive the same treatment."

Master Gu Yuan shook his head and said, "Others may believe your words, but I will not."

The two rested at the inn for one night before continuing their journey.

Three days after returning to Danta, Old Lady He asked Xi Huo to send her a letter. The letter said that several seniors of west Huo Sect had made some guesses based on the location of the undiscovered valley on the map.

They believe that the valley is very likely an ancient flame relic that has never been recorded before, far exceeding the arena of the Myriad Flames Gathering, and may even be the legacy of the Taixu Pill Saint.

The letter ended with: "The Western Fire Faction has dispatched a small team to scout the outskirts of the valley."

If Xiao Fan is interested, we will meet at Xihua Gate a month from now.

After reading the letter, Xiao Fan placed it on the table. Yun Ruoxi came in carrying a freshly brewed cup of tea. She glanced at the contents of the letter, then pushed the teacup towards him.

She asked, "Are you going?"

"Go." He uttered a single word. Xiao Fan took a sip of tea and continued, "This valley appears twice on the scroll. Once was on the old leather scroll that Madam He gave me, and the other time was on the ley line map that I memorized in the Wanhuo Society's underground palace."

Both of these locations can lead us to an unknown place, which suggests that the place is not simple.

He took a couple of sips of tea, put down the teacup, and began to plan when to set off and what to do.

A month passed quickly. Xiao Fan left the Pill Tower and continued westward. The early summer breeze had already turned the mountains along the way green.

Upon arriving at the West Fire Gate, he met up with Old Woman He and the others, and found several unfamiliar faces inside—three men and two women, all with calm and solid auras, and the lowest cultivation level among them was at least the fourth rank of the Tribulation Realm.

The old woman explained that she was one of the hidden fire path inheritors near the West Fire Sect, and after hearing about what happened in the valley, they all asked to join.

"Many hands make light work. It is said that the valley is shrouded in spiritual mist all year round, and once you enter it, you will lose your sense of direction." Old Mrs. He leaned on a newly made fire sand staff. She looked much older than a year ago, but she was in good spirits.

Following the directions on the old woman's scroll, the group traveled northwest for seven days. Along the way, the surrounding terrain gradually changed from yellow sand to a stone forest, with stone pillars of various shapes, some resembling people and others like beasts, covered with dense holes.

Deep within the stone forest, a layer of milky white mist drifted slowly by, its edges clearly visible, making it seem unlike anything formed naturally.

"Spiritual mist!" Old Woman He stopped and pointed to the white mist ahead, saying, "Beyond this misty area lies the end of the valley. Once inside, everyone keep a distance of about one meter and report your location every fifteen minutes."

Xiao Fan took the lead, activating the Extreme Fire Abyss Technique. He then realized that this spiritual mist was not real fog, but an extremely thin yet extremely dispersed spiritual energy field that could interfere with a cultivator's sense of direction, causing them to wander around in the mist.

However, in such an environment, the automatic operation of the spirit core becomes a natural advantage. It is like an undisturbed beacon, constantly releasing stable spiritual energy signals to provide the team with a clear reference point.

The journey took two hours. When the last wisp of white mist dissipated behind them, they finally saw a sunken valley.

The valley is surrounded by mountains, so steep that it looks as if it had been carved by a knife, but the bottom of the valley is surprisingly flat and covered with a layer of grayish-white fine sand.

A dark green, square building stands in the center of the valley, its exterior without doors or windows, resembling a huge piece of jade inlaid in the valley.

The square building was surrounded by a ring of low stone pillars, each inlaid with a dark red crystal. The brilliance of each crystal was uniform and restrained, inconspicuous even in the midday sun.

Xiao Fan first walked around the square building. The entire building surface was as smooth as a mirror, without any patterns or markings.

He stopped in front of a wall, reached out and touched the dark green surface. The moment the Creation Fire seeped in, he felt an incredibly vast network of spiritual energy gathering and preparing to erupt throughout the building, like a sleeping giant breathing.

Old Madam He came over and asked softly, "Could you open it?"

Xiao Fan withdrew his hand and looked at the dark green wall in front of him. The resonance of his spiritual core had conveyed a clear message: the key to the door was not the wall, but the sand beneath his feet.

He crouched down and reached into the sand, where he found a metal plate. It was a metal plate about a foot square, with a map engraved on it, and a small circular pit in the center of the map.

He took out the Thunderfire Token and placed it into the groove. The coordinates on the metal plate lit up one by one, and the light spread along the sand, falling on the base of the low stone pillar.

The crystals atop each pillar lit up, and under their illumination, the outline of a gate appeared on the dark green building's surface.

The door opened silently. Behind it was a long, narrow corridor, at the end of which a soft white light shone through.

At the end of the passage was a square space, about ten zhang in length and width.

The walls and ceiling of this space are made of a milky white, semi-transparent material with a smooth and warm surface that emits a soft and even light.

In the middle of the space was a shallow pool. The water in the pool was clear and transparent, but it did not have the texture or taste of water. Instead, it was a semi-solid state of condensed spiritual energy.