The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Old Mrs. He followed Xiao Fan into this space, her pace slowing down slightly.

Her aged eyes swept around, then looked at the shallow pool, her hand holding the Sandfire Staff trembling slightly. "The spiritual energy here... is several times greater than outside. Also, the material of these four walls... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

An older, independent cultivator stepped forward, squatted down, and reached out to touch the edge of the pool.

The instant his fingers touched the liquid, he abruptly pulled his hand back. "This isn't a liquid at all; it's clearly a condensation of spiritual energy! It's almost solidified!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around. Xiao Fan bent down and put his hand into the pool. As he expected, his fingertips touched not water, but damp sand. Spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips, steady and long.

If the entire pool is filled with a high concentration of spiritual energy, it would be enough for everyone to cultivate for several years.

He stood up and walked around the space. The milky white material on the walls emitted a faint light, as if responding to his spiritual energy fluctuations.

He walked to a wall in the northwest corner and found that the light emanating from this wall was much stronger than that from the other three walls.

He placed his hand on the stone wall and infused it with the fire of creation. Under the infusion of spiritual power, the milky white material turned translucent, revealing a piece of jade embedded in the wall.

The disc was only the size of a teacup, and it was engraved with an ancient script that was exactly the same as the core rune of the square stele array diagram.

When he removed the disc from the wall, the white light in the entire space trembled slightly before returning to calm.

The disc was cold and heavy, and the ancient character on it seemed to spin on its own in his palm before coming to a standstill. As if sensing an aura of the same origin, the spiritual core and the disc resonated faintly.

He put away the plate and returned to the pool.

Everyone sat cross-legged in the shallow pool and began cultivating. Old Mrs. He also found a place to sit and nodded slightly to him. Xiao Fan also sat by the pool, activating his spiritual core and absorbing a layer of rich spiritual energy into his dantian.

The moment that layer of spiritual energy entered the body, it automatically merged into the spiritual core without undergoing any transformation.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes again and found that the spiritual core in his dantian had become more solid.

After this training session, the water level in the shallow pool dropped visibly. At this rate, the spiritual energy in this pool would be enough for them to cultivate here for half a year.

He stopped, carefully examined the surrounding walls and ceiling, and after confirming that there was no secret passage, he returned to the entrance of the passage, sat down cross-legged, and protected the people inside.

Outside the dark green building, the grayish-white sand gleamed faintly in the afternoon sun.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, casting long shadows in the sunlight, this secluded valley is isolated. Apart from the wind blowing and the occasional sound of falling pebbles, the surroundings are completely silent.

The group cultivated in the pool of light for seven days when an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly came from outside the valley.

At the entrance to the passageway, Xiao Fan was organizing his notes when he sensed the fluctuation and immediately stood up. The fluctuation was coming from outside the misty area; it was a Yang-attribute power, not naturally formed, and more like a fire-based martial art.

After saying this, he instructed Old Woman He to lead everyone to continue their cultivation, while he himself returned to the Stone Forest in the mist.

The source of the disturbance was an open space at the edge of the stone forest, where seven or eight people formed a semicircle, staring intently at the person in the middle.

The person in the middle, wearing a slightly worn gray-blue short shirt, with a straight back, a thin face, and incredibly bright eyes, was none other than Shen Xiaochuan.

Xiao Fan stopped in his tracks. What was this guy doing here?

Judging from their demeanor, these seven or eight people clearly had ill intentions. The leader was a tall, thin cultivator in a bright red brocade robe, fully radiating the aura of the early sixth rank of the Tribulation Realm. He held a long, thin fire whip in his hand and said to Shen Xiaochuan, "Where did this junior come from? To be honest, you wouldn't happen to be an informant for those guys over there, would you?"

Surrounded by the crowd, Shen Xiaochuan's face was slightly pale, yet he remained standing. He only possessed the cultivation of the ninth rank of the Yang Realm, not even reaching the Tribulation Realm, making him no match for eight people with higher cultivation levels than him.

"I am not with you. I have come to see my master. He is in the mist."

"Your teacher? Who is your teacher? Tell me, do we know each other?"

Just as Shen Xiaochuan was about to speak, Xiao Fan emerged from the shadows of the stone forest. "Master, Master. Speak plainly."

As he took a step forward, his spiritual power was naturally released. The aura of a seventh-grade Tribulation Realm cultivator was like a boulder thrown into water, and everyone could clearly feel the power of this aura.

The fire whip in the hand of the cultivator in the maroon brocade robe was instantly extinguished by half, and the expressions of the people behind him also changed, and they were no longer as arrogant as before.

"Young Master Xiao, you really are a good friend." The cultivator in the maroon brocade robe put away his fire whip, smiled and cupped his hands. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. We come from the north to investigate the situation. We found spiritual energy fluctuations here, so we came to take a look."

If they're your people, then forget it. I'm leaving now.

After saying that, he turned and left, much faster than when he came.

Xiao Fan watched the group walk away before turning to look at Shen Xiaochuan, his gaze calm yet scrutinizing. "What do you want with me?"

Shen Xiaochuan pursed his lips and took out an envelope from his pocket.

The letter was sent by Chen Yuan. Inside were some spiritual materials and a note that read: "Young Master Xiao has gone to the West Fire Gate. If you want to see him, you can try your luck there."

After arriving at Xihuomen, Shen Xiaochuan learned of Xiao Fan's whereabouts and followed him all the way. He circled the outer perimeter of the misty area several times but couldn't find a way in. He was worried about whether he would encounter the group of prospectors.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan remained silent for a moment before turning around and walking towards the misty area. "Follow me. Next time you go out, leave me a message."

Shen Xiaochuan quickly followed, his steps light and quick, clearly indicating that he had received approval.

When they returned to the Light Pool Space, Old Woman He had already finished her cultivation and was holding a Sandfire Staff, grinding a small piece of ore by the pool.

She noticed an unfamiliar young man standing behind Xiao Fan. She glanced at him, then looked away without asking any questions. Instead, she nodded slightly to Xiao Fan to indicate that everything was normal.

Xiao Fan led Shen Xiaochuan to an empty spot by the pool and briefly explained the situation of the Light Pool, letting him experience it for himself.

Shen Xiaochuan did as instructed, and in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he opened his eyes, his expression as if he had walked for three days and three nights in the desert and suddenly seen a clear spring. "This cultivation speed is more than ten times the normal speed."