The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Forty-one days have passed since this retreat began, and the soundproof paper around the stone house on the east side of the camp has suddenly become completely ineffective.

All of this happened so suddenly that it was as if all the talismans were being torn off from the outside by an invisible force.

The tranquility inside the stone house was broken as Xiao Fan sensed the changes in the outside world. The self-assembly process of the spirit core was briefly disrupted, but it was quickly stabilized.

Ning Yao was the first to rush to the stone house on the east side. She carried a hammer and looked around, but found nothing.

Following behind her, Master Cheng looked at the tattered talismans scattered on the ground and noticed that all the talismans were rolled up towards the south side of the camp, towards the half-hidden stone house.

"What's in the South?" Master Cheng asked in a low voice.

He hurried to the south side of the camp, wanting to see the stone house, but found the stone door wide open and no one inside.

However, there were several new engravings on the floor of the stone house. The direction of these engravings closely matched the traces of spiritual energy left behind after the talisman fell outside Xiao Fan's secluded cultivation room. It seemed that someone had activated a directional spiritual energy jammer from a distance inside the stone house.

When Elder Mu heard the news, he rushed over. When he saw the marks on the ground, his expression changed drastically.

He paused for a moment before turning to look at everyone and saying, "These marks must have been left by the separatist faction in ancient times, right?"

When the Grandmaster of Pill Refining was in seclusion in Xingluo Plain, a group of cultivators who opposed his concept of unifying the seven spiritual powers left the main city and established a new stronghold, arguing that the chaos of these seven attributes would disrupt the ecological balance of Xingluo Plain.

Although no conflict arose between the two sides after their ideological differences, both factions left behind the statement, "One day, we will be used by others."

Ning Yao gripped the hammer tightly: "So, those six people, and the things in that room to the south, are all descendants of separatists?"

Old Master Mu nodded slowly.

The schism's spiritual power leans towards the ice attribute, which is distinctly different from the combined spiritual power of the Watchers.

They did not disappear completely, but went into hiding, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

As they were talking, a series of unhurried footsteps came from the north side of the camp.

The leader, a man with a ferocious face, walked to the edge of the camp. Although his voice was not loud, it clearly reached everyone's ears: "He has delayed the Taixu inheritance for a hundred years. Now the strength of the cultivators outside has long surpassed that of Xingluoyuan. You, a mere brat, are going into seclusion with an old map."

"It would be better to hand them over sooner rather than later. The spirit network of Xingluo Plains should be left to someone who knows how to use it."

Cheng Xiushi stepped forward, blocking the edge of the camp, and coldly said, "Hand over the person? Since you claim to be proficient in the spiritual energy network of Starfall Plains, let me see just how compatible you are with the seven types of spiritual energy. What are you shouting outside for?"

The leader glanced at Cheng Xiushi, narrowed his eyes, and said, "What right do you, a mere eighth-rank rogue cultivator, have to ask me about the degree of fusion of my seven spiritual energies?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a condescending tone, causing the Silver Hammer Society members to grip their weapons tighter.

Ning Yao, holding a short hammer, stood shoulder to shoulder with Cheng Xiushi. Her voice was soft, yet clear: "Whether he's qualified or not is none of your business. You don't even have the courage to enter the Watcher's camp, so what gives you the right?"

The leader's face darkened, but he did not walk into the camp.

His gaze shifted from Ning Yao and the cultivator Cheng to the stone house to the east, which lacked a soundproof talisman. He smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I'll wait for him to come out." With that, he turned and walked towards his camp to the north, with the five of them following closely behind.

Cheng Xiushi and Ning Yao stayed in front of the stone house on the east side all night and did not return.

The star map above Xingluo Plain rotated silently, and starlight sprinkled on the stone house roof tiles, reflecting a tranquil silvery-white luster.

There was no sound coming from inside the stone house, except for a steady fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from the cracks in the stone door.

From day 42 to day 99, the six-man squad from the north would linger at the edge of the camp every day, neither approaching nor retreating, always maintaining a surveillance posture.

During this period, the stone house on the east side of the camp showed no abnormalities, and the spiritual energy emanating from the crack in the door remained stable and unchanged.

Ning Yao and Cheng Xiushi took turns guarding the front of the stone house, while two other Silver Hammer Society members patrolled outside and replenished supplies.

Xie Changfeng did not appear again during this period. Old Master Mu explained that he had gone out to carry out other missions and would not be back for a while.

Late on the ninety-ninth night, half of the six-man squad stationed north of the camp left.

The leader led two people deeper into Starfall Plains, while the other three stayed behind to monitor the surroundings.

Cheng Xiushi noticed this and exchanged a few words with Ning Yao. They both thought that the leader had gone to ask for help or had activated some backup plan, but now there was only one day left until the agreed date, and they had to hold on until dawn.

On the hundredth day, as the sun rose in the east, the door of the stone house on the east side of the camp was opened from the inside.

Xiao Fan stood there, his face filled with disbelief.

Compared to before his seclusion, his entire demeanor had undergone a dramatic change. He had become more reserved and composed, but that layer of restrained spiritual power was like a deep pool, calm on the surface but turbulent inside.

As soon as Cheng Xiushi took two steps forward, he felt a gentle yet undeniable pressure naturally push him back, as if to say, "No need to come closer, I'm here."

First-order star level.

After a hundred days of seclusion, his spiritual core has completed its second transformation.

He stood at the doorway, adjusting to the morning sunlight and air, glancing at the three-person team to the north, and then at the empty stone house to the south.

Xiao Fan asked, "Where is Xie Changfeng?"

Old Mu's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "He's already gone." As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan opened the envelope and glanced at its contents.

The letter bore Xie Changfeng's name and stated that he had made contact with the separatists and had been sent to the Watchers camp to investigate Xiao Fan's whereabouts and his seclusion plans.

However, after observing for a long time, he changed his mind and decided not to reveal the information about Fangtai and the Starfall Core to the separatist forces. Instead, he chose to leave and sever ties with the separatist forces.

The letter ended with: "The leader in the north will return with his men at noon today. He brings with him a secondary component, retrieved from the rift, which conflicts with the Starfall Core. You must obtain it beforehand."