The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Liu Ruyan originally wanted to go with them, but the East Sea Pill Pavilion had an urgent matter, so she left four trusted disciples behind to follow Xiao Fan's orders.

Xiao Fan lay down again by the crack, activated the Qiankun Refining God Technique, and condensed his divine sense into a line, accurately probing into the black lotus at the top of the tower.

The moment the divine sense came into contact with the black lotus, an extremely cold aura surged back from the black lotus, burrowing into the sea of ​​consciousness like an ice snake.

The illusory image of the Qiankun Creation Cauldron trembled, and golden light surged out like a tide, forcing back the chilling aura.

Xiao Fan gritted his teeth and continued walking inside.

He needed to figure out exactly how many of the black lotus's roots were embedded in the roof tiles and where they extended into the tower. This was an extremely delicate and demanding task; the slightest mistake would disturb the black lotus, causing its root system to shrink and erode even deeper.

It took him a full half hour to withdraw his consciousness, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

"Six main trunks!" he gasped. "Two of them extend down about three zhang (approximately 10 meters) along the gaps in the roof tiles, while the remaining four are still entangled among the roof tiles and haven't penetrated deep into the ground. The situation is better than I expected; we have enough time to deal with it."

Master Gu Yuan handed over a bottle of Qi-restoring pills: "Rest for a bit, then we'll fight again."

Xiao Fan took the pill and meditated for a while. After his true essence had recovered by more than half, he stood up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He placed the ice box beside the crack and took out a bottle of pale golden liquid that he had made from the roots of black lotus in Luoxia Valley when he was in Donglin City.

"Later, I will force the six black lotus roots out of the tower. Don't grab them with your hands, but with the jade box."

The monk Gu Yuan and Han Fei stood on either side of the crevice, waiting.

Yun Ruoxi stood beside Xiao Fan, holding a blue talisman in her hand, just in case.

Xiao Fan took a deep breath and placed his hand on the crack again, his divine sense winding around the roots of the black lotus.

The Qiankun Refining God Technique was activated at full power, and golden divine soul power flowed down the roots like warm water, slowly seeping in. The black lotus seemed to sense something; its petals closed, and even more chilling energy emanated from them.

"Don't rush..."

Xiao Fan gave a low shout and used an extremely gentle yet persistent force to wrap around the first tree root, peeling it off the roof tiles little by little.

The tendril was initially clinging tightly to the crevice in the rock, but as the golden divine soul power was injected, it gradually loosened and then, with a "pop," sprang out of the crevice, wriggling like a snake.

Han Fei was startled and quickly withdrew his hand. Gu Yuan reacted quickly and grabbed the edge of the jade box, catching the root.

"Don't be afraid, it can't move." Xiao Fan didn't stop, and did the same thing, peeling off the second and third ones as well.

As the roots were uprooted one by one, the petals of the black lotus atop the tower dimmed visibly. The chill grew weaker, and the white mist thinned.

When the fifth root appeared, the black lotus shuddered violently, and the last root abruptly retracted into the tower.

Xiao Fan had anticipated this. He suddenly withdrew his divine soul power, wrapping it around the outer wall of the root, and then used a soft force to pull it out of the crack little by little.

"There's one more condition!"

The moment the roots emerged from the crack, the entire black lotus lost its support, tumbling off the roof tiles and crashing to the bottom of the tower. A very faint thud echoed from the ground.

Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his hand. Inside the ice box lay six black roots, each as thick as a finger.

Gu Yuan closed the box, and a thin layer of frost immediately covered the white jade box.

Han Fei peered in and asked, "Is it all done?"

Xiao Fan used his divine sense to investigate once more. The black lotus flower on the roof tiles was gone, leaving only a faint gray mark.

The chill was still there, but it had weakened by seven or eight parts, leaving only a faint chill seeping out from the gaps in the tiles.

Xiao Fan stood up and said, "The situation inside the tower is temporarily stable, but the tiles are broken and need to be repaired. I'll go get some ointment to seal the cracks."

Yun Ruoxi put away the talisman and walked to his side, asking, "The black lotus fell into the tower; has something happened?"

Xiao Fan shook his head and said, "Once the Black Lotus leaves the top of the tower, it will lose its nutrients and wither inside the sealed tower. However, just to be on the safe side, I will come back to check on the situation inside the tower in three days."

Everyone packed their things and returned to the ship. The sea breeze caressed their faces, and the chill seeping through the gaps wasn't so biting anymore.

As the ship departed the island, Xiao Fan, who was standing at the stern, glanced back.

Azure Wave Island lay quietly on the sea in the twilight, without the slightest sign of abnormality. But only he knew that the stone tower deep within the island's heart had shattered, and the first breach in the seal had been broken.

Repairing the tiles is urgent.

Back at the East Sea Pill Pavilion, Xiao Fan has hardly left his room in the past two days.

In the storeroom of the East Sea Alchemy Shop, he selected several spiritual materials suitable for repairing stones, namely jade powder, chalcedony glue, thousand-year coral powder, and several spiritual liquids that could harmonize the medicinal properties. He repeatedly experimented with mixing them in the alchemy room.

The first batch was too thin and prone to cracking. The second batch was too thick and lacked fluidity, making it unable to fill the cracks.

The third batch was barely usable; it wasn't sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the waves.

Master Gu Yuan shook his head and tossed an ancient book to Xiao Fan.

"Look, this is the method I used when I was building the Pill Tower."

Xiao Fan opened the ancient book, which recorded a method for reinforcing stones with talismans. By mixing the talisman ash with the stone, the repaired stone could be fused with the original stone, increasing its strength.

"Thank you, Elder Gu." A glint flashed in Xiao Fan's eyes, and he immediately began his fourth attempt at alchemy.

The medicinal liquid was poured into the furnace, and a spirit-sealing talisman was crushed and sprinkled in. After heating for half an hour, the medicinal liquid turned bluish-gray, became smooth and delicate, and contained a rich spiritual energy.

He took out a piece of waste stone, dripped a few drops of medicine on it, and waited quietly for half an hour until the medicine was completely dry. Then he tapped it with his hand—it was as hard as steel and became one with the stone.

"It's done."

On the morning of the third day, Xiao Fan brought some more medicinal herbs and tools and returned to the ship.

This time, Yun Ruoxi, Gu Yuan, and Han Fei, along with Liu Ruyan's four disciples in the Pill Pavilion, were all waiting for orders. Although the cracks had stabilized, repairing the tiles required complete concentration, and having too many people would only get in the way.

Upon arriving at Bibo Island, Xiao Fan headed straight for the crack in the center of the island. The chill in the air was much weaker than it had been two days prior, and much of the frost around the crack had melted, revealing the yellowish-brown soil beneath.