The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Xiao Fan crouched by the crevice and probed it with his divine sense. There were seven broken tiles on the top of the tower, varying in size, the largest being the size of a palm and the smallest only the size of a fingernail.

He memorized their locations and shapes, and then took out tools from his storage bag.

"Will you go down by yourself?" Gu Yuan asked.

"I first used my divine sense to send the medicinal liquid into the tower, repairing the gaps in the tiles from the inside out. The gaps were too small to pass through, so this was the only way."

As Xiao Fan spoke, he poured the medicinal liquid into a special jade bottle, then enveloped the bottle with his true essence. "I will draw the medicinal liquid down in a moment. Elder Gu, use talismans to stabilize the soil and rocks around the crack to prevent it from collapsing."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly and took out a stack of yellow paper from his bosom.

After doing all this, Xiao Fan aimed the jade bottle at the crack and poured the medicinal liquid into it using his true essence. The bluish-gray medicinal liquid was drawn into an extremely thin beam of light by his true essence, passing through the crack that was more than twenty feet deep, and landing precisely on the broken tiles at the top of the tower.

His consciousness was fixed on the edge of the crack.

The first gap is filled with the medicinal liquid using true energy, ensuring the liquid is flush with the surrounding tiles. The second step is to fill it completely and smooth it out.

Then came the third crack.

Upon reaching the fifth location, the medicine suddenly stopped halfway through, as if it had encountered some obstacle.

Xiao Fan frowned slightly and scanned the crevice with his divine sense. He discovered that there was a protruding stone ridge on the inner wall of the crevice, blocking the flow of the medicinal liquid.

Just as he was thinking about how to get around the stone ridge, he suddenly felt a very faint soul fluctuation coming from the depths of the crack.

The fluctuation was extremely weak, but the aura it contained was one he had never seen before—different from the golden light of the Qiankun Creation Cauldron, and not the icy chill of the frozen sea, but a balanced and peaceful aura, as if it came from ancient times, warm and smooth as jade.

Xiao Fan's heart skipped a beat. The fluctuation was fleeting, like an illusion. He calmed himself, mobilized his true energy, bypassed the stone ridges, and continued to send the medicinal liquid to the top of the tower.

After another incense stick's time, the seven broken tiles had been repaired. The ointment and the tiles had fused together, and the gray-green filler was almost invisible.

Xiao Fan withdrew his true energy, stood up, and gasped for breath.

Han Fei stepped forward and asked, "Is it done?"

Xiao Fan nodded and said, "The tiles have been repaired. But..."

"Just what?"

Xiao Fan hesitated, but ultimately did not reveal the soul fluctuations he had just experienced.

He continued, "However, the tower itself also has some cracks, which don't affect the main structure much, but they need to be checked every now and then. I'll go back and prepare a potion so they can water it every six months."

Master Gu Yuan nodded and said, "I will remember this."

On the ship returning, Xiao Fan stood on the deck, watching Bibo Island gradually disappear into the distance, the scene from just now constantly replaying in his mind.

It was a peaceful aura, completely different from the yin energy.

If the aura of the Taiyin Pill Master was a collision of extremes, like ice and fire, life and death, then that fleeting fluctuation of divine soul just now was like... a gentle breeze brushing the mountain ridge, sunlight shining on the stream.

Just as he was lost in thought, Yun Ruoxi came over with a bowl of hot soup.

"Have some drink." He handed her the bowl. "You don't look too well."

Xiao Fan picked up the bowl, took a sip, and found it to be a fresh, rich fish soup with ginger slices to remove any fishy smell. A warm feeling spread through his stomach.

"What did you feel when you were repairing it?" he suddenly asked.

Yun Ruoxi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "When I looked down from up there just now, I didn't notice anything unusual. Did you find anything?"

"It's a long story." Xiao Fan took another sip of soup. "When I return to the Pill Pavilion this time, I need to study that jade slip again."

As evening fell, he returned to the East Sea Dan Pavilion.

After dinner, Xiao Fan returned to his room, took out the cyan jade slip from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

Previously on Bibo Island, although the slight fluctuation of his divine soul was fleeting, the upright and peaceful aura made him vaguely sense the aura of the Grandmaster of the Void.

He placed the jade slip on his forehead and scanned it with his divine sense.

This time, the jade slip reacted differently.

In the past, when he entered the jade slip, he only saw some fixed patterns and words.

But this time, he discovered a small space deep within the jade slip that he had not noticed before.

There was nothing there.

Only a sliver of golden light remained, burning silently.

Xiao Fan tentatively extended his divine sense toward the point of light.

The light spot didn't resist; instead, it bounced slightly, as if responding to his words. He tried to touch it.

A warm, jade-like spiritual energy entered his sea of ​​consciousness from his divine sense. This spiritual energy was not powerful, but it was extremely pure, completely different from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth he had absorbed before, as if it had undergone countless temperings.

The spiritual energy surged into the illusory image of the Qiankun Creation Cauldron, and immediately, the Qiankun Creation Cauldron trembled slightly, and several lines of small characters appeared on the cauldron.

Xiao Fan's gaze sharpened—

"I left a wisp of my divine soul within the Nine Towers Formation to nourish the seal, ensuring its eternal existence for ten thousand years. If anyone can sense this aura using the methods of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, they are the one I have chosen."

This aura can be used to repair the seal or to locate the pagoda.

But remember, each tower contains a wisp of my soul. Once all nine towers are activated, my energy will be unblocked, and the seal will become stronger. Do not be greedy, or too much soul power will backfire and damage your consciousness.

After reading it, Xiao Fan couldn't help but gasp.

It turns out that the righteous and peaceful aura was the natal divine soul power left behind by the Grandmaster of the Void in those nine towers.

He accidentally touched a trace of it while repairing the top of the tower on Bibo Island, which is why he was able to detect the fluctuation.

And now, the golden light he has received is a gift left to him by Taixu.

With this, he can perceive the state of the seal more accurately.

However, the Grandmaster of the Void had warned him not to be greedy, as the opening of all nine towers would connect their souls, which made him wary.

If each tower contains a wisp of divine soul, what would happen if all nine towers were obtained? Taixu only mentioned the words "seal and solidify," without explaining the consequences of infusing the same amount of divine soul power into the sea of ​​consciousness.

Just as he was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.

"Young Master Xiao," came Liu Ruyan's voice from outside the door, "I've found out some information that might be of some use to you."

Putting away the jade slip, Xiao Fan opened the door. Liu Ruyan stood in the doorway, holding a yellowed map, her brows furrowed with a rare hint of anxiety.

"Come in and talk." Xiao Fan stepped aside.