The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

"The Sea Without Light," Yun Ruoxi murmured the name.

"I checked the records," Xiao Fan continued. "In the last hundred years, three ships went there, and only one returned."

According to the ship owner, there was a solitary island at sea, entirely composed of black rocks, barren of all vegetation. A crack ran through the middle of the island, from which white mist constantly billowed, a mist colder than the icy sea itself.

Yun Ruoxi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is that island the location of the last tall tower?"

"It should be." He nodded. Xiao Fan put away the sea chart, glanced at the southern night sky, and said, "Of these nine towers, eight are used to suppress the leakage of Yin energy, only this one... may have another use."

The Grandmaster of the Void didn't elaborate on this jade slip, only briefly mentioning "the far south." He was a cautious man; the more secretive something was, the more important it was.

Yun Ruoxi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go with you."

Xiao Fan glanced back at her; her profile looked gentle in the moonlight, but her eyes were resolute. He didn't refuse and nodded, saying, "Okay."

A gentle night breeze caressed the terrace, and the sound of wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the distant Dan Tower was crisp and lingering.

Master Gu Yuan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a bowl of steaming hot wine. He leaned against the railing and looked this way, saying, "Going south? I heard that even seabirds can't get across there. Can your small frame handle it?"

Xiao Fan smiled and said, "Therefore, we must make thorough preparations. The ships, supplies, and medicines for the journey to the South China Sea must all be prepared in advance."

Especially for spiritual materials that have a restraining effect on cold, the experience gained in the icy sea may not be suitable for the south, and adjustments need to be made.

Gu Yuan put down his wine bowl, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Alright, I'm an old man with nothing else to do, so I'll go with you. But I have to remind you, you'd better bring enough wine this time."

Xiao Fan and Yun Ruoxi exchanged a glance and both smiled knowingly.

In the days that followed, Xiao Fan spent almost every day in the library of the Pill Tower. He searched through ancient books and scattered records in the Sea of ​​No Light, and selected spiritual materials with cold-resistant properties from the medicinal herb storehouse to begin researching new pill formulas.

With the addition of the Creation Fire, the efficiency of alchemy has been greatly improved. Pills that used to take several days to refine can now be refined in a single day.

During this period, he was busy in the warehouse and could only sleep for three or four hours a day at most.

Han Fei took the initiative to borrow a small spirit boat from the East Sea Pill Shop, and then found a merchant to buy enough dry food and fresh water for him to eat for a month.

On the night before his departure, Xiao Fan sat in the side hall of the Pill Tower and took out another bronze ball. This time, he was really coming.

Of the nine towers, seven lit up.

In southern Xinjiang, the Black Stone Tower and the Thousand Mist Tower both radiate golden light, like two lighthouses, silently guarding this land.

He gently turned the bronze ball, gazing towards the far south, at that most profound figure.

A line of small characters suddenly appeared on the surface of the sphere.

The words were faint, as if they had been sealed away for a long time, finally revealing themselves at this moment:

"The Tower of Darkness is not meant to suppress darkness, but to suppress the human heart. If you come here, what you see is not the tower, but yourself."

Xiao Fan stared at these words for a long time before slowly holding the bronze ball in his palm.

The next morning, as dawn broke, the four of them boarded a horse-drawn carriage and headed south. The wheels rolled on the damp stone road, making a crisp sound.

Xiao Fan sat in the car, looking out the window, the words of the Taixu Pill Saint before his death still echoing in his mind.

A tower without light doesn't encounter a tower, but rather itself.

He closed his eyes, feeling the tranquil flame of creation within his sea of ​​consciousness, and his heart was at peace.

The carriage followed the official road southward, breaking through the fog, crossing the plains, and heading towards the sea.

The carriage traveled south for five days, and the scenery along the way gradually changed from wheat fields to rolling hills, and then to vast expanses of reddish-brown rocks.

The rocks appeared dark red under the sunlight, as if they had been tempered by fire.

"Brother Xiao, there's a city ahead; it looks quite lively!"

Han Fei, who was driving the carriage, pulled on the reins and shouted back at the carriage.

Xiao Fan lifted the carriage curtain and gazed into the distance, where a small town built against the mountain came into view.

This is a huge red city wall, with three powerful characters engraved on it—Red Cloud City.

A long line formed in front of the city gate, with many merchants and herbalists queuing to enter the city.

Among them were alchemists wearing red robes and wearing alchemy furnace badges at their waists.

Master Gu Yuan revealed his upper body, squinted at it for a while, and then exclaimed, "Eh!"

"I remember now, every ten years, Crimson Cloud City holds a Grand Alchemy Tournament. Alchemists from more than ten cities come to compete, and the winner can enter the secret realm of Crimson Cloud Mountain to collect medicinal herbs. Ten years have passed since then."

Yun Ruoxi looked out the window and said, "There are still quite a lot of people coming into the city right now, so it will probably take a long time."

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment, then said, "Since we're here, let's make the best of it and go in for a look. We need to replenish our supplies before heading to the far south. Crimson Cloud City is located in the south, so there should be some local specialties there."

Upon hearing that there was hope, Gu Yuan immediately perked up: "That's great! I once participated in a pill-making competition and won third place, but the reward that time was a three-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, which wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap."

Han Fei chuckled: "A three-hundred-year-old blood ginseng and you're not satisfied? Elder, you really are asking for the moon."

"You know nothing! Last year's winner received a recipe for a fifth-grade elixir!"

A group of people chatted and laughed as they slowly entered the city with the main force.

Chixia City was much more bustling than I had imagined. The streets were lined with shops, and there were all kinds of medicinal herbs and the aroma of elixirs everywhere.

On the largest square in the city, a high platform has been erected, with nine alchemy furnaces standing side by side on the platform. The furnaces are not yet lit, but the square is already packed with people.

Xiao Fan and his companions settled into the inn. Master Gu Yuan even pulled Han Fei aside, asking him for details about the upcoming conference. Two hours later, they had gained a great deal.

Master Gu Yuan slammed his hand on the table and said, "The preliminary round will be held tomorrow. All alchemists are welcome to register if they wish to participate. The competition consists of three parts: identifying medicinal herbs, controlling fire to form pills, and free pill refining. Three judges will be on the panel to evaluate the results."

The first-place winner will receive a thousand-year-old Crimson Flame Ganoderma and a chance to enter the Crimson Cloud Mountain Secret Realm to collect medicinal herbs.

Upon hearing the name Crimson Flame Ganoderma, a hint of excitement flashed in Xiao Fan's eyes.

Crimson Flame Mushroom is a top-grade fire-attribute spiritual material that has a great nourishing effect on the Creation Flame within his sea of ​​consciousness. If he could obtain it, it would be even more stable.

As the name suggests, the Crimson Cloud Mountain Secret Realm is fire-attribute, and there are likely other fire-attribute spiritual treasures there as well.

"The registration deadline is 3 a.m. tonight." Gu Yuan slammed a notice on the table. "I've already registered you."