Spatial ships streaked across the dark sky like shooting stars, then, like fish diving into the sea, they swarmed into the massive silver light ring.
Emerging from the spatial wormhole, a cacophony of mixed sounds immediately assaulted them.
Holy Pill City's crowd density was, as always, terrifying!
"So many people are watching us," Zi Yan whispered, her posture straightening slightly, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Don't mind them. Let's go find Ying'er directly. We need to finish this matter quickly, as there are still many things waiting for us in Tian Bei," Chen Xiao replied after glancing around.
Having experienced such scenes many times, he had gradually grown accustomed to it.
It was the same when Little Fairy Doctor and the others were by his side; they would attract attention wherever they went.
After all, the group's appearance was never lacking.
Zi Yan nodded slightly, then flashed a sly smile. Under everyone's gaze, she extended her jade-like hand and lightly swiped the air in front of her, tearing space apart. She then pulled Chen Xiao and entered.
Only then did waves of exclamations erupt from the massive teleportation plaza.
"Dou Zun expert!"
"I knew they looked familiar. I remember now, that's Venerable Chen from the Purple Firmament Pavilion. I saw him from afar once during the Five Great Clans assessment by the Pill Tower. But I recall that Venerable Chen had a close relationship with the Cao Clan Enchantress. Their visit to Holy Pill City back then caused quite a stir. But the woman beside him today seems to have a different kind of relationship?"
"What's the big deal? Who says one can only have one confidante?"
...
Holy Pill City, Inner Region.
When Chen Xiao and Zi Yan emerged from the spatial passage, their vision was met with a familiar, secluded courtyard.
This was Cao Ying's former residence. Two to three years had passed, and time had left no trace.
Chen Xiao had assumed that at midday, Cao Ying would be studying alchemy with Xuan Kongzi, which was why he thought of waiting at her courtyard first.
However, upon arriving, he found the courtyard gate open. Beside a stone table on the lush green lawn, a solitary figure was seated.
She was still wearing her favorite purple-black dress, her right hand resting on the stone table, propping up her fair forehead. Her left hand held an alchemy book, which she was reading with great interest, completely unaware of the two uninvited guests outside the courtyard.
They say a man is most charming when focused, but a woman can be equally captivating when engrossed.
Among the people by Chen Xiao's side, only Xun Er and Cao Ying enjoyed reading the most.
There was a slight difference, though. Xun Er read extensively, covering Dou Skills, Cultivation Techniques, notebooks, secret histories, biographies, and more. Cao Ying, however, only favored books related to alchemy.
"Sister Cao Ying!"
The atmosphere couldn't be observed for long before it was broken by Zi Yan's cheerful greeting.
Upon hearing the address, the person in the courtyard trembled slightly, as if startled. After regaining her senses, she quickly looked up.
The figures of the two outside the courtyard came into view. Cao Ying's pretty face first showed a moment of stunned silence, then a bright and moving smile bloomed on her face like a flower, exceptionally captivating.
Without a moment's hesitation, she suddenly stood up and, with her long legs, covered the distance in a few strides.
"Chen Xiao! Zi Yan?!"
Her eyes shone astonishingly bright, as if filled with scattered starlight. The joy of their reunion was unreservedly evident in her eyes.
Perhaps her relationship with Chen Xiao hadn't reached the level of Little Fairy Doctor or Cai Lin, but it was definitely more than just ordinary friends. She was one of the few people she could confide in.
"Ying'er, long time no see," Chen Xiao replied with a smile.
"It has indeed been a long time. You haven't sent any news for so long. If I hadn't heard a few days ago that the Purple Firmament Pavilion appeared in Tian Bei, I would have thought you weren't coming back," Cao Ying said with a hint of playfulness on her delicate face.
Chen Xiao chuckled sheepishly, "This is a long story. I'll tell you more later."
Cao Ying nodded slightly, then shifted her beautiful gaze to the tall Zi Yan beside him.
"I heard from my father's letter that he had contacted the Void Ancient Dragon clan. Zi Yan, have you returned to your clan already?"
"Heh heh, I have. I'm in charge of Dragon Island now, and I can come and go freely. Speaking of which, I have to thank Uncle Cao and the others for their help in contacting them back then."
Sneaking out from her clan wasn't something to boast about.
Therefore, Zi Yan slightly embellished the truth.
Her bloodline was undoubtedly the strongest on Dragon Island currently, so calling herself the person in charge wasn't a major exaggeration.
Cao Ying shook her head slightly and led the two into the courtyard.
Inviting them to sit, Cao Ying's gaze, tinged with a half-smile, fell back on Chen Xiao.
"Go on, what do you need me for this time?"
Being asked so directly, even Chen Xiao, with his Dou Zun-level composure, felt his face heat up.
"Can't I just come specifically to see you?"
"Of course, you can. I'd really like to hear that answer."
Meeting Cao Ying's teasing gaze, Chen Xiao opened his mouth but still couldn't utter such a clumsy lie.
Recalling it now, every time he had interacted with Cao Ying, it had been about official business. It was no wonder she had the impression that he never visited without a reason.
"I had too many things to do before, and it was quite unavoidable. Now that the Purple Firmament Pavilion has moved to the Central State, we will definitely interact more in the future."
"It's just a joke, don't take it too seriously. I understand our relationship better than you do."
"Let's get down to business. After I heard news from the Purple Firmament Pavilion, I figured you might come to Holy Pill City to find me. After all, the Purple Firmament Pavilion is newly established, and you even announced that you'd be recruiting disciples and elders in half a year. Resources like elixirs are always better the more the merrier."
"So, after finishing my cultivation these past few days, I've been returning to this courtyard, thinking you might come. I just didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
"Additionally, I took the liberty of sending a message to my family, asking them to retrieve medicinal ingredients and start refining a batch of popular elixirs like the Dou Ling Pill, Royal Extreme Pill, and Sect Breaking Pill. If you need them, you can take them with you then. If not, I'll just have to sell them outside. Either way, there's no loss."
Listening to Cao Ying's explanation, Chen Xiao and Zi Yan were both somewhat taken aback.
It had to be said, Cao Ying was truly intelligent!
Merely by hearing some rumors, she could predict their arrival.
"You've guessed it all correctly. Zi Yan and I have only three things we came here for."
"The first is elixirs. We obtained a considerable amount of medicinal ingredients from the Wind Thunder Four Pavilions' treasury, and we need the Cao Family's help to refine them into elixirs."
As he spoke, Chen Xiao took out several storage rings and handed them to Cao Ying.
Along with them was a list.
Cao Ying took them and glanced over them before putting them away, saying nothing, and waiting for him to continue.
"The second matter is that I wish to meet your teacher, Xuan Kongzi, and ask him to help refine an elixir. This matter requires your assistance in making the connection. I will provide appropriate compensation this time."
The last time Xuan Kongzi helped, it was out of consideration for Cao Ying.
While he could still do so this time, constantly asking others for favors without compensation would only increase the debt of gratitude owed.
Therefore, Chen Xiao had prepared some compensation this time.
"Above eighth-grade?"
Mentioning elixirs, Cao Ying asked an uncharacteristic question.
"Yes, among the eighth-grade, they are top-tier. There probably aren't many people in the Central State who can refine them currently," Chen Xiao replied with a nod.
He could sense that the spiritual energy within Cao Ying's soul was already extremely dense, almost comparable to when he went to the Extreme Northern Land.
In other words, Cao Ying was very, very close to breaking through to the Spirit Realm!
This rate of growth was much faster than in the original timeline.
After all, there were still four or five years until the Pill Gathering, which was held once every thirty years.
If Cao Ying were to enter the Spirit Realm soon, her brilliance might even overshadow Xiao Yan's at the start of the Pill Gathering.
However, then again, even with a minuscule difference, it was absolutely impossible to refine eighth-grade elixirs before truly entering the Spirit Realm.
Not to mention top-tier elixirs like the Bodhi Foundation Establishment Pill, which could trigger nine-colored pill lightning.
Cao Ying fell silent for a moment, then nodded wordlessly.
She had initially thought her own improvement speed was quite fast.
After Chen Xiao left last time, she had paid more attention to her cultivation. To this day, with an unlimited supply of elixirs and the enhancement of her exceptional talent, she had already entered the Dou Huang stage, and her soul had reached the Mortal Realm Peak, just one step away from the Spirit Realm. Her former rival, Dan Chen, had been left far behind by her.
Yet, she never expected that even with all this, she still couldn't keep up with Chen Xiao's demands and improvement speed.
Elixirs close to ninth-grade were something she couldn't successfully refine, even if she entered the Spirit Realm immediately.
What she didn't know was that the elixirs Chen Xiao usually required didn't have such high thresholds.
The Bodhi Foundation Establishment Pill was an exception.
This was because it was for his daughter Yaoyao's foundation establishment, so naturally, he had to choose the best within his capabilities.
Even Chen Xiao himself had never consumed elixirs of this grade.
"The third matter is that when I was in the Northwest, I obtained a batch of good items. At the time, I felt they would be helpful to you, so I specifically collected more. I've brought them here for you this time."
Cao Ying's eyes lit up as exquisite small boxes were taken out by Chen Xiao, filling the entire stone table.
These boxes were all completely opened, revealing fist-sized, crimson beads.
Under the sunlight, the fire beads emitted a red glow, more dazzling than luminous pearls, blinding Cao Ying's eyes and causing her heart to tremble slightly.
"What terrifying energy…"
"I call these Fire Pills. The energy contained within them is extremely violent. Here is one Dou Zun-level Fire Pill, and the rest are Dou Zong and Dou Huang level. It's difficult for normal people to absorb such violent energy, but since you have a Heavenly Flame within your body, there will be no problem. Start by absorbing the Dou Huang-level ones, and save the Dou Zun one for last. As you absorb more of these Fire Pills, the effect will diminish, but they can also help you reach the Dou Zong level in the shortest possible time."
Chen Xiao had collected many of these Fire Pills.
He had already planned their uses.
One portion was reserved for Xun Er.
One portion was gifted to Cao Ying.
The last portion was used to supply formations.
This was because many killing formations required an extremely vast amount of energy, and simply drawing it from the heavens and earth was not enough.
"Thank you, I really like this gift."
"And it's very valuable!"
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