The extraordinary phenomenon of Feng Qinghuang breaking through to the late stage of the Breaking Illusion realm—"Phoenix Cry Starfall" and the light band of star power gathering—was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up quite a ripple within the Tianyan Sect.
The resurgence of spiritual energy at Starfall Peak, the mysterious berries, the Peak Master's Iron Fist crippling a traitor, the Empress's disciple's breakthrough triggering unusual phenomena... This series of events has instantly turned Starfall Peak, a "waste peak" that has been dormant for many years, into the focus of heated discussion among outer disciples and some inner disciples. Although the higher-ups remain silent, in the hearts of the lower-level disciples, the image of Starfall Peak and Lin Yuan has changed.
Lin Yuan had no time to pay attention to the outside discussions. He was immersed in the joy of "getting rich overnight." 1000 points of Dao Value! 10 Star Gathering Spirit Bonsai Seeds! And the unlocked [Star Tempering Body Technique - Transformation Chapter]! He could almost see the mountains and fields covered with Star Berries and his future self at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending Realm!
He immediately directed the handymen to transplant all ten new seeds, along with the previous three, around the core of the spirit-gathering array on the stone platform. The thirteen star-gathering bonsai surrounded the array's core, greedily absorbing the star power, now several times more concentrated. Their branches and leaves unfurled, starlight swirling around them—a truly beautiful sight. Although there were no immediate results, Lin Yuan could almost smell the fragrance of the future berries.
"Master, this formation is good, but it concentrates star power too much, and the spiritual energy attribute is singular and biased towards coldness." Feng Qinghuang looked at the busy Lin Yuan, her clear and cold voice carrying a hint of reminder, "Ordinary grass and spiritual plants may not be able to survive for long in this core area, let alone flower and bear fruit." She was referring to the "medicine field" concept that Lin Yuan had casually mentioned before.
Lin Yuan was carefully adding soil to a potted plant with a small shovel (this time his movements were much more skillful, and he didn't mess it up again). Hearing this, he didn't even look up: "No problem, no problem! My 'Starry Sky Divine Tree' is exceptionally talented; it loves to tackle tough challenges! It grows by consuming star power!" He was full of confidence. Anything produced by the system was bound to be of high quality. Adaptability issues? Not a chance!
Seeing Lin Yuan's resolute expression, Feng Qinghuang stopped trying to persuade him. Although this master acted unconventionally, the things she produced always seemed to have something beyond common sense. She turned around, preparing to return to the core area to continue consolidating her cultivation and attempt to break through to the peak of the Breaking Illusion realm.
However, this harmony and busyness were soon disrupted by uninvited guests.
"Boom!"
A crimson fireball, carrying a scorching and violent aura and undisguised rage, brutally tore through the spiritual energy barrier surrounding Starfall Peak, crashing down like a meteorite onto the edge of the stone platform! The scorching shockwave instantly dissipated the cool starlight in the core area of the stone platform, causing the laborers who were working to cry out and retreat, with those of weaker cultivation even feeling a sense of suffocation!
The light faded, revealing three figures.
The leader, dressed in a crimson robe with cauldron patterns, had his hair and beard standing on end, his face flushed, and he exuded a scorching aura like a furnace and a powerful Immortal King's pressure—it was none other than Lieyangzi, the peak master of Danding Peak!
Behind him followed two composed and arrogant old men, both senior elders of Dan Ding Peak, their bodies exuding a strong medicinal fragrance, clearly possessing extraordinary alchemy skills.
"Lin Yuan!" Lie Yangzi's voice boomed like thunder, filled with boundless rage, causing the entire stone platform to vibrate. "How dare you!"
Lin Yuan was so shocked by the sudden pressure and angry roar that his blood surged, and he almost collapsed to the ground. He forced himself to stand upright, staring at the three menacing figures, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Dan Ding Peak? What are they doing here? He didn't seem to have ever provoked these fire-playing types before.
"I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly, Peak Master Lieyang." Lin Yuan tried his best to make his voice sound calm. "I wonder what brings you to my remote little peak?" He deliberately emphasized the words "remote little peak".
"Instructions? Hmph!" Lie Yangzi laughed angrily, pointing at the silver halo surrounding Starfall Peak, then at the dense, almost impenetrable vortex of star power at the core of the stone platform. "Lin Yuan! You arbitrarily altered the spiritual vein nodes, setting up this evil and unorthodox formation, forcibly gathering the celestial star power! Do you know the consequences of this?!"
"Star power is cold, and yin energy is concentrated! This ghostly formation on your peak has disrupted the stability of the earth fire spiritual veins within a hundred miles! It has caused the earth fire of my Dan Ding Peak to become unstable, and its power has plummeted! Just now, I was refining a batch of the crucial 'Nine Revolutions Blazing Sun Pill,' and it was about to be completed when it was interfered with by the star power and yin energy stirred up by your evil formation. The earth fire went out of control, and the entire batch of precious pills was destroyed! Decades of hard work have been ruined in an instant!" Lie Yangzi became more and more furious as he spoke, his crimson beard and hair seemed to be burning, and his Immortal King aura was like a tangible flame, making it almost impossible for Lin Yuan to breathe!
Behind him, an elder with a hooked nose added coldly, "Not only that! The star energy is so cold and damp that the spiritual herbs on several auxiliary peaks adjacent to your Starfall Peak, which cultivate fire-attribute spiritual herbs, are also showing signs of wilting! Peak Master Lin, for your own selfish gain, you have arbitrarily altered the spiritual veins, affecting the alchemy and spiritual plant cultivation of other peaks, causing enormous losses! What is your punishment?!"
Another elder with a horse-like face shouted even more sternly, "Immediately shut down this evil formation! Compensate my Dan Ding Peak for the loss of the Nine-Turn Blazing Sun Pill! At market price, this pill is worth a million high-grade spirit stones! Also, compensate the neighboring auxiliary peaks for the loss of spirit herbs! Otherwise, don't blame us for dismantling this lousy formation according to sect rules and handing you over to the Enforcement Hall!"
A million high-grade spirit stones?! Lin Yuan's eyelids twitched violently! He couldn't even be worth that much, sold off along with his peak! This was clearly an outrageous demand, a pretext for trouble! What unstable earth fire, what withered spirit herbs? Of all times, why did Feng Qinghuang have to come right after her breakthrough? Even a fool could see they were looking for trouble! It was probably that bastard Zhao Hao stirring things up behind the scenes, or perhaps Dan Ding Peak itself was simply envious of the Star Spirit Guiding Array!
"Peak Master Lieyang, you are mistaken!" Lin Yuan retorted loudly, enduring the oppressive aura. "The array we, Xingyun Peak, set up was within our own territory, drawing upon the power of the stars in the heavens. How could it have disturbed the spiritual veins beneath the earth in the slightest? The star power is pure and clear, containing life force; how could it be malevolent energy? As for affecting the earth fire... the star power hangs high in the heavens, while the earth fire is hidden deep within the netherworld; they are completely unrelated! Peak Master, your alchemy failure is not due to your own failure to control the fire. How can you blame Xingyun Peak? Xingyun Peak will not take the blame for this!"
"Insolence!" Lieyangzi roared in fury. He hadn't expected Lin Yuan, a mere Qi Refining Realm waste, to dare to contradict him in public and even question his alchemy skills! "You brat, how dare you presume to discuss alchemy? Stellar energy is cold and yin, interfering with the earth's fire—this is common knowledge in alchemy! How dare you try to argue with me? Today, your formation will be shut down whether you like it or not! If you don't, I'll shut it down for you myself!"
The Immortal King's pressure erupted like a volcano, crashing down on Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan's face instantly turned ashen, and his Qi Refining Realm spiritual power was like a candle flickering in the wind under this pressure, on the verge of being crushed!
"Peak Master, please calm down!" The servant disciples were so frightened that they all knelt down.
Feng Qinghuang's figure blurred, instantly blocking Lin Yuan's path half a step in front of him. Her powerful aura, typical of the late-stage Breaking Realm cultivators, erupted like a raging tidal wave, forcefully withstanding a portion of the Immortal King's pressure! Her eyes were as cold as ancient ice: "Peak Master Lieyang, your words are unreasonable, and you are bullying the weak—this is not the behavior of an elder! If you wish to disrupt my Starfall Peak's formation, you must first get past the Starlight in my hand!"
The cool, clear sword intent of the phoenix cry gathered around her, causing the temperature on the stone platform to drop sharply, forming a stark contrast with the scorching pressure of Lie Yangzi!
"Hmph! Junior, you think you can stop me?" Lie Yangzi's eyes flashed, and he was about to lash out.
"Wait!" Lin Yuan's voice suddenly rang out, carrying an unusual calm. He stepped out from behind Feng Qinghuang, his face no longer showing the anger and paleness of before, but instead carrying a kind of... eager excitement?
He was jolted awake by Lie Yangzi's oppressive aura, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind! The system reward, [Starry Sky Pill Unraveling - Beginner's Guide]! It seemed to mention... Star Power Pill Refining?!
"Peak Master Lieyang keeps saying that stellar energy is cold and yin, interfering with the earth fire and ruining your precious pill." Lin Yuan stared intently at Lieyangzi, a strange smile curving his lips. "Then may I ask, Peak Master, have you ever considered that stellar energy... can also be used to refine pills?"
"What?" Lieyangzi and the two elders behind him were stunned at the same time, as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Using star power to refine pills? Hahahaha!" The hook-nosed elder couldn't help but sneer. "Absurd! Star power is violent and chaotic, containing star evil, which is a major taboo in pill refining! The slightest carelessness will cause the furnace to explode and the pills to be destroyed! This is an ironclad rule of the Dao of Pills! Peak Master Lin, has your cultivation gone wrong, even ruining your brain?"
"Ironclad rule?" Lin Yuan chuckled, his eyes gleaming with the arrogance of "ignorance is bliss" (actually, it was the system's confidence). "That's because you're ignorant! You're like frogs in a well! Today, I'll open your eyes and show you what the true 'Starry Sky Pill Dao' is!"
Before he could finish speaking, amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he suddenly waved his hand!
boom!
An extremely strangely shaped "alchemy furnace" appeared out of nowhere in the center of the stone slab!
That thing… it was less like a pill furnace and more like a huge, flat-bottomed wok forged from some unknown silver metal?! The wok was perfectly round, with intricate star runes engraved on it, and three star-studded supports connected to its bottom, standing firmly on the most concentrated vortex of star power at the core of the spirit-gathering array!
"???" Everyone was dumbfounded. A wok? Alchemy?
Lin Yuan ignored everything and, as if by magic, pulled out several items from his storage bag (actually a system space):
A vibrant green "Star Pattern Grass" exuding a rich woody spiritual energy (a basic practice herb included with the System's Elixir Unlocking).
Two "starry berries" that were just picked from the potted plant and still have dew on them;
A small clump of shimmering "stardust sand" (also a system bonus).
"Watch closely!" Lin Yuan shouted, as if to bolster his courage. He rolled up his sleeves, recalling the most basic "Starlight Tempering Powder" recipe and... well, the operating instructions from the introductory chapter of [Starry Sky Pill Unraveling].
He first threw the "Star Pattern Grass" into the "Starry Wok", and then pressed his hands hard on the star runes on both sides of the wok!
"Buzz!"
His pitiful spiritual power at the Qi Refining Realm acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the star runes on the pot! The entire "wok" burst forth with dazzling silver light! The dense, almost impenetrable star power in the core area of the stone platform, as if summoned by a king, surged wildly into the pot! Forming a visible silver vortex!
The star-patterned grass in the pot was instantly torn apart and purified in the raging vortex of star power, turning into a pure emerald green spiritual liquid! Impurities were directly annihilated by the star power!
"Is it almost done?" Lin Yuan muttered to himself, hurriedly tossing in two small star berries!
Pfft!
The moment the berries hit the pan, it was like cold water being poured into boiling oil! The pure power of the stars reacted violently with the raging vortex of star energy, bursting forth with an even more dazzling blue-silver light! An indescribable, unique fragrance, a blend of the fresh scent of herbs and the crispness of stars, instantly filled the air!
The aroma wafted into their nostrils, and the mockery and anger on the faces of Lie Yangzi and the two elders behind him instantly froze! It was replaced by utter shock and... disbelief!
"This...this fragrance...pure and flawless! It contains the vitality of stars! How is this possible?!" The hook-nosed elder exclaimed in disbelief.
The horse-faced elder stared intently at the "wok," his eyes wide as if he'd seen a ghost: "Using stellar energy as fire! Direct extraction! Ignoring impurities! This...this completely violates the principles of alchemy!"
Lin Yuan had no time to spare. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he focused intently on the next step: "Add stardust sand... neutralize the ferocity, concentrate the medicinal properties... Yes! Now!"
He grabbed a small pinch of stardust and, like a chef sprinkling salt, evenly sprinkled it into the boiling blue-silver liquid in the pot!
Sizzle—!
Like quenching hot iron! The blue-silver liquid instantly contracted and condensed! Under the continuous "stirring" of the violent star power, it quickly solidified into more than a dozen pills the size of longan, perfectly round, shimmering with a warm silver light, and with natural nebula patterns flowing on the surface!
The elixir is complete! A unique fragrance fills the air! Starlight swirls around!
The entire process was brutal, direct, and mind-blowing! There was no earth fire! No complex fire control techniques! No nurturing within the furnace! Only a raging vortex of star power and a "frying pan"!
Lin Yuan let out a long sigh, wiped his sweat, and used a jade plate provided by the system to scoop out the dozen or so "Starlight Tempering Powder" pills that were still scalding hot. The pills felt warm to the touch, and the nebula patterns seemed to flow slowly as if they were alive, radiating pure and gentle stellar spiritual energy fluctuations.
He picked up a candy, and in the stunned gazes of Lieyangzi and the other two, popped it into his mouth like a candy, chewed it, and swallowed it.
"Hmm, the taste is alright, sweet and slightly cool, refreshing and invigorating, and the effect of replenishing spiritual energy is so-so." Lin Yuan smacked his lips, with a nonchalant "basic operation" expression, then casually handed the jade plate to Xiao Cui, who was already dumbfounded, "Here, Xiao Cui, share it with everyone as a snack, don't be shy!"
Then, he turned to the three frozen figures, Lieyangzi and his companions, and gave them an extremely "kind" smile:
"Peak Master Lieyang, look, this 'snack' refined with 'yin and evil power' star energy... did it explode?"
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