True Martial World - Chapter 292: Burning Hell

There were extreme dangers inside Fallen Star Gate. Yi Yun embarked on a the journey by himself. He knew very well that with his current strength in Fallen Star Gate, he was just a tiny ripple in a large tidal wave, he could be destroyed at anytime.

He had to be extremely careful. Yi Yun kept his energy vision open at all times and remembered everything he saw deeply.

The Purple Crystal's control over energy was not only effective on energy in the exterior world, it was also also able to control energy within his interior. Yi Yun used the Purple Crystal to gather all of his body's Yuan Qi. This feeling was like he was an invisible membrane. It completely covered Yi Yun, making it seem like he was isolated from the world.

He carefully rested his back on a rock. With the Purple Crystal's energy vision, Yi Yun had a keen sense of where the powerful entities were, making him able to easily avoid them in advance.

In an unseen way, Yi Yun could feel a terrifying desolate beast looking towards him from a distance. Yi Yun stayed motionless with a bated breath. It was as if he was a piece of rock.

Yi Yun only came around the rock when the terrifying desolate beast he saw with his energy vision slowly moved away. He opened his Heaven's eyeball and used his energy vision to explore his surroundings. After making sure that there were no strong desolate beasts within a 5 kilometer radius, he began traveling at a faster pace through this small patch of desolate lands.

Again and again, Yi Yun used the Purple Crystal's energy vision and various kinds of camouflage that Fallen Star Gate provided to proceed with difficulty. The distance from which he set off to the burning hell was just tens of kilometers away, yet Yi Yun took two whole days to reach this point. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

By the time he came close to the burning hell, Yi Yun had not rested for two days. As he was constantly on high alert, his forehead was now covered in sweat.

Yi Yun held the Tai Cang Bow tightly and breathed lightly. In Fallen Star Gate, the Tai Cang Bow and Thousand Army Saber were just a way to psychologically comfort himself. If he really met a desolate beast, these two weapons would be no different than toys in front of them.

From Yi Yun's present location, he could already see the burning hell in its entirety.

The burning hell may be said to be filled with eternal flames, which had been burning for tens of millions of years, but in reality, only when Yi Yun approached it did he clearly see that the burning hell was not burning with flames. It was filled with five-colored light streams.

These five-colored light streams were all formed formed of pure Yang Qi. They danced within the burning hell and rose up like layers of divine clouds. They seemed to be filled with propitious omens.

From afar, they were like patches of flames, lighting up the sky.

Nearing the burning hell, Yi Yun felt the temperature reach an inconceivable level. All of his skin had been scorched by the burning hell’s heat, as if it was about to split at any moment.

Pure Yang Qi had many similarities with fire, but it was not fire.

A piece of wood may burn, giving off light and heat in the dark. That was fire, but it could not be called pure Yang.

Only when a star burns, emitting the rays of a Sun, that is what is considered as pure Yang!

Pure Yang can give rise to fire, but fire is not necessarily able to evolve into pure Yang.

Yi Yun constantly adjusted the Yuan Qi within his body. He wanted to recover to a relatively optimal state before venturing into the burning hell.

Oh? That is...

Yi Yun constricted his pupils. With his spiritual energy interfacing with the Purple Crystal, he isolated his body's energy from the external world, entering a breathless state.

He saw 6-7 desolate beasts jumping around in the burning hell. As they traversed the land, they were also respirating the burning hell's pure Yang Qi.

From the Purple Crystal's energy vision, Yi Yun could clearly see that these desolate beasts were three meter tall fire monkeys. They were all stout, with golden-green eyes!

In this world's legendary myths, there was a stone monkey that was burned by True Chaotic Fire, but, not only did it not die, it became a great sage amongst desolate beasts. It was an existence that far exceeded human Sages.

The fire monkeys in front of him naturally had no relations to the stone monkey refined by the True Chaotic Fire, but they were still far from anything Yi Yun could handle!

Such desolate beasts, which could easily traverse through the burning hell and respirate its pure Yang Qi, were definitely stronger than the mutated Three Eyed Spider Yi Yun had previously encountered!

"This bunch of monkeys sure is troubling!"

Yi Yun leaned his back against a rock and did not move. If not for the Purple Crystal sealing his energy within his body, his fate if noticed by any of these fire monkeys would be clear.

Only when he came to Fallen Star Gate did Yi Yun feel that his power was so minute. Just any random existence here could easily annihilate him.

This made Yi Yun even more determined to investigate the burning hell.

He wanted to know what the Purple Crystal was calling out to.

Yi Yun could not enter the burning hell with these fire monkeys present. Ignoring him entering the burning hell, Yi Yun did not even dare to move one bit while they were around. If he suddenly left, he might very well be discovered by the fire monkeys.

He would have to wait quietly.

But the fire monkeys seemed to be hooked on cultivating here. Many desolate beasts would cultivate for months, years, or even longer as they respirated the essence of the Moon and Sun.

Beads of sweat dripped down Yi Yun's hair. Once the beads of sweat left the Purple Crystal's area of influence, they would evaporate in an instant due to the high temperature of the burning hell.

Yi Yun quietly counted the time. He estimated that he had waited here for at least 20 hours now.

Upon counting, he had already spent three days within Fallen Star Gate. The longer he stayed here, the more likely it was that an accident would happen. And after not resting or sleeping for three days straight, Yi Yun's physical strength was beginning to decline. His mental strength was also becoming worn out from the high tension.

Yi Yun gritted his teeth and did no slack off. He carried on maintaining the energy vision. It was the crutch his life depended on. Without the energy vision, Yi Yun would not have discovered many of the lurking desolate beasts just with the help of his Heaven's eyeball.

Thankfully, desolate beasts had a very strong territorial sense. This group of fire monkeys that stayed within the burning hell seemed to have a certain status. When they stayed here, no other desolate beasts ventured close. This ensured Yi Yun's safety.

Time passed again and another two hours was gone. At that moment, a shrill shriek suddenly sounded out in the burning hell.

“Xiao.”

It was like the call of a bird. However, its sonorous voice exceeded the limits of Yi Yun's imagination. This bird call created visible ripples in the air, as if they were scattered and exploded due to a shock wave.

"Peng!"

This sudden sound wave caused Yi Yun's blood flow to reverse. His heart beat stagnated. His organs felt intense pain and blood flew out from both of his ears.

What monster is it?

Yi Yun did not have time to think about it. He quickly ate a relic to control his body's injuries. At that moment, a fierce wind set off within the burning hell! The serene burning fire-colored pure Yang flames turned chaotic due to the fierce wind.

A rainbow colored firebird, with beautiful feathers and a wingspan of more than ten meters, charged out from the deep depths of the burning hell!

This firebird looked like a phoenix. It had sharp claws, and its body was burning with flames. The fierce wind storm that now swept up the burning hell was actually caused by the flapping of the firebird's wings!

In the burning hell's perimeters, the group of playing fire apes gave off a strange call before they scattered at the sudden sight of the firebird rushing out from deep within the burning hell!

The firebird's golden eyes reflected coldness. It stretched out its sharp claws and with lightning speed caught two fire monkeys and flew up!

"Roar! Roar!"

The fire monkeys roared angrily. They were also powerful desolate beasts, so they naturally resisted when they were suddenly caught.

They used their strong arms to grab the firebird's claws, hoping to break them apart, but it was all in vain. The claw cut into the fire monkeys' entrails like a sharp saber!

The two fire monkeys bled from all orifices as their bodies were ripped to shreds while their body twitched.

The firebird brought the two fire monkey's corpse up to a stone mountain. It landed on the mountain peak like a falling boulder, smashing apart a large amount of red boulders.

Yi Yun was holding in breath from beginning to end. He was extremely shocked. Such strong fire monkeys had been killed by this firebird, without being able to resist in any way? This firebird was too heaven-defying!

What bird was this? Was it a Rainbow Blood Feather?

Yi Yun recalled the pure Yang primordial specie statue placed within the Tai Ah Divine City's Wilderness Divine Hall 6. The statue was that of a Rainbow Blood Feather, but in comparison, there were some differences with this firebird.

Actually, when many desolate beasts which reached such a level, they would all have their individual differences. Due to their upbringing and the treasures they ate, the Heaven Earth essence they absorbed would be different. Hence, they would have different looks and different abilities.

"Oh? It's back is injured?"

Yi Yun looked at the back of the firebird. There was a gruesome wound there, as if it had been pierced through by a spear.

The wound was about the size of a wash basin. The flesh around it had been ripped open, allowing one to see the white bones and internal organs. Around the wound's edges were traces of burning. This made Yi Yun feel his heartbeat freeze. What sort of existence could hurt such a strong firebird?

The wound looked new, and it was not surprising that the firebird was injured deep within the burning hell.

"This burning hell..."

Yi Yun held his breath. If there was something within the burning hell that could harm the firebird. Then, if he were to enter...

That sort of existence could annihilate him using just 1% of its strength.

At that moment, the firebird at the top of the stone mountain began devouring the corpses of the two fire monkeys. It tore off the limbs of the fire monkeys and swallowed them whole.

The pure Yang energy within the fire monkeys were absorbed by the firebird, and slowly, the wound on its back began to heal.

Many powerful desolate beasts had extremely strong healing abilities. This firebird was no exception, but the wound on its back seemed to contain some form of mysterious energy. Once it healed, it would split apart again. This went on again and again.

"So the reason why the firebird ate the fire monkey was to heal… But what hurt it?"

Yi Yun turned around and looked towards the burning hell. The fire monkeys along the burning hell's outskirts ran away a long time ago.

What was left was the serene five-colored flames which burned. It was like a mysterious aurora, covering the world beneath the burning hell. What was in there?

After the firebird finished off the fire monkeys' corpses, it spread its wings and flew away.

Yi Yun gripped the Tai Cang Bow tightly and with his body flashing, he rushed into the vast sea of flames...

True Martial World - Chapter 291: The Purple Crystal’s Throbbing

Over the tens of millions of years, an unknown number of mighty figures had tried probing Fallen Star Gate, with every inch of ground probably being covered, but...they did not manage to find the entrance to the cave.

Under such circumstances, Chu Xiaoran did not believe she had any luck.

Chu Xiaoran said, "There are many strong desolate beasts in Fallen Star Gate. The strength of the majority of the desolate beasts exceeds our imagination. Just the pressure they give is not something we can bear, let alone dealing with those existences."

"Now it is imperative that we leave Fallen Star Gate. If we are unlucky, we might even die here..."

Chu Xiaoran's expression looked serious. Traversing Fallen Star Gate really depended on their luck. The desolate beasts here were an unknown number of times stronger than the mutated Three Eyed Spider. Once the group were targeted by them, it was impossible to escape. It was practically a dead end.

Yi Yun nodded. Just as he was about to echo Chu Xiaoran's words, he suddenly felt something. Just for a moment, he felt the Purple Crystal throb.

Ever since the Purple Crystal entered his heart, it had been sleeping peacefully. It would pulsate gently with his heart beats. Each pulsation period was precise like clockwork. There had never been any exceptions.

The Purple Crystal did not react even when Elder Jian Ge did a full body scan of Yi Yun using his Heaven's Eye twice.

Yi Yun felt that something was unusual now that the Purple Crystal suddenly throbbed.

What is going on?

Yi Yun settled down and carefully tried to identify what caused the throb. He vaguely felt that the Purple Crystal Origins within his body had formed a faint connection with something in this world.

And this connection seemed to be guiding him to search for it.

"What is the matter?"

Yi Yun was curious. He wanted to find the location where the connection was established instinctively. But he knew how dangerous Fallen Star Gate was.

With his Purple Blood realm cultivation level, traversing Fallen Star Gate was like an ant traversing a busy street. If it was not careful, it would be crushed to pieces instantly.

At that moment, a few people fell from the sky.

Qiuniu, Chu Shan and Chu Luo fell down successively. It seemed like the various forks in the whirlpool all eventually led to Fallen Star Gate.

Chu Shan and Chu Luo were pale in the face. Apparently, they had consumed a lot of energy. All of them were shocked for words seeing the vast world in front of them.

Chu Xiaoran explained to Qiuniu and company. While at that moment, Yi Yun was in deep thought. He continued to interface his spiritual energy with the Purple Crystal, trying to find that unknown guidance...

"Yi Yun, it's time to go!" At that moment, Chu Xiaoran's voice rang in Yi Yun's ear. In her hand, there was a simple map that was just drawn.

As she looked at the map, she said, "I know very little about Fallen Star Gate. I used my memories to draw up a speculatory route. I do not know if I can bring everyone out."

Amongst the group, Chu Xiaoran was the person who knew the most about Fallen Star Gate. It was better to follow her guesses than haphazardly going about.

"Let's go. We need to work together to overcome over this difficulty!" Chu Xiaoran said and began walking. Qiuniu and company naturally followed.

"Yi Yun, what's the matter with you?" Realizing that Yi Yun was not moving, Chu Xiaoran felt curious.

Yi Yun sighed slightly and raised his head to look in a direction. There was a flaming sea there. This flaming sea was the perpetual fire hell that burned pure Yang flames.

Yi Yun could vaguely feel that the source of the Purple Crystal's throbbing came from within the flaming sea.

And Chu Xiaoran's route choice was in the opposite direction of the flaming sea.

The flaming sea was considered a land of death, while Chu Xiaoran chose a path of survival.

Using one's gut, there was a large chance of leaving Fallen Star Gate by following Chu Xiaoran, but Yi Yun did not have such intentions.

He said, "You guys go ahead. I do not want to leave temporarily."

Hearing Yi Yun's response, Chu Xiaoran was surprised. She thought she had heard wrongly, "What did you say?"

"I want to...go there and take a look..." Yi Yun pointed towards the flaming sea. Chu Xiaoran was completely stunned. Qiuniu, Chu Shan and company all looked at Yi Yun with disbelief.

Even if they did not understand anything about Fallen Star Gate, they could guess that the flaming sea was terrifying. Heading there was practically a road towards death! Was Yi Yun mad?

"Brother Yi, what are you thinking? Even with me leading the way purely through speculation, I would never head there!" Qiuniu said incomprehensibly.

"That's right, Brother Yi. This is no joking matter. This is Fallen Star Gate, not the outer perimeter of Meteorite Abyss. Even in the outer perimeter of Fallen Star Gate, we would not dare to haphazardly venture. It could cause death!" Chu Shan echoed.

But Yi Yun had made up his decision. Yi Yun did not know what the throbbing of the Purple Crystal meant, but Yi Yun intuitively felt that he would regret it if he did not investigate it.

The path of martial arts was fraught with difficulties. Although Yi Yun had the heaven defying item that was the Purple Crystal, he could not slack too. He needed to work hard through his own efforts. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Many people who practiced martial arts risked their lives to explore mystic realms just for that 1% chance of those fortuitous events, and those people did not have any guidance nor could they guess what they would receive from the mystic realm.

But compared to these people, Yi Yun had the Purple Crystal guiding him. He was much better off.

The path of practicing martial arts was to go against the Heavens. If they did not fight for the fortuitous event right in front of them because of danger, they might as well give up on martial arts.

"Yi Yun, have you really made up your mind? You can't be thinking of finding that legendary entrance to the expert's cave, right...? You must know that the burning hell in Fallen Star Gate had been probed by mighty figures over the tens of millions of years. Their perception, strength all exceed your imagination, yet they never managed to find the entrance in the burning hell!" Chu Xiaoran looked seriously at Yi Yun.

She found him incomprehensible. So what if he had outstanding talent? How could a junior at the Purple Blood realm compare to a sage when probing mystic realms?

"Yes!" Yi Yun nodded.

Chu Xiaoran was helpless. She did not know what Yi Yun was trying to do. From her understanding of Yi Yun, he was a very rational person.

"Alright, since you have made up your mind. I can only wish you good luck..." Of course Chu Xiaoran would not accompany Yi Yun in taking the risk. It was practically courting death.

"I wish you all luck too." Yi Yun said.

Chu Xiaoran sighed, "Hopefully..."

In the short four hours in Meteorite Abyss, Chu Xiaoran's intuition told her that Yi Yun had secrets. His perception of danger and the handling of dangerous situations exceeded that of others.

If Yi Yun really was able to foresee danger, then he might have a chance of coming back alive.

Chu Luo was about to say something, but Yi Yun had already started walking towards the burning hell with the Tai Cang Bow across his back.

"Little Ran, are you just going to..." Chu Shan cut her speech halfway. In the distant horizon, the burning flames that tore up into the sky gavet off a sense of bleak solitude with Yi Yun's back.

The heated air danced around as it distorted light. Yi Yun's figure quickly became fuzzy and hazy.

Chu Luo wanted to stop Yi Yun several times, but never managed to open her mouth.

"Are we just going to let him go? I heard that there were deaths even when sages probed Fallen Star Gate..." Chu Luo really could not understand what a growing teenager like Yi Yun was planning to do heading into the burning hell.

Chu Xiaoran said, "Sages would die because they went too deep into the burning hell. Yi Yun should be aware of that and he would not do things that courted death. But even so, it would be difficult for him to come back alive...Maybe, he has a reason that compels him to go..."

Chu Xiaoran came up with this guess and she stopped thinking about Yi Yun.

"Let's go...If I didn't guess incorrectly, this should be the outer perimeter of Fallen Star Gate. If our luck isn't too terrible, we can leave this place alive..."

"Alright..." Chu Luo, Qiuniu and company took another deep glance at Yi Yun before turning around, heading towards Fallen Star Gate's exit...

True Martial World - Chapter 290: Fallen Star Gate

With the light from the strange fishes' glowing red eyes, the group could see fuzzily see the surroundings up to a five meter range. They formed a circle with their backs facing each other as they faced the school of strange fish.

Yi Yun gripped his Tai Cang Bow tightly. At that moment, he was extremely calm. He knew very well that they would be bitten to shreds if they were to fight them head on.

"There are three whirlpools a hundred meters below us. Using my bow and arrow as a signal, we will all rush there when I shoot out my arrow. All of you take out the heaviest item in your interspatial rings to accelerate your sinking. At the same time, circulate your Yuan Qi to its extreme… maybe we can charge into the whirlpool..."

Currently, there was no way of escape. Although the whirlpool was fraught with unknown dangers, it was still better than staying and become fish food.

"Good!"

Qiuniu and company agreed. They focused as they waited for Yi Yun's signaling arrow.

Yi Yun took a deep breath and flipped his palm. An item appeared in his palm. It was the… Beast Luring Grass!

Previously, Yang Haoran had left behind the Beast Luring Grass, and it was still effective for another two hours. Since Yi Yun was going to do it, he went all the way. He injected his Yuan Qi into the Beast Luring Grass and forced all of its smell out of it!

Following that, with his fastest speed, Yi Yun stuffed the Beast Luring Grass into a Wind Chasing Arrow's hollow arrowhead. He then pulled his bow and strung the arrow, injecting all of his Yuan Qi into it.

"Peng!"

The bowstring hummed loudly, like a thunderous explosion, in the water. This Wind Chasing Arrow containing the scents of the Beast Luring Grass was shot out!

And the direction in which Yi Yun shot the arrow was at the direction in which Yang Haoran was escaping towards!

The Beast Luring Grass simulated the scents of Power of Desolates treasures, so they were very attractive to desolate beasts. These strange fish hesitated for a while before chasing the Beast Luring Grass.

This school of strange fish swam after that lightning-like arrow!

"Escape!"

Without needing Yi Yun to say this, Chu Xiaoran and company flared up their Yuan Qi, swimming towards the deep ends of the pool as quickly as they could!

There were still a small amount of strange fish behind Yi Yun. Because of Yi Yun and company's sudden attempt at fleeing, they were pursued by the fish.

"Qiuniu!"

Chu Xiaoran shouted and Qiuniu retrieved a huge shield from his interspatial ring. With his huge shield leading the front, the strange fish was reduced by 75%. They were no longer able to create a threat with their encircling.

Chu Xiaoran also took out a sword and slashed gracefully. The sword Qi forced a path through the five strange fish blocking them. The five of them pressed on towards the bottom of the pool without letup.

After diving for tens of meters, they felt a strong suction force. They did not need to swim anymore because they were now being sucked in by the whirlpool, unable to control themselves!

The water flow was too fast. The strange fish shrunk back when they encountered the vortices' water flow. They swung their tails to balance their bodies and stopped their pursuit.

As for Yi Yun, Chu Xiaoran and company, they were like duckweeds in a thunderstorm. They found it difficult to control their bodies, so they were involuntarily sucked underground by the high speed water flow.

"Boom!"

Yi Yun and company entered the bottomless tunnel. The tunnel was completely dark so Yi Yun used his Purple Crystal vision to view his surroundings. The tunnel was about a hundred feet wide and the rock walls extremely smooth. Being sucked in here was like riding a flying dragon. The speed was extremely fast and they were unable to control their bodies!

This underground tunnel was not a straight tunnel. It had numerous branches. Due to the speed of the water currents, Yi Yun was unable to control the direction in which he went. After passing through a branch, Yi Yun became speechless when he realized that Chu Xiaoran, Qiuniu and company, who were beside him, had disappeared. He was left alone!

With the endless darkness and an accelerating speed, Yi Yun felt greatly disturbed. This was a fear of the unknown. He did not know what was in this underground world.

"The water current is so strong, so there should still be an exit. Maybe it will lead to an underground river or lake..." Yi Yun consoled himself. If this whirlpool had no exits, then he would die in this endless tunnel.

The turbulent current carried him for about 15 minutes before the water flow slowly ceased being cold. Instead, it was becoming warmer now.

Even a warrior was unable to hold his breath for this long. So, Yi Yun had long since exhausted the breath he had. He could only use the Yuan Qi in his dantian to maintain his bodily motions.

At that moment, Yi Yun heard a loud rumbling sound. He felt thrown out by a strong force. It suddenly became bright, and when Yi Yun opened his eyes, he realized that he was flying in midair.

I'm out!

Yi Yun took a deep breath and stretched his body in the air. He was happy like a bird returning to the skies.

Yi Yun turned and looked back. He saw a huge hole spitting out water, forming a waterfall!

And the waterfall scene shocked Yi Yun. Below him was a clump of red clouds. The large waterfall was flowing into the red clouds. It was like a 30,000 meters tall waterfall.

This scenery was a wondrous sight to behold!

"Phew."

Yi Yun was descending at a fast speed. When he pierced through the red clouds, he could feel hot air. Surging towards him was pure Yang Qi, richer by tens of times that of the canyon!

Even though he cultivated the 'Tai Ah Sacred Technique', Yi Yun still felt the strength of the pure Yang Qi. When he sucked it in, it was like his dantian had been lit up by a fire.

So tall!

After Yi Yun pierced through the fire clouds, he saw the vast land underneath him. It was at least thousands of meters. He had started falling down from a tall mountain cliff.

As he was nearing the ground, Yi Yun pulled up his bow and shot out an arrow, straight into the vertical rock face. There was a rope attached to the arrow’s tail.

With the power of the arrow, Yi Yun swung around while holding onto the rope as he easily landed on the ground.

Yi Yun looked around, it was a magnificent and mysterious odd world.

The lingering red clouds hung in the sky.

The mountain peaks stretched out uninterrupted and were filled with life under the clouds.

He also saw clumps of towering red mighty trees.

Further in the distance was a barren red land, the flames reached out into the sky. It looked like a realm of death.

There was a clear boundary between the life and death.

From a distance came the deep growls of beasts which shook the world.

Seeing this scene made Yi Yun's heart palpitate. He found it hard to imagine that there would be such an underground world here!

An underground world could be this vast?

"Is this still Meteorite Abyss...?"

This thought flashed passed Yi Yun's mind, but at that moment, a person fell from the sky.

Yi Yun looked up and that it was Chu Xiaoran! Although the whirlpool had several forks, many of the forks led to the same world.

"Whew!"

Sword Qi cut through the air as Chu Xiaoran borrowed the rebounding strength of the sword Qi to easily land on the ground. Like Yi Yun, she was filled with shock upon suddenly entering this world.

"This place..." Chu Xiaoran's knitted her eyebrows. The scene in front of her was being compared with the memories she had. Slowly, she had a rough understanding of what this world was.

"I'm afraid that this is… Fallen Star Gate!"

Fallen Star Gate!?

Yi Yun was shocked. He obviously knew of Fallen Star Gate. Tens of millions of years ago, a huge star fell into Meteorite Abyss. The core of it was within Fallen Star Gate, and the pure Yang flames in here raged on forever.

Fallen Star Gate was the core of Meteorite Abyss. The information spread in the Tai Ah Divine City regarding Fallen Star Gate was extremely little. This was because typical cultivators would never enter here at all.

"We actually entered Fallen Star Gate? Isn't Fallen Star Gate a place which is a result of a falling star crashing here from outer space? A meteorite smashed open a world?"

Yi Yun found it incredible. He originally thought that, no matter how big the meteorite was, it would only create a bigger crater. Tens of millions of years later, although the pure Yang flames burned everlasting in the crater, it would only appear as a hell burning with flames.

But the scene in front of his eyes made it hard to imagine that it was all the result of a meteorite.

Was such a vast world underground or overground?

If it was overground, why did he not see this world when he looked over Meteorite Abyss?

If it was underground, then what was the vast sky and clouds above his head?

Chu Xiaoran said, "It isn't necessarily a meteorite… It is just a saying on the surface. I've previously heard from my father that the star that crashed into Meteorite Abyss, might have been a cave left behind by a peerless expert. Tens of millions of years ago, this cave fell from the sky, smashing open Meteorite Abyss and Fallen Star Gate..."

"What!?"

Yi Yun was greatly shocked by this. A cave left behind by a peerless expert?

A cave had smashed open Meteorite Abyss? Smashing out an eternal pure Yang flame that continued to burn for tens of millions of years? Smashing out such a magnificent and fascinating world?

What sort of level was such a peerless expert at!?

What sort of level would a cave, left behind by such an expert, be at? Was there some sort of incredible heritage left behind by him within it?

"Do not bother thinking about it."

Understanding Yi Yun's thoughts, Chu Xiaoran sighed and shook her head slightly, "Since ancient times, numerous Tai Ah Divine Kingdom sages have tried to probe Meteorite Abyss, hoping to see the entrance to this mysterious cave. But, it was all to no avail. So… the saying of the fallen star being a cave is just a speculation. It's impossible to tell whether it is or not."

"Even if it really is a cave, no matter how heaven-defying our fated luck is, we will not be able to enter it with our lowly abilities as juniors."

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 124: Thinking of a Solution

Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears!

He thought that these things would cost a maximum of a few hundred thousand gold coins. With that fortune of a million gold coin that he possessed, spending a little slight amount more didn't mean much. Anyway, he didn't really work for the money. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect that the cost would total more than twenty million….

He prided himself on his wealth, but before such an outstanding sum, he wouldn't have enough money even if his wealth multiplied severalfold!

What kind of damned situation was this!

Initially, he was determined to awaken their bloodlines to make up for their weaknesses, thus causing their fighting prowess to soar. They would be able to astonish everyone with their strength at the Freshmen Tournament, and at the same time, Zhang Xuan would gain the image of an expert who cared not for money. Yet, never in his dreams did he expect that he would have to spend so much…. This was too much!

If he knew that he would need that much money earlier, he wouldn't have tried to act cool from the start!

"Why don't… I just forget it!"

Suppressing his bleeding heart, Zhang Xuan was conflicted.

He was far from the required sum, so he definitely couldn't buy these items. Yet, all of the effort he had put into this—taking the apprentice apothecary and full apothecary examination—was for these items. Could he allow it all to end in vain?

Accomplishing nothing at all in the end?

Furthermore… he had already bragged about it. Zhao Ya and the others knew that he was trying to look for ways to awaken their constitution. If he were to return empty-handed, how could he lift his head in front of them in the future?

"No, giving up just because it's too expensive isn't my way of doing things!"

If he truly gave up on these items, Zhao Ya and the others wouldn't be able to awaken their constitutions and it would merely be a dream to triumph over Lu Xun fourteen days later!

A transcender should not give up before even trying!

Furthermore, as Zhao Ya and the others' teacher, the one to point out their path for them, his sense of responsibility would not allow him to simply sit idly by.

Even though he had just become a teacher, he had chosen to take on the responsibilities that a teacher ought to shoulder.

If he didn't have enough money, he could just look for ways to earn more!

At this point, Zhang Xuan walked back up to him. Looking at Ouyang Cheng, he asked, "Cough cough, Guild Leader Ouyang. Is it possible for me to put those items on my tab first? I will find ways to repay this debt to you in the future."

"This… it can't be done!" Guild Leader Ouyang shook his head. "None of those in our branch can forge grade-3 pilsl, so we need to purchase it from the headquarters. As a result, I can't delay the payment for you…."

"But… twenty million, I won't be able to take it out within a short period of time…."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"There's no way around it. How about… you try to learn how to forge pills first? Given your knowledge in the field, there should be a lot of ways for you to earn money," Ouyang Cheng advised.

The young man before him had knowledge that surpassed that of all of the apothecaries in the entire branch. If he were to forge pills personally, even though twenty million might sound fearsome, for a high-level apothecary, it truly wasn't a huge sum.

"One can earn a lot of money from forging pills? That Meridian Soothing Pill that you all forged previously, how much could one be sold for?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help asking.

"The Meridian Soothing Pill isn't easy to forge. And as such, it's one of the more profitable pills among grade-1 pills. A single pill should be able to sell for fifty thousand or so. If you forge ten in a day, you will earn twenty million in less than two months!" Guild Leader Ouyang asserted.

Apothecary was an extremely lucrative profession. However, it depended highly on the market conditions and whether the supply of medicinal herb could keep up with production. Even though it was possible theoretically, even official apothecaries would find it difficult to forge pills every single day. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Two months?"

Despair streaked across Zhang Xuan's face.

In two months' time, the Freshmen Tournament would have concluded and everything would be over.

If that's the case, he might as well work on their strength the conventional way. There was no point in him exerting so much effort here.

Besides, the reason why his theoretical ability was that impressive was because of the Library of Heaven's Path. If he were to forge pills personally… It wasn't a feasible plan.

Even though every single word of his was profound and logical, if he were to do it personally, he couldn't even complete the very first step of extracting essence from the medicinal herbs.

He had seen the others forging pills previously and without several dozen years of training and refining his skill, it was impossible for him to get to their level of expertise.

"Is there… any other better way of earning money?" He couldn't help but ask for an alternative method.

"Better way of earning money?" Guild Leader Ouyang shook his head. Just when he was about to shoot down the possibility, a thought popped into his mind. "The most lucrative occupation in this world is—without a doubt—master teacher. They can earn a hefty fee just by offering some guidance to others. Apothecaries aren't that bad either, but when compared to master teachers, there is still a huge gap between the two."

There were many occupations in the job. Appraisers and apothecaries could be considered as some of the more lucrative ones, but they still paled in comparison to master teachers.

Cultivators often find themselves reaching a bottleneck in their cultivation, unable to break through even till their last breath. However, a single pointer by a master teacher could possibly be the key for them to reach higher realms.

With a rise in the cultivation realm, not only would their lifespan increase, their ability to earn money also quickened. As such, most people were willing to dump all of their fortune just for a single pointer from a master teacher.

Indubitably, master teacher was the most lucrative job in the world, unmatched by any other occupation.

However, it wasn't easy for one to become a master teacher. One had to have students of their own, teaching experience, reputation, and on top of that, one had to go through numerous trials as well.

For example, Zhang Xuan with his Library of Heaven's Path was able to easily solve many problems. However, without students of his own, he couldn't take the master teacher examination.

"Can you pay in my stead first? I will search for a way to pay you within ten days!"

As Zhang Xuan said this, a bold idea emerged in his mind.

"Alright!" Ouyang Cheng was oblivious to his thoughts. However, seeing the grim look on his face, he didn't seem as though he was joking. So he nodded his head.

"I will be leaving first!"

After which, Zhang Xuan walked out.

"Since master teachers were good at earning money… if I pretend I am a master teacher… would I be able to earn money swiftly?"

At this point, Zhang Xuan started to analyze the pros and cons of the bold thought he just had.

Using ordinary methods, it was impossible to earn twenty million gold coins in ten days unless one robbed a bank!

However, if he pretended to be a master teacher, there might be a possibility of him earning the sum within the duration!

If someone tried to so and were exposed, it was highly likely for that person to be beaten to death on the spot. After all, a master teacher possessed vast knowledge, and it would be easy to give himself away especially when he said something flawed. However, Zhang Xuan was different!

With the Library of Heaven's Path and his ability to hoodwink others he gained in his previous life, it was truly a simple feat to scam others.

Of course, it wasn't really considered as a scam. After all, with the Library of Heaven's Path and his Heaven's Path Divine Art, he could see the flaws in others. Raising their cultivation realm would be something easy and pleasant.

"Alright, I shall do it that way!"

After analyzing the situation, he felt that he could do it and nodded his head in satisfaction.

If he wanted to help Zhao Ya and the others to grow stronger and win the bet he had with Lu Xun, those few items were a must. As such, he had to earn that sum of money.

This was the only way to earn twenty million within ten days.

"I have to prepare some things in advance. Given my current age, no one will believe me if I go around shouting that I'm a master teacher. I need to disguise myself. At the very least, I should look thirty."

Master teachers were just like apothecaries. If you said you were a master teacher when you didn't even look twenty, you would probably drown in the other party's spit before you could even finish your words.

No matter what, he had to disguise himself and alter his facial features. Otherwise, putting aside the fact that it would be difficult for him to induce trust in others, this might also bring him endless trouble in the future.

"Next, as a master teacher, I would need uphold my own identity and reputation. I can't possibly run to the house of others and offer to give them guidance. If so, they would just think of me as a scammer."

He lived in the information age previously, and even though he had not done such things in the past, he knew a thing or two about it from the news.

Given the esteemed position master teachers had in this world, it wasn't practical for him to run to other people's house to offer them pointers and demand money from them in return.

"What should I do?"

Since he couldn't run to others to offer his services, how could he look for clients? Without clients, how could he make money?

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 123: Solution Found

The Apothecary Guild's advanced tier book collection vault wasn't too far away from where they conducted the Pill Debate. It barely took a few steps before they arrived there.

"There are a total of ten official apothecaries in the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild. Most of them only head here to pore through these books upon encountering truly difficult questions. As such, this place tends to be quite deserted. Anyways, feel free to pick out any book that you would like to read!" Ouyang Cheng introduced, pushing open the doors.

Zhang Xuan voiced his acknowledgment before heading into the room.

Even though there weren't too many official apothecaries in Tianxuan Kingdom's Apothecary Guild, the books inside were more than a few. It might be unable to compare to the hundreds of thousand of books in the basic tier book collection vault, but there was still more than ten thousand books inside.

They were densely packed in a dozen or so bookshelves.

"Feel free to take a look. If there's anything you are unable to comprehend, you can ask me. I will be in that room!"

Ouyang Cheng casually pointed.

"Looks like I have troubled Guild Leader Ouyang!" Zhang Xuan nodded his head with a smile.

"There is nothing troublesome about this. You are an official apothecary now, and I will likely have quite a few questions I will need to consult you on in the future!" Ouyang Cheng chuckled and walked out of the vault.

He knew that the other party had his own goals and secrets for coming to this book collection vault, so it inappropriate for him to linger around here.

"I should start looking around!"

Upon his departure, Zhang Xuan cracked a grin. Walking over to the first rack, he started to flip through the books.

He would have to spend a significant amount of time to find that specific book. Since he was bound to be delayed in any case, he might as well copy all of these books into the Library of Heaven's Path. It would be more convenient to look through them in the future and he could learn more on pill forging as well.

Hualala! Hualala!

The flipping of pages echoed in the advanced tier book collection vault.

After a period of time, Zhang Xuan stopped and his eyes gleamed.

"Indeed, the book I wanted to browse through is here…."

Diligence paid off. Eventually, he found the book regarding unique constitutions and the pills required to awaken them.

"Tianxuan Year 373, Emperor Shen Ling's daughter, Princess Shen Qiu, had Pure Yin Body. She managed to awaken it upon consuming a grade-3 pill…."

"Unravel Yin Pill?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He continued to browse through it.

"Tianxuan Year 126, there was an individual who had Emperor Bloodline. He was unable to awaken it using pills. He eventually awakened it by smearing the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast on his body…. However, the probability of success is extremely low!"

In another book, he found the method to awaken the Emperor Bloodline.

"I need to see whether it's right or wrong!"

He copied the two lines onto a piece of paper and with a jolt of his mind, the contents and flaws of the paper he just copied appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path.

"Pure Yin Body can be awakened using the Unravel Yin Pill. Flaws: It can only awaken around ten percent of the constitution, thus it is incapable of unleashing the full strength of the constitution….

"Emperor Bloodline can be awakened using the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast. Flaws: It can only awaken around ten percent of the constitution, thus it is incapable…."

Upon seeing the flaws written in the library, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Only ten percent?"

Previously, he thought that he would be able to fully awaken their constitution through the use of pills. He didn't think that it could only awaken ten percent.

"However, ten percent is sufficient!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

Unique constitutions were extremely powerful. Even if it was just awakened by ten percent, it was enough to increase one's cultivation by leaps and bounds. It was more than sufficient for a mere Freshmen Tournament!

"Now, I have to look for a grade-3 Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast!"

Upon confirming what he needed, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He finished flipping through all the books before walking over to Ouyang Cheng's room.

He was the head of the Apothecary Guild. Most probably, he was the only one who could obtain these two items for him.

After flipping through the books in the Apothecary Guild's advanced tier book collection vault, Zhang Xuan had a rough idea on what Wang Ying and Liu Yang required, and he could buy it along with the other things.

"Apothecary Zhang Xuan!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan walk over, Ouyang Cheng hurriedly stood up.

"Guild Leader Ouyang, there is something I need to trouble you for!"

Zhang Xuan cut to the chase and spoke of his purpose here, "I would like to purchase a few items and I may require your assistance!"

"Oh? What do you need? It shouldn't be a problem as long as it is something the guild has!"

Ouyang Cheng nodded his head.

"I need an Unravel Yin Pill, a Meridian Rejuvenation Pill, a portion of Colossal Rhinoceros Blood, and a portion of Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution!" Zhang Xuan said.

Meridian Rejuvenation Pill was for Liu Yang's consumption. After practicing a battle technique beyond his cultivation realm, the meridians in his right arm had withered and required the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill to heal it.

On the other hand, the Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution was for Wang Ying. Her legs had yet to fully recover top form and she was still unable to fight like a normal cultivator. As such, she required the nourishment of this kind of medicinal solution to hasten her recovery.

"It should be easy to obtain Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution, and I can help you look for it. However, the Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast… This is slightly trickier!"

Ouyang Cheng didn't expect that he would require so many things and a deep frown appeared on his face.

"Trickier? Is it possible to obtain it?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

After going through so much trouble to look for the solution to unlocking his students' constitution, he would truly be infuriated if he was unable to obtain the items required for them at this point.

"We don't have these items in our guild. However, if I send in an application to headquarters, it should be possible to obtain them!" Ouyang Cheng said.

"That's great…."

Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

"However…" Ouyang Cheng frowned once more. "The headquarters are simply too far away. Even if they got another branch from the other, closer kingdoms to send it, it would still take a minimum of ten days!"

"Ten days?"

Zhang Xuan was surprised for a moment. Then, he recovered and continued, "That's fine by me too. If it has to take ten days, then so be it!"

There were still fourteen days until the Freshmen Tournament. Things might get a little pressing if it arrived ten days later, but he should still be able to finish his preparations in time.

"Alright, I will send in the application to headquarters now then. You can obtain it within ten days. As for the Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Solution, I can get them for you right now!"

Guild Leader Ouyang smiled.

"OK, I will be inconveniencing you then!" Zhang Xuan nodded his head. "How much do the four of them cost? Do I pay for all of them now or do I pay when they are all here?"

After inheriting Yang Mo's fortune, he had more than a million gold coins in his possession. He could be considered a wealthy man in the capital now.

Purchasing a few medicinal herbs to raise his students' fighting prowess didn't matter much to him.

At the same time, he could also show how noble he was as a teacher!

'It's just a small sum of money. Am I a stingy person?'

"Meridian Rejuvenation Pill and Body Nourishment Medicinal Fluid aren't too expensive. Totaling both of them up, it is around four hundred thousand gold coins!" Ouyang Cheng calculated for a moment before continuing, "The Unravel Yin Pill and Colossal Rhinoceros Blood would be slightly more expensive. The former is one of the more advanced grade-3 pills whereas the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast is a primordial beast, a whole level higher than that of savage beasts!"

"Right now, you are an apothecary, so you are entitled to special privileges. I can sell them to you at a discount. The Unravel Yin Pill will cost around twenty million gold coins whereas the blood of the Colossal Rhinoceros Beast will cost three million! How about this, I will lower the price down for you. Twenty-three million will suffice!" Ouyang Yang calculated for a moment before saying.

Upon noticing the abrupt silence in the atmosphere, he lifted his head to take a look. Unknowingly, Zhang Xuan was already ten meters away from him. Waving his hands constantly, he said, "I'm just casually asking about those things, don't take it as real…"

Ouyang Cheng couldn't even choke out a response.

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 122: Pill Debate Ends

Not just Zhang Xuan, even Ouyang Cheng and the others were dumbfounded by their actions.

'The hell, can anyone tell me what is going on?

'Weren't they still behaving apprehensively a moment ago? Why are they vying to go first, as though seeing a beautiful lady and charging towards her?'

"You all…"

Wen Xue was also completely baffled.

"I get it, this bunch of fellows, they really…" Du Man shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

"Get what?" Ouyang Cheng looked over.

"Previously, Zhang Xuan was able to point out their flaws through pill forging. It gave a feeling akin to being stripped naked in public. Under such circumstances, no one would be willing to pose questions!" Apothecary Du Man said. "But now, not only did he solve Apothecary Lin Mu's problem, he even pointed out a hidden threat for him. It is clear that this is an opportunity for them. Given that, who wouldn't get excited?"

"That's true…." Comprehending the situation now, Ouyang Cheng nodded his head.

It is easier to know someone else than to know yourself!

It was difficult to notice one's own flaws. With a single word from Zhang Xuan, they might be able to correct their flaws and induce a giant improvement in their pill forging skills!

"It's a pity. I was truly foolish then. I shouldn't have admitted defeat so early on. Otherwise, I could have brought up some doubts I have been harboring inside me for a long time…."

With a pained heart, Apothecary Du Man shook his head.

How did he miss such a good opportunity just like that?

"Just let it go since you've already passed it by. You're at fault for not treasuring the opportunity anyway. On the other hand, I have been dedicated to my responsibilities, making my best to ensure this Pill Debate is impartial. As such, I didn't even get a chance to pose a question. Say… when this Pill Debate ends, will he give me a chance to ask a question or two? I also have quite a few questions…."

At this point, Ouyang Cheng's eyes shone brightly and excitement filled him.

Apothecary Du Man had no words.

Wen Xue didn't know what to say either.

'The hell? You are a 1-star intermediate stage apothecary, as well as the head of the Apothecary Guild. For you to brazenly say that you want to consult an apprentice… Dedicated to your responsibilities you say? Why do I not see a single hint of what you just said? You've just been sitting idly by…'

"Alright, one at a time!"

Soon, Zhang Xuan understood what was going. Shaking his head helplessly, he casually pointed to an apothecary among them. "You!"

"Me? Great!"

Upon being chosen, he hurriedly stood up. "I have a question that I would really like to ask. Recently, I've had insomnia and wake up seven or eight times every night. I also often get nightmares. Can you help me check if I have any illness, or if someone is scheming against me, or… if there is a problem with my concubine?"

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

So were the others.

"Cough cough. Apothecary Liu, we are in a Pill Debate, not a fortune-telling or patient treatment session. Pay attention to what you are saying…."

Ouyang Cheng couldn't help but intervene.

"Ah? But… that's my question! This is what I want to ask…." Apothecary Liu said with a resolute expression.

"Alright. How about this: you try forging a pill and I will try to see what I can through that!" Zhang Xuan felt a splitting headache consuming him as he waved him away.

"Alright!" Apothecary Liu nodded his head in excitement before rushing over to start forging.

"How about you? What problems do you have?"

After settling the first fellow, Zhang Xuan's attention turned to another apothecary.

"My question is actually quite simple. It isn't as shameless as Apothecary Liu's!" The apothecary spoke with a righteous tone. "My daughter is getting married within these two days, and the one she is marrying is a man called Zhou Xuan. He hails from foreign lands and even though I have investigated his background for quite a while, I have not been able to get any useful information on him. Can you help me check if that lad is reliable or not? If he isn't, I will reject this marriage…."

At this point, he hesitated for a moment as he looked at Zhang Xuan questioningly. "So… do I have to forge pills as well?"

"Pu!"

Zhang Xuan almost threw up blood.

'Forge pills? Forge your head!

'What does your daughter getting married have to do with me or forging pills?

'I am just a person who is undergoing Pill Debate to become an apothecary, I am not here to divine your fate….

'Besides, even if I can divine fate, if you don't tell me the situation with your daughter, what can you forging pills do?

'Are you sure you aren't pulling my leg?'

"Apothecary Qin, what the heck does your daughter getting married have to do with pill forging? Why are you asking Brother Zhang for that? What a joke!" The final apothecary flung his hands and harrumphed. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"But… this is the question I want to ask right now…."

Apothecary Qin was conflicted.

"You should at least ask something related to pill forging! You continue to think on that matter, I will go first!" The last apothecary stepped forward toward Zhang Xuan before saying, "Brother Zhang Xuan, seeing how young you are, you probably aren't married yet. I have a beautiful daughter who can serve as your concubine. Look… if not, my niece is also willing. Ah? If you think that I am taking advantage of you, I still have an elder sister and a younger sister…."

Zhang Xuan was lost for words.

'The hell! You are already sixty years old with half your foot in the grave. Your younger and elder sister… how unusual and hardcore a taste do I need for that….'

It took a long while before the chaos settled down and everyone got back to the main topic at hand.

"My question is this. The main ingredient of an Antidote Pill, Poison Neutralizing Grass, is too weak and it often burns to ashes before it can reach the bottom of the cauldron to mix with the other medicinal herbs. Where did I go wrong?"

"Poison Neutralizing Grass isn't resistant to high heat. This is something commonly agreed upon by everyone else. If you throw it directly it into the cauldron, it is inevitable that it would burn up. However, you can soak it in Purple Sun Water for three days before using it in your forging. Not only will it not burn up, its medicinal property will also be unleashed to the maximum…."

"I would like to ask why is it that I often find my breath getting irregular when I am forging pills…."

"That is easy to answer…."

……

…

After getting back on track, the remaining part was simple. Most of the questions could be solved using the knowledge Zhang Xuan had gained from the basic tier book collection vault. If he really found himself at a loss, he would then proceed to get the other party to forge pills and utilize the Library of Heaven's Path to analyze the mistakes in his process.

An hour later, he finally finished answering the questions of the three remaining apothecaries.

"Alright, now that all ten apothecaries have admitted defeat, I hereby declare the winner of this Pill Debate as Zhang Xuan! From today onwards, he will be a new 1-star apothecary of the Apothecary Guild!"

When the Pill Debate came to an end, Ouyang Cheng announced the results and handed a 1-star badge and a robe over.

"This is the emblem of an apothecary. With this, no matter which Apothecary Guild you go to, you will enjoy special privileges when purchasing pills…"

"OK!"

Taking the two items from Ouyang Cheng's hands, he casually placed them into his storage ring.

Everyone had guessed that there was some incredible figure guiding him from behind, so they weren't really surprised by that storage ring in his possession.

Besides, being an apothecary was a lucrative occupation. The storage ring which could cost millions might be exorbitant, but it was nothing much to them.

"Guild Leader Ouyang, where is the advanced tier book collection vault? I would like to take a look…." Zhang Xuan asked.

His main reason for undergoing the apothecary examination was to go to the book collection vault. Thus, the first thing he decided to do upon becoming an official apothecary was to head there to take a look.

"I'll take you there!"

After which, Ouyang Cheng first walked out of the room and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind him. Before he could travel far, the voice of the previous apothecary rang out behind him.

"Apothecary Zhang Xuan, do consider it for a bit. If my elder and younger sister won't do, I have an aunt too. She isn't married yet…."

Zhang Xuan staggered and tears streamed down his cheeks.

'Your aunt...

'Is old enough to be my great-grandmother….'

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 121: Vying to Go First

'I asked you to look for the flaws in my method in forging the Meridian Expansion Pill, yet you insulted my concubine, saying that she wasn't a person. What do you mean by that?'

Even though Lin Mu was good-natured, he was still displeased by those words.

Not only did his face darken, the others also had bizarre expressions on theirs.

What was going on?

Why did he suddenly start insulting others?

"Apothecary Lin, please calm down!"

Zhang Xuan seemed to have guessed that the other party would react like that and he looked at him playfully. "Have you been working hard every day, not resting even during daytime?"

"Er…"

Upon being posed with such a question, Lin Mu's face reddened and he was a little embarrassed. "I just married my concubine, so I might have… might have… worked a little hard!"

An old man like him married a young wife, not to mention a beautiful lady who wasn't eighteen yet, so it was no wonder that Lin Mu would shower plenty of love on her. If he could, he would be in bed all day long.

"Haha!"

"Apothecary Lin, I didn't expect that you would still be so active!"

"You are truly vigorous, truly an old man with the zeal of a youngster!"

"Impressive, I am truly impressed!"

……

Upon hearing the conversation of the duo, the other apothecaries couldn't help chuckling.

It was common for men to bring in concubines into the household, but for him to bring in a concubine who hadn't reached eighteen yet and work hard every day, both day and night…. This Apothecary Lin Mu had way too much "drive."

Upon hearing the laughter of his old buddies, Lin Mu felt embarrassed. Looking at Zhang Xuan, he said, "There… should be nothing wrong with that!"

It was perfectly normal for males and females to be in love with one another; it was a natural phenomenon of complementing the yang with yin. Furthermore, his cultivation had reached Pixue realm, so it wasn't a big deal for him to go at it several times in a single day!

In fact, it wasn't a big deal for ordinary humans to go at it several times every day either.

"If that was all, there would be nothing wrong with the situation. However… in order to become more fiery, did you consume some medicine that you shouldn't have?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"This…"

Gedeng. Lin Mu's heart skipped a beat.

The other party was correct. Even though he possessed a high cultivation realm, he was still advanced in age, so his physiological functions weren't working as well as they had before. In order to take better care of his concubine, he consumed some medicine to boost his stamina and strength recently.

"If I'm not wrong, your concubine persuaded you to consume that medicine, right?" Zhang Xuan continued.

"Er… You're right!" Lin Mu nodded his head.

As an apothecary, he knew that all medicine was poisonous in a way or another, so he was reluctant to eat it. However, he was unable to stand his ground against the persuasion of his concubine. As such, he could only consume it. The medicine was provided by the other party, and after which he felt like a wolf, full of incomparable vitality. Furthermore, it left him excited for quite a period of time.

"Despite your correct forging method, sequence, and such, you are still unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill!"

With both of his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan circled around Apothecary Lin Mu. Choosing not to pursue the matter about his concubine, he continued to talk about pill forging. "Initially, I was unable to find the reason and that left me puzzled for a moment. I even wondered if it could be a mistake with the cauldron when I suddenly recalled a certain line in a book!

"The book is known as 《Discussion on Pill Formation》. It was written by a 3-star apothecary, Senior Mu Yang. The book is in the basic tier book collection vault, and written within are several hundred reasons why a pill might fail to form. Of which, there was a certain line and quoting directly from it, 'Upon losing one's breath, one's spirit would be incomplete. Even with perfect skills, it would be hard for the pill to form!' The meaning is simple. It means that if one's essence is lacking, even if the forging technique and sequences are completely correct, it will be difficult for the pill to be successfully formed. This formation of pill here refers to Meridian Expansion Pill!

"Upon thinking of these, I walked over to you and caught the scent of the fragrance of the body of a young lady and rouge. As a result, I asked you about your concubine! Actually, just by marrying a concubine and working day and night, you shouldn't have lost your essence to the point that the pill wouldn't form. The main problem here was that… you have lost your core!"

"Lost my core?"

Lin Mu was taken aback.

"That's right, humans have a core and losing it results in catastrophic effects. Given that you are an apothecary, you should have heard of it. If you have just worked day and night, given your strength as a Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm, it wouldn't be anything much. You should recover fully by resting for half a day. However, you shouldn't have eaten the tonic she gave you. Those tonics were actually poison that stimulate your spirit, making you imagine hallucinations. It is true that it grants you overwhelming vitality and battle power in the short run, but the poison also flows about your entire body and damages your core!

"As time goes by, your body will gradually grow weaker and weaker. In the end, you will die! On the outside, it looks no different to the usual aging process and even more accomplished apothecaries would find it hard to tell the difference! If I'm not wrong, if you were to continue consuming the pill like that, you would age swiftly and—within a single year—you will definitely die! Even deities would find it hard to save you then!

"Meridian Expansion Pill is a medicine that can widen a cultivator's meridians and can be considered to be a tonic. Losing your core, you are unable to focus your spirit, breath, and psyche, and as such, it is difficult for you to forge such a pill. Failing to forge the pill was very normal!"

At this point, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment. "For this kind of medicine to even fool an apothecary like you, it must be incomparably precious. It would be hard to imagine that… your concubine is unaware of the matter. That is why I said that she is not a thing. If I have offended you, I hope that you can forgive me!"

"This… this…"

Lin Mu shuddered and he staggered backward.

The words of the other party were completely rational, such that it felt like he had witnessed it all happening.

It was true that he felt his battle power rising upon consuming the medicine by his concubine. In the past, he would feel his back aching right after a single go. Yet, after taking the medicine, three to five times was an easy feat for him.

Initially, he thought that he was slowly growing stronger. Never would he have thought that he was being drugged!

Dammit! Dammit!

"That bitch, to think that I showered her with so much love. She actually tried to backstab me…."

Clenching his fist tightly, Lin Mu's eyes turned red.

"Alright, if Apothecary Lin thinks what I said is not true, there should be a way to verify what I just said! I have finished answering this question!"

Zhang Xuan gestured.

"What you said is completely true, I thank you for your guidance. I admit defeat for this Pill Debate!" Without any hesitation, Apothecary Lin Mu admitted defeat.

The other party's words were spot-on and his analysis completely rational. Given how he was unable to find a single mistake in what he said, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Furthermore, it was true that his body condition had slowly been deteriorating recently. Initially, he thought that it was due to his age. To think that his concubine was the cause of it!

Zhang Xuan simply smiled faintly, choosing not to interfere in Lin Mu's affairs.

It was the other party's problem. He found it bothersome to get involved.

Afterwards, he glanced at the three remaining apothecaries. "You're the only ones left. Just ask any problems that you have all together!"

Of the ten apothecaries at the start, seven had already admitted defeat. As long as these three did so as well, he would pass the Pill Debate and become an official apothecary.

"Genius Brother Zhang Xuan, if that's the case, I happen to have a question that I need to inquire of you!"

An apothecary stood up.

"Brother Lu, don't be too anxious. Going by seniority, I should be the one to go first. I happen to have thought of a question as well!" Another apothecary stood up.

"Both of you, stop arguing. I should be the one to ask first. No matter what, I became an apothecary earlier than you two…."

The last elder also hurriedly stood up.

"Eh?"

Just a moment ago, they were still cowering in his presence. He had asked them to pose their questions many times previously just to receive a silent response. Yet now they were all vying to ask him questions. Zhang Xuan was bewildered.

Did they… take the wrong medicine today?