Chapter Eighty-Three: Elder Chen Zhong

Obtaining the formula for the Yin Pill had cost him countless efforts and nearly all of his influence, yet this youth before him had recited it offhandedly, as if it were worth nothing at all.

The middle-aged man’s expression suddenly grew solemn. “Might I trouble you to ask an elder of your family to refine a Yin Pill for me?” Hope gleamed in his eyes. Though he had once considered seeking Dan King Long Xinghe’s help as soon as the Bloodsun Sprout matured, he knew that refining a Yin Pill violated the natural order, and with the Dan King's temperament, he might not be willing to help. It could require even more effort to persuade him. But if this youth’s elder could solve the problem, perhaps with enough incentive, it might be possible—after all, not everyone was as ornery as Long Xinghe.

“Why must it be an elder? Am I not capable?” Lin Xiaobao had already noticed the man’s urgency regarding the Yin Pill.

“You can refine a Yin Pill?” There was doubt in the middle-aged man’s eyes. He was acquainted with almost every renowned alchemist on Longxiang Continent, and none were so young. But the youth had indeed recited the formula with precision.

“I can’t—at least not yet,” Lin Xiaobao replied. “You can see my cultivation is only at the first stage of the Spiritual Way. I have not yet formed my Natal Spirit Fire. Unless I can obtain Earth Yin Fire or Nether Ghost Flame, you’ll have to wait until I reach the Dao Heart realm.”

After Lin Xiaobao finished speaking, the middle-aged man felt a wave of disappointment. He had already waited nearly four hundred years for this Bloodsun Sprout and could not afford to lose more time. He could wait, but the tribulation would not. Of course, he was unaware of Lin Xiaobao’s monstrous cultivation speed—otherwise, he might have chosen to wait until Lin Xiaobao reached the Dao Heart realm.

“In that case, may I trouble you to contact your elders? If they are willing to help, I, Chen, will repay the favor most generously.” The man’s surname was Chen—Chen Zhong—an illustrious name on Longxiang Continent. If any senior from Snowstorm Pavilion or Cloudflow Sect were present, they would have been astonished to see him.

Chen Zhong, an elder of the Xuanyang Hall, which itself was among the most powerful sects on the continent. It was said that Chen Zhong had reached the Dao Fusion realm long ago but, for some reason, had suppressed his cultivation, refusing to step into the Questioning Dao realm. His mastery of formations was widely acknowledged as the greatest in the world.

“There are no elders in my family. As for the method of refining the Yin Pill, I learned it by chance.” Lin Xiaobao glanced back at the Bloodsun Sprout not far away and added, “And while you strengthened the Yang Flame with your formation, it’s not optimal for the Bloodsun Sprout’s growth. Boosting the Yang Flame alone without enough blood from powerful beings to balance it will disrupt the Bloodsun’s equilibrium, ultimately lowering the sprout’s quality.”

Chen Zhong was startled. He had set up the formation to hasten the sprout’s maturation, but upon reflection, realized the youth was right. In a flash, he appeared beside the Bloodsun Sprout, hurriedly dismantling the array. In his haste, he did not even notice that Lin Xiaobao had seen through the array’s function with a single glance.

“What should I do now?” Chen Zhong asked humbly. It was as the saying went: the layman watches the show, the expert sees the subtleties. While not an expert in alchemy, Chen Zhong’s cultivation lent him insight, and from Lin Xiaobao’s words, he could no longer associate the youth’s discernment with his age or cultivation. Besides, Lin Xiaobao’s explanation made perfect sense.

This youth must have inherited the legacy of some grand alchemist by fortuitous chance, which explained his insight.

Chen Zhong’s guess was exactly right, though he could never have imagined that Lin Xiaobao’s inheritance came from Dan Sage Mo Tianya, a master from another world.

Though the titles of Dan Sage and Dan King differed by only one word, and the difference in strength seemed slight, in truth, compared to this world’s Dan King Long Xinghe, Mo Tianya from another world was in a league entirely his own—Long Xinghe was not even fit to carry his shoes.

“Bloodsun imbalance… If you can find the blood of someone who has formed a Dao Body Manifestation, that might restore the balance.” As Lin Xiaobao spoke, he glanced at Chen Zhong. He knew more than one method, but he wanted to see just how formidable Chen Zhong’s cultivation really was—and, of course, this was the best solution.

The moment Lin Xiaobao finished speaking, Chen Zhong forced a drop of his essence blood from his fingertip and let it fall upon the Bloodsun Sprout.

So he truly is a Dao Body Manifestation cultivator! Lin Xiaobao had not expected Chen Zhong to have reached the peak of Dao Fusion.

As the first drop of essence blood entered, the Bloodsun Sprout absorbed it, and its crimson-gold stem flushed a vivid red.

“That’s enough!” As the third drop fell, Lin Xiaobao cried out sharply.

By now, the sprout had turned so red it was nearly purple, swelling visibly, the purple-red hue overtaking all trace of gold.

“Is that enough? Should I add another drop?” Chen Zhong asked uncertainly.

“If you want to ruin the Bloodsun Sprout’s quality, by all means, continue!” Lin Xiaobao replied testily.

Chastened, Chen Zhong stopped immediately. Essence blood was the most precious thing to any cultivator. He did not mind sacrificing it if it would enhance the sprout’s quality, but not if it would do harm.

“Put the formation back!” Seeing that the purple-red hue would not dissipate, Lin Xiaobao spoke up at once.

Chen Zhong complied, swiftly reestablishing the array. Having set it up once before, he completed the task in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

But as Lin Xiaobao watched Chen Zhong’s formation, a frown creased his brow. Something felt off.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaobao’s eyes brightened with realization. “Do you have any mid-grade spirit stones left?”

“I have some here.” Though he did not know what Lin Xiaobao intended, Chen Zhong quickly produced several fist-sized spirit stones from his storage ring.

Lin Xiaobao selected one and carefully embedded it at the edge of the formation.

“What are you—” Chen Zhong’s question cut off as he noticed the effect: with the addition of the stone, the formation’s ability to gather Yang Flame increased by at least thirty percent.

How was this possible? Chen Zhong scrutinized Lin Xiaobao. He took pride in his mastery of formations, widely recognized as the best in the world. Among all the cultivators he had met, none surpassed him in this field—yet this youth, so skilled in alchemy, also seemed to possess unique insights into formations.

In truth, modifying Chen Zhong’s array was not difficult for Lin Xiaobao, for he had the support of Elder Wu, the Formation King. In terms of knowledge, Lin Xiaobao was at least Chen Zhong’s equal, lacking only in experience and finesse. He might not yet be able to create an array on Chen Zhong’s level, but optimizing one was well within his ability.

After all, Elder Wu’s understanding of formations had long surpassed the limits of this world.