Chapter Seventy: Jade Void

“What is the origin of this evil spirit?” Upon hearing this, Yi An sighed inwardly; just as he had expected, this old Daoist was shrewd beyond measure and would never make a losing bargain. That old ginseng, he feared, would not be so easily obtained.

“The truth is, I do not know myself,” Xuan Yangzi replied. “Just a short while ago, one of my disciples sent word that a scholar had come to see me, claiming he’d encountered some malevolent force. If not for a stroke of luck—and for the Jade Void Temple being nearby—the scholar would surely have met a grim fate.” Xuan Yangzi frowned. That fiend had appeared so close to the Jade Void Temple—how could he, its master, have known nothing of it?

Could it have been a wandering demon?

Ever since Xuan Yangzi had arrived in Hangzhou, he had entrusted all affairs of the Jade Void Temple to his disciple, intervening only for urgent matters or intractable troubles, which his disciple could report to him through messages sent by spirit crane.

His disciple, Yan Chixia, he had raised as his own successor.

This period, Xuan Yangzi believed, would be the perfect test of whether Yan Chixia was truly capable of bearing the temple’s responsibilities. Judging by the current state of the Jade Void Temple, Yan Chixia had managed things well; everything was in perfect order.

Most importantly, Yan Chixia was gifted—ensuring that the temple’s legacy would not falter in the future.

Yi An bade farewell to Wei Liang and Li Zhihe, explaining that due to a breakthrough in his martial path, he urgently needed a five-hundred-year-old spiritual treasure and would accompany Xuan Yangzi for several days. He assured them there was no need for concern.

In about an hour, Yi An and Xuan Yangzi used earth-traversing arts to swiftly reach the outskirts of the Jade Void Temple.

Towering green mountains loomed around them, shrouded in wisps of mist. The spiritual energy in these mountains was so pure it seemed to have been washed clean; not a trace of dust could be seen beneath the blazing sun.

“Such verdant mountains and clear waters, a place blessed with spiritual energy and nurtured by nature—no wonder you, Master, are reluctant to mingle with the mundane world. To be able to guard such a sanctuary is a blessing indeed,” Yi An sighed. In these days, when the immortal path was in decline, such sacred grounds were all but extinct.

“You flatter me, hahaha,” Xuan Yangzi replied modestly, though his smiling face betrayed his pride.

The Jade Void Temple had been passed down to him from his master, but its true origins were a mystery. His master, Ling Xuzi, had served not only as the previous abbot but was also the second lord of the Office of the Extraordinary. Everything Xuan Yangzi possessed now was inherited from Ling Xuzi; without his master’s cultivation, he would be nothing today.

At this thought, Xuan Yangzi couldn’t help but fall into a reverie, his expression dull and absent-minded.

“Master, what’s wrong?” Yi An asked curiously.

Xuan Yangzi snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, assuring him it was nothing, then led Yi An into the Jade Void Temple.

Once inside, Yi An saw that although the temple was small, it was fully equipped. Besides meditation chambers, there was a spiritual herb garden and a pill-refining room. In the center, the main hall housed the images of the Three Pure Ones.

“Master, you know alchemy as well?” Yi An’s eyes lit up as he caught sight of the pill-refining room.

If one merely absorbed the spiritual energy from herbs directly, only three or four tenths could be refined; but if transformed into pills, their effects could reach as high as eighty or ninety percent. Yet, alchemists were rare indeed.

To borrow a scholar’s analogy, alchemy was a side path, much like a scholar’s fondness for music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—pursuits outside the main curriculum.

It was not that such skills were unworthy, but one’s energy was limited; to perfect one art inevitably meant to neglect another. In the end, all things share the same origin, and the truth is universal.

Of all the alchemists in history, none was more renowned than the Supreme Lord of Dao and Virtue, the Elder Lord, a manifestation of Sage Laozi himself. His Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was famed throughout the world as the supreme elixir—legend claimed that to consume it was to ascend to immortality.

Though exaggerated, the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir’s power was no mere myth.

At this thought, Yi An couldn’t help swallowing. In his previous life, even had he obtained such a pill, his formless, bodiless spirit could not have enjoyed its effects. Now, possessing his own body, but with the celestial court vanished, it seemed unlikely he would ever savor a top-grade elixir again.

Xuan Yangzi chuckled, “I know just a little, nothing worthy of mention. Compared to my late master, my skills are not fit for true appreciation.”

“You’re too modest, Master. Once our business is done, why not toss that old ginseng into the furnace and refine it into a pill? With your skill, surely that would be no trouble?” Yi An smiled.

After all, this old Daoist had taken advantage of him more than once; he might as well return the favor.

If that old ginseng could be fully refined into a spirit pill, it would at least allow his cultivation to advance further; used well, it might even help him break through the mid-stage of the Origin Returning Realm in one stroke.

At this, Xuan Yangzi’s mouth twitched.

“Toss it in the furnace and refine it, you say… If only alchemy were so simple.”

For decades he had painstakingly studied the art, yet his understanding remained shallow at best. His earlier modesty was no false humility; it was the truth. Though he had some grasp of alchemy, compared to Ling Xuzi, the difference was heaven and earth.

“If it’s just a simple refining, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Xuan Yangzi said, “but my furnace is quite ancient—who knows how many more uses it has left before it must be retired.”

“My, Master, I’m suddenly feeling rather weak,” Yi An cursed inwardly. This old fox was angling for another benefit.

Xuan Yangzi, calling him a “little fox spirit” in his heart, replied with a kindly smile, “But since I find you so congenial, what matter if I should part with a furnace or two?”

“Then I’ll trouble you with it, Master.” Yi An smiled.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Xuan Yangzi replied, though his smile was tinged with helplessness.

“Master, you’ve returned! And this is…?” Yan Chixia, following the sound of voices, soon saw his revered master chatting cheerfully with a young man in the courtyard.

He was momentarily stunned; in his eyes, his master had always been solemn and reserved.

“My friend, allow me to introduce my disciple, Yan Chixia,” Xuan Yangzi said.