Chapter 241: Xu Jiupin

"Fortunately, it wasn't that Old Zhao who came; he's easier to fool." Xu Xiaoshou watched the man in black carry the tall figure away, immediately breathing a sigh of relief. He looked back at the disaster scene.

Yes, the damage was quite extensive, but it truly wasn't intentional. He responsibly contributed some spirit crystals to fund the reconstruction plan, but the bulk of the work had already been self-contracted by that fellow under the strong pressure of Elder Sang's token.

"He's a good person," Xu Xiaoshou remarked, no longer dwelling on it, and put away his precious token.

This item was surprisingly useful! Elder Sang had originally given it to him to select a spirit site because he lacked an inner disciple token, but Xu Xiaoshou had unexpectedly discovered new functions for it. Elder Sang himself probably didn't even realize he had unknowingly helped his precious disciple out of trouble multiple times.

Turning his thoughts back to the iron sphere itself, Xu Xiaoshou decided not to research it any further. It was already good enough to have a command that transformed Ah Jie into a blade. Since other forms couldn't be activated for now, so be it! At least this highly lethal monk's blade was mostly sufficient for the current stage. When his bond with Ah Jie deepened over time, would he still fear not being able to research more moves?

"Next, I'll go check out the Spirit Treasure Pavilion!" Xu Xiaoshou recalled the original purpose of his trip. Killing Zhang Xin Xiong was just an unexpected detour; finding that straw-hatted old man was the important task. He wasn't sure why, but Elder Sang seemed to dislike him staying at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. If Elder Sang actively sought him out, it must be for something important.

"Hmm, this time I should also dig up some more pill recipes!"

Before entering Tianxuan Gate, he had already fully mastered "Crimson Gold Pills" and "Spirit Refinement Pills," and had even developed new spiritual liquids. However, with his rapidly increasing strength, these two types of pills and spiritual liquids seemed to have little effect on him anymore. He did possess Yuan Court Pills, but only a few hundred, not a large quantity. If he could master this pill, or even develop a new "Yuan Court Liquid," it would be a huge source of wealth!

As for why he needed wealth... Xu Xiaoshou gazed at the sky. He suddenly realized that he had been in this world for a long time but seemed to have never left the Spirit Palace.

***

Spirit Treasure Pavilion, third floor. The furnace fire was burning brightly, yet Mu Zixi couldn't perceive it clearly, only vaguely sensing it with her spiritual perception. She began to envy this invisible flame; it was not only powerful for alchemy but also formidable in combat! Ever since she saw Xu Xiaoshou use the Heavenly Incineration of Embers to burn down a large section of the Senluo Secret Forest, she had been yearning for it.

Elder Sang demonstrated the pill-condensation technique, then handed over a freshly made Crimson Gold Pill. "Understood?"

Mu Zixi nodded blankly, her thoughts not on the pill. She asked, "That fire..."

"Don't even think about it. The Heavenly Incineration Flame isn't something a little girl like you can cultivate," Elder Sang interrupted. He saw through Mu Zixi's thoughts instantly. The girl had mentioned wanting to learn the Heavenly Incineration of Embers more than once. But how could it be that easy? Just the innate physical body requirement alone would prevent her from cultivating it. Even though she possessed the Devouring Life Wood Physique, if it wasn't fully matured, Elder Sang still wouldn't dare let her cultivate it. Xu Xiaoshou succeeded because he had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of success, however slim. Mu Zixi... she probably couldn't even withstand a single wave of attack from the Ember Incineration fire seed!

"Why?" Mu Zixi was somewhat confused. She wasn't born with an innate physical body, but she believed that with enough life force, she could completely counteract the damage.

Elder Sang continued to shake his head. The little girl was thinking too simply. "No why. Your willpower isn't strong enough," he stated bluntly.

Mu Zixi looked as if she had taken a critical hit. She protested indignantly, "Xu Xiaoshou can do it, so I definitely can too!"

"You can't."

"I can!"

"You can!"

"I can't!" Mu Zixi said forcefully, then froze.

Wait, she'd been tricked! That voice... came from behind? As she turned her head, Xu Xiaoshou's large hand pressed her small head down directly.

"See? You just said you couldn't, didn't you? Stop struggling, just accept your fate!"

"Sometimes, we need to face reality. Acting brave for a moment will only lead to our own demise."

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't lying. His ability to withstand the burning of the Ember Incineration fire seed relied purely on "Sturdiness" and "Endless Life," plus the support of terrifying willpower. If any one of these three factors had failed, he would have died without a trace. The Heavenly Incineration of Embers was too terrifying. If he could do it again, if he had a choice, Xu Xiaoshou would absolutely not want to try. Unfortunately, what he encountered back then was a ruthless Elder Sang.

Mu Zixi's face turned red with effort. She found she still couldn't escape Xu Xiaoshou's grip, and it was even hard to raise herself. "Why is he so strong?" As she grumbled inwardly, she noticed the pressure from above vanish. The little girl immediately bounced up indignantly, about to roar.

Xu Xiaoshou's two fingers immediately pinched her chubby cheeks, making Mu Zixi's small mouth pucker into an "O" shape.

"Little girl, it's a good thing not to cultivate it. Why are you so stubborn? Are you asking for trouble?"

"Let go of me!" Mu Zixi's face was flushed with anger. She flailed her arms, only to realize she couldn't even hit Xu Xiaoshou!

She kicked. Xu Xiaoshou arched his back.

Mu Zixi: "..."

"Suffered Curse, Passive Points, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"Why are you so aggressive, always wanting to hit and kick as soon as we meet!" Xu Xiaoshou muttered, then ignored the little girl and turned to Elder Sang. "Is something big going to happen again? Why did you call me?" He looked expectant.

Elder Sang didn't reply, but instead asked, "How's your pill refining coming along?"

Xu Xiaoshou took the opportunity to elaborate, "Speaking of that, I've already mastered those Crimson Gold Pills and Spirit Refinement Pills. Elder, do you have any more advanced pill recipes? Like Yuan Court Pills, or even Throne Pills?"

"Throne Pills..." Elder Sang's mouth twitched twice. He didn't intend to address Xu Xiaoshou's boastful claim, his attention clearly drawn by the youth's previous statement. "You learned the Ember Incineration Pill Condensation Art?"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, "This thing has some flaws. I improved it and developed a 'Soup-Boiling Style' alchemy technique. I'll show it to you later."

Elder Sang: "..."

What the hell is 'Soup-Boiling Style'? Do you really think alchemy is like stir-frying? Alright, Xu Xiaoshou, haven't seen you in a few days, and you've become such a smooth talker. You were always a bit unreliable before, but not this arrogant, were you? What, do you think you can reach the heavens in one step just because you've killed a few people?

The old man let out a heavy sigh and asked in a deep voice, "You said you've mastered both Crimson Gold Pills and Spirit Refinement Pills?"

"Yep!" Xu Xiaoshou nodded again.

Is that surprising? Could his alchemy speed, like his cultivation speed, also be unprecedented? Seeing Elder Sang's disbelieving dark face, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had probably guessed correctly.

"Impossible!" Before the straw-hatted old man could speak, Mu Zixi had already broken free from Xu Xiaoshou's grasp. Of course, she hadn't broken free by her own strength; Xu Xiaoshou had hastily let go when he saw the girl flash her fangs again. He was terrified of being bitten!

"Why impossible?" Xu Xiaoshou looked back at her.

Mu Zixi snorted coldly and huffily said, "It took me three days to extract a medicinal liquid to barely be considered a genius. Do you really think this is a dream now, where you get whatever you wish for?" She had previously thought Xu Xiaoshou had been learning from Elder Sang for a long time. She never expected that upon asking later, he had only just started. Even that "stewed pork knuckle" explanation was only Elder Sang's second lesson to Xu Xiaoshou. After only two lessons, how could this guy possibly be refining pills so quickly?

Xu Xiaoshou, however, laughed at her words. He stared intently at Mu Zixi and asked, "You really only extracted the medicinal liquid after three days?"

Mu Zixi clearly didn't notice the key word in Xu Xiaoshou's sentence: "only." She tossed her head confidently and said haughtily, "That's right!"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, "Little junior sister, you're not very good. It took you three days to get such a small result, while I, your senior brother, am already a ninth-grade alchemist!"