18: The Heaven-Defying Elixir Formula: The Direction Forward

"What's the highest number of turns you have here?" he asked urgently, his eyes flashing with a burning light.

Luo Yan shook her head with a bitter smile. "Brother Yao, although our Myriad Medicine Pavilion is spread throughout the entire Hegemonic Summer Dynasty,"

"The best we can procure is a seventh-turn foundation establishment pill. The Materials required for its refinement are rare,"

"And the success rate is pitifully low even for a Rank 4 Alchemist. Therefore, the price..."

She held up three slender fingers. "One pill, three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!"

Three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Even with Yao Delong's substantial wealth, he gasped slightly. And that was only for a seventh-turn!

"Then... what about the Pill Formula for the foundation establishment pill?" Yao Delong's thoughts raced as he suddenly asked. He was an Alchemist after all!

Instead of spending a fortune on a finished product, it would be better to refine it himself! If he could refine a ninth-turn... Hearing this, a strange light flashed in Luo Yan's eyes. "A Pill Formula? Brother Yao truly has high aspirations!"

"The foundation establishment pill Formula is a Rank 2 peak-grade formula. It is exceptionally precious, and its value far exceeds that of ordinary formulas..."

She paused and raised a palm. "Fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! This is the lowest price I can offer!"

Fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! That was equivalent to five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

But for a Rank 2 peak-grade Pill Formula, this price was indeed considered "fair."

"I'll buy it!" Yao Delong did not hesitate. Fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were but a drop in the bucket for him.

He immediately took out the Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring and paid the bill readily.

A warm Jade Slip came into his hand. Yao Delong couldn't wait to sink his consciousness into it.

The refinement method for the foundation establishment pill was a hundred times more complex than the previous violent spirit pill!

It involved the precise ratio of dozens of precious Spirit Medicines, the generation and restriction of the Five Elements, as well as extremely strict control over heat and the timing of Spiritual Power Fusion!

In particular, the section regarding the increase of the "number of turns" was profound and obscure.

The Jade Slip recorded that refining a Nine Revolutions Foundation Establishment Pill required using a special technique to draw a wisp of Earth Vein Qi into the pill at the moment of its completion.

This was an Opportunity that could be sought but not guaranteed!

It placed almost perverse demands on an Alchemist's mind, Spiritual Qi control, and even their comprehension of the Heavenly Dao!

Looking at his current Realm of Perfection in the first volume of the Pill Scripture,

Trying to refine a seventh-turn would be extremely difficult; a ninth-turn... was simply a pipe dream!

Feeling the information of the foundation establishment pill Formula, Yao Delong felt his heart go half cold.

He looked at the graceful Luo Yan before him, her eyes rippling with emotion,

Then he thought about the mere 15 yin yang points remaining on the System panel.

A sharp light flashed in Yao Delong's eyes. Without pleasantries, he reached out his hand.

The movement carried an undeniable familiarity, yet it held no trace of frivolity.

He accurately pressed a certain strange energy node on Luo Yan's fair wrist.

"Sister Luo, having not 'probed' for many days, my heart has been concerned about the progress of this 'dao rhyme'!"

Luo Yan was incredibly sharp; she instantly understood his true intention.

The corners of her lips curled slightly, her eyes rippling with their usual moving charm.

Only, there was a bit less seduction and a bit more tacitly understood cunning.

"Why must you be so impatient, old brother... just follow me."

[Ding! Completed one dao rhyme resonance with the target!]

[Target's wood-attribute Cultivation Technique compatibility is average.]

[Obtained yin-yang value: 15 points!]

[Current yin yang points: 30]

At this moment, the last trace of doubt in Luo Yan's heart completely vanished, her mind fully immersed in this profound Dao state.

She found that she liked—even craved—the feeling of being with this mysterious old man more and more.

That wonderful experience of being nourished by powerful Primal Yang and having her cultivation improve bit by bit made her addicted.

[Target: Luo Yan]

[Favorability: 75 (Infatuated Reliance)]

As the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, Yao Delong left the Myriad Medicine Pavilion feeling refreshed and satisfied.

Thinking about how he could soon refine the foundation establishment pill, he immediately rushed to the Scripture Pavilion without stopping.

Inside the ancient palace, it was cold and quiet.

"It's you again?" Luo Tianying lazily lifted her eyelids, looking at the reappearing Yao Delong. Her dark purple gauze dress outlined soul-stirring curves.

She took the Primal Yang Locking Art Jade Slip that Yao Delong handed back.

In those eyes that were naturally seductive yet cold, a look of genuine surprise and suspicion appeared for the first time!

A Profound Rank Intermediate technique, and it had only been a few days? This old thing... could there really be something strange about him?

"Profound Rank Medium Grade, the second volume of the Pill Scripture." Yao Delong was concise, placing 3,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the red sandalwood table.

Luo Tianying gave him a deep look and didn't ask further. After leaving a mark on the Jade Slip, she said, "The rules are the same: return it within a month, and no outside sharing."

Yao Delong took the Jade Slip; it felt warm to the touch, and a vast aura of alchemical knowledge rushed toward him. He nodded and turned to leave.

He returned to the thatched hut on Luoxia Peak.

Yao Delong sat cross-legged and pressed the Jade Slip for the second volume of the Pill Scripture to his forehead.

A massive amount of alchemical knowledge surged in, its complexity far exceeding the first volume.

"System! Consume yin-yang value to increase the Realm of the Pill Scripture's second volume!"

[Ding! Consumed 17 yin yang points!]

[Pill Scripture Volume 2 (Profound Rank Medium Grade) Realm increased to: Perfection!]

In an instant, all the difficult and obscure knowledge points in the Jade Slip were understood as if by divine inspiration, merging together perfectly!

Common Pill Formulas, fire control techniques, Spiritual Power Fusion skills, and the essentials of identifying medicinal herbs... all were clearly imprinted in the depths of his mind!

A sense of being an Alchemist Grandmaster who controlled the whole situation and had everything planned out arose spontaneously!

A sharp light shone in Yao Delong's eyes. "System! Increase the Primal Yang Locking Art Realm to Perfection!"

[Ding! Consumed 3 yin yang points!]

[Primal Yang Locking Art (Profound Rank Intermediate) Realm increased to: Perfection!]

Boom!

The Spiritual Qi in his body, which was already thick and condensed, instantly became like ignited lava.

The speed of its flow increased, and the circulation paths became even more exquisite!

The effects of locking the Primal Yang, solidifying the Foundation, and nourishing life force suddenly strengthened several times over!

His skin seemed to tighten slightly more, and his cloudy eyes brightened a bit!

Though he still looked old on the outside, his inside was like a blazing furnace, full of vitality!

Panel yin-yang value: 10 points.

Looking at the 10 yin yang points, Yao Delong suddenly thought of his previous improvement of the violent spirit pill! He immediately communicated with the System.

"System! Can the foundation establishment pill Formula be improved? To increase the success rate and the number of turns?"

[Ding! Detected Rank 2 peak-grade Pill Formula: Nine Revolutions Foundation Establishment Pill. Heavenly Dao restrictions exist.]

[Can consume 8 yin yang points to perform extreme optimization deduction, breaking through the shackles to obtain the Nine Revolutions Heavenly Soul Foundation Establishment Pill Formula! Proceed with deduction?]

Heavenly Dao? Yao Delong's mind shook violently! This System could actually break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao?!

"Deduce! Deduce it immediately!" he roared in his heart without hesitation. Lifespan! This was his most urgent need!

[Ding! Consumed 8 yin yang points! Pill Formula optimization deduction in progress...]

[Deduction complete! Obtained optimized version: Nine Revolutions Heavenly Soul Foundation Establishment Pill Formula!]

A stream of Pill Formula information, far exceeding the original Jade Slip, more profound and complex, and pointing directly to the Origin of the Great Dao, flooded into his mind!

Using heavenly vein ganoderma as a catalyst to connect with a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi,

Supplemented by several special Materials, at the moment of the pill's completion, a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi would be fused into the pill!

Achieving the Nine Revolutions Heavenly Soul Dao Foundation! Once successful, Lifespan... two hundred and fifty years!

At the same time, it would increase Spiritual Power Affinity to 10, making cultivation before the Nascent Soul Realm smooth sailing!

Yao Delong's mind shook violently; he almost wanted to roar out loud!

This wasn't just Lifespan! This was simply Heaven-Defying fate-changing!

His Spiritual Power Affinity was only 2 points; this was the shackle affecting his cultivation, the "judgment" of the Heavenly Dao on this body.

Even if he luckily succeeded in Foundation Establishment, with an affinity of 2,

The speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would still be as slow as a crawling turtle.

To Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm, even another two hundred years might not be enough!

This meant he wouldn't have to worry about the problem of his 2-point affinity before reaching Nascent Soul!

Most of the primary and auxiliary herbs in the Pill Formula were similar to the original Nine Revolutions Pill Formula. Although rare,

With his current wealth, he could always gather them given some time.

However, in the core Materials column, there was a Spirit Medicine he had never even heard of:

heavenly vein ganoderma!

I've never heard of this Spirit Medicine before!

Yao Delong slapped his thigh. He suddenly thought of Spirit Plant Peak; that place grew rare treasures from all over the world.

It was the most likely place to have this heavenly vein ganoderma!

Thinking this, he ran out of the house. Just as he reached the mountainside, he suddenly remembered that he didn't know a single person on Spirit Plant Peak.

So he scurried back to Luoxia Peak to find his Junior Sister, Lin Qingxue.