174: Medicine dust reveals clues about Wan Jin Ge.

Inside Starfall Pavilion, within Yao Chen's exclusive Medicinal Pill room.

Aromatic Medicinal Pill scents lingered, and a dark red Medicine Cauldron sat in the center of the room. Although the flames at its base had extinguished, a scorching temperature still remained. Yao Chen was carefully placing a freshly refined batch of Medicinal Pills into a jade bottle. Seeing Li Ao enter, he handed over the jade bottle.

"Here, a Peak seventh-grade 'Soul Restoration Pill'. Although its effect on that little girl's current state isn't significant, it's beneficial for nourishing your Soul and consolidating your recently achieved Breakthrough in Realm," Yao Chen said, his tone filled with concern.

Li Ao's heart warmed, and he took the jade bottle: "Thank you, Teacher."

"Sit down," Yao Chen gestured to the nearby meditation cushion, stroked his beard, "You look a bit troubled, is there something you want to ask? About the Medicine Clan, or about your new Saber?"

Li Ao sat on the cushion and went straight to the point: "Teacher, you are perceptive. It's about forging a Saber. Disciple wishes to reforge a life-bound weapon that can bear my current Saber Intent and Nirvana Power, but I know very little about the Materials needed. I've come to ask for your guidance, Teacher."

Yao Chen heard this, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes: "Not arrogant, not impatient, and deeply aware of the importance of Foundation. Very good. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Li Ao explained his initial ideas and stringent requirements: extreme toughness, affinity with Nirvana or Void Realm, and ideally possessing special attributes for balance.

Yao Chen listened, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said: "Your requirements are indeed extremely high. Ordinary profound iron and essence gold probably won't even come close. However, to my knowledge, there are indeed a few rare items on the continent that might meet your requirements."

He counted them on his fingers: "Firstly, there's the 'nine nether cold iron'. This item is produced in the eye of the extremely northern nether sea, being utterly yin and cold, inherently suited for killing and destruction. It's indestructible and can even freeze the Soul, which aligns quite well with the Death Qi Concept of your Nirvana Power. Using this as one of the main Materials would be the most reliable."

Li Ao silently took note; this coincided with his own thoughts.

"Secondly, there's the 'void crystal stone'," Yao Chen continued, "This item contains the power of Void Realm and is extremely difficult to find, usually only appearing after large spatial storms subside or in certain Ancient Void Realm ruins. If it can be refined into the Saber, it can give the weapon inherent spatial attributes, allowing it to traverse the Void Realm, making it unpredictable. You seemed to have obtained a piece of residual material in that Ancient Domain before?"

"Yes, but the amount is too small, not enough to fashion a weapon," Li Ao nodded.

"Hmm, this item is something that can only be found by Opportunity; it depends on fate," Yao Chen changed the subject, a hint of recollection flashing in his eyes, "Furthermore, to balance the overly domineering Nirvana Death Qi in your Saber, you might also need an item of extreme yang and rigidity. I once heard, during my travels in the Western Region of Central State, that the 'Yan Clan' controls a 'Lava Fire Domain', deep within which a 'solar essence gold' is nurtured. It absorbs the essence of the great sun and the fire from the earth's core, making it supremely yang and pure. It might neutralize the yin cold of Nirvana, bringing the Saber's nature into balance and elevating its power to the next level."

Yan Clan! solar essence gold!

Li Ao's heart trembled; another Ancient Clan entered his view. He realized that forging this ideal "silent ruin" would likely involve not just collecting Materials, but also dealing with these top forces of the continent.

"As for the core item..." Yao Chen looked at Li Ao with profound eyes, "I can probably guess what you're thinking. The Ancient Void Dragon Clan's 'dragon emperors reverse scale' is indeed one of the world's top forging divine items, containing the Dragon Emperor's Origin Qi and spatial talent. If it can be obtained as the Saber's Dragon bone, the future of this Saber would be limitless. However, you should also know the difficulty of it."

Li Ao nodded solemnly: "Disciple understands; this matter needs long-term planning."

"It's best that you think this way," Yao Chen said with satisfaction, "Besides these, the continent is vast, and there are many rare items. For example, the mysterious 'Stone Clan'; their clansmen possess unparalleled physiques, which are said to be related to the 'Mother Qi of the Earth' they guard for generations. If a wisp of it is refined into the Saber body, it could make it as heavy as a mountain and indestructible. And there's the 'Spirit Clan', who have long since withdrawn from the world; the spring eye stone of their Spring of Life contains immense vitality, which might nurture a trace of creation amidst ultimate destruction... Of course, these are all just ancient legends, difficult to discern true from false, and even harder to obtain than the previous few."

Yao Chen's words seemed to open a door to a wider world for Li Ao. The Ancient Eight Clans, each with their treasures. His future Dao was destined to intersect with these behemoths.

"Thank you, Teacher, for guiding me!" Li Ao expressed his sincere gratitude. Yao Chen's knowledge saved him a lot of time spent blindly searching.

"Don't rush to thank me yet," Yao Chen waved his hand, "Even knowing the Materials, how to obtain them is a huge challenge. However, you might try your luck in 'Tianbei City' in the Northern Region of Central State."

"Tianbei City?"

"Yes, that's an important hub leading to the Northern Region and even further ice fields. There's a business association in the city called 'Wanjin Pavilion', with a mysterious background and extensive reach. They often sell rare but incredibly valuable items of unknown Origin. Perhaps you can find nine nether cold iron or clues about it there. Moreover, it's a place where Dragons and snakes are mixed, making it a good place to gather information."

Wanjin Pavilion, Tianbei City. Li Ao remembered these two names.

After bidding farewell to Yao Chen, Li Ao already had a clear short-term goal in mind—to go to Tianbei City, contact Wanjin Pavilion, and search for nine nether cold iron or related clues. At the same time, the Yan Clan's solar essence gold, the Stone Clan's Mother Qi of the Earth, the Spirit Clan's spring eye stone... these distant and precious names were imprinted in his heart like stars, guiding him towards a more distant future.

The path of forging a Saber is also the beginning of a strong person's journey.