Chapter 114: Surprise

Gazing at the door, Yang Tian's eyes flickered for a moment, then he took a deep breath, slowly calming his somewhat oppressive mood, and said softly, "Please come in."

"Creak..." The door was slowly pushed open, a pair of elegant jade-like hands retreating from it, flawless as lotus roots, white and tempting.

A delicate figure Yang Tian had not expected slowly walked in, swaying her willowy waist, looking at Yang Tian with a half-smile, moving forward with a hint of laziness, the corners of her rosy, tempting lips slightly upturned, her allure undiminished.

"Why her?" Yang Tian was startled, then the corner of his mouth twitched. It was Meng Yunxi. He hadn't expected to meet again just a few days after parting.

"Surprised, Brother Yang Tian?" Meng Yunxi moved lightly, gracefully sitting on the bed, a hint of a smile playing on her enchanting face, her seductive eyes fixed on the man in black, she chuckled.

"Very surprised. Why are you here?" As always, she was captivating, her eyes seeming to possess a magic that could stir one's soul. Yang Tian dared not look too long, turning his head slightly and smiling faintly.

"Little brother was being hunted, and big sister was worried, so I came to see. I didn't expect you to escape from so many people surrounding you. Brother Yang Tian, you're really something." Her narrow eyes roamed over Yang Tian, her voice lingering, stirring the heart.

After a moment of silence, Yang Tian's hand clenched slightly, and he asked nervously, "Have you found my big brother?"

Hearing this, Meng Yunxi rolled her eyes, somewhat annoyed at Yang Tian's lack of romantic interest, and said huffily, "Our agreed time is three years. Not even half has passed, why the rush?"

"Heh, I'm just worried, that's why I asked." Looking at Meng Yunxi's face, he pouted and muttered.

"Stay put and cultivate during this time. Many people outside are looking for you. Don't casually reveal your identity. For now, you're called Meng Tian, not Yang Tian. If you slip up, I can't guarantee no one will make a move on you." Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Meng Yunxi smiled.

"Thank you, Sister Meng Yunxi." Hearing this, a warmth surged in Yang Tian's heart, and he smiled.

"Giggle..." Hearing Yang Tian willingly call her sister, Meng Yunxi covered her red lips with her jade hand and giggled, her chest heaving in a magnificent curve.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Yang Tian, about that life force..." Meng Yunxi pursed her lips, speaking somewhat sheepishly, leaving Yang Tian dumbfounded. Was this still the same Meng Yunxi?

Before Meng Yunxi could finish speaking, Yang Tian shook his head like a rattle-drum, showing every sign of refusal.

"Stingy, I just want some companion substance for alchemy, don't tell me you don't have any." Patting Hunyuan's thigh in annoyance, Meng Yunxi pouted and said.

"You know alchemy?" Hearing this, Yang Tian was slightly stunned, looking at Meng Yunxi with some disbelief, not expecting a young lady to know alchemy.

"Let me tell you, I'm a fourth-tier alchemist, about to break through to the fifth tier." Meng Yunxi raised her willow-shaped eyebrows, displeased that Yang Tian doubted she was an alchemist.

Yang Tian looked at her half-doubtfully and said, "I can give you some companion substance, but I need some things in exchange."

Seeing that Yang Tian wouldn't take a loss, Meng Yunxi rolled her eyes and had to agree. Then Yang Tian listed some low-grade spiritual herbs and a few pill recipes, and also asked for a decent-looking cauldron.

"Brother Yang Tian, are you learning alchemy?" Twirling a few strands of hair on her shoulder, Meng Yunxi glanced at Yang Tian and teased, "Ah, alchemy isn't something you can learn just because you want to. I advise you to give up, lest you blow up the cauldron and lose your life..."

"Blow up the cauldron?" Staring at Meng Yunxi's teasing face, Yang Tian was speechless, saying, "Don't ask about that. Who knows, maybe my alchemy will surpass yours one day."

"We'll see. If you can surpass me, I'll call you big brother. Just wait." Pouting, Meng Yunxi twisted her wasp waist and hurried out the door, clearly having coveted Yang Tian's water of life for a long time.

"Blow up the cauldron? I don't believe I can't become an alchemist." Yang Tian paced in the room, a burning passion surging in his eyes. Some rare pills were hardly seen on the continent, like the Xuan Yuan Nourishing Fetus Pill that Dan Qu had taken out; basically, they never reached the market.

Some pills above the sixth tier were rarely seen even in the entire Eastern Continent, and the Wanxiang Auction House seldom managed to procure pills of that level.

After about a quarter of an hour, Meng Yunxi walked in and tossed out a void ring, saying, "Brother Yang Tian, let's make a bet. If you can refine a first-tier pill within a month, I'll do one thing for you. How about it?"

"One month, that's three months..." Looking at Meng Yunxi's smug face, a sly smile rose in Yang Tian's heart, and he agreed directly.

After seeing Meng Yunxi off, Yang Tian sat cross-legged on the bed and poured out the contents of the void ring. There were a thousand herbs for practice, plus a red cauldron. Yang Tian lifted the lid, revealing two fire outlets inside.

The overall appearance was very exquisite. The cauldron's body was engraved with a strange beast, its whole body glowing with a fiery luster.

"This should be a high-grade Xuan-level furnace, not bad, quite generous." Putting away the furnace and the spiritual herbs, Yang Tian's gaze fell on the last item.

A small, exquisite jade slip, still emitting a faint fragrance. A trace of strangeness flickered in Yang Tian's eyes—the scent was extremely similar to that of Meng Yunxi.

A wisp of divine sense surged into the jade slip, and a flood of information poured out. As he absorbed the content, a look of delight spread across Yang Tian's face.

"That 'sister' wasn't called for nothing; it's actually alchemy insights." Stroking his chin, Yang Tian smiled. This was exactly what he lacked most right now.

Although he believed the Thunder Dragon Fire Control Art was of no low rank, alchemy was a field difficult to enter without guidance. Without someone to point the way, he would take many detours. The alchemy insights would solve his current predicament.

Inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring, two Void Rings lay before Yang Tian, both reinforced with soul power. One was already shattered—it belonged to the dead disciple. As for Gu Mo, Yang Tian couldn't bear to let him die; he fed him a drop of Life Water, and now he was suffering inside the Golden Crow Divine Furnace.

Clatter! Yang Tian poured out most of the contents, his soul power swiftly sweeping through: "Only about thirty thousand mid-grade Blood Stones? A disciple of an ancient sacred ground—how can he be so poor?"

Yang Tian curled his lips, stored the Blood Stones into a Void Ring, and sorted through the pills below, most of which were healing pills.

Now Yang Tian's gaze was fixed on the small cyan seal on the ground. Wreathed in divine patterns, it radiated a canopy of cyan light, and the small cyan dragon was vividly lifelike.

"This Dao artifact should be at the mid-grade level. I didn't expect ancient sacred grounds to have so many Dao artifacts, even granting one to an ordinary disciple." Yang Tian scratched his head and couldn't help clicking his tongue.

After admiring it for a while, Yang Tian didn't use it. His gaze now shifted to the other Void Ring.

A wisp of soul power surged out, directly drilling into the Void Ring. In this small space, an extremely faint trace of soul power lingered inside.

"Yang Tian, let me out! If you dare touch me, the ancient sacred ground won't let you off!" That faint wisp of soul power suddenly trembled, and a venomous voice exploded.

"Gu Mo, you can't even save yourself now, and you're still acting tough?" Yang Tian sneered, his soul power bursting forth, directly shattering that wisp of soul power.

Clang!

"Bastard, let me out!" Inside the Golden Crow Divine Furnace within Yang Tian's body, a sudden sound rang out, like metal striking metal.

Sensing the change inside the furnace, Yang Tian's soul power surged in. Gu Mo's body had recovered, but he looked utterly miserable—naked, with green smoke rising from his whole body.

"Heh, if you keep yelling, I'll crush your Qi Sea and send you to a brothel to be a pimp!" Yang Tian tugged at the corner of his mouth and said with a faint smile.

"You..." Gu Mo's face instantly flushed red, a surge of overwhelming resentment boiling out, as if he wanted to devour Yang Tian alive.

"Enjoy yourself in there. When the ancient sacred ground withdraws its people, maybe I'll spare your miserable life." Glancing at Gu Mo's expression, Yang Tian smiled.

"Don't you dare!" Gu Mo let out a shrill roar.

Yang Tian closed the furnace lid, then focused his mind on the Void Ring. The quality of this Void Ring was extremely strong; its interior was about two thousand zhang in size, and it was piled halfway with items.

"Eh?" At that moment, Yang Tian held a pill in his hand. The energy flowing within it was very similar to that of ancient pills, but its effect was slightly weaker. Such pills filled most of the Void Ring.

"This pill is unique to the ancient sacred ground. No wonder they weren't very interested in the Martial Dao Mountain. It seems Gu Mo holds a very high status in the ancient sacred ground." Putting the pill away, Yang Tian smiled slightly.

"Why does this kid have so many high-grade Blood Stones?" Looking at the nearly two hundred high-grade Blood Stones on the ground, Yang Tian blinked, a burning heat surging in his eyes.

According to legend, Blood Stones didn't exist at the dawn of the world. They formed from the blood of the mighty, where they fell—over time, the energy in the blood crystallized into Blood Stones!

Yang Tian had only heard such rumors, never verified them. In the cultivation world, there was also a type of supreme-grade Blood Stone, but it was extremely rare, comparable to a peak Dao artifact!

The energy contained in high-grade Blood Stones was vast and extremely pure. Given Yang Tian's absorption speed, it would take at least a month to absorb them all.

"This is... lingerie??" At that moment, Yang Tian's gaze fell on a nearly transparent thin gauze. A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

"Good heavens, a woman's garment is a semi-finished Dao artifact. What a staggering display of wealth." Yang Tian spread out the entire transparent gauze, sensed the abundant energy fluctuations inside, and couldn't help exclaiming.

"Eh? No..." When he noticed a portrait on the back, Yang Tian quickly flipped the garment over. Seeing the embroidered image of a woman, his face instantly froze.