บท 356: Chapter 355: A Year's Time

One year later, Holy Pill City.

In the center of a dimly lit room, a fiery-red medicinal cauldron was placed.

Xiao Ming, dressed in a white robe, slowly opened his eyes, his long black hair cascading down his shoulders.

'The refinement of this Spirit Nourishment Powder truly consumes Dou Qi. I need half a day to recover after each refinement,' Xiao Ming murmured to himself as he put away the medicinal cauldron. He then stood up and made his way out of the room.

Upon entering the living room, Xiao Ming noticed the absence of Xiao Yi Xian and the others.

He called a maid to inquire and learned that they had already left in the morning, about an hour before.

Xiao Ming didn't mind their absence and gave a few instructions before leaving the house, heading straight to the Pill Tower headquarters.

Along the way, he encountered numerous alchemists from the Pill Tower. As soon as they saw Xiao Ming, they quickly made way for him, their gazes filled with respect. They didn't underestimate him because of his age.

One reason was Xiao Ming's position as one of the Eight Great Elders, and the other reason was his remarkable alchemy skills.

Over the past year, Xiao Ming's alchemy level had reached the four-colored eighth tier, making him a top-tier existence among the Eight Great Elders. This achievement earned him the respect of his peers.

In response to their respectful gazes, Xiao Ming greeted them with a faint smile. His exceptional appearance also caught the attention of some female alchemists, leaving them infatuated.

After approximately ten minutes, Xiao Ming finally arrived outside a grand hall on the top floor. He gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Xuan Kong Zi's voice from inside, accompanied by a burst of faint laughter.

Xiao Ming pushed open the door and entered the hall. His gaze swept across the room, and he saw several figures sitting inside.

Among them were the familiar Eight Great Elders and some ordinary Elders. At the front sat Xuan Kong Zi himself.

As Xiao Ming entered the hall, all eyes focused on him.

"Our 'Dazzling Visage Alchemy Ancestor' has arrived," Xuan Kong Zi said, unable to resist a smile, teasing him.

Hearing this, Xiao Ming coughed awkwardly.

"Cough, Old Xuan, please don't mock me."

The nickname 'Dazzling Visage Alchemy Ancestor' was given to him by people outside over the past year.

In this world, once someone became famous, they were bestowed with various nicknames. Some nicknames were based on their actions, skills, or cultivation techniques, while others were derived from their strength, name, or appearance.

Clearly, Xiao Ming's nickname took into account both his appearance and strength.

Dazzling Visage naturally referred to his good looks, while Alchemy Ancestor indicated that he was a Master Alchemist and a powerful Dou Ancestor.

Overall, 'Dazzling Visage Alchemy Ancestor' was quite fitting, but whenever he was called by that title, Xiao Ming always felt a bit awkward.

Taking a few steps forward, Xiao Ming bowed and saluted Xuan Kong Zi before taking a seat closer to him.

After a while, with the arrival of two more Elders, Xuan Kong Zi spoke up again.

"Since everyone has gathered, let's talk about our conflicts with the Hall of Souls over the past year..."

Xiao Ming arrived at the Pill Tower headquarters for a meeting regarding the clashes with the Hall of Souls.

A year ago, when he returned to Holy Pill City, news spread across the Central Plains about the Hall of Souls' Tianzun openly attacking him in Ye City.

Naturally, the Pill Tower became aware of the incident and as one of the Eight Great Elders, they couldn't afford to stay idle. They couldn't let others perceive the Pill Tower as being afraid of the Hall of Souls.

Over the past year, the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls had engaged in numerous overt and covert clashes. While the Hall of Souls received support from the Hun Clan, they were still slightly inferior compared to the Pill Tower. In addition, they had some secret schemes. Thus, the Pill Tower gained a slight upper hand during this period.

The attack on Xiao Ming was just the spark that ignited the tensions between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls. The Pill Tower had long been displeased with the Hall of Souls for openly and covertly capturing the souls of alchemists and occasionally playing tricks on them.

Although extreme bloodshed had been avoided in the Central Plains during this year, there was an underlying sense of unrest. However, amidst the turbulence, there were also moments of stability.

Now, the confrontation between the two sides had reached its final stage, and this meeting was held to bring things to a close.

After an hour, the meeting finally concluded.

"Alright, let's call it a day for today's meeting. The rest of you can leave, but Xiao Ming, please stay," Xuan Kong Zi said.

Once everyone else had left, Xiao Ming retrieved a jade box from his storage ring and handed it to Xuan Kong Zi.

"Old Xuan, this is the batch of Spirit Nourishment Powder that you entrusted me to refine."

Over the past year, news had spread about Xiao Ming's ability to refine Spirit Nourishment Powder.

Since soul cultivation techniques were rare, the Spirit Nourishment Powder, which aided in breaking through the Spirit Realm, became highly sought after by alchemists, even more so than peerless divine weapons or seductive beauty.

As a result, each grain of Spirit Nourishment Powder became extremely valuable, attracting people to seek out Xiao Ming for purchase.

In return, Xiao Ming traded the powder for the medicinal ingredients required to refine it. Despite the rarity of these ingredients, he had managed to gather a considerable amount through his extensive network of alchemists.

With the help of these ingredients, Xiao Ming's soul cultivation reached an astonishing level of perfection in the Spirit Realm over the past year.

Xiao Ming had brought the Spirit Nourishment Powder because Xuan Kong Zi had mentioned a few days ago that he needed some, and he asked Xiao Ming to help refine it.

Although Xuan Kong Zi's Soul Realm was in the Heaven Realm and Spirit Nourishment Powder had little use for him, Xiao Ming didn't mind what Xuan Kong Zi intended to use it for.

"You're truly fortunate to have stumbled upon the long-lost Spirit Nourishment Powder Refining Method," Xuan Kong Zi said, a slightly emotional smile on his face as he received the jade box.

He had come across records of the Spirit Nourishment Powder in ancient texts, so he understood how appealing it was to alchemists, especially those at the peak of the seventh tier with no hope of advancement.

It was likely that as long as Xiao Ming presented the Spirit Nourishment Powder to them, it would make them willingly submit.

"It's just sheer luck," Xiao Ming replied with a smile.

"Well, your luck goes beyond the ordinary," Xuan Kong Zi chuckled, shaking his head, and refrained from delving further into the topic.

At that moment, Xiao Ming hesitated briefly before speaking up. "Old Xuan, I need to leave Holy Pill City for a few days."

"Hmm?" Xuan Kong Zi looked at Xiao Ming with surprise before saying, "Even though our conflicts with the Hall of Souls are nearing an end, if you leave the city, there's no guarantee they won't resort to sinister tricks. It's not safe to venture outside now."

"I am well aware of the risks, and I will proceed with caution," Xiao Ming replied with a serious expression.

The reason he wanted to leave was because Zi Yan was returning.

According to the simulation, Zi Yan's return was expected within those days. Xiao Ming wasn't certain about the exact day; it could be today or tomorrow.

Regardless, Zi Yan's return meant he could proceed to the Dou Saint's Ancient Remains.

Throughout the year, Xiao Ming's strength had been stuck at the peak of the ninth-star Dou Ancestor, making little progress.

However, he had successfully refined over twenty Sky Demon Puppets at the Dou Venerate realm. Xiao Yi Xian had made considerable cultivation progress over the year and had broken through to the seven-star Dou Venerate with the discovery of the Poison Mark Technique. Venerate Tian Huo had also benefited from Xiao Ming's refined medicinal pills, reaching the six-star Dou Venerate. Xiao Ming's own strength had undergone a qualitative improvement as well.

He had confidence in monopolizing the ancient remains.

Speaking of simulations, Xiao Ming obtained numerous valuable items during the year.

There were ninth-tier Xuan Pill Recipes, a nine-colored Eight-Tier Pill, a Ninth-Rank Magical Beast's Monster Core, an Intermediate Tian Wood Attribute Qi Method, and even the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit.

Xiao Ming had indeed successfully simulated the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, which somewhat surprised him.

However, even with the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit in his possession, he wouldn't give up on exploring the ancient remains.

Observing that Xiao Ming remained resolute despite his words, Xuan Kong Zi furrowed his graying eyebrows, sighed, and reluctantly said, "Very well, I've noticed that you always exercise discretion in your actions, and you're not one to disregard everything. It must be something important. I approve."

Xuan Kong Zi could sense that Xiao Ming had a specific reason for his departure, but he refrained from prying on the details. Everyone had their own secrets, and prying was not a virtuous habit.

Although Xuan Kong Zi was likely to agree, Xiao Ming still felt a sense of relief upon hearing the actual approval. "Thank you, Old Xuan!"

After obtaining Xuan Kong Zi's consent, Xiao Ming discussed matters concerning the handover of duties during his absence and then left the hall.