Support me at patreon for 50+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
On the surface of the fruit, which contained both fire and ice attributes, faint lines could be seen spreading out.
These lines were irregular and interwoven, seemingly following some kind of hidden pattern, but upon closer inspection, it was nothing but a chaotic mess—impossible to decipher.
"Now I'm just missing the Earth Core Fire Ganoderma—once I have that, the ingredients for the Earth Spirit Pill will be complete."
Closing the jade box in his hand, Lin Feng murmured softly.
Remembering that Black Seal City had a Earth Core Fire Ganoderma, Lin Feng called in a maid and had her bring Zhang Shi over.
"Master Lin, you called for me?"
Not long after, Zhang Shi followed the maid into the reception room and greeted respectfully.
Lin Feng took a sip of tea and casually said, "I heard there's a Earth Core Fire Ganoderma in Black Seal City. I need it for pill refinement. Go and buy it for me."
"Understood."
Zhang Shi immediately bowed and withdrew from the room.
Once Zhang Shi left, Lin Feng turned and looked toward Zi Yan beside him, asking casually, "So, found anything good in the mountains lately?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it. Nothing good at all. Here, help me refine these into some simple pills."
Zi Yan pouted as she handed over some medicinal ingredients from her storage ring.
The corners of Lin Feng's lips curled into a faint smile as he replied, "While reading a pharmacology text recently, I came across a mention that inside the cave of the Snow Demon Sky Ape, there's a chance of finding Core Quenching Body Milk. You might want to investigate that."
"What?! That Snow Demon Sky Ape might actually have something that valuable? I'm going to the back mountains right now to find it!"
Without another word, Zi Yan flew off toward the back mountains of Jia Nan Academy in a hurry.
"Sigh... that Snow Demon Sky Ape, once it enters its berserk bloodline state, not even a five-star Dou Wang can face it head-on. It's no pushover..."
Watching the small figure disappear into the distance, Lin Feng shouted after her.
But seeing that she clearly hadn't heard a word, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Still, it was hard to blame Zi Yan for her excitement.
The Core Quenching Body Milk is born deep underground, formed from pure earth essence compressed over countless years.
After a hundred years, it appears in the form of a mist, known as Core Fog, which already possesses rare solidifying effects.
Only after a thousand years can it condense into liquid form.
If it manages to mature for ten thousand years underground, it becomes what's known as Core Quenching Body Milk, which holds the legendary ability to cleanse marrow, temper bones, and significantly boost a cultivator's innate talent.
Additionally, due to the extremely pure and massive earth energy contained within, it can even help those at the peak of their current stage break through to the next rank.
Of course, there's still a considerable chance of failure.
Generally speaking, due to the extremely harsh conditions required for it to form, genuine and undiluted Core Quenching Body Milk is so rare that its value rivals that of some peak seventh-tier pills.
Few people have ever truly seen it.
But if he could obtain some, using its ten-thousand-year concentrated earth energy, he should be able to stabilize his own Dou Qi, which had become unstable due to the Life Devouring Pill.
Moreover, he'd have an eighty percent chance of breaking through two stars within a month—advancing straight to a four-star Dou Wang.
By then, he could invite a few people to contain the other Dou Wangs of the Eight Gates.
As for Yuan Yi, he and Xiao Cai, along with Zi Yan, could hold him off temporarily.
After eliminating the other elite fighters of the Eight Gates, the three of them could then work together to surround and finish off Yuan Yi.
"Forget it. For now, I'd better focus on preparing the pills we'll be selling at the opening in half a month."
Shaking away the chaotic thoughts, Lin Feng turned back to his room to continue refining pills and improving his alchemy skills.
Half a month passed by in the blink of an eye, and soon the opening day of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion arrived.
Due to the fame surrounding fifth-tier pills, many powerful factions sent representatives to attend.
And with the large number of visitors pouring in, Spirit Mountain City also saw a massive surge in revenue.
In fact, the city's income had more than doubled in just a few days.
However, Lin Feng wasn't planning to show his face publicly yet, so he chose not to attend.
On the other side, with Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's grand opening, crowds flooded into the massive building, packing it wall-to-wall.
The first floor only sold pills of third-tier and below. While those were highly attractive to cultivators under the Dou Wang level, the stronger individuals and faction representatives weren't interested and continued up to the second floor, which required Dou Ling-level strength to access.
"This is... a fifth-tier Injury Dispelling Pill. Looks like this Heavenly Treasure Pavilion master really is a fifth-tier alchemist."
One of the faction representatives was stunned as a snow-white pill was brought out and placed on display by a maid.
Someone beside him, seemingly familiar, agreed, "Yeah, after today, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's strength will probably soar."
"Who wouldn't think so? With a fifth-tier alchemist backing them, a lot of rogue Dou Wangs are bound to flock to their side."
". . ."
Because Lin Feng had implemented a bidding system on the second floor, that Injury Dispelling Pill was soon auctioned off to a Dou Wang in exchange for a rare medicinal herb amidst intense competition.
Although the others were envious, they recalled what had happened before—how a one-star Dou Wang with wind attributes had tried to use his speed to snatch a pill, only to be flattened in a single strike by Xiao Cai, who was clad in a black cloak. Afterward, several newly recruited peak Dou Ling cultivators swarmed in and killed him on the spot.
That scene left many with lingering fear, and none dared stir up trouble after that.
The feverish commotion didn't begin to die down until a week after the grand opening.
By then, the name of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had already spread to more than a dozen nearby cities.
Soon after, Lin Feng also began to receive several visiting Dou Wang cultivators who wanted to join Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
In the end, three Dou Wangs officially joined. Though two of them were only beginner-level Dou Wangs, one of them had the strength of a six-star Dou Wang—greatly boosting Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's overall power.
Just like that, a month slipped by quietly.
Since wrapping up the opening events, Lin Feng had shut himself away in the alchemy room for days, deeply immersed in some unknown research.
This situation lasted until a dust-covered Zi Yan returned, after being gone for two months.
"Lin Feng! I'm telling you—I found the Core Quenching Body Milk! This time, you have to help me get it!"
Zi Yan, looking miserable and covered in grime, tugged at Lin Feng's sleeve with teary eyes.
"Uh…"
Staring at her sorry state, Lin Feng asked, puzzled, "With your current strength and Earth Class Dou Technique, you should be able to beat that Snow Demon Sky Ape, right? I was even waiting for you to bring me some back."
"Sigh, don't even talk about it. That big guy goes berserk, and I can't kill it fast enough. Once the fight drags on, other Rank 5 magic beasts in the area come rushing to help it."
Zi Yan pouted helplessly, her little face scrunched up.
Lin Feng suddenly caught something odd. Curiously, he asked, "Why don't they help you?"
Zi Yan shook her small head and waved her hands. "Because… I may have robbed them before."
"Heh… no wonder they ganged up on you. So basically, the whole mountain is your enemy."
"No—they're enemy beasts."
Zi Yan immediately corrected him, then dropped to the ground, rolling around while tugging at his robe again.
"But I can't get into Jia Nan Academy right now," Lin Feng said with a twitch of his mouth, clearly exasperated by her antics. "I can't help you even if I wanted to."
Hearing that, Zi Yan patted her flat little chest and raised her head proudly. "That's easy. The outer region of the back mountains isn't well-guarded. I can sneak you in."
That caught Lin Feng's interest.
If he could enter Jia Nan Academy, he might be able to use his powerful soul perception to pinpoint the Inner Academy's location.
That would make things much easier when it came time to seize the Heavenly Flame later on.
After thinking for a moment, he looked up and asked with concern, "We won't be discovered, right?"
"Not a chance. Relax. As long as you don't accidentally wander into the Inner Academy's forest, you won't be noticed. The only one who could sense you is Old Man Su Qian, and he never leaves the inner court. The outer court is guarded by just a few Dou Huangs who mostly stay on campus—no one really guards the back mountain."
Zi Yan patted her chest confidently.
"In that case, let me wrap up some things, then we'll go get that Core Quenching Body Milk."
Lin Feng no longer hesitated and agreed readily.
"Yay!"
Deep within the endless mountain range, a sea of green stretched beyond the horizon, like a vast, boundless ocean of trees.
Standing among them, the trees swayed gently in the wind. Waves of verdant greenery, hundreds of feet high, rippled forward like massive tides—a magnificent sight to behold.
Suddenly, the sound of wind being sliced echoed above the forest. Two figures—one large, one small—flashed across the sky.
Looking down at the unending forest below, Lin Feng hadn't expected the mountain range connecting Jia Nan Academy and Spirit Mountain City to be so vast.
In fact, it might even surpass the Magic Beast Mountain Range that stretched across the Jia Ma Empire.
His gaze swept over the landscape as he listened to distant growls and roars of magic beasts echoing through the forest. Behind him, his Purple Cloud Wings fluttered lightly, and he followed closely behind Zi Yan, darting through the vast mountain terrain.
They flew from sunrise until noon before finally arriving near the Snow Demon Sky Ape's lair.
Gazing at the small valley below, Lin Feng turned to Zi Yan and said, "In a moment, you draw that big guy away. I'll go in and get the goods."
"No problem."
Zi Yan nodded, then with a flap of her wings, dove down into the valley. She landed near the mouth of a cave and shouted loudly, "Hey! You big dummy, I'm back! Hand over that Core Quenching Body Milk already!"
"ROAR!"
As her taunt echoed into the valley, a massive white ape—at least thirty to forty feet tall—suddenly charged out.
Lin Feng watched from above. The white ape was wreathed in icy air, its breath coming in heavy bursts from its huge nostrils like twin streams of white mist.
Its arms were long and powerful, with claws the size of two human heads. Every time it swung its massive hands, fierce gales shot out, slamming into nearby boulders and shattering them into rubble.
Its blood-red eyes were filled with madness and killing intent, fixed fiercely on the girl it had fought with several times before.
"You again, you little brat! Today I'm gonna smash you into paste!" the Snow Demon Sky Ape roared, slamming its thick chest in fury before charging straight at Zi Yan.
"What?! You dumb muscle-brained gorilla just called me little? That's it—you're dead meat!"
Zi Yan's face darkened. That was the one thing she hated most—being called little. Enraged, she shot straight toward the ape.
---------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 50+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk