Chapter 16: A Deal

Only after all the Spiritual Herbs in the cauldron were reduced into piles of different coloured powder, did Lou Mu Yan remove the charcoal in the cauldron and rested.

Being able to persist with this high-intensity refinement of all the Spiritual Herbs until she finished was the result of her recent consistent training. Otherwise she would’ve already passed out.

When she remembered that once she refined the Marrow Cleansing Pill, she’d be able to eradicate her trash constitution, she immediately filled with energy and stood up to purify the ingredients.

The purification process was much simpler than the refining process. The powder wrapped in her Mental Energy was placed above the controlled flames to smoke. The colour of the powder gradually darkened, and when there were only around two thirds of the powder left, it meant the purification process was successful.

The next step was to condense the pill, which was the most important part. One couldn’t pause or rest during the process.

The key to condensing the pill was the duration and degree of heating. It just so happened that she had a wealth of experience in Alchemy, so at each stage, she controlled the size of the flames perfectly.

The dozen or so piles of different coloured powder gradually separated then combined under the control of her Mental Energy, slowly being grilled.

Confidence and determination flashed in her eyes, and she focused on the cauldron. She quickly entered a state of mind where she immersed herself in the refinement.

Time passed slowly and the powder in the cauldron condensed into two rudimentary-form pills. She immediately took out a portion of the charcoal again and used a small fire to smoke it.

Not long after, a strong medicinal aroma seeped through the cauldron and spread throughout the cave.

Lou Mu Yan exhaled a stale breath. Her eyes lit up with joy and with a pat of her hand on the cauldron, two smooth, white, and lustrous pills landed in her hands.

But this wasn’t the best place to take the Marrow Cleansing Pill. She still needed to pair this with a type of medicinal solution she needed to refine to cleanse her marrow. Only then would it have the best results. Therefore, she took out a porcelain bottle she prepared and placed the pill in it.

It took half a day for her to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and after putting away her cauldron and Spiritual Herbs, she looked up at the devilish man.

The flush on his face had faded completely while the golden runes on his forehead flashed exceptionally bright, and the Flame Unicorn Beast’s Crystal Core also turned into a pile of grey dust on the ground.

The fluctuations of energy in the man’s body were very powerful now and he rounded the traces of energy together within in. What surprised Lou Mu Yan, however, was that he was actually refining the fire poison in his body.

Suddenly, the Spiritual Force of Heaven and earth around them flooded into the cave as if having gone crazy after being summoned by something, and directly formed clusters of Spirit Clouds. When it found the devilishly handsome man in the cave, they darted towards him and poured into his body.

Lou Mu Yan watched fixatedly as the waves of Spiritual Energy were being absorbed by the man so easily as if he were a sponge. What a monster! What should she, a person who couldn’t even absorb the Spiritual Force of Heaven and earth, be feeling?

Time passed bit by bit and the man didn’t appear to have any intention of stopping his actions. Lou Mu Yan stared at him with interest, leaning against a stone pillar.

Based on this situation, she could guess that the fire poison in this devilish man’s body had already accumulated to a certain degree. So, after taking the Spirit Cleansing Pill, he not only detoxified himself but also withstood the potential bursting of his blood vessels due to the Crystal Core’s powers, and even took advantage of the residual fire poison.

He probably refined the fire poison in his body by forcefully converting it into a tonic and re-absorbed it. At the same time, he crazily absorbed the Spiritual Force and advanced directly to the Advanced-Phase Sword Monarch Stage.

But he didn’t stop there. The Spiritual Force was still gathering and pouring into his body and his cultivation base was still climbing.

Lou Mu Yan couldn’t help but roll her eyes while she watched this man who absorb the Spiritual Force as if his body was like a bottomless pit. Comparing oneself to another could definitely infuriate oneself to death. She, who couldn’t even absorb any Spiritual Force, really wanted to go over and bash that monster up. Did he still want to get along happily?

The situation lasted for a day before it stopped, and the man suppressed the Elemental Energy that was converted from the Spiritual Force within him, remaining at Peak-Phase Sword Monarch Stage. He didn’t break through to the next stage immediately.

Seeing the man’s decisive choice, Lou Mu Yan couldn’t help but reveal some admiration in her eyes.

Not only was this man exceptionally talented, but he also had a very resolute temperament. Forcefully suppressing the breakthrough to the Sword Sovereign Stage allowed his foundations to be more stable. But not everyone could have this sort of self-control and a true heart of Dao.

The moment Ming Xiu opened his eyes, he met the pair of bright, sprightly eyes like the ocean. He was in a great mood right now. His body had accumulated too much fire poison before, to the point it even affected his temper, making him occasionally very cold and irritable.

But after taking the Spirit Cleansing Pill refined by Lou Mu Yan, he not only rid himself of all the toxins, but it also enabled him to refine the fire poison to advance his strength. It even allowed him to absorb purer energy from the Demonic Beast Crystal Core.

He smiled bewitchingly. His voice was a little hoarse, sounding unusually sexy: “You can refine pills.”

“So what if I can?” Lou Mu Yan raised her eyebrow as she played with a lock of her hair.

“Let’s make a deal.” Ming Xiu’s lips curled up, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed.

Lou Mu Yan guessed his plan as soon as he said it, and asked tactfully: “You want more Spirit Cleansing Pills?”

She didn’t mind why a man who acted so cold before suddenly changed his attitude so quickly—after all, many experts were temperamental.

Ming Xiu chuckled softly, and a soul-stirring smile rose on his handsome face, saying: “I like to make deals with intelligent people.”

“What sort of deal?’ Lou Mu Yan asked after hesitating. A favour was a favour, and a deal was a deal. She will remember the life-saving grace and repay it in the future.

“Lou Mu Yan, you can come up with the terms of this deal.”

“You know who I am?” Lou Mu Yan was slightly surprised.

“Young Miss Lou is famous throughout the Imperial Capital. I’m afraid that there are very few people who don’t know you.” Ming Xiu fixed his clothes, stood up and walked towards Lou Mu Yan.

Lu Mu Yan rolled her eyes. She definitely was famous, but she was infamous for being trash.

Humph, when she returned and took the Marrow Cleansing Pill to get rid of and restore to health this damned Terminal Meridians constitution, she’ll see who still dared to call her small trash.

Ming Xiu arrived in front of Lou Mu Yan and squatted, looking at her eye to eye, saying: “I want all the Spirit Cleansing Pills you have on you. You can ask for a price.”

He was currently cultivating a specific type of cultivation method and must absorb and refine the Crystal Core of a Demonic Beast directly, but it also had its disadvantages.

Directly refining the Crystal Core without being buffered by other Spiritual Herbs meant he would be accumulating toxin in his body from the energy. After the fire poison accumulated to a certain quantity, it would affect his future cultivation. But Lou Mu Yan’s pills, coincidentally, could help him resolve this disadvantage.

With the man lowered to her level, staring straight at her, and speaking with a serious expression, it demonstrated that he placed her at an equal footing and didn’t underestimate and belittle her. A favourable impression of him rose in her heart.

“Do you still want the corpse of that Tier 6 Demonic Beast?” Lou Mu Yan asked the man as she stared at the corpse of the giant red beast not far away.

Ming Xiu glanced at the corpse. He already refined the Crystal Core of the Flame Unicorn Beast. Even though the scaled armour was still somewhat useful to him, but if Lou Mu Yan wanted it, he didn’t really mind.

“Want it?” Ming Xiu asked softly beside her ear.

Lou Mu Yan felt the man’s breath around her ears. His voice was extremely alluring, and an inexplicable sensation rose in her heart, like how one’s knees could feel weak. She composed herself and turned her head sideways to look at the man eye to eye, a brilliant, gorgeous smile rising on her face: “I want it.”