Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-96

“This… this is the legendary Godly Fire?”

Staring at the silver flame, Si Tu Nan was shaken up from disbelief and shock.

As the Elder of Law Enforcement in the Wan Jian House, he has seen and experienced many things. Thus he recognized the flame in Ling Xian’s palm right away. He knew it was one of the legendary Godly Fires, but he didn’t know which specific one it was.

The reason for his surprise was that Godly Fires were extremely rare and valuable. Every single one of them was born out of heaven and earth’s good fortune, and it was the lifelong dream of any alchemist to get their hands on one of them. In the entire Wan Jian House, only the Elder of Alchemy had a Godly Fire. It was clear how much of a heaven’s gift it really was.

“Elder, you sure have good eyes.” Ling Xian faintly grinned. He cradled the five different spiritual medicines with his spirits and lowered them inside the cauldron before burning them with the Flame of Purity.

With the level of control he had over his spirits and his wide range of knowledge with alchemy, it was not difficult to burn all five spiritual medicines at the same time.

“It really is a Godly Fire…” Si Tu Nan composed himself and said, “Ling Xian, how did you get yourself one? A Godly Fire, in the entire House of Wan Jian, only the Elder of Alchemy possesses one.”

“I got mine out of sheer luck.” Ling Xian shook his head and concentrated on the brewing. He split his spirits into five portions and carefully wrapped them around each one of the five spiritual medicines. Using the high temperature of the Flame of Purity, he began to burn down the outside of the medicines to acquire their essence.

Noticing that Ling Xian wasn’t very willing to talk, Si Tu Nan smiled and did not speak any more. He observed every little movement Ling Xian made during this alchemy practice.

The more he observed, the more shocked he became.

Even though he was not an alchemist, he knows many alchemy grandmasters, and from them, he learned a thing or two about alchemy. He has never seen anyone brew a Dan as smoothly and as practiced as Ling Xian.

The intensity of the flame was just right. The movement of the spirits was flawless. The control of the spiritual medicines was also perfect. The entire process was like art, so beautiful that it put Si Tu Nan into a state of serenity.

Si Tu Nan felt like he was watching a prominent alchemy grandmaster, not a youth who just turned 15. This feeling stuffed him with shock. Watching Ling Xian, who was completely indulged in the alchemy process, he realized how ridiculous this situation was.

It was just not possible for someone to have such great talent in the Taoism community and also have such divine talent in alchemy.

Reality was before him, so he was forced to believe.

Ling Xian’s talent in alchemy was something that even Liao Cang Qiong praised time after time. On top of that, he was the owner of two amazing alchemy inheritances, which allowed his alchemy skills to grow exponentially. Without looking at the level of spirit control he had and only looking at the alchemy attainment, Ling Xian was probably at the same level as many famous alchemy grandmasters.

Yes, do not conclude that he cannot be compared to alchemy grandmasters just because he was 15 years of age and that he has only been in contact with alchemy for a short few years. The reality was that in the alchemy community, rather than training, natural talent played a bigger role.

A lot of people trained and studied for their entire lives and cannot enter the door to the ninth realm and ended up settling for being a student. Some, however, could enter the alchemy road after merely learning alchemy for a year.

The difference between the two realities was talent.

Using Liao Cang Qiong for example. He broke through the ninth realm of alchemy at the tender age of 13. One of the three alchemists in the City of Qing, Master Fang, however, barely reached the ninth realm only in recent years. The large difference between the two was plain and clear.

Ling Xian’s natural talent was extraordinary. He also had the Bible of Alchemy, Flame of Purity, and Essence of Herbalism. With those three treasures, any one of them could easily create a prodigy on its own. Talk about having all three as a set!

Witchcraft!

Only this word could describe Ling Xian’s talent in alchemy.

Do not also forget, that he had lived for a century inside the Hidden Territory. Not only did he collect many life experiences within Taoism, he learned a lot about alchemy as well!

Ling Xian continued to hold his breath and concentrated on pushing the spirits inside the cauldron. He controlled the five portions of spiritual medicines, which by now, only had essences left.

“Solidify!”

Ling Xian’s face was heavy. He clasped his hands and summoned an alchemy spell.

The five essences in powdered form, under the control of the spirits, clashed and converged into a fist sized, pure white medicinal Dan.

A strong medicinal aroma escaped the cauldron lid and filled the cave. The scent was refreshing and relaxing.

“Divide!”

Ling Xian yelled. He did not dare to lose focus now. All 10 of his fingers flung around, and he drew out spell after spell.

The energy of the Dan was surging, and the aroma was diffusing. The fist-sized Dan suddenly cracked in four different places and split into four round, pure white medicinal Dans. They jumped out of the cauldron!

Looking at the four medicinal Dans that were floating in mid-air and were dispersing calming fragrances, Ling Xian was overjoyed and sighed in relief, “Elder, I don’t think I disappointed you.”

“Haha, alright. Let me see which rank these Dans are.” Si Tu Nan stroke his beard and looked at the seven imprints on each of the Dans. He then was again filled with shock, and he uncontrollably yelled out, “My god, am I seeing things right? It is a seventh-ranked Dan. All four of them are seventh-ranked!”

Seventh-ranked Dan!

A number that would put countless alchemists to shame!

Si Tu Nan was in absolute astonishment. Seventh-ranked Dans! Out of all the alchemists he’s met and gotten to know, only two or three could achieve such greatness!

The 15-year-old youth before him has reached a state of perfection. Though it was only an eighth realm medicinal Dan, it was more than enough to prove how terrifying Ling Xian’s talent in alchemy was.

“Not bad, it seems that Elder, you, have a very good fortune. These four seventh-ranked Dan of Life and Growth will for sure cure you in no time.” Ling Xian grinned without much emotions in his tone. He didn’t seem to be overly proud of what he had achieved.

With high alchemy attainment and most valuable treasures of the alchemy community, as well as a century of experience, to brew a seventh-ranked Dan was not rare nor shocking. If this wasn’t his first time making the Dan of Life and Growth and he was a little rusty with the recipe, he could’ve easily brewed it to be eighth ranked, or maybe even reach the legendary ninth rank!

His lack of emotion in Si Tu Nan’s eyes was a sign of humbleness. Si Tu Nan was admiring Ling Xian so much. Though he was only 15, his state of mind was beyond mature. Additionally, he was determined, not arrogant, and never felt fulfilled with his accomplishments. It was certain that one day, he would reach greatness.

“Good, I will now try it then. The Dan of Life and Growth,” Si Tu Nan waved his sleeve and put a Dan inside his mouth. He then slowly closed his eyes and sat in the lotus pose, ready to use his spiritual energy to fasten the digestive process of this Dan.

However, before he even had to use his spiritual energy, the Dan of Life and Growth melted in his stomach and was absorbed right away. A wave of warmth quickly washed through his organs and rinsed through his veins before they converged in his left shoulder, where his injury was.

A magical thing happened next.

Originally, the wound from the Sword of Punishment was about the size of a bowl. But now, with a speed that was fast enough to be seen with naked eyes, it shrunk into the size of a fist within a minute.

Color also returned to Si Tu Nan’s face. His dark pupils lightened up as well.

“This… This speed of healing sure is fast!” Si Tu Nan inconceivably said as he felt his injury heal. He couldn’t believe that what he consumed was merely an eighth realm Dan. He subconsciously glared at the other three Dan of Life and Growth to double check that the spiritual energy surging around them were in fact eighth-ranked.

“It’s good as long as the Dans are effective. It seems like if you consume one more, your injury will be completely healed. Sadly, after having one Dan of Life and Growth, you cannot have another one until three days later. There will be side effects if you consume them too close to one another.” Ling Xian grinned again. Not at all surprised at the result.

Since the beginning of time, there have been over 10,000 Dan recipes. Inside the Encyclopedia of Dans, there were 3,000 Dan recipes. Though this number sounds large, compared to 10,000, it was a pitifully small amount.

How come Liao Cang Qiong decided to record these 3,000?

The answer is simple. What kind of person was Liao Cang Qiong? He was a monstrous legend in the alchemy community. He did not appreciate every recipe there was in the world. Every recipe he decided to record and keep have miraculous effects, especially when compared to Dans of similar kinds.

That’s why Ling Xian was not surprised at all at the results. Though the Dan of Life and Growth belonged in the eighth-realm, its effects are arguably stronger than a seventh-ranked Dan!

“Haha, not a problem. I will wait three days. Ling Xian, I was worried at first about the effectiveness of the medicinal Dan. I did not expect you to grant me such a big surprise!” Si Tu Nan laughed. “Even though it’s only from the eighth realm, it far surpasses Dans from the seventh realm. This kind of effectiveness really deserves the name of being a divine Dan!”

“A divine Dan might be pushing it a little. Maybe a divine Dan within the eighth realm?” Ling Xian smiled.

With his injuries half healed, the weight on Si Tu Nan’s heart finally lifted, and he became very relieved. He chuckled. “Ling Xian, I really don’t know how to evaluate you anymore. On the cultivation road, you have talent and determination. I cannot believe you have the same amount of talent in alchemy.”

Ling Xian shook his head and sighed, “You flatter me again, Elder. No matter how much talent I have, I must work hard. A year ago, I was a mere mortal with no ability to practice Taoism. I was struggling as the lowest being in our society, running around and working hard just to feed myself. To have the achievements I have today is something I didn’t even dare to dream about.”

“No matter what, with you being only 15 years old and to have the accomplishments you have today on the road of alchemy is something so few people can do.” Si Tu Nan liked Ling Xian more and more. He complimented, “Only 15 years of age and already an eighth realm alchemist. If I can bring you to my House, those old bastards will break their necks trying to get you as their apprentices.”

“There is no way. I know that it is rare to find a 15-year-old eighth realm alchemist. But inside the Wan Jian House, there is no way there isn’t a single one of them.” Ling Xian chuckled.

“To be honest, the Wan Jian House never had much luck with alchemists. It’s been years since there’s been a genius in alchemy.” Si Tu Nan stared at Ling Xian with a huge grin. “This is why I’m saying that once you step into the Wan Jian House, those bastards will do everything they can to take you.”

“Um…” Ling Xian froze. The image of him being snatched by a bunch of old and weird men made him shudder. He laughed and shook his head. “About that… why don’t we discuss it once we get to the Wan Jian House? We should decide if we should leave now or wait three days for your injury before moving again.”

Hearing this, Si Tu Na’s expression changed. After a while, he said, “The God Binding Silk could only contain him for half an hour. I think he is searching for us by now. I suggest we leave right away. With my completion level spirits, he could trace us pretty easily.”

“That’s true. The spirits of completion leveled cultivators are very powerful. Even if this forest was ten times its current size, it’s hard to hide from his search.” Ling Xian nodded. “Then let us go.”

“Ok.” Si Tu Nan slowly stood up and was getting ready to take off with Ling Xian.

However, just as Ling Xian summoned the Winged Blitz, a taunting voice spoke.

“I told you there is no way you can run away from me. The game of cat and rats has just begun.”