Chapter 582 Zi Yan's departure 9th rank talk

"Xiao Ling, when you are free, remember to come to Ancient Dragon Island to see me!" Zi Yan sat sideways in Xiao Ling's arms, her arms tightly around Xiao Ling's neck, her eyes full of reluctance.
"Also, you must always think of me when I'm away. If you dare to forget me, humph, I will definitely give you a good beating after I finish my retreat."

Zhu Li, who was preparing to take Zi Yan back to Ancient Dragon Island, couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw his own princess acting like a little girl, and secretly complained in his heart.

He thought that the princess' usual look of disliking everyone was completely gone at this moment. However, faced with such a situation, he really didn't know what to say. He could only helplessly look at Xiao Ling with a pleading look.

Sensing Zhu Li's slightly urging gaze, Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile. He gently raised his hand and gently rubbed Zi Yan's waterfall-like hair. His eyes were full of pampering, and he said, "Don't worry, Zi Yan, no matter who I forget in this world, I will never forget you. You are the apple of my eye, how could I bear to forget you?"

At this point, Xiao Ling paused for a moment, a teasing smile appeared on his face, and he continued, "Besides, when your retreat is over, you will be much more powerful than me, and you will have to protect me at that time, Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor. I am still counting on being able to be majestic and powerful under your protection."

"Hehe, you're sensible. This is good enough." After hearing Xiao Ling's coaxing, Zi Yan's little face, which was originally full of reluctance and grievance, suddenly showed a bit of satisfaction, and her mood also stabilized a lot.

She loosened her arms around Xiao Ling's neck, jumped lightly from Xiao Ling's body, and stood aside, but her eyes were still fixed on Xiao Ling.

"Okay, let's go quickly. It's not like we'll never see each other again." Xiao Ling reached out his hand again and gently ruffled Zi Yan's hair with a gentle smile on his face and a hint of ease in his words.

Zi Yan looked at Xiao Ling deeply one last time, then she finally bit her lip. The next moment, she walked quickly towards the space passage that Zhu Li had already opened up without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, her figure sank into the passage and disappeared.

Seeing that Zi Yan had already set out to step into the space channel, Zhu Li also nodded slightly to Xiao Ling, and then his figure flashed and neatly entered the space channel. As his figure disappeared, the space channel flickered slightly for a few times, and then gradually dissipated...

……

Deep in the layers of winding mountains in Xingyun Pavilion, there is a quiet valley, like an isolated paradise.

In this valley, several attics stand majestically, exuding an ancient and elegant atmosphere.

The flying eaves and pointed corners are graceful in shape, just like a bird about to spread its wings and fly high. They are agile and exquisite, adding a different kind of charm to the attic.

The vermilion doors and windows have gone through the baptism of time, and the mottled colors are fully revealed, but they have precisely precipitated a unique sense of vicissitudes of beauty.

At this moment, Yao Chen and Xiao Ling were sitting opposite each other in the open-air pavilion at the top of the central attic. The breeze blew gently, lifting the hems of their clothes and making a slight rustling sound.

Yao Chen held in his hand the pill recipe that Xiao Ling had handed to him earlier, his eyes fixed on the recipe. There seemed to be a quiet light flashing in his eyes, and he looked so focused that it seemed as if everything around him no longer existed, his entire mind immersed in the ocean of knowledge contained in the recipe.

Sometimes he frowned slightly, as if pondering the subtleties of the recipe, and sometimes he nodded gently, as if he approved of certain records in the recipe. Anyone who saw his focused look could tell that he was completely attracted by the recipe.

Xiao Ling was lazily leaning on a chair beside him, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He took a sip and felt the comfort of the warm tea sliding down his throat.

From time to time, he looked down from the attic, taking in the elegant scenery in the Xingyun Pavilion that few people could see.

The well-arranged pavilions and towers, shaded by lush green plants, exude a unique tranquility and elegance; the gurgling stream is like a silver ribbon passing through it, adding a bit of lively beauty to the sparkling waves.

After appreciating the scenery below, Xiao Ling turned his gaze towards Yao Chen, quietly waiting for Yao Chen's reaction after reading the pill formula, with a hint of curiosity and anticipation in his eyes.

After a while, Yao Chen slowly turned his gaze away from the recipe in his hand and looked back at Xiao Ling, his face full of amazement. He then began to praise:

"This recipe is truly ingenious! Even with my current attainments in alchemy, after carefully studying it, I have discovered many alchemy techniques that I had never thought of before. The wonderful blending of the medicinal materials is even more amazing. Especially the control and use of fire, which is simply amazing and can be called the pinnacle!"

Yao Chen paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming brighter, and he continued, "Especially for the use of strange fire, it is really meticulous and amazing. I have subdued the Bone Spirit Cold Fire for many years, and I think I am quite familiar with strange fire. However, compared with the profound understanding of strange fire shown in this pill recipe, I can only feel ashamed. The alchemist who can create such a precious pill recipe must have reached an extremely high level of understanding of strange fire. I am afraid that he has already seen through many secrets of strange fire. It is really admirable."

Facing Yao Chen's sigh, Xiao Ling could not help but nod and said, "It is just as you said, Yao Lao. When I first looked up this recipe by chance, I was also shocked. The exquisiteness contained in this recipe is really beyond imagination. The alchemist who can create such a recipe is definitely a legendary figure."

The recipe that Xiao Ling had previously given to Yao Chen to look over was exactly the one that he had looted from the ring of Venerable Mu Gu when he had killed him.

That is the recipe for the "Sky Fire Condensing Essence Pill" which has reached the ninth-grade precious pill level. Needless to say, it is extremely precious. In the alchemy world of the Douqi Continent, it can be regarded as a rare treasure.

After all, only a pill recipe of this kind with extraordinary grade and extraordinary efficacy could make a genuine ninth-grade alchemist like Yao Chen express such heartfelt emotion after reading it.

"Where on earth did you get this roll of precious pill recipe?" Yao Chen's eyes were full of curiosity and confusion. He shook his head slightly and continued with emotion.
"Although this recipe is only at the treasure pill level, look at its miraculous effect. It can actually allow the person who takes it to breed a "pseudo-strange fire" seed. This kind of magical effect, in my opinion, is so amazing that even some mysterious pill recipes are probably inferior in this respect."

"Old Yao, I believe you still remember the Venerable Mu Gu, right? When I attended the Alchemy Conference in Shengdan City, I had a conflict with him, and then I successfully killed him in the Alchemy World. And this volume of alchemy formula is one of the spoils I found in his storage ring." In response to Yao Chen's question, Xiao Ling just smiled faintly, and naturally had no intention of hiding anything, and said frankly,

"However, Venerable Mu Gu is only at the level of an ordinary eighth-grade alchemy master. According to common sense, it should be difficult for him to get such a rare and precious elixir recipe. As for how he got it, I really have no idea."

"Huh? You actually got this precious elixir recipe from that guy Mu Gu? That's quite strange." Yao Chen couldn't help but subconsciously show a bit of surprise when he heard what Xiao Ling said, and spoke out.

Yao Chen naturally already knew that Venerable Mu Gu died at the hands of Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling had mentioned it to him before. Whenever he thought of it, Yao Chen felt quite emotional.

After all, Venerable Mu Gu was nominally his senior brother, but that guy was not a good person. Not only did he violate the rules of the sect and defected, he also instigated Han Feng to stab him in the back, which led to his death. He really deserved it.

Now that he has died at the hands of Xiao Ling, it can be considered as retribution and an unhappy reincarnation. However, he did not expect that Xiao Ling would get such an extraordinary pill recipe from him. This makes Yao Chen feel that the world is even more unpredictable.

However, after Yao Chen thought about it for a while, he had a rough idea in his mind. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly:

"Perhaps this recipe was obtained by that guy from that space. Otherwise, I cannot imagine how he could have collected such a precious recipe. However, after all, this recipe finally fell into the hands of you, so he deserved it."

"No matter how good the recipe is, if it is not backed up by sophisticated alchemy techniques, it can only be used for observation and will not be of any practical use. But if it falls into my hands, the situation will be very different. I can naturally bring out the best of this recipe and keep it from being lost in the dust."

Xiao Ling raised his chin slightly, his expression full of confidence, and his words were powerful.
"Only in this way can we be worthy of this precious recipe and the predecessor who created this recipe, right? Don't you agree, Yao Lao?"

"Haha, kid, you are really the one who can say that. It fits your personality very well, quite interesting." Yao Chen was amused by Xiao Ling's words and couldn't help but smile. His eyes were full of smiles and appreciation. "If this pill formula falls into Mu Gu's hands, it will never work in his lifetime. It is indeed a waste of talent."

After saying this, Yao Chen paused for a moment, a trace of inquiry flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Xiao Ling and said with a sense of realization: "However, since you took out this pill recipe for me to look up today, and also talked to me about this matter, could it be that you have an idea in your mind and are planning to refine this pill?"

Facing Yao Chen's slightly scrutinizing eyes, Xiao Ling straightened his back slightly, his face full of determination and confidence, and said in a steady and resolute tone: "Old Yao, what you said is true. The reason I mentioned this precious pill to you today is naturally because I want to refine it myself."

"After all, my soul power has already reached the level of being able to refine ninth-grade elixirs. Moreover, I have never relaxed my practice of alchemy over the past few days. After studying day and night, and countless attempts and training, I believe that I am now qualified to become a ninth-grade alchemist."

Xiao Ling paused, the light in his eyes became brighter, and he looked full of anticipation for the upcoming challenge. He continued:

"And this 'Heavenly Fire Condensing Essence Pill', which has reached the ninth-grade precious pill level, is naturally the most perfect work for me to break through to the ninth-grade alchemy grandmaster. I must refine it successfully, so as to take a crucial step in the way of alchemy."

Yao Chen looked at Xiao Ling's confident expression, feeling relieved. He nodded slowly, his eyes filled with encouragement and expectation, and said:
"Since you have this plan, then just give it a try. I have seen your hard work and study in alchemy over the years. Whether it is your soul power or your mastery of alchemy, your conditions in all aspects have long been up to standard. It is indeed time for you to try to break through the ninth level."

In fact, even if Xiao Ling didn't say it, Yao Chen could think in his heart that Xiao Ling must have another reason for refining this "Sky Fire Condensing Yuan Pill".

Although the grade of this pill recipe is only that of a ninth-grade precious pill, the difficulty of refining it is definitely one of the top ones among the ninth-grade precious pills.

Xiao Ling could also choose to refine those relatively simple ninth-grade elixirs for recovery and healing, and use them as an opportunity to break through to become a ninth-grade alchemy grandmaster. If he did so, the risks he faced would undoubtedly be smaller.

However, Xiao Ling chose this "Sky Fire Condensing Yuan Pill". Yao Chen knew that he did this because he must have taken advantage of the miraculous effect of this pill, which could give birth to a pseudo-strange fire in the user.

As for who this was prepared for, Yao Chen didn't have to think too much about it, and he could guess that Xiao Ling must have wanted to make it for himself.

It’s not that he is blindly confident about his weight in Xiao Ling’s heart, but that he has full confidence in Xiao Ling’s character and personality.

Take the previous gift of Bone Spirit Cold Fire to Xiao Ling for example. With Xiao Ling's character, he would definitely try his best to repay this favor. And now this "Heavenly Fire Condensing Yuan Pill" must be a way for him to repay this favor.

Xiao Ling naturally knew that Yao Chen was able to draw the connection with his intention of refining the "Heavenly Fire Condensing Yuan Pill", and knew that Yao Chen had already noticed his hidden thoughts.

They both knew the truth, but there seemed to be a tacit understanding between them and neither of them mentioned it on their own initiative.

In this slightly strange yet uniquely warm atmosphere, Xiao Ling and Yao Chen looked at each other, and in an instant, it seemed as if an invisible electric current was flowing between their hearts.

Almost at the same time, smiles appeared on their faces. In those smiles, there was a tacit satisfaction and a cherishment for each other's friendship.

Then, the two of them laughed at the same time. The laughter was gentle at first, as if they were afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the valley, but gradually, the laughter became more hearty, with a sense of wantonness and joy, and spread to the distance with the leisurely breeze, drifting farther and farther, farther and farther... (End of this chapter)