“Sending two king-level demonic beasts to guard Lu Chen, Elder Lu Zimu is really going all out.”

Xu Taiping frowned slightly.

“Moreover, I’ve noticed that the fluctuations in Lu Chen’s aura are still incredibly strong. I suspect his cultivation hasn’t been crippled.”

Baiyu added.

Hearing this, the anger on Xu Taiping’s face intensified.

“It seems we need to plan carefully.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

Two demonic beasts of king-level and a cultivator with the potential of the Gazing Abyss Realm, possibly even carrying a Magical Treasure, would not be easy to deal with.

But he wasn’t in a rush. While the best scenario would be to take Lu Chen’s life before Liu Zijin descended the mountain, he wouldn’t make a move without being fully prepared.

Regardless, he had plenty of time to prepare.

“Speaking of which, that scoundrel Lu Chen hasn’t been behaving even after leaving the mountain. The cries of women can often be heard from Fengxiao Villa.”

Baiyu munched on the fruits on the table, rambling on.

“Enough,” Xu Taiping interrupted him.

“Why can’t I speak?”

Baiyu gave Xu Taiping a glance.

“It’s time to cultivate the Danxia Technique, and I fear I won’t be able to concentrate.”

Xu Taiping stood up as he spoke.

“Oh,” Baiyu uttered, then silently continued eating his fruits.

“Wait, don’t rush into your practice, first burn the Earth Fruit seed.”

Just as Xu Taiping was about to continue upstairs to practice, Fairy Lingyue called him back.

…

Inside a small pill room in Qi Yue Pavilion.

This was a small room Xu Taiping had discovered while tidying up after moving in.

The room was small, just enough to fit a pill furnace, with a skylight above and shelves for elixirs everywhere.

However, there was no pill furnace.

Fortunately, burning the seed didn’t require a high Quality Grade pill furnace. The Magical Tool pill furnace used previously to make Gathering Qi Pills could still be used once or twice.

“I didn’t expect to be burning the seed for the third time so soon.”

Fairy Lingyue watched as Xu Taiping placed the gourd vine into the Magical Tool pill furnace, her eyes filled with emotion.

She vividly remembered the scene when they shared the crude soybean Spirit Crystals from the first ripe Earth Fruit.

“Fairy Lingyue, is there anything I should pay attention to for the third burning of the seed?”

After arranging the gourd vine in the Magical Tool pill furnace, Xu Taiping turned to Fairy Lingyue.

“The True Fire needed for the third burning must be of a much higher Quality Grade than the first, or the gourd vine won’t burn at all. Other than that, there’s nothing special to note.”

Fairy Lingyue shook her head.

“The fruit after the third change is somewhat special. I’ll tell you more after you’ve successfully burned the seed,” she added.

“Alright.”

Hearing Fairy Lingyue’s words, Xu Taiping hesitated no more and stepped up to the Magical Tool pill furnace.

The True Fire he used for burning the seed was naturally the Red Crow Golden Flame Technique he cultivated himself.

However, his Red Crow Golden Flame was barely formed and couldn’t be considered even first-grade, let alone the highest ninth-grade.

So, Xu Taiping was somewhat anxious, worried about the success of the burning.

Without much hesitation, Xu Taiping began to channel all the Danxia True Qi from his energy core, condensing it into a flame in his palm according to the Red Crow Golden Flame Technique.

“Buzz…”

A faint humming sound followed, and a candle-sized flame appeared in Xu Taiping’s palm.

Although the flame seemed weak, the moment it appeared, the temperature in the pill room soared, quickly becoming scorching hot.

But Xu Taiping knew that this tiny flame was not enough, so he continued to use his True Qi to increase the flame’s temperature.

As the temperature in the pill furnace rose, the wooden shelves in the room began to crackle, indicating the intense heat of the flame in Xu Taiping’s palm.

“Phew…”

Finally, when the flame in his palm was about to cover his entire hand, Xu Taiping exhaled deeply.

This was about his limit.

And this small flame had nearly depleted seven or eight-tenths of the Danxia True Qi in his energy core.

Xu Taiping looked at Fairy Lingyue.

She nodded at him.

He then stopped hesitating, carefully lifted his hand, and flicked the flame into the pill furnace with a gentle tap of his finger.

“Boom!”

The moment the flame exploded in the pill furnace, a violent surge of energy sent shockwaves throughout the pill room.

“Crack, crack, crack…”

The pill furnace lasted only a few breaths before cracks appeared on its surface, and after a few more breaths, it shattered with a “crack.”

Fortunately, by then, the green gourd vine inside had been turned to ashes by the Red Crow Golden Flame, marking the success of the seed burning.

“That was close.”

Xu Taiping exhaled again.

This time, whether it was his Red Crow Golden Flame or the Magical Tool pill furnace, if either had been slightly less effective, the burning would have failed.

“Next time you burn the seed, your Red Crow Golden Flame must reach at least second or even third-grade to succeed. By then, a common pill furnace won’t suffice; you’ll need at least a Magical Treasure-grade one,” Fairy Lingyue said, also relieved.

“Yes, I need to speed up the improvement of my Red Crow Golden Flame and also get a Magical Treasure-grade pill furnace,” Xu Taiping agreed.

He could improve the Quality Grade of his Red Crow Golden Flame through cultivation, but for the pill furnace, he would need to find another way, either by exchanging Merit or looking for tasks in the Merit Hall that rewarded pill furnaces.

“Let’s see the fruit after the third change.”

Fairy Lingyue urged.

“After the second change, the seeds obtained from burning are not fixed; it could be pumpkin, eggplant, or even potato.”

She was quite expectant.

“Does different fruit mean different treasures are cultivated?”

Xu Taiping asked while searching through the ashes.

“Of course, seeds like gourd, pinecone, or bamboo are more suitable for nurturing weapon-type Magical Treasures,” Fairy Lingyue explained, squatting down beside Xu Taiping.

“I’ve found it.”

Xu Taiping finally found a nut-like achene in the ashes, indiscernible as to what fruit it was.

“Bamboo rice, this is bamboo rice!”

Before Xu Taiping could ask, Fairy Lingyue next to him exclaimed excitedly.