ETR | Chapter 54

Upon hearing this, Feng Yiyan lay back down, turning his face away from Xiao Xueman, not wanting to look at him anymore.

It seemed like he had suffered some deep emotional hurt.

Xiao Xueman figured it was best to give him some time to cool off, so he took a closer look at the pill recipe Feng Yiyan had given him.

As a six-star pill, the ingredients weren’t particularly rare and could be found relatively easily in the First Heaven. However, if he returned to the Twelfth Heaven, these materials would be hard to come by, so it was better to bring them back from here.

“Your Mercenary Guild should have the materials, right?” Xiao Xueman asked.

Feng Yiyan moved a bit, reluctantly sitting up on the ground. “This is a pill I often use, so of course, I have the materials. They’re not worth much. You beat me, so I’ll just give you the materials as well. It’s no big deal.”

Xiao Xueman had originally planned to refine some pills on the spot or trade something else for them, but since Feng Yiyan offered, it saved him a lot of trouble.

After discussing this, Feng Yiyan sat on the ground, questioning life for a while, before getting up to fetch the materials for him.

He had been cultivating for a long time, and back when his spiritual power wasn’t as high, he had both wins and losses in battles. Victory and defeat were common for Feng Yiyan, and sometimes losing only fueled his fighting spirit.

However, after this battle with Xiao Xueman, he felt an even heavier sense of powerlessness.

Reaching Spirit God Level Five was already difficult, yet the gap between him and Xiao Xueman was still so vast. Knowing himself too well, Feng Yiyan felt momentarily powerless.

“Do you think I can beat Qin Lou?” he asked Xiao Xueman while handing over the materials.

Xiao Xueman, feeling a bit awkward since he had just received something from Feng Yiyan, and seeing the faint hope and fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes, chose to remain silent rather than crush his spirits.

“I understand.”

Feng Yiyan sighed, which was rare for him, and said, “I won’t give up, Xiao Xueman. Sooner or later, we’ll have another fight. No wonder he remembers you so well; if I were him, I wouldn’t forget either.”

Xiao Xueman didn’t quite understand what he meant by that, but his past with Qin Lou wasn’t a secret in the First Heaven.

Recently, with his return, it was being brought up again, and many people had something to say about it. He just listened without much reaction.

Having finished his fight smoothly, he remembered he needed to head to the Second Heaven to check on Shen Guan’s situation.

He and Feng Yiyan had become friends through fighting, so he also asked about the current state of the Fox Clan.

Feng Yiyan, who wasn’t very concerned about anything other than fighting, simply said, “Should be fine? The demon clan has been quiet lately, and no news is probably the best news.”

True enough, Shen Guan had hoped for the Fox Clan to recuperate and regain what they had lost over time. Now that the demon clan was quiet, it was naturally a good thing.

When Xiao Xueman suddenly arrived at the Fox Clan, Shen Guan was visibly startled.

"Why did you come over all of a sudden?" he asked. "Where's Xiao Wan?"

Xiao Xueman briefly explained the recent situation, and Shen Guan understood.

"The Fox Clan is doing well lately," he said, smiling. "It's just that I can't leave, otherwise I'd visit you like Yu Zhengrong does."

In fact, over the past three years, besides managing the Fox Clan, Shen Guan had always been concerned about Xiao Xueman.

He didn't know what kind of species the Tianxi Divine Tree was, but since it was a spirit plant turned demon, the demon clan should have some records.

Whenever he had time, he would go through old records.

Recently, the Fox Clan’s relations with other clans had improved, and he even borrowed old records from other clans. From them, he pieced together some fragments of information, gradually uncovering a bit of Xiao Xueman’s secret.

The records stated that the Tianxi Divine Tree could gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, hence its name. It was also recorded that it was born as a nine-star spirit plant, capable of generating its own spiritual energy and even having a significant impact on its surroundings.

Moreover, the Tianxi Divine Tree had a habitat that prevented it from being disturbed or coveted, and others couldn’t enter it.

Because of this special habitat, almost no one had truly seen the Tianxi Divine Tree, making it a rather obscure legend.

Combining the records with Xiao Xueman himself, Shen Guan could roughly sketch a simple outline in his mind.

The habitat mentioned in the records was likely the “home” Xiao Xueman had referred to.

Additionally, Shen Guan remembered that when Xiao Wan was in the First Heaven, he had mentioned that although the surrounding spiritual energy had become much denser, his cultivation speed hadn’t changed significantly compared to when he was in the Lower Realm.

Xiao Xueman had also said that whether in the Upper Realm or the Lower Realm, it wouldn’t affect Xiao Wan’s cultivation, indirectly confirming the records’ claim that it could generate its own spiritual energy.

However, Xiao Wan was a mixed-blood fruit, not a pure Tianxi Divine Tree.

He inherited part of Xiao Xueman’s traits but not all.

While Xiao Xueman’s species was one aspect, Shen Guan’s curiosity returned to its starting point after learning many things.

Xiao Xueman had gone through those experiences at Tian Shu Academy, then seized the opportunity to escape as he grew older, eventually fleeing to the Sixteenth Heaven.

There, he met Qin Lou, gradually establishing the Wangtian Immortal Gate with him, and ultimately overthrowing Tian Shu Academy, avenging his enemies.

The story seemed straightforward and even inspirational, but Shen Guan couldn’t figure out why Xiao Xueman had found Qin Lou.

If it was to avoid Tian Shu Academy and he happened to flee to the Sixteenth Heaven and meet Qin Lou, it could barely be explained.

But Shen Guan knew that wasn’t the case.

Xiao Xueman had specifically sought out Qin Lou, seemingly certain that Qin Lou would help him kill Yuan Shu in the future.

But who could predict the future?

Qin Lou’s family, the Qin family, was originally an ordinary family in the Second Heaven.

Qin Lou was just an ordinary waste, naturally abandoned by his family.

This wasn’t noteworthy, but because he later became famous, this part of his past was dug up to slap faces.

In reality, at that time, no one knew him.

How did Xiao Xueman specifically find him?

Moreover, Qin Lou had a seal on him, which suppressed his original talent, preventing it from being fully expressed. No one knew about this, not even Qin Lou himself, let alone how to break it. Yet Xiao Xueman knew and helped him break it.

It was strange, and Shen Guan couldn't figure it out. But one thing he was sure of was that Xiao Xueman had known about Qin Lou long before.

Shen Guan thought maybe Qin Lou had some connection with Tian Shu Academy at that time, or even with the cultivation of evil arts back then.

His guess wasn’t baseless.

Qin Lou’s father, Qin Wentian, had a decent talent and was sent to Tian Shu Academy, the top sect at the time, by the Qin family after reaching adulthood. For some unknown reason, he died there, leaving behind a child, Qin Lou, who was sent back to the Qin family.

Although no more information could be found, Qin Lou did have some connection with Tian Shu Academy, and there were always some details that made people think.

Even though it was a thing of the past, people might be entangled by past events in their lives.

Xiao Xueman seemed to have let go because he saw things clearly.

Shen Guan, who couldn’t see clearly, was still troubled and puzzled.

He had considered whether the Tianxi Divine Tree had the ability to prophesy, which drove Xiao Xueman to do these things, but there was no record of it in the texts.

Neither Xiao Xueman nor Xiao Wan showed any signs of it, and if he truly could prophesy, he should have been able to avoid the calamity and not end up so miserable.

However, Qin Lou had been behaving himself in recent years.

Since he left the Fox Clan and returned to the Wangtian Immortal Gate, he hadn’t come out again.

It seemed he was truly following Xiao Xueman’s wishes, no longer seeking him out, and earnestly managing the sect.

As a result, the Wangtian Immortal Gate had gained a good reputation over the past three years, and even the previous minor conflicts with the demon clan had been smoothed over.

Now, the relationship between the demon clan and spirit cultivators was better than before.

Even though Shen Guan couldn't help but dwell on it, he wouldn't bring up these things that might upset Xiao Xueman in the current peaceful situation.

Xiao Xueman wasn't aware that Shen Guan was still troubled by this. Seeing that the Fox Clan was fine and Shen Guan was safe, he felt much more at ease and now wanted to borrow an alchemy furnace from the Fox Clan to refine some pills.

The pill recipe seemed fine to him, and theoretically, Feng Yiyan had no reason to lie about it. But regardless, it was best to refine it and see. Now that he was in the Second Heaven, if there was an issue with the recipe, he could go back up and demand an explanation from Feng Yiyan.

Feng Yiyan had generously provided enough materials, enough for Xiao Xueman to experiment with.

Shen Guan, hearing it was for Xiao Wan, didn't say much. Lending an alchemy furnace and a place was no big deal, and the Fox Clan had plenty of those.

"If you need anything, just let me know. If Feng Yiyan's materials aren't enough, I have more here," he said. "I checked, and they aren't difficult to find. I have them on hand."

Xiao Wan didn't need the pills frequently, just enough to have some on hand. But Xiao Xueman spent nearly a whole day using up the materials Feng Yiyan had given him, and he wasn't satisfied with the resulting pills.

Initially, he failed a few times due to not getting the proportions right, which was expected. But Xiao Xueman had studied the finished product before, and he even had one with him for comparison. Later, he adjusted in time, and the pills gradually took shape.

The pill in front of him was a six-star pill, with effects similar to the previous ones, meant for nourishing and stabilizing spiritual power. However, it was different from the one Xiao Wan used.

Xiao Xueman confirmed it wasn't his fault. The pills were already made, and his alchemy skills hadn't regressed. He had refined the pills repeatedly, and by the last batch, they were almost breaking through to seven-star pills, but they still weren't the same as the ones Xiao Wan used.

This wasn't right; it was a problem with the recipe.

He had spent a long time refining the pills, and when Shen Guan came in to check on him, he saw Xiao Xueman frowning, looking displeased as he stared at the two pills in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Shen Guan asked. "Why do you look so upset?"

Xiao Xueman briefly explained his alchemy process and handed Shen Guan the pills Xiao Wan usually used and the ones he had refined. "Take a look and tell me the difference."

He couldn’t say for sure if there was an issue with the recipe Feng Yiyan provided.

He had indeed refined the pills, and they had the desired effects, mostly matching the description.

He couldn’t outright accuse Feng Yiyan of giving him a fake recipe, so Xiao Xueman didn’t immediately confront him. But he was clearly holding back his anger.

"This one is the one you refined; I can tell at a glance," Shen Guan pointed to the one on the left. "It's an excellent pill, and the technique is flawless. Judging by its effects, it's a great pill for stabilizing the foundation and strengthening spiritual power for fire-type cultivators. As a fire-type myself, I want to try it now.

The one on the right, on the other hand, doesn’t have as refined a technique, likely made by a top-tier eight-star alchemist.

It’s very similar to yours, but it seems to have something extra.

Because of this extra element, even though the alchemist’s technique isn’t as good as yours, the resulting pill should be more effective than yours.

I'm not an alchemist and haven't taken the pill, so I can only tell this much."

Shen Guan's observations were similar to Xiao Xueman's.

"Feng Yiyan's recipe is definitely missing an ingredient," Xiao Xueman said. "But with only these pills in front of me, I can't pinpoint it. Once the ingredients are refined, they become intangible, making it difficult for me to say."

Even with his exceptional alchemy talent, it's impossible to reverse-engineer a high-level pill recipe from the finished product.

"Did Feng Yiyan dare to mess with me on this?" Xiao Xueman's expression was already darkening, his eyes sharp. "I guess he hasn't had enough of a beating yet."