Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

The refining of the elixir took almost half a day.

Inside the cave, Li Xiao sat cross-legged on a flat blue stone.

A golden and red aura of magical power enveloped his entire body.

The bronze furnace floated in mid-air, and the golden-red flames at the bottom of the furnace were not ordinary fires, but were generated by his own magical power.

The first step is to remove impurities from the golden light.

This step lasted for a full hour.

Li Xiao used his metal-based magic to transform it into countless tiny blades.

Each blade is as thin as a cicada's wing, precisely slicing each petal of the water lily.

As the blade passed, impurities were completely removed, turning into black powder that fluttered down.

This process consumes a great deal of spiritual energy.

An ordinary alchemist can remove at most 60-70% of the impurities.

However, Li Xiao removed more than 95% of the impurities.

Inside the furnace, the purified medicinal liquid presented a pure azure blue color.

The medicinal properties condensed into mist, swirling inside the furnace and emitting a refreshing fragrance.

The second step is to extract the essence through fire.

The liquid medicine tumbled and compressed in the flames.

The volume condenses from a bowl to a small cup, and the color changes from azure to deep blue, eventually transforming into indigo like the night sky.

This step is the most dangerous; if the heat is slightly off, the medicinal liquid will char, and all the previous efforts will be wasted.

The third step is to cultivate the elixir.

It lasts from daytime until dusk.

The magical powers of metal and fire alternated, forming a perfect cycle within the furnace.

The medicinal liquid gradually took shape in this cycle, and nine pill prototypes emerged from the water.

Each one is as round and smooth as jade, with flowing cloud patterns on its surface.

"Freeze!" Li Xiao shouted in a low voice.

The furnace lid flew off, and nine beams of blue light shot into the sky, striking the top of the cave.

He was prepared, and with a wave of his hand, he set up a restriction that transformed into a golden light curtain, imprisoning the blue light inside the cave.

The blue light charged forward like a trapped beast, but could not break through.

As the light faded, nine pills fell into my palm, each perfectly round and dazzling like pearls.

"Senior brother, you succeeded?" Song Yu ran over in surprise. Her beautiful eyes shone like stars when she saw the pill in his hand.

"It's done."

Li Xiao smiled with satisfaction: "Four mid-grade pills and five low-grade pills. These pills are effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators, enhancing their spiritual sense, increasing their mana, and stabilizing their foundation. We'll each take two mid-grade pills, and you can keep the rest for future use."

Just as Song Yu was about to decline, Li Xiao had already taken a mid-grade pill, swallowed it, and closed his eyes to refine it.

She smiled helplessly, swallowed another mid-grade pill, and sat cross-legged beside her senior brother.

Once the elixir enters the abdomen, it transforms into a warm, moist flow that circulates through the meridians.

Li Xiao greedily absorbed the medicinal power.

Nourished by the elixir, his meridians shimmered with a faint silver light, and their resilience was further enhanced.

An hour later, he opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Song Yu's improvement was even more obvious.

At this moment, her aura became even deeper, her beautiful eyes shimmered with tears, and her spiritual awareness was clearly enhanced.

"Senior brother, this pill is incredibly effective."

Song Yu exclaimed sincerely, "If only a few more batches could be made..."

"We're running out of materials."

Li Xiao shook his head, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes: "The Water Spirit Lotus is all used up, and the Nine-Leaf Lingzhi and Dragon Blood Vermilion Fruit are sect mission items and cannot be touched. Other main medicinal herbs are also scarce. Unless we venture deep into the core area and find other medicinal gardens, it will be difficult to gather enough for another batch."

As the two were talking, Li Xiao suddenly frowned.

His divine sense detected six fluctuations of energy rapidly approaching from half a mile away.

Three of them possessed the aura of Foundation Establishment stage magic power, with one even reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage. The remaining three were at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining stage.

"Someone's coming. Three Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and three Qi Refining stage cultivators!" he whispered, his eyes instantly sharpening.

Song Yu immediately put away the alchemy furnace, stood beside Li Xiao, and drew his Azure Wave Sword and long saber at the same time.

A moment later, six sword lights landed at the cave entrance, revealing their forms.

The leader was a middle-aged man in white, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and an extraordinary demeanor.

He wore a gentle smile and held a white magic sword in his hand. The words "Ancient Sword" were engraved on the scabbard, and the sword tassel swayed gently in the wind.

Behind him were five people: three dressed in white with cold and stern faces, each carrying a long sword, clearly his fellow disciples; the other two dressed in red robes, presumably disciples of the Hundred Crafts Institute.

"My two Daoist disciples, I apologize for disturbing you."

The young man in white cupped his hands, his voice gentle and warm like a spring breeze: "I am Bai Haozhi from the Ancient Sword Sect. I was passing by when I sensed the fluctuations of a pill taking shape, so I came to investigate. I hope you will forgive me if I have disturbed you."

As he introduced himself, his gaze unconsciously fell on Song Yu.

His eyes were clear and appreciative, as if he was simply amazed by Song Yu's appearance and temperament, but deep down there was a hint of coldness that was hard to detect.

However, a storm was brewing in Li Xiao's heart.

Bai Haozhi!

Of course he knew the name.

In the original novel "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality", this person is a genius with a rare Heavenly Spiritual Root, a rare talent in the Ancient Sword Sect. He appears gentle and refined, but in reality, he is an undercover agent planted by the Haoran Pavilion for a hundred years.

He once took advantage of the turmoil in the secret realm to ambush fellow disciples from three sects and steal the pure liquid.

Eventually, his scheme was exposed, and he was imprisoned by the Ancient Sword Sect.

Li Xiao never expected to meet him here.

To my surprise, this person was even younger than I had imagined.

But that hypocritical air was exactly the same as described in the book.

More importantly, Bai Haozhi is currently at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he and Song Yu are no match for him.

However, he probably won't make a move in front of everyone, so we should get rid of this person as soon as possible.

"So it's Uncle Bai."

Li Xiao returned the greeting calmly, his inner power circulating silently, but his expression remained nonchalant: "I am Li Xiao of the Luoyun Sect, and this is my junior sister, Song Yu. I was indeed refining pills just now, and I apologize for disturbing our master."

"You're too kind, Junior Nephew Li."

Bai Hao smiled, his smile as warm as the sun: "To be able to refine such a remarkable pill, fellow Daoist's alchemy skills are truly admirable. I wonder if you two would be willing to team up with us? This secret realm is fraught with danger, and more people mean more strength. I observe that your cultivation is profound; if we join forces, we will surely reap great rewards."

His words were sincere and his gaze genuine; anyone who saw him would feel that he was a trustworthy partner.

But Li Xiao saw a fleeting gloom in the depths of his eyes—a mixture of curiosity and scheming towards Song Yu.

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle-Master, but my junior sister and I are used to traveling together."

Li Xiao politely declined, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Besides, our strength is too weak, and we are afraid of dragging down our master."

The junior brother in white behind Bai Haozhi showed displeasure and sneered, "Senior Brother Bai condescended to invite you, and you dare to refuse? You really don't know what's good for you!"

"Do not be rude."

Bai Haozhi gave a reprimand, but he wasn't truly angry; he merely glanced at his junior brother indifferently.

He turned to Li Xiao, his smile unchanged: "Fellow Daoist Li, are you worried that I have ulterior motives? There's no need to. I swear by my inner demons that I will never attack my teammates in the secret realm, otherwise, under the tribulation of my inner demons, my soul will be scattered."

He raised his right hand, pointing three fingers together at the sky, looking completely at ease.

But Li Xiao knew even better that this person was as cunning as the sea.

The oath of the inner demon has a fatal flaw—as long as he doesn't take action himself, but instead uses the power of demonic beasts or traps, it doesn't count as breaking the oath.

Even worse, he could instigate others to take action and reap the benefits himself.

"Uncle Bai, you flatter me."

Li Xiao still refused, his tone turning cold: "Uncle-Master Bai, there is still an unexplored medicinal garden ahead, but my junior sister and I are too weak to help. Besides, I have important matters to attend to and cannot accompany you. Farewell."

After saying that, he took Song Yu's hand and turned to leave.

A slight tremor ran through Song Yu's palm.

Although she didn't understand why her senior brother was so resolute, she chose to trust him unconditionally.

The Ancient Sword Sect disciple roared, "Stop! You shameless bastard!"

Bai Haozhi raised his hand to stop his junior brother, his eyes still gentle: "Since that's the case, I won't insist. However, the secret realm is dangerous, so please be careful. If you encounter any danger, you can come to me. Disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect always welcome friends."

He took out a communication talisman and handed it to Li Xiao.

The talisman is engraved with the sword patterns of the Ancient Sword Sect.

Li Xiao took it but didn't activate it, simply saying, "Thank you."

The two figures disappeared into the depths of the mountains and forests.

The smile on Bai Haozhi's face slowly faded, and his eyes became deep and unfathomable.

After walking a distance and confirming that Bai Haozhi had not followed, Song Yu asked telepathically, "Senior brother, why did you refuse? Uncle Bai is strong enough. It would be perfect to explore the herb garden with them. Teaming up with him would greatly increase our safety. Moreover, the Ancient Sword Sect and the Falling Cloud Sect have always been on good terms, and cooperation is a common occurrence."

Li Xiao continued walking and replied telepathically, his tone grave: "Junior sister, believe me, this person cannot be trusted."

"Does your senior brother know him?"

"I don't know him, but I can tell that the way he's looking at us is strange."

Unable to explain his transmigration, Li Xiao could only use divine sense as an excuse: "I've seen that kind of look in the eyes of the tribulation cultivators in Black Wind Ridge. It's the look of a hunter looking at its prey—gentle on the surface, but bloodthirsty inside."

Song Yu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Alright, I believe you, Senior Brother."

She didn't ask anything more, but simply held Li Xiao's hand tightly.

This unwavering trust warmed Li Xiao's heart and strengthened his resolve to protect her.

The two ventured deeper into the secret realm in opposite directions.

Bai Haozhi's figure, like a dark cloud, loomed over their hearts.

Li Xiao knew that this refusal might have offended this seemingly gentle but actually gloomy hypocrite.

But he also knew that it was better to go it alone than to try to negotiate with a tiger.

"Senior brother, where are we going next?" Song Yu asked.

"Let's go to the area near the cold pool marked on the map."

Li Xiao took out the jade slip that Song Yu had compiled: "There are demonic beasts, Ice Scale Beasts, guarding the area, but there may be water-attribute spiritual objects at the bottom of the pool, which will greatly benefit our cultivation."

Moreover, the location is remote and sparsely populated, making it perfect for our secluded cultivation.

"Okay." Song Yu nodded.

The two figures disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

As Bai Haozhi watched them leave, a meaningful smile curved his lips, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Li Xiao of the Luoyun Sect possesses dual spiritual roots of metal and fire, is at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, can refine mid-grade pills, and can even kill demonic apes of higher levels... Interesting. His junior sister even has a water-attribute heavenly spiritual root; she should be the next generation of true disciples of the Luoyun Sect..."

The junior brother in white behind him asked, "Senior brother, are we just going to let them go like that?"

"Well, didn't Junior Nephew Li say there's a medicinal herb garden ahead? Let's go take a look; maybe there are some thousand-year-old herbs there."