Because the entire room was soundproof, when someone knocked on the door, it was usually a servant who went down to open it. However, Li Tan had no servants, so he had to go himself.
Standing at the door was the woman who had brought him here earlier.
“Mr. Li, Room 505. An elder from the Dan Pavilion has requested your presence,” she said.
Li Tan frowned slightly with a hint of displeasure. He had expected that someone might seek an audience with him, which wasn’t surprising. However, the fact that they had already disclosed their identity demonstrated sincerity. Considering the substantial price they had paid for his spiritual pills, he could only nod in agreement. “Lead the way,” he said.
“Of course.”
The woman respectfully stepped aside, gesturing with her hand. “Please follow me this way.”
Li Tan left his room, turning right and walking through a luxurious yet elegant corridor until he arrived at VIP Room 505.
He knocked. After a short while, a boy around eleven or twelve years old opened the door, asking with some confusion, “Big brother, who are you?”
“I’m the one you’re expecting,” Li Tan replied.
The boy blinked in surprise, his eyes widening slightly, though he quickly regained his composure. He gave Li Tan a strange, sidelong glance while politely gesturing him in. “Please come in. My master is waiting for you.”
Inside the VIP room, an elderly man in dark robes with white hair stood up excitedly. However, beneath his excitement, confusion was evident on his face. “Young sir, I was hoping to meet your master.”
This reaction was indeed expected.
Li Tan responded calmly, “My apologies, old sir, but I have no master and walk this path alone.”
“This…” The old man’s confusion deepened.
Although Li Tan’s voice had sounded youthful, they had assumed it might be disguised, or perhaps his apprentice had spoken for him during the auction.
Yet here he stood, declaring he had no master and no apprentices. While he could understand the old man’s confusion, it was difficult for Li Tan to explain further—he certainly couldn’t say he had been reborn, could he?
He shifted the conversation. “Is there something puzzling you, sir?”
The old man seized the opportunity. “Earlier, the batch of Lingering Void Pills sold at the auction—based on my observation—could not possibly have been crafted by an ordinary person. May I ask, is there any connection between that batch and you, young sir?”
At this point, Li Tan regretted his earlier statement about having no master. He should have just said his master couldn’t come!
However, one lie often required another to cover it. Thus, Li Tan said, “Indeed, those pills were crafted by me.”
“This… the person who refined that batch of Lingering Void Pills must also be at least a third-tier pill master. Young sir, you are so young…” The old man questioned doubtfully.
Li Tan gave a cryptic smile. “Hehe, the world is vast, full of wonders. Why must you dwell on such trivial matters, old sir?”
The old man was taken aback but then thought about Li Tan’s words and found them reasonable.
In the vast Nine Provinces, wasn’t it natural for extraordinary individuals to appear?
Perhaps Li Tan was from some mysterious, single-lineage family?
With this thought, he felt reassured. Still, to resolve his lingering doubts, he asked, “There is one matter I do not understand. I humbly request your guidance.”
“Please ask, old sir.”
“Why can’t Jun Tian Grass and Six-Leaf Blossom be used together?”
The question of why Jun Tian Grass and Six-Leaf Blossom couldn’t be used together was one only a third-tier pill master could answer—neither easy nor difficult.
He was trying to test whether Li Tan was indeed the one behind those pills. After all, though unlikely, there was still a possibility that Li Tan had obtained them by chance—perhaps from a dying pill master or through other means.
Li Tan understood the old man’s intention and didn’t mind his caution. He replied, “That question itself is flawed.”
“Where is the flaw?” the old man asked, puzzled.
“Jun Tian Grass and Six-Leaf Blossom can, in fact, be used together. Therefore, your question is invalid.”
“Nonsense! Using Jun Tian Grass and Six-Leaf Blossom together will cause an explosion in the pill furnace. This is common knowledge even for a third-tier pill master!”
“Old sir, have you personally tested every single medicinal herb in the world?”
“This…” Li Tan smiled. “You, like most pill masters, only know one side of the story but not the other.”
Although the old man strongly felt Li Tan’s words were absurd, something about the young man’s expression made him believe he wasn’t lying. Thus, he humbled himself. “I would like to hear more.”
Li Tan didn’t beat around the bush and explained directly, “Jun Tian Grass and Six-Leaf Blossom are yin and yang in nature, mutually repelling. Indeed, fusing them is impossible. However, nothing in the world is absolute. If, at the precise moment of yin-yang opposition, you add a liquid called Zhi Shui (governing water), the reaction can be neutralized.”
“What is this Zhi Shui?”
“It is the essence of water from the unfrozen lake at the peak of Wan Han Jue Ding, located south of the human lands—the sacred territory of the elves.”
“Elves? Wan Han Jue Ding?” These terms left the old man momentarily stunned.
“Elves… aren’t they just legends from ancient texts?”
Li Tan seemed to recall something and gazed southward.
He seemed to see, beyond the endless plains at the southernmost edge of human lands, behind the ten-thousand-zhang-high walls, blooming fields of exquisite ice lilies and a small figure with a pure, bright smile.
Snapping back to reality, Li Tan sighed softly, his expression turning somber, and his interaction with the old man quickly lost momentum.
“They are not merely legends,” he murmured.
Having lived for centuries, the old man prided himself on his ability to judge people.
At this moment, he desperately wanted to detect deception on Li Tan’s face—but he failed.
Was he really telling the truth?
“Let’s not dwell on this. Old sir, I assume you summoned me here for other reasons?”
Li Tan reminded him.
The old man suddenly recalled he hadn’t even stated his purpose yet and apologized. “I seem to have spoken too much. Please forgive my rudeness. Actually, I mainly wanted to ask—Are you, young sir, a member of our Dan Pavilion?”
Li Tan nodded.
Confusion returned to the old man’s face. “Then why do I have no recollection of you at all?”
“I am merely a first-tier pill master. How would you take notice of someone like me?” Li Tan replied.
The old man was momentarily stunned. “Why are you only a first-tier pill master? With your skills…”
“Pill master rankings are just titles. If I choose not to take the examination, does that mean I can’t refine pills?”
Li Tan countered.
The old man immediately understood and exclaimed in realization, “Ah, I see! However, obtaining a higher rank would grant you access to more resources. Why not pursue it?”
That was indeed true. Li Tan had considered taking the exam himself. However, refining high-tier pills required not only skill and knowledge but also a considerable level of true qi.
For example, with Li Tan’s current level of true qi, he could barely manage a second-tier pill. By the time he attempted a third-tier pill, his true qi would be completely drained before completion.
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