Yang Hao was almost driven to the brink of fury. Hun Yuanzi was simply outrageous—after Yang Hao had risked his life to bring something back, this bastard had gone and ruined it, and now he had the audacity to look so smug. Yang Hao didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. Resigned, he asked, “Alright then, what do you call these two toys?”
“These two are the Yin and Yang treasure cauldrons, known respectively as the Golden Essence Frost-Condensing Cauldron and the Golden Essence Flame-Burning Cauldron,” Hun Yuanzi replied. “My disciple, you’ve now reached the Spiritual Emptiness stage, so you can begin refining a wider variety of pills. These two cauldrons are essential tools. Don’t underestimate them just because they look like toys. In fact, their designs were originally left behind by an ancient deity. Although we couldn’t use the original materials, so we had to scale them down, they still retain the divine wisdom hidden within their mysterious patterns.”
“How mysterious could they be?” Yang Hao indeed noticed strange markings inside the small cauldrons, resembling talismanic symbols etched into the metal. Still, he found it hard to believe these tiny cauldrons could actually harness divine power.
“Golden Essence is a supreme treasure in the human world,” Hun Yuanzi explained. “It resists both extreme heat and cold, and can significantly amplify magical effects. By engraving talismans onto them and channeling true energy, you can create pills through magical force. The Frost-Condensing Cauldron can extract the essence of medicinal ingredients even in sub-zero conditions, while the Flame-Burning Cauldron can absorb your true fire, infusing the pills with intense heat energy.”
“I see,” Yang Hao muttered, still unconvinced.
“Did you get all the herbs I asked for last time?” Hun Yuanzi asked eagerly.
“Bought them,” Yang Hao replied listlessly. Hun Yuanzi had been making him buy batches of herbs every few days, spending a fortune. But those herbs had been sitting in storage for so long they were practically molding, and Hun Yuanzi hadn’t done anything with them yet.
“Well, now is the time to use what we’ve prepared,” Hun Yuanzi boasted. “I, your master, am always thinking ahead. Even before we found the Golden Essence, I had you stock up on herbs so that we could start crafting new supportive pills at any moment.”
“New supportive pills?” Yang Hao perked up slightly. Although Hun Yuanzi often messed things up during alchemy, the idea of a new pill was still exciting. “Are they more powerful than the Strength-Enhancing Pills?”
“These new pills will make you throw all your Strength-Enhancing Pills away,” Hun Yuanzi declared proudly.
“Throw them away?” Yang Hao frowned. “That doesn’t sound right. You’ve taught me a lot, but those Strength-Enhancing Pills are the only ones that actually work. Without them, how will I fight people?”
“You’ve already reached the Spiritual Emptiness stage,” Hun Yuanzi reminded him patiently. “Strength-Enhancing Pills are only effective for those at the Foundation-Building stage. Taking them now won’t do you any good.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” Yang Hao grew anxious. Although his cultivation had been progressing rapidly, he hadn’t forgotten that his enemies were formidable. There was Li Bo, the merchant, who might soon send powerful experts after him. And in the long run, the commander of the local swordsman guild—the older brother of Wang Zhijun—was still watching them like a hawk. Without the Strength-Enhancing Pills, it would be hard to hold his ground here.
“That’s exactly why we need new supportive pills!” Hun Yuanzi, unusually motivated by Yang Hao’s rapid progress, was becoming more proactive than usual. “With the Golden Essence Flame-Burning Cauldron, we can now create the Fire-Monkey Pill, specially designed for cultivators at the Spiritual Emptiness stage. This pill not only enhances strength but also has unique effects. I guarantee you’ll be more than satisfied!”
Hun Yuanzi sounded like a terrible insurance salesman, making Yang Hao’s scalp tingle. He had learned by now that whenever Hun Yuanzi got this excited, trouble was never far behind.
X13, perhaps sensing the shift in atmosphere, interrupted with its usual bluntness: “Save your breath. No amount of expired aphrodisiacs will help. We’ll be out of business in days anyway. What’s the point of making pills then?”
The words struck like a thunderclap. Yang Hao suddenly remembered—he had been so busy traveling and having fun with Shi Ming’ai these past few days that he’d completely forgotten about the bet between him and Li Bo. It was a deadly trap set by Li Bo and Ling Ziyan. Exactly how it would unfold, he still didn’t know.
“What’s the point of making supportive pills now? Are we really going to settle this with brute force?” Yang Hao said defiantly, though his heart was sinking. After all, he had just broken through to a new stage and had no idea how strong he really was.
To his surprise, Hun Yuanzi seemed unusually cheerful and unusually proactive today. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out. I’ve already planned everything to ensure you’ll survive no matter how they try to kill you.”
“You’ve got it figured out?” Yang Hao couldn’t hide his disbelief. “They’ve got all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, plus the swordsman guild working in the shadows. You may sound confident now, but when the time comes, you won’t even be able to touch a single strand of their hair.”
“Try pulling a single hair then,” Hun Yuanzi scoffed. “What’s a swordsman guild to us? Once you’re fully trained, ten swordsman guilds won’t be enough for us to slaughter.”
“Typical blowhard.”
“My dear disciple,” Hun Yuanzi, never one to miss an opportunity to lecture, returned to his favorite subject. “This is where the principles of physiology come in. I always tell you to study hard. Look at me—I’m a master of physiology and sexology. That’s why I’m invincible.”
“You’re just a pervert,” Yang Hao summarized succinctly.
But Hun Yuanzi didn’t seem to mind the label. “If you want to be untouchable, you must first become impervious to blades and bullets.”
“Only superheroes are impervious to blades and bullets!” Yang Hao thought Hun Yuanzi was completely unreliable.
“But you can be too!” Hun Yuanzi declared.
Yang Hao nearly jumped out of his skin. “Me too??”
Hun Yuanzi didn’t dwell on the point. “Actually, it’s quite simple. I’ll now teach you how to make the Ice-Skin and Iron-Body Ointment.”
“Ice-Skin? That sounds weird.”
“This is also a type of supportive pill,” Hun Yuanzi explained. “It’s based on the Dragon-Tiger Great Rejuvenation Pill, with additional ingredients added. X13, go get the herbs from the warehouse.”
Yang Hao listened to the list of ingredients. Though some were rare, they were all already in his warehouse. “If you had this plan all along, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’ve been worrying for nothing.”
“You couldn’t have made it before,” Hun Yuanzi replied. “Because this pill requires the Golden Essence Frost-Condensing Cauldron.”
X13 quickly brought the herbs. The robot was surprisingly obedient and clever—it even compressed the ingredients into small blocks so they could fit into the tiny cauldron, which was smaller than an orange.
“So now what?” Yang Hao looked at the cauldron with trepidation, unsure what kind of mess this would produce.
“Simple,” Hun Yuanzi said casually. “Just get the cauldron down to minus 200 degrees.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage