(I need to go buy a camera this afternoon, so I updated early. The update at midnight tonight remains unchanged. Please remember to vote.)
“Sanmei True Fire!! Me??” Yang Hao stood there stunned. Of course, he had heard of that name before, but apparently only extremely powerful experts could use Sanmei True Fire. Now he could do it too? Had he actually become some kind of immortal?
“You’re still far from becoming a deity,” Hunyuanzi seemed to understand Yang Hao’s thoughts, “but your combat power has indeed taken a leap. By current standards, you now have about a sixth-level battle capacity.”
“Sixth level??” Yang Hao was even more stunned. In the Imperial Army, even the top swordsmen in regular swordsmen groups only had about a fourth-level battle capacity. Sixth level was almost equivalent to the level of the vice-commander of the swordsmen group.
Thinking back only a few months ago, Yang Hao had still been a subpar student who couldn’t even pass basic spells, yet in the blink of an eye, he had become a top-tier expert. It was simply too unexpected.
(Going to buy a camera in the afternoon, so updating early. The midnight update remains unchanged. Remember to vote.)
“Samadhi True Fire!! Me??” Yang Hao was dumbfounded. Of course, he had heard of this name, but it seemed that only incredibly powerful masters in legends could wield the Samadhi True Fire. Now, he could do it too—had he become an immortal?
“You’re still far from being an immortal,” Hunyuanzi seemed to read Yang Hao’s thoughts. “But your combat power has indeed leaped forward. By current standards, you’re roughly at Level 6.”
“Level 6??” Yang Hao was even more stunned. In the Imperial Army, even the elite warriors in the regular swordsman squads only had Level 4 combat power. Level 6 was almost on par with the deputy commanders of the swordsman squads.
Just a few months ago, Yang Hao had been a failing student who couldn’t even master basic techniques. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he had become a top-tier expert—it was truly unbelievable.
Seeing Yang Hao still basking in the unexpected joy, Hunyuanzi turned to X13 and asked directly, “Little robot, you said those bugs eat gold, right?”
“Exactly, they specialize in gold,” X13 glanced around but saw no trace of the golden beetles. They must have assumed Yang Hao was dead and returned to their nest. He had no idea why Hunyuanzi was asking this.
But Hunyuanzi was a cunning old fox: “Those damn bugs have given us enough trouble. Now it’s time for revenge.”
Yang Hao snapped out of it: “You want me to burn all the bugs to death?”
“Nonsense! How much true energy do you have left? You might kill one or two, but the rest would devour you.” Hunyuanzi smirked slyly. “With your sudden breakthrough, use the movement technique I just taught you—your speed will double. Move now, and we’ll strike straight at their nest.”
Hunyuanzi had indeed found the right approach. After entering the Lingxu realm, Yang Hao felt light as a feather, as if filled with hydrogen. Whether walking or running, he could leap great distances effortlessly. Combined with the “Flying Flower Phantom Steps,” his speed became almost illusory.
Thus, Yang Hao overtook the returning beetle swarm and reached their nest first. The bugs’ nest was utterly uncreative—they had chosen a vast canyon. Within a few hectares of the canyon, beetle eggs and immature larvae were scattered everywhere.
“You don’t expect me to burn their entire nest, do you?” Yang Hao hesitated. “I don’t want to kill indiscriminately. These bugs don’t even look tasty.”
“Though I’m a glutton, even I have no interest in roasted bugs,” Hunyuanzi said mysteriously. “I once heard that creatures that feed on gold often refine a liquid called ‘Gold Essence’—the concentrated essence left after digestion. When this essence solidifies, it becomes extremely heat-resistant and has unique properties. It’s the perfect material for crafting alchemy furnaces, but it’s incredibly rare!”
“You mean there’s Gold Essence here?” As soon as Yang Hao spoke, his heightened senses kicked in, detecting traces of the essence buried throughout the canyon.
“I thought taking those pills would make me an immortal,” Yang Hao sighed in disappointment. “Turns out, I’m still just a thief.”
“Enough whining!” Hunyuanzi put on his master’s tone. “Just take what you’re told to take!”
“Stop being so bossy!” Yang Hao grumbled as he darted into the canyon, though he muttered under his breath, “Careful, or I’ll burn you up along with my intestines…”
“Done!!” X13 shouted as two radiant golden objects landed before Yang Hao.
Yang Hao stared blankly at the toy-like objects in front of him. After all the hardship and exhausting his true energy, was this all he got—two tiny incense burners barely the size of his palm?
Over ten hours earlier, Yang Hao had been searching for the Gold Essence in the golden beetles’ nest on Aquaplanet. He had imagined piles of the stuff, enough to fill a warehouse. Yet, after all his efforts, he found only a fist-sized lump.
The Gold Essence was indeed extraordinary. Though its color resembled gold, gold itself was lifeless—no matter how beautiful, it remained inert. The Gold Essence, however, seemed alive, fluid, as if it could slip through one’s fingers at any moment.
Back on Remon, Shih Ming-ai had gone to negotiate her release terms at Lingfei Starsea, while Yang Hao returned to his hideout, exhausted and ready to sleep. Meanwhile, Hunyuanzi whispered instructions to X13 on crafting a new alchemy furnace from the Gold Essence.
But the birth of the new furnace failed to excite Yang Hao in the slightest.
“Seriously? What kind of joke is this?” Yang Hao weighed the so-called furnaces—each no larger than a ping-pong ball. Even kids wouldn’t play with such shoddy toys.
“A joke?” Hunyuanzi fumed. “Let me tell you, these furnaces are made of Gold Essence. For you, they’re revolutionary.”
“You’ve ‘revolutionized’ things way too many times,” Yang Hao shot back. “Every time you cook up something, you call it revolutionary. Cut the crap!”
“This time is different.” Hunyuanzi, having worked tirelessly on this, wouldn’t tolerate skepticism. “Do you know how rare Gold Essence is? Before the space age, finding creatures that fed on gold was a once-in-a-millennium event. You were lucky to get your hands on some, and we’ve put it to good use.”
“Gold Essence, scientifically known as Gold Extract C9908I, cannot be artificially synthesized. On the black market, it’s priced at roughly 10 million Imperial Credits per kilogram,” X13 chimed in, reciting a string of data.
Yang Hao blinked, processing this. “You mean the Gold Essence I brought back is worth over 10 million?!”
“Correct!” X13 replied emotionlessly. Robots only cared about energy, not money.
“Damn it!” Yang Hao exploded. “You two idiots! You turned something worth millions into this junk? How am I supposed to sell it now? As kids’ toys?”
Indeed, the so-called furnaces in Yang Hao’s palm were pitifully light and clearly mixed with other alloys, reducing their value to less than a thousandth of the original. The Gold Essence had been utterly wasted.
Yet Hunyuanzi showed no remorse. Instead, he lectured Yang Hao: “At your age, all you care about is money. How can you honor your master with such materialism?” He ranted on, conveniently forgetting that he was the one who had taught Yang Hao to chase wealth. After the scolding, he abruptly switched to praising himself: “Unlike you, I treat money as dirt. That huge lump of Gold Essence—we used what we needed and wasted the rest without hesitation. Ten million? Pah! Once these Gold Essence furnaces are complete, no amount of money would matter to me.”
“That’s right, they specifically eat gold,” X13 looked around but didn’t see any golden-shelled bugs anymore. These bugs probably thought Yang Hao was already dead, so they had all returned to their nest. He wondered what Hunyuanzi was up to asking about this.
But Hunyuanzi was indeed a sly old fox: “Damn little bugs made us suffer so much. Now it’s time for revenge.”
Yang Hao snapped out of it: “You want me to burn all the bugs to death?”
“Nonsense! Do you think you have that much true energy? You might be able to burn one or two, but the rest would just swallow you whole,” Hunyuanzi sneered. “Your sudden progress, combined with the new technique I just taught you, has doubled your speed. Now go—we’re heading straight to the bugs’ nest.”
Hunyuanzi’s plan was indeed spot-on. After entering the Lingxu state, Yang Hao indeed felt as light as a feather, as if filled with hydrogen. Whether walking or running, he could leap far with a single step. Using the Feihua Huanying technique made him even faster, moving like a phantom shadow.
Therefore, Yang Hao could arrive at the bugs’ nest faster than the returning swarm of golden-shelled beetles. The nest itself was quite unimaginative—they had chosen a large canyon. Inside this canyon, covering several square hectares, were countless beetle eggs and immature young bugs.
“You don’t want me to burn down their entire nest, right?” Yang Hao hesitated slightly. “I don’t want to kill wantonly. Look, these bugs don’t even look tasty.”
“Although your master enjoys eating, I have no interest in roasting bugs,” Hunyuanzi mysteriously revealed the truth. “I once heard that beasts which feed on gold usually produce a liquid called Gold Essence. It’s the concentrated essence left after digesting gold. When enough Gold Essence accumulates, it solidifies. This material is hard to melt, extremely heat-resistant, and has special properties. It’s an excellent material for making cauldrons, but it’s generally very hard to obtain!”
(I’m going to buy a camera in the afternoon, so I updated early. The update plan at 12 PM tonight remains unchanged. Remember to vote.)
“Samadhi True Fire!! Me??” Yang Hao was dumbfounded. Of course, he had heard of this name, but it seemed that in stories, those who could use Samadhi True Fire were all incredibly powerful masters. Now, he could do it too—had he become some kind of immortal?
“You’re still far from being an immortal,” Hunyuanzi seemed to read Yang Hao’s thoughts. “But your combat power has indeed leaped forward. By modern standards, you’re now roughly at Level Six.”
“Level Six??” Yang Hao was even more stunned. In the Imperial Army, even the elite warriors in the swordsman corps usually only reached Level Four. Level Six was almost on par with the deputy commander of the swordsman corps.
Just a few months ago, Yang Hao had been a failing student who couldn’t even master basic techniques. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he had become a top-tier expert—it was truly unbelievable.
Seeing Yang Hao still basking in the unexpected joy, Hunyuanzi turned to X13 and asked directly, “Little robot, you said those bugs eat gold, right?”
“Exactly, they specialize in gold,” X13 looked around but saw no trace of the golden beetles. The bugs probably thought Yang Hao was dead and had all returned to their nest. He had no idea why Hunyuanzi was asking this.
But Hunyuanzi was a cunning old fox: “Those damn bugs gave us hell. Now it’s time for revenge.”
Yang Hao snapped out of it: “You want me to burn all the bugs to death?”
“Nonsense! How much energy do you think you have? Burning one or two might work, but the rest would swallow you whole.” Hunyuanzi smirked slyly. “With your sudden breakthrough, use the movement technique I just taught you—your speed will double. Move now, and we’ll strike straight at their nest.”
Hunyuanzi had indeed found the right approach. After entering the Lingxu realm, Yang Hao felt light as a feather, as if filled with hydrogen. Whether walking or running, he could leap great distances effortlessly. Combined with the “Flying Flower Phantom Steps,” his speed became almost illusory.
Thus, Yang Hao arrived at the beetles’ nest even faster than the returning swarm. The bugs’ lair was utterly unoriginal—they had chosen a massive canyon. Within a few hectares of the gorge, beetle eggs and immature larvae were scattered everywhere.
“You don’t expect me to burn their entire nest, do you?” Yang Hao hesitated. “I don’t want to kill indiscriminately. These bugs don’t even look tasty.”
“Though I love food, roasted bugs aren’t my thing,” Hunyuanzi said mysteriously. “I once heard that creatures that feed on gold often produce a liquid called ‘Gold Essence’—the refined extract left after digestion. When Gold Essence accumulates, it solidifies. It’s resistant to melting, withstands extreme heat, and has unique properties. It’s the perfect material for alchemy furnaces, but it’s incredibly rare!”
“You’re saying there’s Gold Essence here?” As soon as Yang Hao spoke, his keen senses activated, revealing multiple deposits of Gold Essence hidden in the canyon.
“I thought taking those pills would make me an immortal,” Yang Hao sighed in frustration. “Turns out, I’m still just a thief.”
“Enough whining!” Hunyuanzi put on his master’s tone. “If I say take it, you take it!”
“Stop being so bossy!” Yang Hao grumbled as he darted into the canyon, though he muttered under his breath, “Careful, or I’ll burn you up along with my intestines…”
“Done!!” X13 shouted as two radiant golden objects landed before Yang Hao.
Staring at the toy-like items in front of him, Yang Hao was speechless. After all the hardship and exhausting his energy, was this all he got—two tiny incense burners barely the size of his palm?
Over ten hours earlier, Yang Hao had been searching for Gold Essence in the golden beetles’ nest on Shuimian Star. He had imagined piles of it, enough to fill a warehouse. Yet, after all the effort, he found only a fist-sized lump.
The Gold Essence was indeed extraordinary. Though its color resembled gold, gold was lifeless—no matter how beautiful, it was just a dull lump. Gold Essence, however, seemed like a living, flowing entity, as if it could liquefy and slip through one’s fingers at any moment.
Back on Remon Star, Shi Ming’ai had gone to negotiate ransom terms at Lingfei Star Sea, while Yang Hao returned to his hideout, exhausted and ready to sleep. Meanwhile, Hunyuanzi whispered instructions to X13 on crafting a new alchemy furnace from the Gold Essence.
But the birth of the new furnace failed to excite Yang Hao in the slightest.
“Seriously? What kind of junk is this?” Yang Hao held up the so-called furnaces, each no larger than a ping-pong ball—even kids wouldn’t play with such shoddy toys.
“Junk?” Hunyuanzi fumed. “Let me tell you, these furnaces are made of Gold Essence. For you, they’re revolutionary.”
“You’ve ‘revolutionized’ things way too many times,” Yang Hao shot back. “Every time you tinker with something, you call it revolutionary. Cut the crap!”
“This time is different.” Hunyuanzi, having worked tirelessly, wouldn’t tolerate skepticism. “Do you know how rare Gold Essence is? Before the space age, finding creatures that fed on gold was a once-in-a-millennium event. You got lucky this time, securing a piece, and we’re making the most of it.”
“Gold Essence, also known as Gold Extract C9908I, cannot be artificially synthesized. Its black-market price is roughly ten million Imperial credits per kilogram,” X13 chimed in, reciting a string of data.
Yang Hao blinked, processing the information. “You’re saying the Gold Essence I brought back is worth over ten million?!”
“Correct!” X13 replied emotionlessly. Robots only cared about energy, not money.
“Damn it!” Yang Hao exploded. “You two bastards! You turned something worth millions into this junk? How am I supposed to sell it now? As a kid’s toy?!”
Indeed, the so-called furnaces in Yang Hao’s palm were pitifully lightweight and clearly mixed with other alloys, reducing their value to less than a thousandth of the original. The Gold Essence had been utterly wasted.
Yet Hunyuanzi showed no remorse. Instead, he lectured Yang Hao: “At your age, all you care about is money. How can you honor your master with such materialism?” He ranted on, completely forgetting it was he who had taught Yang Hao to chase wealth. After the scolding, he abruptly switched to praising himself: “Unlike you, I see money as dirt. That huge lump of Gold Essence—we used what was necessary and wasted the rest without hesitation. Ten million? Pah! Once these two Gold Essence furnaces are complete, no amount of money matters to me.”
“I thought taking pills would make me an immortal,” Yang Hao couldn’t help but feel disheartened. “Turns out I’m still destined to be a thief.”
“Less talking!” Hunyuanzi assumed the tone of a master, “If I tell you to take it, then take it!”
“What’s the big deal!” Although Yang Hao grumbled, he still dashed into the canyon, muttering to himself, “Wait till I roast you and my intestines together with my true fire…”
“It’s done!!” X13 shouted loudly, and two golden objects dropped in front of Yang Hao.
Looking at the two items before him that looked like toys, Yang Hao’s eyes widened. After going through so much hardship and exhausting a lot of true energy, was this all he got—two tiny incense burners that could barely fit in one hand?
More than ten hours earlier, on the planet Suimian, Yang Hao had searched the golden-shelled bugs’ nest for the Gold Essence Hunyuanzi mentioned. He had always assumed that with so many bugs, the Gold Essence would be enough to fill a warehouse. But who would have guessed that, after so much effort, he only found a piece the size of a fist.
This Gold Essence indeed looked unique. Although its color was similar to gold, gold always looked lifeless, no matter how beautiful it was—it was still just a dead lump. But the Gold Essence seemed alive, like living gold. It looked as if it could turn into liquid at any moment and slip through one’s fingers.
After returning to the planet Laimeng, Shiming’an went to the Lingfei Star Sea to negotiate the conditions for redeeming someone’s freedom, while Yang Hao returned to his hideout, exhausted and ready to fall asleep. Hunyuanzi, however, whispered instructions to X13 on how to use the Gold Essence to make new pill cauldrons.
However, the birth of the new pill cauldrons didn’t spark even a bit of interest in Yang Hao.
“No way, what is this thing?” Yang Hao weighed the so-called cauldron in his hand. Each was only the size of a ping-pong ball. Even children wouldn’t play with such low-quality products anymore.
“A toy?” Hunyuanzi was indignant. “Let me tell you, these two cauldrons are made from Gold Essence. For you, they’re revolutionary items.”
“You’ve ‘revolutionized’ many times already,” Yang Hao quickly retorted. “Every time you make something, you say it’s revolutionary. Spare me!”
“This time is absolutely different,” Hunyuanzi, who had worked tirelessly to create this, would not tolerate any doubt. “Do you know how precious Gold Essence is? Before the space age, finding beasts that feed on gold was a once-in-a-thousand-years occurrence. Now, with your good fortune, you managed to get a piece. We must make full use of it.”
“The so-called Gold Essence is Gold Extract C9908I. Humans cannot extract it actively. Its black-market price is about ten million imperial credits per kilogram,” X13 chimed in, reciting a long string of data to Yang Hao.
Yang Hao blinked, slowly realizing: “You mean the Gold Essence I brought back from Suimian is worth tens of millions?!”
“Exactly!” X13 replied without emotion, as robots only cared about energy, not money.
“What the hell!” Yang Hao exploded in anger. “You two bastards! You turned something worth tens of millions into this junk? Who am I going to sell this to? Kids as toys?”
Indeed, the so-called pill cauldrons in Yang Hao’s palm were pitifully light, and obviously mixed with other alloys. Their value was probably less than a thousandth of what it was before. In other words, that piece of Gold Essence had been completely wasted.
Yet Hunyuanzi showed no remorse, instead lecturing him: “You’re still so young, and already obsessed with money. How can you ever respect your master in the future…” Hunyuanzi rambled on, completely forgetting that it was he himself who had taught Yang Hao to earn money in the first place. After finishing his scolding, he suddenly changed tone and praised himself: “Unlike you, your master treats money like dirt. That big piece of Gold Essence—we wasted as much as we could during the forging process. Not only tens of millions, even if it were worth more, I wouldn’t care about it at all as long as these two Gold Essence cauldrons are successfully made.”
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