shì xiān dé dào xìn xī 。 tiān cāng bù de qí tā wū shī ， yě dōu gǎn lái xiāng yíng ， wéi shǒu dì zhèng shì nà míng jiào sāng tuō dì lǎo zhě 。 yǐ jí bā liǎn dà hàn le ， zhì yú qí tā de ， bù guò shì yī xiē líng dòng qī de dī jiē wū shī ér yǐ 。 bù gǎn duō yán ， zhǐ shì liǎn lù jìng wèi de shù shǒu zhàn zài yī biān 。
事先得到信息。天苍部的其他巫师，也都赶来相迎，为首地正是那名叫桑托地老者。以及疤脸大汉了，至于其他的，不过是一些灵动期的低阶巫师而已。不敢多言，只是脸露敬畏的束手站在一边。
Previously, it was known that the other witchcraft practitioners from the Sky Azure Tribe had also gathered to greet Lin Xuan. Leading them was an elderly man named Sando and a big man with a scar on his face. The rest were merely low-ranking witches in the Flexible Spirit Period.
jiàn lǐ zhī hòu ， zì rán yòu shì yī fān hán xuān ， lín xuān jué de 。 liǎng rén duì zì jǐ dì tài dù 。 dōu dà wèi gǎi biàn 。 dì yī cì jiàn miàn dì shí hòu 。 hái yǒu xiē lěng mò 。 xiàn zài zé xiǎn de gé wài dì yǒu shàn qīn rè 。 xiǎng lái zhè cì zì jǐ wèi bù luò lì xià dà gōng 。 xiū wèi gèng shì yuǎn yuǎn shèng guò liǎng rén bù zhǐ yī chóu ， kū yè dà shī nián shì yǐ gāo 。 dài tā zuò huà yǐ hòu ， zì jǐ dà yǒu kě néng jì wèi chéng wéi běn bù zhǎng lǎo 。 liǎng rén zì rán yào bā jié tǎo hǎo 。
见礼之后，自然又是一番寒暄，林轩觉得。两人对自己地态度。都大为改变。第一次见面地时候。还有些冷漠。现在则显得格外地友善亲热。想来这次自己为部落立下大功。修为更是远远胜过两人不止一筹，枯叶大师年事已高。待他坐化以后，自己大有可能继位成为本部长老。两人自然要巴结讨好。
After the formalities, there followed some pleasantries. Lin Xuan felt that their attitudes towards him had changed significantly. Initially, they had been somewhat cold, but now they seemed unusually friendly and warm. Given that he had just made significant contributions to the tribe and his cultivation was far superior to theirs, it was natural for them to curry favor with him.
xiǎng tōng zhè diǎn zhī hòu 。 lín xuān zì rán yě shì miàn bù gǎi sè de yǔ liǎng rén hán xuān yìng chóu 。 rán hòu yì qǐ huí dào le kū yè de dòng fǔ zhī zhōng 。
想通这点之后。林轩自然也是面不改色的与两人寒暄应酬。然后一起回到了枯叶的洞府之中。
With this in mind, Lin Xuan naturally continued to chat amiably with them as they returned to Sando's lair.
jǐng wù yī jiù ， kū yè xīn qíng jí hǎo ， yī lù shàng de dān xīn yōu lǜ yī sǎo ér guāng ， yǔ xī rì de fēng guāng bù tóng 。 rú jīn dì tiān cāng bù zhǐ shì bù qǐ yǎn dì xiǎo bù luò ， dì chǔ piān pì 。 jù lí kuí yuè chéng shù qiān lǐ ， hào tiān guǐ dì yīng gāi bú huì liú cuàn dào zhè lǐ 。
景物依旧，枯叶心情极好，一路上的担心忧虑一扫而光，与昔日的风光不同。如今地天苍部只是不起眼地小部落，地处偏僻。距离奎月城数千里，昊天鬼帝应该不会流窜到这里。
The scenery remained unchanged. Sando was in high spirits; all his worries had vanished. Unlike the glory of old, the Sky Azure Tribe was now a small and inconspicuous tribe, located far from Quyue City. The Heavenly Ghost Emperor probably wouldn't venture this far.
zuò dìng yǐ hòu ， zì yǒu fán rén pú yì fèng shàng xiāng míng 。 xiū xī le yī huì er 。 kū yè qǐ shēn cóng páng biān de mì shì zhōng ná chū yí gè chǔ wù dài 。
坐定以后，自有凡人仆役奉上香茗。休息了一会儿。枯叶起身从旁边的密室中拿出一个储物袋。
After settling down, common servants brought them tea. After resting for a while, Sando stood up and took out a storage bag from a nearby secret room with a flick of his wrist. Two spirit artifacts appeared on the table: a small double-edged battle axe that gleamed with icy white light, and a black dagger like ink.
shǒu wàn yī dǒu 。 liǎng jiàn líng qì chū xiàn zài le àn qián 。
手腕一抖。两件灵器出现在了案前。
Sando and the scar-faced man's eyes sparkled with greed as they saw them.
yī bǐng xiǎo qiǎo dì shuāng rèn zhàn fǔ 。 fēng lì fēi cháng 。 shǎn shuò zhe xuě bái de hán guāng 。
一柄小巧地双刃战斧。锋利非常。闪烁着雪白的寒光。
"These two spirit artifacts have followed me for many years; I used them before my core formation. They still hold some power. Since you've made significant contributions to our tribe, here are your rewards."
yī bǐng qī hēi rú mò dì fēi dāo ， rán ér zhì dì què yòu bǐ jiào qí tè 。 sì hū shì yòng mǒu zhǒng yāo shòu dì gǔ tou dǎ zhì ér chéng dì 。
一柄漆黑如墨地飞刀，然而质地却又比较奇特。似乎是用某种妖兽地骨头打制而成地。
"Battle Axe of Mountain Opening!"
sāng tuō hé nà bā liǎn dà hàn jiàn le 。 dōu liǎng yǎn fàng guāng 。 liǎn shàng liú lù chū tān lán zhī sè 。
桑托和那疤脸大汉见了。都两眼放光。脸上流露出贪婪之色。
"Toxic Tooth Blade!"
“ zhè liǎng jiàn líng qì gēn suí lǎo fū yǐ jiǔ 。 nǎi shì wǒ zǎo nián wèi níng dān shí suǒ yòng ， wēi lì hái suàn bú cuò 。 zhè cì nǐ wèi běn bù lì xià dà gōng ， jiù jiǎng lì gěi nǐ le 。”
“这两件灵器跟随老夫已久。乃是我早年未凝丹时所用，威力还算不错。这次你为本部立下大功，就奖励给你了。”
...
“ kāi shān fǔ ！”
“开山斧！”
Hearing Sando call out the names of these treasures, Sando's expression was one of pride. These artifacts were indeed well-known in the spirit artifact world, but Lin Xuan naturally didn't care. He still had to pretend to be overjoyed and accept them with gratitude.
“ dú yá dāo ！”
“毒牙刀！”
After sitting for another half an hour, chatting about trivial matters, Lin Xuan politely bid farewell, saying he needed to return to his cave for intensive cultivation. Sando was naturally pleased by this effort and did not try to retain him. Instead, he encouraged him, saying that if he encountered any difficulties in his cultivation, he could come back at any time.
tīng sāng tuō jiào chū liǎng jiàn bǎo wù de míng zì ， kū yè ào rán yī xiào 。 sì hū zhè liǎng jiàn dōng xī ， zài líng qì zhōng míng shēng fēi xiǎo de yàng zi ， kě xī lín xuān zì rán bú huì zài yì 。 rán ér què bù dé bù zhuāng chū xīn xǐ fēi cháng dì yàng zi shōu xià 。 yòu bài xiè le jǐ jù 。
听桑托叫出两件宝物的名字，枯叶傲然一笑。似乎这两件东西，在灵器中名声非小的样子，可惜林轩自然不会在意。然而却不得不装出欣喜非常地样子收下。又拜谢了几句。
A short while later, Lin Xuan returned to Lai's lair and immediately entered a secret room without hesitation.
yòu zuò le xiǎo bàn gè shí chén de shí jiān ， liáo le yī xiē wú zú qīng zhòng de huà tí 。 lín xuān jiù kāi kǒu xiàng kū yè gào cí ， shuō zì jǐ yào huí dòng zhōng kǔ xiū 。 duì yú tā de nǔ lì ， kū yè zì rán xīn zhōng huān xǐ ， yě bù wǎn liú 。 fǎn ér chū yán miǎn lì le jǐ jù 。 shuō xiū liàn zhōng ruò shì yù dào shén me bù jiě zhī chù ， kě yǐ suí shí lái tā zhè lǐ 。
又坐了小半个时辰的时间，聊了一些无足轻重的话题。林轩就开口向枯叶告辞，说自己要回洞中苦修。对于他的努力，枯叶自然心中欢喜，也不挽留。反而出言勉励了几句。说修炼中若是遇到什么不解之处，可以随时来他这里。
Lin Xuan first sat quietly for about an incense stick's worth of time, adjusting his mind to its best state. Then, he tapped the storage bag, causing white light to flash as a small jade bottle appeared in his palm.
……
……
He unscrewed the cap and poured out several golden pills from inside.
yī xiǎo huì er zhī hòu 。 lín xuān jiù huí dào le luò yī dì dòng fǔ ， rán hòu èr huà bù shuō dì jìn rù le mì shì zhī zhōng 。
一小会儿之后。林轩就回到了洛伊地洞府，然后二话不说地进入了密室之中。
These ancient spirit pills could only be consumed once in one’s lifetime. Although Lin Xuan had coincidentally obtained several of them, he did not plan on wasting any.
lín xuān xiān jìng zuò le yuē yī zhù xiāng dì shí jiān 。 jiāng xīn shén tiáo zhěng dào le zuì jiā zhuàng tài 。 rán hòu zài chǔ wù dài shàng yī pāi 。 bái guāng yī shǎn 。 zhǎng xīn zhōng duō chū le yī xiǎo qiǎo de yù píng lái 。
林轩先静坐了约一炷香地时间。将心神调整到了最佳状态。然后在储物袋上一拍。白光一闪。掌心中多出了一小巧的玉瓶来。
His dantian contained blue Star Sea, so he intended to purify these ancient spirit pills as before, hoping that their quality would improve and increase the chances of refining excellent spirit roots.
bá kāi píng sāi 。 cóng lǐ miàn dào chū jǐ lì jīn sè de yào wán 。
拔开瓶塞。从里面倒出几粒金色的药丸。
Lin Xuan took one pill, played with it for a while, then carefully grasped it. Closing his eyes, he used his mana to activate the blue Star Sea, allowing it to emit magical light points.
zhè zhǒng shàng gǔ líng dān ， yī shēng zhī zhōng zhǐ néng fú yòng yī cì ， bù guò lín xuān suī rán qiǎo hé zhī xià dé dào le shù méi 。 què yě bìng bù dǎ suàn làng fèi 。
这种上古灵丹，一生之中只能服用一次，不过林轩虽然巧合之下得到了数枚。却也并不打算浪费。
Unlike when he first obtained this treasure, as Lin Xuan's cultivation increased, so did the size of the blue Star Sea. If its initial area was compared to a small puddle, now it had expanded into an acre-sized pond, increasing by hundreds or even thousands of times.
tā dān tián zhī zhōng yùn cáng zhe lán sè xīng hǎi ， gù ér zhǔn bèi xiàng yǐ qián yī yàng duì zhè zhǒng shàng gǔ líng dān jìn xíng tí cún ， zhǐ yào néng gòu ràng qí pǐn zhì dé dào tí shēng 。 xiǎng bì yǒu gèng dà dì jī lǜ cuì liàn chū bù cuò de líng gēn 。
他丹田之中蕴藏着蓝色星海，故而准备像以前一样对这种上古灵丹进行提存，只要能够让其品质得到提升。想必有更大地几率淬炼出不错的灵根。
Soon, the blue light points coalesced into a stream that flowed through his meridians and reached his palm. With his other hand, he curled his index finger and thumb, casting a spell between his knees. After so much practice, Lin Xuan's mastery over the blue Star Sea was at an extremely high level.
lín xuān qǔ guò yī lì yào wán ， bǎ wán le yī huì er ， rán hòu cái zhēn ér zhòng zhī de jiāng tā wò zhù ， bì shàng shuāng móu 。 yòng fǎ lì cuī dòng lán sè xīng hǎi ， ràng tā shì fàng chū shén qí de guāng diǎn lái 。
林轩取过一粒药丸，把玩了一会儿，然后才珍而重之的将牠握住，闭上双眸。用法力催动蓝色星海，让牠释放出神奇的光点来。
He also had many techniques under his belt.
yǔ chū dé cǐ bǎo shí bù tóng ， suí zhe lín xuān xiū wèi dì bù duàn zēng jiā ， zhè lán sè xīng hǎi yě suí zhī kuò dà ， rú guǒ jiāng tā gāng kāi shǐ dì miàn jī bǐ yù chéng yí gè xiǎo shuǐ kēng 。 nà me xiàn zài 。 yǐ jīng shì yī mǔ chí táng le 。 zēng jiā le chéng bǎi shàng qiān bèi 。
与初得此宝时不同，随着林轩修为地不断增加，这蓝色星海也随之扩大，如果将牠刚开始地面积比喻成一个小水坑。那么现在。已经是一亩池塘了。增加了成百上千倍。
Although this was his first time purifying these ancient spirit pills, he still had more than a 70% chance of success.
hěn kuài ， lán sè guāng diǎn jiù huì jù chéng le yī gǔ xī liú ， shùn zhe jīng mài ， liú dào le zhǎng xīn zhī zhōng ， lín xuān kōng zhe dì lìng yī zhī shǒu 。 zé shí zhǐ yǔ mǔ zhǐ xiāng kòu ， qiā le yī dào fǎ jué ， fàng zài liǎng xī zhī jiān ， jīng lì le zhè me duō shí jiàn ， lín xuān duì lán sè xīng hǎi dì yùn yòng ， zì rán dào le chún shǔ yǐ jí de dì bù 。
很快，蓝色光点就汇聚成了一股溪流，顺着经脉，流到了掌心之中，林轩空着地另一只手。则食指与拇指相扣，掐了一道法诀，放在两膝之间，经历了这么多实践，林轩对蓝色星海地运用，自然到了纯属以极的地步。
...
ér qiě zhǎng wò dì jì qiǎo yě pǒ duō 。
而且掌握地技巧也颇多。
After two full days, Lin Xuan finally opened his eyes. He slowly spread out his palm; inside were still golden pills, but they now shone even brighter. Beside the pill, there was a small red powder—impurities.
suī rán shì dì yī cì tí chún zhè zhǒng shàng gǔ líng dān ， lín xuān què yě yǒu qī chéng yǐ shàng de bǎ wò 。
虽然是第一次提纯这种上古灵丹，林轩却也有七成以上的把握。
Everything went smoothly, and Lin Xuan's expression showed satisfaction.
……
……
After resting for a while, several hours later, the blue Star Sea gradually recovered as his mana replenished it.
zhěng zhěng liǎng tiān yǐ hòu ， lín xuān cái zhēng kāi bì zhe de shuāng móu 。 rán hòu 。 tā màn màn jiāng zhǎng xīn tān kāi 。 lǐ miàn yī jiù shì yī lì jīn huáng sè dì yào wán ， rán ér què bǐ gāng kāi shǐ shí gèng jiā de yào yǎn ， ér zài líng dān páng biān 。 zé yǒu yī xiǎo tuán hóng sè dì fěn mò ， nà xiē yīng gāi jiù shì zá zhì le 。
整整两天以后，林轩才睁开闭着的双眸。然后。他慢慢将掌心摊开。里面依旧是一粒金黄色地药丸，然而却比刚开始时更加的耀眼，而在灵丹旁边。则有一小团红色地粉末，那些应该就是杂质了。
Then, Lin Xuan poured another spirit pill from the jade bottle.
yī qiè shùn lì ， lín xuān liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng shí fēn mǎn yì 。
一切顺利，林轩脸上的表情十分满意。
...
shāo shì xiū xī ， shù gè shí chén yǐ hòu ， lán sè xīng hǎi suí zhāo fǎ lì zhú jiàn fù yuán 。
稍事休息，数个时辰以后，蓝色星海随着法力逐渐复原。
In this manner, he repeated the process. Over nearly ten days, Lin Xuan finally purified all four ancient spirit pills.
rán hòu lín xuān yòu cóng yù píng zhōng dào chū yī lì líng dān 。
然后林轩又从玉瓶中倒出一粒灵丹。
After resting again, Lin Xuan looked at a middle-grade pill in his hand and pondered. If he could refine it into an upper-grade one, the chances of refining high-quality spirit roots would be greater.
……
……
Since he had plenty, failure wouldn't matter. With this thought, Lin Xuan held one of the pills in his hand and used mana to activate another blue light point from his dantian.
jiù zhè yàng ， zhōu ér fù shǐ 。 lín xuān huā le jìn shí tiān de shí jiān ， zhōng yú jiāng sì lì shàng gǔ líng dān quán bù yī yī tí chún le chū lái 。
就这样，周而复始。林轩花了近十天的时间，终于将四粒上古灵丹全部一一提纯了出来。
This purification took nearly five days.
yòu xiū xī le yī zhèn ， lín xuān kàn zhuó shǒu zhōng de zhōng pǐn dān miàn lù chén yín 。 rú guǒ néng gòu zài tí liàn chéng shàng pǐn ， xiǎng bì cuì liàn chū yōu zhì líng gēn dì jī lǜ huì gèng dà yī xiē 。
又休息了一阵，林轩看着手中的中品丹面露沉吟。如果能够再提炼成上品，想必淬炼出优质灵根地几率会更大一些。
However, when Lin Xuan opened his palm, his expression was rather grim; the pill had turned into a black crystal. Clearly, it had failed!
fǎn zhèng yě yǒu duō de ， shī bài le yě méi yǒu wèn tí 。 xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， lín xuān jiāng qí zhōng yī lì wò zài shǒu lǐ 。 zài cì yòng fǎ lì yī cuī ， cóng dān tián zhī zhōng fēn chū lán sè guāng diǎn 。
反正也有多的，失败了也没有问题。想到这里，林轩将其中一粒握在手里。再次用法力一催，从丹田之中分出蓝色光点。
Sighing, refining upper-grade pills proved more difficult than expected.
zhè cì tí chún yòng le jìn wǔ rì de shí jiān 。
这次提纯用了近五日的时间。
Fortunately, he had anticipated this result to some extent, so there was no disappointment. After resting for a while, he redoubled his efforts.
rán ér lín xuān tān kāi shǒu zhǎng ， biǎo qíng què yǒu xiē nán kàn ， dān yào yǐ jīng biàn chéng le yī kē hēi sè dì jīng tǐ ， jié guǒ hěn xiǎn rán 。 shī bài ！
然而林轩摊开手掌，表情却有些难看，丹药已经变成了一颗黑色地晶体，结果很显然。失败！
...
tàn le kǒu qì 。 xiǎng yào tí chún shàng pǐn dān guǒ rán bú shì nà me róng yì 。
叹了口气。想要提纯上品丹果然不是那么容易。
However, perhaps due to the high difficulty, Lin Xuan did not receive divine favor in the next two attempts, and both purifications failed.
hǎo zài zhè zhǒng jié guǒ shì qián yě liào dào le jǐ fēn ， gù ér yě méi yǒu shén me jǔ sàng shī yì 。 shāo shì xiū xī yǐ hòu zài jiē zài lì 。
好在这种结果事前也料到了几分，故而也没有什么沮丧失意。稍事休息以后再接再厉。
Since he knew it would be difficult, Lin Xuan stopped forcing himself.
……
……
He stored one of the remaining pills and swallowed the other.
rán ér huò xǔ zhēn dì shì nán dù tài gāo 。 zhè yī huí 。 lín xuān méi yǒu dé dào shàng tiān de juàn gù ， jiē xià lái de liǎng cì tí chún 。 yě dōu yǐ shī bài gào zhōng 。
然而或许真地是难度太高。这一回。林轩没有得到上天的眷顾，接下来的两次提纯。也都以失败告终。
Then, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged with his palms stacked before him. His mana circulated through his body, enveloping the pill.
jì rán míng zhī bù kě wèi ， lín xuān yě jiù bù zài miǎn qiǎng 。
既然明知不可为，林轩也就不再勉强。
After about half an hour, the pill gradually dissolved, and its medicinal power spread throughout his body.
shèng xià dì liǎng lì líng dān 。 qí zhōng yī lì shōu hǎo ， lìng wài yī lì zé yǎng tóu tūn le jìn qù 。
剩下地两粒灵丹。其中一粒收好，另外一粒则仰头吞了进去。
A warm current appeared in his dantian, which he wrapped with his mana and circulated through his limbs.
rán hòu lín xuān pán xī zuò xià 。 shuāng zhǎng jiāo dié ， xū fàng yú xiōng qián 。 tǐ nèi líng lì liú zhuǎn ， bāo guǒ zhù nà lì dān yào 。
然后林轩盘膝坐下。双掌交叠，虚放于胸前。体内灵力流转，包裹住那粒丹药。
Soon, Lin Xuan felt a sharp pain all over his body.
yuē xiǎo bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu 。 dān yào zhú jiàn róng jiě 。 yào lì huà kāi 。
约小半个时辰以后。丹药逐渐溶解。药力化开。
About an incense stick's time later, this warmth transformed into icy coldness.
yī gǔ rè liú chū xiàn zài le dān tián 。 rán hòu lín xuān yòng líng lì bāo guǒ zhù tā ， yóu zǒu sì zhī bǎi hái 。 yùn zhuàn dà zhōu tiān 。
一股热流出现在了丹田。然后林轩用灵力包裹住牠，游走四肢百骸。运转大周天。
The word "discomfort" came to mind.
mò guò duō jiǔ ， lín xuān jiù gǎn jué hún shēn xiàng zhēn zhā yī yàng téng tòng 。
没过多久，林轩就感觉浑身像针扎一样疼痛。
Thus, the process repeated. Sometimes Lin Xuan was cold, other times he was bathed in heat.
yuē yī zhù xiāng hòu 。 nà gǔ rè liú yòu zhuǎn huà wèi le hán lěng rú bīng dì hán liú 。
约一炷香后。那股热流又转化为了寒冷如冰地寒流。
...
yí gè cí 。 nán shòu ！
一个词。难受！
Seven days later, Lin Xuan finally opened his eyes; his clothes were drenched with sweat.
jiù zhè yàng ， zhōu ér fù shǐ 。 lín xuān yī huì er shēn zi bīng lěng ， yī huì er yòu shēn chù rè liú zhī zhōng 。
就这样，周而复始。林轩一会儿身子冰冷，一会儿又身处热流之中。
In fact, ordinary mortals refining spirit roots didn't have it as tough as him. However, Lin Xuan's situation was different; he was a high-ranking cultivator in the Core Formation Period and had ingested middle-grade pills, making their power several times stronger.
……
……
Despite this, Lin Xuan's expression was peculiar—partly worried, partly happy. It was impossible to gauge his emotions or what grade of spirit root he had refined.
Previously, it was known that the other witchcraft practitioners from the Sky Azure Tribe had also gathered to greet Lin Xuan. Leading them was an elderly man named Sando and a big man with a scar on his face. The rest were merely low-ranking witches in the Flexible Spirit Period.
After the formalities, there followed some pleasantries. Lin Xuan felt that their attitudes towards him had changed significantly. Initially, they had been somewhat cold, but now they seemed unusually friendly and warm. Given that he had just made significant contributions to the tribe and his cultivation was far superior to theirs, it was natural for them to curry favor with him.
With this in mind, Lin Xuan naturally continued to chat amiably with them as they returned to Sando's lair.
The scenery remained unchanged. Sando was in high spirits; all his worries had vanished. Unlike the glory of old, the Sky Azure Tribe was now a small and inconspicuous tribe, located far from Quyue City. The Heavenly Ghost Emperor probably wouldn't venture this far.
After settling down, common servants brought them tea. After resting for a while, Sando stood up and took out a storage bag from a nearby secret room with a flick of his wrist. Two spirit artifacts appeared on the table: a small double-edged battle axe that gleamed with icy white light, and a black dagger like ink.
Sando and the scar-faced man's eyes sparkled with greed as they saw them.
"These two spirit artifacts have followed me for many years; I used them before my core formation. They still hold some power. Since you've made significant contributions to our tribe, here are your rewards."
"Battle Axe of Mountain Opening!"
"Toxic Tooth Blade!"
...
Hearing Sando call out the names of these treasures, Sando's expression was one of pride. These artifacts were indeed well-known in the spirit artifact world, but Lin Xuan naturally didn't care. He still had to pretend to be overjoyed and accept them with gratitude.
After sitting for another half an hour, chatting about trivial matters, Lin Xuan politely bid farewell, saying he needed to return to his cave for intensive cultivation. Sando was naturally pleased by this effort and did not try to retain him. Instead, he encouraged him, saying that if he encountered any difficulties in his cultivation, he could come back at any time.
...
A short while later, Lin Xuan returned to Lai's lair and immediately entered a secret room without hesitation.
Lin Xuan first sat quietly for about an incense stick's worth of time, adjusting his mind to its best state. Then, he tapped the storage bag, causing white light to flash as a small jade bottle appeared in his palm.
He unscrewed the cap and poured out several golden pills from inside.
These ancient spirit pills could only be consumed once in one’s lifetime. Although Lin Xuan had coincidentally obtained several of them, he did not plan on wasting any.
His dantian contained blue Star Sea, so he intended to purify these ancient spirit pills as before, hoping that their quality would improve and increase the chances of refining excellent spirit roots.
Lin Xuan took one pill, played with it for a while, then carefully grasped it. Closing his eyes, he used his mana to activate the blue Star Sea, allowing it to emit magical light points.
Unlike when he first obtained this treasure, as Lin Xuan's cultivation increased, so did the size of the blue Star Sea. If its initial area was compared to a small puddle, now it had expanded into an acre-sized pond, increasing by hundreds or even thousands of times.
Soon, the blue light points coalesced into a stream that flowed through his meridians and reached his palm. With his other hand, he curled his index finger and thumb, casting a spell between his knees. After so much practice, Lin Xuan's mastery over the blue Star Sea was at an extremely high level.
He also had many techniques under his belt.
Although this was his first time purifying these ancient spirit pills, he still had more than a 70% chance of success.
...
After two full days, Lin Xuan finally opened his eyes. He slowly spread out his palm; inside were still golden pills, but they now shone even brighter. Beside the pill, there was a small red powder—impurities.
Everything went smoothly, and Lin Xuan's expression showed satisfaction.
After resting for a while, several hours later, the blue Star Sea gradually recovered as his mana replenished it.
Then, Lin Xuan poured another spirit pill from the jade bottle.
...
In this manner, he repeated the process. Over nearly ten days, Lin Xuan finally purified all four ancient spirit pills.
After resting again, Lin Xuan looked at a middle-grade pill in his hand and pondered. If he could refine it into an upper-grade one, the chances of refining high-quality spirit roots would be greater.
Since he had plenty, failure wouldn't matter. With this thought, Lin Xuan held one of the pills in his hand and used mana to activate another blue light point from his dantian.
This purification took nearly five days.
However, when Lin Xuan opened his palm, his expression was rather grim; the pill had turned into a black crystal. Clearly, it had failed!
Sighing, refining upper-grade pills proved more difficult than expected.
Fortunately, he had anticipated this result to some extent, so there was no disappointment. After resting for a while, he redoubled his efforts.
...
However, perhaps due to the high difficulty, Lin Xuan did not receive divine favor in the next two attempts, and both purifications failed.
Since he knew it would be difficult, Lin Xuan stopped forcing himself.
He stored one of the remaining pills and swallowed the other.
Then, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged with his palms stacked before him. His mana circulated through his body, enveloping the pill.
After about half an hour, the pill gradually dissolved, and its medicinal power spread throughout his body.
A warm current appeared in his dantian, which he wrapped with his mana and circulated through his limbs.
Soon, Lin Xuan felt a sharp pain all over his body.
About an incense stick's time later, this warmth transformed into icy coldness.
The word "discomfort" came to mind.
Thus, the process repeated. Sometimes Lin Xuan was cold, other times he was bathed in heat.
...
Seven days later, Lin Xuan finally opened his eyes; his clothes were drenched with sweat.
In fact, ordinary mortals refining spirit roots didn't have it as tough as him. However, Lin Xuan's situation was different; he was a high-ranking cultivator in the Core Formation Period and had ingested middle-grade pills, making their power several times stronger.
Despite this, Lin Xuan's expression was peculiar—partly worried, partly happy. It was impossible to gauge his emotions or what grade of spirit root he had refined.