Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  "Patriarch, there is no need for you to make such an oath." Hui Yue laughed as he looked at the many storage stones in front of him. "What you have given me is more than enough. All I did was give you flying swords. I am sure that there are others capable of creating such swords." Hui Yue said dismissively before he picked up the storage stones and placed them within the Universe Box. The moment they entered all the items were sucked out of the storage stones, and the items were placed within the box itself as the storage stones vanished from sight.

  With a wry smile, Hui Yue knew that the spirit of the box had taken the stones. It was the same every time. Whenever he placed storage stones in the Universe Box, these storage stones would vanish. As for what the box used them for, Hui Yue was completely unaware. However, he had often used storage stones to make the spirit of the Universe Box find items for him. He clearly had a great use for them.

  "Thank you for all these items." Hui Yue said with a bow. "I will not interrupt you any longer; I need to return home. I have some things that I need to do, and I am sure that you are going to be busy selling these swords. Should you need more in the future just make sure to summon me and I will stop by."

  On the way back home to his mansion, Hui Yue flew at his fastest speed. Every time Hui Yue returned home hope sprouted in his mind. He hoped that Sha Yun would be waiting for him when he arrived, but every time, today included, all that he was met with was disappointment. Sha Yun had still not returned.

  It was many months since the raid on the grave ended, and as the days grew longer, Hui Yue was more and more depressed. He feared that Sha Yun really might not return to him. She was one of his closest friends, yet even so, Hui Yue could do nothing. He did not know where to even start searching for her.

  Hui Yue sighed deeply as he entered his room. Although he was disappointed once more, he said nothing as he sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. Moving his consciousness inside himself to examine the changes that his internal energies had gone while he crafted the flying swords.

  Hui Yue found that crafting swords, and other things, required quite a lot of him as he was constantly using his inner energies and that the time he spent on creating things were even more rewarding than the energy he got from regular cultivation. It was akin to having a sparring match with a friend because all his internal energy had been used up many times, strengthening him greatly.

  'Shocking,' Hui Yue said to himself as he looked at his spiritual energy sea which had increased dramatically compared to earlier that day

  It was not only his spiritual energy sea that had increased, but his Wu Wei core and his Qi swirl were even larger now. He finally understood why someone like Cou Ling, who spent all her time on forging, had managed to become a King ranked expert while solely relying on her forging ability.

  Hui Yue opened his eyes once more, excitement filling his entire being. He was able to increase his strength while also learning something new. He now knew that he could become an alchemist while at the same time also increase his cultivation. He decided that he would also improve his Metal affinity by continuing to craft items. Although he was now considered a grandmaster spiritual blacksmith by others, he was aware of the truth. He was not skilled in making many different things. All he had mastered was forging swords and inscribing two kinds of runes.

  He was still a far cry of having merged with the Metal element. Although most experts would stop focusing on their elemental affinities when they opened their upper dantian, Hui Yue understood that this was the wrong decision. Seeing the effects of Earth Tremor, he knew just how deadly elemental affinities could be. Therefore, he would increase his strength by merging with his elements.

  'That is the right path to take,' Lan Feng's voice suddenly drifted into Hui Yue's ears. 'To become a God from the Saint rank, one needs to become one with the world. This step will be easier for you to accomplish if you have already managed to become one with the elements. Of course, you cannot merge completely with the elements just yet, but you can get very close. When you reach. This will make it easier to gain enlightenment and reach the God rank.' Lan Feng said, his voice full of certainty.

  'Also learning how to craft things is not a bad idea. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of formulas for alchemists so tomorrow I would suggest you go to the alchemist's guild and purchase some. Everyone who has both Wood and Fire affinities can buy them. However, the price for these formulas is usually quite high. They might not ask for gold or spirit coins as payment, but various treasures as well. You don’t have to worry about that for now though as the pill formulas you need are the most basic ones. You can definitely purchase them with gold coins.'

  Nodding his head, Hui Yue agreed with what Lan Feng said. He knew that alchemists were looked at with great reverence and thus he could not help but feel excitement about becoming one himself. If he created enough pills, he would be able to assist Lao and Jo even more and, he would also be able to assist his friends better with their cultivation. Never again was he going to let his friends face any danger on their own. As he became more and more powerful, becoming a true expert, he would ensure that his friends could follow him; he would not leave them behind.

  Deep in thought Hui Yue did not notice that Wang Ju Long had entered his room, looked at him for a moment, and then left. She wanted to see that Hui Yue was fine because she too worried about him and Sha Yun. Although the two of them had never been good friends, she knew that the snake-woman meant a lot to Hui Yue, and she didn’t wish such a fate on her.

  The day went past while Hui Yue spent the most of it inspecting his internal energies. The day slowly went by, and Hui Yue ended up cultivating. He was calming himself and preparing for the following day.

  The night went by and the following day arrived as excitement shone in Hui Yue's eyes. He quickly got ready and left the house heading towards one of the most magnificent buildings in Muchuan City. This building was built from pure black iron, and it was even harder to penetrate than the royal palace. There were guards everywhere, guards who were all Emperor ranked cultivators. Only the Alchemy Guild could afford to have such extreme and amazing experts for guards.

  Moving towards the black building, Hui Yue walked with confidence yet the moment he was about to enter two guards blocked his path. "Only alchemist can enter the guild." They said with cold voices as they looked at Hui Yue who casually lifted his hand as a red and a green flame sprouted from the palm.

  "Honored alchemist!" They said in unison as they withdrew their staves, opening the entrance for Hui Yue to enter. Everyone who was passing the building looked at Hui Yue and saw him being let inside. All of their eyes were filled with surprise and also slight fear. Alchemists might not be as strong as many other experts, but their ability was still peerless. The pills created from a supreme grandmaster alchemist could make even a whole kingdom go to war.

  Hui Yue understood that he was very far away from becoming a top tiered alchemist, but he also understood that he was fortunate enough to have such a high rank for his age. He would have enough strength to train for an extensive amount of time, and he would be able to perfect things faster than any other beginner because of his high cultivation level. Having a higher rank meant that he had more internal energy he could use at one time which was a great benefit.

  Looking around him, Hui Yue walked down the hallway; this hallway had three different desks. Looking at them, one desk seemed to be selling pill and paste formulas. Another had quests that were ready for any expert to accept, while the third one had robes and papers for one to fill out. Curious about what it was Hui Yue moved towards it.

  "Hello, I am Hui Yue. I have both the Wood and Fire elemental affinities and wishes to become an alchemist," Hui Yue introduced himself and the woman behind the desk looked at him rather surprised.

  "You are not a Master ranked expert. Looking at your aura, you’re at the Emperor rank. It is very rare to see a new alchemist of your rank." The woman said surprised, but she quickly shook her h
ead. What this young man spent all his years doing before becoming an alchemist had nothing to do with her. Every expert had different reasons to act the way they did, and it was not her position to question it.

  "I can sign you up as a new alchemist and give you pill formulas you need to master for the alchemist exam. When you're ready, you can take the first exam and become an alchemist of the first grade. We hold the exams once a month where you can test for the next rank. The highest rank is a grandmaster alchemist, and if you ever reach that level, then there will be no more tests." The woman explained.

  "This is the formula; the next test will be in four days. I doubt that you can make it in time and if you miss this exam, there will be a one month from then. I am sure you can make it by then if you practice hard enough." She said with a smile as she passed the memory stone to Hui Yue.

  "It cost three gold to take the exam. Also, you can trade all your pills or pastes here for materials. We buy anything made by an alchemist. We also sell materials at a favorable price, much cheaper than buying them in the city. Feel free to return when you have mastered this pill formula and want to take the exam." She said with a gentle smile on her face. She understood that this Emperor would master the basics and the formula she gave him far faster than any of the usual Master ranked experts who usually signed up.

  Chapter 406 - Huli

  * * *

  Chapter 406: Huli

  Having accepted the formula, Hui Yue had rushed back to his mansion, and after seeing that Sha Yun had indeed not yet returned, he moved to his room.

  The moment he opened the door, a fluffy ball of black and white fur jumped into his arms. Looking at the fluffy creature a smile appeared on Hui Yue's saddened face.

  Although he was sad that Sha Yun was gone, he knew that he could not let it stop him from improving his own strength. He refused to believe that she was dead. He was sure one day she would return to his side.

  "What's up with you, Huli?" Hui Yue asked the fox in his arms as he entered into his room and gently pet the fox. At the very start Huli refused to leave Hui Yue’s side, however, as the months passed, the fox understood that Hui Yue would always return. Huli then stopped following him everywhere and instead waited in his room, often sleeping in his bed.

  This time, however, Huli had jumped into his arms the moment he appeared, and her head was rubbing against her new master.

  Seeing the sudden change in her, Hui Yue was quite surprised. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, but he did not expect to get a reply. But to his surprise, the fox nodded her head rapidly up and down while gazing at Hui Yue with her big black eyes.

  Laughing at the human-like expression on the fox's face, Hui Yue petted its head. "It’s a shame you can't speak then I would know what you want you silly fox," He said gently as he kept patting the fox's head.

  "Is there any bad news?" Hui Yue asked the fox which shook its head vigorously. "How can something be wrong if it is not bad news?" Hui Yue laughed as he too shook his head. He did not doubt that the fox was as intelligent as any other human, but having issues communicating with one another made it impossible for Hui Yue to know what the fox wanted.

  "Sha Yun is not back yet. I want to go out and start searching for her, but I really do not know where to look. Gao Yan sent his experts to scour through every corner of the grave, but even still, there were no signs of her at all... I really don't know what to do." He said as he buried his face in her soft fur as guilt gnawing at his insides.

  The little fox gently nudged Hui Yue with her nose as her eyes were filled with worry for the young man.

  Moving back from the fox, Hui Yue smiled at the cute fox. "I don't understand why you chose me." He started talking once more, "but I am very happy that you did. I just don't know what I can do for you; I am nothing compared to your previous master."

  The fox just looked at him, all it did was get closer to Hui Yue where it made itself comfortable and laid down, relaxing. If it were a cat, it would be purring loudly.

  "Sorry Huli," The young man said as he placed the fox on the bed. "I need to see how my ability is when it comes to alchemy. I have never tried it before, so I really need to focus."

  Hearing this, Huli just laid down, observing the young man who sat down on the ground. From the palm of his hand, one herb after another appeared into thin air and was put on the ground in front of Hui Yue.

  A large cauldron also appeared and a memory stone followed it as the last item summoned. Placing the stone on his forehead, a light shone in the room. Hui Yue had his eyes closed as he slowly immersed himself within the sea of information pouring into him.

  "So I don't need to create a medicinal pill, but just a paste is enough," Hui Yue mused to himself as he had read through the entire formula. It was a potion paste which, when smeared on skin allowed for the body to more swiftly absorb the energy of the heavens and the earth.

  The reason this formula was chosen for the entrance exam for alchemists was that although this was a paste, it was also an incredibly sought after medicine. Any family within Muchuan City would ensure that their younger generation always had this paste at their disposal so that they could train quicker.

  More than half of the paste was purchased by the Royal Academy at a high price, and therefore, as soon as one was able to make this paste, one would be considered an alchemist; that is when they successfully concocted it during the exam.

  The paste was called the Devouring Paste of the Red Orchid. The reason it was called this was because the main ingredient was a red orchid. It was not any orchid that was red but a specific one which was considered rather common as a medicinal herb.

  Closing his eyes once again, Hui Yue found he needed three red orchids, one green spirit grass, and one drop of summer dew.

  Summer dew was obviously not a medicinal herb, but it was part of many common pills and pastes, and thus Hui Yue had gotten quite a few of them when he had gained materials from the experts and the Black Market Auction House.

  Summer dew was one of the most common alchemist materials available, but Hui Yue did not mind that the had been paid in cheap materials. He understood better than anyone that he needed to create countless numbers of pills and pastes before he would be skilled at alchemy. Only when he had perfected concocting this paste would he take the exam. Going too early and failing because he had not trained enough would be a waste of time.

  Picking up the cauldron, Hui Yue placed it in front of himself and from deep within he summoned forth two flames. One was green colored while the other was a mixture of red and yellow.

  These flames poured into the cauldron and moments after it started shining with light as it lifted into the air. Hanging around half a meter above ground the two flames within were swirled around battling one another. Only when Hui Yue focused his will on these flames and forced them to work together did they slowly stop fighting one another and instead merged. They intertwined with one another looking like yin and yang as the two flames slowly rotated within the cauldron.

  Nodding with satisfaction, Hui Yue picked up one of the red orchids and tossed it into the cauldron. He watched as the flames burned the flower leaving behind the energy from it.

  The red flame destroyed while the green flame created a paste-like base from the energy the red flame took in. It did not take more than a few minutes to fully refine the first red orchid. He saw that the paste the orchid left behind was almost nothing. The flower had filled his entire palm but the essence left behind was less than the smallest part of his pinky finger.

  Repeating the action three more times the paste that was formed from the red orchids’ energy had naturally become more than it was before. After refining the three flowers, he then added the green spirit grass.

  The green spirit grass was harder to refine than the red orchids had been. Hui Yue had difficulty controlling the heat of his flames as this was something he had not really practiced before. The red orchid did not need a specific temperature to be refined as it w
as a simple medicinal herb that was easy to deal with, but the green spirit grass was a somewhat rarer ingredient. It required that the temperature not be too high while being refined or it would turn to ash. If this happened and the refined essence of the green spirit grass turned to ash not only would it ruin the paste he was trying to make, but it was also likely to become poisonous.

  When concocting pills and something went wrong during the refinement of the materials, two results could happen. One was that the refined energy would simply cause an explosion and the higher grade the materials, the more dangerous the explosion would be. The second thing which could happen was for the paste or pill to become complete, but due to the wrong refinement method it would become poisonous or have unknown, unwanted side-effects.

  But Hui Yue had caught it quickly and brought the flames under control. After a short while, he managed to refine the green spirit grass. He did not refine it perfectly, but it was definitely not poisonous, and it was a great result for his first try.