Black smoke rose from the burning book, swirling before lingering under the roof as if it had nowhere to go. Liu Xing sat cross-legged, watching the fire dance as he pinched his chin and worked his brain as hard as humanly possible. His body was eager to move, his qi likewise cycling inside him like a raging river. However, while he wanted to act, he first needed to consider his possible moves and how to approach them.

"I need to protect Qing Yuan," he muttered. There was no way he would allow someone to capture and consume him. To prevent that, he needed to hide him somewhere, and the place that always came to mind was his own sect. In this world, the five great sects held the most power. It was no exaggeration to say they controlled the Dark Forest Continent, which meant they had enough power to search its every corner. However, he still didn't know his sect's intentions toward Qing Yuan. He was afraid that if he brought Qing Yuan to the sect, they would seize him. At that point, he would be able to do nothing.

"Calm yourself," Liu Xing told himself. The revelation that Qing Yuan was the Heaven Severing Pill was shocking, but perhaps he was being a little too paranoid. Thanks to the spreading rumors and the curse, no one alive besides him knew the truth. This meant that hiding Qing Yuan was a possibility.

Thinking about it, Liu Xing could not help but grit his teeth. Hiding Qing Yuan was indeed possible, but it would mean failing his mission. If he failed his mission, he could not become an inner disciple and would not get a favor from Elder Zhang Zhenking. Failing this mission would be painful and dangerous, and yet, what other options did he have?

"Maybe, maybe there's another way to do this," he pinched his chin harder. "One that would solve this problem while also completing my mission."

He searched for ideas that would result in the best outcome, but even after the journal stopped burning and the black smoke began to disperse, he couldn't come up with a perfect idea. The best he could think of was to convince his sect to nurture Qing Yuan instead of consuming him. It was a risky idea. It would mean revealing Qing Yuan's existence, but it was his best option for now.

"I need leverage," Liu Xing said as he stood up. As soon as he thought about it, he realized he did have some.

He had been pushing the matter to the back of his mind, but according to Silver Saint, he was a saint candidate. He wasn't too sure about that. He liked to think he wasn't a bad guy by cultivator standards, but it would be far-fetched to say he was a saint candidate. However, one thing he had learned from this whole pill business was the power of a show of force and the effectiveness of a deterrent. A lofty title like "Saint" would surely be helpful in securing his footing within his sect.

Liu Xing nodded, and his lungs felt a bit lighter. It was as if he had seen a light in the distance while completely submerged in darkness. He was still not sure how to pull it off, and he was sure there were dangers he still hadn't considered. For now, though, it was good enough.

"In summary, I need to ditch the plan to hide Qing Yuan and go with the plan to bring him to the sect." Saying it aloud made his feelings stir, as if a mere thought had just solidified into a plan he had to follow. The worst-case scenario was that his sect would still insist on consuming Qing Yuan, and he would have to flee while protecting him. However, he didn't want his train of thought to keep drifting toward negativity. The chance of the sect accepting Qing Yuan as a disciple was also there, so he needed to harbor some hope to lighten his heart.

"All right, let's do this!" Liu Xing psyched himself up.

What he needed now was a simple thing. Power. He needed power. It was true he had leverage in being a saint candidate, but personal power was also paramount. A deterrent and leverage were worthless if he couldn't prove he was dangerous. He needed to pursue power more feverishly so that his words would have enough force to make his sect follow his wishes. He had a high chance of becoming an Immortal, after all. What he needed were resources, and with his gun, every being with qi was a potential resource. Of course, there was a line he could not cross, but even within his own limits, he had enough resources, as long as he started taking a riskier approach. Coincidentally, outside this Alchemy Hall, there were twenty spirit beasts that would shorten his path to the third stage of the Core Splitting realm. He was eager to kill them all and absorb their cores, but before harvesting them, Liu Xing needed to take the precaution of ransacking Jin Wuyi's room and the Alchemy Hall itself. He intended to bury this place, but he also had to make sure there were no other records of the Heaven Severing Pill.

The first place he searched was below Jin Wuyi's personal bed. There, he found a chest that he pried open with his bare hands. Inside were several bags of spirit stones, some talismans, accessories, and several books. He opened his spatial bag and poured the spirit stones inside. There were at least a hundred stones, and normally, he would have been happy with such a sum. However, he was more focused on the books. He was afraid they were also journals, so he grabbed the first book, one with a gray cover and no title.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

When he opened the book to the first page, he saw the title. He instantly recognized the neat handwriting as Jin Wuyi's. The title was Fire Controlling Technique. To make sure the content matched the title, he turned to the next page and began reading.

"It is indeed a technique," he muttered as he read the introductory chapter.

The chapter was written by Jin Wuyi, who stated the importance of this technique for an alchemist. Many techniques for concocting herbs required tight manipulation of fire temperature, and while this was a Base Technique, it could carry an alchemist far. "If you are reading this, you are either a thief or my disciple. No matter. If you want to dabble in my craft, read this carefully."

He flipped to the next page and pinched his chin as he read the twenty-step cycling technique that had to be memorized first. Liu Xing memorized it with a triple glance, not because he had immense comprehension, but because the technique was so simple. Moreover, half of the steps overlapped with his own techniques; only the final five cycling patterns required any effort to memorize. After he finished, he read the next instructions, the essence of the technique, and what kind of feeling, intent, and imagery he needed to maintain in his mind. In summary, he needed to be careful, cycle his qi at a constant speed, and try to connect with the fire itself.

As he finished reading, he realized he had just gotten a free technique. It was a Base grade so low that he doubted that if this technique were stored in the Purple Moon Sect's outer library, it would ever be touched by a single disciple. There were simply many better techniques. Still, he couldn't complain about what he had gained. In fact, the timing was good. He wanted power, after all. And didn't this technique make him more powerful?

To test it, Liu Xing cycled his qi according to the instructions, simultaneously channeling it through other paths to shoot a simple lightning bolt toward Jin Wuyi's remains. When his application of lightning qi hit the robe, it burst into flame. In an instant, he extended his right hand and seized control of the fire. He willed the fire to alight, and Jin Wuyi's robe and skin erupted in intense blue flames for a single second before snuffing out. Seeing that, he couldn't help but grin. The technique was simple, and because it was simple, it was easy to modify.

"It's time for me to finally create my own technique."

Excited, he stood and thought for a moment. Controlling fire was cool, but he wanted something better. He closed his eyes, cycling patterns swirling in his mind. He began to dissect patterns from his other techniques and stitch them into a new form. He thought for a second, then cycled the finished pattern, extended his index finger, and willed the technique to activate. A single bolt of fire shot from his finger. The sound it made was soft, but it whistled as it pierced the air. When it hit the wall on the other side, it burst into a bloom of fire. He nodded, satisfied.

This little ball of fire was simple and not flashy, but it was merely the first step of a technique he had already envisioned in his mind, as well as how it would interact with his gun. The main technique he used with his gun nowadays was the Exploding Fist Technique Lightning Variation. It was strong, though recently it had been overshadowed by his crescent purple qi. With this new technique, however, he thought he could upgrade his Exploding Fist bullets into a more versatile form.

Excited, he pointed his index finger, snatching a dozen cycling patterns from his Eye of Lightning technique, and activated the technique. A small ball of fire shot from his finger. It whistled through the air, but before it could hit a wall, he willed it to curve to the side. The ball of fire easily followed his intent, curving in mid-air and hitting the door to Jin Wuyi's room instead of the wall. He experimented once more, and when the fireball moved according to his will, he finally nodded. "I'll name it Fire Missile Technique."

It was lackluster, though, so Liu Xing modified it further. He changed the element to lightning, stitched in some cycling patterns from the Exploding Fist Technique, and then activated it. A bolt of lightning flew from his index finger. He willed it left and right before it finally landed on Jin Wuyi's remains. When it hit its intended target, a loud thunderclap echoed through the room, and Jin Wuyi's breastbone shattered into dozens of pieces.

"Better," Liu Xing nodded. Creating techniques was supposed to be quite hard, but it seemed he had an aptitude for it. Thinking about it, he began to grin. If that was true, then he had a way to gain many more techniques without spending his sect points. "Alright, let's change the base of the technique. Instead of a general lightning technique, let's base it on the Exploding Fist Technique."

From there, Liu Xing began to experiment more, and the effects of his technique became bigger and stronger, to the point that the last iteration of his newly created Exploding Lightning Missile Technique easily destroyed a wall of the Alchemy Hall. But it was just the beginning. In total, Jin Wuyi had three techniques: Fire Controlling Technique, Pill Condensation Art, and Soul Imprinting Art. Aside from the last one, the first two were helpful. The Pill Condensation Art was especially good for condensing his Lightning Missile to pack more power, to the point that it was a Base Grade technique worthy of being stored in the library of the Purple Moon Sect.

After more than an hour of successful experimentation, he decided to stop and resume his earlier task of checking for notes or journals about the Heaven Severing Pill. He ransacked the entire Alchemy Hall. In the end, he set a large bonfire in the middle of the hexagonal room. Tables, chairs, books, notes, journals, and dried herbs burned, creating heavy smoke. As he watched the flames, he decided it was time to go outside and begin searching for the other ten spirit beasts. Suddenly, his Eye of Lightning spotted something unusual while floating high above the Jin clan. A group of people wearing black and red robes emerged from the center building of the Jin clan.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.