248: Chapter 248 Embezzling Funds! Leave!

Chapter 246: Lining One's Pockets! Leaving!

Three days later.

Yinting the Thunder Flood Dragon led Lu Qiu deep into the Immortal Cave.

After passing through several heavy stone door Restrictions, a wave of scorching heat hit them.

Before them was an extremely spacious stone room. In the center, a hole for Earth Fire about a zhang wide had been excavated. The crimson Earth Fire, like a docile spirit snake, burned quietly under the constraint of a Formation, emitting pure and stable fire spiritual power.

Many stone niches were carved into the surrounding stone walls, holding various fire-resistant vessels and tools. Clearly, this was the Alchemy site carefully prepared by the Thunder Flood Dragon.

"Fellow Daoist Mo Yu, this Earth Fire vein was brought here from the depths of the seabed by this seat after nearly ten years of work. The firepower is pure, surging, and extremely stable, making it most suitable for Alchemy. Does Fellow Daoist find this place usable?" the Thunder Flood Dragon said, pointing at the Earth Fire vent with a hint of pride.

"Senior Yinting has prepared thoroughly. This Earth Fire room is excellent, truly a top-tier choice for Alchemy." Lu Qiu carefully sensed the quality of the Earth Fire and nodded in praise.

The quality of this Earth Fire was indeed good, several levels stronger than the Earth Fire room he had used in Yellow Maple Valley years ago. It was clear that the Thunder Flood Dragon had indeed invested heavily.

"As long as it's usable!" Hearing this, the joy on the Thunder Flood Dragon's face deepened.

He solemnly took out a deep blue Storage Pouch from his robe and handed it to Lu Qiu with both hands, his tone grave: "Fellow Daoist Mo Yu, here are three complete sets of Materials for refining the 'Beast King Pill'. I leave everything in your hands!"

Lu Qiu took the Storage Pouch with a solemn expression. As his Divine Sense swept through it, waves of emotion rose in his heart once more.

The space inside the Storage Pouch was quite large, with various shimmering medicinal herbs organized into categories.

Most eye-catching were three jade boxes covered in sealing Talismans. Even through the jade boxes and Talismans, Lu Qiu could clearly sense the vast Yao power and pure Soul Power emanating from within. Those were unexpectedly three Yao Beast Inner Dans of at least the eighth level!

Observing their attributes, they seemed to be Water, Wind, and Wood respectively. Clearly, the Thunder Flood Dragon had carefully selected them to meet the Pill Formula's requirement of "compatible or mutually generating attributes" to increase the success rate of the Alchemy.

In addition, there were over a dozen Spirit Medicines properly sealed in Jade Boxes and jade bottles.

Each one emitted an astonishing medicinal age and Spiritual Qi fluctuations, all having at least three thousand years of growth. Among them, the "Earth Vein Purple Lingzhi," which served as one of the main medicines, had reached five thousand years. Its entire body was shrouded in purple mist, and natural spiritual patterns were faintly visible on its cap.

As for the auxiliary medicines like "Dragon Saliva Grass" and "Blood Essence Yao Fruit," they were all rare treasures seldom seen in the outside world, with more than enough years of growth.

"This old flood dragon... is truly filthy rich," Lu Qiu lamented again in his heart.

The total value of these three sets of Materials probably exceeded the entire net worth of many Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, and could even match the accumulated wealth of a medium-sized Sect over many years.

This Thunder Flood Dragon had dominated a sea region for thousands of years; his foundation was indeed terrifyingly deep.

A flash of "greed" flickered in the depths of Lu Qiu's eyes.

If he could take all these Materials for himself and then find an opportunity to kill this Thunder Flood Dragon...

The thought was incredibly tempting.

But immediately, he forced it back down.

The risk was too great!

The opponent was a Peak ninth-level Yao Beast, with strength comparable to the Peak of the Middle Stage Nascent Soul, even touching the threshold of the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

Although he had many trump cards, he had no absolute certainty of killing this beast cleanly without alerting other Yao Beasts.

Once a fight broke out, the fluctuations of the battle would surely alert other Transformed Great Yao in the nearby sea. By then, he would become a target for everyone, and in these depths of the Outer Star Sea, he would have no escape.

Furthermore, killing the Thunder Flood Dragon also meant making enemies of all the Yao Beasts in this sea region, completely cutting off the possibility of acting here under the identity of "Mo Yu." The loss outweighed the gain.

"A little impatience spoils great plans. Although these Materials are good, compared to the long-term plan, it's better to endure for now." Lu Qiu weighed the pros and cons and quickly calmed down.

However, looking at these three sets of precious Materials that could drive any Alchemist mad, an imperceptible, cunning smile couldn't help but curl at the corner of his mouth.

Greed was to be avoided, but "reasonably" lining one's own pockets shouldn't be a problem, right?

"Senior Yinting, the Dao of Alchemy values a calm mind and peaceful spirit above all, and avoids interference from external things. When I perform Alchemy, I am used to being alone and do not like others observing nearby, lest I be distracted and the pill Formation be affected..." Lu Qiu said to the Thunder Flood Dragon with a slight note of apology.

This request was perfectly reasonable; many Alchemists and Artifact Refiners had similar habits.

The Thunder Flood Dragon immediately expressed understanding: "What Fellow Daoist says is absolutely correct! During Alchemy, the mind cannot tolerate the slightest disturbance.

I shall go out now and act as a Protector for you outside the door, ensuring no idle people come near.

Fellow Daoist, please perform your Alchemy with peace of mind; do not have any concerns!"

Having said that, he solemnly cupped his hands to Lu Qiu, turned to exit the Earth Fire room, and carefully closed the heavy stone door, activating the isolating Restriction outside.

With the stone door closed, only Lu Qiu remained in the Earth Fire room, along with the "whooshing" sound of the burning Earth Fire.

The slightly apologetic expression on Lu Qiu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a coldness like one scrutinizing prey and a hint of excitement.

He carefully inventoried the Materials in the Storage Pouch once more, especially those three eighth-level Yao Dans, confirming everything was correct.

"Although this 'Beast King Pill' formula is profound, the required Materials are precious and rare, and the refining steps are complex—requiring extremely high fire control, Divine Sense, and timing... with my current Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, my powerful Divine Sense comparable to the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and the Alchemy experience I've accumulated, I have a very high certainty of refining this pill."

"Not to mention, I also have the 'Pill Fusion Technique'! This technique can greatly increase the success rate of pill condensation and can improve the quality of the Medicinal Pill to a certain extent. Using it to refine this 'Beast King Pill' is just perfect."

Lu Qiu calculated quickly in his heart.

Under normal circumstances, with his level of Alchemy, the success rate for refining such an ancient wondrous pill would be roughly between forty and fifty percent.

But if he used the "Pill Fusion Technique," raising the success rate to sixty or seventy percent wouldn't be difficult.

In other words, the probability of success for refining one set of Materials was over half.

"With three sets of Materials, I only need to succeed with one to satisfy that old flood dragon. As for the remaining two..." The smile in Lu Qiu's eyes grew even more pronounced.

In Alchemy, how could there be no loss?

Especially for such an ancient wondrous pill with precious Materials and difficult refining, losing one or two sets, or even failing them all, was a "normal" phenomenon.

If he could successfully refine it using only one set of Materials, it would already be considered "superb skill" and "explosive luck," and he would have lived up to the Thunder Flood Dragon's "generous reward."

As for those remaining two complete, priceless sets of Materials, they would naturally and "logically" become Lu Qiu's "loss" and "labor fee."

This was called "lining one's pockets," also known as a "technical premium," and it was only right and proper.

"No time to lose, start the furnace for Alchemy!"

Having made up his mind, Lu Qiu no longer hesitated. He first sat cross-legged, adjusting his breathing to calm his mind and bring his state to its Peak.

Then, he took out his usual, high-quality Pill Furnace.

Although this furnace wasn't top-tier, it was sufficient for refining eighth-level pills.

He first took out one set of Materials from the Storage Pouch and carefully laid them out.

As for the remaining two sets, he unhesitatingly transferred them to his own Storage Pouch, keeping them separate from the Thunder Flood Dragon's.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Qiu's eyes shone with divine light. His hands formed incantations, and he struck out a burst of magical power, activating the fire control Formation under the Earth Fire vent.

The crimson Earth Fire suddenly surged, turning into docile fire snakes that wrapped around the bottom of the Pill Furnace, beginning a uniform preheating.

"Step one: temper the Yao Dan, remove Impurities, and preserve the Origin Yao power and Bloodline essence..." Following the records of the Pill Formula, Lu Qiu threw that water-attribute eighth-level Yao Dan into the Pill Furnace. His Divine Sense, like the most precise carving knife, controlled the temperature, angle, and force of the flames, beginning the slow burning and tempering...

Alchemy was a task that consumed a great deal of mental energy and time, especially refining an ancient wondrous pill like the "Beast King Pill."

Every step had to be done with extreme caution; the slightest error could lead to all previous efforts being wasted and the Materials being completely destroyed.

Lu Qiu immersed himself in the mysterious world of Alchemy, completely unaware of the passage of time.

...

Outside the Earth Fire room, Yinting the Thunder Flood Dragon sat cross-legged outside the stone door like a guardian deity.

He was indeed patient; aside from occasionally using his Divine Sense to extremely lightly probe the room's aura and confirm Lu Qiu was still there, he showed not the slightest hint of anxiety or impatience.

For a Grade 9 Great Yao with a long Lifespan, entering seclusion for decades or even a century was a common occurrence; waiting for a year or so to refine a Medicinal Pill was nothing at all.

As the days passed, the stone door remained tightly shut, and the aura within the Earth Fire room remained stable, with only faint fluctuations of pill fire and the scent of medicine wafting out.

A year passed in a flash.

It was inevitable that a trace of doubt would arise in the Thunder Flood Dragon's heart.

Did refining a single batch of pills really take this long?

However, his understanding of the Dao of Alchemy was not deep; he only knew that the more precious the Medicinal Pill, the longer the refining time tended to be.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that Lu Qiu's aura within the Earth Fire room had always been present, stable, and powerful, not at all like a failure or an accident had occurred, so he could only suppress the urge to inquire and continue waiting patiently.

One day, just as the Thunder Flood Dragon was beginning to grow accustomed to this waiting—

“Buzz...”

The stone door of the Earth Fire room suddenly emitted a low hum, the Restrictions on its surface flowed with spiritual light, and it slowly slid open to both sides.

A medicinal fragrance so thick it couldn't be dispersed, mixed with strange beast roars, the fresh scent of vegetation, and a majestic life essence, surged out from within the door like a flood breaking a dam!

Just by smelling a trace of it, the Thunder Flood Dragon felt the yao blood in his body faintly boil, and a throb of longing came from the depths of his Bloodline!

“It's done?!” The Thunder Flood Dragon snapped his eyes open, a light of surprise and joy erupting from his crimson vertical pupils as he instantly stood up from the ground.

Within the stone door, Lu Qiu's figure slowly emerged. His face bore obvious signs of fatigue, there were a few bloodshot streaks in his eyes, and his green robes were stained with a bit of pill ash; his aura was also slightly weaker than it had been a year ago, clearly showing that this year of Alchemy had taken a significant toll.

But his eyes were bright, and a faint, relieved smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“Senior Yinting, fortunately, I have not failed my mission.” Lu Qiu walked up to the Thunder Flood Dragon and spread open his right palm.

In the center of his palm lay a round Medicinal Pill the size of a longan, dark gold in color, with nine natural cloud patterns circling its surface, emitting waves of strange beastly pressure and majestic medicinal power!

Mist faintly swirled around the pill, and within the mist, phantom images of a hundred beasts seemed to rise, fall, and roar, creating a magnificent sight.

It was precisely that ancient miraculous pill—the Beast King Pill!

“Beast King Pill! It really is the Beast King Pill! Hahaha! Heaven is helping me!” Yinting the Thunder Flood Dragon stared fixedly at the pill, feeling the power within it that held a fatal attraction for his Bloodline, so ecstatic he almost wanted to roar toward the heavens.

He tremblingly extended a large, scale-covered hand, carefully took the pill, and held it before his eyes to examine it closely, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.

After the initial ecstasy passed, he finally remembered Lu Qiu and hurriedly composed himself, though the gratitude and excitement in his eyes were still hard to hide: “Fellow Daoist Mo Yu! Great kindness needs no words of thanks! This pill is of vital importance to me! Your Alchemy technique is truly supernatural; you actually managed to succeed with just one set of Materials! I am truly impressed!”

On Lu Qiu's face, however, a trace of “regret” and “shame” appeared at just the right moment as he sighed and said, “Senior Yinting overpraises me; Mo Yu does not dare to accept such words. To be honest, of the three sets of Materials Senior gave me, Mo Yu's skill was shallow, and the first two... both failed at the critical moment and were completely destroyed.

Until this last set, where I luckily succeeded, managing to refine one pill.

Three sets of Materials resulting in only one pill—with such a great loss, Mo Yu truly feels ashamed of Senior's trust...”

His tone was sincere and his expression dejected, as if he truly blamed himself for his “lack of skill” and for wasting precious Materials.

Hearing this, Yinting the Thunder Flood Dragon was first taken aback, then instead burst into laughter, stepping forward to pat Lu Qiu's shoulder: “Why does Fellow Daoist say such things! This is an ancient miraculous pill, difficult to refine; I had already prepared myself mentally. Let alone one out of three, even if all three sets were destroyed, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, I would have accepted it! That you could ultimately succeed is already a monumental skill! If it were me, I'm afraid I couldn't refine a single one even with ten sets of Materials! Fellow Daoist, do not blame yourself!”

He was offering comfort with total sincerity. In his mind, for such a precious pill, failing twice was only normal; succeeding once was already a stroke of immense luck.

Lu Qiu's “self-blame,” in his eyes, was instead a manifestation of being “honest” and “responsible,” causing his favorable impression of this “Fellow Daoist Mo Yu” to increase even further.

“Senior is magnanimous; Mo Yu is deeply grateful.” Lu Qiu “forced” a smile, accepting the comfort.

The Thunder Flood Dragon carefully placed the Beast King Pill into a specially made jade box and applied several sealing Talismans before looking at Lu Qiu and saying seriously, “Fellow Daoist has helped me refine this pill; the kindness is like giving me a new life. The reward promised earlier shall be honored without fail!”

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and a foot-long red jade box appeared in his grasp.

The jade box opened, and inside lay a strangely shaped spiritual plant, branched like red coral but crystalline like jade throughout, with faint golden Bloodlines flowing inside, emitting a subtle dragon pressure and an astonishing life aura—it was precisely that five-thousand-year-old “Dragon Blood Coral Tree”!

“This belongs to you now, Fellow Daoist!” The Thunder Flood Dragon pushed the jade box toward Lu Qiu.

Lu Qiu didn't stand on ceremony either; after thanking him, he took it, inspected it carefully for a few moments to confirm it was correct, and then carefully put it away.

The value of this Dragon Blood Coral was definitely not inferior to the two sets of Materials he had “lost”; in this transaction, he had made a huge profit.

“In addition, here is the deposit agreed upon earlier: three Water Cloud Lingzhi.” The Thunder Flood Dragon took out three more jade boxes.

Lu Qiu accepted them all.

The rewards were settled, and both parties were happy.

At the Thunder Flood Dragon's warm invitation, Lu Qiu and the Black Water Poison Python stayed on the island for another half month.

Every day, the Thunder Flood Dragon provided the highest level of hospitality, with all sorts of rare treasures from the sea and spiritual wines in abundance; he also took the initiative to exchange cultivation insights with Lu Qiu and introduce the situation of the nearby sea areas and the temperaments of some Transformed Great Yao, his attitude so warm it was almost solicitous.

Clearly, he sincerely wanted to befriend this “Alchemist Great Master” to lay a foundation for possible future cooperation.

Half a month later, Lu Qiu felt the timing was about right and proposed his departure to the Thunder Flood Dragon.

“Senior Yinting, I have troubled you for a long time. Mo Yu is concerned about his own Immortal Cave, and this journey has not yet been fully satisfying; I wish to see more distant sea areas and broaden my horizons. Today, I have come specifically to bid Senior farewell.”

Hearing this, although there was reluctance in the Thunder Flood Dragon's eyes, he also knew it wasn't right to force him to stay.

After a moment of deliberation, he carefully plucked a scale from his neck that was about the size of a palm, silver-white throughout, with faint thunder patterns and incredibly hard, and handed it to Lu Qiu.

“Fellow Daoist Mo Yu, this is a Heart-Mind Scale of mine, which carries my aura. The Outer Star Sea is vast and filled with Yao Beasts; if you hold this scale, any Fellow Daoists who recognize me will give you some face, which can save you a lot of trouble. If you ever return to this sea area in the future or have a need for me, you only need to activate this scale; within a thousand miles, I will surely sense it and will definitely come!”

This was equivalent to a token of friendship and a protective Talisman, of extraordinary value.

With this item, Lu Qiu's safety while operating in this sea area and even further afield as “Mo Yu” would be greatly enhanced, and he could pass through many Yao Beast territories without hindrance.

Lu Qiu was overjoyed; this was exactly what he needed most at the moment!

He solemnly took the scale, feeling the pressure of the Grade 9 Thunder Flood Dragon and a trace of connection through Essence Blood within it, and thanked the Thunder Flood Dragon once again.

“Senior's generous gift is engraved in my heart. If fate permits, I will surely visit again.”

“Good! Safe travels, Fellow Daoist! I also need to prepare for seclusion and consume this Beast King Pill. I look forward to drinking and chatting with you again in the future!” The Thunder Flood Dragon laughed heartily.

Bidding farewell to the Thunder Flood Dragon, Lu Qiu and the Black Water Poison Python took to their flight lights and left the island, which the Thunder Flood Dragon had managed as strictly as an iron bucket, continuing their “traveling” journey toward the depths of the vast, unknown, and opportunity-filled Outer Star Sea.

On this trip to the Thunder Flood Dragon's Immortal Cave, Lu Qiu had not only obtained a five-thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Coral, three Water Cloud Lingzhi, and a Grade 9 Thunder Flood Dragon's Heart-Mind Scale, but he had also secretly pocketed two complete sets of invaluable Beast King Pill Materials!

It could be said that he had made a massive profit.