Having emerged from the alchemy quarters, He Yiming looked up at the blinding sunlight, his expression outwardly calm, yet inside, a tide of exhilaration still surged uncontrollably.

Venerable Hao Dong had entered the high tower with the successfully refined Longevity Elixir; it was obvious he was rushing to report the good news to the Sect Master.

That the Longevity Elixir was refined so quickly had surprised even Venerable Hao Dong beforehand. His sheer delight was something He Yiming and Jin Zhanyi felt deeply.

“Brother He, are you truly planning to delve into the Dao of Alchemy?” Jin Zhanyi asked in a low voice.

He Yiming pressed his lips together. “The Dao of Alchemy is actually quite fascinating. This humble one genuinely wishes to give it a try.”

Jin Zhanyi shook his head slightly. Having spent months with He Yiming, he knew that once this fellow made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.

Yet, this stubbornness was almost a universal trait among the successful; without such unwavering persistence, how could one achieve dazzling success?

With a soft sigh, Jin Zhanyi spoke earnestly, “Brother He, I don’t object if you wish to study the Dao of Alchemy. But I have one suggestion I hope you will accept.”

He Yiming said gravely, “Please, Brother Jin.”

Jin Zhanyi stopped walking, looking at He Yiming with an unprecedented solemnity. “My suggestion is this: wait until you have advanced to the Venerable rank before you begin studying the Dao of Alchemy. Until then, it would be best if you focused your energy on the Martial Dao.”

He Yiming felt the genuine concern radiating from him and replied seriously, “Brother Jin, rest assured, this junior will not abandon the root for the branch. I will absolutely not be distracted before reaching the Venerable realm.”

Only then did a look of relief spread across Jin Zhanyi’s face. “It’s good that you remember those words.”

The two exchanged a smile and walked side-by-side back to the courtyard where they resided.

He Yiming paused at his door, smiling casually. “Brother Jin, while I was refining the elixir earlier, I had a sudden insight and wish to enter seclusion to comprehend it.”

Jin Zhanyi started slightly, a flicker of envy crossing his eyes. “Brother He, go ahead and seclude yourself. I will stand guard for you.”

After thanking him, He Yiming returned to his room.

The moment he stepped inside, the smile vanished from his face, replaced once more by an almost unbearable excitement.

Even now, he had not fully recovered from the discovery he’d just made.

However, he firmly believed that if anyone else had made this discovery, they would likely be even more agitated than he was.

He touched the tracking device given to him by Bai Lingba on his chest and called out in a voice like a soft insect hum, “Brother Bai, I require assistance; come quickly.”

Setting down the device, he sat and inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.

Each breath he took was unnaturally long, both inhaling and exhaling being remarkably pronounced, imbued with powerful True Qi. Under the impact of this energy, even the entire room seemed to tremble slightly.

In the adjacent room, Jin Zhanyi frowned slightly. Though he wasn't deliberately eavesdropping, such profound sounds of breathing were like thunder in the sky to him—impossible to ignore.

The first thought that flashed through his mind was that this cultivation technique was truly bizarre. He then rapidly reviewed every martial art he recalled from his memory.

However, despite his hundreds of years of cultivation on the Martial Dao, he still could not discern what kind of unique technique this was. After listening for a long while, he finally admitted that he couldn't understand it or figure it out.

Shaking his head, he sighed deeply. This young expert of the Three Flowers realm was a complete enigma, one he couldn't penetrate.

Yet, by no means did he imagine that He Yiming’s breathing was merely to calm his own boiling emotions. Had he known that, while he might not have coughed up blood, he would certainly have been deeply frustrated.

But it was impossible for anyone to guess that, given He Yiming’s current cultivation level, he would still resort to such a method to steady his state of mind. This was unlikely not just for a master of the Three Flowers realm like He Yiming, but perhaps even for an ordinary Innate expert.

After an unknown period, as He Yiming’s mental state gradually settled, the sound of his breathing deepened, losing that initial exaggerated effect.

Just then, a puddle of liquid silently flowed in through the gap beneath the door. This puddle gradually expanded until it transformed into Bai Lingba.

He Yiming was now completely immune to Bai Lingba’s characteristic method of arrival.

He smiled faintly, stood up, and lowered his voice. “Brother Bai, I need to go out for a moment. Please stand in for me.”

Bai Lingba nodded silently, and a ripple passed over his body. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into another He Yiming.

The transformation was seamless, utterly natural, without the slightest forced effort. Even He Yiming himself could not spot any flaw.

“You should take Bao Zhu with you; it was very unhappy just now,” Bai Lingba said calmly.

He Yiming paused. “Why was it unhappy?”

“Because I was about to leave.”

He Yiming shook his head helplessly. The relationship between these two non-human entities was far too close. However, if not for that, Bao Zhu wouldn’t have run away from the Heavenly Lake. This little creature was a lucky star, but simultaneously, a monumental nuisance.

“Where is it?” He Yiming asked gravely.

Bai Lingba detailed a location—a valley outside the city limits. Although He Yiming didn't understand why the two had chosen to stay there, he raised no objection.

After murmuring a few soft instructions, He Yiming’s body moved slightly, enveloped by a faint mist-like energy, and he slipped silently beneath the ground.

Although his method of entering and exiting the city differed from Bai Lingba’s, they were nearly identical in their capacity for concealment.

While the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was teeming with experts, very few possessed the ability to sense subterranean environments. Coupled with He Yiming’s obscuring mist power, no one could possibly detect him without prior knowledge.

Once far from the city, He Yiming emerged from underground, set his direction, and soon found the cave Bai Lingba had described.

Before he even stepped into the cave, a streak of white light shot out like a projectile.

This white light moved at an extreme speed, giving He Yiming almost no time to react.

Then, Bao Zhu landed squarely on He Yiming’s shoulder, making soft grunting noises about something.

He Yiming rubbed his forehead with a headache. “Bao Zhu, I am not Bai Lingba; get down first.”

“Hmph hmph hmph…”

He Yiming rolled his eyes. Heaven knew what the creature was trying to express. He shook his head, gently pried its two front hooves off his shoulder, ignored its protests as it nudged him with its thick nose, and simply gripped its neck as he bolted into the distance.

The power of Wind was unleashed here without restraint; He Yiming had pushed his speed to the absolute limit.

Aside from that one night of desperate escape, He Yiming had never used this kind of uninterrupted, peak-level wind power for travel.

But now, a fire seemed to burn inside him, making his whole body hot; if he didn't vent it, who knew if he might explode.

Although He Yiming had nearly exhausted all his True Qi in the alchemy room, after this period of rest, he had recovered at least fifty percent.

As he ran madly, He Yiming clutched Bao Zhu’s neck with one hand, while in the other, he held a piece of white stone, pouring surging power into it, allowing his True Qi to be perfectly replenished.

※※※※

The daylight finally vanished, the sun settling peacefully below the horizon.

He Yiming stopped as well. He looked back; who knew how long he had run, but one thing was certain: he was far from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, and not even a shadow of the massive tower could be seen.

Feeling the almost surging tide of True Qi in his body, He Yiming was immensely satisfied.

To be able to run at full tilt and not only avoid depleting his True Qi but actually replenish it gradually until it reached fullness—in this world, few others besides himself could achieve such a feat.

Tucking the white stone into his robes, He Yiming surveyed his surroundings.

This was a desolate, uninhabited valley—a perfect place for him.

A few soft 'hmmph' sounds came from beside him. He Yiming turned to look. Bao Zhu’s small eyes were darting around, possessing a look of intelligence and cunning.

During the frantic run, perhaps sensing He Yiming's distinctly different attitude, Bao Zhu had finally stopped resisting. Only now, when He Yiming stopped, did it utter a few soft calls.

He Yiming let out a soft chuckle, setting Bao Zhu down, gently stroking its head. “Little fellow, today I’ll show you something wonderful.”

As if grasping He Yiming’s meaning, Bao Zhu’s small eyes lit up with excitement.

He Yiming sighed inwardly. No wonder the ancestor at the Heavenly Lake doted on this little creature; any person would adore such an intelligent spirit beast.

Of course, this excluded the Medicine Daoist, who looked at Bao Zhu as if it were an Innate Inner Elixir!

He undid the buttons of his robe and took out the silver ring that hung around his neck.

He extended a hand to grip the ring, but at that moment, he hesitated for a brief instant.

As the saying went, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. If the contents within were not what he expected and proved to be an empty joy, even he would feel immensely dejected.

“Hmph hmph hmph…”

Bao Zhu on the ground let out a few urging sounds. He Yiming took a deep breath and finally channeled his True Qi into the ring.

As the powerful True Qi entered the silver ring, a dark, void-like space instantly materialized before them.

Bao Zhu seemed aware of the object’s preciousness; it obediently settled on the ground, its small eyes fixed unblinkingly on the dark expanse.

He Yiming reached out and slowly retrieved an item from within.

Bao Zhu’s small eyes immediately brightened, and it pounced forward, its two front hooves landing firmly on the object, seemingly staking its claim.

Ps: I originally intended to let everyone guess what this item was, but last night in the group chat, someone had already guessed it. Moreover, a reader just called me, also stating the answer. Bai He is utterly speechless; was it really that obvious...

Three more chapters tonight.