Chapter 133: Refining the Ninth-Grade Pill Formula

Lin Yi did not want the two of them kneeling before the villa; it would look unsightly if seen by others. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement: "Fine, proceed as you have said. Ensure you discipline your daughter well from now on. If she causes trouble again, do not expect everyone to be as easygoing as I am."

Xia Deshou muttered to himself: If you were truly easygoing, Xia Jiguan would not have died such a miserable death earlier. But one must bow when under another’s roof. More importantly, Lin Yi’s prowess was overwhelming. Xia Deshou nodded repeatedly: "Mr. Lin is right to instruct me."

Immediately after, he asked cautiously: "Mr. Lin, would it be possible to restore my daughter to her original state?"

Xia Yumo looked at Lin Yi with hope in her eyes. She was only in her twenties, in the prime of her youth, and had no desire to live out the rest of her days as an elderly woman.

Lin Yi nodded and flicked his finger, sending a streak of white light into Xia Yumo’s forehead. Her aged skin quickly became supple and fair, her white hair turned back to a glossy black, and her clouded eyes regained their former brilliance.

"Daughter, this is wonderful, you have recovered!" Xia Deshou said joyfully.

Xia Yumo looked down at her palms; the wrinkled skin was gone. She hurriedly touched her cheeks, finding them smooth and delicate. "I... I have truly recovered." She felt a sense of daze; often, one only realizes the value of something once it is lost.

"Yes, you have fully recovered. If you don't believe me, look for yourself," Xia Deshou said, pulling out his phone.

Xia Yumo took the phone, examined her reflection for a minute, and then set it down with lingering reluctance. Her gaze toward Lin Yi held a trace of complexity. She hated Lin Yi—that was true—but after witnessing his methods, she felt a sense of relief; at the very least, she was still alive.

Lin Yi pulled out his phone and called Angel, instructing her to handle the handover of the Xia family’s assets in full. He could not be bothered with such trivial matters.

...

Back at the hotel, Liao Mei sat in a daze. Seeing that Liao Mei had returned alone, Bi Deming asked curiously: "Where is Senior Brother Xia?"

At the mention of Senior Brother Xia, a flicker of light returned to Liao Mei’s vacant eyes. With difficulty, she pulled a headless corpse from her storage bag.

"This is..." Bi Deming’s pupils contracted.

"It is our Senior Brother," Liao Mei said.

"How is this possible? Senior Brother Xia was a Spirit Venerable; how could he have died so miserably?" Bi Deming found it hard to believe.

"It was Lin Yi. We all misjudged his strength. In his hands, our Senior Brother had no power to resist at all," Liao Mei said, her voice bitter.

The room fell into silence. Nearly half an hour later, she took out her phone and called Wang Xianglan.

"Hello? Well, did you capture Lin Yi?" Wang Xianglan asked.

Liao Mei didn't know how to answer, but some things had to be faced. She said: "Teacher, Senior Brother... he was killed by Lin Yi."

Silence fell on the other end. After a dozen seconds, Wang Xianglan’s voice rose in pitch: "How is that possible? Guang'er was a Spirit Venerable. Even if he couldn't win, he should have been able to escape!"

"Teacher, Senior Brother was like a toy in Lin Yi’s hands—he could be crushed at will. He also asked me to pass a message to the Red Skull: if you send anyone else, he will kill them one by one," Liao Mei said.

"That scoundrel, he is truly lawless!" Wang Xianglan was furious. Xia Jiguan was her most outstanding disciple, and now that he had been killed, how could she endure it?

"Teacher, Lin Yi is too powerful. A couple of Spirit Venerables are no match for him," Liao Mei urged. She truly lacked the courage to face Lin Yi; just the thought of it filled her with fear.

Wang Xianglan was silent for a moment, then said: "Enough, I understand. Come back first."

"Yes," Liao Mei nodded.

...

The next day, Die Nishang arrived for a visit with her master, Die Hongluan.

"Mr. Lin, I have long heard of your reputation." Die Hongluan smiled lightly. Truth be told, this was her first time meeting Lin Yi, and he felt unfathomable to her.

"Valley Master Die, a pleasure," Lin Yi replied courteously.

"In the world of martial arts, the capable are considered masters. Mr. Lin can just call me Hongluan," said Die Hongluan.

Die Nishang’s expression turned peculiar. Her master might look young, but she was over forty in reality. Lin Yi’s identity records indicated he was in his twenties. Was this "Hongluan" request serious? Or was her master trying to act young again?

Die Hongluan seemed to notice Die Nishang’s gaze and cast a calm, warning glance her way.

"Fine." Lin Yi shrugged dismissively. To him, Die Hongluan was indeed just a young girl.

He went straight to the point: "Where is that pill formula?"

"It’s here." Die Nishang hurriedly jumped forward and produced a yellowed, ancient scroll.

Lin Yi unfolded the scroll. The content was severely damaged due to the passage of time. After a few minutes of inspection, Die Hongluan asked in a clear voice: "Mr. Lin, can you make anything of it?"

"Indeed. This is a Grade Nine pill formula," Lin Yi said.

Even with Die Hongluan’s composed temperament, she was shocked. "Is what Mr. Lin says true?" she confirmed. The highest-grade pill the Butterfly Valley could currently refine was the Grade Two Rejuvenation Pill. The value of a Grade Nine pill—let alone the formula—was beyond estimation.

"Yes. And I can restore this formula. However, the spiritual herbs required for a Grade Nine pill have likely gone extinct nine times out of ten," Lin Yi said.

Die Hongluan frowned slightly; that was indeed a troublesome matter. However, she was surprised that Lin Yi could actually restore the formula.

"Mr. Lin, a Grade Nine formula is of extraordinary value. Even just for reference, it would be a great harvest for any alchemist," Die Hongluan said.

Lin Yi shook his head gently. The contents of a Grade Nine formula were not meant for casual reference. When a Grade Nine pill is formed, it triggers a lightning tribulation; some are even capable of taking human form and cultivating themselves. Such transcendent objects were beyond common imagination. However, given the current suppression of the world, it would be difficult to refine even with all the ingredients gathered.

*Forget it, I’ll just restore the formula first.*

Golden light flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes. The characters blurred by time slowly became clear again in his vision. It took nearly an hour for Lin Yi to fill in the missing parts. The cost was the consumption of true essence from his three golden cores—which showed just how taxing that technique was. Fortunately, Lin Yi’s golden cores complemented each other, and he would be able to recover within half an hour.

"Here is the restored formula. Take a look," Lin Yi said, handing it to Die Hongluan.

Die Hongluan took the scroll, and Die Nishang leaned in curiously. The more they looked, the deeper their brows furrowed. They had never even heard of many of the spiritual herbs listed. Furthermore, refining a Grade Nine pill required several types of celestial wonders’ fires for repeated tempering and purification.

"This is so complicated, I can't understand it at all," Die Nishang said, frustrated.

"Neither can I," Die Hongluan sighed, shaking her head. She had hoped to use this formula to improve her alchemy skills, but now she didn't even recognize the herbs, let alone the properties or techniques required.

Die Nishang suddenly looked at Lin Yi and asked: "Mr. Lin, could you refine a Grade Nine pill?" She was just asking casually, but to her surprise, Lin Yi nodded: "I’ve had the luck to refine one."

"No way!" Die Nishang’s eyes widened.

"It is true." Lin Yi added silently that it had been several thousand years ago. Back then, he had only refined the most basic Grade Nine pill; while the herbs were rare, they were still traceable in the cultivation world of that time.

Lin Yi didn't want to dwell on the subject and changed the topic: "I suggest you memorize this formula and keep it in your minds to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Naturally," Die Hongluan agreed. A Grade Nine formula carried immense weight. If discovered by major factions, the Butterfly Valley would be on the path to destruction. A man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a target. The Butterfly Valley appeared to be a transcendent power, but any stray Spirit Venerable could annihilate it.

Martial artists had excellent memories. Before long, Die Hongluan committed the content to memory, then channeled a burst of energy to shatter the ancient scroll instantly.

"Mr. Lin, I have brought you some specialties from the Butterfly Valley. I hope you don't mind," Die Hongluan said calmly.

"What specialties?" Lin Yi asked, curious.

Die Hongluan produced a butterfly-shaped spiritual herb: "This is Butterfly Grass. It has the effect of nourishing yin, beautifying, and strengthening the body and kidneys." This herb was abundant in the Butterfly Valley and was used as a base for many pills. It was because of this grass that the valley got its name.

Lin Yi didn't act coy and asked: "How much did you bring?"

"Not much, just about a thousand stalks," Die Hongluan said modestly.

Lin Yi was speechless. He finally understood what it meant to be truly wealthy.

...

Die Hongluan gifted the Butterfly Grass to Lin Yi and prepared to leave, having gained much from this trip.

"Mr. Lin, we shall take our leave. Do come visit the Butterfly Valley when you have time," Die Hongluan said with a smile.

"Indeed," Lin Yi nodded. He suddenly felt that the Butterfly Valley was a place of good geomancy; perhaps it was worth cultivating.

...

Several days passed. It was time for Lin Doudou to start school. The little girl had good grades and had been admitted to a key high school, where the academic pressure was quite high.

"Doudou, don't bully your classmates at school," Lin Yi cautioned. The little girl was now a Grandmaster; if she really lost her temper, she might just tear the school down.

"Lin Yi, don't worry. I definitely won't cause any trouble for you," Lin Doudou replied obediently. Lin Yi patted her hair with satisfaction.

After sending Doudou to school, Lin Yi received a call.

"Hello, Boss Lin? Do you remember me? Old Man Jin from the underground market."

Lin Yi certainly remembered; he had picked up two treasures at Old Man Jin’s stall—a ring and the Yin Soul Stones.

"What is it?" Lin Yi asked.

"Boss Lin, I’ve found a few more black stones. About the price..." Old Man Jin chuckled.

"Money is not an issue," Lin Yi said.

"That’s great. Boss Lin, same spot. Come to my stall, and we’ll trade in person."

"Very well," Lin Yi agreed. Old Man Jin was lucky; having multiple Yin Soul Stones suggested he had found their source.

Lin Yi took his flying boat and arrived at the underground market in Shan Province in less than ten minutes. Old Man Jin was living a good life now. He used to have only one gold-capped tooth; now, he had a full set that cost over a hundred thousand. When he opened his mouth, the golden glint was blinding. Money was secondary; it was all about the face.

An acquaintance passed by and teased: "Old Man Jin, struck it rich lately? Got a mouthful of copper teeth."

Old Man Jin immediately retorted: "Nonsense, they are gold teeth!"

"Haha, give it a rest. A set of gold teeth costs at least a hundred thousand. With your little stall, you probably don't make that much in a year."

Old Man Jin pursed his lips. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly smoothed out his little suit and said enthusiastically: "Boss Lin, you’re here!"

Lin Yi cast a strange look at Old Man Jin. What was the deal with those gold teeth? It made him want to punch them into pieces.

"Where is the stuff?" Lin Yi asked straightaway.

"Right here," Old Man Jin hurriedly retrieved a small box from behind him. He opened it to reveal the Yin Soul Stones. They were quite large, bigger than an adult’s fist, and there were five of them.

Lin Yi nodded, confirming they were indeed Yin Soul Stones. "Let’s do a bank transfer."

"Don't be in such a hurry, Boss Lin. The price has gone up," Old Man Jin said.

"Gone up?" Lin Yi frowned slightly.

Old Man Jin quickly explained: "Boss Lin, this stuff is hard to get. That place is haunted. If it weren't for my quick feet, you wouldn't be seeing me right now."

"Haunted." Lin Yi wasn't surprised; Yin Soul Stones were born in places of heavy yin energy, so such things were normal.

"Yes, it’s terrifying!" Old Man Jin, afraid Lin Yi wouldn't believe him, described it in vivid detail.

"How much do you want for these stones?" Lin Yi asked.

"Two hundred thousand each," Old Man Jin said with a smile.

The man nearby who had teased Old Man Jin earlier nearly popped his eyes out. This Old Man Jin was too greedy—two hundred thousand for a broken rock! He wouldn't take them even if they were free.

Lin Yi couldn't be bothered to haggle. He nodded: "Fine, two hundred thousand each. Also, I’ll give you another million—tell me where that place is."

"That, I can't do." Old Man Jin was banking on Lin Yi to get rich; if he told him the location, how would he make money in the future?

"Then forget it. I don't want the stones either," Lin Yi said, turning to walk away.

Old Man Jin panicked. If his "God of Wealth" stopped buying, those stones would just sit there and rot.