Chapter Twenty-Five: Refining the Spiritual Elixir

Lin Yi stepped into the villa, and the understated decor hinted at a sense of grandeur.

“The environment isn’t bad. I could bring Doudou here for a visit in the future.”

Lin Yi remembered that Doudou’s dream had always been to live in a big house; this villa was certainly large enough. He could already picture the little girl skipping and bouncing around, full of joy.

Smiling faintly, Lin Yi set aside his wandering thoughts and sat cross-legged on the sofa. He took out a golden pill and broke the seal on it directly.

Without the protection of the seal, the true essence within the pill began to dissipate slowly. Lin Yi paid it no mind. With a few deft motions of his fingers, century-old medicinal herbs appeared one after another at his side.

“Excellent.”

Satisfied, Lin Yi began to refine the elixir. The process of creating a spiritual pill was far more complex than that of a blood and energy pill, so the entire alchemical process lasted five hours.

During that time, he remained utterly still, like a monk deep in meditation. No matter what happened outside, his eyes were fixed on the spiritual pill forming in his palm.

“Not bad. I thought I’d only get three spiritual pills, but to my surprise, I ended up with five. No doubt that’s thanks to the addition of the spirit marrow extract,” Lin Yi thought with a touch of delight.

With these five spiritual pills, he would have more than enough to condense a tenth golden core, with some left over.

Just then, the whole room began to tremble slightly. Countless rats and insects, drawn by the rich fragrance of the spiritual pills, started to emerge.

Lin Yi had anticipated this. Without a flicker of emotion, he uttered a soft command: “Scatter!”

Immediately, the rats scurried away in all directions.

“Looks like I’ll need Angel’s help with the cleaning,” Lin Yi muttered, glancing at the mess in the living room and shaking his head.

He used his qi to carry the five spiritual pills on his person and left Villa Eight.

For now, Lin Yi didn’t plan to ingest the spiritual pill, because each time he condensed a golden core within himself, he had to undergo a heavenly tribulation.

Therefore, he needed to find a suitable place first; otherwise, anyone within a kilometer radius might be affected by the tribulation.

Though Lin Yi was indifferent to life and death, it did not mean he lacked humanity.

…

That afternoon, Lin Yi requested a seven-day leave from Yang Junqi.

Perhaps it was because of what had happened at noon, but Yang Junqi was particularly cordial toward him and didn’t press for details, approving the leave without question.

On his way home, Lin Yi called Angel.

She answered warmly, “Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?”

“Can you cook?” Lin Yi asked.

Angel was taken aback. “Mr. Lin, are you hungry?”

“Not exactly. I’d like to ask you to take care of Doudou for a few days,” he replied.

Angel wanted to remind Lin Yi that she was a business elite, not a housekeeper—but since Lin Yi was her superior, she could only acquiesce. “When I was studying abroad, I cooked for myself all the time. It’s no problem.”

“Good. Come over tomorrow then,” Lin Yi said, and promptly hung up.

Listening to the dial tone, Angel felt a touch of helplessness.

She had met all kinds of men, but never one quite like Lin Yi. Even if she kept a cold face all day, just a hint of a smile from her would be enough to captivate countless men.

“Could this be a ploy to lure me in by pretending indifference?” Angel comforted herself with the thought.

When Lin Yi got home, he saw Doudou, her little face set with determination as she practiced her horse stance.

“Doudou, I’ll be going away tomorrow. I might not be back for several days,” he told her.

Lin Doudou immediately stopped, ran to his side, and asked, “Is something wrong? Why will you be gone so long?”

In her memory, Lin Yi hardly ever traveled far and had never stayed out overnight. The prospect of him being gone for days made her uneasy.

“No, I’m just going out for a while. I’ll bring you something tasty when I return.” He gently ruffled her hair.

Doudou clung to his waist, pouting. “Can’t you take me with you?”

“Not this time,” Lin Yi said, shaking his head. He was about to face a tribulation and would be unable to look after her.

“Alright.” Though she pouted, Doudou said no more. She knew Lin Yi’s temperament—his word was law.

“Don’t worry. Tomorrow, a big sister will come to look after you,” Lin Yi said with a smile.

“A big sister? Is it that mixed-blood beauty from yesterday?” Doudou blinked her eyes.

“Yes,” Lin Yi nodded.

He’d noticed that Angel was quite adept at handling daily affairs; entrusting Doudou to her gave him peace of mind.

“Okay then.”

Doudou hugged him tighter, took a deep breath of his scent, then her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Lin Yi, can you take me to the movies tonight?”

“Of course,” Lin Yi replied with a smile.

They spent the night out, and early the next morning, Angel arrived, arms full of bags—so many that it looked as though she were moving in.

Doudou had already claimed Lin Yi’s room for herself and arranged for Angel to stay in hers.

Angel could guess the little girl’s intentions, but took no offense. Once she had put her things away, she asked, “Mr. Lin, are you leaving?”

“Yes, some personal matters,” Lin Yi replied, not giving specifics—who would believe him if he said he was going to face a heavenly tribulation?

“Take care, Mr. Lin,” Angel offered politely.

Lin Yi smiled. “I’m counting on you to look after Doudou. She’s a bit of a glutton and has quite an appetite.”

“Why do you say everything?” Doudou shot him a reproachful look.

Angel couldn’t help but smile. She realized that Lin Yi only seemed truly alive when interacting with Doudou.

At ten o’clock that morning, Lin Yi strolled to a stretch of wasteland.

“This is perfect. Plenty of space,” he murmured, surveying the surroundings.

To ensure absolute safety, he decided to set up a spiritual formation to prevent any accidental intrusions.

He scooped up a handful of pebbles from the ground, infused them with threads of true essence, and watched as each ordinary stone began to glow faintly.

He planted a stone at intervals as he walked, eventually burying nine hundred and ninety-nine stones, encircling an entire square kilometer.

“Let the array rise,” he intoned.

At once, a faint glow linked the stones, forming a circle. He had set up an illusion array—unless someone possessed greater spiritual strength than his, no one would be able to enter.

With everything prepared, Lin Yi sat cross-legged, took out a spiritual pill, and swallowed it.

Boom.

The medicinal power erupted instantly, filling his nine golden cores.

“At this rate, I’ll be able to condense the tenth golden core within three days,” Lin Yi thought, his eyes shining. The nine golden cores eagerly absorbed the pill’s potency.

…

Jiang Province Airport.

Tong Yu and Elder Mo had already waited there for more than two hours, but neither showed any impatience.

“Miss, is Master Ye’s senior brother really that formidable? Has he truly slain a grandmaster?” Elder Mo asked in a low voice.

A grandmaster—such a figure was a legend; there had never even been one in Jiang Province.

“That’s what she told me,” Tong Yu replied, her large sunglasses half-concealing her striking features, yet even so, her figure and the glimpse of her face drew many admiring glances from passersby.

“If that’s true, the Tong family’s ascent to the top spot is just around the corner,” Elder Mo said excitedly.

He had guarded the Tong family since their rise, for over forty years. He had witnessed every step of their growth.

As they spoke, a figure appeared beside them without warning.

It was a middle-aged man, his hair half-white but his complexion ruddy and his posture upright. His eyes were especially sharp, as if they contained twin swords.

“You’re Tong Yu?” the man asked coldly.

“Yes.”

Tong Yu nodded. The man’s gaze felt like a blade pressed to her throat, threatening her life at any moment.

She forced down her fear and asked, “May I ask your name, sir—?”

“You’re not qualified to know my name,” the man interrupted arrogantly.

Tong Yu’s eyes flashed with anger. As the eldest daughter of the Tong family, to be so insulted—denied even the right to know a name—was intolerable.

Elder Mo, knowing his lady’s temper, quickly grabbed her arm and whispered, “Miss, this man’s strength is unfathomable.”

Tong Yu had her suspicions.

Then the man spoke again. “What’s this? Did you just harbor murderous intent toward me?”

Tong Yu felt an overwhelming pressure lock onto her, rendering her unable to move.

“No, I did not,” she replied through gritted teeth.

So this is a grandmaster? Just a single glance, and I nearly broke.

Tong Yu was shaken. In truth, she was not alone—Elder Mo beside her nearly fell to his knees.

“Enough. Take me to see my junior brother’s body,” the man said, withdrawing his aura. Tong Yu and Elder Mo could finally breathe.

“Yes, of course,” Tong Yu replied, momentarily forgetting her earlier resentment.

Soon, she led the man to a cold storage room containing a single ice coffin.

The man approached the coffin, gazing at Ye Nantian’s corpse. “Such a clean wound. It was indeed done by a grandmaster.”

Tong Yu and Elder Mo exchanged a look—their suspicions confirmed.

Fortunately, they had not acted rashly. To provoke a grandmaster would have brought ruin upon the entire Tong family.

Now, however, Ye Nantian’s senior brother had arrived. They no longer had to be afraid.

The man sighed. “Ye Nantian, no matter what, you were my junior brother. I, Xue Zhen, will avenge you.”

He then turned to Tong Yu. “Where is Lin Yi now? Since all this began with him, he’ll be the first.”

Tong Yu replied, “Grandmaster, it’s strange—Lin Yi has some means of hiding himself; our people can’t find him anywhere.”

Xue Zhen frowned.

Tong Yu’s eyes gleamed with hatred as she continued, “But Lin Yi has a younger sister named Lin Doudou. If we catch her, I’m sure we can make him reveal himself.”