## AST 631 – Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda，Practicing Alchemy Again

In terms of Feng Shui, this was a very auspicious formation called ‘Myriad of Stars Surrounding the Moon’. Since the middle peak was surrounded by nine other mountain peaks and nine is the largest numeral, anyone knowledgable would know that the mountain peak was far beyond ordinary. It was definitely a place with high quality Feng Shui.

On the peak of the mountain, at the very center of the formation, was a large pagoda that appeared as if it had been built in the clouds. This place was vastly different from the nearby surroundings. Not only did plants flourish here, but there was a large population of demonic beasts and wild beasts. The scene was one of singing birds and fragrant flowers.

This was the Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda. Very few people knew about it, and it was not a stretch to say that only the most powerful people in Seven Stars Country were aware of its existence.

“Old Man Ba, are you sure you want to return?”

At the Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda, there were two elderly men drinking tea and having a conversation.

The old man who was speaking looked graceful and benevolent. His pair of eyes were bright and wise, and someone would need just one look to tell that he was a very good person.

Facing him was another old man who others addressed as ‘Old Man Ba’. He had a tall and sturdy physique with head of thick white hair like that of a lion’s mane. With his pair of large ferocious eyes, lion-like nose, and wide mouth, he was like a living majestic white lion.

“Can I not return? My Ba Clan has already been destroyed.” the elderly man’s voice was like thunder, and it reverberated throughout the pagoda leaving a metallic buzz.

They were on the first floor, the living area, of the pagoda. There were eight other floors above it and every floor spanned over a huge area about 200m wide.

“So many years have passed, and yet you still can’t forget about such worldly affairs. When you first joined the ‘Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda’ you said that you would not interfere with such profane matters anymore, and will cultivate wholeheartedly. It has only been 30 years. But we here at Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda will never get involve in such worldly affair so I won’t stop you from leaving. However, you are not allowed misuse the name of Seven Stars Cloudway Pagoda and you must settle your matters, thoroughly.” the old man said to Old Man Ba after some deliberation.

“I know. With my current ability, I will just take a general look at things. How dare they destroy my Ba Clan even though they know of my existence. If so, they can’t blame me for being ruthless.” Old Man Ba grimly remarked, his mane flaring. He made no effort to hide his rage and vicious animosity.

“When will you leave?”

“Today. This place is too far from the Seven Star Capital City. I better leave early, otherwise it might be difficult to find those people.” Old man Ba stood up.

“Alright. Be careful. Even though it shouldn’t be a problem with your capabilities, you should still be alert.” the old man reminded kindly.

“Don’t worry. No one knows better than me about the level of their abilities. Besides, my strength and battle prowess have greatly improved over the years. This must be beyond their expectations. More importantly, my Ba Clan must beat them at their own game.”

“Anyway, I am leaving. Please inform the others on my behalf.” Old man Ba sighed and bid his farewell with a wave. He gave a long whistle and a gigantic demonic beast flew over very quickly.

It was blood red and had a pair of humongous wings. When they were fully extended, the total wingspan could reach 50 meters. It also had a large sinister-looking head, a dense set of white teeth and four huge limbs with sharp claws.

Red Jiao…

It was actually an adult Red Jiao!

Legend has it that Jiaos were demonic beasts which came from the Dragon bloodlines. As its strength grew and its blood awakened, there is a small chance that it could become a dragon. As far as anyone knew however, these were just legends.

Even though dragons were rumored to be as incredible as gods, they were in fact just extremely powerful demonic beasts with very long lives. It was only because of their great power that people continued to divinize them.

When Qing Shui returned to the Four Seas Inn, half the afternoon had already passed. He found each of the two ladies reading a book when he entered the room. Qing Shui took a look but did not notice that they were reading the ‘Art of Observing Females’…

“You’re back!” Di Chen greeted with a smile, placing her book down.

“You both seem in high spirits. What are you reading? You look so happy.” QIng Shui sat down beside Di Chen.

A faint fragrance wafted into Qing Shui’s nose immediately. He could not help but take in an additional two breaths.

Qing Shui’s action caused Di Chen’s face to blush immediately. She eyed him with some annoyance.

On the other hand, Di Qing started laughing, looking at Qing Shui with a playful look, “Being with my sister all the time, haven’t you sniffed enough? Doesn’t she smell very nice?”

“What are you saying, Qing’er!” Di Chen chided her sister, with an embarrassed look on her face.

“Huh. Sis, your face is turning red. Hehe. QIng Shui, this is the first time that my sister has blushed in front of a man. Don’t you feel a sense of accomplishment?” Di Qing continued mocking Qing Shui playfully.

“Qing’er, you’re still..”

“Fine, fine. I won’t go on. I am going back to my room to rest. Both of you can continue talking.” Di Qing smiled and winked ambiguously towards QIng Shui, causing Qing Shui to be speechless.

“Smells good!” Qing Shui whispered and laughed.

“You have learned such bad habits.” Di Chen gently closed her book.

“No, I am telling you the truth…”

“Your compliment sure seems polite.” Di Chen smiled giving Qing Shui a sideway glance.

The two of them were already seated close to each other. As Di Chen turned her head, their faces were just a palm width apart and Qing Shui could even clearly feel Di Chen’s breath as she talked.

Di Chen’s breath was cool and refreshing, soothing and aromatic. It made Qing Shui feel like he was drifting off into a dreamland. Without even being conscious of it, both of his hands were already around Di Chen’s svelte waist.

In a split second, he felt his blood rushing upwards. His mind became blank as he slowly approached Di Chen with a kiss.

But when Qing Shui felt a sharp pinch on his waist, he quickly became clear-headed. Qing Shui looked at Di Chen incredulously, “ No wonder the term ‘femme fatale’ exists, your beauty is really unparalleled.”

“There you go with your nonsense again.” Di Chen looked at Qing Shui. That youngster actually dared to hold her waist…

“So it is actually true that a woman can steal your soul. I am a person with quite strong willpower. You are indeed a peerless beauty.” Qing Shui realized that his heart felt very relaxed.

“Have you hugged me long enough?” Di Chen rolled her eyes.

“No. I have never hugged you properly. Can you let me hug you a little longer?” Qing Shui said with a smile, not taking his hands away.

“I don’t want to hear your nonsense. You can only hug me for a little bit!” Di Chen laughed. In any case, during this period of a relationship, there was always such small acts of intimacy. Furthermore, she had already decided on him as her man.

Qing Shui embraced Di Chen tightly, not leaving even a gap between them. He was once again mesmerized by that wonderful feeling as they touched. He slowly buried his face in her neck and placed his lips lightly on Di Chen’s delicate neck.

“Don’t make any weird advances.” her saint-like tender voice trembled.

Qing Shui heard Di Chen’s words and didn’t do anything more intimate. He just hugged her even more tightly to the point that he could feel her pressing against his erect member.

Quietly, Qing Shui held on to Di Chen while feeling a sense of calm. Both their hearts were extremely close, so they both heard each other’s pounding heart.

“Let’s go to the Di residence tomorrow! Qing’er has already brought that matter up many times.” Di Chen said this at the side of Qing Shui’s ears as she gently hugged him.

“Sure. I will listen to my Chen’er.”

“How talkative.”

“Chen’er, you’ve changed a lot.” Qing Shui said gently. Even though he was hugging Di Chen tightly, he wasn’t looking at her face so he did not feel that nervous.

“How have I changed? Has it been for the better?” Di Chen asked softly.

“I just feel that I can reach you now, I never dreamed that I would be able to hold you like this…”

At night, he finally left the hall after Di Chen left. Of course, he hadn’t advanced further with Di Chen after that hug, but he had still held her for at least an hour.

After he trained for some time, Qing Shui changed his focus to alchemy.

With the alchemy recipes and medicinal herbs he had available, alchemy was an enjoyment to Qing Shui. He readied himself and started to concoct the various medicinal pills.

Yang Pellet!

Qing Shui decided to start with this pill. Seeing that the steps were provided, he decided to just follow the procedure.

Everything went normally, his mood was calm, and he did not felt a ripple of emotion or excitement. Perhaps, these three alchemy recipes were not impressive enough to pique his interest, even though the cost of the ingredients showed that they were very good items.

The Yang Pellet could extend one’s lifespan by 50 years, equivalent to one Peach of Immortality. However, with Qing Shui’s current lifespan of about 1000 years, even though 50 years wasn’t a small about, it didn’t give him that burst of excitement. However, it did mean that he could give it to Luanluan to extend her life by quite a few years.

Qing Shui wasn’t too impressed with the Pure Jade Pellet either. First, Qing Shui already had his Five Dragon Pellet. Furthermore, QIng Shui was confident in his abilities, especially his 4th level Nature Energy. He might not be totally impervious to poison but he was definitely able to greatly counteract the potency of many poisons.

Qing Shui only had high expectations for the last recipe, the Meridians Clearing Pellet. Normally, most people had a few opened meridian channels but also many remaining meridians which were blocked and congested, unable to channel or accumulate Qi of Xiantian. At times, these blocked meridians could impede the growth of strength or even make it impossible to practice certain techniques.

There were still a few small meridians in his body that had not yet been cleared, so Qing Shui held some expectations for it.

Yang Pellet! Success！

Yang Pellet! Success！

……

Pure Jade Pellet! Failure！

Pure Jade Pellet! Success！

Pure Jade Pellet! Success！

……

Meridians Clearing Pellet! Failure！

Meridians Clearing Pellet! Failure！

Meridians Clearing Pellet! Failure！

……

Qing Shui was dumbfounded when he realized that he had already failed six times. He needed two hours each time. If he continued at this pace, it would be over ten days in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Ever since Qing Shui had started to practice alchemy, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. At this point, Qing Shui even suspected that there was a problem with the alchemy recipe.

He saw that he still had a lot of the ingredients needed for the Meridians Clearing Pellet and remembered Yuan Su’s expression that was filled with happiness and determination.

“Fine. I will use up all the ingredients. If I’m still not successful, then there must be a problem with the alchemy recipe.” Qing Shui began his next try.

Failure!

Failure!

Ding!

Qing Shui’s hand trembled, but he quickly steadied the primordial flames in his hands. He suppressed the wave of emotion and started to gently heat the Meridians Clearing Pellet in his Golden Flint Iron Cauldron.

After an hour, Qing Shui opened his Golden Flint Iron Cauldron joyfully. Three snow white medicinal pellets, each the size of a finger pad, were at the bottom of the cauldron.

He was finally successful. Now, Qing Shui knew for sure that there was no problem with the alchemy recipe. In his following attempts, he managed to be successful 8 out of 10 times and the success rate was still rising.

In the end, Qing Shui received ‘10 Yang Pellets’, 10 ‘Pure Jade Pellets’ and 30 ‘Meridians Clearing Pellets’！