Chapter 319

Chapter 319: Great Increase in Divine Sense

Fang Lie could only smile slightly at the teasing of Immortal Fire Cloud and said no more.

In fact, Fang Lie was well aware that the Nirvana fire, combined with the Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture, was like a boundless golden mountain. With just his Qi Sea Realm cultivation, he could achieve terrifying gains, even comparable to ordinary Fire Tribulation Immortals.

Of course, Fang Lie still had a considerable gap compared to the true masters who excelled in refining, alchemy, or other side skills. However, as his cultivation increased, that gap would undoubtedly keep narrowing.

Immortal Fire Cloud was very busy and, after saying a few words, he took his leave.

Mo Lanyun wanted to chat more with this amazing senior brother, but she understood that Fang Lie was eager to return to refining the Penglai Immortal Liquid, so she gracefully said goodbye to him.

With no one else around to bother him, Fang Lie naturally couldn’t wait to start refining the Penglai Immortal Liquid.

There were exactly seven days left before the Exhibition, enough time for him to enter a short closed-door meditation.

Arriving at the secret room in the guest house, Fang Lie cast the secret technique to activate the formation’s restrictions and then sat down on the sitting cushion. He took out the Jade Bottle that contained the Penglai Immortal Liquid.

The Jade Bottle had special seals, and Fang Lie quickly identified the type, which was specifically used to seal off Spiritual Energy and prevent it from leaking. There were only a few common types.

Fang Lie understood how to activate the secret technique, and he performed a series of complex gestures to unlock the seal.

As the crystal white light faded away, the bottle’s opening finally released a wave of special fragrance.

Just one whiff made Fang Lie feel refreshed, and his Magic surged inside him.

"Truly a great treasure!" Fang Lie exclaimed, gazing at the milk-like liquid inside the bottle with sincere admiration.

"The treasure is good, but unfortunately, it’s diluted too much!" came the voice of the old bird. "Those damned crooked merchants~"

"What?" Fang Lie was startled and hurriedly asked, "Is it diluted?"

"The Penglai Immortal Liquid is a spirit liquid produced by the core spiritual roots of Penglai Immortal Mountain. There’s only one drop every hundred years, weighing a thousand pounds, far denser than lead or mercury," explained the old bird. "If it were pure Penglai Immortal Liquid, one drop could double the divine sense of an ordinary Thunder Tribulation Immortal! Such a treasure could trade for two or three Eighth-rank Treasures!"

"Ah~" Fang Lie exclaimed in surprise. "So that’s why they are reluctant to sell such a great item; they must be diluting it with Spiritual Water, right?"

"Exactly! The bottle you have weighs only one pound, which means it has been diluted a thousand times!" the old bird said. "And the Penglai Immortal Liquid is the purest of substances. Even the cleanest Spiritual Water can pollute it, reducing its efficacy. After being diluted a thousand times, its effectiveness is far less, even less than one ten-thousandth of the original liquid. What you have is practically useless for those above the Wind Tribulation Immortal realm and can only greatly boost the divine sense of cultivators at the Golden Pool and Purple Palace levels. That’s why they can only sell it to second generation immortals who have money but low cultivation ranks."

"Damn, what a crooked merchant!" Fang Lie chuckled bitterly. "No wonder they used this to fob me off; now it all makes sense!"

"Well, don’t be disheartened. For others, it might just be that, but not for you. With your Nirvana fire, you can refine it down. Even a little pure Penglai Immortal Liquid will greatly increase your divine sense, allowing you to reach a level far above your peers!"

Hearing the old bird’s words, Fang Lie instantly felt encouraged. He hurriedly activated his Magic to draw all the Penglai Immortal Liquid into the air, forming a water ball the size of a fist.

Then, Fang Lie opened his mouth and gently exhaled, sending a pure burst of Nirvana fire to envelop the water ball.

With a sizzling sound, the water ball soon began to pulsate, as the impurities were continuously refined away, and the water ball grew smaller and smaller.

Finally, half an hour later, the water ball transformed into a crystalline liquid no larger than half a millet seed, resembling crystal and sparkling beautifully.

This was the purest original Penglai Immortal Liquid; despite its small size, it weighed a pound, had no scent, and was as thick as lead or mercury.

Fang Lie immediately swallowed it and began to slowly refine it.

Seven days later, Fang Lie awoke from his meditation. A faint vertical mark appeared at the center of his brow, nearly invisible unless looked at closely.

Aside from this change, there were no noticeable differences, and his cultivation didn’t seem to have improved much.

However, Fang Lie’s face was filled with joy as he couldn’t help but share the good news with the old bird. "My divine sense was like a rough twine, weak in power and easily scattered when faced with obstacles. But now, it has completely transformed into a steel wire, capable of penetrating ten fathoms underground. It can even extend thirty miles, nearly surpassing the range of some Golden Pool cultivators!"

"Very good! Usually, a Golden Pool cultivator’s divine sense reaches only ten miles, and even those second generation immortals rarely exceed twenty miles. After all, the scope of divine sense is mainly determined by realm, not much related to cultivation," the old bird laughed. "It seems your Taiyi Return to Truth technique has finally reached the introductory level!"

"What? This is just the introductory level?" Fang Lie exclaimed in surprise. "Then when will it reach small completion?"

"When your divine sense can easily cut through the large Qingshi like a soft whip, that will be considered a minor success!" the old bird chuckled. "When your divine sense is as strong as steel, capable of splitting the protective energy of the Wind Tribulation Immortal, that will be a major success. When you open your third eye and can form a personal divine skill, that will mean you have fully mastered it! Of course, by then, you will be close to advancing to the Thunder Tribulation Immortal level."

"The journey is so long!" Fang Lie said with a wry smile.

"Haha, is the extensive Dao path so easily reached?" the old bird laughed heartily.

Fang Lie shook his head helplessly and then stood up to leave. Today is the first meeting of the Grand Banquet by the Sea and Sky; the Exhibition is starting.

Although the Exhibition lasts for three days, all the items are clearly priced and available on a first-come, first-served basis. So, if Fang Lie doesn’t want to miss out on the good stuff, he must go early.

When Fang Lie left his seclusion, it was morning. Little Peach Red and Mi Qing had clearly prepared in advance and already had breakfast ready.

Fang Lie sat at the dining table in the hall and casually glanced around, unable to help but feel a bit shocked by his own extravagance.

It was just breakfast, yet a round table one zhang wide was filled with thirty-six dishes, eighteen meat and eighteen vegetarian.

The meat dishes were made from spirit flesh collected from Spirit Beasts, while the vegetarian dishes were meticulously cooked from aged spirit herbs.

Many of these materials could be used to refine third-grade spirit pills. If other alchemists saw Fang Lie consuming the rare herbs they could only wish for, they would surely be consumed by jealousy.

Just then, Mo Lanyun suddenly appeared at the door. She did not expect Fang Lie to have a breakfast habit, so she was momentarily taken aback. Then, seeing the table full of delicious food, she was instantly stunned.

Not just her, even the Fire Tribulation Immortal behind her was shocked and speechless for a long time.

"Sorry, senior brother, I came to invite you to the Exhibition, but I didn’t expect you to be having breakfast," Mo Lanyun said shyly.

"Hehe, since you happened to arrive, let’s eat together!" Fang Lie smiled. "Don’t blame your senior brother for his poor background and lack of good food to treat you!"

Seeing the table full of dishes, Mo Lanyun rolled her eyes, nearly exasperated with Fang Lie. Even she couldn’t enjoy such luxury every day. The valuable spirit food, she could only afford to eat once a day, and that was already considered the best treatment among the Mo Sect disciples.

Although Mo Lanyun grumbled inwardly, she felt too embarrassed to leave and hurriedly said, "No, I’ve already eaten!"

But at that moment, a growling sound suddenly came from her stomach!

Clearly, she was in a rush to attend the Exhibition and hadn’t had breakfast. Although a cultivator of her level could skip a meal without issue, the tempting display of food naturally made her feel hungry, causing her stomach to rumble!

Everyone present were experts; how could they not hear such a sound? Mo Lanyun’s face turned red instantly, and she felt so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to hide in!

Fortunately, Fang Lie was quite kind, quickly saying, "Junior sister, your senior brother hasn’t eaten yet! Would you really leave me alone for the Exhibition? How about giving me a favor and joining me and this esteemed elder for a little meal?"

With such a gracious invitation from Fang Lie, Mo Lanyun felt grateful, and also couldn’t resist the temptation of the mouth-watering food, so she shyly nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged beauty behind her also nodded in satisfaction and joined Mo Lanyun at the table.

The only ones feeling dissatisfied were Little Peach Red and Mi Qing. They had been busy early in the morning, spending an hour preparing such a feast, and this didn’t just cater to Fang Lie; according to his good nature, they would surely benefit as well.

But in the presence of outsiders, as maids, they lost the right to sit at the table, forced to watch Fang Lie, Mo Lanyun, and the Fire Tribulation Immortal-level Elder enjoy their meal.

Cultivators have great stomachs; despite the table being full of delicious dishes, the three could still eat their fill.

Fang Lie now enjoyed the cooking of the two women almost daily; apart from the initial surprise, he no longer thought much of it.

However, it was Mo Lanyun and the Elder’s first time experiencing Mi Qing’s cooking, and they found it increasingly delicious, nearly unable to stop eating.

As Mo Lanyun ate, she praised, "Senior brother is really fortunate to enjoy such wonderful food every day!"

"How can that be?" Fang Lie chuckled. "My cultivation level is a factor; eating once takes me several days to digest the spiritual energy and convert it into Magic."

"That’s still good!" Mo Lanyun replied, "At least it’s better than what I make; the spirit food my family prepares only focuses on the special effects of the ingredients, but hardly considers the taste. Eating it feels like consuming poison, it’s infuriating!"