Clutching the golden pennant, Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of potent energy barely contained within. He pondered, a deep frown etching itself upon his features.

“To nurture absolute Yin with the souls of maidens is a grave misstep! Back then, Celestial Sovereign Tian Yun, through the vessel of Bai Wei, guided her to the precipice of supreme Yin, then orchestrated a natural transition to supreme Yang. That is the true path.”

“To attain perfect Yin, one must reach the zenith of Yang, and then, through destruction, find rebirth!”

He glanced down at the golden trinket in his hand, a shake of his head betraying his displeasure. The multitude of maiden souls trapped within were, to his experienced gaze, clearly a recent and ill-conceived addition.

“Utter foolishness!” With a wave of his hand, a tempestuous wind arose within the golden pennant. His divine sense, like a sharpened blade, sliced through the formations imprisoning the souls. With resounding cracks, the barriers shattered one by one.

Released from their confinement, the specters of the young women, their faces etched with sorrow, floated free, their eyes wide with bewilderment. Yet, each had been a talented disciple in life. Though cruelly slain and bound by the vile Lu Di, their minds swiftly cleared. With silent bows, tinged with bitterness and release, and a measure of gratitude, they faded into the aether, awaiting perhaps a cycle of rebirth, or perhaps… oblivion.

Wang Lin watched their ethereal forms dissolve in silence. Soon, nothing remained but the essence of supreme Yin.

The Yin spirit writhed and howled, attempting to flee the pennant in the wake of the freed souls. But as it dared to emerge, a cold glint flashed in Wang Lin’s eyes. His left hand formed a sealing gesture, casting a ward upon the golden banner.

A burst of emerald light erupted, and the Yin spirit slammed against the barrier as if striking an iron wall. Its enraged cries echoed. Unperturbed, Wang Lin continued his hand movements, layering seal upon seal until the pennant was utterly bound. He then vanished it into his storage rift.

“This sliver of Yin is not only nurtured incorrectly, but is also incomplete. As this object belonged to Lu Di, surely the Violet Dao Sect holds the key to its secrets.” After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin reached for a nearby amethyst vial.

The vial pulsed with a gentle warmth, an internal cycle of power swirling within, a miniature echo of the cosmos. Wang Lin’s divine sense enveloped the vial, rendering it transparent, revealing three violet pills suspended within the eternal current. Each pill pulsed with a sinister aura, a caged beast of raw, untamed power.

Drawing back his senses, Wang Lin turned his gaze towards the third item: a stick of incense as thick as a babe’s arm. He knew this well. From the memories of the mosquito beasts in the Alliance Star System, he recalled a Cloud Sea cultivator using this very incense to lure the beasts from the Four Saint Sect’s domain.

Time passed like the fading of a distant star. The rainy season receded, and the Moro Continent basked in the embrace of gentle breezes and clear skies. Wang Lin seemed to have settled into life within the Returning Origin Sect, dedicating his days to the study of alchemy.

Sun Yun held the taciturn Zeng Niu, her neighbor, in high regard. Though he never explicitly acknowledged it, Sun Yun’s feminine intuition told her this Zeng Niu was the white-haired man.

Particularly when she recalled his image burned into her mind and the magnificent poise of his single finger, Sun Yun would become flustered. Like now, as she gazed at Wang Lin, her expression was full of confusion.

“This is Coagulating Shattergrass, an auxiliary herb for alchemy. Most of our Returning Origin Sect’s formulas require it…” In the Cloud Sea Star System, any cultivator who had reached a certain level of cultivation would possess a considerable knowledge of herbs, closely linked with the Cloud Sea’s renowned alchemical arts. What baffled her was how Zeng Niu, seemingly, knew nothing about this most simple of things.

Wang Lin wished to refine pills, and thus he needed to memorize all the herbs of the Cloud Sea Star System along with their effects, especially as some of the herbs he did know had different names from those in the Alliance. And so Sun Yun, his neighbor, became his unwitting source of information. “This is Ink Cloud Fungus, a key ingredient in the creation of Cloud Deficiency Pills.”

Wang Lin, his expression a mask of cold serenity, swiftly committed all the herbs within the herb garden to memory.

“Are there any Mist Flowers here?” Wang Lin asked, his eyes sweeping over the garden. In the jade scroll from the Daoist temple, the formula for the sixth-grade Spirit Separation Pill, aside from the soul of a ferocious beast, required three key herbs, one of which was the Mist Flower.

“Mist Flowers only grow in the desolate continents shrouded in starlight mists in the Outer Star Domains. The denser the mist, the more abundant the flowers are said to be. In our Returning Origin Sect, as far as I know, there are only three dried blossoms, all held by Uncle-Master Li,” Sun Yun explained, then added, “Uncle-Master Li’s alchemical skill is unparalleled within the Returning Origin Sect.”

Wang Lin nodded, dismissing Sun Yun, and, following the instructions within his memory, took some herbs and returned to his lodgings. Watching Wang Lin pilfer the herbs, Sun Yun’s heart ached. This herb garden was her domain. Some were painstakingly gathered by her, while others were gifted by her master, collected from desolate lands teeming with ferocious beasts and dangers untold. These herbs were, in essence, the property of Sun Yun and her master.

It was common knowledge within the sect, and no disciple would dare to come here and simply take herbs. Sun Yun held these herbs in the highest regard, and now, seeing Wang Lin taking the herbs and disregarding all warnings by refining pills within his lodgings, her anxiety surged.

If it were to cause a pill explosion, not only would the lodgings be destroyed, but the herb garden would be imperiled. In her anxiety, Sun Yun stomped her foot, but dared not intervene.

“Hmph, refining pills away from the alchemy room, he must have his own furnace. Exploiting his superior cultivation to bully us juniors! A man who abuses his power!” The more Sun Yun thought about it, the angrier she became. Her pretty face darkened, and she sat cross-legged to the side, resolved to do her utmost to protect the herbs if there was a pill explosion. The goodwill she once had for Wang Lin had all but vanished. “Arrogant, conceited!” Especially recalling Wang Lin’s expression just now, Sun Yun was even more infuriated.

“Alchemy is associated with cultivation but influence is minimal. What is needed is experience and countless attempts. Even with high cultivation, the success rate for a first attempt is not high!” Sun Yun furrowed her brow and braced herself.

Wang Lin paid no heed to Sun Yun’s resentment. Returning to his lodgings, he sat cross-legged on the ground and with a wave of his right hand, the herbs he had taken floated into the air. His left eye flashed with fire, and a flame instantly ignited within.

Refining pills did not necessarily require an alchemy furnace! The purpose of a furnace was to prevent the dispersal of the herbs’ essence, and to better condense the flames, allowing the pills to form under high heat. To Wang Lin, none of this was an issue.

The fire of the heavens responded to his will. A white flame roared forth, transforming into a fiery dragon that encircled Wang Lin before condensing into a sphere of heat before him.

His expression serene, Wang Lin reached out with his right hand, dividing the floating herbs into varying portions. One part remained suspended in the air while the other blended into the fiery sphere.

This was Wang Lin’s first attempt at refining pills in the Cloud Sea Star System. Although it was only a third-grade pill, Wang Lin remained focused, his gaze fixed upon the fiery sphere. His vision was now so powerful he was able to see through the fire.

Within the fiery sphere, the herbs rapidly melted, reducing into fine particles. Through Wang Lin’s mastery of the flames, they were prevented from turning to ash, instead coalescing, each absorbing the others’ properties in a unique fusion.

After a moment, Wang Lin reached out with his right hand, creating a storage rift before him. A wisp of black light flickered forth and was seized by Wang Lin.

Within the black light was the soul of a tadpole-like spirit beast, the very beast of Lu Di. When it served Lu Di, it had been glorious. One order from Lu Di, and it would cruelly devour mortal men and wounded cultivators. The sweet taste of flesh between its teeth had been its delight.

But now, the spirit beast trembled, its eyes filled with terror. It howled, desperately trying to escape Wang Lin’s grasp.

With a flick of Wang Lin’s wrist, the spirit beast was hurled into the fiery sphere with a piteous scream, swiftly merging with the emerging pill. Gradually, an aroma permeated the lodgings.

Suddenly, Wang Lin frowned. His right hand shot out, plunging into the fiery sphere. Grasping the pill, he ripped away the majority of the beast soul.

As Wang Lin’s hand withdrew from the fiery sphere, the half-formed pill released a wisp of destructive energy and crumbled with a thunderous boom, creating a shockwave. But it was contained by the enveloping fiery sphere, only a muffled thud escaping.

“A pill explosion!” Sun Yun outside the lodgings, hearing the muffled thud, leapt to her feet, her expression tense. But after waiting an extended moment, no shockwave erupted. Instead, she saw a dark-faced Wang Lin emerge from the lodgings, returning to the herb garden to gather more herbs.

Sun Yun, realizing what had happened, stomped her foot once more in anger. She wanted to find Wang Lin and argue, but recalling his expression, she was afraid to approach. Instead, she started whispering curses. “A man who abuses his power! Hmph, this time there will definitely be an explosion!”