Chapter 102: The Ugly Duckling

Bai Xiaoyue finished her drawing, set down the wolf-hair brush, and lifted the scroll with both hands. Turning to She Meier, she asked, "Miss She, how do you find this painting?"

"Oh?" She Meier was truly at a loss for words. She stood stunned for a long moment before bowing in deep admiration. "Miss Bai, you... you are truly a genius of painting! That fleeting movement of mine, you captured it so vividly and lifelike... You are truly remarkable, someone worthy of my utmost respect! Miss Bai, I was blind yesterday and treated you with disrespect. I sincerely apologize now and beg for your forgiveness."

"Hehe," Bai Xiaoyue laughed softly. "Miss She, you are too kind."

"Indeed," Yan Chixia also smiled. "Let us put the past behind us. She Meier, having seen Big Sister’s technique just now, have you grasped the essence of it?"

"This..." She Meier replied with a hint of embarrassment. "Miss Bai’s brushwork was like the wind; it was so magnificent! I saw her brush moving like a dragon or a snake, and though I was dazzled, I failed to grasp the technique. Miss Bai, would you mind this: could you draw something simple as a demonstration, and let me try to copy it to see how I fare?"

"Very well," Bai Xiaoyue nodded. "Miss She, do you like this painting? If you do, please keep it."

"I love it, I love it very much!" She Meier said, beaming with joy. She immediately recited a mental incantation and stored the painting inside her storage ring.

Freed, Bai Xiaoyue picked up her ink brush and drew a swan on a piece of talisman paper with effortless grace. She said to She Meier, "Miss She, I am finished. This is a swan. Now, please try to draw one just like it."

She Meier said "Very well" and picked up a piece of talisman paper with great enthusiasm. But just as she was about to begin, she noticed Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Song Ta'er standing nearby, watching with great interest. Her face flushed red. "Don't crowd around me. Let me draw by myself, and you can look when I am finished."

Hearing this, Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Song Ta'er realized She Meier was nervous. They agreed and stepped about ten paces away, where they stopped and began practicing how to store items in their own storage rings.

Seeing this, She Meier hurried to pick up her brush and began to draw, carefully mimicking the swan Bai Xiaoyue had painted. As this was her first attempt at painting, she was both excited and tense; her hand trembled as she held the brush, looking at the original for a stroke, then drawing one... Before she knew it, a quarter of an hour had passed. She hadn't even finished half of the swan, yet she was already drenched in sweat. Feeling flustered and helpless, she sighed inwardly, "Heavens! Learning to paint is truly difficult..."

Yan Chixia had mastered the use of his storage ring and felt very happy. Seeing that Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Song Ta'er were all absorbed in their own practice, he became concerned about Master Qingxu, wondering how things were going for him. He quietly walked toward the alchemy room.

Inside the alchemy room, Master Qingxu had already used his internal energy to crush the "Heavenly Uranium Crystal" with his fist. Now, he was standing before an iron mortar, using an iron pestle to grind the crushed fragments into a fine powder.

As he meticulously ground the particles, Master Qingxu thought to himself, "Fairy Jiuxiao is truly omnipotent! I saw no trace of her during my previous journey to the 'Heavenly Barrens.' How did she obtain this 'Heavenly Uranium Crystal'? Could she have been lurking in the shadows, waiting for the Fierce Thunder Divine Beast to unleash its power before slipping into the 'Heavenly Gate' to seize the crystal? Or perhaps there are sources of 'Heavenly Uranium Crystal' elsewhere, and this one did not come from the 'Heavenly Barrens' at all?

"Furthermore, according to what She Meier told Danzi, Fairy Jiuxiao discovered an ancient ruin. That ruin is no small matter; its 'seal' is incredibly powerful. Even with her cultivation at the 'Loose Immortal' stage, she cannot break it alone. She is waiting for me to reach the 'Loose Immortal' stage so we can join forces to break the seal of that ancient ruin... An ancient ruin... Where could it be? Once that seal is opened and we enter, what will we find?"

Lost in thought, Master Qingxu continued to wield the pestle. Before long, the particles were reduced to a fine powder. He set the pestle down, placed the powder into a sand basin, and purified it by rinsing it with clear water. After discarding the impurities, he weighed the refined "Heavenly Uranium Essence" on a small scale.

Just then, Yan Chixia walked in. Master Qingxu was delighted. "Danzi, you have come at the perfect time. I have just finished grinding and purifying the crystal into essence. I am about to use it to refine the 'Nine Suns Golden Pellet'."

"Wonderful!" Yan Chixia smiled. "Master, once you take the 'Nine Suns Golden Pellet,' you will be able to break through the bottleneck of the late 'Tribulation' stage and enter the 'Loose Immortal' realm!"

"Yes," Master Qingxu replied, his mood a mix of excitement and unease. "That should be the case..." As he spoke, he measured out two qian of the essence. "Danzi, I will use these two qian for the pellet. Take the rest of the essence and put it in the medicine cabinet. While you are at it, bring me some stalactite, actinolite, purple fluorite, flower-stamen stone, magnetite, sulfur, snow lotus, deer-holding grass, cinnabar, and mercury."

"Very well!" Yan Chixia replied readily. He picked up the small porcelain bottle containing the essence and placed it, along with the scale, onto a rosewood tray. He then lifted the tray and asked, "Master, please tell me the formula for the 'Nine Suns Golden Pellet'."

"One liang of stalactite, one liang of actinolite, one liang of purple fluorite, one liang of flower-stamen stone, one qian of magnetite, one qian of sulfur, one liang of snow lotus, two liang of deer-holding grass, one liang of cinnabar, and one drop of mercury," Master Qingxu recited. "Danzi, the measurements must be precise—not a hair's breadth off!"

"Understood, Master," Yan Chixia replied, turning toward the storage room.

Master Qingxu began his preparations, his spirits soaring. Just as he had everything ready, Yan Chixia returned with the tray. On it sat seven small porcelain bowls and three small porcelain dishes, each containing the necessary ingredients for the "Nine Suns Golden Pellet."

Master Qingxu took the tray and placed it on a stone table. As he inspected the ingredients, he asked, "Danzi, since you are here, what is She Meier doing? Is she not learning the 'Paper Painting Talisman Method' from you?"

"Not yet. She Meier does not know how to paint, so Big Sister drew a swan for her as a demonstration, and she is currently learning," Yan Chixia replied. "Master, shall we use the 'Ruyi Alchemy Furnace' to refine the 'Nine Suns Golden Pellet'?"

"No need," Master Qingxu waved his hand. "Danzi, since I have given my word to Fairy Jiuxiao, we must keep it. You must teach She Meier well and ensure you do not neglect her!"

"Yes, I understand," Yan Chixia nodded. "Master, how long will it take to refine the 'Nine Suns Golden Pellet'?"

"Three hours," Master Qingxu replied. "Danzi, your cultivation has now reached the 'Golden Pellet' stage. I am very pleased! Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how to set up 'barriers' and practice the 'Fire Manipulation Technique'."

"That is wonderful, Master! I have been looking forward to this day!" Yan Chixia exclaimed with excitement.

Hardly had he finished speaking when Tu Xiaomeng’s voice drifted in from outside: "Sister Meier, is that supposed to be a swan? Look at that neck... look at those wings... where does that look like a swan? It looks exactly like an ugly duckling! Hee hee hee..."