After thinking it over for a moment, Wang Yu came up with a compromise.

“As for the payment, I need heavenly treasures that can enhance Core Formation mana, at least third-rank. Third-rank materials with yin or ice attributes can also be used as the main compensation.

“On the other hand, help me ask senior whether he has any interest in refining fourth-rank pills.”

Yu Tangtang scratched her head.

“Fourth-rank?”

“Fourth-rank.”

Tantai Chan cried out in surprise.

“Has your alchemy skill improved again?”

“More or less.”

In truth, it was still third-rank peak alchemy, but refining fourth-rank low-grade spirit pills was indeed possible, as long as more time was spent during the pill nurturing stage and speed was not a concern.

As for refining fourth-rank mid-grade spirit pills, Wang Yu was also confident, though the pill formation success rate might not be ideal.

On this basis, if he could find a way to advance the Ice Chi Pill Flame to fourth-rank, his confidence would be even greater.

Moreover, with the bonuses granted by the Cold Chi Alchemy Art to ice-path spirit pills, he would achieve remarkable effects when refining ice-attribute fourth-rank spirit pills. With some luck, producing a fourth-rank high-grade pill was also possible.

Put simply, he was an alchemist specialized in ice attributes.

There were bonuses in this area.

This new cooperation with the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon was only small profit. What he valued more was cooperation with the Ji clan, especially the Heavenly Frost Demon Lord behind them, who cultivated the Ten Directions Frozen Demon Path.

Based on Wang Yu’s understanding, that person’s combat strength must be extremely formidable.

And great strength meant abundant resources. He was the main target Wang Yu wanted to trade alchemy with. This was very suitable for fully utilizing the advantages of the Cold Chi Alchemy Art.

Wang Yu needed to build his reputation in a higher-end market. That was why he first planned to test the waters with the more familiar Demonic Flood Dragon side. Even if it failed once or twice, there would still be room to maneuver.

If he were to cooperate directly with the Heavenly Frost Demon Lord and fail on the first attempt, he would likely be labeled as a fraud and asked to compensate for losses.

That was why he came up with this idea on short notice.

Moreover, he needed the other party to come to him proactively, rather than him going to seek out Heavenly Frost. The supply and demand relationship had to be clearly positioned, otherwise greater trouble could easily arise.

Yu Tangtang was older but simple-minded.

As always, she was innocent and adorable. Her small head could not hold too many thoughts, so she simply nodded at whatever Wang Yu said and remembered it.

She then went back to discuss it with her father.

After accompanying the little girl for half an hour, Wang Yu finally found time to send her onto the Dragon Sparrow’s back and watched them leave. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tantai Chan naturally stayed behind, preparing to further study alchemy.

For a time, only the two of them remained in the hall. A lone man and a lone woman, the atmosphere grew somewhat silent and ambiguous.

His throat bobbed.

Taking hold of the soft, boneless little hand, Wang Yu lowered his head and leaned closer. His breath brushed her earlobe, and his voice sounded faintly.

“Chan’er, are you wearing a magic robe sold by the Joyous Union Sect today?”

“Mmm.”

After releasing her bindings, Tantai Chan still kept the habit of binding her chest, but unlike before, it was no longer tied very tightly and left considerable leeway.

Round and white like snow-covered mountains, between the twin peaks lay a bottomless ravine. Following the graceful curves and lines, one descended all the way into unknown pure land.

She wore a soft silver light gauze lily dress, with a misty gauze inner garment. The hazy beauty was fully displayed. Her jade feet were bare.

Around her ankles was a red cord strung with sound bells.

This added a touch of playful liveliness, full of charm and interest.

Magic robes produced by the Joyous Union Sect were very popular in both righteous and demonic paths. Aside from bedchamber-enhancing items, their grasp of beauty was exceptionally precise.

That Tantai Chan had dressed so carefully to meet him was enough to show her feelings. If Wang Yu had any interest in romantic affairs, he might already have fallen into temptation.

A rustling sound arose.

Yet Wang Yu looked around, feeling that something was missing. A flash of inspiration suddenly passed through his mind, and amid the beauty’s soft cry, he scooped her up by the waist.

“Come on. Let’s go to the alchemy chamber. I will teach you how to control flame efficiently.”

Hearing this, Tantai Chan could not help but roll her eyes at him. This flame was probably the number one passionate flame across all heavens and worlds.

Namely, the evil fire in the lower abdomen.

…

…

The sun had already risen high into the sky.

Warm sunlight filtered through the window lattice and spilled across the messy soft couch. Tantai Chan raised her hand to wipe away beads of hard earned sweat. Her eyes were clear, her delicate face light and elegant, without a trace of powder or makeup.

Beneath her straight and refined nose were soft pink cherry lips.

At first glance, she appeared pure and translucent, like a blank sheet of paper untouched by the mundane world. Yet when her eyes shifted, there was an irresistible, soul stealing charm hidden within.

She was truly a peerless beauty.

After a long drought comes sweet rain, naturally adding a few more vivid hues.

She gently shook Wang Yu and spoke sweetly.

“Wang Yu, Wang Yu.”

“Mmm.”

Wang Yu, who seemed to be asleep but was in fact savoring the aftertaste, pretended to have just woken up and asked in confusion.

“What time is it?”

“Rooster hour.”

Wang Yu was startled. When they had rested earlier, was it not still morning? At rooster hour, the sun was already close to setting. He had even planned to go handle some matters today.

He struggled to sit up and saw Tantai Chan combing her dark hair.

He simply lay back down again.

With a wicked grin, he said.

“Chan’er, come. Let us play something different.”

The next day.

Suppressing his desires, Wang arrived early at the Impartation Hall of the Various Halls District. After being promoted to the Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak, his authority within the sect had increased dramatically.

He now enjoyed nearly fifty percent discounts in the treasure vaults of all peaks and also held priority access to items. Unless someone deliberately obstructed him, obtaining what he wanted was merely a matter of saying the word.

Of course.

The spiritual stones that needed to be paid could not be omitted.

This level of authority might not be very effective on other peaks, but within Cold Blood Peak and the Ten Blood Reversal Districts, it represented absolute authority and the status of a superior.

Managers of the various districts and many hall masters all had to bow in salute when they saw him.

Among the third-rank inheritances owned by the sect, aside from a very few exceptions, all were fully open to him.

His purpose this time was to exchange for alchemy inheritances.

As for symbols of status, aside from the elder ice crown, his previous ring had also been upgraded. A blood colored square gemstone was embedded in it, engraved with the number seven.

It itself was a high grade storage ring.

In certain hub cities, it could even forcibly take control of the formations of the City Lord’s Residence. Its authority surpassed that of the city lord’s token and also possessed long distance communication capabilities.

Its effectiveness exceeded that of transmission jade talismans by dozens of times. The only drawback was its lack of universal applicability, as the difficulty of refinement and the scarcity of materials were major issues.

Upon arriving at the Impartation Hall.

He merely displayed the Number Seven Ring, and the old man in charge of the hall immediately bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Seventh Elder of Cold Blood Peak. May I ask what type of inheritance you require?”

“Demonic path alchemy techniques. Bring all the heterodox and sinister methods as well.”

“Yes.”

The collection of the Blood Reversal Sect was vast beyond measure. Countless ancient inheritances had also been unearthed by generations of disciples from ruins and secret realms across various regions.

Even with Wang Yu specifying a scope, the old man still brought over more than ten transmission jade slips, each containing solid and genuine alchemy inheritances.

Incomplete ones, complete ones, special ones. Everything was present.

Having just tasted the power of authority, Wang Yu was extremely satisfied with this mode of interaction. The feeling of having the final say was truly intoxicating, satisfying the innate desire for control common to male creatures.

His divine sense swept through them inch by inch.

Wang Yu quickly selected the inheritance he favored most.

Human Pill Art was an alchemy inheritance that used humans as the primary ingredient, supplemented by common spiritual medicines to refine human pills. Wang Yu had already encountered it when he first dabbled in alchemy in his early days.

Looking at it again now, it was already a complete third-rank alchemy technique.

Although it claimed to use humans as the main ingredient, the key was actually the essence of a cultivator’s entire being. And what could compare to a Core Formation golden core?

In other words, the golden core itself was the main ingredient of Human Pill Art.

Based on factors such as innate spiritual roots, cultivated techniques, and the nature of spiritual power, research and matching of medicinal properties were extended. This alchemy method harmed harmony, yet it was deeply favored by those seeking quick success and instant gains.

It was very popular within the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain. Various versions of Human Pill Art circulated widely. The most famous one was held by the demonic path leader, the Heaven Refining Demonic Sect, and was said to be a fifth-rank Human Pill Art inheritance.

Aside from this inheritance.

Wang Yu focused specifically on sinister methods with high difficulty, and he was especially fond of incomplete techniques. After all, one of the abilities of the Idle Slot was completion of incomplete.

Deduction had an upper limit of one rank, but completion did not.

The Corpse Demon Secret Technique he had used since the Qi Refining stage was still extremely effective, serving as ironclad proof. This secret art had helped him greatly and was an excellent aid on the path of cultivation.

After some time.

Wang Yu selected a second inheritance, Blood Pill Art.

This alchemy inheritance originated from the Blood Demon Hall. The Blood Pavilion also possessed copied versions. The one in the Impartation Hall was only third-rank, but judging by the content, it should have originally been a fourth-rank alchemy technique.

Some portions had been deliberately withheld. Such artificially created incompleteness was still an incomplete method, and it posed no challenge to the miraculous effect of the Idle Slot.

Blood Pill Art used the blood of myriad beings as materials, with essence blood as the main ingredient, and it possessed an extremely peculiar characteristic. It had no fixed pill formula.

It was like playing a blind box game.

How to combine fresh blood to refine high tier blood pills was the primary research direction of this alchemy inheritance. Of course, it was not entirely without patterns.

The “medicinal properties” inherent to blood itself were the main determining factor for mastering Blood Pill Art, emphasizing a path that completely defied convention.

If it was instead viewed as something passed down from a Blood Demon, then it became perfectly normal.

Wang Yu was searching for an alchemy inheritance.

In truth, his real goal was to deal with the five Heavenly Demons in his possession. These things were no less scarce than Nascent Soul breakthrough spiritual objects, and the Mysterious Origin Demonic Embryo he had cultivated himself was extremely eager to devour them.

However, Wang Yu was deeply suspicious by nature.

Considering that even the myriad spirit blood essences of the Blood Abyss Sacred Land all concealed various hidden dangers, how could one be certain that these external world beings known as Heavenly Demons had no hidden risks at all.

The answer was secondary processing.

The great path of alchemy could solve ninety nine percent of problems. Even a mass of extreme poison could be refined into a body tempering spiritual medicine. This was the ultimate manifestation of cultivators seizing the wonders of heaven and earth.

Its profundity was endless.

He wanted these inheritances in order to find ways to dismantle the Heavenly Demons. That thing was formless and intangible. Only by mastering more methods and directions would it be convenient for his subsequent research.

After selecting two alchemy inheritances, there was nothing else that stirred Wang Yu’s interest.

He opened his mouth and told others to carry away everything he did not want.

Yet out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of an ancient book on the table, and asked the old hall master, “What is this. Judging by its age, it should be something from ancient times.”

“This is a peculiar art called Demon Refining Technique.”

Wang Yu had encountered quite a few peculiar arts before.

They usually possessed extremely powerful effects along with side effects of the same level, but their rate of improvement was also astonishing, and they could always produce unexpected results.

This was also the origin of their naming.

The old hall master’s explanation piqued Wang Yu’s interest.

“What does it do.”

“Well.”

The old man hesitated slightly before explaining.

“According to sect records, this peculiar art is very likely an ancient technique from before antiquity. It is severely incomplete and completely impossible to use.

“Based on the remaining text, it should be a kind of dietary refinement method that refines demons into pills. I brought it out to study in hopes of trying to complete it.”

After hearing this, Wang Yu’s interest only grew stronger.

“So the classification as a peculiar art was determined by the sect’s masters of arts and techniques.”

“That is correct.”

“I want this Demon Refining Technique.”

The old hall master’s expression turned bitter. He could not resist Wang Yu’s Seventh Elder token. Even if he wanted to refuse, he had no way to do so.

Seeing how conflicted he looked, Wang Yu asked in confusion.

“If you want to read it, why not make a copy.”

“This… this old man has no authority to privately copy sect inheritances. This copy was sent down from above. There is no guarantee it will be replenished next time.”

Hearing this, Wang Yu more or less understood.

It seemed this thing had been privately obtained through connections, copied from higher up. He was only borrowing the title of Impartation Hall Master to take a look.

After all, an ancient technique that could not be used was more often treated as an antique and stored in the Blood Demon Hall treasury, not included in the regular impartation list.

Since Wang Yu had chosen it, he could not refuse.

“I did not expect that today I would end up taking something you cherish.”

When Wang Yu said this, the old hall master thought there might be a change of plans. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Wang Yu put the classic away, his gaze instantly turning resentful.

Was he being toyed with.

Of course, Wang Yu was only joking. Anyone who could hold a position in the Impartation Hall likely had an extraordinary background.

After understanding the whole situation, he used his divine sense to record the contents.

The ancient book was left on the table.

For transmission, it was enough for him to remember it. There was no need to take the rubbing copy with him.

The first two of the three inheritances cost three hundred thousand spirit stones. The Demon Refining Technique was merely an extra. After exchanging a few polite words, Wang Yu left. He was eager to return and study alchemy.

Moreover, representatives of the four long established clans of Cold Blood Peak were also about to arrive.

He needed to renew the cooperation established before entering the Blood Abyss.

The days ahead would keep him quite busy.

Several days later.

Wang Yu saw off the representatives of the Ji, Qiao, Xue, and Chu families. The terms of cooperation remained the same, one supreme-grade third-rank spirit pill per year. He accepted only yin and ice attribute treasures and materials as payment.

The main purpose was to strengthen the foundation of the Glazed Iceheart Pagoda.

Ice attribute treasures could also be absorbed using the Cold Absorption Art and used to cultivate divine abilities. Since he had mastered many methods, his resource consumption naturally rose accordingly.

Each clan provided two items, totaling eight items per year.

If used solely to support himself, it was enough to leave him fully satisfied.

He might not even have enough time to absorb them all. The matter of drawing the Heavenly Frost Demon Lord into cooperation would have to be postponed.

He also still had a damaged fourth-rank magic robe, Three Feet of Snow. Repairing it required fourth-rank snow silkworm silk, which he had set as one of his long term goals.

He was counting on prying it out of the Heavenly Frost Demon Lord’s hands, so his alchemy plans could not afford any mistakes.

On the other hand.

During these days, he studied the Demon Refining Technique. It was an extremely incomplete method, roughly divided into four chapters, arranged in the order of pills, artifacts, talismans, and formations.

The alchemy section had two pages, the artifact section one page.

The talisman and formation sections each had only half a page. No wonder it was said to be unusable. This amount of content was not even enough to analyze the medicinal properties of a single spirit medicine.

Wang Yu did not dare to be certain whether this thing could be completed.

When it was successfully placed into the Idle Slot, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He did not know what rank the complete version would be, but completing it to first-rank would require one year.

According to the Idle Slot theory he had summarized, with his current cultivation and comprehension, it should not take this long.

This could only mean that this ancient inheritance was of extremely high grade.

As for this.

He had only three words of evaluation.

He struck gold.