Chapter 300 - 211: News of Zhao Li and the Black Turtle’s Advancement
Chapter 300: Chapter 211: News of Zhao Li and the Black Turtle’s Advancement
Bai Hengwan waved her hand, offered a graceful smile, and without any unnecessary words, flicked her wrist, sending a White Porcelain Bottle over with her Magical Power.
"Could this be the legendary Spirit Communication Pill?"
Lin Changheng caught it and asked with a smile.
"Why don’t you open it and see for yourself, Alchemist Lin?"
Bai Hengwan said with a faint smile.
Lin Changheng immediately uncorked the bottle, and a strange medicinal aroma instantly wafted out. This scent wasn’t the usual fragrance of herbs and woods; instead, it carried a mix of herbal notes and a sweet, coppery smell.
Focusing his gaze inside the bottle, he saw a longan-sized pill resting quietly at the bottom. The Pill’s surface was perfectly smooth with a milky-white base, covered in fine, faint-red patterns. A single glance was enough to tell it was extraordinary.
"Just as I thought!"
Lin Changheng accepted it with satisfaction. "Bai Zhenchuan, you truly keep your word. I am impressed. May I ask how many Spirit Stones this Pill is worth?"
"I don’t know either. The Immortal City hasn’t set a specific price for it yet. However, you don’t need to pay, Alchemist Lin. In light of your special contributions to the recent Pill Formula adjustments, Elder Kong has specially approved this Pill as a gift for you."
Bai Hengwan said, her red lips pursed slightly.
"Oh? In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."
Lin Changheng said with a laugh, accepting it outright.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "Then what Bai Zhenchuan gave me before..."
"That was a personal gift, a token of my own sentiment. It has nothing to do with the Immortal City. Alchemist Lin, you need only accept it."
Bai Hengwan didn’t seem to care about these details.
The implication was that this was a personal bond between them, independent of the Immortal City.
"Bai Zhenchuan, you are most righteous."
Having received a benefit, Lin Changheng didn’t mind being extra polite.
’Official matters are official, and personal matters are personal. It’s indeed best not to mix the two.’
"Oh, right. I’ll collect more of the Cyan Rain Mist Toad’s Essence Blood and bring it all to you next time, Alchemist Lin."
Bai Hengwan said, having suddenly remembered something.
"Of course. Thank you for your trouble, Bai Zhenchuan."
Lin Changheng nodded.
With their business concluded, Lin Changheng felt it was about time to leave. But he suddenly recalled something and asked for her insight, "Regarding the reason for the Beast Tide in the Cyan Mist Temple region, I wonder if Bai Zhenchuan knows any inside information... that you could conveniently share with me? I’ve been so worried lately that the Demon Beast tide will reach the Immortal City’s gates that I can’t sleep at night."
Bai Hengwan’s expression froze for a moment. She clearly found his reason both absurd and perfectly in line with Alchemist Lin’s cautious nature. After giving him a look, she said, "There’s no need to worry excessively, Alchemist Lin. Regular Beast Tides leave traces that can be followed. Sudden ones are caused by human greed. The Immortal City has always been stable and secure; there’s almost no reason to worry."
Hearing this, a glint flashed in Lin Changheng’s eyes.
’It sounded like Bai Hengwan had said nothing, but in fact, she had said everything.’
’"Sudden ones are caused by human greed..." It seems this Beast Tide is a man-made disaster.’
Lin Changheng had accurately grasped the key point.
He knew he couldn’t ask for more specific details. With his objective mostly achieved, Lin Changheng directly took his leave. "Since there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now and not disturb you any further, Bai Zhenchuan."
"Take care."
Bai Hengwan nodded slightly. "I may have to trouble you again in the future, Alchemist Lin."
"Of course, that’s no problem. Bai Zhenchuan, just send someone to summon me when the time comes."
Lin Changheng let out a clear laugh, cupped his hands in a farewell gesture, and his figure transformed into a streak of light and departed.
...
Next, it could be said, was a time for harvesting rewards.
First, there was the refining of the Foundation Establishment Pill; he just had to wait for someone to arrive at his door with the ingredients.
Second was the breakthrough of the Black Armored Earth Turtle.
The turtle’s shell crystallization was almost complete. It just needed a bit more time to be polished and brought to its peak state, and then Lin Changheng would have it break through.
He didn’t even need to choose a special location; it could break through right in the Secluded Meditation Chamber of his cave mansion.
When the time came, Lin Changheng would set up a Concealing Array to dampen the commotion and just offer an excuse to the public—
A friend was borrowing his place for their Foundation Establishment.
His social circle was so wide, and he was known for being amicable, so such a situation would be considered normal.
...
Time flowed on relentlessly, the years turning without stop.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
「This day.」
Nature’s spiritual energy gathered above Cave Mansion No. 98, creating a phenomenon of thick, heavy clouds of Spiritual Qi.
Because Lin Changheng had leaked the news in advance that a friend was borrowing his place for Foundation Establishment, the neighbors weren’t too surprised or concerned.
They glanced at the phenomenon, merely remarking to themselves how wonderful it would be to have a friend like Alchemist Lin.
It could even be considered a great blessing, as the Foundation Establishment Pill that friend needed was very likely refined and provided by Alchemist Lin himself.
The very thought was enough to make one envious...
...
Lin Changheng was currently sitting in the courtyard, serving as Guardian Dao.
But his Divine Sense was spread out, constantly monitoring the Black Armored Earth Turtle’s condition.
By now, the turtle had been with him for forty-six or forty-seven years, close to half a century.
However, its accumulation period was far shorter than the eighty, ninety, or even a hundred years typically required for turtle-type Spirit Beasts of the same bloodline.
The extensive use of various Elixirs and resources played a crucial role in this.
At this moment, the Black Armored Earth Turtle lay on the ground in the center of the Spirit Gathering Array. Its thick Turtle Shell rose and fell slightly, creating a wondrous resonance with the pulse of the Earth Veins.
A dense, earthy-yellow Spiritual Light emanated from its body. This light was not static; it flowed slowly like viscous mud, continuously absorbing the pure Earth Element Spiritual Qi from its surroundings.
Its originally glossy black Armor Shell now faintly glowed with a deep, dark-gold luster. The naturally formed, ancient patterns on it had also become sharper and more profound, as if on the verge of a metamorphosis.
Its head was withdrawn into its shell, but the breath exhaled from its nostrils was exceptionally heavy, carrying a thick, earthy scent. Each breath caused the ground around it to tremble slightly.
Lin Changheng could clearly feel a vast and dense energy accumulating and compressing within its body, having already reached a critical point. It was a sign of an impending breakthrough to Tier Two!
「A moment later.」
"Swallow the Pill!"
Lin Changheng’s "voice" rang in the Black Armored Earth Turtle’s mind.
The next instant, Xiaohai’s eyes snapped open. It moved, its head darting out and back like an afterimage. Its mouth had already snatched the White Jade Bottle placed before it. With a slight exertion of force, it crushed the Pill and the bottle together and swallowed them.
BOOM!
As the Spirit Communication Pill entered its body, it was as if some kind of tidal wave of energy had been triggered.
Its originally black, heavy Armor Shell emitted crisp CRACK-CRACK sounds. The ancient patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, beginning to twist and reorganize into something more complex and profound. The edges turned completely dark gold, exuding a cold, hard, metallic sheen.
An aura far more powerful and dense than before was slowly awakening from within.
Suddenly, the Black Armored Earth Turtle let out a muffled yet extremely piercing roar. The roar didn’t sound like a turtle’s; instead, it was tinged with the majesty of a fierce beast!
At the same time, massive spirit clouds gathered in the sky. Carrying a pressure as heavy as a mountain, they slowly swirled, and streams of pure nature’s spiritual energy cascaded down like waterfalls, pouring onto its Turtle Shell.
Its huge body began to expand further under the infusion of Spiritual Light and Spiritual Qi. Tiny, mountain-peak-like protrusions even began to form on its Turtle Shell.
A pressure unique to a Tier Two Demon Beast, mixed with the profound weight and vastness of the earth, slowly spread out!
The entire process, though quick to describe, lasted for several days.
Only when the vortex above dissipated and the clouds of Spiritual Qi lost their focus did they finally scatter.
Inside the meditation chamber, the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi finally subsided.
A Black Armored Earth Turtle, its entire body covered in black and gold patterns, now nearly a zhang large and incomparably massive, with three small, peak-like protrusions on its back, rose majestically from the ground and flew out.
It was held aloft by a cloud of earthy-yellow qi.
"It succeeded!"
Yan Mingyi was also waiting outside the courtyard. She saw the Black Armored Earth Turtle at a glance, and her worries instantly vanished, replaced by a delighted smile.
"Not bad."
Lin Changheng also nodded in satisfaction.
Upon seeing the two of them, the Black Armored Earth Turtle’s imposing aura immediately vanished. It quickly flew over, just like the little turtle it used to be, circling around them and chirping excitedly, "CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP."
It seemed to be announcing its success and describing its transformation...