Now, with Yue Ling sitting in front of him on the stone stool, Langtian's attention returned to the pill she had just handed him.
He held it up and brought it closer to his eyes for a better look.
"Wow…" he murmured in awe. "If you hadn't shown me this yourself, I never would've believed that such a powerful Mortal-Tier pill could exist."
Yue Ling smiled, saying nothing.
"But looking at it closely, it's definitely different," Langtian continued. "I can feel the spiritual energy it's releasing. Ten times—no, twenty times stronger than the usual version. Even the scent is overwhelming. Even a High grade Profound-Tier pills wouldn't be this powerful."
He turned toward her, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Senior Sister, how did you make this?"
"What do you think?" Yue Ling replied, resting her cheek on her hand, still gazing at him with that quiet fondness.
"Hmmm…" Langtian frowned thoughtfully.
He took another gentle sniff, trying to analyze the scent based on what little knowledge he still had about medicine and pill refining.
Back then, he used to help Senior Sister Shangguan gather herbs. He'd watched her refine pills more times than he could count.
After she disappeared, though… he hadn't practiced much.
Still, he remembered the basics.
"Bloodroot Vine… Scarlet Lotus Petal… Boneflame Resin… all three are there, and the scent balance is perfect, blended at the ideal ratio." Langtian murmured.
Yue Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, a pleased smile curling on her lips.
But then, Langtian suddenly straightened up, his expression shifting.
"Wait a minute," he said. "Now that I think about it… can those herbs even grow in this kind of environment? This valley's qi is corrupted, the sunlight is faint, and the soil reeks of demonic energy. It shouldn't be suitable for such refined spiritual herbs at all!"
"Oh?" Yue Ling leaned back slightly, interest twinkling in her eyes. "Seems like you're getting somewhere. Keep going!"
Langtian's brow furrowed deeper as his thoughts raced.
First…
Bloodroot Vine.
A tenacious herb, crimson-red in color, with roots that resemble blood-soaked tendrils. It normally thrives in damp, shadowy ravines where yin energy is abundant. Out of the three ingredients, this one was the most likely to survive in a place like this.
Second…
Scarlet Lotus Petal.
This one grows best on the surface of spiritual ponds rich in fire-aligned qi and requires strong sunlight during the day. Each petal carries intense yang essence, which is why it's often used in pills that promote blood circulation and recovery. Back at the Rising Sun Sect, it used to grow in abundance across the medicinal gardens.
But here… in this valley full of mist and shadow… how could it survive?
And finally…
Boneflame Resin.
Similar to the Scarlet Lotus in nature, it is a rare extract that seeps from the bark of the Flamebone Tree. It also requires direct sunlight and rich yang energy to produce its potent medicinal sap.
So then… how?
Langtian looked up, realization flickering in his eyes.
"Senior Sister… could it be… there's a place around here with abundant yang energy?"
Yue Ling's lips curved into a pleased smile.
"Well, well. Look at you, junior brother. Pretty sharp."
"But what exactly is it?"
Yue Ling smirked playfully.
"Take a guess."
Langtian groaned dramatically.
"Ahhh, Senior Sister, can't you just tell me?"
She chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Haha. If I tell you right away, where's the fun in that?"
Langtian sighed and crossed his arms, slipping into deep thought. His brows furrowed as he tapped his chin.
"Hmmmm…"
"High concentrations of yang energy… something that could nourish fire-aligned herbs, even in a place like this… corrupted qi, weak sunlight… what could possibly provide that?"
He paused for a moment, then looked up with a spark of confidence.
"Could it be… there's a lava spring somewhere underground?"
Yue Ling blinked.
Then she slumped forward like a deflating balloon, arms flopping at her sides.
"Wait. How did you figure that out?!"
Langtian grinned, clearly proud of himself.
"Haha! So I was right! It really is an underground lava river!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Yue Ling rolled her eyes, half-pouting. "You got it faster than I expected. I wanted to keep teasing you a bit more."
"Well, to be fair, there aren't that many things that can emit that much heat and fire qi beneath the surface," Langtian shrugged. "Lava was the obvious answer!"
"True," Yue Ling nodded. "But here's the thing—there's more to it than just lava."
Langtian blinked. "More?"
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a mysterious whisper.
"There's something even better than a lava spring."
"Huh? Better than a lava spring?" Langtian blinked again, now fully intrigued. "What could possibly be better than that?"
He then continued to guess.
"A fire-element dragon vein?"
"Nope."
"Then… a cave filled with fire-attributed spirit crystals?"
"Ooooh, good guess! But no."
"What about… hmm… a Blazing Spirit Spring filled with fire elementals?"
"Nice try, but nah."
Langtian threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Then what is it?! Aaaah, Senior Sister, I give up!"
Yue Ling laughed again, clearly enjoying the moment.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you now."
But then, her expression turned serious. She leaned forward, her voice dropping just a little, her eyes narrowing.
Langtian straightened instinctively, sensing the change in her tone.
"I think… there's an Abnormal Flame buried somewhere beneath this valley."
…
"WHAT?! AN ABNORMAL FLAME?!" Langtian exclaimed in shock.
"Well… I haven't seen it with my own eyes yet, so I can't be sure." Yue Ling shrugged. "But based on what I've seen and felt… it's very likely something like that exists in this valley."