Qi Guanshi communicated this matter to the city lord, and City Lord Liu was already paying attention to the situation. Upon hearing about it, she was equally astonished. It took her a while to recall that memory, and she couldn't help but feel speechless. Indeed, treasures needed to find their destined owners. Without the right person, they could only gather dust in a corner.
Various thoughts flashed through City Lord Liu's mind in an instant, but within a breath, she replied, "As long as Yao Danshi is satisfied, then it belongs to Yao Danshi. I, as the city lord, keep my word and cannot go back on it."
"Yes, City Lord. I will convey the message to Yao Danshi," Qi Guanshi replied. After receiving the transmission device, he returned to the private treasury.
Gu Yao took two pills to replenish spiritual energy. The momentum of the stone ball voraciously devouring spiritual energy gradually slowed down. Gu Yao sighed in relief, fearing he might be drained without activating it.
In front of Qi Guanshi, the satiated stone ball made cracking sounds. The outer shell shattered and fell to the ground, revealing its true form—a lotus-shaped small flame, no larger than a fingertip. It resembled a delicate candle flame, as if it could extinguish at any moment. As the small flame flickered a few times, both Gu Yao and Qi Guanshi held their breath, afraid it might go out at any moment.
However, in the next moment, the petite lotus-shaped flame swiftly flew into Gu Yao's body, plunging into his dantian and stopping beside the golden pellet. Nourished by the spiritual energy within the pellet, the flame seemed to brighten.
Qi Guanshi, though somewhat disappointed, also felt it was the best outcome. He congratulated, "Congratulations to Yao Danshi for acquiring Lianxin Fire."
Gu Yao expressed gratitude, "Where would I be without Qi Guanshi and City Lord Liu? I wouldn't have encountered Lianxin Fire." This gesture of gratitude was indeed too generous. If City Lord Liu had recognized Lianxin Fire earlier, Gu Yao might have been able to exchange it for the Rejuvenation Pill from some alchemist or faction, considering the greater value of Lianxin Fire.
He couldn't forget this favor, which went beyond the meaning of a simple return gift.
Qi Guanshi smiled, inviting Gu Yao to leave the private treasury together and meet up with Chi Changye, who was waiting outside. The two bid farewell to Qi Guanshi and returned to Mingkang Island.
Once back on Mingkang Island, Gu Yao immediately went into seclusion. Lianxin Fire was too weak, and it needed prompt nurturing to stabilize it.
As Xu Chen mentioned, Lianxin Fire was more delicate than other Spirit Fires, requiring rare wood and fire attribute treasures for nourishment. Gu Yao and Chi Changye searched through the two storage rings Qi Guanshi had given them, finding items suitable for Lianxin Fire. Gu Yao also prepared a list based on Xu Chen's advice, and Tian Feirong and the chubby one went outside the island to purchase additional items, spending numerous spirit stones. Eventually, they barely stabilized Lianxin Fire.
A piece of Wood Marrow Stone turned into dust in Gu Yao's hands, making him wince. Xu Chen finally felt a bit satisfied, saying, "Haha, we've just begun. It's far from Lianxin Fire growing up, so you need to work hard to earn spirit stones to support this Spirit Fire." Gu Yao grinned at this somewhat mischievous companion.
"Purple Baby will work hard in farming to earn spirit stones for big brother!"
Another tender voice sounded, interrupting Xu Chen's triumphant laughter and silencing Xia Ran. However, Gu Yao relaxed and said, "Purple Baby is indeed considerate," unlike someone who disrespects his seniors.
Fortunately, despite spending a considerable amount of spirit stones, there was a harvest. Not only did Lianxin Fire stabilize, but the filtered energy was also immense. It forcefully pushed Gu Yao's cultivation to the middle stage of Golden Core.
After leaving seclusion, the first person Gu Yao saw was, of course, Chi Changye. The news of Gu Yao's breakthrough had reached him outside, and though it surprised him, he was still delighted. This timely arrival of Lianxin Fire was crucial. Although raising it wouldn't be easy, it would also reward its owner during the growth process.
After soaking in a hot spring and indulging in a hearty meal, Gu Yao finally turned his attention to the situation outside. Tian Feirong and the chubby one also closed up during Gu Yao's breakthrough. They couldn't afford to fall too far behind.
"Miss Liu has reached the middle stage of the Golden Core. She also cultivates water attribute techniques, but there's no other news besides this," Chi Changye informed. Listening to Chi Changye, Gu Yao understood, "It seems Miss Liu and that friend Zhang don't want others to know they obtained the Rejuvenation Pill. It offers hope for recovery. This approach is wise. Many cultivators are watching Baihe City. If news of the premium Rejuvenation Pill leaks, there will likely be many risking danger to snatch it. This made Gu Yao realize the importance of the Rejuvenation Pill. Initially, when he first refined it, he thought if he lacked spirit stones, he could hide his identity and auction one, probably accumulating a decent amount of spirit stones. However, now it seemed he had thought too simplistically. In the future, he would need to keep his Rejuvenation Pills well hidden.
"Well, no more selling Rejuvenation Pills in the future," Chi Changye also realized the situation and reminded him.
Gu Yao nodded, still in a good mood.
Thanks to the transactions with the City Lord's Mansion and Chi Changye going out with spirit stones to gather items for feeding Lianxin Fire, the relationships with Qi Guanshi, Liu Guanshi, and City Lord Liu had become closer privately. Moreover, considering Gu Yao's already outstanding alchemy skills and now with the assistance of Lianxin Fire, he would undoubtedly rise to greater heights in the future. Exceptional alchemists were hard to find, especially those with outstanding skills.
Now, with Gu Yao, such a promising alchemist, it was an opportunity not to be missed both publicly and privately. Therefore, the three of them frequently visited Mingkang Island. After the first time, City Lord Liu no longer concealed her appearance when on the island. Gu Yao and Chi Changye had vaguely guessed her identity during that first encounter, especially when her expression changed at the mention of the City Lord and her father.
One day, Liu Wangyue rushed over excitedly and said, "My father's arm has completely regenerated! It's really all better now, Yao Danshi, thank you so much. By the way, did I mention that my father is not in Baihe City now?"
Gu Yao smiled and said, "Congratulations to you, and congratulations to Zhang Daoyou on his recovery."
Liu Wangyue's cheeks turned rosy, and if it weren't for Yao Dan's help, she wouldn't have known when her father would have this opportunity. If it weren't for the impact of his injuries, her father would have reached the Nascent Soul stage long ago. My mother said that my father's talent was not worse than hers back then, so this time my father is cultivating in seclusion outside, and he will only return after reaching the Nascent Soul stage."
Gu Yao also felt that it would be more cautious to have two Nascent Soul elders in the Baihe City, which would greatly increase their strength and stabilize the position of the City Lord's Mansion."
"Then I'll entrust Yao Dan with good wishes," Liu Wangyue said generously. She quite liked talking and chatting with Gu Yao, but being occasionally hit by a cold breeze. Liu Wangyue smiled mischievously in her heart. It was interesting to see Chi Changye's cold face. Now that everything has improved, she has also regained some interest in playing.
"Since Zhang Daoyou is not in the City Lord's Mansion, shouldn't the young City Lord sit in the City Lord's Mansion? What if the news leaks? Can the young City Lord bear the responsibility?" Chi Changye's cold voice sounded in Liu Wangyue's ear, causing her smile to freeze. This guy didn't have to drive her away like this and use such a pretext. If she doesn't leave, wouldn't she become a criminal?
Liu Wangyue gritted her teeth in her heart but smiled and bid farewell to Gu Yao. After sending away the young City Lord, Gu Yao turned around and glared at Chi Changye, "Qi Guanshi said that the young City Lord had experienced a lot of pressure before, thinking that all the pressure faced by Baihe City was brought by her, so her cultivation as a Foundation Establishment stage was slow to progress. Now that she has finally gotten rid of it, you still speak of her like this."
Chi Changye smirked and said, "Don't worry, as a Gold Core cultivator, she still has the ability to withstand it. Otherwise, how can she take over the City Lord's Mansion in the future? And now, it is indeed not the time to be careless. I am just kindly reminding her."
Gu Yao rolled his eyes. He would never believe that Chi Changye's reminder was out of "kindness".
However, later on, the young City Lord did indeed become more focused on the City Lord's Mansion and spent less time going to Mingkong Island.
Because Liu Wangyue knew very well that her mother often went to her father's place instead of staying here. If her father successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage, her mother would have to stay there to protect him.
Of course, this matter would not be publicized. Outsiders would think that the City Lord was still in charge of the Baihe City, so the young City Lord and the trusted aides of the City Lord must cover up and not let anyone see any abnormalities.
The upgraded versions of Qingchen Pill and Cui Ling Pill have not been released yet. It seems that the City Lord's Mansion is also waiting for the best timing, such as Zhang Qianfeng's return after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
Tian Feirong and Xiaopangzi's cultivation also smoothly advanced to the mid Gold Core stage. They both felt that their continuous cultivation could not be separated from their practice in refining tools and studying formations.
Gu Yao and Chi Changye both supported their exploration of these two skills, so they purchased a lot of relevant books from Qianfeng Pavilion. At the same time, the magical tools and formation discs they made were also sold through Qianzhi Pavilion, earning them some income.
Because Tian Feirong advanced suddenly due to refining a spiritual weapon, his success rate in refining spiritual weapons became much more stable after the advancement. Even a low-grade spiritual weapon was priced higher than a magical tool, just like how a seventh-grade refiner has a much higher status than an eighth-grade refiner.
As for Xiaopangzi, he had a breakthrough in formations after his promotion. It was only later that he devoted himself to studying, so his progress in formations advanced much slower than Tian Feirong. After the promotion, he plunged into the cultivation room again, vowing to create a batch of seventh-grade formation discs and formation flags that would be useful for everyone. When it comes to fighting, he can throw out a golden formation disc and then bombard with a stack of spiritual talismans. Let's see how many Gold Core cultivators can withstand it.
This wonderful prospect drove Xiaopangzi almost mad as he delved into the study of formations and the production of formation discs. Tian Feirong visited him once and was startled by his two rabbit-like red eyes, but those eyes were filled with excitement.