The next day, Xian'er went into seclusion.
She was preparing to break through to Dou Wang.
With nothing else to do, Wei Yang became idle.
He had to stay outside to guard Xian'er, unable to divert his attention to other tasks like alchemy.
Even though he was now a peak fourth-tier alchemist and his soul was at the late Mortal Stage, attempting to refine a fifth-tier pill required meticulous preparation and full concentration.
Over the past six months, he visited the Mittel Auction House twice.
Once three months ago, and again before Xian'er went into seclusion.
Each time he went, he brought some third or fourth-tier pills and returned with the herbs purchased by the Mittel clan.
The Xiao clan, which had previously traded second-tier pills, had not been visited by Wei Yang for a while and likely wouldn't continue the collaboration.
Second-tier pills were trivial to him, almost like playing around, since they were not worth much.
But for third-tier and higher pills, they couldn't be taken lightly and should be sold through the Mittel Auction House to maximize profits.
Currently, Wei Yang had an ample supply of third and fourth-tier herbs, including magic cores.
He even had a decent stock of fifth-tier herbs.
Moreover, he had obtained several dozen herbs from the cliff cave opportunity and from Gu Te's treasure vault…
In short, he had a significant number of rare fourth-tier and some fifth-tier herbs.
He lacked the confidence to try refining fifth-tier pills previously.
If it were just him, he might have attempted it out of impatience.
Even if he failed a few times, it would only be practice.
Unfortunately, he had a little housekeeper watching over him.
All the precious herbs were in her possession.
Without her approval, Wei Yang couldn't even start the refining process, no matter how skilled he was.
Xian'er was also an alchemist and a peak third-tier alchemist at that.
She understood that alchemy could fail.
However, she absolutely refused to allow the use of high-grade herbs for practice.
Unless he had more than fifty percent certainty.
If not?
A cold glare would make Wei Yang yield.
He had tried to coax her, but the little girl was shrewd and wouldn't fall for it.
Instead, under Xian'er's coquettish persuasion, Wei Yang handed over all the herbs he got from the cliff cave opportunity.
He was truly his own worst enemy.
So, what could he do?
Life was tough, and he was living frugally.
Outside, he was a peak fourth-tier alchemist, enjoying infinite glory.
Every time he visited the auction house, the enchantress Yafei almost clung to him, looking like she wanted to devour him.
Master Gu Ni acted like a loyal servant, offering tea and water, busily and respectfully attending to him.
But back home, he was a miserable fellow.
The financial power wasn't in his hands.
Sometimes, Wei Yang couldn't help but lament that as the little girl grew up, she was no longer the obedient cutie he remembered.
It was like bringing home a little ancestor!
Unexpectedly, even in the Dou Qi Continent, he couldn't escape the fate of being dominated by his girlfriend.
Sob~
Yet, why did he find pleasure in it?
Pathetic!
…
Those who not only opened harems, doing as they pleased, but also managed to keep the girls harmonious and united like sisters, without scheming or jealousy, obedient to every command—how did those great men do it?
Wei Yang could only express his sincere admiration!
His respect for those great men was like the surging river, continuous and endless…
Like a volcanic eruption, unstoppable…
However, reality was reality, and such good fortune didn't exist.
Even if you were to give them a potion, it wouldn't be like that.
They were people, not puppets.
Fortunately, Wei Yang was content with his lot. He never had the idea of opening a harem, so he didn't face such an impossible problem.
…
I am a pickled fish, sour and pitiful and unnecessary~ I am a braised chicken, yellow and stuffy and trashy~ Wei Yang lay comfortably on a rock in front of the cave mansion, hands behind his head, lazily basking in the sun, humming a tune.
Threads of nearly invisible pale golden light were absorbed into his body, transforming into his own power.
As the sun's energy entered his body, he felt warm all over.
It was like soaking in a hot spring, inducing a sense of laziness.
Sun energy and fire energy, though seemingly similar, were different.
Sun energy gave a sense of brightness, peace, and warmth.
Not scorching, nor cold, but warm and full of vitality.
Fire energy, on the other hand, was warm yet also gave a sense of heat, violence, and destruction.
Of course, any energy had its good and bad sides.
Sun energy, though warm and peaceful, could also be destructive if it became violent.
Like water energy or wood energy—couldn't they kill as well? Of course, they could.
Power was dual-sided; it could save or kill.
It depended on how you used it.
Fire, though violent, could be used for alchemy.
Twenty-three kinds of strange fires, weren't they violent enough?
The fifth-ranked Flame of Living Beings was a fire full of vitality, capable of accelerating the growth and maturation of herbs. It was a fire every alchemist dreamed of.
The ninth-ranked Three Thousand Burning Flame, containing the power of the stars, was a healing fire, reputed to restore any injury as long as the owner was alive. It was also known as the Three Thousand Star Flame, the Undying Flame.
The Yin-Yang Twin Flames contained the dual powers of life and death. The Yang fire healed, endlessly giving life, while the Yin fire killed, leaving no remains.
Uh, speaking of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames, ranking only twenty-first, was rather absurd.
The Yin-Yang Twin Flames, ranked twenty-first on the Strange Fire List, were born in the cosmic void, with black and white flames intertwining like yin-yang fish swimming in a cycle.
Yin and Yang were the laws of heaven and earth, the source of all things.
And such a flame, formed from the essence of heaven and earth, was ranked only twenty-first?!
It was indeed ironic.
Wei Yang couldn't understand how the Strange Fire List was ranked.
What was Yin and Yang? It was not just the rules of heaven and earth but the rules of the universe, the origin of all things!
And a flame formed from such rules was ranked near the bottom. Wei Yang found it incomprehensible.
Was it because the practitioners of Dou Qi Continent were too crude in their cultivation and didn't understand the true meaning of the rules?
Moreover, Xiao clan's ancestor, Half Emperor Xiao Xuan, had once wielded the Yin-Yang Twin Flames.
With Xiao Xuan's power, it was impossible not to find stronger strange fires.
Except for the top three on the Strange Fire List, all other strange fires had multiple flames.
Yet, Xiao Xuan wielded the near-bottom-ranked Yin-Yang Twin Flames. It was quite peculiar.
Of course, he wielded not only the Yin-Yang Twin Flames but also two other strange fires.
Maybe it was precisely because of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames that he could forcibly fuse two other strange fires into his body.
Perhaps.
(End of Chapter)