For five or six consecutive days, the second level of the Star Sovereign Tower became packed with medicinal herbs—so much so that the sheer quantity likely surpassed even the treasure vault of Lingxu Sect itself.
Through continuous alchemy during this period, Mo Yang's skills had improved at an astonishing rate. By now, refining Marrow Cleansing Pills, Essence Gathering Pills, and Youth Preservation Pills had become second nature to him. He could produce five or six pills in a single batch.
After categorizing and organizing the herbs, Mo Yang sat down to meditate and cultivate. He had been so focused on alchemy recently that he had sacrificed much of his cultivation time.
Who knows how long had passed when Mo Yang suddenly felt the entire Star Sovereign Tower begin to tremble. He opened his eyes quickly, joy lighting up his face.
Finally, the stone tower was showing signs of change!
The seemingly stone-like walls of the tower began to shimmer with brilliance. Golden patterns, like streams of golden dragons, appeared, flowing and twisting, slowly condensing into ancient characters.
This scene was no stranger to Mo Yang. The first-layer mental techniques of the Star Sovereign Sutra had appeared in exactly the same way.
Focusing his mind, Mo Yang carefully observed as the ancient characters imprinted themselves into his consciousness.
"This..."
Mo Yang was stunned.
This wasn't the second-layer mental techniques of the Star Sovereign Sutra he had been waiting for.
Closing his eyes and concentrating, Mo Yang began to comprehend the information. After just a few breaths, his expression shifted slightly.
It was a body technique, named The Scroll of 'Action' (行字卷)!
This was a secret art of footwork, seemingly created specifically for practitioners of the Star Sovereign Sutra. Only those who had cultivated the Star Sovereign Sutra could practice the Scroll of Action.
As he meditated on the scroll, Mo Yang was shocked by its profoundness. If the technique worked as described, fully mastering it would grant movement speed that defied the heavens.
For cultivators, the importance of body techniques was self-evident.
Not only could it grant an overwhelming advantage in combat, but it could also serve as a life-saving tool, allowing one to escape dire situations. In many cases, having a superior body technique was akin to having a second life.
Yet on the Xuantian Continent, body technique secret arts were incredibly rare, tightly guarded as core secrets of powerful factions and never disseminated to outsiders.
"Tsk tsk, this Star Sovereign Tower is truly a treasure!" Mo Yang couldn't help but sigh.
Whether it was the Star Sovereign Sutra, the Scroll of Action, or the Creation Cauldron, none of them were ordinary items. At this point, Mo Yang wondered if the "Star Sovereign" was a long-dead Ancient Emperor from a forgotten era.
However, the notion of an Ancient Emperor seemed impossibly distant. Such legendary figures, standing at the pinnacle of existence, were exceedingly rare throughout history. Only a handful had ever existed, and most were known only through myths and rumors.
Mo Yang recalled the Fourth Elder once telling him tales of these legendary emperors. The reverence and awe shining in the elder's eyes were akin to worshiping a god.
Steeling his mind, Mo Yang began to delve into the Scroll of Action. If he could comprehend this technique, it would undoubtedly become a powerful tool for survival.
Over the next few days, Mo Yang remained seated in the Star Sovereign Tower, fully immersed in comprehending the Scroll of Action.
Meanwhile, back on Wood Peak, disciples of Lingxu Sect had gathered en masse. After finally collecting enough herbs, they were now frustrated that Mo Yang had seemingly disappeared. For days, no one had seen him.
Even the Second Elder and First Elder couldn't hold back their curiosity. They secretly visited Wood Peak several times, though they felt somewhat guilty about doing so. Yet for the sake of advancing their cultivation, they were willing to swallow their pride.
"This brat holds grudges. Now that we need something from him, will he seize the chance to make things difficult for us?" The Second Elder muttered as he watched Mo Yang's courtyard from the shadows.
The First Elder's expression was equally sour. He felt a pang of regret—had he known Mo Yang was capable of refining pills, he never would have made things difficult for him.
"Feier and Mo Yang seem to be on good terms recently," the First Elder said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can have her mediate..."
Unaware of the commotion outside, Mo Yang continued his meditation on the Scroll of Action inside the Star Sovereign Tower.
However, after several days, he still felt as though he couldn't grasp the essence of the technique.
The ancient characters in his mind flickered like elusive shadows, just out of reach. The profoundness of the technique was overwhelming, and with his current cultivation level still relatively shallow, it was difficult to fully comprehend in a short time.
Mo Yang sighed softly. "I've been too impatient."
Standing up, he left the stone tower and opened the door to his residence—only to be completely stunned.
The small courtyard outside was packed with Lingxu Sect disciples. It was so crowded that there was barely room to move.
"Junior Brother Mo, you're finally back! Wait, where did you come from?" One disciple looked at him, puzzled. They had been waiting in the courtyard the entire time—how did Mo Yang return to the house without them noticing?
"Junior Brother Mo, I want to exchange for two Youth Preservation Pills!"
A female disciple immediately pushed forward, holding a bag of herbs in her hand. She waved it desperately, as if trying to shove it directly into Mo Yang's arms.
"I want an Essence Gathering Pill!"
"I want two Marrow Cleansing Pills!"
The noisy cacophony left Mo Yang momentarily speechless and with a headache.
"Come back at noon," he said, raising his voice. "I'm not exchanging pills right now!"
With that, he quickly retreated into his room and shut the door.
The crowd was left dumbfounded.
They glanced up at the setting sun, wondering: "Noon? It's almost dark! What kind of 'noon' is he talking about?"
Still, there was nothing they could do. The pills were in Mo Yang's hands, and whether he chose to exchange them depended entirely on his mood. Forcibly taking them wasn't an option either—Mo Yang's strength was widely known, and even Qi Heng had been no match for him. Anyone who tried to rob Mo Yang would end up worse off than Qi Heng.
That evening, even the Second and First Elders couldn't hold back anymore. They went so far as to bring Su Feier with them.
Inside Mo Yang's room, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Mo Yang, acting as though he hadn't noticed them, focused intently on practicing calligraphy with a wolf-hair brush, his expression one of absolute concentration.
When Mo Yang noticed Su Feier arriving with the two elders, he instantly guessed their intentions.
It was obvious—his alchemy skills had already been exposed, and the elders had likely come to request his help in refining pills.
The Second Elder kept signaling to Su Feier, urging her to speak. However, still embarrassed from her previous mishap with Mo Yang, Su Feier felt uncomfortable and hesitated to speak.
After a long while, Mo Yang finally set down his brush. Taking a sip of tea, he turned to the two elders and asked, "What brings the two of you here? Surely you didn't come just to watch me practice calligraphy?"
The two elders exchanged an awkward glance, then quickly looked at Su Feier, silently urging her to speak on their behalf.
"Brother Mo Yang," Su Feier said softly, her cheeks tinged red. "The First Elder and Second Elder would like your help refining two types of pills."
Mo Yang nodded slightly and took another sip of tea before asking slowly, "What kinds of pills do the two elders wish to refine?"
The elders, visibly tense, quickly retrieved two pill recipes from their robes and handed them to Mo Yang.
"This is a recipe I stumbled upon more than a decade ago," the Second Elder explained. "It's said to help Tianxuan Realm cultivators unlock their mystical veins..."
The Second Elder's eyes were filled with anticipation as he spoke.
Mo Yang glanced at the recipe, and his expression instantly turned strange. Looking up at the Second Elder, he remarked inwardly:
"This recipe is recorded in the ancient scrolls of Divine Alchemy—it's called 'Spring Renewal Pill'!"
[--------------------------------------------]
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