"Is that so…"
These words caused Xu Taiping to calm down immediately.
Although his cultivation speed was slow due to his White Bone Constitution, and he urgently needed to improve it, if it was really that dangerous, then there was no need to rush.
"The Fire Lingzhi is not urgent; our immediate priority is to perform the first burning of the Earth Fruit to trigger its second transformation," Ling Yue said seriously, looking at Xu Taiping.
"I understand. Tomorrow, I'll use these merit points to purchase the True Fire Talisman," Xu Taiping nodded firmly.
Over the course of his training, Xu Taiping had deeply felt how slow his cultivation progress was due to his White Bone Constitution. Now, the Earth Fruit had become the key to breaking through his bottleneck.
Several days later.
In the evening.
"Xu Taiping, your items have arrived."
Bai Yu, holding a delicate leather pouch, flew down in front of Qing Bamboo Residence.
"They've arrived?" Xu Taiping's voice could be heard from inside.
Whoosh!
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, Xu Taiping rushed out from the residence like a gust of wind.
"Wow, when did you learn the Wind Shadow Step?" Bai Yu asked, surprised.
"Yesterday," Xu Taiping answered straightforwardly.
The Wind Shadow Step was a decent technique in Qing Xuan Sect for movement, which both outer and inner disciples could learn. However, outer disciples were limited to practicing the first two steps, and the Wind Shadow Step Xu Taiping had learned was from a disciple who had died at the hands of the Tiger Demon.
"I don't believe you," Bai Yu rolled his eyes at Xu Taiping.
"It's just two easy steps," Xu Taiping said helplessly as he walked over.
"Take it."
Bai Yu tossed the leather pouch to Xu Taiping.
"Thank you," Xu Taiping caught it.
"Little Taiping, I bet you've taken quite a few good things from that Tiger Demon, huh? Now you're actually buying things from the Tianbao Pavilion," Bai Yu joked.
The Tianbao Pavilion was the place in Qing Xuan Sect that sold talismans and magical items, but the prices were exorbitant, and only a small selection of items were available to outer disciples. Because of that, very few outer disciples bought anything from there.
"I did make a bit of a profit," Xu Taiping scratched his head and smiled.
Seeing how honest Xu Taiping was, Bai Yu didn't want to joke anymore. He flapped his wings and said, "Little Taiping, I have other things to do. I won't disturb you any longer. I'll come by for roasted lamb another time when I'm free."
"Sure, when you're free, just send me a feather as a message, and I'll be ready," Xu Taiping nodded eagerly.
"Alright," Bai Yu responded, and with a flap of his wings, he soared into the air.
"Ling Yue, the True Fire Talisman has arrived."
Once Bai Yu had left, Xu Taiping rushed back into the yard, closed the gate, and walked to the back garden, calling for Ling Yue as he went. The item he had purchased from Tianbao Pavilion was the True Fire Talisman needed for the Earth Fruit's burning process.
Although it was the weakest True Fire, much less powerful than the Three Flames True Fire, it was still costly, having set him back 2,100 merit points. Without the treasures from the Tiger Demon, he would have had to wait until reaching the Seventh Peak before he could gather enough merit points.
"The Tianbao Pavilion dares to sell this kind of True Fire Talisman for 2,100 merit points. It seems like they're deliberately making it difficult for outer disciples to buy items," Ling Yue glanced at the True Fire Talisman in Xu Taiping's hand and immediately gauged its strength.
"Will it be enough to burn the seeds?" Xu Taiping asked with some concern.
"Barely. It should work for the first burn," Ling Yue nodded.
"That's good," Xu Taiping sighed with relief.
Unlike Ling Yue, he had grown used to such unfair situations since he was young, so he didn't feel overly troubled by them.
"Before burning the seeds, we need to prepare a few things. Come with me," Ling Yue reminded Xu Taiping.
"Mm." Xu Taiping nodded and followed her.
Late at night.
Qing Bamboo Residence's medicinal garden.
Boom!
Xu Taiping activated the alchemical cauldron he had obtained from the Incubus Ghost, then placed the Earth Fruit seedling he had dug out from the ground into the cauldron.
"Now, just activate the True Fire Talisman and place it into the cauldron," Ling Yue said as she nodded at Xu Taiping.
"Mm."
Without saying another word, Xu Taiping took the True Fire Talisman he had purchased for 2,100 merit points, infused a bit of spiritual energy into it, and then tossed it into the alchemical cauldron.
Boom!
The fiery energy within the True Fire Talisman was suddenly released, transforming into a blazing crimson flame that erupted from the cauldron. Even though Xu Taiping had already stepped back a yard, he could still feel the immense heat from the flame. Even with the Residual Twilight True Qi protecting him, his face still felt like it was being scorched.
"While the First True Fire is nowhere near as powerful as the Three Flames or Six Flames True Fire, it is the nemesis of substances like the Incubus Ghost's medicine. Even the Tiger Demon couldn't withstand the flames for long," Ling Yue used this moment to explain the knowledge of True Fire to Xu Taiping.
"Will I be able to cultivate the First True Fire once I advance further in my training?" Xu Taiping asked, his eyes gleaming as he watched the flames rising from the cauldron.
"Once you cultivate Residual Twilight to its third level and reach the peak of the Open Door realm, you should be able to," Ling Yue nodded.
The third level of Residual Twilight was one of the signs of reaching the peak of the Open Door realm. Once Xu Taiping achieved that, he would be able to control Residual Twilight True Qi with ease.
"The third level, huh…" Xu Taiping murmured.
He had just exchanged for the second level of Residual Twilight from the copper mirror, but he hadn't fully mastered it yet. The accidental burst of spiritual energy during his breakthrough to the Open Door realm was just a fluke. More importantly, the third level of Residual Twilight could only be accessed by inner disciples.
To advance further, he would need to pass the Seven Peaks selection two years later.
"I wonder if Linglong and Qingxiao still remember me," he suddenly thought of Zhao Linglong and Qingxiao, who had taken him to the mountain.
Buzz buzz buzz…
At that moment, the alchemical cauldron emitted a slight vibrating sound. Then, Xu Taiping saw the crimson flames suddenly turn into a pure blue color.
"Don't worry. The Earth Fruit is undergoing its metamorphosis. Wait for the blue flames to extinguish, and the seeds will be ready," Ling Yue reminded Xu Taiping.
Hearing this, Xu Taiping immediately relaxed.
Sure enough, after a short while, the blue flames gradually extinguished.
But just as Xu Taiping was about to retrieve the Earth Fruit from the cauldron, the cauldron suddenly cracked with a "crack" and split in two.
"This alchemical cauldron is only a low-grade magical item. It can't withstand the scorching heat of True Fire. I'll help you find a better one in the future," Ling Yue chuckled, noticing the regret in Xu Taiping's eyes and quickly offering comfort.
"Mm, we'll definitely find a better one!" Xu Taiping nodded firmly.
He then cleared the broken pieces of the cauldron and carefully searched through the ashes. Finally, he found a seed within the remnants.
"This… this looks a bit like the gourd seeds I planted when I was a kid," Xu Taiping said in surprise as he held up the unremarkable-looking seed.
"Correct, after the second transformation of the Earth Fruit's burning, it becomes a gourd fruit," Ling Yue smiled and nodded.