Chapter 542: Supplementary Materials List

Xuanheng stood with his hands behind his back, his deep blue Daoist robe utterly still amidst the clash of three medicinal auras.

"Whether you're willing to part with it or not, the herbs are already here." Xuanheng's tone was flat, without a single ripple of emotion.

Qingyang let out a sneer.

"Fine. I've sealed my furnace for a hundred years. I thought I'd never see a formula worth my time in this lifetime again. Since you, Xuanheng, are willing to bet, what do I have to fear from refining it?"

Qingyang spun around abruptly, strode to a stone block in the corner of the courtyard, and pulled a slightly yellowed jade slip from a hidden compartment inside it.

He walked to the stone table, didn't even look, and simply tossed the jade slip toward Su Ming.

Su Ming caught the jade slip steadily with both hands.

"The supplementary ingredients list for the Heaven-Mending Pill. Twenty-three in total." Qingyang sat back down on the threshold, picked up the ragged cloth, and resumed wiping his alchemical furnace, his voice echoing coldly through the courtyard. "Gather them within three days. If even one is missing, or its quality falls short by a hair, this furnace won't produce a pill. You decide for yourselves."

Su Ming held the jade slip, saying nothing.

Qingyang's movements didn't stop, and he continued without looking up. "Not only that. A pill like the Heaven-Mending Pill that plunders heaven and earth's fortune will inevitably summon the Pill Fiend on the ninth day of formation."

The old man's hand paused abruptly, and he lifted his eyelids to stare at Su Ming.

"The probability of the furnace collapsing is seventy percent. When that happens, I'll have to focus all my energy on controlling the furnace fire to preserve the medicine's properties. I won't have time to worry about you." Qingyang's voice carried an unvarnished warning. "That Pill Fiend will charge straight at you, the Medicine Lord. With your crippled body at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, if the Pill Fiend strikes you, your soul will be annihilated. If you're afraid of death, take the herbs and withdraw now. It's not too late."

Luo Feng, standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp sharply. A seventy percent chance of furnace collapse? And he'd have to personally face the heaven-and-earth Pill Fiend?

Xuanheng said nothing, his gaze calmly fixed on Su Ming.

Su Ming's fingers tightened slightly around the jade slip. He extended his divine sense into it, imprinting the names, required ages, and quality specifications of all twenty-three supplementary ingredients into his Consciousness Sea.

Then, he stored the jade slip in his storage pouch, raised his head, and met Qingyang's gaze.

"Disciple understands. Within three days, the supplementary ingredients will be gathered." Su Ming's voice was extremely steady.

Qingyang lowered his head, pressed the ragged cloth back onto the furnace, and resumed wiping with force.

"Go. Just don't die in my alchemy room. It'd be bad luck."

Xuanheng didn't say another word. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Su Ming and Luo Feng quickly followed.

After stepping out of that battered courtyard gate and walking along the narrow path for some distance, until the pungent, burnt medicinal scent gradually faded, Luo Feng finally let out a long breath.

He leaned close to Su Ming, lowering his voice with exaggerated caution, and couldn't help glancing back toward the mountainside.

"That old man has a real foul temper." Luo Feng patted his chest, still shaken. "But being able to spot the traces of your Dao foundation repair at a glance, and even the Master is willing to entrust such heaven-defying herbs to him—that old man definitely has genuine skill. Junior Brother Su, don't let him intimidate you."

Su Ming nodded slightly, his gaze profound as he looked ahead.

"Senior Brother, rest assured." Su Ming said calmly. "I never do things without certainty."

*What I need to focus on now is those twenty-three supplementary ingredients,* Su Ming replied calmly in his heart.

The stone steps down the mountain were slightly hot from the constant geothermal heat of the earth veins.

Luo Feng walked beside Su Ming, pulling the charred Mystic Iron formation plate back out of his storage pouch. As he walked, he traced his fingers along the broken formation lines, his brow furrowing and relaxing by turns.

Shadow had been quietly lying on Su Ming's right shoulder, but now she was drawn by the faint residual fire-attribute spiritual energy emanating from the Mystic Iron plate in Luo Feng's hand.

She tilted her little head, her golden eyes fixed on the oddly shaped metal core, as if judging whether it was some rare ore she could devour.

"Cheep."

Shadow abruptly thrust out her head, her sharp beak striking the broken formation plate in Luo Feng's hand like a black bolt of lightning.

"Ding!"

A crisp, metallic clang rang out on the mountain path. The formation plate didn't budge, not even a scratch left behind.

Shadow blinked in slight confusion, seemingly dissatisfied with the power of her attack. She raised her wing, preparing for a second strike.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!" Luo Feng was startled and quickly shielded the plate against his chest, glaring at the pitch-black crow. "This is the core of an explosive puppet I refined from Mystic Iron! It has thirty-six linked formation lines carved into it! If this little black bird of yours pecks it to pieces, we'll both get blown right off this mountain!"

Luo Feng burst out laughing as he spoke, reaching out to stroke Shadow's head.

"This thing is so hard even a flying sword can't leave a mark. Your little beak is still too tender. Once your senior brother here finishes developing a truly powerful puppet, I'll make you a shell out of Mystic Iron to wear."

Shadow unceremoniously turned her head, dodging Luo Feng's hand, let out a haughty *cheep*, and burrowed back into the depths of Su Ming's collar.

Su Ming didn't join in their antics.

His divine sense was now completely immersed in the contents of that jade slip.

Twenty-three supplementary ingredients.

A dense list filled the entire slip. Besides their names, the years, processing methods, and spiritual energy purity requirements were all meticulously detailed.

"Purple-Backed Begonia, must be over a hundred years old, dried in the shade, fire poison removed."

"Cold Pool Ice Crystal, fist-sized, must not be contaminated by mundane air."

"Scarlet Flame Sand, purified to ninety-nine percent, ground into powder."

...

Lin Yu let out a soft snort from within the ring, his Soul Body faintly floating in the void.

"This old man really doesn't let a single advantage slip. The main herbs of the Heaven-Mending Pill are heaven-defying treasures, but the supplementary ingredients are mundane salt and oil. Every single item on this list is something you'd have to spend spirit stones on. Is he refining a pill, or is he trying to drain your entire savings?"

Though Lin Yu's voice was laced with sarcasm, Su Ming could tell that every item on this list was meticulously chosen to perfectly harmonize those three main herbs.

"Master, although these supplementary ingredients are numerous, I took stock in my Consciousness Sea just now. The situation isn't as bad as it seems."

Su Ming responded with extreme calm in his heart.

"The Repair Hall's warehouse should have most of these in stock. Back when I was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Elder Ma had me organize the Repair Hall's inventory. To set up that assembly line, I went through every scrap of waste material and dead account that had been piling up at the bottom of the warehouse for over a century. The common spirit herbs, spiritual liquids, and mineral powders on this list—the warehouse not only has them, but their age is also sufficient."