Ever since Evan Lin returned to Earth, up to now, he has basically never seen a true Daoist cultivator.
Whether it was the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley or those five elders who reached the Mystic Arts Adept realm, at best they were just dabbling in Daoist arts.
To be honest, the one who gave Evan the closest feeling of actual cultivation was still that Master Baiyun, who had entered the Yin-Yang realm and tried to ambush Evan outside the bomb shelter before.
Even though Evan completely wiped him out, he still relied on his own cultivation to forcibly suppress both the Soul Sacrifice Scroll and the Crimson Flame Divine Token.
That kind of technique at least had a bit of the flavor of a true cultivator, even if his actual attainment was pathetically low.
Aside from that, there’s only the fire-drawing method here on the third floor of Miracle Hand Pavilion. Even though this technique looks crude to Evan, just a minor trick, it barely qualifies as an array.
“It’s just a pity I burned Master Weiyao to ashes that day. Otherwise, I might’ve been able to ask him a few things.”
Evan let out a sigh.
If Profound Clarity Sect really is a Daoist sect still surviving on Earth, tracking it down will be much more difficult.
After standing on the third floor for a long time, Evan finally asked Warren Wu to set his things down to the side.
Earthfire Stone, Golden-Nanmu Wood, and Thousand-Jin Blackiron—these three materials aren’t enough to construct a full-scale array, but if it’s just about drawing out the earthfire and boosting pill-refining efficiency here, they’re more than sufficient.
“The three of you wait downstairs. Without my order, no one is allowed to set foot up here.”
“Also, make sure the Miracle Hand Doctors study the Heart Sutra of the Pill Master seriously. If they can’t refine even the small Nourishing Spirit Pill, then have them practice with your old Golden Marrow Pill recipes.”
Evan gave a few simple instructions.
Warren Wu and the others went downstairs and dutifully guarded the entrance.
Evan set his backpack aside, then stepped toward the ruined furnace on the third floor, activating the Fire-Spirit Mortal Body patterns on his Left-Hand Dragon arm.
Above Evan’s Left-Hand Dragon arm, the Fire-Spirit Mortal Body patterns suddenly ignited. As the flames surged, his black hair turned red and his dark eyes instantly became crimson, like molten lava flowing in his gaze. Even the little spiritual qi left in his body now glowed a deeper red.
“Earthfire Stone is for intimidating and pinning down the earthfire here. Golden-Nanmu Wood acts as fire bait, drawing the flames up to the pavilion. Thousand-Jin Blackiron is for forging the pill furnace and turning the fire into alchemy fuel.”
Evan’s expression stayed calm as he pointed at one of the four crimson Earthfire Stones, his fingertip piercing straight through the stone’s hard surface.
With a flick of his finger, Evan quickly carved intricate rune patterns into the Earthfire Stone. Each line was complex, carrying an indescribable sense of spiritual resonance.
Several Earthfire Stones were placed at the corners of the third floor, and each one now felt noticeably heavier than before.
After inscribing the runes on the Earthfire Stones, beads of sweat appeared on Evan’s forehead. Refining fifty Nourishing Spirit Pills had already drained him, and now carving formation patterns with spiritual qi pushed his body even further.
Evan took out a Nourishing Spirit Pill and swallowed it, then glanced over at the Golden-Nanmu Wood.
With a casual gesture, he summoned the Golden-Nanmu Wood into his hand. With a thought, the whole block burst into a towering blaze, burning fiercely.
Next, Evan placed the burning Golden-Nanmu Wood before the ruined central furnace. Soon, an extremely scorching flame erupted from underground, like a greedy beast, and instantly surged into the third floor of Miracle Hand Pavilion.
The moment that blazing fire-beast rushed into the third floor, Evan grabbed the mass of flames with one hand, holding it firmly in his palm.
At the same time, Evan grabbed the Thousand-Jin Blackiron with his other hand, then drew out Dustleave from the Four-Directions Sword Casket. Using sweeping sword-qi, he hammered and ground the blackiron into a pill furnace, then inscribed divine rune patterns onto its surface with sword-qi.
Downstairs, Warren Wu kept glancing up at the third floor, but the door was closed and nothing could be seen. All that reached them was waves of scorching heat and a crushing aura, making it clear something extraordinary was happening above.
Alex Fu and Celine Lin sat outside as well. For the past few days, all three of them had been guarding the entrance without leaving for a moment.
Three days passed.
At dawn, a pillar of fire shot skyward, dyeing the entire horizon crimson.
Heaven and earth changed color.
Everyone from Miracle Hand Sect saw that within five li of Miracle Hand Pavilion, all the grass and trees had withered, and the old, rustic pavilion was once again engulfed in towering flames.
But after about an hour, the flames slowly subsided and quieted down.
Inside on the third floor, Evan slowly opened his eyes.
In front of him sat a tiny pill furnace, with blazing flames burning inside. Around the furnace wafted faint traces of medicinal fragrance.
The surrounding Earthfire Stones resonated with each other, and above each stone hovered a fire-colored phantom like a pill furnace.
The old shattered furnaces and iron chains had completely vanished.
“The result isn’t as strong as I’d hoped, but at least the fire is drawn up.”
“The earthfire vein here is just too low-grade, but for refining basic pills, it should be more than enough.”
Evan stood up and let out a long, heavy breath.
If not for the lack of spiritual qi, the array wouldn’t have taken him three days to complete.
“The next step is to deal with Medicine King Valley’s medicinal herb supply.”
“With Earth’s spiritual qi so thin, there’s basically no chance of refining high-grade pills. For now, I’ll have to rely on Medicine King Valley’s network and see if I can find anything useful.”
Evan walked out of the third floor and glanced at Warren Wu and the others waiting outside.
“Starting today, I’ll personally teach all three of you pill-refining techniques.”
“I’ll be staying here for a while. How much you learn depends on your own fortune.”
Evan spoke in a calm, quiet voice.
With just these few words spoken—
Warren Wu was overwhelmed with joy, dropping to his knees: “Thank you, Master Lin, for giving me a new life! I, Warren Wu, swear to the heavens—whatever you need in the future, I’ll go through fire and water without hesitation!”
Celine Lin glanced at Evan, then quickly knelt down as well, her face filled with delight.
Only Alex Fu, after several changes of expression, finally knelt and bowed his head, though a complex, indescribable emotion lingered between his brows.
“Over the past three days, I’ve forged a pill furnace. From now on, you won’t need a physical cauldron to refine pills inside Miracle Hand Pavilion. You can practice anywhere. What you need to do is master the Heart Sutra of the Pill Master as soon as possible.”