Blue Star Island.
Donning a mask, Qin Sang located the Danding Association and openly released the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
A steward of the Danding Association respectfully ushered him into a quiet room and, after clarifying his purpose, hurried off.
Before long, a green-robed old man at the late Core Formation stage entered. He first bowed to Qin Sang and spoke respectfully, "Senior, to refine the Hidden Fragrance Pill with confidence, only our Grand Elder himself will suffice. Unfortunately, he recently returned to Mount Danding for secluded cultivation after reportedly sensing an opportunity for a breakthrough. It will take at least half a year before he can return to the Boundless Sea. If Senior is in urgent need, you may have to seek out another senior."
Facing a Nascent Soul patriarch, he dared not conceal anything, laying bare the relationship between the Danding Association and Mount Danding.
A secluded breakthrough?
The sect master of Mount Danding was at the middle Nascent Soul stage, so he would hardly lower himself to personally venture out to sea and oversee the affairs of the Danding Association.
It was likely an early Nascent Soul cultivator from Mount Danding preparing to advance to the middle Nascent Soul stage.
*Mount Danding really has formidable strength!* Qin Sang mused leisurely.
Cultivators hailing from sects that specialized in the alchemical dao always had an easier time cultivating and making breakthroughs than others.
The Taiyi Dan Sect had slumped slightly only during the generation of Daoist Chongyi, but immediately afterward, two Nascent Soul cultivators emerged, and it was now thriving.
"Is Fellow Daoist Yinquan the one with the deepest attainments in alchemy at Mount Danding?" Qin Sang asked with a light cough. The Grand Elder of the Danding Association was none other than Master Yinquan.
"Indeed. It was our Grand Elder who spearheaded the founding of the Danding Association," the old man replied with reverence.
Half a year...
Qin Sang pondered for a moment and decided to wait. There was only one Lingzhan Flower, so prudence was the best course.
He nodded. "Arrange an abode for me on the island. I shall wait here for Fellow Daoist Yinquan. In addition, help me gather these spirit herbs."
With that, he produced a jade slip and tossed it to the old man along with a bag of spirit stones.
Recorded on it were the supplementary herbs needed for the Hidden Fragrance Pill.
The Lingzhan Flower was the sole primary herb and the hardest to find on the formula. The supplementary herbs were far less valuable. Only two presented any trouble, but he believed the Danding Association was bound to have ways of acquiring them.
For a Nascent Soul cultivator, anything that could be solved with spirit stones was no problem at all.
Of course, in the cultivation world, top-grade spirit stones were still a rarity, and even Nascent Soul cultivators did not carry many on them.
Supreme-grade spirit stones were rarer still. Even as a sect master, Qin Sang did not possess a single one. Back when the Sin Abyss surrendered, the reparations they offered had not included any supreme-grade spirit stones either.
As for the remuneration for commissioning Master Yinquan to refine the pill, they could negotiate once they met.
After perusing the contents of the jade slip, the old man showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. Not daring to pry, he counted the spirit stones in front of Qin Sang and replied, "Senior, these spirit stones are more than enough. This junior shall immediately have someone clean an abode for you."
An incense stick's burn later, the old man led Qin Sang to take up residence in the island's finest cave abode.
From then on, Qin Sang never took a single step out of the dwelling.
During this time, he devoted nearly all his energy to refining the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and enhancing the Fire Seed Golden Lotus as much as possible, aiming to avoid wasting even a shred of the medicinal potency once he took the Hidden Fragrance Pill.
After waiting on Blue Star Island for seven months, Qin Sang finally met the Grand Elder of the Danding Association.
Daoist Yinquan wore a Daoist robe. His frame was somewhat gaunt, and his eyes were extraordinarily bright and piercing. His aura had not yet fully stabilized; Qin Sang could tell at a glance that he had broken through to the middle Nascent Soul stage.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on taking another step forward on the Great Dao," Qin Sang greeted, cupping his hands.
Daoist Yinquan could hardly conceal his joy, repeatedly deflecting the praise. "This poor Daoist received word the moment I exited seclusion and learned that Fellow Daoist Qin wished to refine the Hidden Fragrance Pill. Not daring to keep you waiting, I hurried here as soon as my cultivation stabilized slightly."
The Daoist name Mingyue was no longer safe, so Qin Sang was currently using his real name.
Master Yinquan had certainly never heard of such a person before—a middle Nascent Soul cultivator could hardly be obscure—yet glancing at the mask on Qin Sang's face, he tactfully refrained from probing.
Hearing his words, Qin Sang came straight to the point. "May I ask what conditions Fellow Daoist Yinquan requires to open the furnace and refine the pill?"
Master Yinquan smiled and gave an unexpected reply. "Fellow Daoist Qin might not know, but Mount Danding also possesses the formula for the Hidden Fragrance Pill. However, it is incomplete, with a success rate of less than ten percent. This poor Daoist was initially skeptical, but upon seeing the spirit herbs you sought to purchase, I became certain you possess a more complete ancient formula. Might Fellow Daoist Qin tell me where you obtained it? Do you hold any other ancient formulas? Not only will I waive all fees for this refinement, but should you have any requests in the future, this poor Daoist will open the furnace for you at any time!"
*The Ancient Immortal Battlefield truly is a treasure trove!* This was the sole thought that sprang into Qin Sang's mind.
Before deciding to travel abroad, Qin Sang had exchanged several formation scriptures of the Yuanshen Sect with Jinglin of the Taiyi Dan Sect for a few formulas that would be useful to him, and the Hidden Fragrance Pill was one of them.
This was to prevent encountering spirit herbs while away and being unable to find someone who could refine them.
Looking back now, being prepared had indeed been the right choice.
The reason Jinglin had agreed to the trade was that the primary herbs for these ancient formulas were exceedingly rare in the present age, so letting them circulate carried little consequence.
Finding the Lingzhan Flower in the Jinghai Sect had been an unexpected stroke of luck.
Bringing the pill formula to the North Sea had caused its value to skyrocket.
Qin Sang knew he could not disclose its origin. Although contact between the two realms had been severed for a long time, both great cultivators of the Beichen Realm had ascended, making the situation far from settled.
"I merely obtained two pill formulas by chance, and this is the other," Qin Sang said evasively, casually picking out a more intricate formula whose ingredients were virtually impossible to gather and handing it to Master Yinquan. "If Fellow Daoist is interested, should I acquire more such ancient formulas in the future, I will have someone deliver them to the Danding Association for your appraisal."
This was the true compensation, as the formula for the Hidden Fragrance Pill had to be given in any case.
He did not fear Master Yinquan suspecting that he possessed even more; only by doing so could he demonstrate his worth and ensure that Master Yinquan took him seriously.
As for the remaining pill formulas, he planned to negotiate at leisure when time permitted.
Master Yinquan stowed the formula away and gave Qin Sang a profound look. "Then this poor Daoist shall await your good news!"
Following that, another month passed as they waited for the final supplementary herb to arrive before Master Yinquan opened the furnace for alchemy.
Just as Qin Sang finished a pot of spiritual tea in the quiet room, Master Yinquan pushed open the door and stepped inside. Looking at Qin Sang, who rose to face him, he said with a smile, "Fortunately, I did not fail the task!"
With that, he took out a jade bottle and handed it to Qin Sang.
Inside the bottle lay a dark yellow spiritual pill. Its medicinal potency formed a thin mist over the pill's surface, within which the phantom of a spiritual flower flickered from time to time—the Lingzhan Flower.
Uncorking the bottle, Qin Sang caught a scent reminiscent of the flower, instantly clearing his mind and bringing immense joy to his heart.
Having obtained the Hidden Fragrance Pill, Qin Sang was about to take his leave to refine and assimilate the pill immediately, but Master Yinquan called out to stop him.
"I just looked over the recent news gathered by our guild. I never expected so many major events to occur in the Boundless Sea during the time I was away. Since you've been on Blue Star Island the entire time, you probably haven't heard yet, have you?"
*Isn't it just the Jinghai Sect coming to light?* Qin Sang thought to himself. *You don't know the Lingzhan Flower was dug straight out of the Jinghai Sect, do you?*
He asked indifferently what had happened, only to hear Master Yinquan say, "The biggest event of all: the Myriad Demons Assembly will be held in half a year!"
Chapter 1432