It was dawn when Ye Chen returned to the Spirit Core Pavilion.
He sat next to the stove with a full storage bag in his arms and began to comprehend the recipe.
As sun rose in sky, Xu Fu in robe walked out from inside.
"Morning, Sect elder Xu." Ye Chen hurried to greet him and rubbed his hands, giggling, "When will you show me how to refine the soul core?"
"You can make experiments with the spirit herbs!"
Ye Chen twitched his lips, and sighed that if he only depended upon himself, many herbs would be wasted and setbacks met.
"I go to the inner school today. Wait for me coming back." Xu Fu left with a flick of his sleeves.
Ye Chen cursed silently.
He collected away the recipe and infused his true fire into the stove after calming down. What he refined was not the soul core but the refuel core by which he wanted to practice his refinement skills.
Drawing experience from the three refuel cores, he became more adept and failed less.
Xu Fu did not come back until dusk.
Over this period, Ye Chen refined three refuel cores, and made progress although the core quality was not high.
"Refine!"
As he roared gently, the fourth core was to come into being.
However, the core exploded. He was too anxious to control the fire well.
Bang!
The stove vibrated with dull thud spreading from inside.
Ouch!
The force pushed Ye Chen back and his head buzzed in stingy pain.
The vociferousness stunned Qi Yue in her close training, and she rushed out from side hall.
"What are you doing?" Bellowing, she cast an angry and gruff look at him not only for the loudness but also for the wrath caused by Xu Fu's making Ye Chen and her a couple.
"I didn't do anything! I just…"
"I warned you, as a chore man, don't touch other things." She answered coldly.
Ye Chen was stunned and realized that Xu Fu did not tell her why he was here. And she mistook Ye Chen as a chore man.
He crawled up from the floor without explanation.
Um?
Qi Yue glimpsed at the green token with the character 'core' on it and recognized it Xu Fu's token at her first sight.
"Where did you get the token?" She yelled and flicked an icy look at Ye Chen.
"Sect elder Xu gave it to me."
"Liar." Qi Yue unsheathed her spirit sword and put it at Ye Chen shoulder, "Master never leaves the token to anybody, even to me. How could he give it to you?"
Ye Chen rubbed his eyebrows.
"Did you steal it from master?" Her sword aimed at Ye Chen's throat.
"Qi Yue." As a deep voice came from outside, Xu Fu returned.
"Master." She hurried to collect her sword and bowed with her hands folded in front, glimpsing at Ye Chen behind her, "He behaved sneakily around the stove and stole your token."
"Sneakily? No, I didn't."
"Don't defend for yourself. I saw everything."
"Enough." Xu Fu replied in a deep voice and turned to her, "I gave the token to him"
"Master, why you…"