There were still some twists in the tale.
If it were not for a situation of complete helplessness, Chu Zheng did not wish for Song Lingxue and Li Mingzhou to leave Cangyun Realm with the people from the Martial Hall.
The universe was too vast, and the starry sky too broad; ordinary cultivators could spend their entire lives without ever reaching the edge.
Once they parted ways, whether they would have the chance to meet again was uncertain.
As for the concept of the universe, Chu Zheng had a certain understanding from his previous life, and the thought of distances measured in millions and tens of millions of light-years alone could lead one to despair.
"It's because of me that you're in trouble."
Li Mingzhou felt somewhat ashamed; he had always thought it was because of him that Song Lingxue had come this far and that their actions had alerted the Holy Land.
If he hadn't taken Song Lingxue to look for that Martial Path Remnant Wall, perhaps nothing would have happened.
"Don't think too much, the current situation has little to do with you," said Chu Zheng, his brow slightly furrowed, unable to explain the reasons to Li Mingzhou yet.
A moment later, Chu Zheng left the residence of the martial masters without any delay and headed straight for the Alchemy Hall of the Taixuan Holy Land.
He did not want to waste time and wished to improve his Dao Foundation and accelerate his cultivation progress quickly.
Without strength, all was empty talk.
The location of the Alchemy Hall was on a Spirit Peak in the central region of Taixuan, not far from the main peak, where the temperature was noticeably higher than in other areas.
With Chu Zheng's current cultivation, approaching this place made him sweat slightly, and it was estimated that ordinary cultivators of the Spirit Spring Realm would need to protect their bodies with spiritual energy to get close.
The surface of the Spirit Peak was a bare rock wall; the whole mountain body was hollowed out, with numerous alchemy rooms set up throughout.
During the heyday of the Taixuan, the demand for alchemy rooms far exceeded the supply, and they were nearly always full.
Now, most of them had been vacant for who knows how long, with thick dust in front of the doors of the vast majority of the rooms, with no signs of footprints.
After entering the mountain path, the temperature suddenly rose even higher, and the air felt like a ball of fire burning, scorching the heart and lungs.
Chu Zheng regulated the breath within his body and continued downward, soon entering a stone cavern.
The cavern stretched over thirty zhang, with a Pill Furnace nearly ten zhang tall placed in the center, where bluish flames blazed at its base.
After entering the cavern, the temperature around him paradoxically dropped, and Chu Zheng spotted the reason at a glance: the scorching air had all been absorbed by the Pill Furnace, contained within without any leakage.
This furnace must undoubtedly be a rare Wonderous Treasure.
Gong Rulong stood with his hands behind his back next to the Pill Furnace, nodding as a greeting. He had already sensed Chu Zheng the moment he neared the place.
"I've come here unannounced, disturbing Elder Gong's alchemy," said Chu Zheng as he bowed.
"No matter, alchemy does not require constant full focus. What brings the Saint Heir here?" Gong Rulong waved his hand, his gaze returning to the Pill Furnace above.
"I wish to obtain some Spiritual Objects to enhance the quality of my Celestial Foundation," Chu Zheng replied directly.
Upon hearing this, Gong Rulong's gaze shifted, and he lightly stroked his white beard, showing a trace of curiosity, "May I ask what layer your Celestial Foundation is at, Saint Heir?"
"Indeed, that is on the low side. I presume it's because when you were building your Dao Foundation, the environment was harsh and lacked Spiritual Objects."
"Elder Gong's discernment is indeed accurate," complimented Chu Zheng.
The quality of the Celestial Foundation is graded, and only those above the Seventh Layer are considered high-quality, possessing the potential to become an Immortal.
Among individuals with High-Quality Immortal Bone, there is a certain chance to form a Seventh Layer Celestial Foundation.
With his current Superior Immortal Bone, the Celestial Foundation he constructed should have started from the Seventh Layer, unless there was a problem during the foundation setting.
In this regard, Gong Rulong's guess was spot-on.
However, Chu Zheng first had his Celestial Foundation and then grew his Immortal Bone, with the sequence being slightly out of order, so it could not be judged by common standards.
"Saint Heir, please wait a moment."
Gong Rulong extended his hand and cast a Spiritual Formula into the Pill Furnace, which caused the intensity of the flame beneath it to change abruptly.
Not long after, the light from beneath the Pill Furnace suddenly surged out and Gong Rulong swallowed it, followed by a light sound.
The heavy lid of the Pill Furnace flew up, and dozens of points of Spiritual Light flew out from it into Gong Rulong's palm, he then casually tossed one to Chu Zheng:
"Saint Heir, take a look and see the quality of the Spirit Pills from this furnace," he said.
Chu Zheng subconsciously caught it, and soon after, a prompt from the interface in his mind appeared.
[Soul Purifying Pill (Fourth Order): A Divine Soul type elixir that can purify impurities within the soul, enhance cultivation. During the pill creation, the temperature was rushed, resulting in the loss of a small portion of medicinal power, but it still remains a high-quality work of a master, with a restoration requirement (0/20)]
"The Spirit Pills refined by Elder Gong are naturally of superior quality," Chu Zheng said, somewhat surprised at the casual mastery Gong Rulong demonstrated in producing Fourth Order elixirs.
The elixir he held in his hand was precious even to Divine Infant cultivators and was priceless in the outside world.
"This batch of Spirit Pills has some flaws; can the Saint Heir detect the issue?" Gong Rulong casually asked.
"It must be due to haste during the collection, leading to some loss of medicinal power. It's my intrusion that affected Elder Gong's batch of High-Quality Spirit Pills," Chu Zheng immediately admitted, thinking Gong Rulong was expressing some dissatisfaction.
"You know alchemy as well?"
Gong Rulong was originally just making casual conversation and was taken aback upon hearing Chu Zheng's response.
Given the rate of Chu Zheng's current cultivation progress, he was astonished that Chu Zheng still had the capacity to dabble in alchemy, which seemed quite far-fetched.
"I only know the basics, sufficient to discern the quality of elixirs, but I wouldn't dare claim proficiency," Chu Zheng immediately shook his head.