"Why can't the Corpse Refining Blood Fire ever give birth to the Blood Evil Yin Fire?" Chu Xuan pondered, resting his cheek on his hand as he watched the roaring Corpse Refining Blood Fire. He had been observing it for ten days now.
The fire had consumed at least a million zombies but still hadn't produced the stronger Blood Evil Yin Fire. What could be the problem? Chu Xuan shook his head repeatedly. The invincible power of merit seemed to fail him when he needed it most. Wasn't this supposed to be his forte?
Casually, Chu Xuan took a sip of tea. He had planted numerous spiritual teas on Blue Star. After enriching them with a Spirit Gathering Formation, they grew even faster than those on Mystic Azure Star. Since he had some spare time, why not enjoy them?
Chu Xuan thought back to the battlefield beyond the realms and shook his head again. Yun Zhongyu was, after all, a prodigy of the Reincarnation Divine Sect. His sudden death would surely incite the sect's fury. By now, the name Huikong must have spread across that perilous battlefield. The Reincarnation Divine Sect was undoubtedly searching for him intensively.
He wondered how Duan Que was faring. The Duan family might just sell him out. But given Duan Que's intelligence, he likely fled at the first hint of trouble.
"The extraterritorial battlefield is perilous. I'll lie low on Blue Star for a few decades, wait for them to nearly forget about this, and then return," Chu Xuan decided as he sipped his steaming tea. It was incredibly bitter, as bitter as life itself. Wasn't it supposed to be bitter before turning sweet? Yet, this cup was bitter through and through, with no hint of sweetness.
"This batch of Ku Mao Feng isn't good; I'll pour it out," Chu Xuan said, tossing the teacup away.
Just then, his divine sense detected a figure rushing towards the Haotai Hotel. The person was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a rugged appearance and a robust physique, his expression filled with joy.
"That man looks like Wang Gangjian's second son," Chu Xuan recalled. Wang Gangjian and his peers had long since stopped handling the affairs of the Black Blade. They now lived like retired elders—gaming, fishing, and tea-tasting, thoroughly enjoying their days.
Black Blade had become the dominant force ruling over the entirety of Blue Star. Naturally, a restructuring was necessary to govern such a vast planet efficiently. The original leadership was transformed into a nine-member council. Simply put, nine core members were chosen to decide on all matters concerning Black Blade.
Wang Gangjian, Wang Yong, Tang Jinchuan, and Song Dayi each designated one person. Other significant powers like the Free Alliance, the Arctic Forces, and the Holy Light Theocracy nominated five representatives each.
However, the true core of Black Blade's power still lay in the four individuals designated by Wang Gangjian. The other five were mostly there to observe and learn, getting a taste of the decision-making process but hardly expected to intervene directly in Black Blade's affairs.
The middle-aged man named Wang Zhenxu, Wang Gangjian's second son possessed considerable skills, which led to his appointment as the chairman of the nine-member council. Wang Zhenxu was well aware that immortals were the true puppet masters behind Black Blade. He was utterly loyal to Chu Xuan.
Each time he reported intelligence, he made the trip personally. As a level nine superhuman, running there was not difficult. The real challenge was doing it consistently, day after day. Such dedication over time was a true display of loyalty.
At this moment, Wang Zhenxu stood outside the array, recording his message into a transmission jade, then waited respectfully outside. This was a privilege granted by Chu Xuan to the nine-member council—they could transmit information directly through transmission jades instead of writing it down on paper. However, Wang Zhenxu still preferred making the journey in person.
Since he had seen the immortal once in his childhood, he had never again glimpsed that majestic presence. His personal visits were fueled by the hope of seeing the immortal just once more—even a fleeting glance would suffice.
The fog churned quietly around him, yet no figure appeared. Wang Zhenxu sighed lightly. Perhaps this piece of intelligence hadn't caught the immortal's attention after all. He turned to leave when out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fog roil intensely.
Suddenly, a figure materialized!
Wang Zhenxu was astounded. Dressed in black, with black hair and eyes, and an expression of extreme aloofness—it was the immortal! He looked just like the figure Wang had seen decades ago as a child.
Without hesitation, Wang Zhenxu knelt on both knees, bowing deeply, "Chairman of the Black Blade nine-member council, Wang Zhenxu, pays his respects to the immortal!"
Chu Xuan said casually, "Rise."
"Thank you, immortal!" Wang Zhenxu said, overwhelmed with emotion.
Chu Xuan smiled, "Wang Zhenxu, I do remember you. Wang Gangjian's second son, right? You were very young back then."
Wang Zhenxu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's me. But immortal, truly, you haven't changed at all in all these years."
Chu Xuan remained composed, "Your report, is it true? Has someone really managed to merge two body refining techniques?"
Wang Zhenxu replied respectfully, "Indeed! The boy is an orphan from our Black Blad Central City branch. His name is Liu Mengde. As soon as I heard the news, I had him brought from the Central City branch to the East Lake headquarters."
Naturally, the headquarters of Black Blade was located in East Lake City. Branches had been established in various cities, with the most remote ones even reaching the Antarctic and Arctic Circles.
Chu Xuan nodded, "Bring him to me."
"Yes!" Wang Zhenxu nodded vigorously and immediately departed.
Chu Xuan felt a sense of joy. He had planted seeds without much thought, and surprisingly, they had borne fruit. Indeed, among the billions of people on Blue Star, there were those with exceptional talent.
The body refining techniques he had bestowed included the defensive "Turtle Shell Technique," the speed-focused "White Horse Chapter," the aggressive "Blood Fury Technique," and the health-preserving "Life Nourishing Scripture."
According to Wang Zhenxu's report, Liu Mengde had initially practiced the Turtle Shell Technique. With his extraordinary talent, he had progressed quickly, mastering three levels of the technique within just two months.
After hitting a major bottleneck moving from the third to the fourth level and having nothing else to do, he began practicing the Life Nourishing Scripture.
Incredibly, he managed to merge the Turtle Shell Technique with the Life Nourishing Scripture, creating a new body refining technique called the "Millennium Tortoise Technique." This breakthrough instantly resolved his bottleneck, and his cultivation progressed smoothly.
"This child is quite talented," Chu Xuan mused.
Soon after, Wang Zhenxu returned with a young teenager to the Haotai Hotel. Liu Mengde was awe-struck as he looked at the swirling black mist. He had never been to East Lake City before, nor had he ever seen an immortal, though he had heard of them. Just seeing the exterior of the formation was enough to astonish him.
Wang Zhenxu led Liu Mengde to kneel down, saying respectfully, "Immortal, I have brought him here."