Looking at Bai Sinan lying on the ground, Luochen felt an uncontrollable ache in his heart, yet he knew this was a path she had to walk on her own.
At first, after dropping Bai Sinan off in the Back Mountain, he had returned to his quarters. But once back, he found himself unable to focus on anything. Scenes of her facing danger constantly flashed through his mind.
So, he had come. Not wanting to disturb her trial, he concealed his presence and silently followed her from the air.
Watching her turn peril into safety and escape from the jaws of death time and again made his heart tighten with an inexplicable mix of anxiety and worry.
He found his own behavior baffling.
Perhaps it was because she was his only disciple.
After infusing a trace of divine power into her body, Luochen turned and left without hesitation.
*
So hot.
She felt as if her entire body was about to burst into flames.
A wisp of pale golden spiritual energy was rampaging through her meridians.
This wisp of spiritual energy seemed to be trying to nourish her dantian and meridians, but they were currently too weak to withstand it.
It was far too powerful for her!
Ordering her chaotic thoughts, Bai Sinan attempted to wrap her mental strength around this golden wisp.
But the spiritual energy refused to submit, threatening to break right through her mental restraint.
Bai Sinan quickly suppressed it with an even greater surge of mental strength.
Gradually, the spiritual energy grew docile.
Guiding the spiritual energy through her meridians, she finally channeled it into her dantian and began to slowly absorb it.
As the golden energy was absorbed, it gradually turned transparent, and the spiritual energy within Bai Sinan's body began to skyrocket.
Boom! Rank 5 Grand Spirit Master.
Boom! Rank 1 Spirit Lord.
Boom! Rank 2 Spirit Lord.
This single trace of golden spiritual energy had propelled Bai Sinan directly to a Rank 2 Spirit Lord!
Bai Sinan slowly opened her eyes.
Right on cue, the Gold-Seeking Rat returned, hauling all of its earthly possessions.
It was a palm-sized little squirrel-like creature, carrying a bundle three times its own size on its back.
Bai Sinan's lips twitched. "Are you... moving houses?"
Startled by the sudden voice, the Gold-Seeking Rat jumped, but then it seemed to register who she was and said happily, "That's great! I thought you were about to die."
"?" *Listen to this. Well, it's not like it's a human speaking anyway.*
"Seeing how impressive you were just now, yours truly has decided to follow you from now on!" the Gold-Seeking Rat declared.
Bai Sinan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Isn't that a bit hasty?"
With its paws on its hips, the Gold-Seeking Rat huffed, "Of course! Following you means there'll be meat to eat. Look, yours truly even brought all of my possessions."
Bai Sinan was amused. "Alright, I'll let you eat meat in a bit."
Squeezing a drop of blood from her fingertip, Bai Sinan slowly chanted an ancient incantation.
Hum!
A massive red array enveloped Bai Sinan and the Gold-Seeking Rat.
The contract was established!
An equal contract!
The Gold-Seeking Rat was surprised. "An equal contract? Yours truly was fully prepared to be used as a mere tool! Well, well, you're not bad for a human. It seems yours truly made an exceptionally wise decision!"
"My name isn't 'human,' it's Bai Sinan." She stood up and patted the dust off her clothes.
White clothes got dirty so easily; she would definitely have to change to another color in the future.
The Gold-Seeking Rat hopped onto her shoulder. "Yours truly doesn't have a name. Why don't you give me one?"
"I think Shanpao is quite good. It suits you well."
"?" *Somehow, that feels a bit off.*
"Hmm... let's call you Yaya."
Yaya nodded. "Yours truly thinks this name is acceptable. I'm quite satisfied. It sounds way better than Shanpao."
Bai Sinan swept Yaya's possessions and the Star Grass into her storage ring. She said, "I've put your things in my storage ring. Just tell me whenever you want something. Now, let's find a safer spot to eat some meat."
Yaya flicked its tail dismissively. "You can just keep my possessions. I can't use any of that stuff anyway; I just like collecting them. As long as yours truly has meat and pills to eat, I'm good."
"Well, you're pretty easy to feed."
Yaya huffed proudly, "Hmph, of course! You should be secretly laughing with joy to have formed a contract with yours truly!"
Finding a safe spot, Bai Sinan set to work roasting the meat.
After two years of surviving in the wilderness, Bai Sinan's meat-roasting skills were spectacular. After all, she had even managed to win over the stomach of that tsundere Aojiao.
The Spirit Beast meat sizzled over the fire, dripping with fat and looking incredibly mouth-watering.
Yaya's drool was already dripping to the ground.
Bai Sinan brought out her secret blend of seasonings and brushed them over the roasted meat.
"Here you go." Bai Sinan tore off a large piece of meat and handed it over.
Yaya grabbed the meat and stuffed it into its mouth. "Mmh, sho delicioush! Xiaonan, the meat you roashted ish sho good!"
"If it's good, eat more and keep your mouth full. Look at you, spitting food everywhere."
Shaking her head in mock disgust, Bai Sinan pulled out the Pill Cauldron from her storage ring.
This was the very Pill Cauldron that had belonged to Aojiao.
As for how she had acquired it?
Naturally, that tsundere had... lent it to her.
So stingy. It wasn't like he had any use for it; he might as well have just gifted it to her.
She needed to raise her Alchemist rank now. Since she couldn't stay in the Back Mountain forever, refining the Energy Recovery Pill had to be put on her schedule as soon as possible.
Having broken through to a Rank 2 Spirit Lord, she found the process of refining pills even more natural and effortless.
Quite easily, she broke through to a 4-Star High-Tier Alchemist.
Given her current strength, even refining 5-Star Low-Tier pills should have been a breeze, but...
Boom!
Another cauldron explosion. Fortunately, this Pill Cauldron was of extremely high quality, or Bai Sinan would have blown it to smithereens long ago.
"Why is this happening..." Bai Sinan fell into deep thought.
"Could it be because you don't have an Exotic Fire? This is the first time I've ever seen someone refine pills using pure spiritual energy," Yaya mumbled from the side.
Realization dawned on Bai Sinan. "An Exotic Fire!"
Because she had always refined pills using her spiritual energy, she had completely forgotten that refining usually required an Exotic Fire. But then, she frowned in dismay. "But where in the world would I find an Exotic Fire in this Back Mountain..."
Without an Exotic Fire, she couldn't raise her Alchemist rank. Without raising her Alchemist rank, she couldn't refine the Energy Recovery Pill. Without the Energy Recovery Pill, she couldn't leave the Back Mountain... But where could she find an Exotic Fire here?
Yaya gave a mysterious grin. "Heheh, so you don't know after all~"
"Are you saying... there actually is an Exotic Fire in the Back Mountain?" Bai Sinan asked.
Yaya tossed its head back proudly. "Of course! There is absolutely nothing that yours truly cannot find!"
*
The next day, guided by Yaya, Bai Sinan arrived at a cave.
The cave was pitch black. A chilly draft blew out from within, making her shudder.
"Are you sure it's here?" Bai Sinan was reluctant to enter. Although she was very strong now, she was still afraid of the dark and of ghosts.
Yaya stomped its paws on her shoulder in frustration. "What is yours truly? Yours truly is a Gold-Seeking Rat! How dare you doubt my treasure-hunting abilities!"
Bai Sinan silently cheered herself on: *You are strong now. You can punch a ghost to death with one fist. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Amitabha, just do it!*
Gritting her teeth, she dashed into the cave.
The cave was damp and freezing cold, showing absolutely no sign of housing an Exotic Fire. But since Yaya insisted it was inside, she could only steel herself and keep walking forward.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she reached the very end of the cave.
At the end of the cave, there was nothing but a stone tablet.
"Where exactly did you sense the aura of an Exotic Fire?" Bai Sinan asked.
"Right here," Yaya replied, also finding it strange. It had clearly sensed the Exotic Fire at this exact spot. How could there be nothing?
Bai Sinan raised an eyebrow and walked closer to the stone tablet.
There seemed to be characters faintly carved onto the stone. Bai Sinan rummaged through Yaya's possessions, pulled out a night-luminescent pearl, and used it to light up the space.