Chapter 115

After finalizing the candidate to refine the Rebirth Pill, Ning Xu did not hesitate and went straight to Damai City.

Earlier, the Melon-Eating System had mentioned that Elder Bei had already taken his second son to seek apprenticeship with Lan Mai. Coincidentally, the blade cultivator Lan Mai was in Damai City, not far from the Glacier Mountain Range. As long as she stayed there, she would eventually run into Elder Bei.

She arrived in Damai City earlier than Elder Bei and his son. Taking advantage of their delay, she first found an inn to stay in and took the time to sort out her thoughts.

If she hadn’t meddled and successfully changed Elder Bei’s second son’s fate, she wouldn’t have received a reward from the Heavenly Dao. Without that reward, the Melon-Eating System wouldn’t have suggested she eliminate the disloyal cultivators. If she hadn’t eliminated them, she wouldn’t have found the only existing Rebirth Flower in a certain cultivator’s storage bag…

Simply put, if any link in this chain had been missing, the Sword Immortal’s reincarnation might have failed.

The Melon-Eating System sighed, 【The Rebirth Flower is protected by the Heavenly Dao. Even I can’t calculate its whereabouts.】

【Moreover, it doesn’t grow in a fixed location but shifts places periodically.】

【Encountering a Rebirth Flower is extremely rare. It’s pure coincidence that the cultivator who plucked it managed to find one.】

【Even more coincidental is that he didn’t recognize its value and carelessly tossed it into his storage bag.】

If that cultivator had recognized the Rebirth Flower, he would have likely auctioned it off at a high price long ago. Ning Xu would never have had the chance to pick it up.

This was simply fate.

Nearby, the old ox chewed on some spiritual grass while listening to their conversation.

The rarity of the Rebirth Pill was undeniable. No cultivator would ever think they had too many of them.

Swallowing a single Rebirth Pill was equivalent to gaining an extra life.

Yet, Ning Xu still chose to set one aside for the old ox…

That day, the old ox declared with conviction!

From now on, it would be the most loyal melon-eating bystander!

A lifetime of unwavering devotion!
—

Ning Xu waited for two days in Damai City before Elder Bei finally arrived.

As soon as Elder Bei and his son reached the entrance of the Lan Residence, she stepped forward to block their path.

“Elder Bei.”

Elder Bei, who had altered his appearance and physique slightly, looked at her in surprise. “You are?”

Ning Xu didn’t answer directly but instead said, “Elder Bei, may I have a word with you in private?”

The moment she spoke, the guards beside Elder Bei immediately stepped forward, shielding him behind them.

As a titan in the alchemy world, Elder Bei was never short of protection.

Approaching him was no easy task.

Of course, that was true for others.

For Ning Xu, it wasn’t difficult at all.

The captain of Elder Bei’s guard squad stared at Ning Xu with sharp eyes, ready to act at the first sign of trouble.

Ning Xu said nothing more. Instead, she used her divine sense to access the Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area and left a message in her own post:

“Elder Bei, the person standing before you right now is me.”

After sending it, she turned to Elder Bei and said, “Why don’t you check the forum? Look at post #1189 under ‘Exposing a Certain Male Cultivator with a Treasure-Seeking Mouse Bloodline.’”

Elder Bei gave her a doubtful glance.

A few moments later, his expression shifted to one of excitement and disbelief. “It’s you, little friend!”

Ning Xu smiled faintly. “Now, can we speak in private?”

Elder Bei didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

The guard captain immediately protested, “Elder Bei!”

Who knew what her intentions were? Was she friend or foe?

Elder Bei waved a hand dismissively. “No worries.”

“I’m just meeting an old friend. You all stay here.”

Among the people present, only Elder Bei’s second son had guessed Ning Xu’s identity.

He smiled at her in a friendly manner.

From his simple and honest smile, Ning Xu could see deep gratitude and relief.

She curved her lips slightly and returned his smile.
—

Inside a well-secured private room at the inn, Ning Xu got straight to the point.

When Elder Bei learned that she possessed a Rebirth Flower, his face was full of shock and excitement.

“A Rebirth Flower?! You actually have a Rebirth Flower!”

Ning Xu replied calmly, “Yes.”

“I obtained this Rebirth Flower by sheer chance.”

“I trust Elder Bei’s character, which is why I would like to ask you to refine it into Rebirth Pills for me. I have the Rebirth Flower, but no other spiritual herbs. Any additional herbs needed, I will reimburse with spirit stones.

Besides that, no matter how many pills result from the refinement, I will only take two. The rest will be yours. What do you think, Elder Bei?”

Previously, the Melon-Eating System had mentioned that this Rebirth Flower could yield at most three pills.

But Elder Bei was unaware of this.

Ning Xu made this offer to boost his enthusiasm for alchemy. If he wasn’t motivated and only managed to refine two pills, what would she do then?

Other than the main ingredient, the supplementary herbs for the Rebirth Pill were not particularly rare.

And as a titan in the alchemy world, Elder Bei certainly wouldn’t lack them.

Elder Bei rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Even if you didn’t offer me any Rebirth Pills, I would still gladly refine them for you!”

Ning Xu shook her head. “No, rules are rules. What is rightfully yours should remain yours.”

The Melon-Eating System once said something that she agreed with—human nature cannot withstand tests.

So, she wouldn’t test it.

If one were to say they had no thoughts about the Reincarnation Pill, that would undoubtedly be false. To Elder Bei, this was like a meat pie falling from the sky. Even without the pill itself, just the process of refining it would bring him immense benefits.

Seeing that Ning Xu’s tone was firm, Elder Bei no longer hesitated. “Alright, I’ll follow your lead, young friend!”

Ning Xu continued, “Before refining it, you must swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao, ensuring that you will put your full effort into refining the Reincarnation Pill, that you will not tamper with it in any way, and that you will deliver it on time and safely into my hands. Additionally, you must keep this matter strictly confidential and never reveal it to anyone!”

“As for me, I will also swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao, ensuring that once the pill is refined, you will receive at least one Reincarnation Pill as compensation.

“Do you have any objections to this?”

Elder Bei responded excitedly, “None at all! We haven’t known each other for long, so it’s natural for you to have concerns. Very well, I will swear the oath immediately! This way, it benefits us both!”

Once both sides had sworn their oaths, ensuring that nothing was overlooked, Ning Xu finally took out the Reincarnation Flower from her storage bag.

The moment he saw the flower, Elder Bei’s lips trembled with excitement, and he could barely speak. “Reincarnation Flower! It’s a real Reincarnation Flower!”

Ning Xu carefully handed the flower to Elder Bei and said, “This Reincarnation Flower was picked some time ago, and during this period, it hasn’t been properly preserved, so much of its medicinal efficacy has already dissipated. Elder Bei, you need to begin the refinement process as soon as possible.”

Elder Bei nodded repeatedly, “Understood!”

After carefully storing the flower, he solemnly said, “Young friend, I will start refining the pill today! The Reincarnation Pill is an eighth-grade pill, and I happen to be an eighth-grade alchemist. There is only one Reincarnation Flower, so this time, I must succeed—I cannot afford to fail!

“The pill should be ready in about half a month. Once it’s done, I will contact you immediately!”

After exchanging jade tokens for communication, Elder Bei hurriedly left.

He was busy refining the pill.

Once he was gone, Ning Xu, slightly surprised, asked, “why were you so quiet just now?”

Upon being called out, the Melon-Eating System responded enthusiastically, 【Host, I was busy eating melons!】

Then, it quickly added, 【Even though I wasn’t talking, I was still paying attention to you.】

【Host, you did a great job just now. You considered every angle!】

【You’re already a capable Golden Core cultivator! Too awesome!】

As the Melon-Eating System finished speaking, Old Yellow Ox leisurely walked out from another empty room.

It was the Sword Immortal’s bonded spirit beast. Earlier, Ning Xu hadn’t wanted to bring it along, so she had sent it to wait elsewhere.

Hearing the Melon-Eating System’s praise, Old Yellow Ox lazily flicked its tail.

Ning Xu was indeed an outstanding Golden Core cultivator.

With the Reincarnation Pill matter settled, Ning Xu let out a long breath.

She took a sip of water and said, “Next, it’s time to deal with the contract with the Mountain and Rivers Diagram’s artifact spirit.”

At present, this was the most important issue before her.

Only by increasing her strength could she ensure a greater chance of victory when she returned three thousand years later with the Innocent Cultivator.

She carefully analyzed, “Right now, my cultivation level isn’t high, and I’m not considered a genius in the eyes of others. It’s highly likely that it won’t be willing to form a contract with me.”

“Perhaps we can start by targeting its weakness.”

The Melon-Eating System spoke excitedly, 【Host, I was just eating melons about the Mountain and River Diagram’s artifact spirit!】

【You’re too modest. You haven’t been cultivating for long, yet you’ve already reached the Golden Core stage—that’s impressive! Among your peers, your cultivation level is already quite high!】

【But your analysis is correct. The artifact spirit does have a weakness, and it’s a very obvious one!】

Ning Xu asked, “What weakness?”

Even Old Yellow Ox perked up its ears to listen carefully.

The fact that the Melon-Eating System could gather gossip even about artifact spirits…

What could one say?

Following them was truly the right choice!

The Melon-Eating System didn’t keep them in suspense and immediately revealed, 【It’s a pervert!】

Ning Xu: ???

Old Yellow Ox: …

Ning Xu paused before asking, “Does it prefer men or women?”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【The artifact spirit’s true form is female, and she likes men! However, all of her past masters were old-fashioned and extremely self-disciplined, one stricter than the next. She never dared to mention her preferences, nor did she ever express them. So, in the entire cultivation world, apart from you and me, no one else knows about her weakness!】

Ning Xu thought for a moment before saying, “Then that makes things simple. We just need to cater to her preferences.”

She was different from the artifact spirit’s previous masters.

After all, attraction and desire were part of human nature.

Liking handsome men—wasn’t that normal? Even an artifact spirit wasn’t exempt from it.

The Melon-Eating System continued, 【Although the artifact spirit is quite old, she has had very little contact with humans. She’s inexperienced and naive—very easy to fool.】

【When the time comes, we’ll take her to Mingyue Tower to show her the extravagance of the cultivation world. Capturing her will be a piece of cake!】

Old Yellow Ox: …Ming… Mingyue Tower? They were going to Mingyue Tower?

Compared to Old Yellow Ox’s shock, Ning Xu remained calm.

She and the Melon-Eating System had long planned to visit Mingyue Tower, but they had never had the opportunity.

Now, they finally had a reason to go.

【Host, when the time comes, just book a few male models for her and let her properly experience the charm of the cultivation world’s men.】

【Tsk tsk tsk, I can already imagine her crying and begging to form a contract with you.】

As an artifact spirit, despite the impressive title, the reality was that they lacked a human form and had no spirit stones. Doing anything was inconvenient.

So, even if the Mountain and River Diagram’s artifact spirit had such desires, it never had the means to visit Mingyue Tower.

But now…

Its future master had arrived.

Its master had come to open the doors to a new world for it!

How does that feel?

Exciting, right?

Unexpected, huh?

Artifact spirit, tremble in anticipation!

Old Yellow Ox: …