Chapter 207: The Heart of Blue Lotus Fire!
Although Yuan Pangzi didn't know exactly what the legendary refiner had left to the Serpent People, he was able to deduce from other information that it was certainly related to foreign fires.
Since this event took place a thousand years ago, no one knew exactly what was hidden in the Tagore Desert, but from the current movements of the Pill King Gu He, it seemed likely that he had discovered the trace of a foreign fire.
"... I didn't expect there to be such a deep connection," Jiang Lin said after hearing the story from Yuan Pangzi, a glimmer of understanding and admiration flashing through his crimson-gold eyes.
"Of course there's a connection. If I hadn't specially looked up the records in the Weapon Refining Guild, I would have never known this story. Junior brother, you should be familiar with foreign fires, right?" Yuan Pangzi suddenly became more animated as he raised the book in his hand and smiled at Jiang Lin.
"I've heard of them, but the rumors say that foreign fires can interfere with spirit refining. It seems that those Xuanyi Masters who are serious about their craft don't actively pursue foreign fires. When it's absolutely necessary, they go look for the current masters of these fires to make deals." Jiang Lin was well-versed in this. Moreover, Yaocen had shared with him that refiners weren't as obsessively obsessed with foreign fires as alchemists were.
"Exactly, a serious Xuanyi Master wouldn't actively pursue a foreign fire. But have you ever considered one thing, junior brother? The world is mostly made up of ordinary people. If they encounter a foreign fire, they would definitely choose to absorb and refine it, wouldn't they?" Yuan Pangzi said with a grin. It was a natural human tendency. Even he, if given a foreign fire, would undoubtedly choose to absorb it.
"So?" Jiang Lin's eyes lit up.
"Right. After checking a lot of materials, I discovered that the refiner senior I mentioned had actually encountered a foreign fire. But it wasn't him who subdued it; it was another mysterious powerful person. After that, the refiner developed an interest in studying foreign fires and eventually encountered the Serpent Queen."
"I searched the foreign fire rankings, and if I'm not mistaken, the foreign fire the refiner encountered was most likely the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire, ranked 19th. It's a green-colored flame that takes ten years to become spiritual, a hundred years to form, and a thousand years to bloom into a lotus. It possesses the terrifying power to ignite mountain and river fires. The substance the legendary refiner gave to the Serpent Queen should have been the lotus seeds produced by the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire," Yuan Pangzi said, stroking his chin, his tone somewhat hesitant, but he internally confirmed his hypothesis.
As a refiner, Yuan Pangzi, despite his carefree appearance, was a passionate learner and researcher. Without a bit of interest, one couldn't reach the Xuanyi level in refining.
"... So, according to what you said, this refiner senior's story happened a thousand years ago. Does that mean the new Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire has been reborn without anyone realizing it?" Jiang Lin looked at Yuan Pangzi in surprise. He never expected this big guy to have such a wise moment.
"Heh... Junior brother, you shouldn't be spreading these words outside," Yuan Pangzi chuckled and shook his head. "Who knows? Anyway, isn't Gu He heading there now? I heard he even invited the Yun Lan Sect Master. We're probably out of luck. That old man Gu He is too much—he even came to our guild to flip through books."
A thousand years ago, the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire wasn't obtained by the Gamma refiner guild president. However, the president clearly found the location where the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire was born and may have even obtained some accompanying spiritual materials. That's how he was able to encounter the Serpent People from the southern region of the continent, provide them help, and then research the foreign fire's unusual effects on the Serpent Queen's bloodline.
In the end, that refiner had nothing left to give to the Serpent People except his influence, and he used that to give the Serpent People the Tagore Desert, where the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire could be born.
Just like that, in history, refiners seemed to have no presence, but behind the scenes, they were everywhere.
"Indeed," Jiang Lin nodded, agreeing with Yuan Pangzi. Competing with Gu He for the foreign fire might be difficult, but there was still a chance. However, competing with the current Medusa Queen? That seemed a bit humorous. If Hu Lei knew about this, he likely wouldn't agree, because refiners generally value their traditions, and the connection between the Serpent People and the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire was something the Weapon Refining Guild couldn't interfere with.
'Sigh, I should just solve my own problems first. As for the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire, I'll see if I can use my status in the Weapon Refining Guild to make a deal with the Medusa Queen, and then maybe see if Master Yaocen can find some gold for himself.' After realizing that no one was going to help him compete for the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire, Jiang Lin decided to abandon the idea of using force. With his current small build, he might not even be able to beat the lackeys around Gu He. Such a tough task should be left to Xiao Yan.
'Also, doesn't Xiao Yan have the protagonist script? He should be able to find his own way to solve it.' Jiang Lin decided to focus on his own issues first, and then go check on Xiao Yan's progress in the Tagore Desert. At least now he had key information. Whether Gu He or the Medusa Queen got the foreign fire, he could figure out a way to build a communication platform for Xiao Yan.
Right now, Jiang Lin's problem was much more urgent. He needed to quickly reduce the disproportionate ratio between his body and Dou Qi.
'If anyone says the Forging Fire Art is the ultimate body-refining technique, I'm definitely going to argue with them!'
At first, as a Dou Shi, Jiang Lin had been cheerful when his body reached Da Dou Shi.
But now, as a Da Dou Shi, Jiang Lin realized his body had reached Dou Ling, and he wasn't smiling anymore.
Because as his cultivation level rose, the gap between realms became increasingly terrifying. A Dou Shi's Dou Qi could still drive a Da Dou Shi's body, but as a Da Dou Shi's Dou Qi started driving the body of a Dou Ling, Jiang Lin keenly noticed a slight imbalance between the body's consumption of Dou Qi energy and its self-recovery speed. Right now, it was still in a surplus state, but if his level increased further, it could lead to a deficit.
If Jiang Lin wanted to safely cultivate to Dou Ling, he would need to get a second crystal core to relieve the pressure.
'If I can't find it, I'll have to use a fifth-grade magic core for now. The fourth-grade crystal core made from a fifth-grade magic core is the only way I can use it for Dou Ling.'
After bidding farewell to Yuan Pangzi, Jiang Lin went to the Weapon Refining Guild's library to see if he could find some spiritual comfort in the manuals left by the seniors.
It wasn't until a week later that Yuan Pangzi brought him good news:
"Someone is willing to offer their ancestor for sale."
(END CHAPTER)
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