Ninth In the World

The Starry Dao Pill was a Primordial Dao pill used to help cultivators gain insight into various top-notch starry supernormal abilities. This was not the most important purpose, however. Most importantly, the Starry Dao Pill was the best healing Dao pill when one’s Dao Validation failed and their Dao foundation suffered damage.

In this vast void, the cultivators who had damaged their Dao foundation due to failing Dao Validation were countless. Thus, the value of the Starry Dao Pill was evident.

Di Jiu closed the jade box in his hand and handed it back to Lu Zhifan. “I’m sorry. The Starry Dao Pill is a Primordial Dao Dao pill, something I’m currently incapable of refining. However, I could refine Dao Transformation Dao pills.”

Di Jiu had assumed that many cultivators would seek him to refine Primordial Dao pills. This meant that he could achieve a breakthrough here and become a Primordial Dao Alchemy Saint after receiving many Primordial Dao fruits.

Dreams were wonderful, but reality was cruel. This Nine-Star Bamboo was the only Primordial Dao fruit he had received so far.

Lu Zhifan was pleasantly surprised, although he had never once thought that Di Jiu could refine Primordial Dao pills. He wanted Di Jiu to refine the Purple Heaven Pill, as he had obtained a Purple Heaven Dao Fruit and five unknown fruits along with the Nine-Star Bamboo.

He was aware that the value of the Nine-Star Bamboo exceeded the Purple Heaven Fruit’s value by far, but the Starry Dao Pill was useless to him. The Purple Heaven Pill, not the Starry Dao Pill, was what he needed urgently. He was like a man dying of thirst in a desert, seeking water rather than gold.

He gave the Nine-Star Bamboo to Di Jiu to test it. If Di Jiu pocketed it, then he would choose to leave. After all, he could be prevented from ever attaining the Dao Transformation Realm should Di Jiu seize his Purple Heaven Fruit.

Di Jiu had not taken the Nine-Star Bamboo, yet he’d directly proclaimed to be incapable of refining Primordial Dao fruits. Such an action signified that Di Jiu would definitely not annex the Purple Heaven Fruit. This was a sign that Di Jiu was a trustworthy expert.

Lu Zhifan hurriedly took out another jade box and handed it to Di Jiu before speaking in an even more respectful tone. “Senior, the pill I have in mind is the Purple Heaven Pill. This Nine-Star Bamboo is the remuneration.”

Upon hearing that, Di Jiu quickly opened the jade box, which really contained one Purple Heaven Fruit. He became excited as well, for he had never expected that someone would use the Nine-Star Bamboo as remuneration for refining the Purple Heaven Pill.

This remuneration was truly impressive. Di Jiu immediately responded, “Don’t worry. I can help you refine the Purple Heaven Pill. Wait outside for a short while.”

“Yes, senior.” Lu Zhifan hastily retreated.

Lu Zhifan did not provide any supplementary divine spirit herbs, but Di Jiu willingly used his own and refined a cauldron of Purple Heaven Pills in a very short time.

The Purple Heaven Pills produced from this cauldron were all special-class, and there were 12 of them. Di Jiu placed them inside two jade bottles, six in each one.

In truth, the Nine-Star Bamboo was still worth more than 12 Purple Heaven Pills. Di Jiu did not covet these Purple Heaven Pills, as he already owned many. However, the Alchemy Saints in the Dao World could only refine at most six Dao pills in one cauldron.

It would be very strange if he gave 12 of them.

“I have refined your elixir pills. Come in.” Di Jiu put the Nine-Star Bamboo and his cauldron away excitedly. He had really never expected to obtain the Nine-Star Bamboo here, so he decided to give some good stuff to Lu Zhifan. Taking advantage of people was not what Di Jiu liked to do.

Lu Zhifan, who had been waiting anxiously outside, heard Di Jiu’s call and scampered over, shouting excitedly, “Senior!”

Di Jiu took a jade bottle out and passed it to Lu Zhifan. “Here you go. It is done. Have a look at it.”

“Yes,” replied Lu Zhifan in a quavering voice. He had been waiting for this day for endless years, but this day had finally arrived.

He almost shouted in surprise when he opened the jade bottle and saw six special-class Purple Heaven Pills inside. Then, he bowed deeply before Di Jiu. “Thank you for helping me refine the pills. I am truly grateful.”

Di Jiu waved his hand dismissively. He took out an item that exuded earth-element aura and handed it to Lu Zhifan. “I received a section of the Nine-Star Bamboo from you, although I only refined one cauldron of Purple Heaven Pills. The remuneration is a little too much. Therefore, I am giving you this earth-element nomological fragment.”

“Ah!” Lu Zhifan became even more excited. In his opinion, the earth-element nomological fragment was a treasure second only to the Purple Heaven Pill. This was because he possessed an earth-element Spirit Root, which meant that this nomological fragment could help him deepen his understanding of the Dao.

Such an item was something Lu Zhifan did not possess the courage to reject, even if he wanted to.

He hastily accepted the nomological fragment Di Jiu handed to him while thanking Di Jiu profusely. He knew that he had encountered his benefactor. Alchemy Saints usually would only give half of the elixir pills refined even if they received remuneration. Alchemy Saint Di had given him all the elixir pills, however, along with an earth-element nomological fragment. Lu Zhifan was so excited that he did not know what else to do at that moment.

In Di Jiu’s opinion, one section of the Nine-Star Bamboo for one cauldron of Dao Transformation Dao pills was indeed too high a remuneration. However, this feeling formed only because Di Jiu was an Alchemy Saint and could not understand Lu Zhifan’s feelings about this matter. The anxiety of possessing the Purple Heaven Fruit but being unable to transform it into the Purple Heaven Pill was something Di Jiu would naturally not be able to experience.

He would have given to Di Jiu any sections he had requested if he had them.

Di Jiu waved his hands dismissively. “Alright, you may leave first. I need to prepare to enter reclusive cultivation.”

Lu Zhifan bowed again before carefully taking out five jade boxes that he passed to Di Jiu. “Senior, I obtained these five fruits along with the Nine-Star Bamboo and the Purple Heaven Dao Fruit, but I unfortunately do not recognize them. Thus, I am giving them to you.”

In truth, Lu Zhifan had actually obtained six of these Dao fruits. After eating one, he had not experienced any effects so he had assumed that they had to be ordinary.

“The Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit?” exclaimed Di Jiu excitedly. This was a Dao fruit that was truly useful to him.

The value of the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit was far lower than that of the Nine-Star Bamboo, but it was way more rare. Di Jiu would not have recognized this Dao fruit either if he had not possessed the Book of the World.

“Senior, what is the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit?” inquired Lu Zhifan subconsciously.

Di Jiu took two Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruits and handed the remaining three back to Lu Zhifan. Then, he explained, “This is the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit, which can help cultivators below the Primordial Dao Realm advance one stage in the same cultivation realm upon consumption. It is one of the rare few Dao fruits that can be consumed directly without needing to be refined into a Dao pill first. Of course, this advancement only refers to one cultivation stage, not one cultivation realm. This Dao fruit is useful to me. I will take two and you can keep the other three.”

Di Jiu suspected that Lu Zhifan had eaten one of the Dao fruits before. After all, the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruits always grew in batches of six, and there were only five before him now.

“Ah…” Lu Zhifan gaped in astonishment. No wonder nothing had happened after he had consumed one Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit.

A moment later, he asked, “Why is the fact that the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit is so valuable not well-known?”

Di Jiu chuckled and answered, “This is because a technique is required before one can refine the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit. Otherwise, consuming it is only useful for satisfying your palette. I took two of your Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruits but have nothing much to give you. Hence, this technique for refining the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit is my gift to you.”

Di Jiu took out a blank jade slip, swiftly engraving the technique inside before handing it to Lu Zhifan.

Lu Zhifan was extremely excited. He had suddenly understood a rule of thumb: Sometimes, being generous to others was being generous to oneself. This was what had happened in both Lu Zhifan and Di Jiu’s case.

If he had not offered up the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruits, there was nothing he could have done even if he had known the purpose of these Dao fruits. Also, he would not have taken out the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruits if Di Jiu had not given him the nomological fragment.

“Thank you, Senior. I shall leave now.” Lu Zhifan clutched the jade slip and Purple Heaven Pills tightly against his body. Right now, he was even more impatient than Di Jiu to enter reclusive cultivation.

Di Jiu called Ding Chi over and gave him one Purple Heaven Pill while stating, “I’m planning to go into seclusion for some time. You can do so as well during this period of time. Alchemy and blacksmithing can be set aside momentarily. This Purple Heaven Pill is for you. You can use it to attain Dao Transformation.”

His motive for opening the Alchemy and Weapon Pavilion was to obtain cultivating resources. Now that he had obtained the Absolute Jade Tincture Dao Fruit, he was eager to enter reclusive cultivation.

Purple Heaven Pill? Ding Chi was completely dumbfounded. Even the Great Buddha Mountain had not given him a Purple Heaven Pill, yet Di Jiu had just given one to him nonchalantly. This was unbelievable…