Chapter 385: Well, Breaking Is Better Than Not, Or This Alchemy Furnace Might Not Be Up for Grabs Anyway
“Oh, so this is where they make pills… interesting…”
Bai Feng muttered softly as he looked at the Alchemy Tower before him. Still, he found it hard to connect that abstract map drawing—one circle, two rectangles—to this tower.
What’s with that squiggly pattern? How is it even supposed to resemble an alchemy tower? Or is he talking about the furnace? Because that’s way too abstract!
“Since we’re here, why not go in and take a look?” Bai Feng tilted his head and said to Bai Yu Mo and Yun Yue Yao.
Except for Tian Yan giving a slight shrug of disapproval, Bai Yu Mo and Yun Yue Yao had no objections. They were both curious about what kind of pills and treasures might be hidden inside. Maybe even some fairy elixirs, who knew?
Bai Feng then took a quick peek at his system’s mini-map and spotted a ‘Child of Destiny’ inside the tower. Turns out, it was none other than Lin Yan, the pill craftsman himself.
Looks like the whole tower belongs to Lin Yan—the lucky kid.
Bai Feng internally snorted in amusement but didn’t hesitate. He strode right in, just as he’d previously hauled in a furnace and a few bottles of pills for a potion research project.
***
The inside of the Alchemy Tower was different from some regions Bai Feng had explored before. This place lacked deadly traps or array formations—anyone could enter to explore, though most only stayed on the first level. To get to the second, you’d need to pass an internal trial, kind of like the sword pavilion Bai Yu Mo checked out earlier.
“Looks like this isn’t meant for us,” Bai Feng said, shaking his head after reviewing the trial requirements. If it were about identifying herbs or healing, he could give it a shot. But as for pill refinement? Nope. He’d read some alchemy books, managed to brew a few low-level pills suitable for Foundation Establishment Stage practitioners, but relying on his current skill—definitely not enough to pass.
“Let’s move on,” Tian Yan jumped in quickly. “There’s another area ahead; maybe there are spiritual wheat or bull demons there.”
“…Guess that’s our best option,” Bai Feng nodded. Even though Lin Yan was inside the tower, he figured that finishing the trial wouldn’t take too long, and there wasn’t any urgent reason to wait around.
Just as he uttered those words, a stone tablet nearby suddenly lit up with a glow. A name appeared: Yan Lin.
‘Yan Lin? Who’s that?’ Bai Feng hesitated briefly but then suddenly snapped to attention—wait, isn’t that just Lin Yan’s name reversed? That sneaky guy really loves to hide behind aliases!
Before he could mock further, a sharp-looking man in black, wearing a straw hat, stepped out. He glanced around first and then froze for a moment when he saw Bai Feng. Without hesitation, he quickly bowed his head, holding a formation disk in hand, then sidestepped and strode away.
Bai Feng? “What in the world is Lin Yan up to?”
After some thought, Bai Feng decided to follow. Lin Yan had just taken out a formation disk—probably a signal or disguise. But since he didn’t speak, clearly this wasn’t a place for chatting.
Meanwhile, Yun Yue Yao and Tian Yan had already slipped into their rings to rest—best to avoid unnecessary trouble, especially since they were from Tian Yan Holy Land.
After a while, behind a hill with no one around, Lin Yan sized up his surroundings. Instead of removing his disguise right away, he slightly lifted his straw hat and signaled Bai Feng with a subtle nod.
What’s with that look? Doesn’t it seem like Lin Yan wants Bai Feng to lay some kind of trap?
Bai Feng, though unable to understand the intent in Lin Yan’s expression, could roughly guess—probably an order to set up a formation or something. So he lobbed several formation disks onto the ground and sealed the area.
“Phew, finally some peace and quiet,” Lin Yan exhaled, visibly relaxing. His fierce aura vanished instantly.
“So, what’s the deal? Did you provoke some untouchable enemy?” Bai Feng asked cautiously.
“More or less,” Lin Yan removed his straw hat awkwardly and rubbed his nose. “Bai brother, are you familiar with the Zhongzhou Pill Tower?”
“Sure I’ve heard of them. The largest pill-furnishing organization in Zhongzhou. Did you get on their nerves?” Bai Feng raised an eyebrow.
Lin Yan hesitated. “That’s a bit complicated to explain… I defeated a holy land’s pill master before, and somehow, they found out. Recently, a pill master from Zhongzhou has come over to challenge me in pill crafting.”
“Did you accept?” Bai Feng asked.
“I did,” Lin Yan nodded slowly, a hint of regret on his face. “Should’ve gone easier on him.”
“Don’t tell me he kept pestering you after losing, wanting to be your disciple?” Bai Feng teased.
“Not quite. It’s mainly because I revealed something I shouldn’t have, so she’s been pestering me to join the Pill Tower,” Lin Yan explained with a smile.
“Hmm…”
Bai Feng quietly inspected Lin Yan’s attire, thinking he wasn’t just being persistent—his disguises and name changes suggested something bigger.
“I can’t really help with that. You’ll have to do your best,” Bai Feng patted Lin Yan on the shoulder. “By the way, I got a furnace and some pills from the secret realm. Might as well use them.”
“A furnace? Are there other towers like this one?”
Seeing Lin Yan’s puzzled look, Bai Feng took out the furnace and pills from his ring.
Lin Yan couldn’t tell anything special just by looking, but his master’s reaction was much more excited:
“Is this furnace…?”
“Master, do you recognize this furnace?” Lin Yan asked.
“Hold on, let me take a closer look, and you get closer too!” his master urged.
Under his master’s insistence, Lin Yan examined the furnace carefully. Soon, he realized it was extraordinary. Though it looked like it was cast from metal, it felt smooth and warm like jade, not cold at all.
‘Indeed, this is【Cloud Iron】,’ he thought, recalling a rare metal from a book. He’d assumed it was just a legend, but turns out, it’s real.
‘Is this furnace a treasure?’, Lin Yan wondered.
‘Hmm, I think it was used by an immortal before ascension. It was made from metal from the clouds above. That’s why it’s called【Cloud Iron】. The metal itself carries special flames, making it an excellent tool for alchemy,’ his master explained.
‘It’s not a fairy artifact, is it?’ Lin Yan asked excitedly.
‘No, but this furnace accompanied that immortal for a long time. Even if it’s not a true fairy item, it’s pretty close—unfortunately…’ His master sighed. ‘Sadly, over the long years, this furnace has been damaged beyond repair.’
But Lin Yan wasn’t disappointed. Instead, he smiled, caressing the furnace.
“Broken is good; if it was intact, it wouldn’t be mine,” he said with a grin.
“But it’s broken; you can’t use it either,” his master said, puzzled. He knew his disciple loved collecting all kinds of esoteric books, and recently, figurines too. He’d never heard of him collecting furnaces.
“I think this furnace can still extract some useful materials,” Lin Yan said, still smiling, planning to combine it with his own for some alchemical experiment.
“That’s a good idea, but do you have the skill to melt down a furnace like this now?” his master asked.
“Um, I’ll see if I can find someone to help,” Lin Yan replied, feeling a little awkward.
Thinking about it, he remembered Bai Feng had a fiery technique—legend said that Xiao Qiu, the younger disciple, used a special flame from Bai Feng. He even heard that Bai Feng once burned the remains of an immortal into ash using that flame in Eastern Continent. Could Bai Feng do something like that himself?
