Chapter 186: Unexpected Event
After reaching a consensus, Su Qingwu waved his sleeves and took out the snake-shaped vine.
Taoist Mingdan took a look at the plants and said affirmatively:
"If the pill refining goes smoothly and there is no loss in the process, based on the size of this snake-shaped vine, it can be refined into about fifty Soul Condensing Pills."
Hearing this, Su Qingwu nodded slightly, and then continued to ask:
"I wonder how long it will take to refine the elixir?"
"One furnace can only produce ten pieces, so there are five furnaces in total. It takes about half a month. There are many vacant houses in the garden. You can choose any one to stay in temporarily."
"Thank you, senior."
"No need to thank me. I am sorry for what happened to you. If you have any other requests, please feel free to ask."
Su Qingwu considered that the person in front of him had a profound understanding of the Dao of Alchemy. He hesitated for a moment and asked carefully:
"Senior, do you have any other soul-nourishing elixirs here? If so, I would like to buy some."
Taoist Mingdan was a little surprised.
"Of course there are such pills, but I want to ask you one more question. Do you want something to nourish your soul for yourself or for other purposes?"
“What’s the difference between the two?”
"Of course there are. Things that nourish the soul are divided into two categories, one for living people, and the other for ghosts. If used incorrectly, it will only backfire."
Having said this, Taoist Mingdan immediately added:
"My friend, there is no need to worry. I never care about the so-called righteous remarks of the outside world. Whether they are ghost cultivators or living people, there is no difference to me."
He did not speak in vain.
If he really cared about those superficial things, he wouldn't have the reputation he has today.
To the Mingdan Taoist, it doesn’t matter if the person is a Taoist, a demon, an evil spirit, or a ghost. As long as he likes the person and doesn’t feel disgusted by him, he will make friends with him.
On the contrary, if he doesn't like someone, then no matter how good the other person's reputation is, he will classify him as a bad person.
Su Qingwu was silent for a while, then chose to trust his intuition and spoke frankly:
"I need something to give to ghost cultivators."
Upon hearing this, Taoist Mingdan waved his sleeves, took out a red jade bottle, and passed it over through the air.
"It contains fifty top-grade Yin Po Pills. After taking them, not only can they nourish your soul, but they can also improve your cultivation."
"How many spiritual stones are needed?"
"No need for spirit stones, just consider it as a compensation for the illusion. Judging from your condition, you must have a very good relationship with that ghost cultivator.
If you have some free time in the future and are confident in your own strength, you can try your luck in the Ghost Cave, where soul-nourishing trees often appear.
Before making this decision, you need to learn more about the situation in the Ghost Cave. If you are not sure, do not go there."
To ghost cultivators, the soul-nourishing wood is a rare treasure.
If you can get a piece of it, live in it, and practice it, you will get twice the result with half the effort.
This piece of news is indeed valuable to Su Qingwu.
"Senior, do you know where exactly the Ghost Cave is located?"
"It's about 16,000 miles northwest of Danfu Town."
After saying this, Taoist Mingdan waved his sleeves, took out a rolled-up animal skin map, and handed it over through the air.
"This is the map of Xuantian Continent that I drew by hand. Although it has been nearly a hundred years since I drew it, it can still be used as a rough reference. I will give it to you now."
Su Qingwu thanked him softly and took the map.
Taoist Mingdan then spoke:
"I will start to refine the Soul Condensing Pill in a moment. The outermost arched stone door has been closed. Before the pill is refined, no other monks will come here.
In addition, during the alchemy process, an absolutely quiet environment is required, so I will set up defenses and soundproofing measures around the alchemy room.
By then, if you need to find it, I won’t be able to respond immediately and can only wait until the elixir is refined.”
Hearing this, Su Qingwu nodded and said:
"I understand. I will never disturb you while you are refining your elixir, and I will also do my best to ensure that other monks do not disturb you."
......
After half a cup of tea, Su Qingwu walked to a courtyard surrounded by green bamboos and stayed there temporarily.
Su Wen appeared from the Yuqing Mirror and stood beside him, holding a red jade bottle in his hand, which was the top-grade Yinpo Pill given by Taoist Mingdan.
There was nothing to do at the moment, so the two of them chatted casually.
Su Qingwu spoke first:
"What do you think of the efficacy of this elixir?"
"The Yin Soul Pill is the most sought-after pill among ghost cultivators. It is very valuable. With my current level of cultivation, if I take all fifty pills and refine them, I will definitely be able to break through to the Soul Refining Realm."
The so-called soul refining is the fourth realm of ghost cultivation, which is equivalent to the Yuanying period of the cultivator.
After hearing this, Su Qingwu nodded first, and then continued to ask:
"How long will it take to refine these fifty pills?"
"At least two months."
"I plan to go and see the Ghost Cave that Senior Mingdan mentioned after you advance to the Soul Refining Realm."
"I heard about the Ghost Cave four years ago when I was wandering around alone."
"What do you know?"
"This is a very dangerous place in Xuantian Continent. If a cultivator below the Jindan level sets foot here, there is a high probability of death. For cultivators above the Jindan level, it all depends on their own abilities.
Some people get great opportunities there and their cultivation advances by leaps and bounds; some are buried here and become new souls in the Ghost Cave.
The place is filled with yin energy, and it is indeed relatively easy for soul-nourishing trees to appear there, but it is also because of this that a large number of ghost cultivators gather there.
Whenever a soul-nourishing tree appears in the world, it will inevitably cause a bloody fight for it."
Taoist Mingdan, who provided the information earlier, was naturally aware of this, so he emphasized that one must go there with sufficient strength and confidence.
After saying this, Su Wen hesitated for a moment and continued:
"Qingwu, I don't recommend you to go to the Ghost Cave. With a treasure like that in your hand, you don't have to worry about improving your cultivation. If you go there just to find the Soul-Nourishing Tree, it's not worth the risk.
I don't want to drag you down because of my own affairs. The current state is already very good.
As far as I know, a peak-level ghost king has appeared in the Ghost Cave, and there are even rumors that a Shura has appeared. A place like that is not worth the risk, no matter how good the opportunity is."
The Ghost King Realm is equivalent to the Return to Void stage for cultivators, while the Shura Realm is equivalent to the He Dao stage.
If there really is such a thing in the Ghost Cave, then this place is indeed extremely dangerous.
For a moment, Su Qingwu's original decision was shaken.
After thinking for a long time, she sighed softly:
"Then let everything take its course. I won't go to this place on purpose again. If I encounter other things in the future that are related to the Ghost Cave, I will consider it again."
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud bang suddenly came from the distance.
Su Qingwu was suddenly surprised. Danfu Town openly banned fighting, so where did this movement come from?
On the side, Su Wen also looked puzzled.
"This sound doesn't sound like an alchemy furnace exploding. It seems to be caused by a collision of magic weapons?"
Su Qingwu nodded slowly.
"It sounds like it's coming from the southeast. It's definitely a fight between monks."
Having said this, she walked out of the courtyard, touched the ground with her toes, and instantly flew into the air.
When he released his spiritual awareness a little, he saw several buildings in the distance suddenly collapse, with thick smoke billowing out.