Chapter 275: Chapter 178: Enchanting Fragrance

The lecture soon came to an end.

Master Dongbu still lectured on the purification aspect of Alchemy. However, he went into much greater depth than last time, introducing many new alchemical theories. He also demonstrated several of his unique techniques on the spot, which would significantly reduce the difficulty of purifying Spirit Medicines for the audience. It was well worth the price of admission.

As he left Dongbu House, Lü Zhong noticed it was still a bit early and decided to make a trip to the South Market.

He hadn’t forgotten about the arm in his Storage Bag.

Two days prior, Lü Zhong had heard a startling piece of news.

The Changchun Valley Punishment Hall Elder who had been hunting Lady Butterfly had still not returned to the city after all this time. In fact, he had completely vanished without a trace. Seven days after he lost contact, his plaque in the Soul Hall shattered.

A plaque in the Soul Hall was linked to a cultivator’s Divine Soul. Once shattered, it meant they had perished.

Lü Zhong couldn’t help but feel a chill. She could even kill a Golden Core Master.

Whether to discover the origin and purpose of the arm or to guard against Lady Butterfly’s potential retaliation, he planned to go to the South Market and buy some information about her.

’Perhaps this will prove useful.’

With this in mind, he took out a large sum of Spirit Stones and bought every piece of information and intelligence on Lady Butterfly from over the years, then began to analyze it all carefully.

And what do you know, Lü Zhong actually found a clue about the arm’s function.

It was in a dossier leaked from Changchun Valley, which contained a short record: "...After ten days, Lady Butterfly was surrounded. Suddenly, an exotic fragrance emanated from her body, bewitching the cultivators and allowing her to escape."

Seeing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the word "bewitching" meant in this context.

’Confusion, or seduction?’

’Why go through all this trouble? I’ll just go back and refine the arm. That might give me the answer!’

If he wasn’t mistaken, the exotic fragrance mentioned in the dossier must have originated from within Lady Butterfly’s body. The arm might also contain that component. He figured he could easily extract it using the purification techniques from Alchemy.

A human body wasn’t nearly as complex as Spirit Medicine; it was only made of a few components.

With this in mind, Lü Zhong walked out of the South Market.

He didn’t immediately return to Lintao Pavilion, but instead changed direction and headed for the Inner City West Market.

Just as famous as the Pills produced by Changchun Valley were the Alchemy Furnaces forged in Changchun Immortal City. With their unique selling point of high quality at a low price, they were even exported to Central Earth via the East Sea Route. This allowed them to trade for Spiritual Objects from Central Earth every year, cementing Changchun Valley’s status as the number one sect in the Southern Barbarian region.

And the West Market was where these Artifact Refining Workshops were gathered.

Now, before Lü Zhong, lay a street of workshops. Both sides were lined with the workshops’ display storefronts, showcasing Alchemy Furnaces of all sizes. The designs covered everything from the most classic three-legged, two-eared cauldrons to the recently popular eight-trigram furnaces.

The street was bustling with people, many of them wearing exotic clothing. All were cultivators who had come to purchase Alchemy Furnaces.

Lü Zhong chose a larger establishment. He glanced at the sign with the three large, gilded words "Treasure Tripod Square" and stepped across the threshold.

Immediately, a beautiful Receptionist came forward to greet him, saying with a smile:

"Welcome, Senior. What kind of Alchemy Furnace are you looking for?"

Lü Zhong thought for a moment and stated his requirements.

Considering that Master Dongbu would soon be lecturing on the melting and transformation stages of Alchemy, and since he was already proficient enough at purifying Spirit Medicine, there was no need to buy a Newbie Practice Furnace. If he was going to buy one, he would get a fully functional Alchemy Furnace. This would also let him experience the normal alchemy process in advance.

"If possible, I’d prefer a Yin Attribute Alchemy Furnace," Lü Zhong added.

Unlike most people at Dongbu House who used Spirit Flames catalyzed by spirit wood for Alchemy, he directly used a Spirit Flame called Golden Sun Insect Fire. While using a Spirit Flame for Alchemy had the benefits of intense heat and very few impurities in the flame, the inherent Yang Attribute of the Golden Sun Insect Fire was a major drawback.

Lone yin cannot beget life, and solitary yang cannot grow.

This saying also applied to Alchemy.

Therefore, if he could use a Yin Attribute Alchemy Furnace, he could achieve a balance of Yin and Yang, which could even slightly increase his success rate in Alchemy.

Hearing this, the Receptionist paused in thought for a moment and opened the furnace catalog in her hands.

"Senior, you might consider this Gui Water Phoenix Wing Furnace."

"The furnace’s main material is Gloom Cold Iron from the Northern Border Snowfield, and a drop of Pure Yin Gui Water Essence was added during forging. It comes fully equipped with all the necessary auxiliary arrays to ease the burden of Alchemy. As for power, it accepts a traditional infusion of True Essence. It also has a Tier Two Spirit Summoning Array that can absorb Spiritual Qi from a Spirit Vein or be connected to a Spirit Gathering Array, ensuring a stable supply of Spiritual Qi during Alchemy."

On the page, the Alchemy Furnace was depicted with lifelike detail.

It had a three-legged, two-eared design and stood twenty-five feet tall. Its surface was the natural ink-black color of Gloom Cold Iron, adorned with a golden flying phoenix pattern. The overall impression was one of stability and restraint.

A price was marked below: 12,500 Spirit Stones, even more expensive than a High-grade Magical Artifact.

"I’ll take it," Lü Zhong said without much hesitation.

The furnace was exactly to his liking. Although the price was over ten thousand, he figured the cost of materials accounted for most of it. After all, neither the main material of the furnace body, Gloom Cold Iron, nor that drop of Pure Yin Gui Water Essence were cheap. The former was manageable; as long as one could find a cold iron vein, this companion ore could be obtained. The latter, however, required one to risk attacks from Demon Beasts and dive into a Sea Abyss ten thousand zhang deep just for a chance to collect such a rare Spiritual Object.

Lü Zhong guessed that if not for the furnace’s demanding operating requirements—needing a specially cultivated Yang Fire—the Gui Water Phoenix Wing Furnace would not have been so neglected. He probably wouldn’t have been able to buy it for the low price of just over ten thousand Spirit Stones otherwise.