"Not bad. Correct decision." As Wu Ling spoke, he stepped forward and slapped the cultivation method into Erasmus Graves's hand.
Then Wu Ling glanced toward Ghost and called, "Grandpa Ghost." Ghost immediately took out a token representing a Spirit Hall Elder and tossed it to Erasmus Graves. Unlike the Elder Tokens given to the Upper Three Sects, this token belonged exclusively to Spirit Hall's internal Elder system.
Erasmus Graves, who had agreed to join, reached out and caught it. He was never someone who wavered between sides. Since he had agreed, he would naturally fulfill his promise.
"All right, Elder Graves. I will have to trouble you to guide us around this place."
Erasmus Graves very much wanted to try cultivating the method right away, but since Wu Ling, the person who had invited him to join, had spoken, he reluctantly put the cultivation method away and led the three of them on a tour.
After most of the day spent exploring, Wu Ling and the three Titled Sages finally arrived at the center of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, in front of the twin springs of ice and fire. By now, Wu Ling's storage ring already contained nearly a hundred spirit herbs and nine immortal herbs. Added to the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass before him, the total came to eleven immortal herbs.
Under Erasmus Graves's pained gaze, Wu Ling stepped forward and directly pulled the two immortal herbs out by the roots.
Wu Ling had no psychological burden about this. After all, he was no pharmacist. When it came to immortal herbs, it was better to keep all of them in his own hands. If he left behind roots and stems, then some shameless person might steal them and eat them later, which would only create trouble for him.
"Stop looking so pained. I made a proper trade for this place. Her Holiness and the Grand Elder both gave me full authority to handle it, so I have complete control over everything here."
After saying that, Wu Ling snapped his fingers. "Time to work, brothers."
Under Erasmus Graves's startled and uncertain gaze, Wu Ling's shadow began to churn. Four figures leapt out from inside it.
As soon as Rose jumped out, she issued orders to the other three. "Shade, go cut trees. Ember, go light the fire. Azure, help me process the materials."
After Rose finished instructing Ember, Azure, and Shade, she turned toward Wu Ling. By then, Wu Ling had already taken out all kinds of vessels and glass bottles in advance.
Rose nodded in satisfaction. Under her direction, several spirit herbs were placed into a small pot, and the potion-making began.
Behind Wu Ling, Erasmus Graves looked at the scene with confusion. He knew how to refine pills too, but with all these bottles and jars, Wu Ling's process did not look like pill refining at all.
"Chrysanthemum, what is this?"
Yue Guan glanced at Erasmus Graves. Since this fellow would count as a colleague in the future, Yue Guan explained it to him.
While Erasmus Graves listened to Yue Guan explain Wu Ling's clones and potion-making, the first portion of medicine was already finished.
"That fast!" Erasmus Graves stared in shock at the green liquid poured into a glass bottle.
He recognized every spirit herb Wu Ling had just used. If he used the same medicinal ingredients to refine pills, he would generally measure the process in hours. Sometimes spending half a day or a full day was normal. Yet Wu Ling had finished in less than half an hour.
"Of course. Who do you think I am? If I had enough ingredients, I could even compound something close to an elixir of immortality, let alone this simple potion." After saying that, Rose ignored Erasmus Graves and continued preparing the next potion.
Wu Ling took the potion and came before Erasmus Graves. "Senior Graves, please."
Erasmus Graves did not reach for it. "What is this?"
Wu Ling answered, "A potion that can temporarily suppress and strengthen the absorption of the poison inside your body. Combined with the cultivation method I gave you, it should compress half a year into one month. This potion lasts half a month. I will give you a second bottle later. Of course, if you do not dare take it because you fear I poisoned it, then pretend I said nothing."
Erasmus Graves was solemn at first, but after hearing Wu Ling's words, he laughed instead. "Hmph. Poison me? You would need that ability first."
After speaking, Erasmus Graves took the potion and drank it in one swallow. Then he turned and found a hidden place to cultivate the method Wu Ling had given him.
After seeing Erasmus Graves go cultivate, Wu Ling looked toward Yue Guan and Ghost.
"Grandpa Yue, Grandpa Ghost, please wait a little. Yours will take more time."
Yue Guan and Ghost naturally did not mind. They nodded and went off to find places to cultivate.
After that, Wu Ling and Rose began preparing more potions together.
In the end, of the eleven immortal herbs, except for the Fragrant Silk Immortal and Yearning Heartbroken Red, Wu Ling refined the other nine into two bottles each, making eighteen bottles of medicinal liquid whose effects were not inferior to eating the immortal herbs directly. Many of the other spirit herbs were also turned into varying amounts of spirit elixir.
Then Wu Ling selected one bottle from those spirit elixirs, a liquid made from the Yin Yang Flower that had not reached immortal-herb level, and added one bottle made from the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Finally, he fused them together.
The next process was similar, only the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and Yin Yang Flower were replaced by one bottle of Autumn Water Dew and two bottles of black-gray medicinal liquid.
"This bottle is for Grandpa Yue. After taking it, it will definitely give him a big surprise. And this bottle is for Grandpa Ghost. Autumn Water Dew originally strengthens the eyes and lets them see things human eyes cannot see. But if it is slightly altered and used on Grandpa Ghost, who is already a ghost..."
Wu Ling interrupted the three people's cultivation and handed each of them a potion. This drew Yue Guan's question.
"Little Lingling, are you not eating any immortal herbs?"
Wu Ling smiled. "Do not worry and take yours, Grandpa Yue. I will take mine in a moment. I only need to absorb it inside the ice and fire springs, so it will take a little longer."
"Inside the ice and fire springs?" Worry appeared in Yue Guan's eyes. Even he was not confident he could remain in spring water of that temperature for long. "Why not wait first, Wu Ling? After we finish absorbing ours, we can protect you."
Wu Ling shook his head. "Do not worry, Grandpa Yue. When have you ever seen me do something without confidence?"
Seeing Wu Ling insist, Yue Guan could only choose to trust him as usual.
After Yue Guan and the other two drank their potions and went to cultivate, Wu Ling turned around and began making the potion he would consume with Rose.
Unlike Tang San in the original story, who only consumed the two immortal herbs of ice and fire, Wu Ling planned to consume five at the same time.
Metal: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Wood: Beautiful Silk Tulip.
Water: Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Fire: Infernal Delicate Apricot.
Earth: Ninth-Rank Purple Zoysia, plus two earth-attribute spirit herbs.
Although Wu Ling had not found an immortal herb matching the earth attribute, by fusing three top-tier earth-attribute spirit herbs together, he still created a potion no weaker than an immortal herb.
Following the generating and restraining principles of the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, Wu Ling and Rose condensed the five potions into one.
Holding the multicolored potion, Wu Ling instructed Rose, "After I go down, I will hand the sensory connection authority to you. Open it when you think the timing is right."
Rose nodded solemnly. Under her gaze, Wu Ling drank the potion in one gulp. The medicine inside the bottle slid down Wu Ling's throat as if it were a single solid piece.
After drinking it, Wu Ling smacked his lips, looked at the empty bottle, and smiled. "Not bad. Grape flavor." Then he leapt into the ice and fire springs.