Lin Jin appraised Xiao Huo at once.
Only by doing so could he confirm whether Xiao Huo advanced to Rank 6. He also wanted to check what the requirements for Xiao Huo’s next evolution were.
‘The nine sun quartz again!’
According to the museum, the nine sun quartz was required for Xiao Huo to proceed to Rank 7. Lin Jin frowned at this. The Rank 6 evolution was already difficult enough, seeing how Lin Jin had to risk his life traveling through the extraterritorial zone to gather the materials. Lin Jin had never even heard of most of the materials needed for a Rank 7 advancement.
The only exceptions were the blazing pill and nine sun quartz.
He needed thirty blazing pills, which he had to feed to Xiao Huo daily over one month before the evolution can kickstart.
Recalling the ingredients needed for crafting the blazing pill, Lin Jin’s head began to spin. Although he still had a few pills with him, it was nowhere near thirty.
Gathering enough ingredients to make thirty blazing pills would be a hurdle in and of itself.
Lin Jin remembered Yan Shenjun’s cave.
That place should have enough materials to make thirty blazing pills.
What’s more, he now had the immortal alchemist, Xiang Yun of Beiqi, on his side. After learning her backstory, Lin Jin could confidently say that he wouldn’t be able to find a better alchemist than Xiang Yun in this entire land.
He was lucky that Xiang Yun wouldn’t reject his request.
For Xiao Huo’s Rank 7 evolution, apart from the blazing pills, seven more nine sun quartz were needed.
Long ago, this would have been an impossible task. Obtaining one was already difficult enough so gathering ten would be harder than ascending heaven.
However, luck was a strange thing. Not only did Lin Jin have the best immortal alchemist in the area, but he also had a fire profound immortal on his side too.
What did Inferno Monk say earlier? He said he would give Lin Jin his old Buddha beads that were made from nine sun quartz, and Lin Jin could have as many as he wanted.
One complete string of Buddha beads comprised of a hundred and eight beads.
Just the thought of it excited Lin Jin.
Fearing that Inferno Monk might go back on his word, Lin Jin urged Inferno Monk to show them his hidden cave under the guise that he wanted to enrich his experience.
Having lived for thousands of years, Inferno Monk was no fool. He instantly saw through Lin Jin’s plan, but he didn’t mind it.
No matter how valuable the nine sun quartz was, he had already made a promise to gift them to Lin Jin. After all, a great profound immortal would never taint his reputation for something as trivial as this.
“Alright, let’s move at once. I fear that the commotion we stirred up might have attracted some unwanted attention.”
Inferno Monk performed his Golden Transformation again, bringing Lin Jin and Xiang Yun away with him.
Inferno Monk in the Golden Transformation mode traveled much faster than Lin Jin riding on his cloud. Hence, Lin Jin was able to kick back and enjoy the ride.
As Inferno Monk was still traveling on foot, they were much less noticeable compared to flying targets.
Their vision turned blurry as they darted through the landscape; they crossed forests, rocky wastelands, swamps, and even snow-capped mountains.
That’s right. There was actually snow in the extraterritorial land. To their surprise, they learned that this was Inferno Monk’s hideout when he set his two passengers down on a patch of pure white snow. Lin Jin looked around and was greeted by thick snow and a freezing wind that harassed them constantly.
Thankfully, he just had to utilize a small part of the blood pact’s energy to borrow fire from Xiao Huo. It took mere seconds for Lin Jin to warm up. After it started working, Lin Jin was completely immune from the wind.
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“Haha, you may know me as a fire profound immortal, and you might expect someone like me to reside in hot places. However, I went against the grain and chose to hide in a painfully cold place. No one will ever expect to find me here, so this is how I keep myself safe.”
Inferno Monk sounded pleased with himself.
Indeed, his way of thinking made sense. The most dangerous spots were usually also the safest spots to hide.
However, not every person was a fool, especially those who have achieved immortality. Yan Shenjun, for example, was a brilliant man. To use such childish tricks would never work against such a complex mind.
Of course, Lin Jin didn’t say that out loud.
It would deal too huge a blow.
There was a cave up ahead and Inferno Monk led his two guests inside. They came to a stone wall where Inferno Monk invoked a spell. A ring of fire appeared out of nowhere, and through the ring, they could see another cave that led into the mountain.
“Come!” said Inferno Monk. Lin Jin and Xiang Yun went after him.
Sure enough, the cave wasn’t a mere optical illusion. Although it was less extravagant than Yan Shenjun’s last cave, this place was still relatively spacious.
While the ambient temperature here was warmer compared to the outside, the cave was rather deserted. Besides the three of them, there was no one else here. It was the complete opposite of Yan Shenjun’s place where immortal servants could be seen in every corner.
This was Inferno Monk’s dwelling.
Inferno Monk was so familiar with its layout that he could navigate the cave system blindfolded. After preparing a pot of tea for his guests with magic, he told them to wait for a while.
A while later, he returned with a pouch.
Despite its tattered appearance, the pouch emitted a powerful immortal aura that could not be mistaken.
“This is a Universe Pouch I used long ago. Back then, I had just entered half immortal realm and the days were so carefree and joyful.” Inferno Monk sighed. It seems that he was reminiscing his youthful days.
Then, he reached into the Universe Pouch to pull out a handful of Buddha beads.
Lin Jin’s eyes widened.
With his large hands, Inferno Monk retrieved about seven to eight Buddha beads.
Lin Jin’s heart started racing at the sight of these necklaces. Although he was ashamed by his reaction, he couldn’t deny the fact that he needed them badly. While he only needed ten of them now, who’s to say that he wouldn’t need a hundred of them in the future? Maybe he would need even more!
Hence, he had to grab as many nine sun quartz as he could get his hands on.
Though, Lin Jin soon realized not all of the beads in Inferno Monk’s necklaces were made from nine sun quartz. Some were wooden beads, some looked like they were crafted from shells, and some from bones.
There was only one nine sun quartz bracelet that had nine beads in total. Even after centuries, they still retained the unmistakable sheen of fire crystals.
“These are the artifacts I used back when I just started cultivating. This Universe Pouch is a mess, and I haven’t been tidying up. Let me see what I have here.” Inferno Monk began rummaging through the bag. Lin Jin and Xiang Yun watched as all sorts of items were pulled out from the bag.
There was a wooden fish, a Buddha statue, a kasaya, and mostly different kinds of Buddha beads. Soon, a mound of items lay before them. Lin Jin recognized this as one of Inferno Monk’s traits.
He was a carefree guy.
But, so what?
These things may appear to be random knick-knacks, but Lin Jin was sure that they each served their purpose.
In terms of nine sun quartz, there was the bracelet from before and two necklaces that were made from a hundred and eight nine sun quartz beads.
This totaled up to more than two hundred nine sun quartz.