Upon learning that Yang Kai was not only an alchemist but also possessed the Fire of Divine Sense—requiring no Saint Yuan or earth fire whatsoever for pill refining—Sha Hu was beside himself with joy.
This meant that as long as he maintained a good relationship with Yang Kai, he would never have to worry about obtaining Hunyuan Pills to consume, nor would he need to fear his own strength failing to grow! After waiting in bitterness for a hundred years, he had finally seen hope for his revenge!
He handed over the Hunyuan Pill recipe without reservation, letting Yang Kai study it at his own pace.
"Once you've finished studying the recipe and begin refining the Hunyuan Pills, this old man will have one more favor to ask!" Sha Hu said with a hearty laugh, deliberately trying to draw closer to Yang Kai. The wrinkles on his face bunched together until he looked positively amiable.
Yang Kai naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony. After telling Sha Hu to make himself comfortable, he dove headfirst into studying the Hunyuan Pill recipe.
He already had some Hunyuan Pills on hand, which could have been used to roughly deduce the recipe's composition. Now, with the complete recipe in his possession, the process became far simpler and easier.
Moreover, his alchemy standards were among the very peak of the Star Domain. With his keen eye, extensive knowledge, and experience, he could not only fully master the Hunyuan Pill recipe but also improve upon the original.
It was only natural, really. After all, the Hunyuan Pill had been independently developed by an alchemist who had become stranded on Ghost Island, and any alchemist cast adrift here wouldn't be of too high a caliber. How much value could a recipe they developed really have?
It could only serve as a point of reference for Yang Kai.
All told, Yang Kai spent only five days devising an entirely new Hunyuan Pill recipe that was undoubtedly countless times superior to the one Sha Hu had provided. Numerous materials had been replaced, and several sources of medicinal conflict had been eliminated.
With the recipe complete, Yang Kai naturally set about beginning the refinement process.
However, he was still missing one ingredient.
The potency of the Hunyuan Lotus was extremely aggressive. Consumed directly, it might improve a warrior's physique in the short term and enhance the body's physical qualities. But without other herbs to moderate its effects, one could only take it for a brief period before it became impossible to continue. Forcing the issue would not only fail to benefit the warrior but would actually damage their body.
Yang Kai summoned Sha Hu.
Sha Hu had been standing guard outside the wooden hut these past few days, never straying even a step away, meditating on one hand while scheming his own little calculations on the other. Upon hearing Yang Kai's call, he rushed into the hut almost unable to contain himself, his eager gaze fixed upon Yang Kai.
"Old Mister Sha, I'm still missing some fishy grass…"
Sha Hu chuckled softly, waved his hand, and a large pile of fishy grass materialized inside the wooden hut, instantly making the air thick and murky.
This seaweed, only three inches long and purple in color, was no specialty of Ghost Island. It could be harvested in virtually any deep-sea region. Its intrinsic value was not particularly high—factions like the Sea Hall and the Sea God Palace wouldn't even bother collecting it, letting it grow freely in the ocean.
But its medicinal properties could perfectly merge with the Hunyuan Lotus. The two would interact to neutralize the Hunyuan Lotus's aggressive nature, making the resulting Hunyuan Pill far easier for warriors to absorb.
Seeing the countless bundles of fishy grass before him, Yang Kai was momentarily stunned. Then he fixed Sha Hu with a meaningful look. "Old Mister Sha, you came quite prepared!"
Sha Hu rubbed his hands together. "Yang Kai, help this old man refine some Hunyuan Pills as well! With Hunyuan Pills, I can raise my strength once more, and then we'll have a chance to fight our way back to Ghost Island and find a way out!"
Yang Kai offered a faint smile. Although he could tell Sha Hu was trying to entice him, he didn't mind, replying at an unhurried pace: "Refining them for you isn't a problem, but do you have any Hunyuan Lotuses?"
All one thousand Hunyuan Lotuses from the lake on the island had already entered Yang Kai's spatial ring. He wasn't about to take them back out for Sha Hu to use in his pills.
"You underestimate this old man far too much," Sha Hu said, grinning like an old fox. He turned his palm over and produced seventeen or eighteen Hunyuan Lotuses, every single one of silver-lotus grade.
Yang Kai was stunned.
Sha Hu chuckled. "How could this old man not know the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket? Over the past hundred years, I haven't exactly been cooped up on this little island without leaving. I've gone out exploring from time to time, and I've naturally made some finds. It's not just these—I've also collected many of the auxiliary herbs needed to refine Hunyuan Pills. See if there's anything you can use."
As he spoke, Sha Hu produced a great many other medicinal ingredients.
Yang Kai nodded and no longer refused, setting aside the useful herbs and having Sha Hu put the rest away. He pondered for a moment before saying: "Refining them for you is no problem, but I can't very well work for nothing…"
"Split fifty-fifty!" Sha Hu cut Yang Kai off before he could finish, stating his price outright. "Whatever auxiliary herbs you need, tell this old man all at once, and I'll head out right now to find them for you! Of the finished Hunyuan Pills, I'll only take half!"
"Deal!" Yang Kai didn't waste any more words, nodding readily. Sha Hu was being this generous—if Yang Kai kept dilly-dallying, he'd come across as petty. After spending some time with the old man, Yang Kai had found that apart from their somewhat unpleasant initial encounter, their subsequent interactions had actually been quite harmonious.
Seeing Yang Kai agree, Sha Hu smiled even more broadly.
That very day, he departed the island and headed out to sea to search for all manner of auxiliary herbs. While Yang Kai did have some pill-refining materials on hand, they weren't sufficient to support large-scale production. Having Sha Hu go look for more was simply a precaution against the unexpected.
Once Sha Hu had left the island, Yang Kai extended his hand and swept it outward.
A blazing crimson firelight shot forth from his palm, twisting and reshaping itself in midair. The next instant, a woman with a voluptuous figure, revealing attire, and an icy expression appeared before Yang Kai—her fiery red hair dancing about her like living flames.