"You flatter me too much, Grand Elder. I didn't mean that..." Lü Qingjing hastily waved his hands, but hearing Xu Hui say this actually put him much more at ease.
Because even if the refinement failed, he wouldn't have to bear any risk. He secretly felt that this trip to the Nine Heavens Holy Land had truly been the right decision.
Anxiously waiting, Lü Qingjing kept glancing toward the outside of the main hall from time to time.
Xu Hui said nothing more and silently took a seat to the side.
After roughly half an hour, Yang Kai appeared outside the main hall once more, striding in with a powerful gait.
Seeing him like this, both Lü Qingjing and Xu Hui's expressions lit up at the same time, knowing that the Soul Condensing Pill must have been successfully refined.
"Lord Yang..." Lü Qingjing moistened his dry lips and called out softly, unable to fully suppress his worry.
Yang Kai chuckled and said casually, "I didn't fail you. The refinement succeeded, though there was a small little mishap."
"Mishap?" Lü Qingjing's face tightened, not knowing what mishap Yang Kai was referring to.
"See for yourself. You should be satisfied." Yang Kai handed over a jade bottle.
Lü Qingjing quickly took it and uncorked the opening. In that instant, a refreshing fragrance rushed to his face, and he couldn't help but feel a sensation of enlightenment washing over him, leaving both body and mind utterly comfortable.
"Oh?" Xu Hui exclaimed in surprise, leaning his head over to take a look as well. He felt that the medicinal potency contained within this spirit-grade superior pill seemed somehow off.
Compared to an ordinary spirit-grade superior pill... it was far more potent.
Peering through the bottle opening, Lü Qingjing's eyes went wide in an instant, and the large hand gripping the jade bottle began to tremble. He cried out, "This is..."
"Pill veins?" Xu Hui shouted as well.
The two exchanged a glance and saw the shock reflected in each other's eyes.
A spirit-grade superior pill bearing pill veins was no less valuable than a saint-grade pill!
Almost as if he couldn't believe it, Lü Qingjing hastily poured the pill out of the jade bottle and placed it in his palm, examining it carefully.
The Soul Condensing Pill was plump and lustrous, with pure medicinal potency sealed within. Delicate pill veins spread across the surface of the pill like the meridians of a human body, radiating faint luminescence.
Warm to the touch, Lü Qingjing instantly confirmed it. This pill had just been refined moments ago.
"Lord Yang, this..." Lü Qingjing was practically incoherent. He had thought that merely succeeding in forming the pill this time would have been a blessing from heaven, yet never in his wildest dreams had he expected to receive a Soul Condensing Pill bearing pill veins!
This far exceeded his expectations, leaving him so excited he couldn't form proper words.
"Lucky break — pill veins appeared." Yang Kai chuckled, saying it as if it were nothing.
"Now my son is saved!" Lü Qingjing exclaimed, a gleam of tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes.
"It's more than just saving him. Have your son take it. It will not only repair his damaged spiritual soul but may even bring an unexpected boost to his cultivation... Mm, if your son's realm isn't too high, you'll need to act as his guardian during the process. The medicinal potency in this single pill is comparable to a saint-grade pill — be very careful with how you use it!"
"Lord Yang speaks truly. I will keep every word in mind!" Lü Qingjing was wild with joy, his face radiant, as though he could already see the day his son recovered and his divine sense grew dramatically stronger.
"Congratulations, Brother Lü." Xu Hui offered his congratulations from the side.
"Thank you, Grand Elder. Thank you, Grand Elder, and thank you, Lord Yang..." Lü Qingjing bowed and cupped his fists repeatedly.
A moment later, his expression suddenly grew awkward again, and he said sheepishly, "Before coming here, I only prepared compensation equivalent to a single spirit-grade superior pill. I never anticipated that this pill would develop pill veins..."
His face turned solemn as he spoke in a grave tone, "If Lord Yang and the Grand Elder can trust me, after I have my son take this pill, I will absolutely gather sufficient thanks and come pay my respects to you both again!"
As he spoke, he produced the compensation he had originally prepared.
As expected, it was all spirit stones.
Xu Hui looked at Yang Kai with a questioning gaze.
Yang Kai laughed heartily and said lightly, "You're the first person to come to our Nine Heavens Holy Land requesting pill refinement. What if we make a deal?"
Lü Qingjing straightened his expression and said with great seriousness, "Whatever Lord Yang asks, as long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."
"It's nothing major. Mm, I don't need the compensation. Consider this pill a gift..."
"What?" Lü Qingjing was utterly stunned.
Xu Hui didn't quite understand why Yang Kai was being so generous either, but his eyes narrowed as if something had occurred to him, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I have one condition, and I hope you'll agree." Yang Kai didn't keep him in suspense. "After you leave our Nine Heavens Holy Land, help spread the word — say that a pill refinement master from our Holy Land refined a spirit-grade superior pill bearing pill veins for you. How about it?"
"That's all?"
"That's all!"
Lü Qingjing said with a stern expression, "I consider it my duty! Please rest assured, Lord Yang and Grand Elder. I will do everything in my power to spread this news."
"That's all I ask. Now hurry back — your son still needs this pill to save his life." Yang Kai waved his hand.
Lü Qingjing, overcome with gratitude, bowed and thanked them profusely before departing.
Watching him leave, Xu Hui sighed with emotion, "What a fine beginning!"
"Indeed. A beginning that took a whole month of waiting." Yang Kai nodded.
"But this deal was a loss. A spirit-grade superior pill bearing pill veins... you won't find many of those anywhere. If it were truly put up for sale, it could fetch quite a few spirit stones." Xu Hui still felt a twinge of heartache.