The second last side hall was a scripture pavilion. Though it was lavishly decorated, the owner of the cave dwelling had clearly been rather perfunctory about it. The space was small, and the shelves were completely empty, not as if items had been removed, but as if nothing had ever been placed there at all.0

With nothing gained from these two, Li Ximing finally arrived before the profound door opposite the refining hall. Filled with expectation, he pushed it open.0

As expected, it was an alchemy hall!0

The place was vast, adorned with patterns of Mansion Water. At the center stood a blue-gold pill furnace that rose upward like a pagoda. At each of its six corners were roaring Profound Turtle statues, each three to four times taller than a person, their mouths facing the furnace and emitting a faint glow.1

The...0