After a month of seclusion, Li Shiming finally managed to fill some spiritual power into the five empty Golden Cores, at least granting him true late-stage Golden Core combat strength, enough to endure the consumption of a battle.
He wasnât planning to end his seclusion, instead, he released the Silver Corpses, intending to use them to entertain guests.
During this month of seclusion, all thirteen Silver Corpses advanced to the Silver Corpse late stage, further enhancing his overall combat power.
Of course, at this time, Silver Corpses were merely assistants for research, no longer significant combat power supplements for him.
Li Shiming knew that things outside could be extremely troublesome, so it was better to hold on and remain hidden if possible.
However, things didnât go as he imagined. When he opened the Mountain Protection Array Formation of Sword Holding Peak, indicating his end of seclusion, Fan Ancestorâs figure had already appeared outside Sword Holding Peak.
Judging by Fan Ancestorâs arrival, Li Shiming feared he had been constantly monitoring the movements of Sword Holding Peak, or else, how could he have arrived the moment the array opened.
At this point, he could no longer avoid appearing, Fan Ancestor was his masterâs master, after all, he had to show respect.
He came out of the cave dwelling reluctantly, and Fan Ancestor, without waiting for him to welcome, directly entered Sword Holding Peak and went to the peak top since the array was already open.
"Greetings to Master Ancestor!" Li Shiming bowed and saluted immediately upon seeing Fan Ancestor.
Fan Ancestor said nothing, looking at Li Shiming as if he were a rare treasure.
In his heart, he was extremely excited; Li Shiming had indeed advanced to late-stage Golden Core.
It was just as he had estimated. For a genius such as Li Shiming, the bottleneck of the Golden Core Middle Stage could only hinder him for a few months, reaching the limit.
Li Shimingâs advancement speed was only slightly behind that of Li Yuanba, who was hailed as the number one Golden Core, but the two were of the same level of top-tier geniuses.
"Shiming, after advancing to late-stage Golden Core, you can start refining fourth-grade Spirit Pills, but donât be in a hurry to announce it. Practice diligently first. You must not tarnish your reputation as the number one Alchemy Master in Beishu!" Fan Ancestor came back to his senses, smiled, and helped Li Shiming up as he spoke.
Though he said not to rush, he had already taken out a jade box.
Li Shiming looked at the jade box in his hand, momentarily confused.
"This is the fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine, Heavenly Mysterious Earth Blood Ginseng, the main ingredient for refining âShushan Tianxuan Treasure Pillâ. Use it to hone your skills, donât worry about failure, feel free to try!" Fan Ancestor said with a smile.
However, Li Shiming saw a trace of reluctance in Fan Ancestorâs eyes; for even Shushan Sectâs ancestors, any fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine was extremely precious to Fan Ancestor.
For Fan Ancestor to bring out a piece of fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine for him to practice, the decision must have required significant determination.
âShushan Tianxuan Treasure Pillâ, this is the top elixir recipe in Shushanâs alchemy legacy, and Li Shiming has learned this fourth-grade Spirit Pillâs refinement.
Although he had never refined it by hand, he had gained extensive refinement experience in the simulated environment of his life-bound magical treasure IBMz15.
So even though it was his first time refining a fourth-grade Spirit Pill, he was extremely confident he wouldnât fail.
"Master Ancestor, rest assured, come back in ten days for the results!" Li Shiming nodded solemnly, receiving the jade box as he spoke.
"Donât fear failure, and donât be concerned with vanity. Which Alchemy Master hasnât failed numerous times in secret? You must not feel burdened!" Fan Ancestor was worried Li Shiming might feel burdened by the preciousness of the fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine, and he exhorted him with reassurance.
He left Sword Holding Peak, meeting Elder Su who was rushing over.
Originally, he had instructed Elder Su, but he was so concerned about Li Shimingâs advancement that he couldnât focus on anything else. He went directly over when Li Shiming opened his array.
"Donât disturb Shiming, let him refine the pills in peace!" Fan Ancestor waved his hand towards Elder Su, saying.
"Shiming succeeded in his advancement?" Elder Su asked with a look of surprise and joy.
"It seems he advanced right upon ending seclusion. He stabilized his realm before coming out. I left him a piece of âHeavenly Mysterious Earth Blood Ginsengâ; remember to seal the news, make sure not to disturb him at all during this period!" Speaking of Li Shiming, Fan Ancestor wore a proud smile.
"Old Fan, youâre being unfair, keeping it all to yourself isnât good!" While the master and disciple were speaking, a figure appeared beside them.
"Greetings, Junior Master Zuo!" Elder Su recognized the visitor and immediately bowed and saluted.
"Xiao Su, off you go and get busy!" Elder Zuo waved at Elder Su, saying.
Elder Su naturally knew the two Nascent Soul Ancestors had things to discuss, and it wouldnât be appropriate for someone of his status to stay, so he turned and flew away.
"Truly nothing can be hidden from you!" Fan Ancestor shook his head in exasperation, speaking,
"Ha ha, you can only hide it for a short duration. You should know that those old fellows are all keeping an eye on Shiming!" Elder Zuo laughed heartily.
"As long as I can hide it, I will. Once Shimingâs ability to refine fourth-grade Spirit Pills has improved, Iâll queue up for all the fourth-grade Spirit Pill refinements for the sect first, and talk about those old fellows outside afterward!" Fan Ancestor said nonchalantly.
He had already seized the initiative and given the greatest favor to Li Shiming.
"Shiming needs practice in refining fourth-grade Spirit Pills. I have a piece of âHeavenly Mysterious Earth Blood Ginsengâ as well, just right for practice!" Elder Zuo said in a caring tone.
"Enough, my grand-discipleâs practice is none of your business. Is it possible that I donât have the fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine? The practice fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine for Shiming will be provided by me!" Fan Ancestor shook his head, refusing.