Chapter 379: Soul-Refining Cauldron Embryo
The small cauldron Xu Meijing took out was only the size of a fist, similar to the fake cauldron discovered back in the mountain cave, which was the knock-off Soul-Refining Cauldron Xue Li had used.
The cauldron was greyish-white all over, its surface incredibly rough. It looked like a simple stone cauldron made from an ordinary rock, utterly unremarkable.
Though it appeared utterly ordinary, even remarkably crude in appearance, Yang Haoran's expression stiffened upon seeing the stone cauldron, only for it to be replaced by a look of pleasant surprise.
"Heh heh, I was just fooling you. This Soul-Refining Cauldron is yours now," Xu Meijing said with a laugh.
As he gazed at the Soul-Refining Cauldron before him, the smile on Yang Haoran's face changed, losing its former helplessness and becoming one of genuine joy.
He had already accepted the harsh reality and was prepared to search for Sunken Yin Stone anew, but he never expected it had all been a joke from Xu Meijing.
Not only was the Sunken Yin Stone not scrapped, but the Soul-Refining Cauldron had even been successfully crafted. Happiness arrived so suddenly in that moment that he didn't know what to say.
"Crafting a Soul-Refining Cauldron from Sunken Yin Stone isn't actually a complicated process. You just need to carve out the cauldron's embryo. After you gave me the Sunken Yin Stone, I found the best stone carving master in Ancheng and had him carve the Soul-Refining Cauldron for me. Due to the Sunken Yin Stone's extreme hardness, it presented a significant challenge for the stone carving master, which is why it took quite a long time."
Xu Meijing gazed at the Soul-Refining Cauldron embryo floating before her, paused, and then continued, "Don't mind how rough the Soul-Refining Cauldron's surface appears right now. That's not the stone carving master's fault; it's due to the inherent nature of the Sunken Yin Stone itself. Even the most skilled master couldn't make this Soul-Refining Cauldron smooth at this stage. To achieve a smooth finish, it requires a massive amount of Yin Qi—what we refer to as the refining process."
"I always thought you never joked around, but now I realize I was wrong. Not only do you joke, but your acting is quite good too. You actually managed to fool me," Yang Haoran said, retracting his gaze from the Soul-Refining Cauldron before him and smiling at Xu Meijing.
"Heh heh, I just wanted to see your reaction after hearing the Soul-Refining Cauldron failed. I was a bit curious, so I gave it a try. I didn't expect your composure to be even better than I imagined. Very impressive," Xu Meijing chuckled.
"I'm delighted to hear your praise," Yang Haoran laughed.
"Don't get happy too soon," Xu Meijing said with a smile. "What I actually meant to say is, your false smile has practically seeped into your bones. You probably wouldn't change it even with a knife at your throat."
Had anyone else spoken those words to him, Yang Haoran might have felt they were deliberately provoking or ridiculing him. But with Xu Meijing, he naturally held no such thoughts. He knew she had no intention of being sarcastic or mocking him; she merely wanted to indulge her wit and engage in a bit of banter.
Yang Haoran, still smiling, didn't continue their previous topic. Instead, he asked Xu Meijing, "Have you found a Place of Extreme Yin yet? If not, give me your Soul-Refining Cauldron, and I'll help you refine it."
"A Place of Extreme Yin isn't that easy to find, but I'm not completely without leads now. You go ahead and refine your Soul-Refining Cauldron. Don't worry about my side. Refining a Soul-Refining Cauldron requires a massive amount of Yin Qi. A Place of Extreme Yin is the top choice, but it's not the only way to refine one."
At this point, Xu Meijing paused, a hint of arrogance surfacing on her face, and continued, "Besides, if I, Xu Meijing, can't even find a single Place of Extreme Yin, that would be truly humiliating. I can't afford to lose face like that."
Since Xu Meijing had spoken to this extent, Yang Haoran naturally couldn't say much more. They hadn't known each other just for a day; he understood Xu Meijing's temper and personality well.
Of course, he also believed that such a task wouldn't be too difficult for Xu Meijing.
"Oh, right. The stone carving master you had make the Soul-Refining Cauldron embryo, is he reliable? I mean, can he keep a secret? " Yang Haoran asked.
"Don't worry. The Soul-Refining Cauldron is too important, concerning both our lives. I wouldn't let a third person know about it besides us."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's expression subtly shifted, and he asked with some uncertainty, "You didn't happen to kill that stone carving master, did you?"
"I did consider it, but I didn't actually do it. After all, he's just an ordinary person, and he helped me out a great deal, so I honestly couldn't bring myself to do it. Considering he doesn't know who I am or what a Soul-Refining Cauldron is, I simply erased all his memories of me. From now on, he'll forget everything about me, including having made the Soul-Refining Cauldron embryo."
Only after hearing Xu Meijing's explanation did Yang Haoran's expression return to normal. This scene did not escape Xu Meijing's notice, and she couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, Xu Meijing still spoke to Yang Haoran, "'A general's success is built upon ten thousand withered bones. ' To achieve great things, one must not be constrained by minor details. Too much soft-heartedness will ultimately only harm yourself."
Yang Haoran knew that Xu Meijing was warning him. He smiled and replied, "Heh heh, in your eyes, haven't I always been the smiling tiger? Are you sure you're not giving this warning to the wrong person?"
Xu Meijing gave Yang Haoran a side-eye and said, "Suit yourself. Do as you please. Just pretend I was reminding myself."
Yang Haoran chuckled as he put away the Soul-Refining Cauldron floating before him. He chatted with Xu Meijing for a while, exchanging insights on various matters, before finally bidding her farewell and leaving Ancheng.
After leaving Ancheng, Yang Haoran didn't return to the villa. Instead, he headed directly for the Blackwater Pool where he had originally discovered the Sunken Yin Stone.
Upon arriving at the Blackwater Pool, he found it had undergone significant changes.
Originally, due to the presence of the Sunken Yin Stone, the Yin Qi in the Blackwater Pool would gather and not disperse, instead merging with the water and sinking to the bottom of the pool.
However, after Yang Haoran retrieved the Sunken Yin Stone from the bottom of the Blackwater Pool, the Yin Qi regained its freedom, spreading outwards from the Blackwater Pool as its center.
At this moment, Yang Haoran stood at the edge of the Blackwater Pool. He activated his Ghost Eye and surveyed the surroundings, only to see that black Yin Qi had already enveloped the entire area near the Blackwater Pool, making it as dark as a moonless night where one couldn't see their own fingers.
Most of the trees, flowers, and grasses near the Blackwater Pool had withered and died due to the dense Yin Qi. The small portion of plants that hadn't yet withered were either on their way to dying or had undergone mutations.
In addition to the plants, animals were also affected. No wild beasts roamed here, no birds flew, and not even the chirping of insects could be heard. This place had completely transformed into a dead zone, like a forbidden land for life.
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised that the Blackwater Pool had turned out this way, as it was all within his expectations.
This place was, after all, a Place of Extreme Yin. In a Place of Extreme Yin, the Yin Qi is simply too dense for living beings to survive. Apart from species that mutate under the influence of Yin Qi, all other life forms are bound to perish due to the overwhelming Yin Qi. This was a perfectly normal phenomenon.
This was still because the Yin Qi within the Blackwater Pool hadn't been erupting for long enough. If more time passed, the impact on this area would be even greater.
What Yang Haoran truly cared about wasn't the impact the local Yin Qi had on the surroundings, but whether the Yin Qi itself had been affected in any way.
To put it bluntly, he was concerned whether the Yin Qi here had been tampered with by someone, or perhaps dispersed by some powerful expert.
If the Yin Qi here had truly been dispersed by some expert, then he'd truly be in a difficult spot, unable to express his troubles.
Fortunately, the Yin Qi here hadn't suffered any devastating blow. However, he did sense the presence of a few lone wandering ghosts.
He sensed the presence of these lone wandering ghosts, and at the same time, these ghosts also detected him, their uninvited guest.
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