"Go, go. No matter how much I explain, you won't understand. You'll only know that wonderful feeling when you experience it yourself."
As Nangong Yi spoke, he pulled Ye Bufan to the edge of the Dragon Locking Well and leaped in.
The two entered the well and first felt a sense of weightlessness, then found themselves enveloped by a force, slowly descending.
This process lasted for about a minute before Ye Bufan saw light ahead. Immediately after, he saw a vast ancient city. This was the underground city that Ye Qingyi had mentioned.
In the very center of the ancient city, Ye Bufan saw a towering giant tower. This was the sacred training ground that Nangong Yi had spoken of.
In addition, the ancient city had many levels, with seven north-south streets and twelve east-west streets. According to Nangong Yi's explanation, the shops in these streets were divided into districts by the nine great families of the capital, with the remaining ones being occupied by individual martial artists.
Nangong Yi led Ye Bufan through the ancient city. Here, Ye Bufan felt a taste of the cultivation world that Lin Xiaoyao had once described.
At the same time, Ye Bufan also detected the aura of some cultivators here, most of whom were just on the verge of breaking through to the early Qi Refining stage.
"It seems there's some discrepancy between the story of Yuxing and Nangong Yi," Ye Bufan pondered in his mind. "This Yuxing is likely a cultivator. As for his cultivation level, Ye Bufan boldly speculates that he could be a Core Formation stage cultivator, or even higher."
"This is Medicine Street," Nangong Yi said, bringing Ye Bufan to a street.
"All the shops here belong to the nine great families, selling very rare medicinal ingredients," Nangong Yi stated.
Upon hearing this, Ye Bufan's eyes lit up. Accompanied by Nangong Yi, he entered a medicine shop under the Nangong family's banner and began to browse.
"Brother Ye seems particularly interested in medicinal ingredients?" Nangong Yi teased from the side, sensing the change in Ye Bufan's emotions.
"Medicinal ingredients are precisely what I lack right now," Ye Bufan replied to Nangong Yi.
"Brother Ye, I have something that I don't know if I should ask." Nangong Yi pondered for a moment, a question having been on his mind that he wanted to ask Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan nodded, and Nangong Yi no longer hesitated.
"Brother Ye, are you truly the one who refined the Marrow Cleansing Pill?" Nangong Yi asked.
"Why do you ask that?" Ye Bufan turned to look at Nangong Yi.
Seeing Ye Bufan's expression, Nangong Yi couldn't help but smile and say, "Brother Ye's reaction has already given me the answer."
Ye Bufan was stunned for a moment, then realized that Nangong Yi was using subtle psychological micro-expression analysis on him.
"You don't know," Nangong Yi sighed softly.
In this underground city, although there were many rare medicinal ingredients, very few people could refine pills. They were all in an exploratory phase regarding these matters.
Some pill recipes were still passed down from the City Lord of Yuxing, and those recipes were enough to keep the alchemists busy researching.
Therefore, when the Marrow Cleansing Pill appeared, it caused such a stir. The families that acquired the Marrow Cleansing Pill at the capital auction all had acquaintance alchemists. They wanted to buy it back so that their alchemists could research and replicate the Marrow Cleansing Pill through their own refining methods.
"But the Marrow Cleansing Pill auction ended so long ago, and there have been no reports of successful replication of the Marrow Cleansing Pill in this underground city," Nangong Yi sighed softly.
Ye Bufan chuckled. Refining pills was not that easy, and the Marrow Cleansing Pill had certain prerequisites for its refinement. It was impossible to achieve success overnight.
"Brother Ye, would you like to visit our Nangong family's alchemy grounds and offer some guidance?" Nangong Yi asked.
Upon hearing this, Ye Bufan naturally understood Nangong Yi's intentions. However, after much consideration, he finally agreed to Nangong Yi's request.
The two arrived at the Nangong family's medicine shop. As soon as Ye Bufan entered, he smelled medicinal herbs and saw ingredients for refining basic pills like the Spirit Convergence Pill, Meridian Protecting Pill, and Calm Heart Pill.
Entering the shop and walking a few steps deeper, the layout inside resembled that of a traditional courtyard house.
"Boom—"
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of an alchemy furnace exploding. Immediately after, several middle-aged men, with soot-stained faces and wearing long robes, emerged from a room.
"Young Master Nangong," the three bowed to Nangong Yi with clasped fists.
Nangong Yi nodded and asked, "Master Gu, what pill are you refining?"
"Meridian Protecting Pill," the person named Master Gu sighed.
"Master Gu, it's a good thing I brought a master alchemist with me. Let him offer you some guidance," Nangong Yi said to Gu Yan.
"Master alchemist?" Gu Yan couldn't believe his ears and fixed his gaze on Ye Bufan, the only person beside Nangong Yi.
"Young Master Nangong, please don't joke. This young alchemist master?" Gu Yan said with some disdain. "I reckon I've eaten more meals than he's had years."
Gu Yan glanced at Ye Bufan and then snorted coldly.
"Master Gu..." Nangong Yi wanted to say something more, but Gu Yan bowed to Nangong Yi and said, "Young Master Nangong, if there's nothing else, we'll continue refining our pills."
With that, Gu Yan was about to lead his two subordinates back into the alchemy room.
Nangong Yi waved his hand at Ye Bufan and said, "These alchemists are quite proud. You're so young, so it's inevitable they'll look down on you."
Ye Bufan said, "It's fine. I see their current heat, and they likely won't be able to refine the Meridian Protecting Pill anytime soon. Their furnace will explode within half an hour."
"Boom—"
Just as Ye Bufan finished speaking, Gu Yan stormed out.
"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You make the Meridian Protecting Pill sound so simple. Do you know that no one in this entire underground ancient city has successfully refined it yet?"
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't. Sticking to old ways and refining blindly naturally leads to a very low success rate," Ye Bufan said.
"Oh? Are you implying you can refine it?" Gu Yan looked at Ye Bufan. "Anyone can boast."
Ye Bufan looked at Gu Yan and said, "Mistakes are mistakes. The function of the Meridian Protecting Pill is to protect the meridians, but among the refining ingredients, there's a 'Steel Tooth Dragon Leaf' whose medicinal properties are violent. You're not paying attention to the dosage, so the success rate is naturally zero."
Gu Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing Ye Bufan's words, but in his opinion, Ye Bufan was at most someone who knew the recipe for the Meridian Protecting Pill.
"Anyone who has the recipe knows this. Why do you need to tell me?" Gu Yan sneered. "If I wanted to, I could say it too. If you have the ability, refine it for us to see."
Ye Bufan sighed helplessly upon hearing this. If it weren't for Nangong Yi's relationship, he wouldn't have bothered with him.
"Brother Nangong, please prepare an alchemy furnace and the medicinal ingredients," Ye Bufan turned to Nangong Yi and said.