"This is Qingjin Building, welcome, esteemed senior. What instructions do you have for us?" The thin young man quickly stood up, bowed to the green-clothed man, and greeted him.

"Coming to your Qingjin Building, naturally, I am here to gather information." The green-clothed man took out a Mid-grade Spirit Stone and tossed it over.

"Thank you, esteemed senior. As you can see, our Qingjin Building has five floors. The first floor only sells information related to the Core Formation Stage and below, the second floor is for Nascent Soul Stage information, and the third floor deals with Returning to Void Stage information. As for the fourth and fifth floors, only honored guests approved by the tower master can ascend. Esteemed senior may choose according to your needs." The thin young man received the Spirit Stone, feeling delighted, and quickly introduced.

"Take me to the third floor." The green-clothed man said after a brief contemplation.

"Esteemed senior, please follow me." The thin young man responded and led the man into the Qingjin Building.

Inside the first-floor hall of Qingjin Building, there were numerous women mingling around; some played the zither, and others danced, truly resembling an artist venue in the mundane world.

"Your Qingjin Building is indeed quite different." The green-clothed man said.

"We at Qingjin Building not only sell information but also engage in dual cultivation business. The sisters in the building are personally trained by the tower master and will surely satisfy esteemed senior. Would you need me to arrange something for you?" The young man said familiarly.

"No need, just lead the way." The green-clothed man said with a cold expression.

Seeing this, the young man shrank his neck, dared not say more, and led the green-clothed man to an elegant room on the third floor.

"Esteemed senior, please wait here for a moment, I will fetch a deacon over..." The thin young man said.

"I have already been aware of this honored guest. I am Tao Rui. May I know this Fellow Daoist's full name? What information do you wish to inquire about at our Qingjin Building?" Just as the young man's voice trailed off, a charming woman in a jade-colored long dress entered and gestured for the thin young man to leave.

This woman was also a Returning to Void Cultivator, her face like a peach blossom, fingers smooth and long, exuding a faint hint of fragrance as she walked around casually.

"I am Vajra, and I have come to Qingjin Building this time to find a certain place." The green-clothed man said with a calm expression.

This man was actually Yuan Ming, who had changed his appearance. No matter how great his Divine Skills, searching for the unknown Moon Lake deserted island alone was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Spending money to hire these information brokers to help find the location where Yun Luo Fairy is imprisoned was undoubtedly the best choice.

However, this Qingjin Building disappointed him, as it turned out to be a place dealing in flesh trade.

The people from the Su Nu Sect may not stay on that deserted island for long; it seems that after leaving Qingjin Building, he still needs to seek other information brokers to search for the Moon Lake deserted island.

"I wonder what place Fellow Daoist is trying to find? Our building has unique methods for locating places. As long as the place Fellow Daoist is looking for is within the Dongji Sea region, our building is confident to find it." Tao Rui, upon hearing this, smiled slightly and confidently said.

Yuan Ming's eyes flashed with an unusual look, and he took out a Jade Scroll and handed it over. Inside was a topographical map he had drawn of Moon Lake deserted island.

"It looks like a deserted island, but the Moon Lake is quite a notable feature, so it shouldn't be difficult to find. However, such deserted islands are rarely visited, and our building will need some time to gather information." Tao Rui explored with Divine Sense and quickly replied.

Yuan Ming was inwardly surprised, as Qingjin Building agreed so comprehensively. Could it truly have some special methods?

"How long will it take?" He asked after a brief consideration.

"At least a year. The Dongji Sea is vast and boundless, and deserted islands are as many as a sea of smoke. Even for our building, searching throughout the Dongji Sea will take time. Moreover, the map you drew is somewhat crude, and we might find many similar islands. This, please forgive us, Fellow Daoist." Tao Rui said.

"I heard that as long as one is willing to spend Spirit Stones at Qingjin Building, nothing is undoable. Here is a deposit of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and after the task is completed, I will pay double. However, I must find the target within three months." Yuan Ming took out a Storage Bag and tossed it on the table with a crisp "pop".

Tao Rui's body slightly trembled upon hearing a deposit of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, but she still shook her head and said, "Three months? That time frame is too rushed."

"I will pay triple afterward." Yuan Ming lightly tapped the table with his finger and said.

The people from the Su Nu Sect might leave at any time. If Yun Luo Fairy is taken to the Central Continent, it would be disastrous. The Moon Lake deserted island must be found quickly. As for the expenditure of three to four hundred thousand Spirit Stones, it is insignificant compared to the Dharma Manifestation Pill Recipe.

"Alright, since Fellow Daoist Jin is so generous, our building will not let Fellow Daoist down." Tao Rui raised her eyebrows and stood up, saying.

"Qingjin Building's reputation is well-deserved. In the three-month time frame, however many islands you can find, provide them to me first. Whether it's the place I'm looking for, I will determine myself." Yuan Ming said with a slight smile.

"Alright, we ask Fellow Daoist to leave a contact address so that we can deliver the information in due course." Tao Rui said.

"I will be staying at Tongju Pavilion on Wuya Island for the next three months. Fellow Daoist Tao Rui can send any information there." Yuan Ming said.

Tongju Pavilion is an inn on Wuya Island offering lodging to visiting cultivators.

Since he was waiting for information, Yuan Ming found it inconvenient to stray far from Wuya Island. Hiding outside the island would only draw more attention. Therefore, he rented a place at Tongju Pavilion.

With matters settled, Yuan Ming soon took his leave.

Since Qingjin Building gave a certain promise, and Hua Zhi was also searching through her channels, he didn't go looking for other intelligence dealers. If the matter of someone investigating the deserted island of Moon Lake spread, it would be unfavorable for him.

Leaving Qingjin Building, Yuan Ming did not immediately return to Tongju Pavilion but went to the spiritual medicine shop in the Wuya Island workshop to purchase a large batch of low-level spiritual materials used for refining Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Stage Elixirs.

The time needed to gather intelligence was not long, and using it for cultivation would not yield much improvement. So instead of idling, it was better spent on researching and refining miscellaneous arts.

Now, with the "Pill King Secret Manual" in hand, possessing countless Dan Recipes, combined with the Fire Control Secret Technique, Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter, and the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod for assistance, not learning alchemy would truly be a waste.

So he took the materials he bought back to Tongju Pavilion and devoted himself to cultivating the Alchemy Technique.

With Yuan Ming's current fire control skills and soul cultivation proficiency, getting started in alchemy was quite simple. It took less than two or three days for him to become familiar with the method of refining low-level elixirs, and with the aid of the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, he raised the pill formation rate to over ninety percent, with virtually no errors, and each elixir produced was of extremely high quality.

Of course, when refining such a level of elixir, Yuan Ming couldn't use all the power of the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, not even the most basic Red Feather Bright Fire of the Earth Fire was fully utilized.

This fire is Pure Yang Fire, which can ward off evil and annihilate the Five Elements when used offensively, and when used in alchemy, it perfectly removes impurities from the spiritual medicine, greatly enhancing the quality of the elixir.

After becoming familiar with the refining of Qi Refinement and first and second grade Foundation Establishment Stage Elixirs, Yuan Ming went out to purchase spiritual materials once again and then began refining Core Formation Stage third-grade elixirs.

This time, the difficulty was much higher. The firepower of a single Earth Fire was insufficient, so Yuan Ming activated the second Earth Fire within the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod. Find the translation on MV&LEMPYR.

This Earth Fire is named Warm Spring Sun Flame, a Yimu True Fire. When used against opponents, it can accelerate the user's Spiritual Energy recovery and repair hidden injuries within the body. In alchemy, it can, to some extent, boost the potency of the medicine, increasing the effective age of the spiritual medicine used.

However, even with the second Earth Fire, Yuan Ming still couldn't refine third-grade elixirs.

Yuan Ming carefully scrutinized his alchemy process and finally discovered that his problem lay in the fusion of medicinal power into a pill.

The properties of third-grade elixirs are complex, requiring a careful balance of the medicinal power proportions between different spiritual materials. This demands that the alchemist be familiar with the changes in the medicinal liquid within the alchemy furnace and that any slight change must be adjusted promptly.

Yuan Ming particularly lacked experience in this area. Even when he observed changes in the medicinal liquid, he often didn't know how to adjust.

Yuan Ming pondered for several days, realizing that he still wasn't skilled enough, so he called out Dian Xiaosan and asked him for the secrets of refining third-grade elixirs.

Dian Xiaosan, being under Yuan Ming's control, clearly understood that his treatment was entirely at Yuan Ming's discretion, so he withheld nothing. He virtually taught Yuan Ming step by step, imparting all his secrets of refining third-grade elixirs.

However, in his heart, although he acknowledged Yuan Ming's high starting point, alchemy was not something easily mastered.

First and second-grade elixirs were manageable, but from third-grade elixirs onward, the alchemist's experience significantly influenced the pill formation rate.

No matter how gifted, to achieve the level of a third-level Alchemist, one must undergo extensive study and practice, spending at least a dozen or so years to reach the threshold.

Therefore, Dian Xiaosan was prepared for long-term teaching and even secretly began planning the teaching progress, ready to guide Yuan Ming step by step.

But soon, he found that his prepared teaching plan could be thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

The reason was simply that Yuan Ming's progress was too rapid. Often Dian Xiaosan would only give a few hints, and Yuan Ming would draw inferences from them, deducing the corresponding rules on his own.

In just half a month, Yuan Ming successfully refined a third-grade elixir, reaching the level of a third-level Alchemist.

This speed left Dian Xiaosan utterly flabbergasted and dumbfounded, even suspecting that Yuan Ming was feigning ignorance of alchemy to deliberately make a fool of him.

After all, it took him over two years to reach the third-level Alchemist stage under his master's constant guidance.

Yuan Ming was certainly not an alchemy genius. His quick mastery of third-grade elixir refining was due to his exceptionally powerful Divine Soul Power, enabling rapid achievements.

Familiar with third-grade elixirs, Yuan Ming did not stop and proceeded to attempt refining the fourth-grade cultivation elixir Black Essence Pill as recorded in the "Pill King Secret Manual."

The difficulty of fourth-grade elixirs was entirely different from before, and Yuan Ming finally encountered a bottleneck, making no progress over a dozen consecutive days.

Only then did Dian Xiaosan's mindset balance quite a bit, attributing Yuan Ming's previous rapid progress to excessively advanced auxiliary means.

After all, not everyone has the resources to use a Spiritual Treasure Level alchemy furnace and Fire Burning Stick to learn to refine third-grade elixirs.

Even at the Pill King Pavilion back then, if the Pavilion Master attempted such a thing, he'd likely be scolded furiously by his disciples and elders.

It's simply too extravagant.