Chapter 332 - The Immortal Cauldron and the Belated Gifts

Chapter 332: Chapter 332 - The Immortal Cauldron and the Belated Gifts

By noon, another sealed Immortal storage ring floated before Su Bai.

He had already opened one previously, and that experience had taught him far more about the sealing structure than he realized at the time.

His current realm made the difference even larger.

The Dao-Shattering Jade simplified the interlocking restrictions.

True Needle Intent followed the vulnerable points.

The Supreme Dual-Origin Scripture kept his cultivation stable while his Nascent Soul quietly maintained its own circulation inside the Nascent Origin.

Su Bai could concentrate almost entirely on the seal.

There were no disturbance this time.

The lack of interruption felt suspiciously luxurious.

The final restriction finally loosened beneath Su Bai’s careful control.

He separated the last connection without disturbing the surrounding structure, and the seal quietly opened.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Much easier."

His spiritual sense entered the ring.

At first glance, the contents resembled the previous Immortal storage.

Sealed materials occupied one section, while various artifacts were arranged with the kind of organization expected from someone who had probably lived for centuries.

The differences appeared once Su Bai looked closer.

This ring was far more personal.

Jade bottles filled several shelves.

Medicinal tools rested beside carefully sealed containers.

There were thin formation plates engraved specifically for flame control, instruments Su Bai suspected were used to process herbs, and several sets of jade slips grouped according to what looked like alchemical categories.

Su Bai’s attention settled on the largest object.

A cauldron.

It did not look excessively decorated.

The body was dark and smooth, supported by three thick legs, while subtle patterns covered its surface. Those patterns became far more complicated when Su Bai examined them with spiritual sense.

Internal formations layered over one another, handling heat distribution, flame isolation, medicinal preservation, and several functions Su Bai could not immediately identify.

His eyes brightened.

This was exactly the kind of thing Liu Meng would appreciate.

Su Bai had been thinking for a while about what he could give her in return for the countless robes she had made for him. Ordinary pills or materials did not feel quite right, especially when she could refine or obtain most of them herself.

An alchemy cauldron was different.

More importantly, it was something suited to her.

Su Bai smiled and set it aside carefully.

He continued inspecting the ring.

Several jade slips clearly contained pill recipes.

Su Bai opened one.

He recognized none of the main ingredients.

He opened another.

The result was worse.

A third referenced three medicinal substances whose names sounded impressive and meant absolutely nothing to him.

Su Bai sighed.

’Immortal Realm ingredients.’

The recipes might be priceless.

In the current cultivation world, they were also remarkably good reading material.

He set them aside rather than dismissing them.

If ingredients from the Immortal Realm had survived inside storage rings, there was always a chance substitutes could eventually be found.

At the very least, Liu Meng might learn something from the refining principles themselves.

Su Bai took out his notebook.

He began building a proper ledger.

The ring’s contents were grouped according to function, probable owner usage, and whether he could identify them.

Where possible, he cross-referenced artifacts with jade slips from the Immortal inheritances he had already studied.

The work was slower than simply emptying everything onto the floor, but considerably safer.

Su Bai had learned enough to know that "I wonder what this does" was often the last interesting thought someone had.

By the time he finished cataloging the most obvious objects, the Supreme Dual-Origin Scripture was still circulating smoothly.

His Nascent Soul had continued cultivating almost the entire time.

Su Bai checked it.

The spiritual figure remained seated inside the Nascent Origin.

Its cultivation had slowed slightly while most of Su Bai’s attention was elsewhere, but it had never stopped.

Su Bai became increasingly pleased with his new realm.

He could study dangerous Immortal artifacts while another version of himself cultivated safely inside him.

Formerly, doing two jobs at once had usually meant receiving the salary of one.

This arrangement was considerably better.

He turned toward the next sealed ring.

The second opening had been easier than the first.

The third proved easier still.

Su Bai gradually became familiar with the recurring principles hidden throughout the Immortal seals.

He did not rush through all of them.

Some restrictions differed too greatly to touch casually.

Those were left alone.

By the time afternoon approached, several newly opened rings sat nearby, each with its contents carefully recorded rather than scattered around his residence.

Su Bai stretched.

His master still had not returned.

Spiritual fluctuations occasionally passed through, and Su Bai had noticed groups entering and leaving throughout the day.

Whatever Li Xuanzong and the others were handling, it seemed unlikely anyone would approve a leave request right now.

Su Bai was beginning to consider another round of experiments when movement approached Clear Cloud Peak.

Two familiar auras entered his spiritual sense.

Su Bai smiled.

He granted them access.

Not long afterward, Liu Meng and Yan’er walked towards him.

The first thing Su Bai noticed was their expressions.

They looked unusually energetic.

The Heavenly Blessing and Soul Benediction had clearly benefited both of them, though he resisted the urge to inspect their cultivation foundations immediately.

He stood up.

"Senior Brother!"

Yan’er hurried forward.

Liu Meng followed at a more reasonable pace.

Su Bai had barely begun to smile when both of them stopped in front of him.

Their behavior became suspicious.

Liu Meng glanced toward Yan’er.

Yan’er nodded very seriously.

Before Su Bai could ask what conspiracy had formed during their meditation, both reached into their storage artifacts.

Liu Meng cleared her throat.

"Senior Brother, this is a little late, but..."

Yan’er could no longer wait.

The two voices overlapped.

"Belated happy birthday!"

Su Bai froze.

For a moment, everything else seemed to slip from Su Bai’s mind, from his newly stabilized realm and the Radiant Thunder Spirit Root to the Immortal storage rings and even yesterday’s rather inconvenient experience of dying.

His birthday had been almost two weeks ago.

So much had happened since then that the day itself felt strangely distant.

Su Bai looked at the gifts in their hands, then he looked at Liu Meng and Yan’er.

A laugh escaped him.

It was not the tired laugh he used when the heavens did something ridiculous.

It was not the helpless laugh that came whenever his cultivation foundation created another problem.

It was simply genuine.

"You two remembered?"

Yan’er immediately puffed her cheeks.

"Senior Sister Meng told me about your birthday a long time ago."

Liu Meng smiled a little awkwardly.

"I actually wanted to give it to you when you came to see me before, Senior Brother. But part of the gift was still at the Liu Family Auction House, so I couldn’t give it to you then."

She glanced at Yan’er and gently patted her head.

"And I wanted to give it to you together with Yan’er."

Yan’er held her gift a little closer to her chest before looking up at him.

"We were going to give it to you as soon as we could."

Her voice became quieter.

"But yesterday... I thought we might not get the chance anymore."

Liu Meng gently rested a hand on her head.

Su Bai’s smile softened.

After a brief silence, he reached out and accepted the gifts from both of them.

"Then I’m glad you still got the chance."