Bai Ruzhen was taken away from the information center by members of the Inspection Department. Bai Xiurong went to visit her there alone.
"Xiurong, I was just looking up information on a family member. How did it become so serious? Be honest with me, did you offend someone and I’m the one taking the fall?" The Federation’s laws were highly favorable to High-level Female Spirit Controllers, and Bai Ruzhen had never felt so wronged in her entire life. She couldn’t help but look at Bai Xiurong with suspicion.
"Take the fall for me? Mother, if you’d just stop causing trouble for me all day, I would thank the heavens. When you couldn’t find Ning Xuan’s information through conventional means, you should have realized it was protected. Why did you insist on using the family’s secret channels? Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to plant a mole in the Central Star information center headquarters? And you just threw it all away." Bai Xiurong was heartbroken over the loss, her words mercilessly sharp.
"I... how was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? Xiurong, I still feel something isn’t right. A few months ago, her spiritual power had just awakened with a value under 100. She grew up on a Low-class Star, and there’s nothing special about her. How could she possibly have her information encrypted? I still think this was a setup specifically to trap us. You need to investigate. Who set a trap for us to walk into? Maybe they were just trying to bait our mole." The more Bai Ruzhen thought about it, the more sense it made. By the end, she was convinced she had uncovered the truth.
"If it makes you feel better to think that, then go ahead. You decrypted classified information, and the evidence is irrefutable. I’ve consulted a lawyer. The crime is endangering the Federation’s information security, which carries a minimum sentence of two years. And that’s only if we can argue for leniency after paying a massive fine. I’ve hired the best defense attorney for you to try and get you house arrest. Until the trial, don’t say another word. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, my hands will be tied," Bai Xiurong said, her voice laced with irritation.
It was only because Bai Ruzhen was a High-level Female Spirit Controller. Otherwise, that one charge would have been enough to get her exiled to the front lines of the Star Domain Battlefield.
Yan Fuzhen was fully aware of the situation with the Bai Family mother and daughter. However, Ning Xuan had no interest in their affairs. When Yan Fuzhen reported these events to her, she instructed him not to bring her news of the Bai Family anymore.
With the Alchemist competition only twenty days away, Ning Xuan had much to do. The space inside her Mysterious Ring was vast, and she was not short on funds. She had spent this time preparing a great many things.
Back at her residence, Ning Xuan was using the Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace from Ying Yaoshi to concoct a High-level Compound Potion.
She was attempting to create the most complex of all High-level Compound Potions: the Nine Revolutions Soul Firming Potion. The formula for this medicine was nearly identical to that of the Star-grade Medicine, the Nine Revolutions Soul Solidifying Pill, differing by only a single ingredient. Their names were also very similar, differing only by the final word. The thirteen ingredients they shared included Cold Mountain Xuanbing Marrow, Purple Spirit Heavenly Star Vine, and Earth Core Fire Lotus Seeds. As the primary component, Purple Spirit Heavenly Star Vine was used in the largest quantity and was the most crucial. The auxiliary materials included a thrice-steamed, nine-quenched black mother-of-pearl solution as a blending solvent, Phoenix Tail Bamboo Juice as a catalyst, and Cold Pond Water from the Nine Nether Secret Realm as a stabilizer.
The single differing ingredient was for the Nine Revolutions Soul Solidifying Pill, which required one additional item: the inner core of a First Rank Star Beast, the Soul Capturing Beast.
The inner core of a Soul Capturing Beast contained immense energy, making it impossible to control for anyone with a Spiritual Power Level below S-Class.
Although Ning Xuan possessed the inner core of a Soul Capturing Beast, the material was too precious to risk wasting on a difficult attempt. Therefore, she decided to first try her hand at concocting the Nine Revolutions Soul Firming Potion.
Once all her preparations were complete, Ning Xuan mobilized her Fire Element Energy, infusing the Cold Mountain Xuanbing Marrow until it liquefied. Next, she added the main ingredient, the Purple Spirit Heavenly Star Vine. Thanks to her powerful spiritual power control, stable output of Fire Element Energy, and precise perception of the ingredients’ properties, every step of the process went smoothly. She quickly reached the final fusion stage, the most critical moment that would determine her success. Over a dozen smaller vines branched off from the main one in her hand. They spread out to line the inner wall of the Alchemy Furnace, weaving themselves into an intricate net. At the tip of each vine, Fire Element Energy, produced by her Companion Spirit, condensed and poured continuously into the furnace.
The twelve vines rotated according to the positions of the Li Huo Xunfeng Formation, continuously releasing Fire Element Energy to keep the medicinal liquid boiling. Under Ning Xuan’s precise control, the liquid inside the Alchemy Furnace formed a dense energy vortex.
As the energy vortex formed for the ninth time, the vines wove themselves into a cocoon-like structure. Through the translucent mesh, she could see the medicinal liquid undergoing a wondrous transformation. Myriad points of starlight emerged within the pale green fluid. Each point spun on its own axis while simultaneously orbiting the larger energy vortex, before being drawn into its center one by one.
When the final wisp of starlight was drawn into the vortex, the vine cocoon unraveled. The medicine suspended in the Alchemy Furnace had transformed into a flowing river of stars. Shimmering silver clusters swam within its pale green base, refracting a rainbow of colors whenever the light touched them.
Ning Xuan gazed at the batch of Nine Revolutions Soul Firming Potion, now condensed into a fluid state, and a satisfied smile touched her lips. ’My alchemy skill has improved significantly since the intensive training.’ This batch of potion was of exceptional quality. Its energy conversion rate was high, and its concentration was so dense it was nearly a solid. She was confident that if she had added the inner core of the Soul Capturing Beast, the shimmering silver clusters would have transformed into brilliant star patterns, completing the refinement of the Nine Revolutions Soul Solidifying Pill.
Ning Xuan poured the successfully concocted medicine into a prepared Energy Bottle, which she then placed into a Space Button reserved for High-level Compound Potions.
Ning Xuan left the laboratory. Figuring it was about dinnertime, she glanced toward the dining room on the first floor.
The table in the dining room was already set, with plates and cutlery arranged perfectly. All she had to do was go down and take a seat, and the meal would be served.
As Ning Xuan descended the stairs, she saw Yan Fuzhen and Yan Chong kneeling in the middle of the main hall on the first floor, the one used for receiving guests. The other Attendants kept their heads bowed, going about their work silently as if the two men weren’t there.
It only took a moment for Ning Xuan to realize they were kneeling because of the assassination attempt Wang Chen had orchestrated earlier that day.
Although Yan Fuzhen had been assigned to her side by Ying Yaoshi, his conduct was always impeccably discreet and he handled his duties with great competence. Ning Xuan could find no fault in him. Her initial resistance to his presence had long since faded, and she had grown accustomed to having him around.
With this in mind, Ning Xuan walked over to the sofa in the center of the hall and sat down.