The cold wind howled through the icy peaks as Zhao Tian and Yao Jing trudged forward, their breaths visible in the freezing air.


    After grueling weeks of searching the treacherous cold region, they finally stood at the edge of a valley shrouded in mist.


    In the center of the valley, there was a single Misty Moon Petal, its translucent silver leaves shimmering like delicate ice.


    The nt''s petals emitted a faint luminescence that pierced through the surrounding mist.


    "There it is," Yao Jing whispered, her green eyes narrowing with a mix of excitement and caution.


    "Grrrr!" But their excitement was short-lived as a deep, guttural growl echoed through the valley, reverberating off the ice-covered cliffs.


    The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly as an enormous shadow emerged from the mist.


    From the dense fog, a beast appeared as It stood on four muscr legs, its body covered in crystalline scales.


    Jagged ice formations jutted from its spine, and its massive head bore four glowing, slitted eyes, each radiating an intense cold.


    Its maw opened to reveal rows of sharp, serrated fangs.


    "So much for an easy grab," Zhao Tian muttered, looking at the beast.


    Yao Jing let out a soft sigh "Frost Revenant Wyvern.. well, it is to be expected. It is a rare powerful herb and the astral energy surrounding it is rich, which is beneficial for beasts too."


    With that, she jumped in the air, dashing into the valley "Let''s finish this..."


    *woosh* mes began to swirl around her as she dashed to the ground like aet, clearing the mist in the valley.


    Before Yao Jing couldnd, the wyvern her and let out an ear-splitting roar, the sound carrying enough force to send shockwaves rippling through the valley.


    "GUAAARGHHHH!!" Ice crystals formed in the air as the temperature plummeted further, the wyvern''s aura saturating the environment.


    As shended stream of fire erupted from her body, so intense that the snow beneath her evaporated instantly, revealing scorched rock.


    *woosh* The wyvern lunged, its massive jaws snapping shut where Yao Jing had been mere moments before.


    *swish* She spun in mid-air, her mes gathering into a fiery whip.


    *flip* With a flick of her wrist, the whip cracked against the wyvern''s crystalline scales, creating an explosion of steam and sparks. *thoom*


    "GRRR!" The beast howled in pain, recoiling back as the heat began to melt the ice along its spine.


    Yao Jingnded lightly on a nearby rock, the mes in her hand growing brighter as she raised her hand.


    "zing Blossom..." she uttered and a massive fireball, shaped like a blooming lotus, formed above her, its petals radiating waves of searing heat.


    With a faint gesture, she hurled it at the wyvern.


    *THOOM* The fireball struck the beast squarely in the chest and for a moment, there was silence as the valley seemed to hold its breath.


    *THOOOM* Then came the explosion as a deafening roar of mes and shattering ice echoed through the valley.


    "GRAAARGHHH!" The wyvern screamed, its crystalline body cracking and shattering under the intense heat.


    Shards of molten ice flew in every direction, the mist evaporating entirely in the aftermath of the attack.


    When the mes subsided, the wyverny motionless, its massive form reduced to a steaming carcass, and the ground around it was scorched ck; the snowpletely melted.


    Yao Jing descended gracefully, her mes flickering out as shended beside the Misty Moon Petal.


    She reached out, her fingers hovering over the delicate herb before plucking it carefully.


    Turning to Zhao Tian, who had watched the entire battle in silence, she smiled faintly "Now, let''s refine the pill."


    From his storage ring, Zhao Tian retrieved a series of jade boxes, each containing supplementary herbs carefully selected for the refinement process.


    Their surroundings were eerily quiet now, the only sounds being the faint whistle of the cold wind and the asional crackle of residual mes on the scorched ground.


    They found a t area near the center of the valley, shielded by towering ice formations, where they could safely begin their work.


    Zhao Tian unfolded a simple alchemy mat, retrieved his cauldron, and set it down.


    Yao Jing sat cross-legged behind him, "Tian''er, this won''t be easy. The Misty Moon Petal''s astral energy, along with other herbs, will resist fusion."


    "So you surely need a cauldron to exert extra pressure. You''ll need to steady your mind and focus entirely. I''ll assist you by regting the energy flow."


    Zhao Tian gave her a small smile. "Mhm."


    Settling himself before the cauldron, Zhao Tian inhaled deeply, clearing his mind.


    He ced the Misty Moon Petal into the cauldron and used his mes, lighting up the cauldron.


    The petal began to release a silvery mist, its essence melding into the air inside the cauldron.


    One by one, Zhao Tian added the other ingredients.


    Each addition caused the cauldron to react violently, shaking and emitting bursts of light.


    Zhao Tian''s hands moved with precision, channeling his astral energy to control the vtile mixture within.


    Behind him, Yao Jing closed her eyes and began to channel her own energy.


    Her fiery astral energy surged through her body and extended her palms, and a faint, warm glow surrounded Zhao Tian as her energy began to flow into him.


    Her energy intertwined with his, creating a harmonious bnce.


    The fiery warmth of her energy stabilized the vtile astral energy within the cauldron, taming the unruly, rare herbs.


    Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as they worked.


    The cauldron''s glow shifted from silver to radiant gold, a sign that the ingredients were finally merging.


    Zhao Tian''s hands moved in patterns, guiding the energy flows within the cauldron while simultaneously maintaining the perfect temperature of the alchemical fire.


    Yao Jing''s voice broke the silence. "The petal''s essence is stabilizing. This is the critical moment, Tian''er. You''ll need to fuse itpletely or risk losing everything."


    Zhao Tian nodded, and his energy surged into the cauldron, enveloping the vtile energies within andpressing them into a single, unified form.


    The cauldron trembled violently, its runes glowing brightly as the final fusion took ce.


    There was a brilliant sh of light as the cauldron emitted a soft chime.


    The intense energy dissipated, leaving behind a serene stillness.


    Zhao Tian opened the cauldron lid carefully, and inside there was a single pill, its surface glistening with a silvery-gold hue.


    Zhao Tian exhaled deeply, his shoulders rxing as he picked up the pill and turned to Yao Jing, who opened her eyes and smiled, her face glowing with satisfaction.


    "Are you taking it now?"


    With a shake of his head, Zhao Tian replied "No, I will use it in my roomter... For now, let''s return to the sect."


    "Hm, we need to report the Astral Mine."


    --------------------------------------------------


    I hope you guys liked this chapter!