"Imparting guidance is no trouble at all; however, these matters are the secret techniques passed down by the ancestors of Xuanhua Temple and cannot be lightly transmitted to others," Immortal Xuanhua said slowly, seemingly hinting at something.

"I understand. I still have some savings on me and am willing to offer five hundred Spirit Stones for the restoration of the Xuanhua Temple buildings. Please, Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua, kindly accept." Yuan Ming took out a storage magic tool and passed it over.

"Spirit Stones are not necessary. I have another matter to request, which would be of great benefit to both of us. As long as Fellow Daoist agrees, I am willing to impart the Incense Dao heritage passed down from the ancestors of Xuanhua Temple, as well as all the insights I have gained from a lifetime of Incense Making," Immortal Xuanhua said, not accepting the storage magic tool, gazing at Yuan Ming with an eager look.

"May I know what matter Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua requires me to handle?" Seeing Immortal Xuanhua's peculiar expression, Yuan Ming was unsure what he would request, so he spoke rather vaguely.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan's talent in the Incense Dao is astonishing. Do you have any interest in joining Xuanhua Temple to focus on comprehending the Incense Dao? With your aptitude, and the support of our temple, in no more than fifty years, you will surely become a grandmaster of the Incense Dao," Immortal Xuanhua stated with a grave demeanor, convincing anyone looking that his words truly came from the heart.

"Join Xuanhua Temple?" Yuan Ming's brow gradually furrowed, clearly not keen on the idea.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan must not misunderstand. My invitation for you to join Xuanhua Temple is not to take you as a disciple; we would be peers, with no distinction of seniority. Although Xuanhua Temple is not large, we still possess some resources, and our research in Spirit Incense is profound—few in Yue Country can compare. If Fellow Daoist is willing to join, you may freely use and peruse everything our temple has, including all kinds of incense-making materials and libraries on Spirit Incense," Immortal Xuanhua urged, his eyes showing a slight urgency.

Upon hearing that he could freely peruse any classics, Yuan Ming's mind flashed with the image of that Beast Skin Book, his heart moved, but in the end, he shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua, but I value my freedom and do not wish to be restrained by a sect."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan need not worry about this matter. You can join our temple and ignore all trivial matters, focusing solely on the study of the Incense Dao. I will handle all the daily affairs of Xuanhua Temple myself and will not trouble you," the Xuan Hua Daoist continued to persuade, somewhat reluctantly.

A genius in the Incense Dao like Yuan Ming only appeared once in several hundred years. If he could be brought into the fold, the future prosperity of Xuanhua Temple was all but assured.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua, there's no need to say more. I currently have no intention of joining any sect, please forgive me," Yuan Ming stubbornly shook his head.

Having just experienced the destruction of Biluo Cave, he now only wished to cultivate alone in peace; he truly had no desire to join a second sect at this critical juncture.

Seeing Yuan Ming's resolute attitude, Immortal Xuanhua knew any further persuasion would be futile and might even cause annoyance, so he refrained from speaking further.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua, I am willing to add another three hundred Spirit Stones and donate them to your esteemed temple, in exchange for some pointers in Incense Making. May I?" Yuan Ming offered one last effort, bowing slightly as he spoke.

"Although Xuanhua Temple is small, we do have some Spirit Stones, so there is no need," Immortal Xuanhua said.

Yuan Ming felt disappointed upon hearing this but did not take it too seriously.

With the Stealing Heaven Tripod, he could possess Immortal Xuanhua at any time and secretly learn the Art of Incense Making. Not receiving guidance was not much of an issue.

"The insights of Incense Making passed down by the ancestors of our temple are not to be taught to outsiders, but my rudimentary understanding of the Incense Dao can be shared. Since Fellow Daoist Yuan is interested, we can exchange views with each other," Immortal Xuanhua unexpectedly continued.

Yuan Ming stood there, stunned, momentarily forgetting to reply.

"The most important aspect of Spirit Incense is 'spirit,' followed by 'incense,'" Immortal Xuanhua continued, unconcerned.

"Could you please explain this a little more clearly?" Yuan Ming, puzzled by the profound words, eagerly listened and inquired.

"Like living creatures, Spirit Incense is a product of the convergence of the Five Elements Power. Each type contains spiritual materials of the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth attributes, which form the basis of a stick of Spirit Incense. Only then are other spiritual materials added, and finally, the Spirit Incense is formed," Immortal Xuanhua explained.

Yuan Ming nodded repeatedly, gaining some clarity on many of the doubts he had during Incense Making.

"In making Spirit Incense, avoid being rigid and unchanging. Every cultivator's Spirit Root and constitution differ. Even for the same kind of Spirit Incense, the proportions of the five spiritual materials must be adjusted according to the target individual's condition to achieve the best effect," Immortal Xuanhua continued.

Although Yuan Ming had not agreed to join Xuanhua Temple, Immortal Xuanhua did not withhold any secrets, imparting all his knowledge of Incense Making, and time quickly passed half a day.

Though it was only half a day, Yuan Ming's understanding of Spirit Incense had deepened significantly, and combined with his previous experience in Incense Making, his insight into the Incense Dao grew.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Hua, I've heard that within Xuanhua Temple, there is a type of Foundation Establishment Spirit Incense that can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment. Is it true?" Yuan Ming asked.

Hearing this, Immortal Xuanhua's face showed a look of surprise: "The Foundation Establishment Spirit Incense is our temple's greatest secret. Even disciples of our temple do not know of it. How did Fellow Daoist Yuan come to know of this?"

"It was the senior who guided me in the Incense Dao who informed me. He advised me to come here in search of this incense, to use its power to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage," Yuan Ming casually fabricated.

"If it was said by that senior..." Immortal Xuanhua's expression changed slightly.

Considering Yuan Ming's astonishing achievements in the Incense Dao, Immortal Xuanhua firmly believed he had the guidance of a highly skilled individual. With this preconceived notion, he did not doubt Yuan Ming's words and secretly speculated whether that senior had a connection to Xuanhua Temple.

"Since it was mentioned by that senior, I will not lie. Our temple indeed has the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Spirit Incense. Frankly, I too wish to use this incense to advance to Foundation Establishment. However, firstly, the effective use of this incense must be accompanied by a Foundation Establishment Pill, and secondly, its refinement is quite difficult, far from something like the Purple Mysterious Incense, and the required materials are also exceedingly rare. I have yet to gather them all, let alone produce it," Immortal Xuanhua shook his head with a sigh.

"Which materials are you still lacking?" Yuan Ming pressed on, thinking to himself that it was no wonder the Foundation Establishment Incense was not as widely spread as the Foundation Establishment Pill. The difficulty of refining this incense seemed to be no less than that of the pill, and there were likely many restrictions as well.

"I've mostly gathered the other materials. Currently, I am only missing a main spiritual material of the Water attribute," Immortal Xuanhua revealed.

"I have ascertained that White Dragon Commerce on White Dragon Island has recently acquired this type of spiritual material, but unfortunately, they are not willing to sell it," Immortal Xuanhua said after thinking for a moment.

"Would Fellow Daoist Xuanhua be able to disclose the name of the spiritual material to me? Perhaps I could find a way to persuade them to part with some," Yuan Ming said upon hearing this.

Before Immortal Xuanhua could respond, a series of knocks on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Come in," Immortal Xuanhua said.

The door was pushed open, and the fair-skinned Daoist disciple hastened in, apparently having run all the way here as he was gasping for breath.

"What has happened that you are so flustered?" Immortal Xuanhua's face darkened as he commanded.

"This disciple begs forgiveness, it's that person from White Dragon Island," the fair-skinned Daoist disciple glanced at Yuan Ming before responding.

"Haven't we already clearly rejected them a few days ago? Why have they come knocking again!" Immortal Xuanhua was startled and spoke with a frown.

The fair-skinned Daoist disciple bowed his head, saying nothing.

Yuan Ming's expression changed subtly. They had just been speaking of White Dragon Island when someone from there arrived; what a coincidence.

Yet the visitor was likely not here with good intentions, no wonder the Daoist disciple was so vigilant when Yuan Ming had first arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, there are some matters that need my attention within the temple. I must attend to them. Please wait here for a moment," Immortal Xuanhua said, turning to Yuan Ming.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Xuanhua, feel free," Yuan Ming nodded.

"You stay here and entertain the guest," Immortal Xuanhua instructed the Daoist disciple before quickly walking out.

Yuan Ming sat down beside the table inside the room and asked, "Is there any tea?"

"Please wait a moment, senior. I'll fetch some right away," the fair-skinned Daoist disciple said before quickly walking out.

Yuan Ming took advantage of this moment to collect some incense ashes from the incense burner on a nearby altar table and tucked them away, while also stuffing several Spirit Stones into the burner.

The incense ashes he had previously obtained from Liu Xin Sect had all been used. Although Xuanhua Temple was not as large as Liu Xin Sect, it was still a sect, and many disciples offered incense to the ancestors daily, so these incense ashes were also worth a try.

The frantic little Daoist disciple hadn't noticed that a black soul crow had followed him outside, silently flying toward the front courtyard of Xuanhua Temple and soon perched on a large tree near the front hall.

From this location, one could see inside the front hall of Xuanhua Temple, where a black-clad middle-aged man was seated authoritatively, with thick eyebrows and keen eyes that gave an unapproachable aura. His cultivation was profound and inscrutable; Yuan Ming couldn't see through him with the soul crow, indicating he was likely at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The man's attire was identical to that worn by Li Sha from White Dragon Island, who had been killed in Black Rock City, which implied that he was probably an elder from White Dragon Island as well.

At that moment, the fair-skinned Daoist disciple came back with a steaming kettle and a tea cup, pouring a cup of tea for Yuan Ming.

"This is the Green Dew Tea from our temple. Although it is not Spiritual Tea, it has quite a nice flavor. Please have a taste, senior," the fair-skinned Daoist disciple said obediently.

Yuan Ming took a sip from the tea cup and nodded, asking, "What is your name?"

"Reporting to senior, this humble one is named Kong Bing," the fair-skinned Daoist disciple replied respectfully.

"Kong Bing, that's a good name. Let me ask you, what is the person from White Dragon Island doing at Xuanhua Temple?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"It seems they are here to negotiate a deal with my master. I'm not too clear on the details; master doesn't allow us to get involved in these matters," the fair-skinned Daoist disciple said, lowering his gaze.

Yuan Ming smiled upon hearing this; the young Daoist disciple seemed not large in age, yet he was quite shrewd, cutting off any further inquiries with a single sentence.

Fortunately, with the soul crow to investigate, Yuan Ming would soon know the purpose of the black-clad man's visit.

It didn't take long for Immortal Xuanhua to reach the front hall, whereupon seeing the black-clad man, he said sternly, "Elder Bai, I should have made it clear that the Incense Making Classics are the foundation of our temple and cannot be sold. Please leave now, and if you continue to press this matter, I will have to report it to Tieyun Temple and ask them to intervene."

Tieyun Temple was one of the Four Major Sects of the Eastern Domain, and Ning City fell under its protection.

"Heh, why become angry, Fellow Daoist Xuanhua? In my view, there's no deal in this world that cannot be made; it all depends on whether the buyer is willing to pay the price. I heard you went to White Dragon Commerce a few days ago to request Heavenly Glue, and I have brought the item with me. Just give the word, and this piece of Heavenly Glue, along with two thousand Spirit Stones, will be yours," the black-clad man chuckled, and a White Jade Box and a storage bag appeared on the table.

Upon opening the Jade Box, a faint chill spread out, and lying within was a chicken egg-sized, crystal clear white gelatinous body that made the moisture in the hall noticeably denser.

On seeing this object, Immortal Xuanhua's throat clearly moved slightly.

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