Each with Their Own Schemes

Although the violent battle with Ying Yu last night was exhilarating, Tie Ruonan had actually sustained multiple injuries. While she had taken medicinal pills to heal her external wounds, there were still internal injuries lingering.

Now, as she swallowed the pill casually refined by Qin Ran, the medicinal power spread throughout her body. She immediately felt a warm sensation all over, not only healing the injuries from last night but also showing signs of treating old, residual internal wounds.

"Ahh!" The intense feeling of comfort made her moan involuntarily.

Seeing her in this state, the Doctor, who was unwilling to believe in Qin Ran's pill-refining skills, thought Tie Ruonan was moaning in pain. His face changed dramatically as he shouted, "Poison! Poisonous pill! Captain Tie has been poisoned!!"

Hearing that Tie Ruonan had been poisoned, many sailors immediately gathered around.

But when they saw Tie Ruonan, they found her face turned towards the sky, eyes half-closed, with an expression of ecstasy. Her lips were slightly parted as she moaned, looking completely blissful. They were unsure how to react.

"It's this guy!" The Doctor pointed at Qin Ran, shouting with false bravado, "He refined a poisonous pill, intending to harm Captain Tie. Quick, kill him!"

Although uncertain, some sailors still moved behind Qin Ran, preparing to restrain him, as he was a stranger who had just come aboard.

Qin Ran smiled gently and said to the sailors behind him before they could act, "There's no need for that, brother. I'm just a mere pill refiner, I can't run away. Why don't we wait for Captain Tie to recover and clarify things?"

His calm demeanor was clearly more convincing than the Doctor's aggressive manner. The sailors hesitated and didn't make a move.

Though feeling very comfortable, Tie Ruonan wasn't so incapacitated that she couldn't speak. She remained silent intentionally to see how Qin Ran would handle the situation.

And Qin Ran's calm handling of the matter pleased her greatly... As expected of the man she wanted to bed.

She slowly returned to normal, giving Qin Ran an approving look before smiling and saying, "The quality of this pill is unbelievably good, comparable to those from the Water Origin Sect!"

"Water Origin Sect?!" Upon hearing this name, the surrounding sailors immediately showed reverence, and their gazes towards Qin Ran also carried a hint of respect.

The Doctor knew he had lost his chance. He sighed inwardly, looking at Qin Ran with a complex expression... So he really was a pill-refining master, not just some reckless youth.

"So it turns out we have a pill-refining expert before us!" He quickly bowed and said, "I was truly blind and spoke nonsense. I must apologize to the master and beg for your forgiveness."

Qin Ran looked at him with a smile, thinking to himself that this was quite an adaptable character - he'd need to find an opportunity to eliminate him early. Such people were the most likely to cause trouble in secret.

"No, no, I don't deserve such praise!" he replied with a smile, "I'm no master, I just know a bit about pill refining."

"I told you you were being modest!" Tie Ruonan slapped Qin Ran's shoulder, leaving her hand there as she laughed loudly, "My judgment has always been good."

Qin Ran glanced at the sailors and asked Tie Ruonan, "You mentioned the Water Origin Sect earlier?"

Using the motion of turning, he discreetly avoided Tie Ruonan's grasp.

"The Water Origin Sect is on Water Origin Island," Tie Ruonan explained with a carefree smile, thinking to herself that he wouldn't escape her grasp so easily. "It's the largest island in the Tianlan Sea Region, and they're the best at pill refining. The pills they produce are renowned even among the Seven Great Islands in the central area of the Tianlan Sea Region."

Water Origin Sect? So there were sects in the Tianlan Sea Region too.

The Seven Great Islands in the central area? Qin Ran guessed these were probably the seven most powerful forces in the Tianlan Sea Region, likely similar to the status of the Lingnan Immortal Sect in the Lingnan Region.

"Oh, I see!" Qin Ran nodded in understanding, inwardly considering how he might visit the Water Origin Sect to learn about the high-level pill refining techniques of the Tianlan Sea Region.

The misunderstanding here had been cleared up, and the sailors dispersed.

The Doctor looked at Qin Ran, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately left without saying anything.

"With your pill-refining skills... you must be from the central region," Tie Ruonan said to Qin Ran.

This Tie Ruonan was really trying to seduce him as if he were a "girl"... Qin Ran shook his head and replied, "My pill-refining skills really aren't that great."

Tie Ruonan was experienced in matters of the heart. Seeing that flattery wasn't working, she immediately changed tactics and asked, "Come to think of it, you ended up here because someone set you up, right? You'll want to go back for revenge eventually. But in your current state, you can't return yet... Why not join us on Dragon Whale Island?"

"My identity is unclear, and it might bring trouble," Qin Ran refused, "I'm afraid it would cause problems for Dragon Whale Island."

Before the smile could disappear from Tie Ruonan's face, he added, "However, if you need pills, I can refine them for you. I'll probably be staying on Dragon Whale Island for quite a while."

At this, the smile didn't completely fade from Tie Ruonan's face. "We're very hospitable. Dragon Whale Island will always welcome you," she told Qin Ran.

Inwardly, she laughed coldly. Once on Dragon Whale Island, you won't have any say in the matter.

They chatted casually by the deck railing for a while longer, with Tie Ruonan taking some liberties here and there before finally leaving.

Qin Ran leaned against the railing, his eyes narrowed slightly. He knew that Tie Ruonan was going to report his abilities and value in detail to the captain so they could strategize about him.

In this place, even more remote than the Land of Immortal Legacy, a second-rank Spirit Refining Master who could also refine pills would certainly be worth recruiting for their faction.

But Qin Ran had his own plans. As an outsider, he obviously wouldn't join a group whose background he wasn't clear about. Or rather, he didn't want to join any faction at all. He preferred the idea of roaming freely in the Tianlan Sea Region.

... Wasn't it enough that his main body was restricted to the Dao Sword Sect? Now that his avatar had finally gotten out, why would he want to join another sect?

Spirit Refining techniques... pill-refining methods... these were what interested him.

He might temporarily join Dragon Whale Island as a stopgap measure, but once he had a decent understanding of the Tianlan Sea Region, he would definitely slip away. If possible, wouldn't it be better to go play at the Water Origin Sect, known for its pill refining?

What kind of small fry was Dragon Whale Island to think they could keep him?

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Qin Ran opened his palm, revealing medicinal ingredients moving within his flesh...

These were the remaining ingredients from refining the Immortal Fruit pill earlier. When refining the Immortal Fruit, he had only used a portion of the ingredients, secretly hiding the rest.

For a pill refiner like him who was well-versed in pharmacology, even though these were ingredients for refining healing pills, he could certainly use them to create other interesting concoctions. With the right ingredients, anything was possible.

It took Tie Ruonan and her group about a day to sail from Dragon Whale Island to Qin Ran's deserted island, and the return journey took about the same time. Perhaps due to favorable winds or ocean currents, the return trip was slightly faster, and they reached Dragon Whale Island before nightfall.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Qin Ran gazed at the vast continent before him, with its coastline stretching endlessly into the distance. He shook his head and smiled.

This should have been expected, right? Islands in the cultivation world should naturally be this large, befitting the scale of such a world.

As the land drew closer, the unique buildings on the island became clearer, and the bustling sounds from the dock reached his ears. He took a deep breath and said with a smile, "A brand new world, here I come!"

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