Word Count: 3,392 Words
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"He's so pitiful."
Little Fairy Doctor emerged from a spatial passage at this moment, coming to stand beside Xiao Yan. Venerable Feng was a 4-star Dou Venerate, and only she had the strength to defeat him, which was why she had been secretly keeping guard the entire time.
Very clearly though, Xiao Yan had worried unnecessarily. Venerable Yao hadn't been mistaken in his judgment this time.
Little Fairy Doctor gently picked up the Bone Flame Ring from the table. She too had received kindness from this ring's previous owner. The Poison Pill Method she used had been left behind by Venerable Yao.
Xiao Yan took the ring handed over by Little Fairy Doctor, shook his head, and sighed. "A true friend is hard to find. The grief of losing a close friend is something outsiders can hardly understand."
There was nothing that could be done. Not just Xiao Yan, even Hun Huzi, who claimed to be the number one alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent, had no solution.
Xiao Yan had once asked Hun Huzi whether the dissipated soul body in the Bone Flame Ring could be restored using the Hall of Souls' methods, and Hun Huzi's answer had been negative.
Even a Tier 9 Golden Pill couldn't revive a completely dissipated soul.
'Perhaps, in another world, such a tragedy wouldn't have occurred.' Xiao Yan lamented inexplicably. Perhaps in another, dislocated spacetime, there might be a different outcome.
Pushing aside these thoughts, he glanced at Little Fairy Doctor beside him. Sensing his gaze, she asked somewhat unnaturally, "Why are you looking at me?"
Xiao Yan suddenly smiled and said, "I've troubled you again."
Little Fairy Doctor's eyes held a hint of reproach as she replied, "I don't find it troublesome. Occasionally leaving my small valley to see the outside world isn't a bad thing."
Xiao Yan stretched lazily and retrieved the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body scroll from his storage ring. His eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled. "Now that this matter is settled, it's time to cultivate this Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body."
His Spiritual Strength stirred slightly, and not long after, a knock came from the door.
"Come in."
Creak!
Feng Qing Er pushed open the door, her expression somewhat unnatural. Xiao Yan could actually transmit thoughts directly into her mind through a soul connection! Did that mean her own thoughts could be spied upon by him?!
Before she could fully process this, Xiao Yan tossed the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body scroll to her.
"Open it."
Feng Qing Er was startled for a moment, then understood. Xiao Yan feared Venerable Lei might have tampered with the scroll and was using her as a scapegoat!
Right now, she could only hope Venerable Lei hadn't tried to be clever, or he would get her killed!
Feng Qing Er nervously opened the scroll and quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Venerable Lei had shown some wisdom this time and hadn't done anything unnecessary.
Xiao Yan said indifferently, "Check if there are any issues with the cultivation method."
Feng Qing Er pursed her lips, helplessly reading through the cultivation method and comparing it with the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body she already knew.
Soon, she looked at Xiao Yan, shook her head, and said, "No issues. It matches exactly with the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body cultivation method I'm familiar with."
Xiao Yan nodded to himself. It seemed this Venerable Lei was pragmatic enough not to try any tricks with the cultivation method.
Feng Qing Er furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, then finally gave up struggling and said directly, "However..."
"However?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and his Spiritual Strength exerted slight pressure.
Feng Qing Er felt as if her soul was being bound, a sense of oppression washing over her. She recognized this as Xiao Yan's warning.
She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. Wasn't she about to explain anyway? Sighing, she continued, "However, cultivating this Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body not only requires cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Movement to perfection, but also tempering the soul with heavenly lightning."
"The reason for needing to perfect the Three Thousand Lightning Movement first is that its cultivation requires lightning to temper the body. After the body has been lightning-tempered, it becomes easier to successfully undergo soul tempering with heavenly lightning."
Xiao Yan nodded to himself. When he had cultivated the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, he had coincidentally obtained a trace of lightning power, which, combined with the unique properties of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, had allowed him to succeed.
"Cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body requires a wisp of soul to enter the illusionary body. Without heavenly lightning tempering the soul, the wisp of soul will be destroyed by the illusionary body, making control impossible. Typically, Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples go to Lightning Mountain's peak to attract heavenly lightning that strikes their souls, which allows them to absorb traces of heavenly lightning power. But soul tempering with heavenly lightning is extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake means soul annihilation. Less than one in a hundred disciples successfully enter the initial stage each year." Feng Qing Er explained while carefully watching Xiao Yan's expression. She was practically suffering from Xiao Yan-phobia now.
"Did you also temper your soul this way when cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body?" Xiao Yan asked.
To his surprise, Feng Qing Er actually shook her head and said, "I didn't undergo heavenly lightning soul tempering because I was born with a wind and lightning dual body. My soul naturally contains lightning power. That's why I left my tribe to join the Wind Lightning Pavilion. The Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body suits my cultivation perfectly."
If Feng Qing Er had another chance, she would definitely have stayed safely hidden at home and never ventured out!
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before glancing at Feng Qing Er. That single look made her soul tremble.
"Come here and open your soul body." Xiao Yan beckoned to Feng Qing Er with a grin.
"You! What are you planning to do to me now?!" Feng Qing Er was so scared she quickly retreated two steps, her right hand tightly clutching her collar, her face incomparably terrified and pale, her beautiful eyes even holding a trace of tears.
Little Fairy Doctor beside them glanced at Xiao Yan as if asking: What did you do to her to make her so terrified?
"Ahem." Xiao Yan coughed heavily twice and explained, "I only want to test the difference between the lightning power in your soul and mine."
What the hell, don't tarnish my reputation! I didn't do anything to her. I only gave her an Asura Soul Pill! Xiao Yan could swear to heaven that his relationship with Feng Qing Er was entirely innocent!
Upon hearing that Xiao Yan merely wanted to conduct a test, Feng Qing Er finally relaxed somewhat, though she remained extremely wary as she slowly approached him step by step.
Her once noble and exquisite face was now filled with fear.
Xiao Yan raised his hand, summoning a wisp of silver flame to his fingertip. A faint lightning glow flickered across the flame like a swimming silver dragon.
The Nine Dragon Lightning Flame possessed soul-shocking power and held the dual attributes of lightning and fire. Having refined this Heavenly Flame, Xiao Yan's soul naturally contained lightning power, which also enhanced his soul. This made him a perfect match for cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body.
However, he wasn't certain if the lightning power granted by the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame was sufficient for cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body. If it proved inadequate, he would need to refine pills to enhance it.
Attracting heavenly lightning? Only a fool would do that. He was a dignified 8th-tier alchemist. Couldn't he just use pills and Heavenly Flames?
Zzz!
With a sizzling sound, Xiao Yan directed the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame to strike Feng Qing Er's soul. A dull thud echoed as Feng Qing Er's face contorted in pain, and she staggered back two steps. She felt as if her soul had been bombarded by heavenly lightning, experiencing intense agony.
'Hmm? My Nine Dragon Lightning Flame just now should have knocked out the soul of a 6th-tier alchemist, yet Feng Qing Er only felt discomfort?' Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly. Did cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body require such powerful lightning resistance?
His brows knitted together as he transformed the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame into two silver dragons, intensifying the lightning power.
Feeling Xiao Yan's stronger attack, Feng Qing Er's expression grew even more pained as she gritted her teeth and endured.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed with interest as he observed Feng Qing Er persevering through the pain. He increased the power to three dragons, then four.
Just as he prepared to escalate to five lightning dragons, Little Fairy Doctor beside him lightly coughed and said, "Xiao Yan."
"Ahem." Xiao Yan jolted and instantly retracted all traces of the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame. He absolutely wasn't doing this because he found it amusing; he was genuinely curious to see how much of the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame Feng Qing Er's soul could withstand.
After Xiao Yan withdrew the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame, Feng Qing Er gasped desperately for air. She had thought her soul was about to be annihilated; the lightning power she had just experienced was countless times stronger than Lightning Mountain's heavenly lightning.
"Are you alright?" Little Fairy Doctor brought over a chair and helped Feng Qing Er, who was kneeling on the ground gasping for breath. She gently wiped the sweat from Feng Qing Er's forehead with a handkerchief.
Feng Qing Er looked up and saw the kind-hearted, elegantly tempered Little Fairy Doctor. Even she was momentarily touched by Little Fairy Doctor's gentleness, which felt like a refreshing breeze.
"I'm fine." Feng Qing Er couldn't understand how such a gentle woman could be with someone as demonic as Xiao Yan. The contrast was too stark!
Was this what people called a contrast?
Witnessing this scene, Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose and said, "Feng Qing Er, don't think so poorly of me. Haven't you noticed your Spiritual Strength has grown stronger?"
Feng Qing Er looked at Xiao Yan in shock. Now that he mentioned it, she suddenly realized that if this had happened before, she would have already died!
"That Asura Soul Pill wasn't poison; it was a genuine medicinal pill that can enhance one's Spiritual Strength realm. If ranked, it would be around middle-grade tier 7," Xiao Yan said proudly.
The black soul fog wasn't poison but something that could elevate one's Spiritual Strength realm.
This was a medicinal pill Xiao Yan had refined by modifying the recipe of the Great Soul Black Purple Pill and incorporating the soul power of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique during the refinement process. Disregarding the Asura Slave Seal, it was an extremely high-quality tier 7 medicinal pill.
Xiao Yan walked over to Feng Qing Er, reclaimed the cultivation scroll from her hand, patted her shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry. As long as you don't become my enemy, that thing won't affect you at all. Perhaps we'll never meet again in the future. In that case, you'll have gained a tier 7 medicinal pill from me for free. You've actually profited, you know."
Feng Qing Er felt wronged, lightly biting her red lips. This counted as profit? Why don't you try it yourself!
Xiao Yan didn't care what Feng Qing Er thought. In this Dou Qi Continent, where might made right and the weak were prey to the strong, defeated individuals always faced miserable fates.
If Feng Qing Er hadn't been able to provide information about the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, she would have either been transformed into a medicinal pill or had her soul body handed over to the Hall of Souls by now.
Rather than immediately cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body, Xiao Yan set up his cauldron to refine pills for Zi Yan. The remaining two-plus days were just enough time to complete this task.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, a high-grade tier 7 medicinal pill posed no difficulty for him. He successfully refined it within two days.
After consuming the pill, Zi Yan entered seclusion to assimilate its medicinal strength. Pills for magical beasts contained more potent energy and required greater amounts of power to process.
More than half a day later, Zi Yan finished refining the medicinal effects. Her strength increased from peak 3-star Dou Ancestor to approximately 5-star stage, instantly surpassing Qing Lin to become the fourth strongest member of the Yan Alliance in terms of cultivation.
These three days passed uneventfully with no disturbances. The entire inn was treated as forbidden ground within Wind Lightning City.
Not only did no one dare enter the inn, even carriages and pedestrians made detours to avoid passing nearby.
And during these three days, news of the Four Pavilion Grand Meeting naturally spread throughout the entire Northern Region. The most discussed topic was undoubtedly Xiao Yan, this super-genius alchemist.
At just twenty-five years old, he had become an 8th-tier alchemist. This news even reached the Pill Region.
Although there were various signs indicating that Venerable Tian Huo had consumed the Green Fungus Pill, and Xiao Yan very likely refined it, there were still many voices of doubt.
"8th-tier? Impossible! I heard that the Cao Clan's Witch, Cao Ying, only managed to refine a medicinal pill that attracted two-colored Pill Lightning a couple of years ago. And that was after the Cao Clan invested countless tier 8 ingredients and endured numerous failures before finally succeeding once."
"Though the Yan Alliance is certainly powerful in the Northern Region, they simply couldn't afford to provide Xiao Yan with abundant tier 8 medicinal ingredients for alchemy practice. The Yan Alliance lacks that kind of wealth."
"Besides, the most challenging aspect of becoming an 8th-tier alchemist is enhancing one's Spiritual Strength. Do you have any idea what Soul State Spiritual Strength even means?"
Naturally, in this world without cheats or systems, strength improvement followed logical progression. This was especially true for alchemy advancement. Spiritual Strength, fire control, and experience were all indispensable elements.
Xiao Yan was so young, and the Yan Alliance, compared to other major factions, was merely an emerging force. It seemed impossible that they could nurture an 8th-tier alchemist.
People speculated that the Yan Alliance must have paid an enormous sum to hire some 8th-tier alchemist to refine the Green Fungus Pill, allowing Venerable Tian Huo to restore his strength to peak 3-star Dou Venerate.
Most importantly, Xiao Yan had not received certification from the Pill Tower.
An 8th-tier alchemist needed to be certified by the Pill Tower. Upon reaching such a level, the Pill Tower would provide not only medicinal ingredient trade channels but also protection to prevent 8th-tier alchemists from falling victim to the Hall of Souls.
The Honorable Elders of the Hall of Souls had their eyes on all 8th-tier alchemists.
A Soul State soul body's value in soul points was something even Venerable Yan coveted.
However, regardless of the doubts about Xiao Yan's alchemy skills, no one questioned the Yan Alliance's strength. The Yan Alliance had proven with force that they could match the Wind Lightning Pavilion. They had even taken Feng Qing Er hostage and swaggering around Wind Lightning City for three days!
Soon, the third day arrived, and Venerable Lei appeared as promised.
The Southern, Western, Northern, and Eastern Pavilion Masters were all present. Xiao Yan, who had been seated in a chair, rose quickly, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled. "Venerable Lei truly is a man of his word. Three days, not one more or less."
Hearing the implicit mockery in Xiao Yan's words, the three Pavilion Masters behind Venerable Lei nearly ground their teeth to dust. However, with Feng Qing Er still in the Yan Alliance's hands, they could only swallow their anger.
Venerable Lei took a deep breath. He knew this wasn't the time for revenge. If the Wind Lightning Pavilion were to wage war against the Yan Alliance with their current strength, they would undoubtedly face a crushing defeat.
Others might question Xiao Yan's alchemy skills, but he, having interacted with him directly, understood that Xiao Yan was genuinely an 8th-tier alchemist!
This fact was beyond doubt!
"Hmph!" With a wave of his hand, Venerable Lei produced more than a dozen brocade boxes from his storage ring, all filled with tier 8 medicinal ingredients and Monster Cores.
Venerable Tian Huo stepped forward slowly, his Spatial Strength steadily catching the brocade boxes and causing them to float before Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan opened them one by one to verify their contents, then smiled and said, "As expected of the Wind Lightning Pavilion. These are all exceptionally high-quality medicinal ingredients."
He couldn't help but wonder if he'd asked for too little.
After safely storing away all the medicinal ingredients, Xiao Yan approached Feng Qing Er with a grin. When he saw her dumbfounded expression, he suddenly slapped her butt.
!!
"You!" Feng Qing Er hurriedly covered her dress with her hands, gritting her teeth as she glared at Xiao Yan. Her face instantly flushed with embarrassment and anger. When had a man ever dared to spank her?!
"Why are you still standing here? Are you that eager to stay by my side?" Xiao Yan laughed.
Feng Qing Er was furious but helpless. With a flash of Three Thousand Lightning Movement, she appeared beside Venerable Lei while glaring angrily at Xiao Yan.
She wished for nothing more than to hear news of Xiao Yan's death someday!
The instant Feng Qing Er returned, the atmosphere in the entire inn hall grew tense. The other three Pavilion Masters secretly began circulating their Dou Qi.
Now that their hostage had been returned, the Wind Lightning Pavilion no longer needed to exercise restraint. A battle might erupt at any moment!
Xiao Yan calmly sat down, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and leisurely picked up a teacup to take a sip. He glanced at the motionless Venerable Lei and asked, "What's the matter, Venerable Lei? Do you have further business with me?"
"If you're looking to commission some alchemy, that's no problem. I, Xiao Yan, don't look at the person, only at the money. If you can afford my price, I'll refine pills for you."
"For Feng Qing Er's sake, I can even offer your Wind Lightning Pavilion a discount." Xiao Yan grinned, his white teeth somehow gleaming with golden light.
At this moment, Xiao Yan resembled nothing so much as a crafty merchant.
Under normal circumstances, hearing such words from an 8th-tier alchemist would have certainly made Venerable Lei smile. But coming from Xiao Yan, he couldn't bring himself to smile at all.
"Hmph!" Venerable Lei waved his sleeve, intending to turn and leave.
"Xiao Yan, the Central Plains is vast, with experts as numerous as clouds. This Northern Region is merely a small peripheral area. The status of an 8th-tier alchemist is not sufficient for you to act without restraint!" Venerable Lei's threatening voice echoed from outside the door.
"Many thanks for Venerable Lei's reminder. I will certainly heed your advice. Qing Lin, please see our guests out." Xiao Yan waved his hand dismissively.
Qing Lin nodded lightly, made a welcoming gesture, and said, "Everyone, the door is this way."
After Venerable Lei left the doorway, a spiritual transmission suddenly entered Feng Qing Er's mind. Upon hearing it, her body trembled visibly.
"What's wrong, Qing Er?" Venerable Lei asked with concern. "Are you injured?"
Feng Qing Er quickly shook her head and said, "I'm fine. They didn't harm me."
Venerable Lei narrowed his eyes and said with concern, "Qing Er, I believe you should report this matter to your tribe. Whether it's his refinement of your tribe member's corpse or your kidnapping, these acts represent grave disrespect and even a declaration of war against the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe."
Feng Qing Er swallowed nervously. Her thoughts remained unreadable as she nodded slightly and replied in a soft voice, "I... I understand."
Venerable Lei stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction. Little did he know, Feng Qing Er wasn't actually responding to him.