Word Count: 3,334 Words
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Little Fairy Doctor's cheeks flushed faintly after Qing Lin left. Now it was just the two of them, a man and a woman alone together in a room?!
"It's your turn, Little Fairy Doctor."
Startled, she quickly clutched at her clothes. Was he going to use a Heavenly Flame again?!
Xiao Yan coughed lightly and touched his nose when he saw her reaction. He wouldn't mind, but there was no excuse this time.
"What are you thinking? The Poison Pill's already been refined. I do need to make another Poison Pill though, but it's not for you." Black flames appeared, and a corpse tumbled out of the Nihility Space with a dull thud.
It was none other than Venerable Bing's corpse!
Little Fairy Doctor let out a sigh of relief when she saw Venerable Bing's corpse appear, but she still shot Xiao Yan a glare. It was all this guy's fault, making her so traumatized!
Xiao Yan quickly averted his eyes when he caught her slightly reproachful look. It wasn't his fault the Heavenly Flame was like that.
"You want to extract the poison from Venerable Bing's acquired Woeful Poison Body and refine it into a Poison Pill?" Little Fairy Doctor quickly understood Xiao Yan's intentions when she saw he had preserved the corpse.
Venerable Bing possessed an acquired Woeful Poison Body. Normally, those with innate Woeful Poison Bodies would suffer poison eruptions upon reaching the Dou Venerate realm. To avoid this fate, Venerable Bing had waited until after reaching Dou Venerate before condensing his Woeful Poison Body.
He used his Dou Venerate body to condense the Woeful Poison Body. Since this Woeful Poison Body was refined through his own poison secret methods, he could control the poison amount. This differed completely from Little Fairy Doctor's innate Woeful Poison Body, which could transform even the natural energy in the air into poison simply through breathing.
"Mm. This fellow's acquired Woeful Poison Body used many precious poisons and heavenly treasures. I plan to use the Poison Pill Method to condense his acquired Woeful Poison Body into a Poison Pill." Xiao Yan nodded. Venerable Yan disliked wasting things.
Little Fairy Doctor showed a look of distaste, her delicate brows furrowing. Using a human to refine pills that she would then have to use... as a beautiful fairy, she found this difficult to accept.
"Just think of him as a magical beast and the Poison Pill as a Monster Core. Besides, it's not for you to consume. This is for the Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen."
The 'Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen' was the name Xiao Yan had given to the Pill Beast. After searching through numerous magical beast records and finding nothing similar, he had named it based on its appearance—resembling a Zhen bird with a thousand eyes.
As for what powerful abilities this Pill Beast might possess, Little Fairy Doctor was still exploring. Thus, he planned to feed it some potent poison to see if it would change in any way.
Little Fairy Doctor heard this and could only nod. Because of Xiao Yan, her Woeful Poison Body had already embarked on a different path, one different from all previous Woeful Poison Bodies.
Her red lips parted slightly, and a dark green Poison Pill emerged. A bird resembling an ordinary crow flapped its wings and flew through the air with a whoosh.
Finally, it landed on Venerable Bing's corpse, a flash of greed passing through its eyes.
"Seems this fellow really appreciates Venerable Bing's Woeful Poison." Xiao Yan stroked his chin thoughtfully. Unlike Little Fairy Doctor, this creature had perfectly inherited the Woeful Poison Body's nature, possessing an innate craving for poisonous substances.
Although Xiao Yan didn't have Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva now, it was just as Venerable Bing had thought. The Poison Pill Method was merely an ordinary technique for body tempering and poison refinement. Xiao Yan used to think this Poison Pill Method was very profound, but after reaching tier 8, he realized it was actually rather ordinary.
With his skills as an 8th-tier alchemist, he could devise over a dozen methods to replace the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva and Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Monster Core.
As for medicinal ingredients, he had no shortage of pills. Though the Ye Clan had declined, they now treated him as their savior. While Xiao Yan refused to accept things for free, the Ye Clan practically gave away their medicinal inventory to him at negligible prices.
Little Fairy Doctor hadn't left during these past few days, staying by Xiao Yan's side and incidentally observing how 'Venerable Yan' dissected corpses and refined 'corpse oil'.
Ordinary alchemists didn't have methods for processing cultivator corpses, but the Hall of Souls did, and quite a few of them. Following the principle that learning knows no bounds, Xiao Yan had naturally learned some as well.
After several days of processing, Venerable Bing's corpse was now completely unrecognizable, no longer looking human at all, more like a lump of dough.
Chirp!!!
The Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen spat out a ball of dark green poison flame that enveloped the corpse. Venerable Bing's body visibly melted and shrank before their eyes.
It almost gave the impression of bread baking.
"What fierce poison flame! This is even more intense than the original Ghostly Poison Flame!" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted in surprise. The Ghostly Poison Flame that the Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen spat out was more poisonous and fiercer than when he had possessed it!
Even the corpse of a peak 4-star Dou Venerate was easily refined.
Xiao Yan controlled the flames, using the Poison Pill Method to condense the Woeful Poison from Venerable Bing's body.
"Form the pill!"
With a whoosh, a forest-white pill materialized in midair. Xiao Yan couldn't help but marvel. That Venerable Bing truly deserved his reputation as a veteran Dou Venerate. The poisons and heavenly treasures he had used for his Woeful Poison Body were extremely precious. This Poison Pill contained not only terrifying toxins but also astonishing energy.
One could imagine how much effort he had expended to cultivate his acquired Woeful Poison Body.
Meanwhile, Venerable Bing's corpse was completely incinerated to ash by the Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen. Poor Venerable Bing, reduced to nothing but a pile of bone ash in the end.
"Eh? What's this?" Xiao Yan frowned, looking at the bone ash on the ground. With a gentle blow, a palm-sized map appeared before him.
He picked it up and studied the routes and markings. His eyes suddenly lit up with joy!
"Holy crap! Ice River Valley's treasure!"
Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor exchanged delighted glances. Everyone had assumed this treasure was lost. Who would have expected that Venerable Bing was so cunning as to hide the treasure map inside his own body!
Xiao Yan looked at the proud Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen and gave a thumbs up. This fellow was clever, knowing the map couldn't be burned and deliberately preserving it.
The Thousand-Eyed Night Zhen ignored Xiao Yan, preening its wing feathers with its beak in an utterly arrogant manner.
"Let's hand this treasure map to Venerable Tian Huo to handle. With his strength and experience, he should be able to manage it." As a Hall of Souls Honorable Elder, Xiao Yan naturally understood how to 'outsource.' He couldn't handle everything personally, especially with Holy Pill City still ahead of him.
Xiao Yan placed the medicinal pill in a brocade box, handed it to Little Fairy Doctor, and said seriously, "This Poison Pill is for you. It contains the toxins from poisons Venerable Bing used over the years. Although some were eliminated during the condensation process, terrifyingly potent poison still remains inside."
"I'm afraid even ordinary 4-star Dou Venerates would struggle to resist it."
That Poison Pill contained not only Venerable Bing's Woeful Poison but also some precious medicinal ingredients used to replace the Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Monster Core and Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva.
The absence of Pill Lightning proved this wasn't a medicinal pill but merely a refined and compressed collection of poisons. However, if it were a medicinal pill, judging by the ingredients grade, it would likely be a tier 8 pill that attract three-colored Pill Lightning.
Xiao Yan felt somewhat apprehensive. Was this Poison Pill too fierce? Could Little Fairy Doctor's Heavenly Flame Poison Pill withstand it?!
Little Fairy Doctor nodded heavily and carefully stored the brocade box. "I understand. I'll wait until I'm confident before refining this Poison Pill."
But she didn't say when that would be. That would be when Xiao Yan's opponents grew stronger and he needed more powerful help. That would be when she had confidence.
Although about half a year remained until the Pill Gathering, Xiao Yan wasn't planning to go to Holy Pill City only after six months passed.
He needed to arrive at Holy Pill City four months early to help the Ye Clan resolve their assessment. That meant he had two months left for cultivation.
…
During these two months, Xiao Yan spent his days at the Sun Fire Ancient Altar, focusing solely on improving his strength. Qing Lin and Little Fairy Doctor were the same; both remained in closed-door cultivation.
This situation left Zi Yan frustrated. Fortunately, the Ye Clan, having once been among the five great clans, still had First Elder Ye Zhong, a 7th-tier alchemist who could refine tier 7 medicinal ingredients for her to eat like candy.
After more than a month, Venerable Tian Huo returned. This 'outsourcing company' had proven quite competent, successfully retrieving Ice River Valley's treasure that Venerable Bing had hidden.
"Tier 9 Precious Pill, 'Supreme Unity Precious Pill,' a healing-type medicinal pill. Can be consumed by those below 3-star Dou Saint. It cures all injuries including soul trauma and provides full recovery. The medicinal properties are extremely gentle; even ordinary people can consume it. It won't damage an already injured body and can even allow a soul body to regenerate flesh and blood. Truly worthy of being called the Supreme Unity Pill."
Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with excitement as he read the tier 9 pill recipe. Ice River Valley truly deserved its reputation as one of the Three Valleys, having dominated the Central Plains for countless years. Venerable Bing had collected an extraordinarily precious pill recipe.
For an alchemist, this Supreme Unity Precious Pill recipe was equivalent to a Low Tian Class Dou Technique—priceless beyond measure!
As for the other items in the treasure, Xiao Yan had no interest aside from those few tier 8 pill recipes, some Monster Cores and medicinal ingredients. He especially disdained the High Di Class Ice Venerate Strength Qi Method and the two quasi-Tian Class ice attribute Dou Techniques that Venerable Bing had cultivated.
It wasn't that Xiao Yan couldn't cultivate ice attribute techniques. With his possession of the Bone Chilling Flame, he could indeed cultivate ice attribute Dou Techniques and Qi Methods, gaining dual attributes.
However, those two Dou Techniques were truly lackluster. Their power couldn't compare to the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique or the five-seals-combined God Seal Technique. Moreover, since Xiao Yan's main Qi Method was fire attribute, ice attribute techniques couldn't display their full potential.
"Never mind. Let that old fellow Hai Bodong benefit."
Hai Bodong probably never imagined he would one day obtain Ice River Valley's inheritance!
…
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. What left Xiao Yan somewhat helpless was that even with the ancient altar's help, he was only at peak 5-star Dou Ancestor, still a bit short of 6-star Dou Ancestor. He would probably have to wait until Holy Pill City to break through to 6-star.
What left him even more speechless was that Qing Lin had actually reached 6-star before him.
"Is this absorption technique really that overpowered?" Xiao Yan scrutinized Qing Lin from head to toe. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils could absorb a snake servant's cultivation and convert it to her own, which Xiao Yan called the absorption technique.
Qing Lin blushed and lowered her head when she felt Xiao Yan's up-and-down gaze. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, somewhat resembling a maid awaiting her young master's favor.
Xiao Yan only realized he had been looking too long when he saw her expression.
However, it had to be said that Qing Lin had indeed 'grown' quite a bit.
Even wearing a plain green dress, that snake-like waist bound with silk ribbon still drew the eye. Her shy demeanor now added an enchanting, delicate charm.
The combination of her beautiful appearance and bashful expression was incredibly captivating.
What would it feel like to wrap an arm around that soft, seemingly boneless waist? Compared to Cai Lin, who would be softer?
"Cough." Little Fairy Doctor shot Xiao Yan a glare from the side. Only then did he come back to his senses and awkwardly touched his nose. "First Elder Ye Zhong, let's go. It's time to head to Holy Pill City to complete that assessment."
Little Fairy Doctor had accompanied Xiao Yan for so long that she naturally knew when he touched his nose, it meant he had a guilty conscience.
This couldn't entirely be blamed on Xiao Yan. It was mainly because that night, Xun Er had stirred up certain things.
As for what happened during these two months, Cao Dan from the Cao Clan came looking for trouble because the Ye Clan canceled the engagement. Such trivial matters weren't worth mentioning.
Xiao Yan and his group had a very smooth journey and arrived at the Central Plains' most famous place, Holy Pill City.
"This is truly exaggerated..." Xiao Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This was his first time encountering a situation where one needed to queue to enter and exit a wormhole!
Space Boats filled the entire wormhole one after another. The number of boats arriving from all directions in the void was ridiculously large. And this was still four months before the Pill Gathering.
"Big Brother Xiao Yan, when the Pill Gathering truly begins, the crowds will be even more exaggerated. It'll be as if everyone from the entire Central Plains has squeezed into Holy Pill City." Xin Lan explained.
Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead. That would indeed be something to behold.
After about fifteen minutes, Xiao Yan and his companions finally landed in a Holy Pill City square buzzing with countless voices. This plaza that stretched beyond sight was merely one landing point for a single wormhole!
"Holy Pill City has eight such spatial points," Ye Zhong explained. "And this is just the outer city. The Pill Tower stands in the inner city."
The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. Just this one square was probably half the size of Jia Ma Sacred City, yet Holy Pill City had eight of them?
And these were just the outer city landing zones!
Just how large was Holy Pill City!
"This Holy Pill City is probably comparable to the entire Jia Ma Empire." Qing Lin murmured in amazement at this sight.
"Where do we go now?" Xiao Yan shook his head and asked.
Everyone's gazes turned to Ye Zhong. This was Xiao Yan and the others' first time in Holy Pill City. They weren't familiar with anything here and had to rely on Ye Zhong, this old horse.
"The five great clans' assessment will arrive in a few days. We've traveled all day today, so let's find a place to rest first. Tomorrow I'll take you to one of the Pill Tower's testing points. You'll need to obtain a Pill Tower-certified alchemist grade badge." Ye Zhong pondered briefly before speaking.
"Alchemist grade badge?" Xiao Yan paused. "We still need that?"
He had only obtained such a badge once before, when he won the championship at the Alchemist Grand Meeting in the Jia Ma Empire and received a 5th-tier alchemist badge and robe. He still used that 5th-tier alchemist robe to this day.
"Hehe, the Pill Tower's certification isn't like others. It's famously strict. It's precisely because of this that its grade badges can be used throughout the entire continent. However, given Grandmaster Xiao Yan's strength, I believe you'll definitely stun everyone." Ye Zhong smiled, his words hinting that this was a good opportunity to show off!
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He didn't have any major objections to this. He was curious to see just how strict Holy Pill City's assessment would be.
Ye Zhong smiled when he saw Xiao Yan had no objections. He got his bearings and was about to lead everyone to find a place to rest when intense spatial fluctuations suddenly rippled through the sky behind them. Then a snow-white carriage pulled by several brilliantly silver flying horses appeared in the sky above.
"Those are actually Void Heavenly Horse Beasts! Who travels with such grandeur?"
"Void Heavenly Horse Beasts?"
Zi Yan frowned when she saw the heavenly horses in the sky. This type of heavenly horse beast had the same ability as her Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. They possessed beast skills that could traverse the void, able to do so even without reaching Rank 8.
Of course, they couldn't compare to an Ancient Void Dragon.
Ye Zhong's brows furrowed tightly as he said in a deep voice: "That badge belongs to someone from the Dan Clan."
"Dan Clan?" Xiao Yan glanced at that badge, then shook his head without curiosity about who was sitting inside. He didn't care whether this Dan Clan was the strongest of the five great clans. This time, whether for the assessment or the Pill Gathering, he, Xiao Yan, would claim the championship!
The championship belonged to no one but him!
This minor episode had no impact on Xiao Yan's group. They soon arrived at a large Ye Clan residence in Holy Pill City to rest.
…
That night, Xiao Yan stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the stars.
"How strange. I'm already in Holy Pill City. There's no reason I shouldn't feel anything yet." Xiao Yan opened his palm, where two yin-yang fish swam joyfully.
What puzzled him was that the Yin-Yang Twin Flame left by his ancestor showed absolutely no reaction.
Based on the soul image left by Xiao Xuan, he had determined that his ancestor possessed Heavenly Flames in black-white, red, and purple colors. The black-white colors were naturally the Yin-Yang Twin Flame. As for the red Heavenly Flame, his deduction pointed to either the 8th-ranked Red Lotus Karmic Flame or the 17th-ranked Fire Mountain Rock Flame.
Of course, some Heavenly Flames didn't have fixed colors, just like his Ten Thousand Beast Flame, whose color wasn't fixed.
Only the purple color left Xiao Yan somewhat puzzled, because no Heavenly Flame was purple in color. That meant his ancestor's final Heavenly Flame was one with an unfixed color.
Xiao Yan had heard from Ye Zhong that the Three Thousand Burning Flame sealed by the Pill Tower was purple. As such, he had arrived full of confidence, hoping to rely on his ancestral glory to directly refine that Three Thousand Burning Flame.
Yet now, standing in Holy Pill City, the Yin-Yang Twin Flame showed no response whatsoever.
"Could it not be the one? Or is the seal preventing the Yin-Yang Twin Flame from sensing it?" Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. As expected, matters involving Heavenly Flames never proceeded smoothly.
Just then, Zi Yan walked over with a serious expression: "Hey Xiao Yan, I seem to be sensing something."
"What, are you homesick?" Xiao Yan patted her little head and asked comfortingly.
"No, home is in that direction, but this time I feel something over there..." Zi Yan pointed with her left and right hands in two different directions. One was toward the Beast Region where the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe resided. The other was actually toward Holy Pill City's inner city!
"You mean...?"
"I don't know exactly. My perception isn't clear. Something seems to be blocking it."
Zi Yan looked at Xiao Yan, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "Why don't we go take a look?"