Liu Xi and Xiao Yixian departed from Holy Pill City in the Pill Region, heading north along the vast and boundless lands of Central Plains.
They passed through several cities along the way, and to Liu Xi's quiet amusement, he often overheard rumors about himself. Without realizing it, his return had already begun to spread across the continent.
The Central Plains were immense—dou qi flourished here to its utmost limit. Experts were countless, and powerful factions rose and fell like waves. But among them, the names most renowned were those of the One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions—forces whose fame resounded throughout the entire continent.
Two years ago, one of the Three Valleys, the Ice River Valley, had been shaken to its core. Its Dou Zun expert, Tian Shuangzi, was slain, and the Valley itself was threatened by two visiting Dou Zun powerhouses. The confrontation ended only when the Valley Master, Bing He, was forced to compromise. That incident made the name Venerable Bing echo across the land—yet what truly shook the continent was that someone had stood atop that very fame to make their own.
It was a sensation. News of this mysterious powerhouse's origins gradually leaked out—his name, Liu Xi, and that he had once come from Jia Nan Academy.
Because of that, Jia Nan Academy, located far in the northwest, once again basked in glory. Even before this, countless young elites had traveled thousands of miles to study there; now, that number had doubled. Students from the academy were regarded with new respect wherever they went.
After all, anyone connected to a Dou Zun expert stood on a tier of their own—one connection alone was enough to earn awe and reverence.
Yet, in the two years that followed, Liu Xi vanished without a trace. The man who had crushed Ice River Valley's pride simply disappeared, leaving no trail. Gradually, the gossip that had once flooded taverns and marketplaces faded into idle chatter for passing time.
It wasn't until one afternoon, while eating in a roadside inn, that Liu Xi overheard a group of mercenaries talking about the "mysterious alchemist who humiliated Ice River Valley two years ago." Only then did he realize his reputation had spread long ago—though thankfully, the noise around it had died down.
For Ice River Valley, as long as Bing He himself remained, their position among the top factions of the continent was unshaken. But even so, many other great powers had taken note of the name Liu Xi.
And though none could find a single clue to his whereabouts, that was natural—Ancient Void Dragon Island was beyond their reach.
Now, his reappearance in Holy Pill City and his confrontation with the Bai Clan had reignited whispers. The news of Liu Xi's return began to ripple once again across the Central Plains.
Many major factions refocused their attention on him. After all, who else dared to confront the Venerable Bing head-on?
Liu Xi himself remained unaware of this renewed interest.
At this moment, somewhere in the skies above the central lands, a dark shadow streaked through the air like lightning. Drawing closer, it revealed itself to be a massive eagle-like Magical Beast, its wings spanning over ten zhang wide.
Its aura revealed it to be a 5th Rank Magical Beast—equivalent to a human Dou Wang expert. And yet, its sharp eyes gleamed with fear and bitterness, for upon its back sat a man and a woman.
Having reached the 5th Rank, it had long gained intelligence. But right now, it could only lament its fate.
It had merely gone out for a flight after a meal—to stretch its wings, maybe hum a tune—and somehow had been spotted by the two humans. The male had said something with a smile, and then the female had simply lifted a hand. Space itself froze solid, trapping the eagle completely motionless.
After that, they decided it would make a fine mount. Even though both could fly faster on their own, they still chose to ride it—and even complained it was too slow!
The Black Feather Eagle felt tears prick at the corners of its avian eyes. It had considered resisting, until that same woman casually grabbed a thick-skinned 5th Rank Armored Boar and made it explode into a mist of blood before its very eyes.
From that moment, it understood perfectly what choice to make.
'Xiao Hua, when your Eagle Brother left home, I was full of life. I'll never return now. Find yourself a nice, honest eagle and raise our chicks well…'
The poor beast could only say farewell to its beloved in silence and accept its miserable destiny.
Atop its broad back, Xiao Yixian sat gracefully, her white dress fluttering gently, her aura ethereal like a celestial maiden. She knelt demurely with her legs folded beneath her, maintaining a gentle Dou Qi barrier that shielded them from the roaring wind, turbulence, and blazing sunlight.
Liu Xi lay resting across her lap, using her thighs as a pillow while she tenderly massaged his temples with her slender hands. A faint fragrance drifted around them, soothing and sweet—but his focus was fixed entirely on the scroll he held.
It was one of the three 8th Tier Pill Recipes the Bai Clan had gifted him as compensation—the Zun Shi Pill.
The pill's effect was simple yet terrifyingly powerful. It could allow a Dou Zun expert to increase their strength by one entire star—without any side effects.
That was no small feat. After one became a Dou Zun, even those with extraordinary talent usually required several years—or even decades—to advance a single star.
For those whose potential was exhausted, even a lifetime might not yield progress. Yet this pill could grant them another breakthrough.
Of course, a Dou Zun could only take one such pill in their life; afterward, their body would develop complete resistance to its effects. And the pill worked only on 1-Star to 9-Star Dou Zun experts—it had no use for those who had already reached the peak of the realm.
Even so, a pill capable of elevating a Dou Zun's power made it one of the most valuable among 8th Tier elixirs. Its ingredients were exceedingly rare, and the refining process immensely complex.
Xiao Yixian looked down with a gentle smile, watching Liu Xi's face shift between frowns and faint smiles as he studied the recipe with utmost focus.
"Young Master," she said softly, "with your talent, even an 8th Tier Pill won't be difficult for you."
Liu Xi looked up from the scroll and glanced at her—though from this angle, even her beauty took on a strangely disarming charm.
"Of course," he replied with an easy grin. "An 8th Tier pill is no obstacle for me. Refining one is indeed different from lower tiers—the hardest part lies in imbuing the pill with spirituality. The higher the grade, the greater the importance of that living essence. As for enhancing the spiritual power within it, I'm not worried. What truly troubles me is the gathering of ingredients—they're not easy to come by."
Xiao Yixian nodded softly. "Yes… high-grade materials like these are incredibly rare. With just the two of us, collecting them all will be difficult."
"Exactly."
Liu Xi's gaze turned thoughtful. 'Should I form my own faction… or join an existing one?'
That was the curse of a solitary alchemist—every refinement brought the same eternal headache: finding enough materials to even begin.
(End of Chapter)
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