Chapter 12: Blazing Fire Pill
The wind howled past her ears. As Nie Ling watched the young man pulling her along at a dead sprint, she could hardly believe her eyes.
She had come down the mountain with her son, and as someone at the Fourth Layer of the True Qi Realm, she had assumed she would be much faster than him. Only when they started moving did she realize how naive that thought was!
When her son used his full strength, forget about keeping up—she couldn't even see his back!
'When did my son learn such a terrifying movement technique?'
'To display this kind of speed at just the Third Layer of the Qi Nourishing Realm... If he really reached the Qi Sect level, wouldn't he be faster than a bird? This is a movement technique that not even the Inner Sect disciples, or even the core disciples of the clan, could have learned!'
"Haha, I had a fortuitous encounter and learned these things. I hope Mother won't ask any more questions. The one who taught me doesn't want their identity revealed."
How could Nie Yun not know what his mother was thinking? However, the matter of his rebirth was his greatest secret. It was best not to tell anyone, not even his mother. While he could get away with making up a casual excuse to fool Nie Tong and Nie Xiaofeng, tricking his mother would be more difficult. After some thought, he had no choice but to invent a non-existent master.
Stories of reclusive masters secretly taking on disciples to pass down their legacy weren't unheard of. Although the excuse was a bit flimsy, it was far better than revealing he had been reborn.
"Really? Son, you must treat him well! Whatever you do, don't make the old master angry!" Hearing her son's explanation, his mother's eyes lit up, and she stopped asking questions, instead giving him an urgent reminder.
"Alright!" Nie Yun hadn't expected his mother to believe him so easily. '"Old master"... Am I that old? Urgh, then again, if I count my previous life, I really could be considered an old monster...'
Leading his mother, Nie Yun moved swiftly and soon returned to their branch family's residence. Along the way, he also passed the Misty Immortal Heart Technique to her, once again using the non-existent master as his excuse.
However, his mother wasn't so easily fooled. Upon hearing the name "Misty Immortal Heart Technique," she knew it had to be more than just a simple Noble Top-Grade Technique. But she also understood that it was better not to pry into some matters, so she suppressed the urge to investigate further.
"Madam, Young Master, you've returned!" As they entered the courtyard, Nie Chong saw to it that Nie Yun's mother was settled for a rest, then approached Nie Yun again. "Young Master, someone came looking for you this afternoon. I asked for his name, but he wouldn't give it, so I had him wait in your courtyard. He's been there for quite a while!"
"I know," Nie Yun said with a faint smile. He knew it had to be Feng Xiao and walked directly into his own courtyard.
"Here are the medicinal materials you asked for. When can you help me activate my Bloodline Factor?"
The moment Feng Xiao saw Nie Yun, he blurted out the words. Although he was still skeptical that this young man could actually help him activate his Bloodline Factor, some hope was better than none. He had returned to his clan, mobilized all his resources, and rushed over the instant he had gathered all the medicinal materials.
"A hundred-year-old Primordial Yang Grass, two fifty-year-old Cyan Recitation Flowers, two thirty-year-old Zigui Roots... Hmm, not bad. The age of these medicinal materials is sufficient."
For someone like him, gathering these medicinal materials would have taken several months, yet Feng Xiao had found them all in less than an afternoon. The difference in their status was truly immense.
"Stand guard here for me. Don't let anyone disturb me, no matter what."
With the medicinal materials ready, it was time for alchemy. Nie Yun gave the casual instruction, then picked up the materials and walked into his room.
In his past life, he had obtained a complete set of alchemy methods. His alchemy skills were second to none, not just in the Divine Wind Empire, but on the entire continent. The Blazing Fire Pill was one of the simplest Pure Yang Pills; it wasn't complicated at all. With his current strength, he could refine it easily!
After closing the door, Nie Yun took out half of the medicinal materials and set them aside.
Refining a Blazing Fire Pill didn't require nearly this many materials. He had intentionally asked for more to save for refining a Heart Returning Pill for his father.
The Heart Returning Pill was a very high-grade elixir. He couldn't refine it with his current strength, so there was no need to rush. Besides, refining such an advanced elixir required another precious medicinal material in addition to the Beardless Grass. It was unlikely the entire Luoshui City even had it. Even Feng Xiao wouldn't be able to find it, so there was no point in mentioning it.
'I don't have a Dantian specialized for alchemy right now, so I can only use my Spiritual Qi to generate the lowest-grade Pill Fire. But even for refining the lowest-grade Blazing Fire Pill, the success rate with this kind of Pill Fire is very low!'
Alchemy, like cultivation, required talent and opportunity. Without talent, no amount of hard work would matter!
In his past life, he had awakened three great Dantians, one of which contained the Alchemy Attribute and was capable of nurturing Pill Fire!
Pill Fire was a special flame that could only be nurtured by a Dantian with the Alchemy Attribute. It was formed from the Qi of the Dantian and could preserve one hundred percent of a medicinal material's properties during refinement, with no loss.
Without Pill Fire, he could still use his techniques to generate a flame from his power, but this kind of flame was extremely low-grade. Not only would it diminish the medicinal properties of the materials, but it could also only be used to refine the lowest-grade elixirs, and the success rate was abysmally low.
'Blazing Fire Pill: one Seven Mace Seed, one Zigui Root... Palm Pill Fire!'
Laying the medicinal materials out before him, Nie Yun took a deep breath. The energy inside him circulated along a special trajectory, and—WHOOSH!—a ball of pale yellow flame formed in his palm.
This flame gave off no heat. It wouldn't even burn a piece of paper placed on it. Yet, the moment it came into contact with medicinal materials, it could thoroughly refine their properties.
"In you go!"
Having successfully condensed the Pill Fire, Nie Yun flicked his other hand, tossing the prepared medicinal materials into the flame. Under the scorching heat, the materials swiftly withered, their medicinal properties condensing into a liquid that slowly gathered together.
"Pill, form!"
He didn't know how long the refinement took, but Nie Yun was starting to feel a wave of fatigue when the elixir in his palm finally began to slowly take shape. With a light tap of his hand, the liquid elixir let out a crisp hum—BUZZ!—and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a golden pill.
Flame withdrawn, pill refined!
"If I'd used pure Pill Fire nurtured by a Dantian, refining such a simple elixir probably wouldn't have even taken the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I can't believe using a flame generated from Spiritual Qi took me more than two full hours!"
Looking at the time, Nie Yun was speechless.
To think that refining such a low-level elixir had taken him so long... It was a complete humiliation for someone who had once been a great Alchemy Master.
'If I get to generate another Bloodline Factor, I absolutely have to awaken a Dantian capable of nurturing Pill Fire!'
Thinking of the Nameless Technique, Nie Yun felt a sense of powerlessness.
In the breaks between practicing his cultivation technique and nurturing his Spiritual Qi, he had also tried to cultivate the Nameless Technique to see if he could generate another Bloodline Factor. To his frustration, he found that the Nameless Technique seemed to have stiffened; forget about advancing, it was difficult to even circulate it.
It was like an engine without gasoline. No matter how powerful it was or what amazing feats it could perform, without fuel, it was all useless.
The Nameless Technique was like that now. Whenever he tried to circulate it, he felt his strength fail him, leaving it motionless. It was like a carriage without a horse or archery without a bow; without a driving force, even the most profound technique was just a blank sheet of paper.
'This technique must require some kind of special item to activate. I just haven't found it yet.'
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Nie Yun walked out of the room with the elixir in hand.
"Did... did you succeed?"
The moment Feng Xiao saw Nie Yun appear, he spun around with an anxious look on his face. It seemed that while Nie Yun hadn't thought much of the two hours he spent on alchemy, for Feng Xiao, every moment had felt like a year.
"Haha, this is an elixir that can activate your Bloodline Factor. Take it quickly. I'll stand guard for you. If all goes well, you'll have your Dantian very soon!"
Nie Yun laughed and casually tossed the elixir over.
"Alright!" Feng Xiao caught the elixir and hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and swallowing it.
The elixir dissolved the moment it entered his stomach. In an instant, Feng Xiao's face flushed red from the impact of the scorching power emanating from the Blazing Fire Pill.
"Draw the fire into your abdomen and guide it into your Qi Sea!"
Seeing him remain motionless, Nie Yun shouted!
Hearing the shout, Feng Xiao's expression sharpened, and he hastily followed the young man's instructions, drawing the scorching medicinal power into his Qi Sea.
RUMBLE!
The moment the Pure Yang medicinal power entered his Qi Sea, the entire space began to tremble like the surface of an ocean in a typhoon. Then, the dim and indistinct "Blocked Bloodline" suddenly erupted in a radiant light!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Following five crisp cracks, five Bloodline Factors activated, successfully evolving into five Dantians. They hovered silently in the center of his Qi Sea, rotating ceaselessly as they nurtured the True Qi in his body!
'Five Dantians... a Marquis Clan's Top-Grade Bloodline! No wonder this Feng Xiao was able to become the champion of the tournament of talents. He's this incredible!'
With his palm on Feng Xiao's back, Nie Yun couldn't help but be shocked as he helped him activate five Bloodline Factors in one go.
Five Bloodline Factors, five great Dantians. Although it couldn't compare to his father's Royal Family's Top-Grade Bloodline from back then, it was definitely considered one of the best in Luoshui City!
GURGLE GURGLE!
With five great Dantians activating at once, the True Qi in Feng Xiao's body underwent a qualitative change, roiling continuously like boiling water.
A moment later, a surge of potent True Qi shot out of his body, blasting a rock in the courtyard to smithereens.
The Fifth Layer Body Emergence Realm of the Qi Sea Nine Heavens!
Unexpectedly, at the same time his Dantians were activated, Feng Xiao's strength also broke through, reaching the Qi Sea Fifth Layer!
For a Qi Sea Cultivator, the fourth and fifth layers were a dividing line. Once a cultivator reached the fifth layer, they were considered an advanced cultivator and would hold a certain status in Luoshui City!
"This is the Beardless Grass!"
Feeling the change in the power within his body and the five great Dantians spinning in his Qi Sea, Feng Xiao finally knew that the young man before him had not deceived him. Excitedly, he handed over a flowerpot-like object.
On the flowerpot was a seven-colored plant that emitted a faint, fluorescent glow under the starlight.
The Beardless Grass!
"I found this medicinal material in some ancient ruins. Words can't express my gratitude. A single stalk of Beardless Grass is not nearly enough to repay you. Brother Nie, if you have any need of me in the future, you can come to me at any time. I, Feng Xiao, will never refuse!"
Feng Xiao's face was filled with sincerity.
"Haha, Brother Feng, you're too kind. I helped you because I felt you were a man of character. Besides, we are peers. Being so formal makes us seem distant..." Nie Yun said with a faint smile. He reached out to accept the Beardless Grass and was about to offer another pleasantry when he suddenly felt the Nameless Technique inside his body tremble slightly...
It actually moved!
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