They raced for four hundred miles.
There were rivers, swamps, and rough terrain.
Yet the Blacksteel Panther never fell behind.
Its speed was almost identical to the Wind-Thunder Eagles.
Zhang Jichun and the others were stunned.
So this was what a Fourth-tier beast was capable of—
a creature comparable to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.
They returned to the Fenglei Mystic Sect.
The panther dashed up the mountain.
The gate disciples screamed in terror.
A Fourth-tier beast appearing in the sect grounds was enough to scare them senseless.
But the panther didn't attack anyone.
It rushed straight into the Spirit Beast Garden beside the main peak.
This was the area where beasts were raised:
Wind-Thunder Eagles, Wind-Riding Birds, and other spirit beasts.
Special disciples were assigned to care for them.
Hong Ying was assigned to the Listening Mystery Peak for cultivation.
Since Lin Ye had already promised she could join—
the sect would naturally make exceptions.
But if her future performance was unsatisfactory—
even if Leng Ruo expelled her later, no one could argue.
Lin Ye handed Leng Ruo a pill formula list and instructed her to mobilize sect resources and gather the ingredients quickly.
Now that everyone knew Lin Ye was an alchemist…
they worked with extreme enthusiasm.
This trip had taken only two or three days—
but Lin Ye's rewards were enormous.
First, the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron.
The only pity was that Shen Jiuliang had been refined completely—
along with his storage ring.
Otherwise, Lin Ye might've obtained many treasures.
Gao Chun had already been escorted back to the sect.
He was now refining pills under watch.
As an unwilling captive alchemist, Gao Chun understood one truth:
If he wanted to survive and live well, he had to prove his value.
If he produced only trash pills…
Lin Ye would kill him at any moment.
Part of the list Lin Ye gave Leng Ruo was for refining pills for Wen Lang.
Wen Lang was only at Heavenly Phenomenon Stage One.
He needed to reach at least Stage Six to truly stabilize his position.
Once Wen Lang grew strong enough to manage resources—
Lin Ye's harvest would only increase.
The Fire Cauldron Sect had loudly demanded that Fenglei hand over prisoners…
but they didn't dare step onto Fenglei territory.
Instead, they sent people to the Azure Thunder Sword Sect for help.
But they had no idea—
even the Azure Thunder Sword Sect couldn't save them.
It was already drowning itself.
The next day.
All the ingredients arrived.
The one delivering them was Tao Lang.
"You?"
Lin Ye tossed him a pill.
"This is your reward."
Tao Lang caught it carefully.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
When he saw the pill clearly—
he almost cried.
A third-grade spirit pill!
Lin Ye hadn't forgotten his promise.
Tao Lang's heart burned with gratitude.
"I knew you would clear your name!"
Lin Ye waved a hand.
Tao Lang was smart.
He quickly retreated, not daring to interrupt cultivation.
He had even seen peak masters acting respectfully around Lin Ye.
He now understood—
Lin Ye had soared to unimaginable heights.
Even the elder who once declared Lin Ye a traitor…
had been killed.
This single pill—
could save Tao Lang ten years of cultivation.
Lin Ye's casual gift…
had changed Tao Lang's destiny forever.
Refining Pills with the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron
In the courtyard, Lin Ye placed the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron down.
He tossed in the prepared ingredients.
For ordinary herbs, he didn't need to invoke the Red Lotus Karma Flame.
Even normal mystic energy was enough.
Within the cauldron—
flames roared.
The herbs melted.
Liquids merged.
This time, Lin Ye refined yet another fifth-grade pill—
but one of the strongest in its tier.
"The Five Directions Shatter-Profound Pill."
This pill's specialty was pushing cultivators past their limits.
Lin Ye would use it to attempt a breakthrough into the Star River Realm.
BOOM!
The cauldron roared.
The flame condensed.
Finally—
pill formation.
A rich fragrance spread outward.
Lin Ye slapped the cauldron.
Three streaks of light flew out.
He grabbed them.
"Success."
His eyes showed rare joy.
Three fifth-grade pills!
Three Five Directions Shatter-Profound Pills!
Even Lin Ye felt amazed.
"My alchemy is even stronger than before…"
This kind of sensation didn't lie.
He could clearly feel his control over the materials improving.
Perhaps it was the cauldron's amplification.
Either way—
it was good.
But then Lin Ye's expression froze.
"Wait…"
"Why are there THREE?"
His ingredients should only have been enough for two.
Yet he obtained three.
His eyes widened.
"Does this cauldron… refine one and give one extra?"
To test the idea, Lin Ye immediately refined a High-grade Instant Qi Recovery Pill.
A fourth-grade pill capable of restoring seventy percent of a Heavenly Phenomenon cultivator's energy.
And then—
the impossible happened again.
There was one extra pill.
One batch of ingredients…
produced two pills.
Again.
Again.
No matter what he refined—
as long as he succeeded—
the cauldron produced one extra pill automatically.
The extra pill's quality and medicinal effect were identical to his own.
Lin Ye's heart shook.
"A permanent additional yield…"
"This must be one of the cauldron's innate traits."
Too monstrous.
In both his past life and this life…
he had never seen a treasure so outrageous.
And now Lin Ye's excitement ignited like a flame.
"With this cauldron…"
"My cultivation speed will explode."
Lin Ye summoned Wen Lang with a message stone.
He handed him a Five Directions Shatter-Profound Pill.
"This pill will detonate all the hidden accumulation in your body."
"The breakthrough will be far beyond anything you've experienced."
"Prepare yourself."
Then Lin Ye wrote another list:
two additional main ingredients for the Myriad Steel Heaven-Defying Pill,
plus over six hundred supporting materials.
"These two main ingredients are harder to find."
"If you hear anything, report immediately."
"The rest can be bought with money."
"The faster, the better."
Lin Ye's eyes gleamed.
He was already desperate to try refining a sixth-grade pill.
Wen Lang nodded like a machine.
"Yes… yes… I'll go at once."
Inside, his mind was numb.
Truly numb.
What Lin Ye had done recently was beyond unbelievable:
Slaughtered the Azure Thunder Sword Sect's young master at the mine
Captured the Fire Cauldron Sect's vice sect master Gao Chun
Killed four Heavenly Phenomenon elders
Along the way, killed the Earth Flame Sect's young master
Slaughtered the three leaders of the Earth Flame Sect
Went to Azure Thunder Mountain and killed the sect master Shen Jiuliang—half-step Star River
On the way back, subdued a Fourth-tier beast, a mid-stage Blacksteel Panther (Heavenly Phenomenon Stage Five)
Now—
he refined fifth-grade pills casually.
What else was there to be shocked about?
Whatever Lin Ye said…
was reality.
Wen Lang bowed and left.
Lin Ye cultivated Wen Lang so hard for one reason:
So Lin Ye wouldn't have to do everything personally.
When problems came…
someone else could handle them.
He also placed the seized high-grade martial techniques into the sect library.
Breakthrough
Lin Ye adjusted his aura.
Then swallowed a Five Directions Shatter-Profound Pill.
BOOM!
A terrifying power erupted inside him.
The most profound effect of this pill was simple:
It condensed all the lingering medicinal power hidden inside the body—
even in forgotten corners—
and refined it again.
The more pills a person had consumed…
the more residue remained…
and the stronger this pill became.
BOOM!
The Nether-Passage Mystic Vein activated.
A threefold cultivation boost.
At the same time—
his Star-Bridge shot out from his sea of qi, plunged into the Shura Blood Sea, and connected to that blood-colored star.
BOOM!
Massive star-force poured into Lin Ye.
Above his sea of qi—
a strand of Star River power condensed.
And the moment that Star River power formed—
it meant only one thing:
Lin Ye had broken through.
Star River Realm!