Looking into Zhang Yuan's clear black-and-white eyes, Yao Chen was momentarily at a loss for words.
Back in the day, it had always been others who waved Dou Techniques and Qi Methods before him, begging him to accept them, hoping only to curry favor or ask him to refine a pill.
Yet ever since meeting Zhang Yuan, he had been the one constantly taking things out.
Was secretly devouring Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for three years really worth paying such a heavy price?
"You are not my disciple," Yao Chen said, putting on the air of an aloof expert.
"Whether I am or not is just a matter of a word from senior," Zhang Yuan replied proactively. "Even if you cannot guide me in alchemy, you can still teach me cultivation. With your former strength as a Dou Zun, I believe you can teach me well."
Yao Chen: "?"
'Do I need your belief? Do I still have to prove myself to you?'
"Not just anyone can become my disciple," Yao Chen continued.
His meaning was simple. Kid, be more proactive. Say something nice, and maybe I will nod.
But Zhang Yuan never played by the rules. He smiled and said, "Even without the name of master and disciple, we can still have the substance of it. I will respect you just as Yan does."
Yao Chen: "..."
'Is that what I meant?'
'So you do not want to acknowledge a master. You just want to freeload.'
"You little rascal." Yao Chen tapped Zhang Yuan lightly and laughed. "I thought you were merely clever. I did not expect you to be shameless as well. Combined with this talent of yours, as long as you do not fall early, you will surely achieve something in the future."
Shameless was a derogatory term, but in certain situations, it was not entirely so.
"Thank you for the praise, Senior," Zhang Yuan accepted it calmly.
After a moment of thought, Yao Chen took out two scrolls from his ring and said, "When others ask me to refine pills, I usually take rare heavenly materials or secret arts as payment. I generally only accept fire or wood attribute Qi Methods and Dou Techniques, or some interesting attribute-less ones."
"You cultivate lightning attribute Dou Qi. I only have one Mid Xuan Class Dou Technique Qi Method, Thunder Gang Art, and one High Xuan Class Dou Technique, Azure Sky Lightning Finger, that suits you."
With that, he tossed the two scrolls to Zhang Yuan.
"Many thanks, Senior." Zhang Yuan put the scrolls away, clasped his fists firmly, and bowed deeply.
He did not ask why Yao Chen did not give him attribute-less techniques. That would have been excessive greed.
"If Senior ever has need of me in the future, feel free to speak," Zhang Yuan said solemnly.
"Hahaha, interesting." Yao Chen laughed heartily. "You are the first person who asked me for benefits first and then owed me a favor."
"Because we are family," Xiao Yan finally spoke up with a smile, then urged, "Teacher, can you refine the Three Lines Green Spirit Pill now?"
Yao Chen's smile stiffened.
He truly owed these two youngsters.
"Bring the materials."
Yao Chen took out the pill cauldron from his ring.
In his prime, refining any pill below the 6th Tier would have been effortless.
But in his current soul state, relying on the Bone Chilling Flame, he needed the cauldron's assistance.
"Watch closely, Xiao Yan."
Using his Spiritual Power to select the ingredients, Yao Chen began refining the pill.
One medicinal ingredient after another was thrown into the cauldron in a special sequence, refined into different states, and then fused together by flame.
When the 4th Rank Wind-attribute Monster Core and two 4th Rank spiritual herbs were added, a powerful energy fluctuation spread outward instantly.
The Xiao Clan training room was not sufficient to completely isolate such a fluctuation, and the Xiao Clan was not the only presence there.
"Miss, someone is refining a 4th Tier pill in the Xiao Clan's core area." Ling Ying appeared outside Xun'er's room and reported respectfully.
'A 4th Tier pill?'
Xun'er, who had been staring blankly at her fire-attribute Monster Core bracelet, had her beautiful eyes flicker.
'So there truly was a 4th Tier Alchemist, and he was even taking Xiao Yan as a disciple?'
'If so, Brother Yuan's growth in the future would be much faster.'
"Isolate the energy fluctuations," Xun'er said calmly inside the room.
"Yes!" Ling Ying vanished instantly.
A few breaths later, a special barrier appeared around the training room.
The entire process lasted roughly half an hour.
Inside the training room, Yao Chen not only showed no signs of fatigue but instead looked increasingly spirited. He raised his hand and released a strand of Bone Chilling Flame.
The next moment, a green pill the size of a dragon eye flew out. Its smooth surface bore a single white ring pattern, shining steadily.
The pill landed before Zhang Yuan. Holding it in his hand, he could clearly feel the surging energy contained within.
This was a One-Line Green Spirit Pill, capable of allowing a peak Dou Shi to break through to Da Dou Shi with absolute certainty.
"Shall I continue refining the second one?" Yao Chen asked Zhang Yuan, still wanting more.
Zhang Yuan strongly suspected that this old fellow could absorb some of the energy during pill refinement to recover his soul strength.
"No rush," Zhang Yuan said with a smile. "Let me break through to Da Dou Shi first. Then I will assist the Senior in refining the Two Lines Green Spirit Pill."
"As you wish." Yao Chen put away the cauldron and looked at Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, go fetch a bucket of water. I will refine the Foundation Elixir for you."
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he immediately ran off eagerly.
After he left, Yao Chen asked Zhang Yuan, "Do you need me to guard you?"
"No need. Senior, just take care of Yan," Zhang Yuan thanked him and went to the adjacent training room with the pill.
He hung a wooden sign reading "Do Not Disturb" outside, locked the door, and sat down cross-legged on the cushion in the center of the room.
He did not immediately swallow the pill. Instead, he calmed his mind and visualized the Thunder God Diagram in his sea of consciousness.
An hour later, feeling his Mortal Realm Spiritual Power reach full perfection once more, he opened his eyes and tossed the One-Line Green Spirit Pill into his mouth like a candy.
The pill melted instantly upon entering, transforming into a surge of pure energy that rushed down his throat and surged toward his limbs and bones before he could even react.
The moment the energy touched his meridians, Zhang Yuan felt both scorching heat and icy cold. Frost even formed along the meridian walls.
However, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame within his dantian surfaced on its own, refining the cold energy and transforming it into a tempering force for his meridians.
'I remember that the Green Spirit Pill absorbs the power of flame into its medicinal force, then mimics it with its own energy before fusing it.' Zhang Yuan steadied his mind and activated his current Low Xuan Class Qi Method, accelerating the rotation of the vortex in his dantian and drawing the pure white energy into it.
The energy seemed to possess its own will, splitting into countless fine streams and forcibly charging into narrow, undeveloped meridians.
Because Zhang Yuan often tempered his body with lightning, these normally unused meridians were exceptionally tough and capable of withstanding the violent flow.
Even so, Zhang Yuan felt the speed was still insufficient. He directly mobilized the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame to devour the energy, bringing it into the dantian and merging it with the nearly fully liquefied silver-purple vortex.
Under the infusion of the Green Spirit Pill's energy, the vortex representing Dou Shi cultivation grew increasingly solid. The liquid energy within, already at its limit, began to compress further.
As time passed, a silver-purple Dou Qi Cloak appeared around Zhang Yuan's body, twisting and condensing continuously.
When roughly thirty percent of the energy had been refined, Zhang Yuan sensed that the vortex in his dantian had reached absolute saturation and begun compressing on its own.
Gaseous energy could evolve into liquid, and liquid energy could be compressed further into solid form.
This so-called solid energy was the secret behind why Da Dou Shi could summon Dou Qi armor that resembled a physical substance.
At this moment, a phantom formed at the core of Zhang Yuan's dantian vortex. The liquid energy flowed into it at a visible rate, condensing into a solid core brimming with immense power.
Boom!
With the reinforcement of the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame, the liquid energy vanished completely, replaced by a thumb-sized silver-purple crystal suspended in the dantian, radiating terrifying might.
As someone capable of inner vision since the Dou Zhe stage, Zhang Yuan clearly saw the silver-purple rhomboid crystal and knew his breakthrough was complete.
Dou Crystal.
(End of Chapter)
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