Bang—
"Cough cough—Failed again. Why did it explode this time?"
Xiao Li was completely black at this moment. During his Alchemy, something went wrong when he was melting the Elixir. The Elixir was destroyed, and it even exploded. If it weren't for the excellent quality of the blue flame cauldron, Xiao Li's face wouldn't be the only thing that was black.
"Big Brother Xiao Li, do you need to refine Elixirs to Breakthrough to Dou Ling? Teacher said that long-term consumption of Elixirs can lead to unstable Qi and an unstable Foundation," Yun Yun said with some concern.
"I refine my own Elixirs and consume them myself. How can they be unstable? Cultivating by absorbing Heaven And Earth Treasure, or consuming Elixirs, both involve absorbing energy. Why would the latter be unstable?
Besides, even if it is unstable, I have a way to solve it. Yun'er, you must Cultivate diligently, or you won't be able to catch up to me~"
Xiao Li held a disdainful attitude towards the theory of unstable Elixirs.
Cultivating by absorbing Heaven And Earth Treasure isn't unstable? Aren't medicinal ingredients Heaven And Earth Treasure? Don't they contain a lot of energy? Alchemists remove the Impurities from medicinal ingredients and condense them into Elixirs. Is that really worse than absorbing Qi oneself?
How could Alchemists on the Fighting Qi Continent be so well-off then? Everyone would just Cultivate diligently; why consume Elixirs?
Not consuming Elixirs when you have them, and relying on time to Cultivate? Isn't that just asking for trouble? Don't you know that time is the most precious thing?
As for the Foundation issue, a Dou Zong with an unstable Foundation is still stronger than a Great Dou Master with a stable Foundation, right? Do you also have a Heaven Rank Dou Technique possessing you?
Xiao Li took out the Waste Pill from the Medicine Cauldron, cleaned the inside of the Medicine Cauldron, and then looked to the side.
"Tsk, there are only two portions of medicinal ingredients left. Three portions have already been wasted. Why is a fifth-grade Elixir so easy to fail?" Xiao Li said speechlessly.
The Elixir Xiao Li was currently refining was called the rising spirit pill, a fifth-grade Elixir, whose effect was to increase a Dou Ling's Cultivation by two stars upon consumption.
Xiao Li was refining it as a safeguard for himself. A Great Dou Master advancing to Dou Ling generally wasn't a problem, but if there wasn't enough energy, the advancement might fail.
Xiao Li was currently in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where the fire-attributed Heaven And Earth Treasure wasn't very concentrated. If he were in the Tagor Desert, Xiao Li would have chosen to Breakthrough on the spot.
Breaking through in the Magical Beast Mountain Range wasn't impossible, but Xiao Li was afraid that his Earth Rank Cultivation Technique might attract powerful Demonic Beasts during the process of absorbing Heaven And Earth Treasure. To be safe, Xiao Li decided to consume Elixirs to Breakthrough.
Consuming Elixirs would eliminate the need to absorb a large amount of Heaven And Earth Treasure, thus avoiding unnecessary disturbances.
"Let me check the Pill Formula and notes again. Where did I go wrong just now?" Xiao Li opened the Pill Formula for the rising spirit pill and the Alchemy notes left by Elder Wang, and began to check for any errors he made during his Alchemy.
After a careful inspection, Xiao Li finally discovered his problem: during the Pill-condensing process of the rising spirit pill, the heat could not be too high. If it was too high, the nascent Pill would not be able to withstand it and would explode.
"No wonder it's said that the Pill-condensing process cannot be rushed. So that's how it is. Then let's continue!"
Xiao Li put away his notes and the Pill Formula, adjusted his breathing, and then continued his Alchemy… For the fourth time refining the rising spirit pill, Xiao Li's technique was more skilled than the previous three times. Indeed, failure is the mother of success; failure prepares the way for the next success.
Inside the blue flame cauldron, at the center of the purple flame, the blue-green medicinal liquid gradually condensed into the nascent form of a Elixir. Xiao Li lowered the heat, gently nurturing the Elixir with a milder flame, and the Elixir gradually became plump.
At this moment, Xiao Li was extremely fatigued. Refining a fifth-grade Elixir was quite strenuous for him currently, especially the final Pill-condensing process, which particularly tested mental concentration.
"Yun'er, Qi Recovery Pill! Ice Heart Pill!" Xiao Li shouted, and Yun Yun, who was about to doze off nearby, immediately perked up.
Very quickly, Yun Yun poured out a Qi Recovery Pill and an Ice Heart Pill from a jade bottle nearby, then hurried to Xiao Li's side and fed them to him.
After Xiao Li consumed the two Elixirs, his tired Soul instantly cleared, and his somewhat depleted Qi was also restored.
"Hoo~" Yun Yun wiped the sweat from her forehead. These days, she had been assisting Xiao Li with Alchemy, giving him Qi Recovery Pills when his Qi was insufficient and Ice Heart Pills when his Soul was fatigued.
Yun Yun dared not relax for a moment. After all, Xiao Li was someone she had painstakingly built a good relationship with. The future development of the Cloud Mist Sect would depend on him, and even she herself would rely on him in the future.
Although Yun Yun was young, she understood some adult matters. There were also Disciples in the Sect who tried to curry favor with her, but Yun Yun ignored them. How could important Sect matters be delayed by matters of love?
Later, she accompanied her teacher, Yun Shan, to some gatherings, where many Families wanted to form marriage alliances with her to climb the Cloud Mist Sect's social ladder.
However, Xiao Li gave her a different feeling. Although she could feel Xiao Li's gaze often sweeping over her body, Yun Yun was not repulsed, because Xiao Li would say it very directly.
Xiao Li: Yun'er is so beautiful, it reminds me of the softest cloud on the mountain peak—only this cloud makes one always want to reach out and pluck it, to hide it in one's embrace and admire it alone.
Yun Yun's ears immediately turned red when she heard that. She had naturally heard sweet words before, but none were as good as Xiao Li's, and what was important was that Xiao Li said them.
Yun Yun currently had no intention of choosing a partner. After all, the Sect had not yet risen, and as the Young Sect Master, she should set an example. How could she be swayed by matters of love?
However, if she had to say, Yun Yun preferred Xiao Li's type: dignified, with impressive Cultivation, always speaking frankly, never beating around the bush. Yun Yun felt that her man should be like that.
Yun Yun herself detested cowardly, sycophantic men who couldn't speak their minds and preferred to beat around the bush. What kind of man was that? (That's you, Gu He!)
(Author: Crap, why do I feel like that's also talking about me? Wuwuwu, I've been critically hit, brothers.)
Buzz—
A remarkable energy fluctuation emanated from within the blue flame cauldron.
"It's about to form into a Elixir! Heavens, it really is a fifth-grade Elixir, a fifth-grade Alchemist under eighteen!" Yun Yun exclaimed, but her hands did not stop. She quickly took out an empty jade bottle.
"Open!"
Xiao Li used his Qi to open the blue flame cauldron, and a blue-green Elixir the size of a Dragon's eye, wrapped in purple fire, flew out of the Medicine Cauldron.
As soon as the Elixir emerged, it released an extremely rich medicinal fragrance, and this fragrance also carried a faint greenish hue, which filled the entire cave.
"This is a phenomenon that only occurs when a fourth-grade or higher Elixir takes shape!" Yun Yun was also seeing the phenomenon of a fifth-grade Elixir for the first time.
"Hoo, it finally succeeded. This Demonic Beast fire is still not very powerful. I really want a Heavenly Flame," Xiao Li said, exhausted, and lay down directly.
Yun Yun put the rising spirit pill into the jade bottle, then walked over and sat next to Xiao Li: "If you need anything when you search for a Heavenly Flame in the future, you can always come to me."
"Oh? What if that Heavenly Flame already has an owner?" Xiao Li said with a smile.
Yun Yun pondered for a moment, then said firmly: "Then we'll kill that person and seize the Heavenly Flame. On the Fighting Qi Continent, strength is paramount, and acts of plunder happen every day. For your sake, I don't mind doing such things."
Xiao Li looked puzzled, as if he was meeting Yun Yun for the first time: "Eh? I thought you wouldn't resort to plunder for the sake of justice, and that we'd look for Heavenly Flames elsewhere. I didn't expect you to be so radical? Am I the conservative one now?"
Yun Yun pouted: "Do I look like such a pedantic person? I'm not that pedantic. Everyone is equal before Opportunity. Whoever seizes it, it belongs to them. If one's own strength is insufficient, they can't blame others."
"I actually let you, this little girl, lecture me. Tsk tsk tsk."
Yun Yun said angrily: "I'm not small! I'm only one year younger than you. By the way, Li~ when are you planning to advance to Dou Ling?"
Xiao Li sat up: "Rest for three days, then Breakthrough. I'll trouble Yun'er to be my Protector."
"No problem."