The Life-Devouring Pill was a miraculous pill that had once shocked the entire continent many years ago. It could be considered to have reached the peak of the seventh tier, and its creator was an alchemy grandmaster of great renown.
Once consumed, this miraculous pill could forcibly elevate the user from the Dou Grandmaster realm to the Dou King realm. The price, however, was cruel—the user would be left with only three years of lifespan.
For Lin Yuan, the moment he obtained this Life-Devouring Pill by chance, he immediately altered his subsequent plans, constructing an entirely new strategy with the pill as its core.
Lin Yuan carried with him the fortune of his previous life namely, the information in his mind regarding the future course of the Dou Qi Continent. That knowledge was undoubtedly of immense value. However, lacking a powerful background and possessing only limited strength, he found it extremely difficult to convert this information into tangible benefits for himself. On the Dou Qi Continent, where strength reigned supreme, the weak had no right to speak.
In this world, the strong needed little justification to seize the wealth or even the lives of the weak. Lin Yuan's inherent vigilance toward both people and the world would never allow him to expose his greatest secret.
Through Hu Jia, Xiao Yu, and Jia Nan Academy's recruitment patterns, along with a series of other clues, Lin Yuan established a relatively accurate timeline and deduced that he was close in age to Xiao Yan.
He had once considered going to Wu Tan City to intercept Xiao Yan's various opportunities, but ultimately rejected that idea. Yao Lao was Xiao Yan's greatest fortuitous encounter not only providing him with the foundation for becoming an Emperor through the Flame Mantra, but also offering guidance that encompassed every essential element of his growth. Yao Lao was Xiao Yan's protector throughout his early and mid stages.
Because of Yao Lao's existence, Xiao Yan was able to participate in the highest-level struggles of the Jia Ma Empire even while still at the Dou Practitioner and Dou Master stages. In truth, it was Yao Lao who allowed Xiao Yan to contend using top-tier combat power. Even the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a place capable of claiming the lives of Dou Spirits, was little more than a playground for him. This was the foundation that allowed Xiao Yan to reap countless opportunities early on.
Being close in age to Xiao Yan, combined with the presence of Xiao Xun'er and the uncertainty surrounding the timing of Yao Lao's awakening, completely eliminated any possibility of Lin Yuan seizing this greatest opportunity.
Originally, Lin Yuan had planned to befriend Xiao Yan at an appropriate time by providing useful information, following a path similar to Hai Bodong's—an investment-master approach, hitching a ride on Xiao Yan's rising tide.
However, during his training missions with the Law Enforcement Team, when he nearly fell into a dead end, Lin Yuan finally realized how naive that thinking was. Beyond the major events recorded in books, the Dou Qi Continent was filled with countless unforeseen incidents and coincidences that could kill him at any moment. The aftermath of a clash between powerful experts could spell utter annihilation for the weak.
No matter how strong others were, they were still others. What he needed to do was to strengthen himself by every means possible, to face all challenges with his own power rather than relying on anyone else.
Thus, the moment Lin Yuan obtained the Life-Devouring Pill, he decided that he would definitely use it. This pill was his current leverage for entering the game and competing for opportunities. With it, he would have a way to transform the information in his mind into nourishment for his own growth.
Now, the time was approaching. In a little over a year, it would be time for Jia Nan Academy's next recruitment, as well as the moment when Xiao Yan would leave his clan to undergo training. Before that, Lin Yuan needed to make his move and begin laying out his plans within the Jia Ma Empire.
After carefully checking that the Life-Devouring Pill was intact, Lin Yuan put it back into his storage ring. He then sat down on his usual cultivation cushion, formed hand seals, and began converting his cultivation method, preparing to switch entirely to the Spirit Flame Art.
Three days later, within Lin Yuan's courtyard.
A powerful surge of Dou Qi erupted from Lin Yuan's body as he sat with his eyes closed, only to be rapidly drawn back in. As the Dou Qi receded, his aura instead grew even stronger. At a certain moment, a faint cracking sound—almost imperceptible—rang out from within his body, and his aura completely stabilized.
Moments later, Lin Yuan opened his eyes, a trace of satisfaction flashing within them.
"As expected of Spirit Flame Art, a top-tier technique even among high-tier Black-class cultivation methods. My Dou Qi's quality and quantity now far surpass what they were when I used a mid-tier Black-class method. And switching from a lower-tier method to a higher-tier one truly has great benefits—this conversion actually raised my strength by one star. Two-star Dou Grandmaster."
Lin Yuan raised his right hand and circulated his Dou Qi. A wisp of cyan flame condensed in his palm, then split into four portions, transforming into four small, agile flame beasts—a tiger, a leopard, a dragon, and a phoenix. The four flame beasts moved as if alive. Using his powerful soul strength and the manipulation technique of Spiral Force, Lin Yuan guided them to merge, forming a rapidly rotating fire drill.
"Pill-Flame Technique—Flying Star."
With a light chuckle from the youth, the fire drill shot skyward at extreme speed, leaving behind a white streak before exploding in the night sky like fireworks.
"With the assistance of Spirit Flame Art, my control over flames has indeed improved significantly. Integrating Spiral Force into a pill-flame technique has finally been realized." Lin Yuan reflected on the insights gained from the experiment, organizing his thoughts while continuing to deduce ways to further perfect the technique.
The next day, Lin Yuan carried a completed notebook and headed toward the Alchemy Department.
Upon arriving, he smoothly met Elder Huo, who was currently instructing Lu Mu. When Elder Huo saw Lin Yuan, a sweep of soul power passed over him, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"Two-star Dou Grandmaster. Your Dou Qi is refined and stable—very good. When you refine fourth-tier pills now, you won't experience the exhaustion you did before!"
Lin Yuan performed a disciple's salute and said respectfully, "It is all thanks to Master Huo's guidance."
He also nodded politely toward the stunned Lu Mu standing nearby.
Elder Huo waved his hand and sighed. "My guidance is secondary. You earned this through your own effort. Your talent in Soul Power and alchemy is the greatest I've ever seen among young people in my lifetime. In the future, you may elevate the Alchemy Department of Jia Nan Academy to an unimaginable height."
As he looked at Lin Yuan, a trace of complicated emotion surfaced deep within Elder Huo's eyes. He had once considered formally accepting this extraordinarily talented youth as a disciple, but later abandoned the idea. Even if he did take Lin Yuan in, as a mere fifth-tier alchemist, he would not be able to teach him for long. Alchemists placed extreme importance on lineage and inheritance—acknowledging him as a master would only create unnecessary obstacles for Lin Yuan should he later wish to apprentice under a true grandmaster.
Lin Yuan remained silent after hearing this. He understood Elder Huo's thoughts well. The unique title of "Master Huo" alone was enough to show the elder's kindness toward him. There was no need for excessive words of gratitude—he would repay it with actions in the future.
Lin Yuan handed the notebook in his hands to Elder Huo.
"Student once conceived the idea of combining the Alchemy Department's Pill Fire Techniques with Dou Techniques, refining and improving the Pill Fire Techniques. This would not only increase their power, but also allow practitioners to temper their Dou Qi and Dou Techniques while training fire control. I've achieved some preliminary results recently. These are my insights and methods."
Elder Huo was slightly startled. He accepted the notebook and read carefully, pondering as he went. After a quarter of an hour, he closed it and spoke in a solemn tone.
"Although there are some flaws, this attempt of yours is of great significance to our Alchemy Department. It is a direction worthy of deep research. Very good! You must be rewarded. Lin boy—what do you want?"
Lin Yuan did not stand on ceremony and replied, "Thank you for your appreciation, Master Huo. This student plans to travel outside for a period of time. I currently lack a secret art capable of concealing cultivation. Does Master Huo have any leads?"
Elder Huo laughed and patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder.
"Smart kid. Knowing to stay low-key and keep wealth hidden at such a young age. You're lucky—others might not have one, but I do. Here."
As he spoke, Elder Huo took a scroll from his storage ring and handed it to Lin Yuan.
"This secret art can conceal two major realms of cultivation before reaching the Dou Ancestor level—allowing others to see a Dou Grandmaster as a Dou Practitioner, or a Dou King as a Dou Grandmaster. It should be enough for a long time. Of course, it's useless against those whose Soul Realm far surpasses yours."
Lin Yuan accepted the scroll and looked closely. On the edge, three small characters were written:
Hidden Abyss Art
He immediately bowed in thanks. "Many thanks, Master Huo."
Elder Huo smiled. "You've earned it."
After chatting with Elder Huo for a while and consulting him on several cultivation and alchemy questions, Lin Yuan performed a final salute and turned to leave.
Once Lin Yuan departed, Elder Huo looked at Lu Mu beside him, whose expression had returned to its usual lazy state. His anger flared immediately.
"Lu Mu, you brat! Lin Yuan is younger than you and has already accomplished so many outstanding feats, yet you're still this lazy and undisciplined! You're going to drive me to death! If you don't master the Pill Fire Technique within a month, I'll skin you alive!"
Only after Lu Mu's lazy face turned bitter did Elder Huo finally smile, reopen the notebook, summon a crimson flame, and begin experimenting.