Inner Academy, rear mountain.
"Rise!"
With a soft shout, Xiao Yixian waved her sleeve. The lid of the medicinal cauldron before her immediately flew open, and a dense aura of death swept out from within.
The plants within nearly a hundred meters of the surroundings instantly lost their vitality after being contaminated by this aura.
Xiao Yixian waved her jade-like hand, and a purple-black "pill" shot out of the medicinal cauldron with a sharp sound before landing in her palm.
After carefully examining the "pill" in her hand for a moment, a trace of excitement appeared in Xiao Yixian's eyes.
"This poison is already powerful enough to threaten a high-level Dou Ancestor."
Lin Yuan's approving voice came from the side.
"Congratulations, Xiao Yixian. You've finally taken this solid first step. Your own path of 'Pill-Poison Convergence' has officially begun!"
Xiao Yixian turned her head and looked at Lin Yuan.
What she saw was Lin Yuan's smiling face. At this moment, his eyes were filled with genuine joy.
Seeing this, Xiao Yixian's thoughts drifted somewhat.
"There are pills used for cultivation, and there are pills used to save lives. Naturally, there should also be pills used to kill. Why shouldn't poison pills be considered pills?"
"The alchemy world refuses to acknowledge them? Who are they to decide? On the Dou Qi Continent, strength and fists are what matter. When this young master becomes a Dou God, let's see whether they'll acknowledge it or not. Whether it is my path of medicinal cuisine or your path of Pill-Poison Convergence."
"Xiao Yixian, if you want to condense it into the shape of a pill, you need to strengthen your flame control. Pay attention when condensing the pill."
Recalling the days over the past several months when the two had discussed medicinal principles and studied alchemy together, Xiao Yixian's eyes unconsciously softened.
Her gaze returned to the "pill" in her hand.
This was the result of their joint efforts.
She gently shook her head, dispelled her wandering thoughts, and placed the poison pill into an exquisite jade bottle.
"Thank you, Lin Yuan," Xiao Yixian said softly.
"Hehe." Lin Yuan chuckled and said gently, "Do we really need that word between us? This pill's effects are extremely domineering. Used properly, it is enough to kill a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor. Have you thought of a resounding name for it?"
"No. You name it."
Xiao Yixian shook her head and looked at Lin Yuan with a smile in her eyes.
"I'll name it? All right."
Lin Yuan did not refuse. After pondering for a moment, he said seriously, "This pill uses the poison essence from the Demonic Poison Spot and the Blood of the Woeful Poison Body as its main ingredients. More than thirty auxiliary ingredients are added, and it is refined with the Netherworld Poison Flame. Let's call it the Calamity Essence Netherworld Profound Pill!."
"Calamity Essence Netherworld Profound Pill, What a good name."
Xiao Yixian softly repeated the name several times before smiling in satisfaction.
"As long as you like it, that's all that matters."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly before changing the subject.
"Speaking of which, you're currently at the peak of Five-Star Dou Ancestor. Is the poison from this Calamity Essence Netherworld Profound Pill effective on you? Can it help you break through to Six-Star Dou Ancestor?"
The Woeful Poison Body could increase its cultivation by devouring poison. Unfortunately, the higher one progressed, the fewer high-grade poisons there were.
After reaching the Dou Ancestor realm, there were already very few poisons capable of having an effect. Poisons that could affect Dou Venerables were even rarer, while Lin Yuan had never even heard of a poison capable of affecting a Dou Saint.
There were simply too few powerful experts on the Dou Qi Continent who were famous for their mastery of poison.
Perhaps, in the future, the niche path of poison techniques would need Xiao Yixian to expand its upper limits.
Hearing Lin Yuan's question, Xiao Yixian carefully sensed the medicinal pill in her hand before confidently replying, "It's enough! The quality of the poison essence within the Calamity Essence Netherworld Profound Pill is extremely high. It is more than enough to stimulate the power of the Woeful Poison Body and help me increase my cultivation by one star."
After successfully refining her first "pill," a trace of confidence could faintly be seen in her eyes and bearing.
"That's good!"
Lin Yuan was genuinely happy for her.
Xiao Yixian had always been interested in medicine, poison, and alchemy. Now, her interests had coincided with the path of her cultivation. That was a kind of fortune.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan continued, "Alchemy can help you quickly master your soul power and improve your flame control. If you alternate between cultivating your Soul Art and refining pills, it won't be long before you meet the requirements for the Gathering Flame and Condensing a Pill method."
"However, there were several areas during your pill refinement just now that can be optimized…"
Afterward, Lin Yuan began guiding Xiao Yixian.
Although Xiao Yixian was refining poison pills, they were still pills in the end. For Lin Yuan, who had already become an Alchemy Grandmaster, there were far too many things he could teach her.
One taught seriously, while the other learned seriously.
Time passed quickly.
One day later.
Bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, above the magma sea.
The surface of the silent magma sea was completely calm, without the slightest wind or ripple. It was utterly lifeless, with only the faint sound of bubbles occasionally bursting.
Suddenly, a low rumble of thunder rang out.
A silver streak of light suddenly appeared above the magma sea.
As the silver radiance faded, two figures emerged and quietly stood in midair.
"Zi Yan, we're here. You can get off the 'car' now!"
Lin Yuan's somewhat helpless voice suddenly echoed through this silent world.
"What?"
Zi Yan, who had her arms wrapped around Lin Yuan's neck and was hanging onto him, looked around with a bored expression before pouting.
"So this place beneath the tower is this boring? I always thought there would be something fun down here."
"I told you earlier, but you insisted on coming."
Lin Yuan flicked her forehead with his finger and chuckled.
"Boring. I'm leaving first!"
Zi Yan released Lin Yuan, spread her wings, and prepared to leave.
"Since you're already here, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
Lin Yuan grabbed her and smiled.
"Besides, I happen to have something that may require your help."
As he spoke, his mind stirred.
The Qianlan Heart Flame surged out of the Nether Sea Ring and rushed toward the mountain wall.
Under the scorching temperature of the Qianlan Heart Flame, a cave large enough to rest in was quickly carved into the mountain wall.
Lin Yuan then pulled Zi Yan into the cave.
Seeing Zi Yan's discomfort from the intense heat, Lin Yuan smiled faintly. With a casual wave of his hand, several water- and cold-element medicinal ingredients appeared and floated around him.
He then curled his finger.
Several strands of flame as thin as needles separated from the Light Blue Heart Flame floating beside him.
With a thought, the icy-blue strands of flame moved as though threading a needle, swiftly passing through several medicinal herbs.
The instant the flame threads passed through the herbs, Lin Yuan's powerful soul force worked together with the flames, extracting all the medicinal essence he needed.
The remaining impurities from the herbs turned into piles of ash and fell to the ground.
Several strands of icy-blue flame carrying the medicinal essence intertwined and converged above his palm, transforming into an icy-blue flame lotus that enclosed the essences of the various medicinal ingredients.
Wrapped within the strange flame and under the precise control of his soul force, the medicinal liquid completed its fusion in only a moment.
The flame lotus transformed accordingly.
After merely a few breaths, an icy-blue jade cup filled with a freezing liquid appeared in Lin Yuan's hand.
This freezing liquid was called Ice Spirit Jade Liquid.
Ice Spirit Jade Liquid was a special Fifth-Grade medicinal product created by the Eighth-Grade Alchemy Grandmaster Lin Yuan specifically to satisfy Zi Yan's appetite.
It was rich in energy, cool and refreshing, and sweet in taste. It was one of Zi Yan's favorite drinks!
For the current Lin Yuan, medicinal pills below the Sixth-Grade could already be refined casually.
A cool chill spread from the icy-blue jade cup.
The sweet fragrance of the Ice Spirit Jade Liquid immediately caught Zi Yan's attention, and her stomach instantly growled.
Lin Yuan chuckled and handed it to the eager Zi Yan.
Zi Yan happily accepted the "cold drink" and began savoring it with great satisfaction, occasionally making sounds of enjoyment.
Seeing this, a doting look flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes as he began making some simple arrangements inside the cave.
After glancing around, he took out a Sixth-Grade ice-attributed Magical Beast core and embedded it into the stone wall together with several Moonlight Stones.
Immediately, a cool atmosphere accompanied by soft moonlight spread throughout the cave, completely dispelling the oppressive heat.
Then…
"Ahh…"
After finishing the last mouthful of Ice Spirit Jade Liquid, Zi Yan let out a satisfied sigh.
By this time, Lin Yuan had also finished arranging the cave.
He waved his hand.
A black dried Magical Beast corpse suddenly appeared in the spacious cave.
It was the Heaven Demon Phoenix dried corpse.
The Heaven Demon Phoenix corpse was quite large. The moment it appeared, it occupied nearly half of the cave.
A pair of jade-like skeletal wings reflected a faint glow beneath the gentle light of the Moonlight Stones, giving them an exceptionally strange appearance.
"Hmm?"
Zi Yan walked over and lightly kicked the dried corpse with her little foot, looking disgusted.
"It smells awful. Isn't this big thing something Xiao Yixian and I fought over?"
"You two did a great job back then. This is a very valuable thing!"
Lin Yuan chuckled and gently ran his hand over the skeletal wings. The sensation beneath his palm was peculiar, alternating between coolness and warmth.
Looking closely, he could see strange energy flowing through the somewhat translucent skeletal wings. It consisted of violent Wind Elemental energy and scorching Fire Elemental energy. Two completely different attributes had somehow blended together and coexisted remarkably well within the skeletal wings.
After examining the structure of the magical beast, Lin Yuan took a long sword from his Storage Ring and precisely separated the skeletal wings from the corpse.
Then, with a slight hook of his finger, icy-blue flames swept downward. With Lin Yuan's soul power reinforcing them, the flames suddenly surged and pounced toward the Heavenly Demon Phoenix corpse on the ground.
The icy-blue flames completely enveloped the corpse, and terrifying heat spread throughout the cave.
Accompanied by sizzling sounds, a strange transformation began.
The pair of pale claws, which had become as soft as mud, gradually shrank at a slow pace. Their color also changed from pale white to cyan-red, while a sharp aura spread from the tips of the claws.
The pale chunks of flesh were gradually burned away, condensing into a small mass of cyan-red blood that radiated powerful energy fluctuations.
The dried outer skin also began to shrink continuously, yet showed no signs of melting.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan raised his hand, and a gentle suction force emerged. The cyan-red blood floated out through the holes in the skin before finally hovering half an inch above his palm.
"There's no sign of the magic core. Did something go wrong with my method?"
Staring at the shrinking dried skin, Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Although he possessed the advantage of foresight, there were still some extremely detailed matters that he could not completely grasp.
At this moment, Zi Yan's lazy voice sounded beside him.
"Big Brother, the magic core's energy really is inside this dried skin. But if you simply roast it with a Heavenly Flame, you'll only cause the energy inside to evaporate. Not only will you fail to obtain the magic core, but the skin will also be ruined."
"Oh?"
Lin Yuan turned toward Zi Yan and asked, "Girl, you know how to extract the magic core?"
"Hehe!"
Zi Yan placed her hands on her waist and proudly raised her head.
"Of course I do! First, drip a drop of that cyan-red blood onto the dried skin. Then roast it with the Heavenly Flame. That'll force the energy of the magic core out."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan did not hesitate. With a slight movement of his finger, a drop of cyan-red blood separated from the mass and shot out, landing on the dried skin.
The moment the cyan-red blood touched the dried skin, it rapidly merged into it.
The gray-white dried skin immediately seemed to have been stimulated. It began writhing as though it had come alive, while strands of cyan-red color rapidly spread outward from the place where the blood had entered.
Within just a few blinks, the dried skin transformed from gray-white to cyan-red, radiating astonishing energy fluctuations.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan's mind stirred. The Qianlan Heart Flame surged forward and enveloped the cyan-red Heavenly Demon Phoenix dried skin, causing the temperature of the flames to rise once again.
Under the scorching heat of the icy-blue flames, wisps of cyan-red mist seeped out from the dried skin. The mist grew increasingly dense until it eventually filled almost the entire cave, hovering in midair like cyan-red clouds.
A powerful energy and oppressive might spread outward from within it.
Faintly, an unusual, deep roar seemed to echo through the cave, accompanied by a violent soul fluctuation.
"You certainly hid yourself well. But you're already dead. Do you really think you can still turn the heavens upside down?"
Lin Yuan sneered disdainfully.
It was merely a dead Heavenly Demon Phoenix.
His immense soul power suddenly erupted and surged toward the cyan-red mist. The transcendent aura of a Spirit Realm soul instantly crushed the violent soul fluctuation.
With its resistance eliminated, there was no longer any obstacle. The cyan-red mist was completely refined and extracted.
The dried skin could no longer withstand the burning of the Heavenly Flame and exploded into ashes, which slowly scattered onto the ground.
At the same time, ten cyan-red sharp claws fell down, each one radiating an intense, razor-sharp aura.
The cyan-red cloud in midair then began rotating like a vortex, collapsing toward its center. The cyan-red light grew increasingly intense.
As the final wisp of mist was absorbed, an irregular cyan-red crystal floated quietly in midair.
Lin Yuan withdrew the Qianlan Heart Flame and reached out to catch the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's magic core. After briefly examining it, a smile appeared on his face.
"As expected of a quasi-eighth-grade Heavenly Demon Phoenix magic core. The energy contained within it is quite substantial. It'll come in handy later."
"Such an unpleasant aura!"
Zi Yan stared at the cyan-red magic core, which radiated an eerie aura, and pouted as she muttered.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan chuckled and stored the Heavenly Demon Phoenix magic core inside his Storage Ring.
He then waved his hand, and the ten cyan-red bone spines flew over and hovered in front of him.
Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up. She tugged on Lin Yuan's sleeve and looked at him expectantly.
"Big Brother, can you give these to me? I want to make a pair of gauntlets!"
"Don't worry. These were meant for you from the beginning."
Lin Yuan gently stroked her smooth purple hair.
"Your big brother's refining skills are quite good. It won't take me long to make the gauntlets for you!"
"For now, stay with me. Follow what I taught you before and regulate the energy within your body, preparing yourself for your breakthrough."
"Uh I understand, Big Brother!"
"Relax and regulate your breathing. I'll go make the gauntlets for you!"
Lin Yuan walked toward the outside of the cave, but suddenly stopped and spoke in a somewhat mysterious tone.
"Oh, right, Zi Yan. After coming here, did you feel anything unusual about the magma sea below?"
----
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