"Achoo~"
On the other side, Xiao Yan, who was preparing for the Alchemist Convention test, suddenly sneezed.
"Strange, what's going on..."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and murmured in a low voice.
He was now a Dou Ling after all, and he had two types of Heavenly Flames in his body; it should be impossible for him to catch a cold.
Even if he were thrown onto an ice field, as long as his Fighting Qi wasn't exhausted, he would be fine.
Unable to figure it out, Xiao Yan stopped thinking about it and continued to listen carefully to Fa Ma introducing the rules of the test.
"Refining medicinal ingredients, huh? This test question is quite interesting." Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Yan's ear.
"Refining medicinal ingredients is not only a necessary step in alchemy, but it also tests one's ability to control the heat."
"This small task can roughly measure some of the candidates' abilities."
Xiao Yan nodded silently, clearly agreeing with what Yao Lao said.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask in his heart:
"Teacher, when will I be able to refine a seventh-grade pill?"
Xiao Yan naturally understood Xiao Xue's character and knew she wouldn't speak without reason.
Therefore, after returning to the Jia Ma Empire, the fact that "his sister can refine a seventh-grade pill" had been a lump in Xiao Yan's heart.
His sister has a Water Attribute and is already at the seventh grade!
As the older brother with a fire attribute who had refined two types of Heavenly Flames and was only at the fourth grade, where was he supposed to hide his face?!
Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't jealous of Xiao Xue; it was more like a feeling of "I'm not convinced, I need to start working harder."
"You brat!" Yao Lao scolded with a laugh, "What, you want to fly before you've learned to walk?"
"Is your Soul Power Realm high enough now? You want to refine a seventh-grade pill?"
How could he not know what Xiao Yan was thinking.
Xiao Yan gave a cheeky smile and didn't argue.
"Teacher, since Soul Power has Realm divisions, there should also be Cultivation Techniques for it, right?"
"Cultivation Techniques that can Cultivate Soul Power are truly rare, no less so than Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques, perhaps even more so," Yao Lao replied.
"However, as long as you win the Pill Gathering championship hosted by the Pill Tower, you can obtain a Soul Power Cultivation Technique from the Pill Tower's collection."
"Then it seems this technique is quite easy to get," Xiao Yan said.
"...To win the Pill Gathering, you need to refine at least a seventh-grade Peak Medicinal Pill."
"If you encounter a true Prodigy, you might even need to refine an Eighth Grade Pill."
"In other words, I have to reach the seventh or even eighth grade first before I can get the Soul Cultivation Technique?" Xiao Yan spread his hands.
Yao Lao: "..."
That seemed correct.
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
Speaking of which, how did Xiao Xue Cultivate her Soul Power?
After a pause, Yao Lao continued:
"I also relied on winning a Pill Gathering championship back then to obtain a Soul Cultivation Technique."
"However, the effects of the technique vary from person to person. The technique I obtained back then might not necessarily suit you."
"Naturally, I hope you can also win the Pill Gathering and choose a technique that suits you."
"For now, just further train your fire control and alchemy techniques."
"After all, before refining Eighth Grade Pills, these two can make up for other deficiencies."
"Moreover, although there are also Soul Techniques that use Soul Power, the Fighting Qi Continent is, after all, dominated by Fighting Qi."
"When your Soul Power and Fighting Qi are sufficient to support you in refining a seventh-grade pill, I will teach you."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded.
Although Xiao Yan was a freak whose Soul Power had been stronger than average since birth, it wasn't so strong that he was already at the seventh grade.
So, to refine a seventh-grade pill, he would likely have to wait a few more years.
"...Those who fail the test will lose their eligibility to participate."
On the high platform, Fa Ma finally finished explaining the test requirements.
Hearing such a severe penalty for failure, the group of young people below looked at each other.
Except for a few people, the expressions of the other testers changed slightly.
"If there are no questions, then now, the test... begins!" Fa Ma announced on the stage.
Hearing the word to start, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, who was beside him, looked at each other.
Xiao Yan gave an encouraging smile, while Xiao Yi Xian winked playfully.
Then, the two of them turned around and walked into their respective testing cubicles.
As for Liu Ling, the Little Princess, and the others, they naturally wouldn't look down on Xiao Yan as they did in the original story.
Their competition even included an additional rival, Xiao Yi Xian, who was at least a Fourth-Grade Alchemist.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian had both passed the Fourth-Grade Alchemist assessment and were considered the top favorites to win this time.
After all, in the original story, Liu Ling and the Little Princess were only at the third grade during the Alchemist Convention.
The two of them didn't have the habit of hiding their strength; if they could have tested for the fourth grade, they would have done so directly.
In the original finals, refining a fourth-grade Medicinal Pill was considered an exceptional performance for them.
Therefore, even though Gu He had given Liu Ling a lot of extra training and guidance.
In terms of actual alchemy skills, compared to Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, he was definitely quite a bit behind, and the same applied to the Little Princess.
Thus, the pressure Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian brought to them was not small.
One must know that if Liu Ling lost, then the bet between Gu He and Xiao Xue would also be lost.
So, although hope was slim, Liu Ling still wanted to try and save the situation.
The Little Princess, representing the Imperial Family, didn't want her ranking to be too poor and embarrass the Imperial Family.
Although there were two freaks she really couldn't compete with, she should at least get third place, right?!
After a brief exchange of glances, Liu Ling, the Little Princess, and the others also immediately walked into their cubicles and began the test.
———
Xiao Residence, in the main hall.
"...Xue'er, where have you been these past few days?"
Seeing Medusa take a seat, Xiao Zhan and the others didn't say much more and began chatting with Xiao Xue.
Of course, they were still slightly awkward.
Xiao Xue didn't mind; this was a very normal reaction. She said calmly, "There was something on the way, so I was delayed for a few days."
Returning so slowly, it was normal for Xiao Zhan and the others to be concerned about her.
Seeing that Xiao Xue was unwilling to say more, Xiao Zhan didn't ask further.
The child was grown and should have some secrets of her own.
"Young Clan Leader, are you already able to refine a seventh-grade pill now?"
On the other side, the Grand Elder couldn't help but ask.
Xiao Yu had also returned from Jia Nan Academy with Xiao Yan and the others.
With a Profound Tier High Grade Cultivation Technique, Xiao Yu had now broken through to become a Great Dou Master.
Originally, the Grand Elder felt his granddaughter was already quite good, but the third young master, Xiao Yan, was already a Dou Ling.
And Xiao Xue being a high-level Dou Wang was one thing, but she had even spread news to the outside that she would publicly refine a seventh-grade pill after the Alchemist Convention ended.
If one could refine a seventh-grade pill, even a Dou Zong or even a Dou Venerate expert would treat an Alchemist of this level as a precious treasure.
Compared to the third young master and the fourth Young Miss, Xiao Yu's talent seemed to be just average.
Hearing this question, almost everyone looked at Xiao Xue.
After all, they were equally curious about this.
Although they knew that since Xiao Xue dared to spread this news, she should have some confidence.
But for something that sounded so absurd, it was more reliable to get the person's own admission.
Xiao Xue nodded gently and said indifferently:
"I can currently refine seventh-grade Advanced ones; I haven't tried seventh-grade Peak yet, so I'm not certain."
"Hiss~" * N
Medusa: "..."
Xiao Zhan and the others naturally knew Xiao Xue's character; as long as she dared to say it, she could definitely do it.
A seventeen-year-old seventh-grade Advanced Alchemist!
A whole major rank higher than Pill King Gu He!
Terrifying! Simply terrifying!
No wonder Xue'er didn't go to participate in the Alchemist Convention.
If she had gone, it wouldn't have been to compete at all, but purely to demoralize people.
She would be there to shatter everyone else's pride.
What's the point of playing house with children?
"Hahaha, a seventeen-year-old seventh-grade Advanced Alchemist!"
"My daughter Xiao Xue has the potential to become a Saint!"
Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Xue, a heartfelt smile appearing on his face.
This child could always inadvertently give people great surprises, or even... scares!
If before, Xiao Zhan felt Xiao Xue could only reach Dou Huang or Dou Zong.
Then now, Xiao Zhan felt it wasn't impossible for Xiao Xue to break through to become a Dou Saint.
At the same time, the members of the Xiao Family also felt a sense of shared pride.
Xue'er was only a Dou Wang now, but she was very likely the strongest of the younger generation in the entire Northwest Continent!
Perhaps even the number one person of the younger generation in the entire continent!
And don't forget, Xiao Xue was still very young.
In her hands, the Xiao Family might develop to an unprecedented height!
Xiao Zhan and several Elders couldn't help but look forward to it.
What would the Xiao Family look like in a few decades?
------------------------
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