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Thousands of miles away from Wu Tan City, deep within a mountain range, Qian Renhan sat cross-legged. His eyes were bloodshot from using the Light of Time twice in a row. "Gu Xun'er, that girl… has she returned to the Gu Clan?"
"Heh, whether it's a misunderstanding or enmity—once conflict arises, it's either you die or I live."
"I want to see whether your Gu Clan will be the first to kill me, or if I'll turn you into the nourishment for my rise to the pinnacle of this continent."
Qian Renhan tossed out the corpses of the three Dou Zun experts from the Gu Clan whom he had killed. Dark soul power surged from his hand and poured into one of the bodies. The already aged body grew even more withered. The wounds on its back and right hand began to heal steadily.
After recovering from his injuries, Qian Renhan began searching through the three men's storage rings. Their Dou Qi attributes varied: one wielded lightning, another wind, and the last fire.
From their rings, Qian Renhan obtained a valuable stash of pills. There were no cultivation techniques, but quite a few battle skills. However, most didn't suit him. The only one of notable worth was the Gu Clan's standard cultivation technique, the Emperor Seal Art, which could be cultivated regardless of Dou Qi attribute.
After collecting all valuable resources, Qian Renhan devoured the Dou Qi and life force from the three Dou Zun experts, channeling it into his body—similar to when he absorbed the Golden Dragon King's blood essence and the energy of twenty spirit rings in the Douluo World to advance his cultivation.
Eastern Region of Central Continent – Ancient Holy City
Space rippled slightly as five elderly figures silently stepped out from the Gu Realm, flying toward the northwest region of the continent—toward the Jiama Empire. Each of the five had a cultivation level of at least six-star Dou Zun.
One elder sighed, "How many years has it been… that someone from the outside dared to offend the dignity of our Gu Clan? Even the Soul Clan must weigh their options before standing against us."
Another, more hot-tempered elder snapped, "Gu Yun, Gu Ya, Gu Ming—those three useless fools. They couldn't even subdue a five-star Dou Zun from the outside world and were killed instead. What a disgrace to our Gu Clan!"
The leading elder, exuding natural authority, said sternly, "Enough. No more arguing. Our Gu Clan has remained in seclusion for too long. It's only natural that arrogant and reckless fools from the outside begin to forget our clan's prestige after achieving a bit of success."
"The clan has ordered us to capture the culprit within three months—to uphold the honor of the Gu Clan."
Three Days Later – Deep Within the Mountains
An immense surge of Dou Qi soared into the sky. Qian Renhan emerged, brimming with vitality. After devouring the three Dou Zun experts, his depleted soul power was fully restored, and his cultivation advanced to the early stage of seven-star Dou Zun.
This was largely due to the poor quality of the Dou Qi—making breakthroughs easier and requiring less innate talent. If he had cultivated a higher-tier technique, like one at the Earth rank, he might have only reached the peak of five-star Dou Zun or, at best, six-star.
However, Qian Renhan paid a heavy price. In that battle, his right hand had forcibly endured the Third Seal of the Emperor Seal Art – Earth-Crushing Seal. His Dark Gold Terror Claw and right hand were completely shattered. The damage was so thorough that even after reconstructing his physical body, the external soul bone of the Dark Gold Terror Claw could not be restored. There were also cracks on his Shura Sword that would require extensive nurturing with Dou Qi to heal.
Qian Renhan wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the cracks on the Shura Sword seemed to be calling out to him—as if asking to be mended with blood.
Soon after, Qian Renhan flew toward the Black-Corner Region. Time was pressing, and the Gu Clan's pursuit could arrive at any moment. He had to make every second count.
He arrived at a towering mountain range, where the natural energy was particularly dense. Suddenly, Qian Renhan sensed a soul force not much weaker than Yao Chen's. Probing with his spiritual power, he looked downward and saw a serene chamber. Inside sat a young man—gentle and refined in appearance, seemingly around thirty years old, and slightly weaker than Nalan Jie—holding a ball of flame as he refined a pill.
"So this is alchemy," Qian Renhan mused. "Using extremely high temperatures from the flame to extract medicinal powders from herbs, removing impurities in the process. Then, gathering the powders and merging them under the vitality-rich Dou Qi of the wood attribute… triggering a kind of chemical reaction that forms a pill."
Qian Renhan observed the entire alchemy process carefully. Then, he took out Yao Chen's eighth-rank Alchemist's Insights and studied it closely, sinking into deep thought. He formed a hypothesis: he lacked the ability to use flames to refine herbs into powder and could not filter impurities, but perhaps he could try absorbing the medicinal power of herbs by devouring Dou Qi and then attempt to fuse them together.
His ability and the elemental flames were two extremes—parallel lines that could never intersect. If that was the case, did he possess an alternative method of alchemy?
Snapping back to reality, Qian Renhan fixed his gaze once again on the young man. "Daydreams are just daydreams—without practice, they're nothing but castles in the air. At this age, possessing such alchemy skills and strength, he must be Dan Wang Gu He."
"The chance of successfully refining a Dou Spirit Pill has increased again. My alchemy skills have reached perfection."
Gu He laughed heartily, clutching the pill in his hand, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. He had two lifelong dreams: first, to win the favor of the Yunlan Sect's leader and become her soulmate, journeying through life together; second, to join the Pill Tower, the alchemists' sacred place in Central Continent, and break through to even higher realms of alchemy.
"Dan Wang Gu He."
"Dou Zong expert!" Gu He suddenly turned to look at Qian Renhan, who was stepping on empty air. His pupils dilated sharply, and he hurriedly cupped his fists respectfully: "Gu He pays respects to the elder. How dare I mention the title 'Dan Wang' in front of you."
Gu He was an eighth-rank alchemist, corresponding to a Dou Huang-level expert. Facing a Dou Zong-level powerhouse, he was clearly a tier below.
"I want to make a trade with you. I know you have a Dou Skill called 'Thousand Flame Sword Qi.' Lend it to me for a look, and in exchange, I will lend you this eighth-rank Alchemist's Insights." Qian Renhan produced the parchment Yao Chen had given him.
Gu He was stunned, as if a fortune had suddenly fallen from the sky onto him. "Eighth-rank Alchemist's Insights!"
"Elder, Gu He is willing to trade!" He quickly took out the 'Thousand Flame Sword Qi' from his storage ring. The eighth-rank Alchemist's Insights were a treasure beyond reach for most seventh-rank alchemists, and Gu He had no teacher—he had to figure out alchemy by himself as a sixth-rank.
"Then let's exchange." Qian Renhan replied indifferently. To outsiders, the eighth-rank Insights were priceless treasures, but to him, they were nothing special. If not for the Gu Clan's pursuit forcing him to keep a low profile, he would have copied thousands of copies to trade throughout the continent for Dou Skills, cultivation techniques, and rare treasures.
A true treasure only earns that title when it's fully utilized.
Gu He eagerly opened the parchment, eyes wide as he studied the eighth-rank Alchemist's Insights. His adrenaline surged, heartbeat accelerating. Under this guidance, he felt many of his weaknesses and gaps in alchemy were filled, his skills advancing significantly.
At that moment, Gu He completely forgot about Yun Yun, wishing time would stop so he could immerse forever in this vast ocean of alchemical knowledge.
Thousand Flame Sword Qi: A mysterious-rank advanced fire-attribute Dou Skill that condenses Dou Qi into flying swords to attack. When mastered, it can produce a thousand flying swords simultaneously, whose combined power rivals low-rank Earth-attribute Dou Skills.
"Not bad. Although marked as a fire-attribute skill, it can also be condensed with ice-attribute Dou Qi. A very good Dou Skill." Qian Renhan nodded slightly, finally showing a hint of satisfaction.
"Finished reading?"
"Yes, elder." Gu He swallowed nervously, as if he had swallowed all the knowledge on the parchment, then handed it back.
Qian Renhan folded the parchment and said, "I have one more condition—I want you to give me a copy of your own Alchemist's Insights."
(End of chapter)