"Nonsense! When has the alchemy I taught ever been improper?"
Yao Lao glared, though there was a trace of guilt in his tone.
"Don't waste time. Let's get started."
Xiao Yan shot Yao Lao a look, impatience in his voice.
Once he decided on something, he would seize every moment and not waste even a second.
Hearing this, Yao Lao also adopted a serious expression.
"With your Dou Qi cultivation and soul strength, you already have the foundation to become a Tier 7 Alchemist. What you lack now is simply experience in refining."
"Since you're already able to craft peak Tier 5 pills, you can start attempting Tier 6 pills."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a vast array of precious herbs appeared in the alchemy room.
"Refining Tier 6 pills isn't easy. Start with the simplest—Virtual Spirit Pill—then move on to Azure Life Pill, Revival Purple Spirit Pill, and Imperial Extreme Pill, each increasing in difficulty. I'll be watching from the side and will correct any issues in time."
Yao Lao tossed a few scrolls of pill recipes to Xiao Yan, though aside from the Revival Purple Spirit Pill, he already had the rest. So, he only unrolled the scroll for the new one.
Moments later, a stream of information flowed through his soul and entered his mind.
"Revival Spirit Fruit, Purple Spirit Seven-Leaf Grass…"
After memorizing the recipe for the Revival Purple Spirit Pill, Xiao Yan mentally reviewed the Virtual Spirit Pill recipe as well before formally beginning the refining.
A green flame shot out from his fingertip and immediately ignited the cauldron.
As the temperature within the cauldron steadily rose, Xiao Yan extended his hand and tossed in the main ingredient for the Virtual Spirit Pill—Virtual Spirit Sky Fruit—followed by several auxiliary ingredients.
Despite this, Xiao Yan didn't dare to throw everything in at once. Refining Tier 6 pills required the precise interaction of nearly a hundred different herbs.
A single mistake could ruin the entire batch, so he proceeded with caution, needing three rounds to finish refining the dozens of ingredients.
"Phew!"
Once all the materials were refined, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and meditated to steady his state of mind while recovering his Dou Qi.
Even with his current strength, refining a Tier 6 pill was still quite taxing.
Once he had sufficiently recovered, he reignited the flame and began mixing the refined essences according to the recipe's instructions.
"The temperature's a bit too high."
"Using flame pulses to roast the Virtual Spirit Fruit's juice will yield better results."
The green fire cast a glow on Yao Lao's old face, but gone was his usual levity; now, his expression was solemn.
Though he wasn't the one refining, when it came to alchemy, Yao Lao became deadly serious. That was the true mark of a master.
Under Yao Lao's guidance, Xiao Yan's skills advanced rapidly.
A quasi-Tier 9 Alchemist like Yao Lao was a towering figure even within the Xiao Clan and Yao Clan. Before becoming the Emperor's Heir, Xiao Yan would've shown great respect when meeting someone like him.
In the Xiao Clan, any Tier 8 Alchemist who could craft pills with six-colored pill lightning had the right to enter the Heavenly Flame Valley to choose a Heavenly Flame.
An hour later, the cauldron shook slightly as the energy from the forming pill clashed against the cauldron walls, emitting a melodious sound.
"Sounds nice, huh? A happy cauldron makes a good pill."
Xiao Yan steadied his spirit and retrieved a misty pill from the cauldron.
It was white like jade, and even a single whiff of its fragrance was invigorating.
"Not bad. Succeeding in your first attempt at a Tier 6 pill… your talent truly is terrifying."
Yao Lao smiled, further reassured about the monstrous potential of his disciple.
"Rest for a bit, then move on to the next one. Every successful Alchemist is built atop mountains of failed materials."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded lightly.
He meditated for half an hour, then began refining the next pill.
Meanwhile, the same was happening in Xuan Yi's alchemy room.
"It's a success!"
Cao Ying withdrew a deep green pill from the cauldron.
It was a Tier 5 pill—Green Turtle Longevity Pill. After consumption, it would make one's body as long-lived as a Tier 5 magical beast, the Green Armored Longevity Turtle—a prized method for experts nearing their natural lifespan to extend their life.
The price, however, was steep: the user's strength would be capped at 30%. If exceeded, the pill's effects would vanish, requiring another dose to regain that state.
Still, the pill remained highly sought after by elderly powerhouses.
"Not bad. You finally succeeded in refining a Tier 5 pill."
Xuan Yi looked at her beloved disciple with satisfaction.
Cao Ying was still a few months away from turning fifteen, yet she had already succeeded in refining Tier 5 pills. Soon, she would officially be recognized as a Tier 5 Alchemist.
A fifteen-year-old Tier 5 Alchemist was a rare genius even across a hundred years in the Pill Tower.
"Not enough!"
Determination burned across Cao Ying's delicate, charming face.
"To defeat Xiao Yan, this is far from enough!"
Without hesitation, she summoned the Blood Demon Ape Flame and resumed refining.
"This child..."
Watching Cao Ying's serious expression, Xuan Yi's feelings were mixed.
This girl, long admired by her peers, had been defeated for the first time by someone her age—and it happened in her strongest domain: flames.
"That old geezer Yao Chen must know how strong Ying'er is, yet he still puts all his faith in that disciple of his. Just how heaven-defying is that boy Xiao Yan?"
She cursed inwardly:
"It's bad enough you bullied me, old man—now even your disciple is bullying mine?"
In a training room within the Pill Clan's Resting Area, Dan Chen was also refining diligently. Her pale, delicate face was filled with focus.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Pill Region Youth Alchemy Tournament slowly commenced.
Though not as grand as the Pill Gathering, the tournament was still a lively event for the Pill Region, drawing many talented young alchemists.
In Sacred Pill City, the crowds surged. Talented youths from across the continent had gathered.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion erupted inside a cauldron—its force rivaling a Dou Wang expert self-destructing.
Fortunately, 90% of that energy was contained within the cauldron, and the rest was easily dispersed by Xiao Yan with a wave.
"That's the third failure."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot.
"Only three failures. The Imperial Extreme Pill might not be the most advanced Tier 6 pill, but it's among the best. Even a genius like you will fail. Besides, you've pushed yourself too hard these past few days."
Yao Lao glanced at the twelve jade bottles in front of Xiao Yan. In seven days, he had refined thirty batches—twelve successful, eighteen failures—the wasted materials enough to make a Dou Zong green with envy.
But Yao Lao didn't even blink.
What moved him wasn't the wasted materials, but Xiao Yan's relentless drive—his unshakable will to succeed once he set a goal.
A powerful background, heaven-defying talent, and a ruthless, tenacious character—such a person was destined for greatness.
"You're too exhausted. Rest well—once you've recovered, you may just succeed with the Imperial Extreme Pill."
Xiao Yan nodded, popped a self-made Revival Pill into his mouth, and sat down to meditate.
Seven days of nonstop refining had drained him. Even his soul power was nearly depleted.
Sometimes, progress comes not from pushing harder, but from knowing when to ease off.
Author's Note:
Writer's block hits harder than constipation—let me push through it.
(End of chapter)