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'Sigh, the Flame Mantra has become incredibly difficult to improve after reaching the Tian Class.' Xiao Yan felt somewhat disappointed that the Flame Mantra still hadn't broken through to the intermediate level. However, the quality of his Dou Qi had improved slightly, proving the Flame Mantra had indeed advanced, just not enough to upgrade completely.
"You brat, do you really treat Heavenly Flames like meals?" Venerable Tian Huo slowly drifted over, having recovered his Spiritual Strength.
He studied Xiao Yan with a peculiar expression. After accompanying him for so long, he'd guessed that Xiao Yan's Qi Method required devouring Heavenly Flames. Only such a special technique could allow Xiao Yan to recklessly consume so many Heavenly Flames.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you really are a freak. Your Spiritual Strength has actually reached the Soul State... Even this old man never achieved that." Venerable Tian Huo was genuinely impressed. He truly couldn't fathom how Xiao Yan cultivated.
He had once been a renowned Dou Venerate, yet even at that level, his Spiritual Strength had never broken through to the Soul State.
Xiao Yan shrugged nonchalantly. "Although Soul State Spiritual Strength is nice, I'd still prefer to be a Dou Venerate myself."
Indeed, Soul State Spiritual Strength corresponded to the Dou Venerate realm. After all, refining tier 8 pills required Tier 8 Spiritual Strength, and tier 8 pills were also known as Spirit Pills, which needed to possess spirituality.
Moreover, tier 8 pills were precisely what Dou Venerates used.
However, combat strength was another matter entirely. With Xiao Yan's current cultivation, even possessing tier 8 Spiritual Strength, he was far inferior to a Dou Venerate. After all, Dou Venerates also had strong Spiritual Strength. Even if they hadn't reached the Soul State, they wouldn't be weak. So it couldn't be calculated on a one-to-one basis.
Not to mention he only had one Soul Skill. Relying solely on Spiritual Strength to fight a Dou Venerate would be courting death.
Xiao Yan stood up and stretched lazily. His cultivation had slightly improved after refining the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, reaching the 7-star Dou Emperor stage.
Refining Heavenly Flames had never directly improved one's cultivation, but during the refining process, there were often additional gains, such as entering a state of enlightenment or rapidly improving cultivation by absorbing the energy within the Heavenly Flame space.
Xiao Yan felt that advancing one star was already quite good, especially since refining the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame hadn't been particularly difficult. In fact, it had been relatively easy.
"What are your plans now?" Venerable Tian Huo asked.
Xiao Yan smiled and raised his eyebrows at him. "Refine pills and help you create a body, Elder Yao."
Venerable Tian Huo grinned, showing his teeth, upon hearing that this guy Xiao Yan finally understood his intentions. Wasn't all his desperate effort precisely because he wanted Xiao Yan to help him resurrect?
"Although the materials for the Yin Yang Life Soul Pill aren't fully gathered yet, we're almost there. I'll first help you refine a physical body, Elder Yao, then improve my alchemy skills. By the time we leave here, I should reach the level of a middle-grade or even high-grade 7th-tier alchemist. Once we gather all the materials for the Yin Yang Life Soul Pill, you'll be able to resurrect!" Xiao Yan displayed a confident expression.
His current alchemy level should be at the peak of low-grade tier 7. Advancing to middle-grade wouldn't be difficult. With some luck, he might even reach high-grade 7th-tier alchemist level before leaving!
Fortunately, he had previously accepted 'gifts' from over a hundred factions at the Great Meeting of Factions. His storage ring now held an abundance of tier 7 medicinal ingredients. Even after giving a portion to Zi Yan, he still possessed a massive amount.
Additionally, the vast primeval forest at the base of the heavenly ladder contained some lower-grade medicinal ingredients that could serve as auxiliary materials. This provided perfect conditions for improving his alchemy skills.
With a wave of his hand, various brocade boxes flew from his storage ring. They were all filled with tier 7 medicinal ingredients. He sorted them by quality, first reviewing the main ingredients for low-grade tier 7 pills in his mind. After recalling the pill recipes that could use these main ingredients, he flew down the heavenly ladder to search for the required auxiliary ingredients.
Naturally, he started by warming up with low-grade tier 7 pills.
After a month, Xiao Yan had refined six low-grade tier 7 pills. He only failed once when Cai Lin's bloodline fluctuations distracted him. The others were all successful, and there were even two instances of refining two pills in one batch. His alchemy talent was so exceptional that it was no wonder even Hun Huzi had taken notice.
'Alright, let's begin refining middle-grade tier 7 pills.'
Xiao Yan busied himself once more. He already possessed the strength of a middle-grade tier 7 alchemist. Although his success rate wasn't as high as with low-grade tier 7 pills, the gap between middle-grade and low-grade pills wasn't that big. With his Heavenly Flames and Soul State Spiritual Strength, when refining some low-grade tier 7 pills, he could even achieve middle-grade quality.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Soul State Spiritual Strength truly is formidable. Refining middle-grade tier 7 pills feels like I'm playing on easy mode." When Xiao Yan first began refining middle-grade tier 7 pills, he discovered his Spiritual Strength was frighteningly powerful.
When he concentrated his Spiritual Strength, the flames he controlled seemed to move in slow motion. The timing of ingredients cracking from heat, the moments when flame intensity should increase or decrease, the emergence of medicinal properties, the internal structure of ingredients... nothing escaped his perception.
Originally, Xiao Yan thought only low-grade tier 7 pills would be so smooth to refine. Who knew that middle-grade tier 7 pills wouldn't be much harder than low-grade ones?
In other words, because his Spiritual Strength had reached the Soul State, the difficulty of refining middle-grade and low-grade tier 7 pills had become nearly identical. This masterful control over Spiritual Strength pleasantly surprised even the composed Xiao Yan.
"Of course! Why else do you think Soul State is the benchmark for 8th-tier alchemists?" Venerable Tian Huo stroked his beard.
"Back in the Central Plains, pills and heavenly treasures that could improve a 7th-tier alchemist's Spiritual Strength were always in high demand. Whenever such treasures appeared, countless alchemists would bid like madmen," Venerable Tian Huo explained slowly.
There was no helping it. The Hall of Souls had monopolized all Soul Training Methods. Forget about the methods themselves; even pill recipes that could improve Spiritual Strength were extremely rare, even in the Pill Tower.
The High Xuan Class Soul Training Method that Xiao Yan had exchanged with Gu He for the Body Transformation Pill was definitely a great opportunity for the latter. Although High Xuan Class wasn't extremely precious, it could at least help Gu He break through to tier 7.
If Xiao Yan hadn't reached the Honorable Elder rank, he wouldn't have been able to teach others Soul Training Methods. The Hall of Souls' methods all had restrictions. Once learned, they couldn't be passed on. Even so, transactions involving Soul Training Methods remained strictly controlled.
Because the Hun Clan understood that as long as they monopolized the Soul Training Methods of the entire Dou Qi Continent, it would be difficult for top-tier experts to emerge on the continent. Then the Hun Clan would be invincible!
Although selfish, it had to be admitted, this was extremely clever.
After refining middle-grade tier 7 pills for over two months, Xiao Yan's success rate finally matched that of low-grade tier 7 pills. Occasionally, he could even achieve the remarkable feat of producing two pills in one batch!
Venerable Tian Huo shook his head in admiration as Xiao Yan attracted Pill Lightning comparable to a 7-star Dou Ancestor's attack.
Xiao Yan stored the pills and nodded in satisfaction. He then sat cross-legged and began cultivating to restore his Spiritual Strength and Dou Qi.
After reaching the Soul State, his Spiritual Strength recovered several times faster than before.
In less than half a day, Xiao Yan opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. Through these months of alchemy, his cultivation had also improved considerably, reaching the late stage of 7-star Dou Emperor.
Even with a Tian Class Qi Method and the Fallen Heart Flame's enhancement, advancing one star at the high-star Dou Emperor stage required exponentially more time.
However, Xiao Yan wasn't worried. He still had one unused Mighty Huang Pill. Moreover, based on past experience, the peak tier 5 Hegemon King Pill could guarantee a 9-star Dou Spirit's breakthrough to Dou King, and the peak tier 6 Emperor Heaven Pill could guarantee a 9-star Dou King's breakthrough to Dou Emperor.
Naturally, a peak tier 7 pill could also guarantee a 9-star Dou Emperor's breakthrough to Dou Ancestor!
Xiao Yan didn't want to use the Zong Breaking Pill. Not only did it require cultivation at peak 9-star Dou Emperor, but it also merely increased the success rate rather than guaranteeing a breakthrough.
Only those like Jia Xing Tian, who had been unable to break through to Dou Ancestor on their own, would use it.
What disappointed him was that Venerable Yao's collection actually lacked a pill recipe that could guarantee breakthrough to Dou Ancestor!
Still, he wasn't anxious. His Spiritual Strength had already reached the Soul State. He could exchange for pill recipes with the Pill Tower. If that didn't work, he could trade with the Hall of Souls. With his alchemy skills, was he afraid of not obtaining pill recipes?
Xiao Yan had always relied on Heavenly Flames to upgrade the Flame Mantra, rapidly improving his cultivation. Then he'd use his alchemy skills to refine higher-grade pills to break through bottlenecks, and finally refine new Heavenly Flames to stabilize his Dou Qi.
This leveling combo had accompanied him for a long journey, and he planned to continue using it in the future.
Snap!
Xiao Yan threw Gu Tong's corpse from his storage ring onto the ground. Even Venerable Tian Huo's soul body couldn't help fluctuating slightly at the sight.
He had spent so many years beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, dreaming of resurrection. Now it had finally come to this moment.
Besides Gu Tong's corpse, Xiao Yan also produced a jade bottle containing essence blood from a Rank 7 magical beast.
Refining a body required not only a Dou Ancestor expert's skeleton but also a Rank 7 magical beast's essence blood. These materials naturally weren't precious for Xiao Yan, who had harvested from various major factions in the North-Western Region.
Additionally, Xiao Yan retrieved another skeleton from his storage ring. This was Venerable Tian Huo's own remains from the cave. After all, this was a Dou Venerate's skeleton, and it belonged to Venerable Tian Huo himself. Therefore, Xiao Yan planned to replace the bones and reconstruct the body!
After pondering briefly, he summoned the Fallen Heart Flame and Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame.
He didn't use all his Heavenly Flames together for the refinement. More or higher-grade flames didn't necessarily mean better results; suitability was what mattered most.
The Fallen Heart Flame was an obvious choice, as Venerable Tian Huo had once been its owner. For the second flame, Xiao Yan didn't choose the Ten Thousand Beast Flame since Venerable Tian Huo wasn't a magical beast.
The Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame governed yin-yang and life-death. The black and white fish possessed two kinds of powers: the Life Flame saved lives endlessly while the Death Flame killed without leaving a trace. It was perfectly suitable.
Xiao Yan concentrated his Spiritual Strength, and his eyes glowed with soul light. The Death Flame transformed into a surgical scalpel, directly dissecting Gu Tong's corpse. Without harming the flesh, it burned all two hundred and six bones into nothingness.
With a pull of Spiritual Strength, he extracted all of Gu Tong's blood, leaving only a pale corpse.
The jade bottle shattered with a forceful squeeze. A large mass of blood dispersed, and with a wave of his palm, Xiao Yan sprinkled it onto the flame-wrapped corpse.
The moment the blood touched the corpse, hissing sounds erupted as the skin rapidly began to decay.
This sudden change didn't faze Xiao Yan. After a casual glance, he controlled the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame and Fallen Heart Flame to sharply increase temperature.
As the flames' temperature rose, the blood adhering to the corpse began mysteriously seeping inward. The originally pale skin and muscles gradually regained vitality as the essence blood merged with them.
After which, the flame-enveloped body floated into Venerable Tian Huo's skeleton with a wave of his hand.
Buzz!
Xiao Yan's fingers swiftly formed seals. The Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame and Fallen Heart Flame fused into the Fallen Life and Death Flame, continuously refining this vessel.
The flesh and essence blood merged continuously before their eyes. The flesh seemed to come alive, slowly fusing onto the skeleton, reconstructing itself!
Even Venerable Tian Huo, despite his calm temperament, clenched his fists nervously at this sight.
A full day and night passed before a body resembling white jade appeared. However, calling it a body at this point was somewhat inaccurate; it more resembled a white object with four limbs and a head, lacking any distinct human features.
It would need to wait until Venerable Tian Huo's soul body fully integrated with it. Then the body would begin forming external features based on his soul.
"Elder Yao, store this body in your storage ring. You can slowly shape it with your Spiritual Strength in your spare time. Once I refine the Yin Yang Life Soul Pill, you'll be able to resurrect." Xiao Yan smiled. This secret method belonged to Venerable Yao. It was his first time condensing a body using Heavenly Flames.
Such a resurrection method was indeed miraculous.
"Good, very good! Xiao Yan, this old man owes you a favor," Venerable Tian Huo laughed heartily.
Xiao Yan shook his head. "We already agreed on this back then, Elder Yao. I won't be greedy."
"Hahaha, no matter. This old man will remember. Even after our ten-year agreement passes, I'll keep it in my heart." Venerable Tian Huo nodded with a smile.
He stored the body in his storage ring and then went back inside to start shaping it.
Xiao Yan glanced toward Qing Lin and Cai Lin.
Qing Lin was now just one step away from completing the inheritance. Meanwhile, Cai Lin's cultivation had surged dramatically after obtaining the Half-Saint essence blood. She had now reached 9-star Dou Ancestor and appeared poised to attempt breaking through to Dou Venerate!
No wonder the Sky Serpent Mansion had been obsessed with the Demon Saint's essence blood for generations. For a Dou Ancestor, even for a Dou Venerate, it was a rare treasure.
Essence blood wasn't ordinary blood. It was a magical beast's core essence. Even Dou Saints possessed very little essence blood within their bodies.
Seeing the two women still needed time, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered as he retrieved a brocade box containing a small herb.
Body Transformation Grass!
Among the main ingredients for high-grade tier 7 medicinal pills, he possessed the most Body Transformation Grass, the primary ingredient for the Body Transformation Pill. Yun Yun had given him one, he had obtained another in the Black-Corner Region, purchased one from the Yellow Springs Treasure Pavilion, and received several more as gifts. He had rather too many.
The Body Transformation Pill was perhaps the most renowned among tier 7 pills. Almost every magical beast desired one.
Although the Body Transformation Pill wasn't the most difficult to refine among high-grade tier 7 pills, it was by no means simple. Alchemists had a saying: if you could refine the Body Transformation Pill, you were considered a genuine high-grade 7th-tier alchemist. It was the benchmark for entering the high-grade tier 7 level.
One could imagine the Body Transformation Pill's difficulty level.
'It's about time I repay the Lion King's favor. It's been overdue for quite a while.' Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and smiled. He recalled that the first 'investor' he had ever tricked was the Amethyst Winged Lion King. It was also with the Lion King's help that he obtained his first complete Heavenly Flame—the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
CEO Xiao naturally wouldn't let his shareholders suffer losses!
Think about Shareholder Yao, then Shareholder Hai—hadn't they all profited many times over, principal and interest included?
Now it was Shareholder Lion's turn.
Refining the Body Transformation Pill was undoubtedly the most challenging pill Xiao Yan had ever attempted. The auxiliary ingredients alone nearly covered the ground. He even brought out the Black Demon Cauldron.
He first borrowed the Black Demon's energy to refine a Body Transformation Pill to get a feel for it, then used the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron for the actual refinement. Xiao Yan's rapid alchemy breakthroughs owed much to the Black Demon.
The Black Demon's ability allowed him to successfully refine pills beyond his level earlier and faster, helping him grasp the right feeling. Then he could better refine high-grade pills and break through alchemy bottlenecks.
Even with the Black Demon's help, Xiao Yan spent a full month and failed twice, wasting two Body Transformation Grasses before successfully refining a Body Transformation Pill.
He then spent another month continuously honing his skills until he could finally refine the Body Transformation Pill using his own abilities!
"Annihilation Lotus Flame!"
Xiao Yan let out a cold snort facing the Pill Lightning descending from above. Five-colored Heavenly Flames instantly merged. The terrifying temperature burned a massive hole through the sky itself.
After five colors, Xiao Yan had renamed the Fire Lotus the Annihilation Lotus Flame, representing destruction.
BOOM!!!!
Even within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' space, Pill Lightning was unavoidable. This was a fundamental law. Wherever natural energy existed, refining pills above tier 7 would trigger Pill Lightning.
The Pill Lightning, comparable to an 8-star Dou Ancestor's strike, crashed heavily into Xiao Yan's Annihilation Lotus Flame. What surprised him was that the flame actually melted the Pill Lightning!
When the Pill Lightning reached its critical point, a world-shaking explosion erupted, so terrifying that even Xiao Yan felt somewhat apprehensive.
He was now an 8-star Dou Emperor. As his cultivation improved, the Fire Lotus's power had also increased significantly.
Ordinary high-star Dou Emperors needed one or two years to advance a single star even with Di Class Qi Methods. Yet Xiao Yan had been continuously refining pills for half a year and had still advanced one star.
This advancement speed was practically cheating!
"After reaching the Soul State, even merging Heavenly Flames has become easier. I feel like I could create another Annihilation Flame Lotus right now," Xiao Yan murmured.
He raised his head and looked up. The Annihilation Lotus Flame had not only dispersed the Pill Lightning but even scattered the lightning clouds. Its might could only be described in three words:
Terrifyingly beyond measure!