Lin Yuan's closed-door alchemy lasted nearly an entire month.
When the final Zong Breaking Pill was successfully refined, Lin Yuan selected the pill with the best quality among this batch and placed it into a jade bottle. Letting out a long breath, he revealed a relieved smile.
"Finally finished."
Over the course of this month, Lin Yuan had barely rested at all, devoting all of his energy to alchemy and cultivation. Taking out the outcome of this round of refinement and looking at them, a sense of pride naturally arose in his heart.
"Seven Mighty Huang Pills and four Zong Breaking Pills… If these were released into the Black Corner Region, they'd be enough to trigger a massive war throughout the region."
As he gazed at the pills before him, Lin Yuan could not help but sigh inwardly.
"No wonder alchemists hold such high status on the Dou Qi Continent. High-Grade alchemists possess productivity and influence far exceeding cultivators of the same level, they can easily reshape the power structure of an entire region."
In the Black Corner Region, a single Dou Ancestor might not be able to change the overall situation, but a seventh-grade alchemist was more than capable of overturning the balance of the entire region.
Lin Yuan selected one Mighty Huang Pill and one Zong Breaking Pill from the batch and stored them in his own storage ring for personal use. The remaining three Zong Breaking Pills and six Mighty Huang Pills were placed into another storage ring, prepared for delivery to First Elder Su Qian.
Afterward, he counted the massive amount of remaining medicinal materials from this refinement session, his mood immediately brightening.
"This effort wasn't wasted. These remaining materials should be enough to let Zi Yan and Xiao Cai advance their cultivation by a significant margin."
After organizing everything, Lin Yuan prepared to head to Su Qian's residence. However, at that moment, a sudden surge stirred within his body. His expression lit up with delight.
The opportunity for a breakthrough had arrived.
Over this month, Lin Yuan had continuously consumed large amounts of Dou Qi through alchemy, then rapidly replenished it using the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex and recovery pills. On one hand, this greatly enhanced his control over Dou Qi; on the other, the rapid cycle of depletion and recovery significantly accelerated his cultivation progress.
Lin Yuan swiftly took out the Green Lotus Seat, sat cross-legged atop it, closed his eyes, and examined his internal state. Before long, a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The bitter cultivation during this period, combined with refining the residual medicinal power from pills I took in the past using the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame sub-flame, has brought me very close to the threshold of a breakthrough. But… it's still not enough."
Immediately afterward, he retrieved a bottle of fire-red crystalline liquid from his storage ring—Fire Spirit Marrow, an extremely rare heavenly treasure that could directly raise one's cultivation upon consumption. It was also one of the two main ingredients of the seventh-grade pill Earthfire Origin Pill.
The Earthfire Origin Pill was a High-Tier seventh-grade pill, possessing a considerable chance of raising a fire-attributed Dou Ancestor's cultivation by one star. It was a pill exclusive to fire-attributed cultivators. A similar pill was the Fire Emperor Pill, a High-Tier Sixth-Grade pill capable of increasing a fire-attributed Dou Emperor's cultivation by one to two stars.
Pills such as the EarthFire Origin Pill and Fire Emperor Pill—those specifically targeting a single attribute were collectively known as attribute pills. Although their value was slightly lower than universal pills like the Dou Ling Pill or Mighty Huang Pill, within their respective attributes, their effectiveness was not inferior and could even surpass universal pills of the same tier.
Looking at the Fire Spirit Marrow in his hand, a trace of reluctance flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes. Although he had plundered numerous treasure vaults, this single bottle was the only Fire Spirit Marrow he possessed that could directly help him break through this bottleneck.
Advancing stars in the Dou Ancestor realm was far more difficult than in the Dou Emperor realm. Using the main ingredient of the Earthfire Origin Pill for a Dou Emperor-stage breakthrough was, admittedly, somewhat wasteful.
"Forget it. Focus on the present. I'll strengthen myself as much as possible now. With enough strength, there's no need to worry about lacking good resources in the future."
With his resolve firm, Lin Yuan tilted his head back and drank the fire-red liquid in one gulp. An incomparably pure fire-element energy instantly spread throughout his body.
He immediately circulated the Heaven Capital Flame Codex, guiding the vast energy of the Fire Spirit Marrow along its cultivation pathways, cycle after cycle. The massive, refined fire-element energy rapidly transformed into pure Dou Qi, which was greedily absorbed by his hungry meridians and flesh. A powerful aura began to brew around Lin Yuan as he cultivated with closed eyes.
One day later, Lin Yuan—still seated on the Green Lotus Seat, suddenly trembled slightly. His eyes slowly opened, carrying a faint quiver.
As his eyes opened, brilliant light flashed within them. A significantly stronger aura than before erupted from his body, waves of scorching energy rippling outward around him.
Before long, the surging aura gradually withdrew and returned entirely into his body, while the sharp gleam in his eyes slowly converged.
Lin Yuan examined himself and revealed a satisfied smile.
"Late two-star Dou Emperor, huh? That's fast enough. Going any faster wouldn't be a good thing. I need time to consolidate my cultivation anyway. I'll take the Mighty Huang Pill later. Closed-door cultivation is over, it's time to go out."
"First, I'll deliver the pills to the First Elder and conclude the alchemy matter."
"Then I'll take Qing'er to capture some Sixth-Grade snake-type magical beasts. After breaking through to Dou King, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils can already control Sixth-Grade beasts. Fighting while capturing them will also help her temper her suddenly increased Dou Qi."
With his plan set, Lin Yuan went to Su Qian and delivered six Mighty Huang Pills and three Zong Breaking Pills, one more Mighty Huang Pill than agreed upon. That extra pill represented his attitude.
After that, Lin Yuan found Qing Lin, who was cultivating the High-Tier Black-Class Dou Technique Phantom Pupil. During the time Lin Yuan spent refining pills, her cultivation had advanced from early one-star Dou King to peak one-star Dou King. Her speed remained astonishing, though slightly slower than before.
"It seems that after breaking through to Dou King, advancement really does become much more difficult," Lin Yuan thought to himself. "I should help Qing'er capture more High-Grade snake-type magical beasts to boost her cultivation speed."
Soon after, he brought Qing Lin toward the back mountain.
The two arrived once again at Thousand-Fall Lake, where they located the Sixth-Grade magical beast Emerald Water Serpent King—the same beast that had escaped death when Lin Yuan, Zi Yan, and Qing Lin previously came to seize Emerald Water Spirit Dew, after Lin Yuan had reserved it as Qing Lin's future subordinate.
After serving briefly as Lin Yuan's sparring partner, the unlucky Emerald Water Serpent King was beaten until it completely lost the ability to resist.
Lin Yuan beckoned to Qing Lin in the distance and chuckled.
"Qing'er, give it a try. Let's see whether your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils can subdue it after reaching Dou King."
Qing Lin nodded and slowly approached the Emerald Water Serpent King. In her emerald eyes, three small flowers began to rotate, emitting an eerie radiance.
The three flowers gradually became clearer, as if they had come alive. They floated out from her pupils and landed on the Emerald Water Serpent King's forehead. In moments, a strange three-flower seal was engraved at the center of its brow.
The Emerald Water Serpent King trembled slightly. Its gaze soon turned vacant, and gradually, the way it looked at Qing Lin became exceedingly gentle and obedient.
At the same time, Qing Lin seemed to receive some form of feedback. Her Dou Qi surged violently, and her cultivation bottleneck was broken in an extremely natural manner, like water flowing into a channel as she advanced to two-star Dou King.
"Young Master, I broke through!" Qing Lin exclaimed joyfully, her face filled with excitement.
"Your cultivation advanced? Very good," Lin Yuan replied with a satisfied smile. Then he asked, "How do you feel now? Is controlling a Sixth-Grade beast a heavy burden? How many can you still control?"
"The burden isn't heavy at all. I feel perfectly fine," Qing Lin answered after a moment's thought. "As for the number… I should be able to control four Sixth-Grade snake-type magical beasts at present."
"Four, huh? Then let's continue capturing them. But be mindful of your condition—don't push yourself."
"Yes, Young Master. I understand," Qing Lin replied obediently.
The two continued searching through the back mountain for Sixth-Grade snake-type magical beasts. After some effort, Lin Yuan helped Qing Lin subdue two more Sixth-Grade snake-type beasts, while Qing Lin herself captured several lower-tier ones.
In the end, the scale of Qing Lin's controlled magical beasts reached an astonishing level.
Three Sixth-Grade magical beasts, twelve Fifth-Grade magical beasts, forty-eight Fourth-Grade magical beasts, and countless Third-Grade and below. In terms of personal cultivation, she was still lacking—but if she fought at full strength, the magical beast legion under her command was enough to rival a powerful sect.
After finishing the task of subduing the magical beasts, the two returned to Lin Yuan's small courtyard.
"Qing'er, this is for you." Lin Yuan took out three scrolls made from pale, eerie beast bones from his storage ring and handed them to Qing Lin. "You can have those three Sixth-Grade magical beasts attempt to cultivate this attribute-less technique. After some time, I'll take another look at how well it suits snake-type magical beasts."
Qing Lin accepted the scrolls and saw several small characters carved into the beast bones:
Three-Beast Savage Art!
Lin Yuan then took out another scroll and handed it to her, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.
"This is the Beast Spirit Gathering Origin Formation. You can study it carefully in your spare time. With your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, you can carry and command numerous magical beasts at all times. This formation is undoubtedly like adding wings to a tiger for you."
After thinking for a moment, he took out several notebooks from his storage ring and handed them over as well.
"These are my notes from researching this formation. I organized my insights into annotations, they may help you learn and master it more efficiently. If you encounter any problems or doubts, we'll discuss and study them together like before."
Qing Lin accepted the scrolls and notebooks, curiosity and anticipation appearing on her face. Written on the notebooks were:
Beast Spirit Gathering Origin Formation · Basic Chapter
Beast Spirit Gathering Origin Formation · Battle Formation Chapter
Beast Spirit Gathering Origin Formation · Origin Gathering Chapter
This familiar feeling reminded Qing Lin of the time she had worked together with Lin Yuan to build the Heaven Vault Network. They had interacted in the same way back then, and a strong urge to give it her all surged within her heart.
"I'll study them carefully."
"Good. But remember—cultivating your own strength always comes first."
After formulating a new round of cultivation plans for Qing Lin, Lin Yuan flew toward the Outer Academy. He was preparing to leave the academy for a trip.
One day later.
Lin Yuan stood quietly before a towering city constructed from massive black stone blocks, dressed in a cyan robe. A brilliantly shining four-pattern alchemist pagoda badge was pinned to his chest. His gaze rested on the plaque above the city gate, upon which three large characters were carved:
Black Mark City
Anticipation flickered in his eyes as he murmured softly, "Black Mark City. Eight Gates. Fragment of the Demonic Flame… I'm here."
Below the city gate, over a dozen black-clad men stood in formation, busily collecting exorbitant entrance fees from those entering the city.
However, when Lin Yuan's leisurely figure entered their field of vision, and they noticed the four-pattern pagoda badge on his chest, their expressions immediately turned respectful. They hurriedly stepped aside to clear a path for him, not daring to charge him an entrance fee.
Even in the Black Corner Region, an alchemist's identity was still exceptionally special.
After Lin Yuan entered the city, the leading black-clad man exchanged a few words with his companions, then immediately rushed toward the city gate.
Once inside the city, Lin Yuan donned a black cloak and pulled the hood over his face. This kind of attire was extremely common in Black Mark City, more than half the people were dressed the same way.
He then headed straight for the largest auction house in Black Mark City. Before long, a truly colossal auction complex appeared before him, its scale far surpassing the Heaven-Tier Auction House of the Miter Family. Several Dou Masters led dozens of Dou Practitioners guards stationed at the entrance.
Lin Yuan surveyed the auction house with interest.
Black Mark Auction House—one of the top three auction houses in the Black Corner Region. It belonged to one of the region's major powers: Eight Gates. And the master of Eight Gates was none other than Yuan Yi, one of the top ten experts on the Black Ranking and the target of his trip.
"Hopefully, this trip won't disappoint me."
Lin Yuan followed the crowd into the auction house. The interior was enormous, with massive screens hanging all around, displaying a wide array of items scheduled for auction. However, Lin Yuan noticed that none of them were particularly precious.
"Not a single truly valuable item on display… trying to create a sense of mystery?" Lin Yuan chuckled softly and walked toward a room labeled Appraisal Chamber.
Upon entering, a voluptuously dressed maid greeted him, her voice soft and alluring.
"Sir, are you here to appraise an item? Or to assess a price for auction?"
Lin Yuan took out a fourth-tier alchemist badge and said calmly, "You should know what this represents. I have some matters to discuss. Have the person in charge come see me."
When the maid saw the four silver patterns on the pagoda badge, her expression changed instantly. A Fourth-Grade alchemist held a status in the Black Corner Region comparable to a Dou King and judging from his voice, this was a very young one. She immediately responded respectfully:
"I understand, my lord. Please come this way."
She led Lin Yuan into a quiet and elegant VIP room.
After entering, Lin Yuan removed his black cloak, revealing his youthful face.
"Please wait a moment, my lord. I will immediately report this to the overseer."
Suppressing her shock with professional composure, the maid placed a cup of warm tea on the table beside him and withdrew with a polite smile.
Lin Yuan leaned lazily back in his chair, propping his cheek with one hand, eyes half-closed. His fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop in a strange, rhythmic pattern.
After some time, a portly old man with graying hair entered with two beautiful maids, wearing a hearty smile.
"A distinguished guest has arrived—my apologies for the lack of welcome. I am the overseer here. You may call me Steward Zhao. If you have any needs, you may speak to me directly."
Although he had been mentally prepared by the maid's report, Steward Zhao was still inwardly startled when he saw Lin Yuan's youthful appearance and the Fourth-Grade alchemist badge on his chest.
So young… a Fourth-Grade alchemist?
However, Lin Yuan did not respond. Instead, he shifted his gaze away from the old man and looked toward an elevated corner of the room. He chuckled lightly.
"Since Sect Master Yuan is already here, why hide? Why not come forward so we may speak face to face?"
As his words fell, a calm voice echoed through the room.
"Oh? To be able to sense my presence… It seems Your Excellency truly is extraordinary. Indeed, a distinguished guest."
Steward Zhao turned around abruptly, only to find a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man standing behind him, having appeared silently at some unknown moment. His gaze was sharp and imposing as he fixed it on Lin Yuan.
With the man's appearance, an invisible pressure seemed to descend upon the entire room, instantly making the atmosphere heavy.
The newcomer was none other than Yuan Yi, Sect Master of Eight Gates.
Steward Zhao hastily turned around and bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
Yuan Yi waved his hand, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.
"You may withdraw. I will personally receive this guest."
"Yes, Sect Master."
Steward Zhao retreated at once, not daring to linger.
Lin Yuan calmly looked at Yuan Yi's indifferent expression, already clear on the other man's cultivation.
'Two-star Dou Emperor? Not bad.'
Yuan Yi walked to the seat opposite Lin Yuan and sat down, clasping his hands on the table.
"To sense my arrival… impressive indeed. Alchemist soul power?" he said lightly. "Truly marvelous. May I know who you are, and what business you have with my Eight Gates?"
Despite having been exposed, Yuan Yi remained confident and composed. In his perception, Lin Yuan's cultivation was only at eight-star Dou Spirit, not enough to pose any threat to him.
Lin Yuan seemed to ponder his response, fingers continuing to tap the tabletop in that strange rhythm. After a moment, he smiled faintly.
"My name is Lin Yuan. I came today to discuss a transaction with Sect Master Yuan."
"Oh?" Yuan Yi raised an eyebrow, interest flickering in his eyes. "Let's hear it."
"Then I'll state my bargaining chip directly."
Lin Yuan smiled softly.
"My bargaining chip is—your life."
The word life exited his mouth carrying a peculiar rhythm, accompanied by an overwhelming surge of soul power and a precisely controlled trace of Dou Qi, which swept straight toward Yuan Yi.
Heavenly Dragon Eightfold Sound · Soul-Seizing Sound.
Caught completely off guard, the moment the word entered his ears, Yuan Yi vaguely heard a clear dragon's roar resound in his mind. His soul felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and dizziness overwhelmed him.
Barely a second later, when his consciousness returned, shock and fury surged within him as he realized—
A hand was already clamped tightly around his throat, terrifying energy condensed within it.
At the same time, a smiling voice drifted into his ears.
"My bargaining chip is Sect Master Yuan's life. And what I want… is everything."
----
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