On the stone platform.
Looking at the five clusters of medicinal liquid sealed within the green-flame lotus flowers inside the Myriad Beast Cauldron, Lin Yuan let out a long breath.
"The first step, extraction, has been completed smoothly."
To precisely extract the medicinal essence required for the Venerable Beginning Pill, each of the five main ingredients had its own specific extraction method, in addition to the numerous auxiliary ingredients. The complexity of this extraction process was enough to make everyone's scalp tingle just watching it.
This intricate extraction process lasted for nearly an entire day.
It was no wonder that the further one advanced in alchemy, the greater the requirements for one's Dou Qi cultivation became. Just maintaining such an enormous output of flame power was already far from simple.
"Alchemists becoming the most respected profession on the continent really does have its reasons!" Su Qian shook his head and sighed.
Even he, a Dou Ancestor, found the complicated alchemical process troublesome and headache-inducing.
Hearing Su Qian's remark, Elder Huo nodded and sighed as well. "With every increase in alchemy rank, the quantity and difficulty of the medicinal ingredients increase dramatically as well. Completing such a complicated process is far more difficult than ordinary cultivation."
"Lin Yuan's first step went very smoothly. Next comes the most difficult step pill fusion."
The core of refining a pill was to perfectly fuse the various medicinal properties of numerous ingredients after eliminating the conflicting aspects between them.
During this fusion process, one needed extremely precise control over the temperature of the flames, while using the trace wood energy contained within fire-attribute and wood-attribute energies to precisely catalyze and harmonize the medicinal properties, maintaining them at an extremely delicate balance.
The key to this process was one word: precision.
And precisely because of this, the perception of one's soul, or what could also be called the soul's ability to shape and control energy, became the core factor determining an alchemist's achievements.
Being able to complete the pill-fusion stage was the defining factor that distinguished alchemists from ordinary fire-attribute cultivators.
"Next, it's time to begin the second step pill fusion."
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, slowly closing his deep eyes. Immediately afterward, a vast soul force surged from between his brows and poured into the Myriad Beast Cauldron.
"Fuse!"
With a low shout, the five clusters of medicinal liquid wrapped in green flames inside the cauldron slowly moved toward one another.
At the instant they collided, a deep sound rang out. Immediately afterward, an exceptionally powerful energy fluctuation erupted from within, violently crashing against the inner walls of the medicinal cauldron and producing a series of crisp metallic clangs.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan's soul force swept out without reservation, pouring entirely into the crimson medicinal cauldron.
The vast soul force circulated within the cauldron. At a certain moment, it divided into nearly a hundred strands, taking control of nearly a hundred different medicinal properties contained within the five medicinal-liquid clusters.
The changes in the flame temperature and the countless reactions occurring when the medicinal liquids came into contact were all reflected clearly in his mind.
Immediately afterward, he used his soul force to precisely control the five medicinal-liquid clusters, carefully harmonizing their medicinal properties while cautiously controlling their contact with one another.
Under Lin Yuan's careful manipulation, the five clusters of medicinal liquid gradually fused together, bit by bit, strand by strand, and mass by mass.
An hour later, the five medicinal-liquid clusters finally merged into a single fist-sized mass of multicolored medicinal liquid, with dozens of different medicinal forces flowing within it.
Sensing the tranquil state of the medicinal liquid with his soul force, Lin Yuan also relaxed slightly.
Next, he needed to harmonize these chaotic medicinal forces and ultimately fuse them into one, transforming them into a pure force capable of breaking through to the Dou Venerable realm.
Once all the medicinal forces were completely fused and condensed, the embryonic pill would take shape.
This was an extremely difficult process. The slightest mistake could result in the cauldron exploding and the pill being destroyed, causing all his previous efforts to be wasted.
Following the pill formula, Lin Yuan methodically adjusted the flame temperature while precisely controlling every strand of medicinal force, allowing them to carefully come into contact and fuse with one another.
Of course, this was also an extremely slow process. It would take at least several days.
Lin Yuan slowly inhaled a breath and divided a strand of his consciousness away to circulate the Heaven Capital Fire Canon, absorbing energy to replenish his consumption.
His soul force, however, continued to hover within the Myriad Beast Cauldron, precisely controlling the flame temperature and the fusion of the medicinal forces.
After that came a long wait.
He waited for the moment when the medicinal forces became one, waiting for the moment when everything naturally fell into place.
Time slowly passed.
With the rising and setting of the sun, nine days quietly slipped away.
During these nine days, the refining process in the sky remained relatively peaceful. Only the increasingly dense medicinal fragrance continued to spread from the Myriad Beast Cauldron, lingering throughout the Inner Academy.
Occasionally, the roars of magical beasts could also be heard from the rear mountain.
If not for the deterrence of Xiao Yixian and Su Qian, the magical beasts in the rear mountain of the Inner Academy would probably have already swarmed toward the source of the medicinal fragrance.
Meanwhile, as time passed within the Inner Academy, many of the people who had come to watch gradually dispersed, with most returning to their usual routines.
However, whenever they came outside, their gazes would inevitably drift toward the stone platform at the highest point of the academy, toward that handsome figure standing there.
Over these past few days, the various impressions people had of Lin Yuan finally converged into one.
Everyone finally understood that the elegant young man on the stone platform was the greatest prodigy since the founding of Jia Nan Academy, Lin Yuan.
He was once the number-one genius of the Outer Academy, was now a Grand Alchemist, and was also the person who had defeated the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
His legendary deeds soon spread throughout the entire Inner Academy.
The respect and admiration people held for Lin Yuan, accompanied by the increasingly rich pill fragrance and the stories circulating about him, gradually took deep root in their hearts.
The Tenth Day, Morning
As a ray of sunlight shone onto the stone platform, Lin Yuan, whose eyes had remained tightly closed for several days, finally opened them slowly.
His dark eyes appeared exceptionally calm and clear beneath the sunlight, and even his soul seemed to have become somewhat more complete.
He gently raised his head, and his gaze slowly shifted toward the medicinal cauldron, landing on the embryonic pill wrapped in flames within it.
The embryonic pill was roughly the size of a longan. Its entire body was like a piece of flawless emerald jade, a vast and pure medicinal force condensed within it.
This power possessed the miraculous ability to help someone break through from the Dou Ancestor realm and step into the Dou Venerable realm.
"After all that danger, I've finally completed the most difficult step."
Sensing the completely fused medicinal force within the embryonic pill, a relieved smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
The embryonic pill had taken shape.
Next came the final step of pill refinement: nurturing the pill.
This involved using the Heavenly Flame to nourish the pill and polish its medicinal properties to perfection.
With a thought, an even more immense amount of green flame surged within the cauldron.
The flames circled and gathered around the embryonic pill, forming a green-flame lotus that enveloped the uneven embryonic pill within it.
The pure Green Lotus Core Flame slowly seeped into the embryonic pill.
As time passed and the green flame continuously nourished it, the rough and uneven pill within the Myriad Beast Cauldron gradually became smoother and rounder.
One day and one night later.
Centered around the stone platform where Lin Yuan was located, the energy of the heavens and earth throughout the entire Inner Academy and its surrounding area suddenly began to surge violently.
Su Qian, who had been meditating in a pavilion not far away, abruptly opened his eyes.
An expression of wild delight appeared in his eyes as he looked toward the center of the stone platform.
From within the medicinal cauldron, a pill fragrance several times richer than before suddenly drifted outward.
"Rumble!"
At the moment the pill was formed, the sky above the Inner Academy suddenly darkened.
Layer upon layer of dark clouds rapidly gathered across the sky.
Within the clouds, thunder rumbled, while silver snakes of lightning darted in all directions, their imposing might terrifying.
"This is pill lightning?"
"Lin Yuan he really succeeded?"
Elder Huo, who had been watching Lin Yuan the entire time, stared blankly at the dark clouds in the sky.
His trembling voice slowly escaped his lips.
A series of sounds tore through the air.
Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan shot into the sky and hovered there, solemnly gazing at the dense thunderclouds above.
They could sense that an extremely terrifying energy was brewing within those clouds.
This sudden change also shocked everyone in the academy.
Their gazes involuntarily swept across the heavy thunderclouds before falling upon the medicinal cauldron directly beneath them and, finally, upon the imposing figure standing on the stone platform.
On the stone platform, Lin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, raising his head with great interest as he gazed at the layers of thunderclouds above.
"So this is the pill lightning summoned by the Venerable Beginning Pill?"
"This energy is truly powerful. Without some special means, even a high-level Dou Ancestor would have considerable difficulty withstanding it."
Northeast of the Jia Nan Inner Academy
Above the azure sky, dozens of black dots quietly emerged from within the clouds.
Looking closely, those black dots were enormous four-winged unicorns. Each four-winged unicorn carried a figure standing upon its back.
These people wore black robes underneath and uniform Battle Armor over them. Their expressions were cold and emotionless, and their gazes shifted like sharp blades, causing an involuntary chill to run through anyone who saw them. They looked imposing and majestic, almost like heavenly soldiers descending from the skies.
There were dozens of them, and although they all appeared relatively young, every single one radiated a powerful aura at the Dou King level or above.
This was a level of strength that simply did not belong in a remote frontier region.
At the forefront were three young men.
One of them wore a purple robe and was named Ling Quan.
He was quite handsome and appeared extremely young, seemingly only in his early twenties. However, his cultivation had already reached the Seven-Star Dou Emperor realm. His immense aura was even in no way inferior to that of Jia Xingtian, who was at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm.
Another man wore a black outfit and was named Gu Zhen.
His appearance was ordinary, but his steady temperament gave people an inexplicable sense of trust, causing them to unconsciously overlook his age. As for his cultivation, he far surpassed Ling Quan and had already firmly entered the Dou Ancestor realm.
The last man wore a blue martial robe and was named Gu Yao.
Although his features were handsome, he appeared rather cold and indifferent. An icy aura lingered around his body, and he looked slightly younger than the other two.
However, in terms of cultivation, he was the strongest of the three.
Compared with Gu Zhen, he had already advanced another step within the Dou Ancestor realm.
What left the deepest impression was Gu Yao's hair.
Unlike ordinary people, his long hair was distinctly divided between black and white.
From the positions of the three men, it was obvious that Gu Yao was the leader of this group.
The positions of the other two were clearly one step behind him.
Such a seemingly insignificant detail was often the clearest indication of the difference in rank.
"As expected, this really is nothing more than an energy-deficient region!"
Gu Yao swept his gaze across the surroundings, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.
"So this is where Xun'er has been cultivating all these years? It's wasting her bloodline and talent far too much!"
"There are some mistakes that I should have come here to correct earlier. But it's not too late now."
Thinking of the breathtakingly beautiful young woman in the portrait, the bloodline talent described to him by his elders, and some unpleasant rumors he had heard, a gloomy look flashed through Gu Yao's eyes.
At this moment, Gu Zhen put away the map in his hand and chuckled as he looked at the other two.
"Deputy Commander Ling Quan, we should be able to reach Jia Nan Academy in a few minutes. I've already had someone contact Jia Nan Academy in advance. Once we arrive, we'll greet them, and then we can head directly to the Inner Academy. The young lady is there."
"Big Brother Gu Zhen, do we really need to greet them just because our Gu Clan is entering?"
Ling Quan curled his lips.
After a pause, he said disdainfully, "They're merely an affiliated force of the Lei Clan. Their strongest expert is nothing more than a Dou Venerable who is currently traveling outside. Yet they put on quite the airs."
Hearing this, Gu Yao pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Everyone, accelerate. Prepare to welcome the Imperial Daughter of our clan. Do not tarnish the prestige of our Gu Clan."
"Yes, Deputy Commander!"
A unified shout rang out.
The aura of this Black Annihilation Army squad immediately surged.
As their auras connected, they faintly seemed to merge into one. A sharp and formidable "force" began to condense and rise.
"Gu…"
Gu Zhen looked at the cold expression on Gu Yao's face, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
He ultimately said nothing more and likewise merged his own "force" into the group.
Once their collective force had been fully formed, this Black Annihilation Army squad shot toward Jia Nan Academy like a sharp arrow.
Wherever the Black Annihilation Army squad passed, their powerful aura spread outward, causing magical beasts along the way to let out terrified cries.
However, just as they were about to reach Jia Nan Academy, the entire sky suddenly became covered in dark clouds.
Thunderous roars that seemed capable of shaking the heavens resounded across the sky.
The formidable "force" that the Black Annihilation Army squad had condensed was instantly dispersed beneath this overwhelming heavenly might.
"This is pill lightning. Someone is refining a Seventh-Grade pill."
Looking at the sky ahead, Gu Zhen exclaimed in surprise.
Although the Gu Clan could not compare with the Yao Clan when it came to alchemy, it still possessed quite a few high-level alchemists.
The three of them had witnessed their elders refining high-level pills countless times since childhood, so pill lightning was by no means unfamiliar to them.
"And judging from this scale, it should be a top-tier Seventh-Grade Pill."
After analyzing the situation, a trace of doubt appeared in Gu Zhen's voice.
"Does Jia Nan Academy have an alchemist of this level? The intelligence reports never mentioned anything about this."
Gu Yao gazed at the extremely dense thunderclouds above the Inner Academy, and his expression became somewhat solemn.
With this level of pill lightning, even he was not certain that he could withstand it if he went all out.
"A Seventh-Grade alchemist, Earth Core Soul Marrow."
Thinking of the items they had brought with them this time, a gloomy look flashed through Gu Yao's eyes.
"Could the soul-refining treasure Xun'er requested from the clan be intended for this person?"
"Let's go and take a look."
Gu Yao's voice was deep.
With that, he took the lead and directly led everyone toward the stone platform where Lin Yuan was located.
Just then, an aged yet sharp shout echoed throughout the Inner Academy.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Jia Nan Academy?"
Before the voice had even faded, space trembled slightly.
Su Qian and Xiao Yixian strangely appeared directly in front of the Black Annihilation Army squad.
The snow-white figure of Xiao Yixian stood in midair, her white hair fluttering in the wind.
Her grayish-purple eyes coldly swept over the Black Annihilation Army squad.
Her gaze paused briefly on Gu Yao and Gu Zhen before her indifferent voice rang out.
"Without my permission, take one more step forward, and I'll kill you."
As soon as she finished speaking, a vast and overwhelming aura swept out from her graceful and alluring body.
Feeling the terrifying strength of this aura and looking at Xiao Yixian's youthful face, the expressions of every member of the Black Annihilation Army changed drastically.
Exclamations immediately rang out one after another.
"A Dou Ancestor?"
Feeling the bone-chilling killing intent spreading toward them, every member of the Black Annihilation Army felt their hearts turn cold.
They hurriedly shifted their gazes toward the three people led by Gu Yao.
"This is a Dou Ancestor? She's even considerably younger than the Deputy Commander. How is that possible?"
Feeling the vast aura radiating from Xiao Yixian, Ling Quan could not hide his shock.
How could such a young Dou Ancestor appear in a remote region like the Black-Corner Region?
"Could this woman be a genius from another ancient clan lineage?"
"Could she be one of the Lei Clan's favored daughters of heaven?"
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