After that, Xiao Feng told them to take some rest and returned to his own room to begin alchemy. He had a special chamber prepared just for this purpose—quiet, isolated, and filled with a faint medicinal fragrance from past refinements.
As he entered the room, his expression became calm and focused.
This was his domain.
With a flick of his hand, a massive cauldron appeared in front of him.
It was the Heavenly Dragon Phoenix Cauldron.
The surface of the cauldron was engraved with ancient dragon and phoenix patterns, faintly glowing as if they were alive. A subtle pressure filled the room the moment it appeared.
"This… will be my foundation," Xiao Feng muttered.
This cauldron was ranked among the Heavenly Cauldron List and had a unique ability—any pill refined within it had a small chance of gaining traces of Dragon Qi or Phoenix Qi, greatly enhancing the pill's quality and effect.
Xiao Feng then waved his hand again.
Rows of medicinal ingredients appeared neatly before him.
These were the materials for the Qi Mending Pill.
A 5th-grade low-level medicinal pill.
Although it was only a low-level 5th-grade pill, its effects were far from ordinary.
It could allow a Dou Huang or even a Dou Zong to rapidly recover their Dou Qi, making it an extremely valuable expendable pill—especially in battles where endurance decided life and death.
Xiao Feng chose this pill for a reason.
"This will be the perfect test…"
"To understand the flame… and my control."
He slowly exhaled.
Then—
He raised his hand.
A crimson flame surged to life in his palm.
The Ten Thousand Beast Flame flickered wildly at first, carrying a faint beast-like aura, as if countless spirits were roaring within it.
Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes.
"Calm down."
His soul power surged out like an invisible tide, pressing down on the flame.
Gradually—
The violent flame began to stabilize.
"This is the first challenge…"
"Control."
He guided the flame into the cauldron.
The flame entered the Heavenly Dragon Phoenix Cauldron and began heating it evenly.
This step required precise control.
Too much heat—and the cauldron would become unstable.
Too little—and the medicinal ingredients would not react properly.
Xiao Feng carefully adjusted the intensity.
The flame spread like a thin layer, coating the inner walls of the cauldron.
The temperature rose steadily.
"Good…"
He began adding the medicinal herbs one by one.
Each herb was thrown into the cauldron at a specific timing.
The moment they entered—
They were instantly wrapped by the crimson flame.
Under the intense heat—
The herbs melted.
Impurities were burned away.
Only the pure medicinal essence remained.
This was where the real difficulty lay.
A 5th-grade pill required:
Perfect timing
Precise temperature control
Strong soul perception
Any slight mistake—
Would result in failure.
Xiao Feng's eyes remained fixed on the cauldron.
His soul power extended inside, observing every tiny change.
Sweat slowly formed on his forehead.
"This flame… is too aggressive."
Compared to normal flames—
The Ten Thousand Beast Flame had a wild nature.
It tried to devour everything.
Xiao Feng had to constantly suppress it while maintaining its strength.
"This is the real test…"
After refining all the ingredients—
He began the most critical step.
Fusion.
The different medicinal essences began to merge.
Inside the cauldron—
Energy fluctuated violently.
At one point—
The flame suddenly surged.
The entire cauldron trembled slightly.
Xiao Feng's eyes sharpened.
"Not now!"
His soul power pressed down hard.
The flame was forced back into control.
Slowly—
The chaotic energies stabilized.
The essences began to combine perfectly.
A faint medicinal fragrance started to spread through the room.
At the final stage—
The liquid essence condensed.
A round shape began to form.
The flame intensified slightly—
Refining the pill further.
Then—
Suddenly—
A faint golden glow appeared.
Xiao Feng's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that…?"
A trace of Dragon Qi.
Mixed with a faint hint of Phoenix Qi.
The Heavenly Dragon Phoenix Cauldron had activated its effect.
The pill quality was rising.
"Good!"
With one final burst of control—
He reduced the flame.
The cauldron lid opened.
A single pill flew out—
Landing softly in his palm.
The Qi Mending Pill was successfully refined.
Not only that—
Its quality was above average.
The faint Dragon and Phoenix Qi within it enhanced its effect significantly.
"This…"
Xiao Feng looked at the pill.
"…is better than expected."
This pill could:
Rapidly restore Dou Qi for Dou Huang and Dou Zong
Increase recovery speed during battle
Provide sustained combat endurance
With added Dragon/Phoenix Qi → slightly boosts vitality and recovery efficiency
Xiao Feng clenched the pill lightly.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Now…"
"I'm ready for the real challenge."
Because this—
Was only the beginning.
Next—
Would be the 5th-grade Body Strengthening Pill.
And that…
Would not be this easy.
Then he took out the three sets of 5th-grade Body Strengthening Pill materials.
He didn't know whether he would be able to refine the pill even with the three sets.
He started the process as before, refining the plants one by one and placing them into the cauldron.
Finally, while condensing, it failed.
The second attempt also failed.
After using all three sets, he was finally able to get the hang of it and successfully refine the pill, although its quality was between low and medium.
After that, he took out the plants to refine pills that could aid in refining the beast fire for the Xiao family alchemists, especially for Xiao Chen and Xiao Mai, so they could successfully advance to the next realm.
After finishing all that, he went to rest.
Then, in the morning, he freshened up and called the servants to gather all the family alchemists and the people he would be taking with him to his courtyard, asking them to come as quickly as possible.
He looked at all of them and spoke in a calm manner.
"Now that all of you have gathered here, I will tell you why I have called you."
"You all know how great our Xiao family once was. You must have heard about it from the elders or from others."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the group—fifteen people in total.
Ten of them were those he planned to take to Canaan Academy.
The remaining five were the family's alchemists, whom Xiao Feng had personally nurtured, including Xiao Chen and Xiao Mai.
"In the past, our Xiao family had Dou Kings… even Dou Huangs."
He paused for a moment.
"But now… we only have a Dou Spirit."
His voice was calm—
But carried weight.
"This is not something to be ashamed of."
"It is something to remember."
"A reminder of where we fell… and where we must rise again."
He looked at each of them carefully.
"In our time of crisis, those who once called themselves our allies—our friends—turned their backs on us."
"They abandoned us."
"Some… even betrayed us."
A cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"So understand this clearly—"
"We can only rely on ourselves."
"But that does not mean we are weak."
"If we stand together…"
"If we grow together…"
"Then we will rise again—stronger than before."
His voice grew firmer.
"Having me alone is not enough."
"You all must become stronger by your own efforts."
"I will provide you with resources, guidance, and opportunities."
"But strength… must be earned by yourselves."
His gaze sharpened.
"I want each of you to have a clear mind."
"A strong will."
"And an unshakable foundation."
Then his tone turned cold.
"And remember this—"
"Power without morals is nothing but destruction."
"If I ever find anyone among you abusing their strength… harming the innocent… or violating moral conduct—"
"I will personally deal with you."
"With my own hands."
Silence filled the courtyard.
No one doubted his words.
Then—
His expression softened slightly.
"But…"
"If you walk the right path—"
"If you stay true to yourselves—"
"Then I promise you this…"
"The Xiao family will rise again."
"Stronger than it has ever been."
"And when that day comes—"
"No one will dare look down on us again."
He paused for a moment.
Then added one final line—
"And those who stand with me today…"
"…will stand at the peak tomorrow."
A wave of determination spread through the group.
Their eyes—
Were no longer uncertain.
They were burning with resolve.
You will all receive the resources and pills from these five according to my plans, and you have all just barely met the standards to join the outer academy.
But the outer academy is just like our Xiao family training ground, with additional opportunities such as missions, alchemy masters to learn from, and the chance to build connections that even I cannot provide right now.
After I take you to the academy, you will all receive resources for one month. After that, you will need to complete the missions posted in the outer academy, or join the Disciplinary Committee, or hunt magical beasts, or gather medicinal plants and other resources.
You all must work hard and strive to reach the inner academy.
That is where you will truly see the real talents who have come from across the entire continent.
You all are currently just 8th or 9th stage disciples.
Then he took out a jade bottle and threw it to the one standing in the front and said,
"This bottle contains Qi Gathering Powder."
"It can help a Dou Zhi Qi (Dou Disciple) gather their scattered energy to form a Dou Qi Cyclone, successfully breaking through to the Dou Zhe (Dou Practitioner) level."
"I have more than ten inside it. Take one each, and give the remaining to Xiao Chen."
"After the distribution, you must have all used the Azure Body Tempering Pill."
"I know that using it is very painful, but its effects are excellent. It will make your physical body stronger than others."
"Then try to break through to the Dou Practitioner level."
"After that, you will begin cultivating the Profound-level cultivation technique."
"And those who reach it first will be rewarded with a Profound low-level fighting skill."
"Alright, that's all. You may leave now."
After saying that, he dismissed them and looked at the remaining five people—
The alchemists.