It had already been a month since they returned from the auction, and during this time, Xiao Feng had not been idle for even a single day.
Just a few days ago, the Lightning Eagle Beast eggs, which had remained dormant for a long time, finally began to hatch.
The moment the young beasts were born, Xiao Feng immediately refined a batch of 2nd-tier foundation-building pills—medicinal formulas passed down by his master—specifically tailored for newborn magical beasts.
Under the nourishment of those pills, the growth of the Lightning Eagle Beasts became astonishing.
Even the adult pair of Lightning Eagles, which were originally only at the early stage of the 4th tier, rapidly advanced to the mid-stage of the 4th tier.
Their speed became terrifying—so fast that it could already rival some high-level Dou Kings, making them extremely valuable both in battle and mobility.
At the same time, after days of gathering and preparation, all the required materials for refining the Earth Core Body Tempering Pill—a peak 5th-grade medicinal pill—were finally complete.
Xiao Feng inspected each ingredient carefully, confirming their quality before proceeding. His expression gradually turned serious, as he knew this refinement would not be simple.
He then gathered everyone and said in a calm but firm tone,
"From now on, I will begin closed-door refinement. This pill is extremely important… during this time, no one is allowed to disturb me. Guard this place well."
Everyone nodded immediately, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Inside the room, Xiao Feng began his preparation.
He first set up a large stone bathtub and placed various high-grade medicinal ingredients into it with meticulous precision—Blood Essence Ginseng, Purple Spirit Grass, Earth Vein Root, Ice Heart Lotus Seeds, and Flame Core Fruit.
Each herb was arranged according to its nature, forming a perfect balance of yin and yang, ensuring stability for the upcoming fusion.
With a steady breath, Xiao Feng released a thread of his Heavenly Flame.
The flame moved like a living being under his control, gently enveloping the herbs. Slowly, the materials began to melt, their impurities burned away, leaving behind pure medicinal essences. Drops of energy—crimson, emerald, icy blue, and golden—rose into the air, forming a swirling cluster of refined power above the tub.
As time passed, Xiao Feng increased the intensity slightly.
The floating essences began to condense and merge, each one blending seamlessly under his precise control.
The room was soon filled with a rich, layered fragrance, at times warm and fiery, at times cool and soothing, causing the surrounding Dou Qi to resonate faintly.
At the critical moment, Xiao Feng took out the Earth Core Body Tempering Liquid and poured it in.
Instantly, a deep humming sound echoed, and the entire energy mass stabilized. The mixture transformed into a light green, viscous liquid, while the condensed energy above it began to solidify into pill embryos.
Under Xiao Feng's focused gaze, several round medicinal pills slowly formed, rotating in midair.
As they took shape, clear pill patterns (dan wen) appeared on their surfaces—natural, flowing lines that indicated their exceptional quality.
Some pills even emitted a faint glow, signaling they were approaching perfection.
The fragrance grew even stronger—a dense, ancient scent mixed with pure earth energy, so powerful that even breathing it in made one feel their body strengthening.
The surrounding energy gathered toward the pills uncontrollably, as if drawn by their presence.
Finally, Xiao Feng waved his hand, and the flames gradually receded.
The completed pills descended gently into jade containers, each one smooth, radiant, and marked with distinct pill patterns, while the remaining liquid in the tub settled into a perfectly stable tempering solution.
Letting out a slow breath, Xiao Feng's eyes flickered with satisfaction.
The refinement was complete.
After a long and exhausting refinement session, Xiao Feng finally withdrew his flame and let out a slow breath. Looking at the jade bottles before him, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I didn't expect this outcome…" he muttered softly.
He had successfully refined a total of eight Earth Core Body Tempering Pills. Every single one of them was high-grade, and among them, three had even reached the perfect grade—a result that could only be described as shocking even to seasoned alchemists.
"These three…" Xiao Feng picked up the most refined pills, their surfaces smooth and glowing faintly, with clear pill patterns flowing like natural lines. "These are for Qing Lin, Xun'er, and Xiao Yu."
He paused slightly, then continued thinking aloud,
"As for Xiao Yi Xian… she doesn't need this kind of pill right now. Her condition is special. Later, I'll refine something better—something focused purely on raw physical strength, not cultivation."
"And Xiao Yan…" Xiao Feng chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
"He doesn't need it yet. After two years, when I return home, I can give it to him. With Yao Lao there, it can be refined further based on his condition at that time."
Looking again at the pills, Xiao Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
"All eight pills… have pill patterns. Looks like luck was on my side… and the Heavenly Cauldron helped stabilize everything."
He leaned closer, sensing carefully.
"…and this… dragon qi? Phoenix aura?"
Some pills carried a faint dragon-like aura, while others had a subtle phoenix presence, barely visible but undeniably there. Even Xiao Feng was a bit surprised.
"Heh… not bad at all."
Without wasting time, Xiao Feng quickly stepped outside.
"Everyone! Come here!"
Hearing his voice, Xiao Yi Xian, Lin Xiuya, Han Yue, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun rushed over immediately.
"You're done already?" Han Yue asked, slightly surprised.
Xiao Feng nodded and directly handed out the jade bottles.
"No time to explain everything. Take them—consume the pills immediately."
Seeing his serious expression, none of them hesitated.
Lin Xiuya raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly.
"You're this urgent? Must be something incredible then."
Bai Cheng laughed,
"If Brother Xiao says eat, then we eat. No questions!"
Without further delay, all four of them swallowed the pills instantly.
A few seconds passed…
Then a few more…
Nothing happened.
Jia Yun blinked, looking confused.
"…Uh… why don't I feel anything?"
Bai Cheng frowned slightly, touching his body.
"Yeah… where's the effect? Don't tell me—did it fail?"
Lin Xiuya crossed his arms, smirking.
"Xiao Feng… don't tell me this is your first failed batch?"
Han Yue also looked at him, her brows slightly furrowed.
"There's no reaction at all… are you sure these are the right pills?"
Xiao Feng looked at them calmly, then suddenly smiled.
"Failed?" he said lightly. "You guys really think I'd give you failed pills?"
He took a step back, folding his arms.
"Just wait… the effect of this pill doesn't come instantly like ordinary ones."
He smirked slightly.
"It's… a little more violent."
The moment his words fell—
Bai Cheng's expression suddenly changed.
"W–Wait… something's not right—"
Jia Yun's face turned red instantly.
"My body… it's heating up—!"
Lin Xiuya clenched his fists, veins popping slightly.
"This energy… it's exploding from inside!"
Han Yue's calm face also broke for a moment.
"…It's starting!"
Xiao Feng simply stood there, watching them struggle with a faint smile.
"I told you…" he said slowly, "Don't underestimate it."
After some time, the intense sensation inside their bodies gradually subsided. The violent surges of energy calmed down, and the unbearable heat slowly faded, leaving behind only a faint warmth circulating through their meridians.
Bai Cheng was the first to react, stretching his arms and looking a little confused.
"…That's it?"
Jia Yun blinked a few times, still feeling his body.
"Yeah… I thought something big was going to happen. It just stopped like that?"
Lin Xiuya frowned slightly, sensing his Dou Qi.
"It doesn't feel like it failed… but the effect isn't obvious either."
Han Yue looked at Xiao Feng calmly.
"There must be more to it. What exactly did you give us?"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly, clearly expecting their reactions.
"Of course it won't end just like that. What you felt just now was only the initial activation of the pill."
He walked slowly in front of them and continued,
"For the next one month, this sensation will appear again and again inside your bodies. Every time it happens, your body will be tempered, your bones refined, and your meridians strengthened."
Jia Yun's eyes widened.
"Every day… for a whole month?"
Xiao Feng nodded.
"Not just that. Whenever the sensation appears, you must immediately enter cultivation. If you synchronize your cultivation with the pill's energy, the process will speed up significantly."
Lin Xiuya smirked slightly.
"So if we use it properly… we can shorten the time?"
"Exactly," Xiao Feng replied. "If you make full use of it, the one-month period can be reduced."
Han Yue thought for a moment and asked,
"And after one month?"
Xiao Feng's expression turned a bit more serious.
"After one month, the remaining medicinal power will completely merge into your bodies. That's when the real results will show."
Bai Cheng couldn't hold back anymore.
"What kind of results?"
Xiao Feng raised one finger.
"For now, the only visible effect is this—your cultivation speed will increase threefold."
"Threefold?!" Jia Yun shouted in shock.
Lin Xiuya's eyes narrowed, clearly impressed.
"…That's not something ordinary pills can achieve."
Xiao Feng nodded slightly.
"Use this month properly. If you don't waste this opportunity, all of you should be able to break through again."
Han Yue spoke softly, but her voice carried a hint of excitement.
"From 3-star… to 4-star or even 5-star Dou Spirit…"
"Exactly," Xiao Feng confirmed.
"That's the mid-stage Dou Spirit level. With your current foundation, it's completely achievable."
Bai Cheng clenched his fists, a grin spreading across his face.
"Haha! Then what are we waiting for? I'm going to cultivate right now!"
Jia Yun also nodded eagerly.
"This chance… we can't waste it!"
Lin Xiuya gave Xiao Feng a deep look.
"…You really gave us something incredible."
Han Yue simply said,
"Thank you."
Xiao Feng waved his hand casually.
"Save it for later. Just don't waste the pill."
As they all quickly left to cultivate, Xiao Feng stood there quietly, a faint smile on his face.
"This month…" he murmured softly,
"…will decide how far you all can go."
After watching everyone leave to cultivate, Xiao Feng returned to his room and slowly took out the mysterious stone he had obtained from the auction house. The moment it appeared in his palm, his expression turned serious.
"This thing… let's see what secrets you're hiding."
He closed his eyes and released his Soul Power, gently probing into the stone.
A moment later—
Xiao Feng's eyes snapped open in shock.
"…Impossible."
No matter how he tried, his Soul Power was completely blocked. It was as if the stone didn't exist at all—no feedback, no resistance, nothing. Just… emptiness.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He frowned deeply.
"One should know… my Soul Realm is already comparable to a 6th-rank alchemist… yet I can't even sense the slightest fluctuation from this stone?"
He turned the stone in his hand slowly, his gaze sharpening.
"This is definitely not ordinary."
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Feng calmed himself and began to think.
"With my current progress… breaking into the Mortal Soul Realm Perfection Stage is only a matter of time before i even reach the dou emperor realm. Ever since I started cultivating that soul technique, my soul growth has been far faster than normal…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"And once I break through to the Dou Emperor realm, combined with that level of Soul Power… even some high-level Dou Emperors won't be my match and I should be able to step into the initial stage of the Spiritual Soul Realm by then."
His eyes gleamed with confidence.
He paused slightly, his gaze drifting toward his storage ring.
"By then… I should be able to directly sense Yao Lao's existence inside the ring."
A subtle smirk appeared.
"And more importantly… I can interact with him without raising suspicion."
Xiao Feng leaned back slightly, clearly planning ahead.
"At that time, I'll already be a 6th-rank alchemist. Even if I can't break through to the 7th rank on my own… I can seek his guidance naturally."
He looked back at the mysterious stone in his hand, narrowing his eyes.
"But before all that… I need to figure out what exactly you are."
He infused a bit more Dou Qi into his hand, staring at the stone intently.
"A stone that even my soul can't penetrate… hehe…"
A faint, excited smile appeared on his lips.
"Now this… is interesting."