Jiang Yun glanced indifferently at Zi Yan, who was acting a bit forceful. It was as if he said nothing, yet said everything.
Zi Yan raised her head and immediately felt a surge of malice. Her beastly intuition told her that something unfavorable was about to happen.
When she turned her head, she saw Jiang Yun's 'gentle' gaze and immediately felt that she had overreacted.
However, since Jiang Yun dared to mock her, she bared her two small canine teeth at him with a 'fierce' look—hmm, 'the fangs of an evil dragon.'
The optimistic Zi Yan was Jiang Yun's source of daily happiness.
Jiang Yun waved his palm, and a wisp of white flame surged against the wind, instantly transforming into a pure white cauldron. Condensing objects from flame was not a profound skill; as long as one's soul power was sufficient, let alone a cauldron, even a beautiful woman could be easily created.
On Dou Qi Continent, a medicinal cauldron was an indispensable tool for an Alchemist.
A good medicinal cauldron could stabilize flames and medicinal liquids, and also increase the success rate of alchemy. Among them, medicinal cauldrons on the Heaven Cauldron List were highly sought after by Alchemists.
However, once one reached the Ninth Grade whether a medicinal cauldron was needed or not became irrelevant, because such individuals were, in themselves, the strongest 'medicinal cauldrons.'
As for why Jiang Yun didn't need a medicinal cauldron, firstly, his soul power was naturally strong; secondly, he didn't have one; and thirdly, this was merely a simple refining of medicinal ingredients, not actual alchemy, so it didn't need to be so complex.
Jiang Yun had never practiced alchemy, and he only recognized these medicinal ingredients by their names on the counter. He knew nothing of their properties or melting points.
However, Jiang Yun had an unfailing advantage: his naturally powerful soul power, which was sufficient to handle all unexpected situations.
If ordinary Alchemists were like regular players who had to grind experience day and night, then Jiang Yun was like a 'pay-to-win' player.
He was an object of both envy and dislike.
Looking at the formed cauldron, Jiang Yun, under Zi Yan's expectant gaze, threw the medicinal ingredients into the fiery cauldron.
Immediately, raging flames violently churned within the cauldron. The medicinal ingredients gradually changed under the scorching flames, and Jiang Yun slowly probed their limits.
This refining process was not particularly difficult; it only required sufficient heat and did not consume much of Jiang Yun's energy. The refining was also very quick.
A moment later, the Purple Cloud Fruit inside had completely turned into a viscous purple liquid. Jiang Yun waved his palm, and a handful of seasonings chosen by Zi Yan fell into the cauldron, immediately merging with the viscous liquid.
His ten fingers rapidly danced before him, and as his fingertips moved, the mixed liquid inside the medicinal cauldron also rapidly separated, finally forming dozens of tiny liquid spheres.
"Condense!" With a soft shout, the liquid rapidly solidified, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into dozens of purple pills with white halos, spinning around above the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame in the cauldron.
Looking at the pills emitting a peculiar fragrance, Jiang Yun nodded. With a flick of his small hand, dozens of the purple pills shot out of the medicinal cauldron with a white glow, finally landing in the jade bottle in his hand.
He poured out one pill from the jade bottle, held it about fifteen centimeters from his eyes, and without even needing to sniff carefully, an alluring aroma rushed into his nose.
No identification was needed; one sniff was enough to know it was a 'good pill,' but this was Zi Yan's special edition.
Gulp!
Suddenly, a sound of swallowing echoed beside Jiang Yun. It turned out that Zi Yan, who had been watching from a distance, had run over to Jiang Yun's side at some point, her dark eyes filled with desire.
"Here, try the taste!"
Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan with a smile and handed her the purple pill in his hand.
Zi Yan had been eagerly anticipating it. Seeing him offer it, how could she be polite? She suddenly bit Jiang Yun's finger... no, the pill on his finger.
Jiang Yun immediately felt a soft, smooth sensation on his finger. He silently withdrew his finger, which was now covered in saliva. Looking at Zi Yan, who was happily eating, Jiang Yun offered her the jade bottle in his hand.
"It seems this is very much to your liking. Take it. Once I've finished refining all of these, it should be enough for you to eat for a month."
Zi Yan nodded repeatedly, took the bottle, and quickly poured out another purple pill, directly tossing it into her mouth and chewing vigorously. This pill didn't last long either; in a few bites, it was chewed up and swallowed by Zi Yan.
"Hehe, so delicious!" Zi Yan showed a satisfied smile.
Watching the happy Zi Yan, Jiang Yun took out the remaining medicinal ingredients and, following the same method, refined them into pills of different flavors, placing them into individual jade bottles.
When he finally handed these jade bottles to Zi Yan, he noticed that the first bottle of pills was already more than half empty.
Good heavens, she really is a big eater! He had underestimated her body; it would be good if this lasted a week.
"Zi Yan, if you eat like this, the pills will be gone very quickly," Jiang Yun kindly reminded Zi Yan, who was munching non-stop.
"If they're gone, then Xiao Yunzi, you can just refine more for me!" Zi Yan licked her lips, stating it as a matter of course.
Jiang Yun was momentarily speechless, then explained, "The Outer Court's medicinal ingredient storage probably can't withstand your antics. You're already equivalent to a human Dou King, so low-grade medicinal ingredients probably won't have much effect on you. Most of the medicinal ingredients in the Outer Court are low-grade, used for refining pills below the third grade. The few high-grade medicinal ingredients probably can't withstand your antics either."
Hearing Jiang Yun say this, Zi Yan was momentarily troubled. She looked longingly at the jade bottle in her hand; the medicinal fragrance within was so alluring.
Eat freely? Not enough medicinal ingredients. Not eat? That was absolutely impossible!
Looking at Zi Yan, whose small face was scrunched up yet still so adorable, Jiang Yun found it amusing. Such a Zi Yan was rare. It was a pity he didn't have a camera or a memory stone; otherwise, it could definitely be used as Zi Yan's embarrassing past.
Just then, Zi Yan seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes immediately lit up. With a wave of her small hand, she said with a rather spirited air, "Xiao Yunzi, I'll take care of the medicinal ingredients! You just wait, as long as you don't go on strike then!"
Looking at Zi Yan, whose eyes were burning with fire, Jiang Yun felt as if he had unleashed a 'monster.' He vaguely seemed to guess what Zi Yan's method was.
Jiang Yun nodded. Zi Yan was not only his lifesaver but also his first friend on Dou Qi Continent. Of course, he was willing to help Zi Yan solve this small matter.
"Then you wait for me—!" Seeing Jiang Yun nod, Zi Yan shouted excitedly. Jiang Yun only felt a blur before his eyes, and Zi Yan's figure instantly vanished.
Looking at Zi Yan, who disappeared in a flash, Jiang Yun wasn't too worried.
Zi Yan had already broken through to the fifth rank. As long as a seventh-rank Magical Beast didn't attack, with the bloodline suppression of the Ancient Void Dragon and the bonus of her spatial attribute, Zi Yan's life wasn't in much danger.
And were there seventh-rank Magical Beasts in the Outer Court's Magical Beast Forest?
They would probably be dealt with by Jia Nan Academy as soon as they appeared. Even sixth-rank Magical Beasts were rarely seen.
A fifth-rank Ancient Void Dragon had already begun to enter its maturity, which was enough for Zi Yan to roam freely in the Magical Beast Forest.
Once Zi Yan left, Jiang Yun immediately felt the world quiet down, and he found it quite unaccustomed.
As someone who had grown up without companions, he still very much enjoyed the atmosphere of being with Zi Yan. Even though he was an adult psychologically, who said adults must be accustomed to solitude?
Shaking his head, why had he suddenly become so melancholic?
Collecting his thoughts, Jiang Yun took out a first-grade medicinal ingredient, Hemostatic Grass, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Whoosh—" Suddenly, the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame in Jiang Yun's hand ignited again. Through his recent 'alchemy' experience, Jiang Yun could now precisely control the heat required for this low-grade medicinal ingredient.
The white flame quickly burned the Hemostatic Grass in his hand into a green medicinal liquid. Jiang Yun, following the same method, condensed it into the pill form he had given Zi Yan.
Looking at the white texture on the green pill, Jiang Yun had an epiphany.
However, being meticulous, he took out another Hemostatic Grass. The flame in his palm began to change, its color slowly deepening, eventually turning into a pitch-black flame, dark as ink—this was the other half of the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame.
The black flame was filled with evil and cold auras, making one's darkest impulses stir with just a glance.
Jiang Yun, following the same method, used the black flame to refine the Hemostatic Grass into the same pill. This time, the pill was covered in black texture. His intuition told Jiang Yun that this pill had no effect whatsoever; the medicinal properties of the Hemostatic Grass had completely vanished under the scorching flames.
"Indeed, just as I suspected!"
Jiang Yun looked at the pills extracted from identical medicinal ingredients in his hand, confirming his conjecture.
As a flame composed of two diametrically opposed forces, the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame, in addition to its inherent ability to stir human desires and emotions, also possessed infinitely wondrous properties in its two flames.
The white flame was full of vitality, and the black flame was full of destruction.
Could he then use this vital white flame to replace the wood attribute's function in Alchemists and look forward to alchemy?
Alchemy, as the black technology of Dou Qi Continent, Jiang Yun naturally had some ideas about it. The prerequisite for becoming an Alchemist was that one's own attribute must be fire, and furthermore, within the fire body, there must be a trace of the wood attribute to act as a catalyst for alchemy!
People's attributes on the Dou Qi Continent were determined by their souls. A person's soul would always possess only one attribute, and it was impossible for other attributes to be mixed in. Therefore, Alchemists, who possessed two attributes in one soul, were extremely rare.
One must know that after Xiao Yan ascended to the Great Thousand World, the Endless Fire Domain was one of the three major pill refining groups in the Great Thousand World!
Naturally, this included the growth of his alchemy skills after his arrival in the Great Thousand World, but it had to be admitted that the alchemy of Dou Qi Continent had laid a profound foundation for him.
Therefore, when Jiang Yun learned that he was a pure fire attribute, he had already given up on alchemy. Although there was an anomaly like Valley Master Tang Zhen on Dou Qi Continent, a pure fire attribute who refined many low-grade pills, this level of alchemy held little appeal for Jiang Yun.
Now it seemed he might still have a glimmer of hope.
Thinking of this, even with Jiang Yun's state of mind, a ripple was stirred.
After thinking it over, Jiang Yun tidied himself up and turned to walk towards the Alchemy Department. He wanted to personally verify whether he could become an Alchemist.
Jiang Yun slowly walked towards the Alchemy Department. As Alchemists were a high-end profession on Dou Qi Continent, there was no need to ask for directions. Jiang Yun knew that the most luxurious building in the Outer Court must be the Alchemy Department.
A large group of auras filled with fire-attribute soul power gathered there. Jiang Yun said he could find it with his eyes closed.
Upon arriving at the Alchemy Department, he indeed saw many arrogant-looking young men and women coming and going. They all wore badges on their chests, shaped like medicinal cauldrons, inlaid with either two stars or one star, representing their alchemy strength.
According to Jiang Yun's observation, most of them were first-grade Alchemists, and there were a few second-grade ones, but he hadn't seen any third-grade ones.
"Hey—have you heard? Elder Liu is personally opening a furnace to guide us in alchemy!"
"Really! Elder Liu is a fourth-grade Alchemy Master. In our hometown, he would be the president of the city's Alchemist Association. Such a person personally taking action is definitely not to be missed!"
"Let's go together. Let's go together."
Watching the crowd around him discussing and quickening their steps towards a certain direction, Jiang Yun's heart stirred. It was better to arrive coincidentally than early. The intervention of a fourth-grade Alchemist was indeed worth such a big commotion.
Jiang Yun followed the crowd towards his destination. Along the way, many people saw Jiang Yun, this little guy. Jiang Yun was seven years old and had grown to 1.2 meters, not short, but among a crowd of people averaging seventeen or eighteen years old, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
However, at this moment, they had no interest in investigating. How could gossip be as interesting as alchemy?
Just like that, Jiang Yun successfully blended into the'scene of the incident'!
This was a square in the Alchemy Department, large enough to accommodate thousands of people. Today, the North Square, which was usually sparsely populated, was packed with a dense crowd, all because of the unassuming white-haired old man in the center of the arena, a fourth-grade Alchemist.
Through his soul perception, Jiang Yun discovered that at least half of the people present were not Alchemists.
In fact, this was a normal phenomenon. Alchemy, as the noblest profession on Dou Qi Continent, appeared high-end and mysterious to those unfamiliar with it.
A fourth-grade Alchemist was enough to be an honored guest of a Dou King in the outside world, a goal many of those present looked up to.
How could it not attract people?
As time passed, Elder Liu, who was sitting cross-legged on the arena, moved. He took out a five-mouthed medicinal cauldron, lightly tapped his fingertip, and a yellow flame flew into the medicinal cauldron.
With Elder Liu's movements, the arena gradually quieted down.
Alchemy had begun!
Everyone stared intently at Elder Liu's movements, afraid of missing any details. Jiang Yun was no exception, his bright eyes fixed on Elder Liu's every move, wanting to glimpse the true essence within.
The flame slowly burned in the medicinal cauldron. Elder Liu waved his large hand, and seven medicinal ingredients slowly appeared, falling into the cauldron one after another, melting into medicinal liquid.