Chapter 61: Pill Lightning!
In the central area of the Inner Academy, there was a small stone platform about ten feet wide. This was the highest point in the Inner Academy, and ordinary students were generally forbidden from entering.
It was said that this was where Mang Tianchi had once cultivated, soaked in the aura of a Dou Zun. In the space around the stone platform, faint, elusive spatial fluctuations subtly permeated.
These spatial fluctuations were quite peculiar, like a magnet, drawing the surrounding energy of heaven and earth to gather here. It was an excellent place for cultivation.
Ordinary students were generally forbidden from climbing it. But this time, Jiang Yun was going to refine a seventh-grade pill, so Su Qian had specially opened this place for his use.
Moreover, he had specifically allowed students to come and observe. By now, the surrounding area was already filled with Inner Academy students and elders.
Suddenly, a faint, muffled thunder-like sound rang through the air. A figure flashed from afar like a bolt of lightning, finally landing on the stone platform with a movement of his body.
As Jiang Yun appeared, gasps of exclamation arose from the crowd.
"So that is Senior Jiang Yun?"
"So handsome. What a pity he is a little young. I cannot imagine being with him."
"So delusional. I am not like that — I can imagine it. So what if he is young? He will grow up eventually. I can wait."
"Keep dreaming. Look over there. Senior Jiang Yun has had a childhood sweetheart since he entered the academy. Do you know what her strength is?"
"She was already a Dou Wang when she entered the academy. By now, she is probably already a Dou Huang. With her around, you 'ordinary people' think you can catch the senior's eye?"
The group was somewhat unconvinced. As the saying goes, the wild flower is fragrant.
Besides, after being together for so long, they were probably already tired of each other. Unconvinced, they looked in the direction the other was pointing. Their eyes fell upon a figure full of nobility and majesty.
Seeing her, they could not help but feel a tremor in their hearts, as if before a natural empress, impossible not to admire.
At this moment, Zi Yan followed their gaze. Her amethyst-like eyes swept over with majesty, causing the group discussing to freeze, not daring to breathe.
Looking at them, Zi Yan curled her lips disdainfully. All of them were cheap flirts.
With her Dou Huang strength, any movement in the area could not escape her ears. She had already heard the discussion, and not for the first time.
"All vulgar women. How could Xiao Yun ever fancy you?" Muttering to herself, Zi Yan secretly began to blame Su Qian. "It is all old man Su's fault. What is so good about pill refining?"
At this moment, Zi Yan looked very much like a little girl whose unique treasure had suddenly been exposed for all to see, her face full of unhappiness.
"What incredible speed."
Watching Jiang Yun appear, the elders present were slightly shocked. They had not been able to react at all. Such speed was simply astonishing.
"He has grown stronger again." Wu Tianlang, who had already broken through to Dou Zong, looked at Jiang Yun and sighed softly, his tone full of emotion.
"Is that not to be expected?" Hearing this, Su Qian glanced sideways at Wu Tianlang and spoke in a quiet tone.
Wu Tianlang looked somewhat dumbfounded at Su Qian's back. What was that proud tone about?
Looking at the dense crowd around them, Elder Huo could not help frowning. "So many people. Are you not afraid they will disturb him?"
"Heh, rest assured. Around the stone platform, there are spatial fluctuations set by the Dean himself. It will be difficult for outsiders to disturb him."
"Moreover, when a seventh-grade pill appears, there will always be celestial phenomena. Sometimes, pill lightning even accompanies it. The spatial setup around the stone platform will help him somewhat." Su Qian waved his hand and said with a smile.
Hearing Su Qian's assurance, Elder Huo nodded inwardly. He turned his gaze back to Jiang Yun. Although he doubted that Jiang Yun could refine a seventh-grade pill, that did not stop him from worrying about the environment.
At this moment, Jiang Yun's state had been adjusted to an unprecedented peak. Vigorous Dou Qi filled the space around him, possessing a sense of majesty — a sensation that even some peak Dou Huang strong experts found difficult to achieve.
At this moment, Jiang Yun was like a lamp in the darkness, extremely noticeable.
On a tall attic not far below the stone platform, many figures stood scattered. If Jiang Yun were here, he would recognize them as Liu Qing and the others, whom he had met once.
In one year, they had already made a name for themselves in the Inner Academy, displaying their extraordinary talent.
Lin Xiuya looked down. At this moment, almost every empty space in the Inner Academy was filled with shadowy figures. The countless gathered gazes all focused on the black-robed youth on the stone platform.
Looking at the youth who was the center of so much attention, Lin Xiuya's heart stirred. He let out a sigh of emotion. "A man should be like this."
"I believe that sooner or later, we can do the same. What, do you not have confidence?" Liu Qing, also somewhat stirred, turned to look at Lin Xiuya.
"Of course I do. I will do it sooner or later. I will make the Inner Academy stir because of me." A confident smile curved at the corner of Lin Xiuya's mouth. He never doubted himself.
"But..."
"Senior Jiang Yun is younger than us, you know." The silver-haired icy beauty stared intently at Jiang Yun on the platform and spoke in a quiet tone.
"..."
You did not have to go there, Han Yue. That hurt.
"Ahem —" Seeing Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing hurt by Han Yue's words, Lin Yan chuckled inwardly. But after receiving their quiet stares, his heart tightened. He felt the need to cough a few times.
"Since the Jia Nan Academy was founded, two people advanced to Dou Huang before graduation. One advanced to Dou Zong. The latter was not human and, combined with innate cultivation talent, managed to reach that level. Today, Senior Jiang Yun might become one who can be compared to them."
Sure enough, as soon as Lin Yan spoke, everyone's attention shifted. Han Yue bit her lip. Her bright eyes looked toward the stone platform. She knew the rumor that Jiang Yun was already a fifth-grade alchemist.
To be able to refine fifth-grade pills at such an age meant his potential would be quite terrifying — a rarity even in the Central Plains.
If she had his help, could her family's crisis be resolved?
Thinking of this, Han Yue's heart began to race. Although there was a suspicion of taking advantage of a young man, if it was Jiang Yun, it might not be impossible.
But as her peripheral vision swept over Zi Yan, standing quietly nearby, she suddenly felt deflated. She knew Zi Yan — another prodigy of the Inner Academy. She had been a Dou Wang upon entering the academy. By now, she was probably already a Dou Huang. With her around, who could catch Jiang Yun's eye?
For the first time, the girl who had been called a heaven-born prodigy since childhood felt a sense of shame.
On the stone platform, Jiang Yun was unaware of the commotion he had caused in the Inner Academy. At this moment, his mind was completely focused. External forces could no longer disturb him in the slightest.
With a movement of his hand, the crimson-red Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron appeared with a crash, finally landing on the stone platform with a clanging sound.
Looking at the cauldron before him, Jiang Yun opened his mouth and spat out a ball of white flame. With a flick of his finger, the flame, carrying a beautiful tail, charged straight into the cauldron, then suddenly exploded.
Blazing flames churned within the cauldron. The rising heat gradually added a touch of dry heat to this space.
As the flames rose, Jiang Yun waved his hand. Medicinal herbs floated out from his ring one by one. Wrapped in streams of Dou Qi, like small glowing orbs, they hovered in the air beyond the stone platform, looking quite dazzling from below.
Earth Essence Pill: a seventh-grade pill that could raise a Dou Zong strong expert by one star in strength.
The medicinal effect was simple and direct, yet it was enough to make countless Dou Zongs flock to it.
The refinement method for the Earth Essence Pill slowly emerged in Jiang Yun's mind. Some of the key points were impressed into his brain without missing a single word.
With a slight gesture of his finger, a stream of medicinal herbs slowly fell into the great cauldron. Within the cauldron, the previously dormant white flame immediately surged up like a hungry wolf, swallowing the herbs in one gulp.
Refining so many medicinal herbs at the same time placed considerable demands on one's soul power. However, for Jiang Yun, who had now entered the Spirit Realm, he was indeed qualified and capable.
As time passed, the herbs in the flame, under the calcination of the Undying Sacred Flame, slowly withered, finally turning into ash, while drops of pure medicinal liquid remained behind.
Now that the medicinal herbs had been refined, it was time for fusion.
"Here it comes — the most important moment in pill refinement." Seeing this step, even Elder Huo could not help but feel somewhat nervous. He sat up straight, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the cauldron before Jiang Yun.
Hearing Elder Huo's words, the surrounding Alchemy Department elders nodded in deep agreement. If Jiang Yun succeeded, it would be a seventh-grade pill.
For them, it was almost at the level of legend. For their generation, let alone taking, even the number of times they had seen one with their own eyes could be counted on one hand.
Thus, the crowd watching Jiang Yun refine pills was both nervous and expectant.
Within the cauldron, the white flame wrapped several masses of liquid of varying sizes. Under Jiang Yun's control, several different-colored energies slowly fused with it continuously.
Sensing the calm conveyed by his soul power, Jiang Yun felt reassured. It seemed his technique and luck were quite good. Most of the refinement had succeeded on the first try. As long as all the medicinal effects were completely fused, he would be able to gradually condense the pill embryo.
Of course, this was a fairly slow process.
In Jiang Yun's estimation, this fusion process would take at least three days.
With a thought, Jiang Yun slowly closed his eyes, diverting a thread of his mind to operate his cultivation method — the Crimson Fire Treasure Manual — absorbing the surrounding energy of heaven and earth.
His soul power continued to hover within the cauldron, controlling the heat and the fusion of the various medicinal effects.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, the crowd gathered in the Inner Academy showed no impatience. Every time they turned their gaze to the stone platform in the sky, looking at the figure as still as a boulder, they could not help but feel some admiration.
Before this, they had no concrete concept of how precious high-level pills were. But today, they finally had an accurate measure.
Remembering the energy Jiang Yun had expended during this time, they could not help but be somewhat speechless. No wonder high-level pills were so precious. This truly was not something ordinary people could endure.
Jiang Yun manipulated the flames within the cauldron with calm precision. Inside the cauldron, the Undying Sacred Flame was like thunder stirring fire, its rumbling sound echoing continuously.
The third day slowly passed. Just as the first ray of sunlight fell on the fourth day...
On the stone platform, Jiang Yun, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened them at this moment.
His jet-black eyes, in the sunlight, reflected a somewhat dazzling luster. At this moment, his previously dormant aura began to emanate from Jiang Yun's body like a waking lion.
He looked into the cauldron. A yellow pill embryo was slowly rotating within the white flame. The pill embryo was about the size of a longan. Its surface was bumpy, looking extremely unattractive. But under the flame's calcination, it was slowly becoming smooth.
Jiang Yun could feel the vast, pure medicinal power within it.
The pill embryo had been successfully formed. Now, only the final gestation remained.
Five hours passed in the blink of an eye. The pill within the flame had no further flaws. White lines were etched on its surface, as if possessing a hint of intelligence — extremely miraculous.
The moment this pill took shape, the sky over the Inner Academy suddenly grew dark. Heavy clouds rapidly condensed in the sky. Within the clouds, silver lightning could be seen slithering like silver snakes.
"Success!"
"A seventh-grade pill brings down a lightning tribulation. Jiang Yun has succeeded."
The sudden appearance of this scene left everyone in the academy dumbfounded. They stared at the layered clouds in the sky. They had never known that pill refinement had such a thing.
Elder Huo, however, looked at the figure on the stone platform with burning eyes — more precisely, at the yellow pill in the cauldron before him.
"Success!"
The sudden phenomenon in the sky also startled Su Qian and the others.
Looking dazedly at the lightning slithering like silver snakes within the clouds, Su Qian felt somewhat unreal. Although he had confidence in Jiang Yun, he had not expected Jiang Yun to succeed on the first try.
After a moment, looking at the clouds that covered half the Inner Academy, Su Qian's expression sharpened. He shouted.
"All elders, hear my command. Set up a great array within the Inner Academy. If the pill lightning falls into the Inner Academy, strike immediately."
"Yes."
Hearing Su Qian's command, the many Inner Academy elders did not dare to delay. They responded in unison.
They methodically arranged for the students to leave, then dispersed throughout every corner of the Inner Academy. Vigorous Dou Qi surged from their bodies, echoing each other from afar.
Zi Yan, who was closest to Jiang Yun, moved. In a flash, she was beside him. She stared at the lightning in the sky, her pretty face full of seriousness.
Before this heavenly might, even she could not help but feel a faint sense of palpitation.