In the central area of the Inner Court, there was a small platform, about a zhang in size. This was the highest point in the Inner Court, and ordinary students were generally forbidden from entering.
It was said that this was where Mang Tianchi used to cultivate, and it was imbued with the aura of a Dou Zun. In the space surrounding the stone platform, some subtle and hard-to-detect spatial fluctuations subtly permeated.
These spatial fluctuations were quite peculiar, like a magnet, drawing all the surrounding heaven and earth energy to converge there, making it an excellent cultivation spot.
Ordinary students were usually forbidden from ascending, but this time, Jiang Yun was going to refine a Seventh Grade Pill, so Su Qian specifically opened this place for him to use.
Moreover, students were even specially allowed to come and watch. At this moment, the surroundings were already filled with students and Elder Huo from the Inner Court.
Suddenly, a faint rumble of thunder echoed in the air, and then a figure, like a bolt of lightning, flashed from afar, finally appearing on the stone platform.
As Jiang Yun appeared, exclamations immediately erupted in the field!
"Is that Senior Brother Jiang Yun?"
"He's so handsome, but he's a bit small — I can't quite imagine being with him!"
"You're a lovesick fool. Someone like me would dare to imagine. What's wrong with being small? He'll grow up eventually. I can wait."
"What beautiful dream are you having? Look over there. Senior Brother Jiang Yun had a childhood sweetheart as soon as he entered the academy. Do you know her strength?"
"She was already a Dou Wang when she first entered the academy, and now she's probably a Dou Huang. With her around, do you 'mortals' really think you can attract Senior Brother's attention?"
The few people immediately felt a bit indignant. As the saying goes, home flowers are never as fragrant as wild ones!
Besides, they had been together for so long, they were probably already tired of each other. Feeling indignant, they looked in the direction the other person pointed, and saw a figure full of nobility and majesty.
Seeing her, they involuntarily trembled, as if she were a born empress, making people unable to help but submit.
At this moment, Zi Yan looked over, her amethyst-like eyes scanning with majesty, causing the few people who were discussing to instantly freeze, not daring to breathe loudly.
Zi Yan looked at their expressions and curled her lips in disdain. They were all seductive hussies.
With her Dou Huang strength, any slight disturbance in the area could not escape her ears. She had heard the discussions on the field long ago, and it wasn't the first time.
"They're all vulgar women. How could Xiaoyun ever fancy you?" Zi Yan muttered, feeling a little resentful towards Su Qian in her heart, "It's all Old Su's fault. What's so good about alchemy anyway?"
At this moment, Zi Yan was like a little girl who had her unique treasure suddenly exposed and coveted by everyone, her face full of unhappiness.
"Such speed!"
Watching Jiang Yun appear, the elders present were slightly startled. They had not reacted at all just now. Such speed was simply astonishing.
"He's gotten stronger again!" Wu Tianlang, who had already broken through to Dou Zong, looked at Jiang Yun and sighed softly, his tone a little emotional.
"Isn't that only natural!" Su Qian said, glancing sideways at Wu Tianlang, his tone leisurely.
Wu Tianlang looked at Su Qian's back with a stunned expression. No, what was with that proud tone?
Elder Huo looked at the dense crowd of people around him and couldn't help but frown, "So many people, aren't you afraid they'll disturb him?"
"Hehe, don't worry. Around the stone platform, there are spatial fluctuations set up by the Dean. It will be difficult for outsiders to disturb him."
"Moreover, when a Seventh Grade Pill is born, there will always be natural phenomena, and perhaps even Pill Lightning. The spatial arrangement around the stone platform will help him then," Su Qian waved his hand and said with a smile.
Hearing Su Qian's assurance, Elder Huo secretly nodded and looked at Jiang Yun again. Although he was skeptical about Jiang Yun refining a Seventh Grade Pill, it did not prevent him from being concerned about Jiang Yun's environment for this alchemy session.
Jiang Yun's state at this moment had been adjusted to an unprecedented peak. His vigorous Dou Qi overflowed around him, carrying a majestic feeling. This feeling was quite difficult for even some peak Dou Huang level experts to exhibit.
Jiang Yun at this moment was like a light in the darkness, extremely eye-catching.
On a towering pavilion not far below the stone platform, there were also many figures standing scattered. If Jiang Yun were here, he would recognize these people as Liu Qing and others, whom he had met once.
In one year, they had already made a name for themselves in the Inner Court, showcasing their extraordinary talent!
Lin Xiuya looked down at the area below. At this moment, the Inner Court, almost every empty space, was filled with a dense crowd of people. All those countless gazes converged on the black-robed youth on the stone platform.
Looking at the youth who was the focus of everyone's attention, Lin Xiuya felt a surge of emotion and exclaimed, "A true man should be like this!"
"I believe that one day, we can also achieve this. What? Don't you have confidence?" Liu Qing also felt a surge of emotion, turning to Lin Xiuya and saying.
"Of course, I will achieve it sooner or later, making the Inner Court move because of me!" Lin Xiuya heard Liu Qing's words and a confident smile appeared on his lips. He never doubted himself.
"But…"
"Senior Brother Jiang Yun is younger than us!" A cold beauty with silver hair stared intently at Jiang Yun on the viewing platform, saying in a faint tone.
"…"
I didn't expect you to be like this, Han Yue, that stings!
"Cough cough—" Seeing Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing stung by Han Yue, Lin Yan secretly laughed, but after receiving their faint gazes, his heart tightened, and he felt the need to let out a light cough.
"Since the establishment of Jia Nan Academy, two people have advanced to Dou Huang before graduation, and one person has advanced to Dou Zong. The latter was not an ordinary human and, coupled with inherently gifted cultivation talent, was able to reach this step. Today, Senior Brother Jiang Yun will likely become one of those who can be compared to them!"
As expected, as soon as Lin Yan spoke, everyone shifted their attention. Han Yue bit her lip lightly, her bright eyes looking towards the stone platform. She knew the rumor that Jiang Yun was already a Fifth Grade Alchemist.
To be able to refine a Fifth Grade Pill at such an age, his potential would be quite terrifying. Even looking across the Central Plains, he would be a rare existence.
If he could help, then perhaps her family's crisis could be resolved?
Thinking of this, Han Yue's heart fluttered a little. Although there was a suspicion of an older woman preying on a younger man, if it were Jiang Yun, it wasn't impossible.
However, when her peripheral vision caught Zi Yan standing quietly nearby, she immediately felt a wave of discouragement. She knew Zi Yan, another prodigy of the Inner Court, who was a Dou Wang upon entering the academy, and was probably already a Dou Huang now. With her around, who could catch Jiang Yun's eye?
Having been called a favored daughter of heaven since childhood, she felt a sense of inferiority for the first time.
Jiang Yun on the stone platform did not know how much commotion his appearance had caused in the Inner Court. At this moment, his mind was fully concentrated, and external forces could no longer disturb him in the slightest.
With a movement of his palm, the crimson Thousand Beast Cauldron appeared with a roar, finally landing on the stone platform with a clanging sound!
Looking at the Thousand Beast Cauldron before him, Jiang Yun opened his mouth, and a ball of white flame was spewed out. With a flick of his finger, the flame, with a beautiful tail, plunged directly into the alchemy cauldron, then suddenly burst open.
The raging fire continuously churned within the alchemy cauldron. The steadily rising temperature gradually brought a hint of dryness to this part of the world.
As the flames rose, Jiang Yun waved his large hand, and stalks of medicinal herbs floated out from his storage ring. Enveloped by strands of Dou Qi, they were like tiny glowing orbs, suspended in mid-air outside the stone platform. From below, they looked quite magnificent.
Di Yuan Pill: A Seventh Grade Pill that can increase a Dou Zong expert's strength by one star!
The medicinal effect was simple and direct, but it was enough to make countless Dou Zongs flock to it, vying for it.
The method for refining the Di Yuan Pill slowly appeared in Jiang Yun's mind. Key points were imprinted into his mind, not a single word missed.
With a slight pull of his finger, strands of medicinal herbs slowly fell into the large cauldron. Inside the alchemy cauldron, the originally dormant white flame immediately surged up like a hungry wolf, engulfing the medicinal herbs.
Refining so many medicinal herbs simultaneously placed quite strict demands on soul power. However, for Jiang Yun, who had now entered the Spirit Realm, he certainly possessed the qualification and strength for it.
As time passed, the medicinal herbs in the flames slowly withered under the scorching of the Undying Holy Flame, eventually turning into ashes, while drops of pure medicinal liquid remained.
Now that the medicinal herbs had been refined, it was time for fusion!
"It's here, the most important moment in refining the pill!" Seeing this step, even Elder Huo couldn't help but feel a little nervous, sitting up straight and staring intently at the alchemy cauldron in front of Jiang Yun.
Hearing Elder Huo's words, the surrounding elders from the Alchemy Department all nodded in agreement. If Jiang Yun succeeded, it would be a Seventh Grade Pill.
For them, it was almost a legendary level. In their lifetime, let alone consuming one, even the number of times they had seen one with their own eyes was extremely limited.
Therefore, everyone watched Jiang Yun refining the pill with both tension and anticipation!
Inside the alchemy cauldron, white flames enveloped several liquid masses of varying sizes. Under Jiang Yun's control, several energies of different colors were slowly fusing with each other.
Feeling the tranquility emanating from his soul power, Jiang Yun's heart settled. It seemed his technique and luck were quite good; he had largely succeeded on his first try. Once all the medicinal power within was fully integrated, it would gradually condense into the embryonic form of a pill.
Of course, this was a rather slow process.
According to Jiang Yun's estimation, this fusion period would likely require at least three days.
With a thought, Jiang Yun slowly closed his eyes, diverting a trace of his mind to circulate the cultivation technique within him, the Crimson Fire Treasure Mirror, absorbing the surrounding heaven and earth energy.
His soul power still hovered within the alchemy cauldron, controlling the heat and the fusion of the various medicinal powers.
Three days passed in a flash!
During these three days, the people gathered in the Inner Court showed no impatience. Whenever they cast their gaze towards the stone platform in the sky, looking at the figure standing as still as a rock, they all felt a hint of admiration.
In the past, they had no concrete concept of how precious high-grade pills were, but until today, they finally had an accurate measure.
Recalling the effort Jiang Yun had expended during this period, they couldn't help but click their tongues. No wonder high-grade pills were so precious; this was truly not something an ordinary person could endure.
Jiang Yun calmly controlled the flames within the cauldron. Inside the alchemy cauldron, the Undying Holy Flame roared like heaven's thunder igniting earth's fire, the rumbling sounds echoing incessantly.
The third day slowly passed, and just as the first ray of sunlight fell on the fourth day.
On the stone platform, Jiang Yun, who had his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them at this moment.
His dark eyes, under the sunlight, reflected a dazzling luster, and at this moment, the dormant aura, like a sleeping lion awakening, emanated from Jiang Yun's body.
He looked inside the alchemy cauldron, only to see a yellow embryonic pill slowly rotating within the white flames. The embryonic pill was about the size of a dragon's eye, its surface pitted and uneven, looking extremely unappealing. However, under the scorching of the flames, it was slowly becoming rounded.
Jiang Yun could feel the majestic and pure medicinal power within it!
The embryonic pill was successful; now only the gestation of the pill remained!
Five hours passed in a flash. The pill in the flames was now flawless, with white patterns outlined on its surface, making it look as if it possessed some intelligence, extremely miraculous.
The moment this pill just took shape, the sky over the Inner Court suddenly darkened rapidly. Heavy dark clouds quickly gathered in the sky, and within the dark clouds, silver lightning could be seen, darting around like silver snakes.
"It's done!"
"A Seventh Grade Pill brings down a lightning tribulation; Jiang Yun succeeded!"
This sudden scene in the sky directly caused everyone in the academy to stare dumbfounded at the overlapping dark clouds. They had never known that alchemy had such an aspect.
Elder Huo, on the other hand, looked with fiery eyes at the figure on the stone platform, or more accurately, at the yellow pill in the alchemy cauldron in front of him.
"He succeeded!"
This sudden anomaly in the sky also startled Su Qian and the others.
Su Qian stared blankly at the lightning, like silver snakes, darting through the dark clouds in the sky. He felt a sense of unreality. Although he had confidence in Jiang Yun, he hadn't expected Jiang Yun to succeed on his first try.
A moment later, looking at the dark clouds that covered half of the Inner Court, Su Qian also shouted with a solemn expression.
"All elders, heed my command! Activate the grand formation in the central part of the Inner Court. If the Pill Lightning falls into the Inner Court, act immediately!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing Su Qian's order, the many Inner Court elders dared not delay and responded in unison.
They systematically arranged for students to leave, then dispersed to various corners of the Inner Court, their vigorous Dou Qi surging out from within their bodies, echoing each other from afar.
Zi Yan, who was closest to Jiang Yun, moved like a flash, appearing beside him in an instant. Staring at the lightning in the sky, her pretty face was filled with solemnity.
Under this might of heaven and earth, even she felt a faint sense of trepidation.