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**
Half a year later.
In the underground magma world.
A dark sun hovered above a magma lake.
Endless fire-attribute energy surged toward it, devoured by the black sun.
Within the sun, a hazy silhouette sat cross-legged, emanating a powerful aura.
The fire-attribute energy was refined by the black sun and then absorbed and converted by the figure within.
In the magma lake, two massive serpent-type magical beasts swam and frolicked.
One was a fiery-red, Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent — a Rank 5 magic beast.
The other was a Mutated King Cobra — Rank 6.
...
Far away, at the edge of the lake on a stone platform.
Xian'er sat cross-legged before a cauldron, her fingers forming seals at a rapid pace.
Inside the cauldron, a mass of yellow-brown flames blazed fiercely, accompanied by the sound of whirling wind, like the distant roar of a dragon.
The flames looked like a tornado, spinning swiftly in the center of the cauldron.
Within the vortex, ingredients were incinerated and liquefied into refined essences.
Xian'er wore a focused expression. She was currently refining a peak Tier 4 pill — the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill.
Beside her, Qing Lin crouched, helping with the preparations.
The only idle one was the burly Du Jiao.
He sat quietly, holding a book titled Detailed Guide to Basic Herbal Knowledge, reading attentively, his eyes flickering occasionally with confusion and thought.
His expressions were noticeably more animated now, no longer as dull as before.
Thanks to Xian'er's careful treatment that had purged the accumulated poison from his body, his physique had regained much of its vitality.
After half a year of recovery, Du Jiao had reached the peak of Four-Star Dou Zong, and his body was nearly fully healed.
However, due to the damage the poison had inflicted on his soul, his intelligence remained impaired—roughly that of a six- or seven-year-old child—and he had lost most of his memories.
...
Above the magma lake.
When the fire-attribute energy ceased its rush, the black sun slowly withdrew and vanished.
Whoosh!
A pair of massive wings unfolded behind Wei Yang, keeping him suspended in mid-air. He slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of brilliance shone in his gaze, as though lightning danced within the void.
Hoo—
He exhaled a long breath, slowly rising to his feet and stretching.
Crack, crack—
His bones crackled like popping beans.
Clenching his fists, he felt the vast and overwhelming strength surging within him—unlike anything he'd felt before.
Dou Huang!
"The realm is fully stabilized... so this is the power of a Dou Huang?" Wei Yang smiled faintly.
This strength... it was incredible.
Far beyond anything he had at the Dou Wang level.
A Dou Huang—within the Jia Ma Empire, and even across the entire Northwestern Region—was a figure who stood near the top of the hierarchy.
Even in the expert-laden Central Plains, they were no small fry.
In many factions, they could easily serve as elders.
He turned his gaze toward the direction of Jia Ma Sacred City.
"The Three-Year Agreement is almost here... about ten days left. Perfect timing," Wei Yang murmured with a smile.
Whoosh!
With a flap of his wings, he vanished from the sky, flying toward the distant platform.
...
Wei Yang landed lightly on the platform.
"You're done cultivating, young master?" Qing Lin noticed him and immediately dashed over, ignoring Xian'er's pill refinement. She smoothed out the wrinkles on his robe with a cheerful grin.
"Mhm. Took five days, but I finally stabilized the realm," Wei Yang nodded with a smile.
"Congratulations, young master! You've finally reached Dou Huang!" Qing Lin beamed.
"Haha." Wei Yang grinned, but then furrowed his brow as he sensed Qing Lin's aura. "I was so focused on my breakthrough, I didn't pay much attention to you."
"You've been advancing a little too fast. It's only been half a year, and you're already at the peak of Da Dou Shi. You need to suppress your realm a bit."
Qing Lin pouted slightly, lowering her head and muttering, "But I feel fine. My strength is under control. Everything feels stable."
"For safety's sake, you should still hold off for a month. Spend this time refining your Dou Qi. No breaking through to Dou Ling until then," Wei Yang instructed.
"Okay." Qing Lin nodded obediently.
"You're not even seventeen yet, and you're already at the peak of Da Dou Shi. What's the rush?" Wei Yang rubbed her head.
"Hehe, I wasn't rushing at all. I just trained normally like always, and the breakthrough came naturally," Qing Lin giggled.
"I don't care if it came naturally. No breakthrough without a month of polishing." Wei Yang gave her a light knock on the head.
"Alright..." Qing Lin pouted, rubbing her head.
Wei Yang chuckled and turned his attention to Xian'er, who was still focused on her pill refining. He walked over quietly and stood to the side, watching.
Inside the cauldron, a purplish pill with a rough surface slowly spun at the eye of the tornado-like flame.
Above the cauldron, the scent of medicine had already begun to spread.
Wisps of purple mist lingered and coiled in the air, refusing to dissipate.
Xian'er carefully controlled the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame sub-flame inside the cauldron, nurturing the forming pill without the slightest carelessness.
This was her formal attempt to step into the realm of a peak Tier 4 alchemist.
Just one final step remained for her to become a true peak Tier 4 alchemist: forming the pill.
As for why she used the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame's sub-flame to refine the medicine—
It was because Ghostly Poison Flame was a highly toxic fire, not suited for alchemy. In fact, it was even more troublesome to use than an ordinary beast flame.
If she used the Ghostly Poison Flame, Xian'er found that she had to devote at least half her focus just to control its toxic properties. A single lapse of attention could easily ruin the medicinal ingredients.
Refining pills this way made the process extremely taxing.
Her soul wasn't especially strong to begin with.
Splitting her concentration in half to suppress the poison turned the Ghostly Poison Flame into a burden instead of a help—it didn't assist her in the alchemy process at all, and instead became a major hindrance.
At least for now, when it came to alchemy, the Ghostly Poison Flame was far less effective than even a regular beast flame in Xian'er's eyes.
Maybe once she reached the Dou Zun or Dou Sheng realm—or when her soul evolved to the peak of the Mortal Realm, or even into a Spirit Realm soul—this situation might improve.
So, Wei Yang had no choice but to split off another sub-flame of the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame and give it to Xian'er specifically for refining pills.
In battle, she would use the Ghostly Poison Flame.
For alchemy, she would rely on the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame's sub-flame.
That sub-flame was kept sealed inside a jade vial and only taken out when needed.
After all, even as a sub-flame of a Heavenly Flame, it still possessed similar qualities—except for reduced spirituality and slightly weaker power.
But for pill refining, it was more than sufficient.
It outclassed standard beast flames by a wide margin.
However, splitting off two sub-flames at once—one for the Mutated King Cobra, and another for Xian'er—had drained the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame so much that it nearly dropped below the Dou Huang level.
...
Wei Yang stood quietly to the side, watching Xian'er refine the pill. He didn't speak or offer any guidance.
He'd already taught her everything he needed to long ago.
Now that Wei Yang had advanced to Dou Huang, his soul realm had also reached the peak of the Mortal Realm, just half a step away from entering the Spirit Realm.
Because of that, every movement Xian'er made—her techniques, the temperature changes in the flame, even the most minute fluctuations in the forming pill—were crystal clear to him.
There were no secrets.
As time passed...
The previously bumpy, misshapen pill gradually became smooth and plump, and the medicinal aroma grew thicker and more enticing.
Wei Yang nodded slightly, a faint smile curling on his lips.
The pill had successfully formed.
Though it was only of normal quality...
After all—
Superior-grade pills weren't that common.
Normal quality was the standard.
And even within "normal quality," there were still lower, middle, and higher tiers.
This Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill Xian'er had refined was probably mid-low quality—not great, but not bad either.
...
"Out!" Xian'er called softly.
With a shift in her hand seals, a stream of violet light shot out of the cauldron and landed gently in her palm.
Staring at the warm pill in her hand, Xian'er let out a long breath. A bright smile blossomed on her face, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Clap clap clap~
A round of applause echoed.
Xian'er looked up.
"Congratulations, Xian'er. From this moment on, you're officially a peak Tier 4 alchemist," Wei Yang praised, clapping.
He knew how much Xian'er genuinely loved alchemy—more than cultivation, even. She'd put far more effort and dedication into it than he had.
Unlike Wei Yang, who, if he were honest, didn't take alchemy all that seriously. He treated it as just another support tool for his cultivation.
He had interest, sure—but not much. His passion for cultivation far outweighed his interest in alchemy.
"Congratulations, Sister Xian'er!" Qing Lin joined in, clapping enthusiastically.
"Thank you." Xian'er smiled as she stood up.
"To be recognized by a Tier 6 alchemist like you—does that mean I passed the test?" Xian'er looked at Wei Yang, eyes twinkling and lips curling playfully.
"Of course. You successfully refined a peak Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, so you've definitely passed. A peak Tier 4 alchemist—you've earned it," Wei Yang nodded with a warm smile.
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