Within a quiet alchemy room of the Alchemy Division at Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Yun sat cross-legged on the floor, settling into a cultivation posture as he absorbed the ambient energy of heaven and earth. As time passed, the surrounding elemental energy grew increasingly violent, surging like a tide toward him.
Eventually, his body seemed to become a black hole, endlessly drawing in the frenzied energy without pause.
His mind delved inward. Xiao Yun skillfully guided the torrents of energy absorbed through every pore of his body, channeling it along his meridians toward his lower abdomen. There, a fiery red energy vortex spun rapidly, refining the incoming energy with relentless force.
Though vast in quantity, the raw energy contained an abundance of impurities. Without refining it first, recklessly absorbing it would leave residue in the body. While this wouldn't hinder short-term cultivation, over time it would drastically slow future progress—and might even cause permanent stagnation.
Thanks to Xiao Yun's careful control, most of the energy was successfully purified and converted into Dou Qi, which was then absorbed into the fiery red vortex at his core.
At this moment, Xiao Yun's body resembled a full-blown processing facility. The mottled energy from the outside world was absorbed, tempered within his meridians and organs, refined into pure Dou Qi, and then drawn into the swirling vortex, where it grew increasingly dense. Under the pressure of his soul power, the Dou Qi within the vortex began to compress and gradually liquefy.
As the flow of energy continued to bombard his body, faint traces of violet energy surfaced from his bones, blood, and flesh. These were absorbed into the vortex as well. A wave of euphoria surged through Xiao Yun's body, like a clogged artery suddenly cleared after years of blockage. The sensation was so overwhelming he almost cried out from the sheer relief.
Under his watchful inner gaze, he could now vaguely see that a significant portion of the energy inside the vortex had become liquid.
And with the infusion of that mysterious violet energy, he could clearly feel a metamorphosis taking place—every bone and muscle in his body was strengthening, growing denser and heavier with raw power.
The absorption process lasted for nearly half an hour. As his body's suction force gradually faded, the surrounding elemental energy began to disperse.
At that very moment, Xiao Yun's eyes snapped open. A pair of blazing crimson lights shot forth from his pupils, like twin beams. In one swift motion, he sprang to his feet. A single glance from him now exuded a pressure several times greater than before.
"Hahaha! Well done, my dear disciple. From today onward, you are officially a Dou Master!"
Elder Huo, who had been standing guard beside him, couldn't hide his excitement. He had sensed the change clearly—the vortex in Xiao Yun's core had shrunk considerably, but the energy within was several times more potent. It was a clear sign of a successful breakthrough.
Xiao Yun exhaled a long breath, releasing the foul air purged during the refinement process. Turning to Elder Huo, who was beaming with pride, he couldn't suppress his own grin.
He genuinely felt that joining Jia Nan Academy had been the best decision of his life. In just half a year, he had gone from an ordinary Dou Practitioner to a Dou Master. Not to mention learning the art of alchemy—a feat that would've been near-impossible had he stayed in the Xiao Clan.
"Thank you, Teacher. If not for the pill you refined for me, I might've needed several more months to reach this stage." Xiao Yun bowed respectfully.
"It's your own talent that made the difference," Elder Huo said with a satisfied chuckle. "And besides, you're my disciple. If I don't give my pills to you, who else would I give them to?"
He squinted at Xiao Yun. "You're seven years old now, right?"
"Yes, Teacher. I'll turn eight in a little over a month." It was currently November, and Xiao Yun's birthday fell in early January—just over forty days away.
"Hahahaha! A seven-year-old Dou Master! That old geezer Hu always brags about how talented his granddaughter is. I can't wait to bring you along and wipe that smug grin off his face!"
Xiao Yun stared at his teacher, who now looked like a child who had just received the toy of his dreams and couldn't wait to show it off. He felt a headache coming on.
"By the way, what did you come to me for earlier?" Elder Huo suddenly remembered that Xiao Yun had come of his own accord—not because he was summoned—and finally asked.
"I'm here to register for the first-tier alchemist exam," Xiao Yun replied. "My success rate for first-tier pills has reached about eighty percent."
Elder Huo raised his brows in approval. "Eighty percent? Even some third-tier alchemists don't have that high a success rate for basic pills. Not bad. Here—take this token."
He tossed Xiao Yun a fiery red token inscribed with intricate markings and a large 'Flame' character at its center.
"Bring this to the Alchemist Association in Jia Nan City. They'll take care of the rest."
Waving a hand to dismiss him, Elder Huo turned back to his work.
After leaving Elder Huo, Xiao Yun made his way toward the Alchemist Association in Jia Nan City. As he walked through the academy's winding paths, he studied the token in his hand. Its entire surface was carved with elaborate patterns, the large 'Flame' character glowing faintly in the center.
After a while, he gave up trying to analyze it and tucked it into his spatial ring. He stopped a passing student and asked for directions to the association.
Following the directions, Xiao Yun darted through the city, weaving around corners and alleyways until he came to a halt before a majestic building.
It was unlike anything he'd seen before—designed to resemble a massive alchemical cauldron sitting in the middle of the street. The windows around it resembled venting mouths of flame, and the rooftop bore a colossal cauldron lid, appearing to cover the entire structure.
His gaze moved to the plaque above the main entrance. Two bold characters were etched into its surface:
"Alchemist Association!"
Xiao Yun handed his token to the guards standing by the entrance. They checked it and immediately let him through, their eyes filled with envy.
He had just stepped inside and barely begun to take in the grand interior when a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You there, little guy. What's your relationship with that old flame fossil? How did you get his token?"
Turning toward the voice, Xiao Yun saw an elderly man in old-fashioned alchemist robes walking toward him. On his chest hung a badge engraved with a cauldron, and above it were five silver waves.
"I'm Xiao Yun. Greetings, Senior. I'm Elder Huo's new disciple," Xiao Yun replied respectfully.
"Hahaha, at least someone around here knows how to show proper manners—unlike your teacher!" The old man chuckled. "So, what did that fiery old rascal send you here for?"
"I've come to take the first-tier alchemist exam," Xiao Yun said.
"Oh, an exam, huh? Alright, I'll take you myse—wait, what? First-tier alchemist exam?!"
The old man stared at him, jaw nearly hitting the floor. He looked down at the seven-year-old before him, who wasn't even as tall as his waist.
Then he scanned Xiao Yun with his soul power—and froze again.
Not only was this little brat an alchemist, he was also... a Dou Master?
He suddenly turned his head and barked, "Hey, you! Take this kid to the exam hall. I need a break."
He quickly walked away, muttering under his breath. The more he thought about Elder Huo scooping up a freakishly talented disciple like this, the more his chest ached.
An hour later, Xiao Yun emerged from the association building, having officially passed the first-tier alchemist exam. He had swapped out his academy uniform for a specially tailored alchemist robe. A silver badge with a single wave shimmered on his chest.
Though he wore a proud smile, he couldn't help but feel slightly regretful. That powerful elder from earlier, who had clearly been on par with his teacher in skill, had vanished before they could even chat properly.
"What a shame. I wanted to ask about a few things from the exam... Oh well, I'll just ask Teacher later."
On his way back to the dormitory, ready to enjoy the sensation of becoming a Dou Master, Xiao Yun ran into his class instructor, Mentor Xu Ning.
The moment their eyes met, Xiao Yun froze.
He had skipped two full days of classes from the Teaching Division. Worse still, Xu Ning had clearly recognized him.
It's fine! Xiao Yun told himself. I didn't ditch class for no reason—Teacher took me to refine pills! Xu Ning will understand!
He lowered his head and walked forward, rehearsing his apology in his mind.
Xu Ning didn't even wait for an explanation. "Little brat, where have you been these past two days?"
His eyes swept Xiao Yun's new outfit and widened. "Wait… are you an alchemist now? No, that Dou Qi… did you break through?"
Xiao Yun nodded sheepishly. "Yes, I've reached the Dou Master realm."
"You didn't consolidate your cultivation yet, did you?"
"I planned to, but I went straight to the Alchemist Association for the exam. I was just about to return to my dorm."
Xu Ning rolled his eyes. "No need for that. Come with me to the training grounds. Sometimes the best way to stabilize your realm… is a proper beating."
"Wait, what?" Xiao Yun looked at Xu Ning's smiling face and felt a sudden chill. He had a strong suspicion that this wasn't about stabilizing anything.
"No more 'waits.' Move it!"