Xiao Yan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and took slow breaths to adjust himself to his optimal state.
He had been learning alchemy techniques since he was ten years old. It took him over three years to refine a 1st-tier medicinal pill, and he hadn't been able to refine a 2nd-tier pill in the past year. However, this time around, he was confident he would be able to refine a 2nd-tier medicinal pill within two to three months.
Now, his Dou Qi contained a strand of Bone Chilling Flame. This would greatly speed up the purification process of the medicinal pills.
His mind continually replayed the scene of Hun Huzi refining a pill from the previous night. Though it lasted only a few seconds, those few seconds were bought with his life on the line.
The advantage of having a powerful Spiritual Strength was having a strong memory. It made it possible for one to observe subtle details more clearly.
This was especially true when observing alchemy, as alchemy itself relied on Spiritual Strength.
Those few seconds were slowed down and played over and over again. It was like watching a movie at ten times slow motion, not willing to miss a single detail.
'Let's try.'
Xiao Yan placed his hands in front of the medicinal cauldron, gathered a ball of Dou Qi flame, and threw it into the cauldron. He then controlled the intensity of the Dou Qi flame with his Spiritual Strength.
Different medicinal ingredients required different temperatures to be purified. Most medicinal pills required their ingredients to be purified and then immediately fused together. There was no room for error.
Boom!
The temperature was too high and the medicinal ingredients were spoiled.
"Again."
Boom!
Due to a lack of control over the placement of the ingredients during the purification process, a premature fusion occurred and the cauldron exploded.
"Again!"
Boom!
The Spiritual Strength weakened. As a result, the flame could not be controlled properly, causing it to overflow and the cauldron to explode. The Spiritual Strength was depleted in the process.
"Damn! I'll... I'll try again tomorrow!"
Xiao Yan could only resort to the most idiotic method of practice without the hands-on guidance of a master.
Day after day, week after week, and month after month. Every day, a young man practiced and taught himself alchemy in this secluded cave.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
…
'Octane Blast!'
Xiao Yan aimed his right fist at the deepest part of the cave wall, twisted his body, and concentrated all his strength to deliver a powerful punch.
Boom boom boom boom! Boom boom boom boom!
The solid rock layer caved in eight times! Eight layers of force, Octane Blast had achieved a major level of mastery!
He had actually cultivated a High Xuan Dou Technique to a major level of mastery!
This was something completely unimaginable!
Even though Xiao Yan had reached the 4-star Dou Practitioner stage, he was still within the Dou Practitioner realm. Even his father, Xiao Zhan, had only just cultivated the Low Xuan Dou Technique, Lion Mountain Split, to a major level of mastery!
"Sigh, it took me eleven years to cultivate it to a major level of mastery. Am I too slow?" If outsiders were to hear this, they would probably vomit blood.
Normally, High Xuan Class Dou Techniques were not meant for Dou Practitioners to cultivate. Xiao Yan was completely in the category of practicing beyond his realm. If it weren't for the Octane Blast being a special technique that required physical strength rather than Dou Qi, he wouldn't even be able to get started.
Xiao Yan dispelled the gloom, wiped his hand, and pulled out a huge black ruler from his storage ring—the Heavy Xuan Ruler, along with a Dou Technique Scroll.
Some obscure and strange patterns were drawn on the surface of the pitch-black ruler. The patterns extended as far as the handle, covering almost every part of the ruler's body. Combined with the ancient black color, it looked quite mysterious.
'Now I can finally cultivate Flame Splitting Tsunami!'
The Low Di Dou Technique, Flame Splitting Tsunami, had been coveted by Xiao Yan for a long time.
If one could cultivate it to a major level of mastery, one would be able to split mountains, break waves, and sweep through thousands of troops with a wave of one's hand or foot!
Initially, Xiao Yan actually preferred to cultivate the Low Di Class Flame Splitting Tsunami rather than the Octane Blast, because just like the Octane Blast, the prerequisite for learning the Flame Splitting Tsunami was not cultivation level, but physical strength.
The Flame Splitting Tsunami was a Dou Technique that complemented both Dou Qi and physical strength. Moreover, in order to cultivate the Flame Splitting Tsunami, it had to be paired with the Heavy Xuan Ruler, which could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
However, the problem was that with his strength and physical condition at the age of four, he couldn't even lift the Heavy Xuan Ruler, let alone practice with it. Hence, he chose to practice the Octane Blast first.
The moment Xiao Yan firmly grasped the Heavy Xuan Ruler, a powerful suppression spread throughout his body. This Heavy Xuan Ruler was not only extremely heavy but also capable of suppressing Dou Qi.
Normally, when a Dou Practitioner lifted a heavy object, they would fill their body cells with Dou Qi to enhance their strength. However, the Heavy Xuan Ruler suppressed the Dou Qi, making it incredibly heavy to lift.
Xiao Yan, who was now a 4-star Dou Practicioner, had been forcibly suppressed to the strength of a 1-star Dou Practicioner.
"Lift!"
Whoosh! The massive Heavy Xuan Ruler, like a giant black iron sword, was suddenly lifted as Xiao Yan unleashed all his strength combined with the surge of Dou Qi. A gust of wind swirled around, sweeping up the surrounding debris.
"It's really heavy! Truly worthy of a Di Class Dou Technique's complementary weapon. Just lifting it is incredibly difficult."
He hadn't expected that this unremarkable-looking object could be so terrifying. Not only could it suppress the fast-flowing Dou Qi within his body to a crawl, but its abnormally heavy weight made it almost impossible for him to lift it, even if he used his Dou Qi to the fullest.
"Thankfully, I've cultivated the High Xuan Class Octane Blast to a major level of mastery; otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to handle this thing."
The class of a Dou Technique not only represented its power but also the difficulty of cultivating it. High Xuan Class Dou Techniques could still be purchased at the Miteer Auction House in Wu Tan City for about four to five hundred thousand gold coins. However, Di Class Dou Techniques had never appeared there.
Only at the annual auction held by the Jia Ma Empire's royal family might Di Class Dou Techniques appear, and their prices would be in the tens of millions of gold coins. Sometimes they could only be exchanged for items of equal value.
"1."
"2."
Whoosh! Xiao Yan swung the Heavy Xuan Ruler. The prerequisite for cultivating the Flame Splitting Tsunami was the ability to swing the Heavy Xuan Ruler freely. If one couldn't even swing it freely, let alone practice further techniques.
Xiao Yan now felt as if he was running with tires tied to him. Not only did he have to move, but he also had to move quickly. Not only did his body have to be strong, but he also had to use his Dou Qi to withstand the suppression of the Heavy Xuan Ruler. As a result, his consumption of Dou Qi was several times higher than usual.
With a thunderous sound, his hands trembled on the fiftieth swing and lost his grip, causing the ruler to fall to the ground. He realized his limit was fifty swings as he looked at his trembling hands.
Each swing consumed a considerable amount of his Dou Qi. After fifty swings, his Dou Qi was completely depleted.
Xiao Yan smiled wryly and shook his head, 'It seems that I can't continue practicing this Dou Technique today. I'll recover my Dou Qi first and then focus on alchemy.'
He would not even think of returning home until he had exhausted all his Dou Qi, Spiritual Strength, and physical strength!
Xiao Yan set aside the Heavy Xuan Ruler, released the Bone Chilling Flame, and sat down next to it, slowly circulating the Flame Mantra. His daily practice involved using the Flame Mantra to absorb the waves of heat emitted by the Bone Chilling Flame.
Now, he could absorb the heat waves from as close as one meter away from the Bone Chilling Flame.
'Huh? Why has the circulation of my Dou Qi accelerated so much?'
Xiao Yan remembered something and looked at the Heavy Xuan Ruler that was embedded in the ground.
In his extremely tired state, Xiao Yan could clearly sense that the almost sore muscles and the Dou Qi cyclone inside his body were greedily absorbing the heat waves released by the Bone Chilling Flame.
He felt that the explosive power contained within his muscles and cells seemed to have subtly strengthened compared to before. Moreover, he felt he could get even closer to the Bone Chilling Flame.
'It's a pity. If I could refine a 3rd-tier Qi Recovery Pill and use it in conjunction with my practice, the effects would probably be even better.'
Xiao Yan took out a 2nd-tier Small Recovery Pill and Foundation Building Pill. Although their effects were not as strong as the 3rd-tier Qi Recovery Pill, they could still help him restore his Dou Qi. The Foundation Building Pill could also soothe his muscles and prevent him from getting sore, allowing him to continue his rigorous training the next day.
Endure the pain, enjoy the gain.
Xiao Yan licked his lips, his eyes burning with fervor as he looked at the Bone Chilling Flame. No medicinal pill could compare to this Heavenly Flame. His strength would surely skyrocket if he could devour this flame with the Flame Mantra!