Chapter 82: Alchemy
"Crunch! Crunch!"
Zi Yan munched on a medicinal herb, answering, "I come whenever I want!"
"These herbs are already scarce. How can we afford for you to eat them like this?" Elder Hao said angrily. "Besides, with your abilities, it's quite easy for you to find herbs yourself. Why don't you go look for them?"
"Finding them myself is too troublesome. Anyway, there's a ready supply here," Zi Yan said nonchalantly, glancing at Elder Hao and threatening, "If you keep talking, I'll beat you up!"
"You...!" Elder Hao, though furious, didn't dare to express his anger openly. After all, he knew that if he angered her, he would indeed get beaten up.
"Bleh!" Zi Yan stuck out her tongue and tossed aside another herb she was holding, her face twisted in disgust. "So gross!"
Elder Hao picked up the discarded herb, saying, "Oh, my little ancestor, can you please stop wasting these precious herbs?"
"I'm still not full!" Zi Yan's small, fair hand reached through the energy barrier and grabbed another herb, biting into it right in front of Elder Hao.
This behavior made Elder Hao shout, "Grand Elder, please do something about her!"
As he spoke, Su Qian's figure appeared. He looked at Zi Yan, a bit exasperated, and said, "Zi Yan, it's not easy for our Inner Academy to acquire these herbs. Can you not come here so often?"
"Okay, okay," Zi Yan responded, showing respect to Su Qian. She glanced at Elder Hao, made a funny face, and said, "You're such a big person, and you still call for help?"
With that, Zi Yan dashed away, but her words left Elder Hao fuming.
"Grand Elder, look at her!" Elder Hao complained.
Su Qian shook his head and said, "Alright, she's a magical beast and doesn't understand human matters. Don't hold it against her."
After placating Elder Hao, Su Qian asked Xiao Tian, "Xiao Tian, have you gathered all the herbs?"
"I've got everything I need," Xiao Tian nodded. He waved his sleeve, and several jade bottles appeared in his hand.
"These are Three-Line Green Spirit Pills, Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills, Dou Ling Pills, Imperial Extreme Pills, and Breaking Emperor Pills," Xiao Tian said, handing the bottles to Su Qian. "Of course, this is all I have right now. If anyone needs any other pills below seventh grade, feel free to ask me for them in exchange for the herbs."
"Below seventh grade?" Su Qian asked, surprised. "Does this mean you're a sixth-grade alchemist already?"
"Yes, I am," Xiao Tian confirmed with a smile.
Hearing this, Su Qian gasped. The young man before him was already a sixth-grade alchemist, an incredibly rare and exceptional talent.
After leaving the herb storage, Su Qian arranged a residence for Xiao Tian. Once settled, Xiao Tian summoned the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron and began refining the sixth-grade Earth Spirit Pill.
With the help of the Stone Talisman, the ingredients such as Earth Fire Ganoderma, a sixth-grade water attribute magic core, and Green Wood Immortal Vine were quickly purified. Xiao Tian added the purified ingredients in succession, and a light blue pill slowly took shape inside the cauldron.
As soon as the pill took form, the surrounding heaven and earth energy fluctuated violently, attracting considerable attention.
"Boom!"
Finally, a blue light column, two meters in diameter, shot into the sky, causing the roof of Xiao Tian's residence to collapse. This was intentional, a display of power to ensure no one doubted his capabilities.
"What powerful energy fluctuations! This is definitely a sixth-grade pill!"
Su Qian, watching from afar, thought, "Such a prodigious talent! Fortunately, we didn't offend him. Otherwise, it would have brought great trouble to the academy!"
After a while, the light dissipated, and a blue light emerged from the cauldron, floating beside Xiao Tian with great vitality. Xiao Tian summoned the pill into a bottle and began to meditate.
The next day, after fully recovering, Xiao Tian sought out Su Qian.
"Grand Elder, please take me to the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower."
"Follow me," Su Qian nodded, leading Xiao Tian to the tower.
When they arrived, Xiao Tian saw a large black tower embedded in the ground. Only the top layer and the spire were visible above the surface, but even this visible part was as tall as a three-story building, with the spire reaching over thirty meters high. This hinted at the immense structure buried underground.
Once again, Xiao Tian felt a barrier around the area.
"Let's go in," Su Qian said, leading Xiao Tian inside. As they entered, a wave of scorching heat greeted them.
"Hmm?"
As soon as Xiao Tian stepped through the door, his body stiffened. He sensed a strange flame within him, causing some discomfort.
"Indeed, the Fallen Heart Flame is quite peculiar," Xiao Tian thought, recognizing it as the flame's heart fire. He summoned his own different fire to devour the heart fire.
The two descended the stairs and soon reached the bottom level, drastically different from above. The intense heat and red flames filled the air, making it hard for an ordinary person to breathe.
At the center of this level was a wide, ten-meter-deep pit, emanating a red glow that stained the surroundings blood-red. Around the pit was a visible spatial barrier, inscribed with complex runes to reinforce it and prevent the Fallen Heart Flame from escaping.
Su Qian said, "Xiao Tian, the Fallen Heart Flame is below. You must go in alone. I'll wait here. If things go wrong, just call for me."
"Alright," Xiao Tian agreed. Su Qian placed his hands on the barrier, and with a shout, "Open!" the barrier parted, creating an opening.
"I can't hold it for long. Go quickly!" urged Su Qian. Xiao Tian's figure flashed as he turned into a stream of light, disappearing into the pit. Once he was inside, Su Qian removed his hands, and the barrier sealed itself.
"Whether you can refine the different fire depends on you," Su Qian said, sitting down nearby to wait.
(End of Chapter)