Chapter 253: The Elder Comes to Visit

Meow! Mao Wu jumped out of Space and landed on Xiao Yan's shoulder.

Usually, Xiao Yan didn't need Mao Wu to appear during Spirit Refining—only when refining Magic Cores did Mao Wu consume the Spirit Beast Soul.

But now Xiao Yan was pushing his limits, and Mao Wu, as a Spirit Flame, a Strange Fire's spirit, could help Xiao Yan control the flames, slip into the deepest part of the Alchemy Furnace, and use Soul Force to tell Xiao Yan the subtlest changes in the Medicinal Materials and the fire.

This could further increase the success rate of Spirit Refining.

One could say Xiao Yan was giving it his all—he had no confidence in refining the Earth Spirit Pill, and he had only one set of Medicinal Materials; if he failed, he'd likely have to go to the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop to exchange for more.

And he didn't even know if he had enough Soul Points to make the exchange.

With a whoosh, a very special flame appeared in Xiao Yan's palm—neither Ten Thousand Beast Spiritual Flame, nor Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, nor Yin-Yang Dual Flame; it was the Fused Strange Fire Xiao Yan had synthesized using the Burn Decree and four Strange Fires.

Its power and Infernal Heat even frightened Xiao Yan—he never dared use it in Battle, fearing he might accidentally vaporize someone.

But this time he was refining a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill, and both the Medicinal Materials and the Sixth-Rank Magic Core were extremely difficult to refine.

He was only a Seven-Star Dou Spirit; without the Fused Strange Fire, he could never have refined a Six-Grade Pill, not even managed to refine the Medicinal Materials.

Xiao Yan held a Five-Grade Ji Qi Elixir in his mouth—similar to a Qi-Replenishing Elixir, used to restore Dou Qi—afraid his Dou Qi might run out during Spirit Refining.

"Begin."

Once everything was ready, he waved his hand—the Fused Strange Fire surged instantly into the Alchemy Furnace, and in an instant, roaring flames erupted violently from within!

At the same moment, Mao Wu traversed Space and entered the Alchemy Furnace, merging with the Fused Strange Fire to become Spiritual Flame Fusion, enhancing Xiao Yan's Fire Control Power.

Refining a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill was, without doubt, the most pressure-filled Spirit Refining of Xiao Yan's life.

The moment the first Medicinal Material entered the Alchemy Furnace, the Fused Strange Fire pounced like a starving wolf, swallowing it whole—instantly, the material withered rapidly.

Xiao Yan's gaze locked tightly on the interior of the Alchemy Furnace; though flames blazed fiercely, he kept the Infernal Heat just below the critical threshold, causing the Medicinal Material to wither gradually, with tiny droplets seeping from its surface.

After roughly thirty minutes, Xiao Yan meticulously completed the refinement of the first primary Medicinal Material.

Subsequently, the second and third Medicinal Materials, under Xiao Yan's extreme care and precision, slowly transformed into Medicinal Essence and Medicinal Powder.

Meow! Mao Wu suddenly cried out from within the Alchemy Furnace.

"I know."

At Mao Wu's reminder, Xiao Yan shaped the flame into a tiny blade and sliced open a spot on the Green Immortal Vine, revealing a wormhole inside.

Mao Wu had noticed something odd about the Green Immortal Vine as it burned and urgently stopped Xiao Yan.

The quality of Medicinal Materials greatly affects Pill quality; sometimes, issues like insect infestation cause the Pill to fail during fusion.

One must admit, refining a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill was an excruciatingly tedious and exhausting task—just refining the Medicinal Materials had consumed nearly a full day. But fortunately, Xiao Yan was patient; even after nonstop Spirit Refining for a full day, he showed no fatigue, his eyes still clear, his Soul Force still immensely potent.

At dawn on the second day, as the sun rose, the Sixth-Rank Magic Core was finally refined by Xiao Yan into a pile of azure powder—the Spirit Beast Soul inside had even begun to resemble a Soul Body, taking on tangible form for attack.

Fortunately, Mao Wu, as a Strange Fire spirit, had autonomously battled the Spirit Beast Soul within the Magic Core, without interfering with Xiao Yan's Pill Refining.

After another half day, under Xiao Yan's control, the initial form of the pill finally appeared!

The instant the initial form took shape, Xiao Yan clearly felt the heavenly energy around him surge violently—like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, sending towering waves crashing outward.

As time passed, the irregularly shaped pale blue initial form gradually became smoother, radiating brilliant light that made it resemble a blue gemstone.

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed—he wore a grave expression; he knew that success or failure hinged on this single moment!

"Retract the fire—form the Pill!"

Xiao Yan instantly accelerated the Burn Decree to its maximum speed; his Dou Qi surged into the Alchemy Furnace at top velocity. The moment the flames exploded with a boom, all the Fused Strange Fire flowed like a torrent, passing through the Pill and returning into Xiao Yan's body.

This step was like polishing a jewel, further enhancing the Pill's efficacy and quality—a Spirit Refining technique from the Mysterious Ring.

The instant Xiao Yan withdrew the flames, the interior of the Alchemy Furnace plunged into darkness—then, a flash of blue light erupted from within.

Meow!! ~~ Mao Wu leapt urgently onto Xiao Yan's shoulder—it knew something was coming!

With a boom, after several minutes of flickering light points, they suddenly expanded in Xiao Yan's wide pupils—then, a torrent of blue light engulfed the entire peak, and a thunderous explosion rang out from nowhere; next, a blue light column, nearly two zhang thick, shot violently skyward from the Alchemy Cauldron!

The formation phenomenon of a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill was terrifyingly magnificent!

In a high tower within the Inner Court, Elder Su Qian paused mid-signature, his eyes flashing with sharp light, his gaze piercing through Space as if directly fixed on the peak deep in the mountains.

"Sixth-Rank Pill—and a High-Level one!"

"The only one in the Black Horn Region who can refine a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill is Han Feng! Has he come to Jia Nan Academy?!"

Muttering under his breath, Elder Su Qian's face suddenly turned grim—he felt as if facing a dire enemy; if Han Feng had secretly infiltrated the Inner Court, it would be extremely dangerous.

No sooner had he spoken than his figure trembled—the black afterimage before him slowly faded, leaving only a faint black shadow streaking across the Sky.

At that moment, Mao Wu stepped forward, standing before Xiao Yan, his tail swirling in midair—a black vortex appeared, shielding Xiao Yan's body from the terrifying blue shockwave.

Exhausted, Xiao Yan panted heavily, his face pale: "Thanks, Mao Wu."

~o(=∩ω∩=)m Meow!

The blue energy column slowly receded; when a Six-Grade Pill formed, thick, un-dissolvable Pill Fragrance would waft from the Alchemy Cauldron, forming a colored Medicinal Mist column shooting skyward.

As Xiao Yan reached out, the Earth Spirit Pill, as if sentient, floated gently into his palm.

"If the quality of a Sixth-Rank High-Level or Peak Pill is high enough, it gains a trace of sentience—this saying is indeed true," Xiao Yan smiled in satisfaction; the past day and night had been worth it.

After Xiao Yan stored the Pill, a black shadow shot toward him at high speed—when it saw Xiao Yan, the shadow froze in shock.

"You… Xiao Yan! Was that energy surge from the Pill formation just now your doing?!" Elder Su Qian, staring at Xiao Yan in his Alchemist Long Robe, looked astonished.

Though Xiao Yan was disheveled and filthy, Elder Su Qian recognized him instantly—he was that prodigy New Student of the Inner Court, Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan bowed slightly: "Student Xiao Yan, greetings, Elder."

Elder Su Qian scanned Xiao Yan from head to toe—his gaze shifting from astonishment, to confusion, then finally to admiration and respect.

An Alchemist capable of refining a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill—he had to treat such a person with courtesy, even if they were a Dou Zong; the roles of teacher and student no longer applied—Xiao Yan could now be considered his equal.

Suddenly, Elder Su Qian's eyes flickered with unusual light: "Xiao Yan, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart sank, but he kept his expression calm: "Please speak, Elder."

"Do you know there is a Strange Fire hidden within the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta?" Elder Su Qian asked, standing opposite Xiao Yan, his voice grave.

Xiao Yan nodded—he couldn't claim ignorance; doing so would be like hiding silver while claiming it wasn't there.

Elder Su Qian sighed: "Ah, the Heart Fire within the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta comes from the fallen Strange Fire, the Falling Heart Flame. Now, the Falling Heart Flame is growing stronger and more violent, constantly striking the Flame Sealing."

"It churns almost every month; if not for the combined efforts of many Elders setting up Energy Barriers, the students training inside the tower would suffer massive casualties."

As a holder of the Strange Flame, Xiao Yan naturally sensed that the Fallen Heart Flame's agitation had become increasingly obvious—on several occasions, Xiao Yan had been cultivating in Chamber One and felt it with crystal clarity.

The Senior Elder sighed softly and murmured, "When the Dean first discovered this Fallen Heart Flame, he founded the Inner Court. Back then, he said that suppression and Flame Sealing could only yield temporary results; the tighter the sealing, the more terrifying the eventual eruption. The traces of this Strange Flame disturbance are indeed powerful—if we're even slightly careless, the Inner Court could be destroyed."

Xiao Yan furrowed his brows—he hadn't imagined the Fallen Heart Flame was this much stronger than he'd thought!

If it could destroy the entire Inner Court, its strength must be at least High-Level Dou Zong!

If the Fallen Heart Flame has already reached such power, Xiao Yan certainly cannot handle this hard bone alone.

"You mean..." Xiao Yan frowned slightly and asked.

The Senior Elder looked a little embarrassed and said, "Xiao Yan, you can refine Six-Grade High-Level Pills—your Soul Force and Fire Control Power must not be weak."

Xiao Yan nodded.

"If one day the Fallen Heart Flame erupts, I hope you will assist us in suppressing it and defending the Inner Court."

A flash of sharp light passed through Xiao Yan's eyes, but he showed no sign of it; after a moment of thought, he said, "I understand your meaning, Senior Elder, but this matter—I ask for time to consider it carefully before giving my answer."

"Very well. I know this is dangerous. Rest well—this area is still within the academy's bounds; no one will disturb you." With that, the Senior Elder left the mountain peak.

Watching the Senior Elder vanish beyond the horizon, Xiao Yan fell into deep thought.

Meow!!

"I know—the Senior Elder's strength even surpasses Mei Du Sha by a slight margin, and the Inner Court has many Dou Wang and Dou Huang Elders; if I could gain their assistance, it might indeed be possible to refine the Fallen Heart Flame."

"But the Inner Court will never let me refine the Fallen Heart Flame—this requires careful planning. At the very least, I need an excuse."

(End of Chapter)