Chapter 298

Nalan Yanran glanced at Liu Ling, who ran up excitedly; since Yun Lan Sect nearly disbanded and Gu He ultimately chose to leave, Nalan Yanran had not spoken a word to Liu Ling, though when she departed, Liu Ling had written her a letter mentioning where he and his master Gu He resided.

Otherwise, Nalan Yanran would not have known where Master Gu He was.

She had never imagined that the task Xiao Yan wanted her to do was to exchange elixirs with Gu He.

Upon hearing that Nalan Yanran had come to seek his master, Liu Ling's eyes dimmed slightly, but he quickly rallied himself.

"My master is currently refining an elixir, but it should be nearly done—come in and sit for a while," Liu Ling wiped the dirt from his hands and opened the bamboo door to invite Nalan Yanran inside.

Hearing Liu Ling's words, Nalan Yanran subtly furrowed her brows; after all, when Yun Lan Sect nearly disbanded, Gu He—the strongest alchemist in the sect—chose to leave, which made her feel a pang of betrayal.

Even though Yun Yun told her Gu He's departure had other reasons, she had avoided interacting with Liu Ling over the past two years, yet she accepted defeat gracefully, gave a slight nod, and followed Liu Ling into the courtyard.

The entire courtyard was extremely humble, built entirely of bamboo, and situated deep in a remote, dense forest—hard to imagine that a Sixth-Rank Spirit Refiner lived here!

"Yanran, how have you and Sect Master Yun Yun been lately?" Liu Ling poured a cup of tea, sat down, and asked with a smile.

"Fine," came her flat reply; Nalan Yanran only wanted to see Master Gu He, say what she needed, and leave.

"Uh, I heard you've been slaughtering invaders across the border, driving the three empires' forces into disarray, even fighting a Doubwang—true?" Liu Ling continued.

"Mm."

"I've been training diligently under my master's guidance and can now refine Fourth-Rank Peak Pills. I'm certain I'll soon be able to refine Five-Grade Pills. Five-Grade Pills suit Doubwangs perfectly—I'll make you some Healing Pills. After all, your Yun Lan Sect has joined the Yan Alliance, and as a girl, you'll face danger at the border; having some elixirs will help a lot."

"No need."

"It's fine, wait for me—I'm sure I'll soon refine Doubwang Pills. If you need one, I'll ask my master to get you one."

If someone nearby had overheard this exchange, they'd likely sigh inwardly—how heartbreakingly genuine it all was.

Nalan Yanran simply ignored him, slowly closed her eyes, and began cultivating the brand-new Cultivation Method she obtained from the Life and Death Gate; she was already Fifth-Star Doubwang—by the time you become a Fifth-Rank Alchemist capable of refining Doubwang Pills, I'll already be a Doubhuang.

Seeing Nalan Yanran begin cultivating, Liu Ling didn't press further and started cultivating the Cultivation Method Gu He had taught him.

After all, Alchemists need Dou Qi to refine elixirs; without an Infernal Flame, low cultivation makes it hard to even extract medicinal materials.

Not long after, suddenly, a rich Pill Fragrance wafted from another part of the courtyard—the fragrance surged upward in a radiant pillar.

Seeing this, Liu Ling exclaimed excitedly: "Success! My master has finally succeeded in refining a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill!!"

Seeing the lingering energy pillar, Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes widened slightly—Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill? Two years ago, Gu He could only refine Sixth-Rank Low-Level Pills; yet now, after two years, he could refine Sixth-Rank High-Level Pills!

Leaving Yun Lan Sect had allowed Gu He to focus entirely on Spirit Refining, accelerating his progress beyond anything before.

"Yanran, how is your master?" Gu He slowly pushed open the door, holding a Pill Bottle containing an elixir; with his Sixth-Rank Soul Force, how could he not sense Nalan Yanran's arrival?

Facing this former First Alchemist of the Empire, the Dantian Alchemist who had once made elixirs for her, Nalan Yanran dared not be careless; she rose and bowed slowly, politely replying: "My master is still at the Yan Alliance's border, but she wrote me a letter—she's well."

"Good," Gu He sat down slowly; Liu Ling poured him a cup of hot tea, drank it in one gulp, and asked: "So, what brings you here today?"

Nalan Yanran's eyes flickered away; after a moment's thought, she said: "I heard the Dantian Alchemist knows you have a Transformation Pill—I'd like to exchange for it."

Gu He and Liu Ling both looked puzzled.

He possessing a Transformation Pill was no secret—especially when he loudly announced it during his trade with Mei Du Sha in the Snake Empire; not only did Yun Yun hear it, but the entire Snake Empire likely knew he had one.

Several Supreme Elders of the Snake Empire once sought to trade for the Transformation Pill, but Gu He refused them all—not because he was reluctant to part with it, but because they couldn't offer him anything he desired.

The Transformation Pill was truly expensive; Gu He had spent all his wealth and even owed the Alchemist Guild many elixirs to acquire it.

Gu He had only finally repaid the Alchemist Guild with enough refined elixirs half a year ago.

"I do have a Transformation Pill, but Yanran—why do you need it? It's a pill for beasts; it shouldn't suit you. It's a Seven-Pin High-Level Pill—the Snake Empire couldn't afford to trade for it."

It wasn't that Gu He looked down on Yun Lan Sect; compared to the Snake Empire in the desert, Yun Lan Sect was indeed wealthier, but even now, Yun Lan Sect couldn't afford a Seven-Pin High-Level Pill—unless they liquidated all their assets, they simply couldn't buy it.

Nalan Yanran wouldn't haggle, and she didn't even want it—she was merely being used by Xiao Yan.

Nalan Yanran didn't waste words; she took two items from her storage ring and placed them on the table: "Master Gu He, here is an Arcane-Rank High-Level Cultivation Method for enhancing Soul Force, and a Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill called Small Soul Black Purple Pill—I wish to exchange these for the Transformation Pill."

These were clearly not Nalan Yanran's own items—they were unmistakably Xiao Yan's.

Xiao Yan knew he couldn't get something for nothing, so he traded in the Spirit Hall for an Arcane-Rank High-Level Soul Technique—it wasn't the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Technique; it had no effect for breaking into the Spirit Realm, but it enhanced Soul Force faster than the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Technique, making it more suitable for Sixth- and Seventh-Rank Alchemists.

Yesterday, Xiao Yan refined the Small Soul Black Purple Pill.

Soul Techniques from the Spirit Hall could only be read once; an Arcane-Rank High-Level Soul Technique wasn't particularly valuable—completely insufficient to trade for a Seven-Pin High-Level Pill, which was worth at least a full Earth-Class Technique, even requiring Earth-Class Mid-Level to exchange.

But Soul Techniques were valuable because they were rare.

Not just in the Jia Ma Empire, but across the entire Northwest Region, no one had heard of any Cultivation Method for Soul Force—it had been lost for ages.

Upon hearing what Nalan Yanran offered, Liu Ling's face instantly paled; if it were just an ordinary Sixth-Rank High-Level Pill and an Arcane-Rank High-Level Cultivation Method, he'd think she was here to cause trouble—the value was wildly unequal.

But! Since both items concerned Soul Force, it was an entirely different matter.

Though unequal in value, they were exactly what Gu He needed.

Aside from the freak Xiao Yan, most Alchemists had enough experience but couldn't improve Fire Control Power or Soul Force, preventing them from advancing their Alchemy Rank.

After all, ordinary people had almost no way to enhance Soul Force—even Gu He was no exception; his ability to refine Sixth-Rank High-Level Pills had some luck involved—his Soul Force hadn't actually reached Sixth-Rank High-Level.

Gu He closed his eyes, thought slowly, then opened them, his gaze tinged with resignation: "He wants this Transformation Pill, doesn't he?"

Liu Ling froze, then suddenly realized who his master meant.

Xiao Yan!

Even here, they'd heard the news of Xiao Yan's return!

Nalan Yanran panicked instantly—she'd never lied much in her life!

"I heard he's going to refine a Breakthrough Pill for the Jia Ma Royal Family?" Gu He asked.

"I don't know about that," Nalan Yanran truly didn't know—she'd just come out of seclusion and was immediately beaten again.

But Gu He knew—because Jia Xingtian and Yao Ye had visited him, trading some medicinal materials needed for Breakthrough Pills; he immediately realized who intended to refine them.

"Take your items back," Gu He said. "Deliver this message to him: if he can refine a Breakthrough Pill, then I'll trade with him." His eyes flickered with defiance—he refused to believe it!

He refused to believe that a man who was only a Fifth-Rank Alchemist two years ago could now refine a Breakthrough Pill—he would gamble against fate—he refused to believe it!!

That night, Nalan Yanran delivered Gu He's message to Xiao Yan.

"You're really useless—how could he see through you?" Xiao Yan glared at Nalan Yanran.

"I—I didn't mean to! He knew it was you—I couldn't help it!" Nalan Yanran deflated like a punctured ball; why did she always get humiliated in front of this guy? It was so strange.

Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. "Then there's no choice—we're going to refine the pill anyway. Go to the Imperial Palace and find Yao Ye. Once the Imperial Family has gathered the medicinal materials for the Breakthrough Pill, bring them back to Yun Lan Sect for me. That's simple enough, right?"

"No problem! This time I'll definitely get it right!" Nalan Yanran straightened up, her face set with determination, then stepped out of Xiao Yan's room.

Only when Nalan Yanran closed the door behind her did she suddenly realize—how had she become his errand girl? She'd somehow fallen into Xiao Yan's trap!!!

Xiao Yan really knew how to handle people!

After a day and night of waiting, Queen Yao Ye did not disappoint—she had gathered three sets of medicinal materials for the Breakthrough Pill!

Xiao Yan didn't know how the Jia Ma Imperial Family had managed it—perhaps they already had some on hand, or perhaps they'd paid a heavy price to buy them from the Alchemist Guild—but regardless, now that the materials were complete, it was Xiao Yan's turn to act.

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan sent Nalan Yanran, his little errand girl, to summon Gu He to watch the spirit refining. Xiao Yan had no intention of hiding anything—he opened his Alchemy Furnace right atop Yun Lan Sect's peak, before the eyes of countless Yun Lan Sect disciples!

Spirit refining usually required a quiet environment, but Xiao Yan actually felt more at ease refining in front of a crowd.

Perhaps this was the highest level of showing off.

His gaze slowly swept across the dozens of snow-white Jade Boxes before him, then circled the surroundings, naturally spotting many familiar faces.

Soon, Xiao Yan took a shallow breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. With a flick of his finger, the massive Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron materialized out of thin air, then crashed heavily to the ground, producing a low, resonant chime.

"Is that one of the Heavenly Cauldron List's Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron!" Fa Ma, the guild president, had also come to watch. Seeing the Alchemy Furnace Xiao Yan used, he exclaimed in shock.

Gu He's eyes narrowed slightly. As the saying goes, sharpening the blade doesn't delay the chopping—having good tools is part of spirit refining.

With half-lidded eyes, Xiao Yan's mind flashed again with the refining method for the Breakthrough Pill and all its critical details. After a long moment, his eyes snapped open. In his pitch-black pupils, the Three-Colored Flame—fused from Black Flame, Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire, and the offspring flame of Swallowing Flame—rose within the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron.

With a faint hiss, a thread of three-colored flame shot from Xiao Yan's fingertip. He flicked his finger—the flame became a streak of light, darting like lightning into the Alchemy Furnace.

The moment the flame appeared, the fire seeds within Gu He and other Alchemists instinctively shrank back.

"That flame—" Gu He was stunned. What kind of flame was that?! How did he get a new fire seed? Where had his old Infernal Flames gone?!

The instant the flame entered the Alchemy Furnace, its tiny form swelled violently. In an instant, the small flame became a roaring inferno, burning furiously within the furnace.

Quickly, Xiao Yan's terrifyingly exaggerated Fire Control Power stabilized the Infernal Heat inside the furnace, with fluctuations dropping below one unit.

Xiao Yan waved his hand, and a snow-white Jade Box emitting a faint chill was drawn into his grasp. Pinching the Cold Marrow Branch between two fingers, a bone-chilling coldness surged through his fingertips, nearly numbing his entire arm.

But for Xiao Yan, who possessed seven Infernal Flames, this cold was less than one percent of Bone Spirit Cold Fire's chill.

With a light flick of his palm, the Cold Marrow Branch was precisely tossed into the Alchemy Furnace. The flames, like a monstrous maw, swallowed it whole.

Even with the fused Infernal Flames assisting, extracting the Cold Marrow Branch still took thirty minutes.

Time passed as one medicinal material after another was tossed in.

After all the medicinal materials were refined and just as they were about to be fused, a violent energy surge erupted. With a low crack, most of the painstakingly refined medicinal essence was shattered and scattered.

Feeling the disturbance inside the Alchemy Furnace, Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly and sent a Soul Resonance: "You're lucky, Mao Wu."

Meow! Black Flame curled around everything—the painstakingly refined materials were all devoured.

Seeing Xiao Yan's first attempt fail, many present murmured in regret. Only Gu He and Fa Ma, Sixth-Rank Alchemists, could sense the truth—their faces grew grim.

"Incredibly terrifying Fire Control Power."

"Not just Fire Control Power—his Soul Force is exceptional too. His Fire Control Power and Soul Force are both at least Seven-Grade!"

Gu He and Fa Ma exchanged glances, both seeing deep resignation and admiration in each other's eyes.

They understood—this spirit refining of Xiao Yan's would succeed.

The first failure was merely due to inexperience, not lack of ability. With two more sets of materials left, the Breakthrough Pill was certain.

Sure enough, during the second attempt, Xiao Yan refined twice as fast as before—and soon, the Primitive Pill appeared!

A smile curled his lips. The next second, a blinding light erupted from the Alchemy Furnace, too intense for anyone to open their eyes.

The Breakthrough Pill—there it was! The Transformation Pill was here!

Zi Yan's true form was about to appear!

(End of Chapter)