Chapter 336: Calm Spirit Refining

"That's! An Infernal Flame!!"

"My god, the clash of Infernal Flames! That Alchemist named Xiao Yan has an Infernal Flame too!"

The collision of the two flames naturally drew countless eyes, let alone that one side was Gu Tong, the Sect Master of the Medicinal Bone Sect, a Seventh-Rank Alchemist, and the other was Xiao Yan, the initiator of the Yan Alliance Covenant, who was currently riding high in fame!

Wind Wrath Dragon Flame was born within the eye of a tornado, so its appearance closely resembled a tornado—its color like yellow sand with hints of gray-white, yet those swirling filaments that looked like a tornado were in fact strands of extreme infernal heat.

From afar, it now seemed as if a towering tornado was violently colliding with a blue lotus, and with the clash of these two powerful forces, streams of flame splattered everywhere.

The collision of the two Infernal Flames generated a high-temperature storm that continuously blasted outward in both directions.

With the emergence of an Infernal Flame, not only did the temperature of this mountain range rise, but even the temperature within the entire Sky Serpent Mansion slightly increased.

"So strong! That man named Xiao Yan's strength is no weaker than Gu Tong's!!"

"Gu Tong possesses Wind Wrath Dragon Flame—what Infernal Flame is Xiao Yan's blue one?"

On the spectator seats, the old manager of the Huangquan Rare Goods Pavilion stroked his beard and smiled: "Qinglian Earth Core Fire and Wind Wrath Dragon Flame—a duel between two Alchemists who possess Infernal Flames—even in Zhong Zhou, this would be a sensational event."

Qiu Ping's eyes narrowed slightly; he hadn't expected this man named Xiao Yan to hide so deeply—he too was an Alchemist who possessed an Infernal Flame!

And judging by this, his strength was certainly not just Five-Grade—he might even be Six-Grade or Six-Grade Peak!

"No wonder he's so arrogant—he must have a powerful mentor behind him; without a master to guide him into Pill Alchemy, it's impossible." Qiu Ping instantly understood: Xiao Yan must have a formidable teacher.

"Bet on the Infernal Flame."

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed, revealing an expression of extreme arrogance and audacity as he slowly asked: "Bet on the Infernal Flame? How do you want to bet?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's utterly overconfident demeanor, Gu Tong's heart was bursting with joy.

"Let the winner of today's Spirit Refining contest decide—whoever loses must peel their Infernal Flame from their Spiritual Soul and hand it over to the other!" Gu Tong smiled sweetly.

Gu Tong was an old fox—he had not only inherited the legacy of a powerful Alchemist but also possessed an Infernal Flame, and his own Pill Alchemy had reached Seventh-Rank, having dominated the Sect Grand Meeting as the strongest Alchemist for several consecutive sessions!

Thus, not only in the Northwest Region but even in Zhong Zhou, he carried considerable fame.

Precisely because of this, Gu Tong dared challenge Xiao Yan—and even proposed betting his Infernal Flame against Xiao Yan's.

At this moment, all the Alchemists present were watching Xiao Yan; among Alchemists, deciding victory through Spirit Refining was normal—such contests frequently occurred among them.

But betting an Infernal Flame? They had never heard of such a thing!

"Since someone insists on giving me an Infernal Flame, fine—let's see what you've got." Xiao Yan smiled, waved his hand casually, and shattered the Wind Wrath Dragon Flame; the two Infernal Flames slowly receded.

In truth, it wasn't that Gu Tong wanted to bet so heavily—he simply needed an Infernal Flame very badly right now.

As rumors went, Gu Tong's time was nearly up; his body would soon revert to that of a child, and once reverted, he would lose all mobility, let alone the ability to continue his lineage.

That was precisely why he had come to Zhong Zhou, seeking out the Eighth-Rank Alchemist of the Qiu Family, hoping the man would help him refine an Eighth-Grade Pill to counteract this side effect.

He had found the man—but the price charged by a Zhong Zhou Alchemist was astronomical, let alone an Eighth-Rank Alchemist; the cost was beyond what few in the Northwest Region could afford.

And clearly, the only thing that could move an Eighth-Rank Alchemist was one thing.

An Infernal Flame.

Hence, when Gu Tong saw Xiao Yan's Qinglian Earth Core Fire, he repeatedly provoked him—he had deliberately tried to poach Yue Er, even verbally baiting Xiao Yan, all to anger him and lure him into a bet.

He wanted Xiao Yan's Qinglian Earth Core Fire to use as payment to the Qiu Family for the pill.

Seeing Xiao Yan arrogantly accept, Gu Tong smiled inwardly and said boastfully: "I won't take advantage of you—I'll refine a Six-Grade Pill today. If you can refine a Six-Grade Pill superior to mine, you win."

Xiao Yan slowly walked to a stone platform, shook his hand carelessly, and said: "No need. Refine at your full strength. And today, I'm not refining a Six-Grade Pill."

Hearing Xiao Yan's casual words—that he wouldn't refine a Six-Grade Pill—everyone's first thought was: Huh? What? He's only a Five-Grade Alchemist?

Then, as the first person to realize it let out a cry, every single mind instantly grasped a terrifying possibility.

Not refining Six-Grade… does that mean Seven-Grade!!!

Thud! Qiu Ping shot to his feet so violently he knocked over his chair. His face, once accustomed to storms and known across the Dan Domain, turned pale with shock—almost terror!

"Seventh-Rank at twenty-three? Impossible! How could someone from a remote border nation of the Northwest Region possess such talent!" Qiu Ping refused to believe it, dared not believe it—twenty-three-year-old Seventh-Rank Alchemists were miracles!

It wasn't unheard of—in fact, the Dan Domain currently had one such super-genius whose Pill Alchemy talent even surpassed Xiao Yan's.

That girl, known as the Pill Demon, had been able to refine Seventh-Grade Pills at age twenty, becoming a mountain of despair for every Alchemist in the Dan Domain.

Cao Ying, the darling of the Cao Family, one of the Five Great Families of the Dan Domain.

Because of Cao Ying alone, the Cao Family had risen dramatically, even showing signs of becoming the foremost of the Five Great Families.

And now, what did Qiu Ping see? Another Cao Ying!

"No—he's not necessarily a Seventh-Rank Alchemist; he might just be Six-Grade Peak, attempting to challenge a Seven-Grade Pill." Qiu Ping kept reassuring himself, but even he found his own words unconvincing.

Because Xiao Yan was too confident!

He had instantly agreed to bet an Infernal Flame!

Now, looking at it, who was really tricking whom—Xiao Yan tricking Gu Tong, or Gu Tong tricking Xiao Yan? Impossible to tell!

Though the old manager of the Huangquan Rare Goods Pavilion had mentally prepared himself, hearing that Xiao Yan truly intended to refine a Seven-Grade Pill still stunned him; he murmured: "True or false—we'll know soon enough."

Xiao Yan paid no heed to the astonished glances around him; he took out the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron and placed it on the stone platform, then pulled out one brocade box after another from his storage ring—several of these boxes bore the Huangquan Pavilion's mark, naturally purchased from the Huangquan Rare Goods Pavilion.

The Pill Xiao Yan was about to refine today was even harder than the Yin-Yang Dragon Pill.

The Seven-Grade Soul-Black Purple Pill—this was a Pill of the Soul Hall!

"So many Medicinal Materials!" Everyone present was stunned; as they stared at the stone platform before Xiao Yan, covered in dense brocade boxes, their expressions were like those of people seeing ghosts—utterly indescribable.

"Damn it, I've never seen a Pill Formula requiring so many Medicinal Materials in my life—this is just insane." Even an elderly Alchemist competing in the contest couldn't help blurting out this vulgar exclamation.

At this moment, even Alchemists who had never refined a Seven-Grade Pill knew: using this many Medicinal Materials meant it was definitely not Six-Grade—even the Breakthrough Pill didn't require this many!

Suddenly, drool flowed freely from countless mouths, and eyes widened in astonishment. It wasn't their fault—after all, to anyone, even the leaders of a Sect, a Seven-Grade Pill was priceless; even beings as powerful as Dou Zong might not be able to consume a Seven-Grade Pill, let alone ordinary people.

Only superpowerful factions like the Sky Serpent Mansion had the capital to purchase and use Seven-Grade Pills.

Before this, others might have thought Xiao Yan's challenge to Gu Tong was foolish arrogance—but now, no one had any anger left.

No wonder he didn't enter the Young Generation Alchemist Competition; with his strength, competing against those under thirty was like playing with mud—bullying children.

And now, he had gone from bullying children in the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Convention to bullying old men!

Watching from the side, Yue Er could only smile wryly—now, nothing surprised her. In her eyes, Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy was a miracle.

The soul force and fire control power, which tormented alchemists the most and were hardest to improve, he seemed to raise them effortlessly, step by step, step by step, step by step.

The Bone Child Elder suffered the most—he had hoped to seize the Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire during this opportunity, but now it seemed he might not be guaranteed victory!

There was a risk of losing!

The Bone Child Elder took a deep breath, walked to a stone platform, and stared coldly at Xiao Yan, his voice icy: "Fine. You've hidden well. But you're still too young. Today, I shall make you suffer a crushing defeat. Your Strange Fire belongs to me!"

After calming down, the Bone Child Elder was full of confidence; in his view, after cultivating alchemy for so long, few in the young generation could match him, and he held himself in high esteem.

Even if you're a Seventh-Rank Alchemist too, what of it? I've been one for years—I have no fear!

The Bone Child Elder also pulled out a vast quantity of Medicinal Materials, more than double what Xiao Yan had. Yet he brought three full sets, while Xiao Yan had no backup plan—he intended to end the Battle with just one set!

At this level of Pill Alchemy competition, there was no need to announce the start, since Pills of Six-Grade or higher took days to refine, and some Seven-Grade Pills required half a month or longer—gaining a few minutes meant nothing.

"Open your dog eyes wide and watch closely, boy. Even among Seventh-Rank Alchemists, there are differences." At that moment, the Bone Child Elder sneered at Xiao Yan, stepped firmly on the ground, and instantly summoned his Alchemy Furnace.

With a thud, a pure white Alchemy Furnace appeared—far off, it resembled a White Tiger crouching, exhaling and inhaling streams of white radiance; as those streams flickered, they seemed to form the shape of a White Tiger.

Though inferior to Xiao Yan's Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron, this Alchemy Furnace was still of high quality, likely an Eighth-Grade Alchemy Furnace.

"This Alchemy Furnace isn't simple." Many powerful experts present, who knew their stuff, sensed its aura and realized this Alchemy Furnace was extraordinary.

"This is the Bone Child Elder's ancient Alchemy Cauldron, the White Tiger Alchemy Cauldron, obtained from that Ruins—it's an Eighth-Grade Alchemy Furnace." A practicing alchemist among the crowd recognized its origin immediately.

But even more discerning observers fixed their gaze on Xiao Yan's red Alchemy Furnace—when he tossed the Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire into it, the Ten Thousand Beasts patterns on the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron instantly came alive, as if awakening.

"That looks a bit like the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron from the Heavenly Cauldron List."

But the Alchemy Furnaces on the Heavenly Cauldron List were far too rare—no one dared to be certain.

Soon, as Xiao Yan and the Bone Child Elder each tossed their Strange Fire into their Alchemy Furnaces, the furnaces automatically emitted a glow that blocked the Alchemy Techniques.

A vast, shimmering light descended, obscuring a space—it was common practice, to prevent others from spying on the Pill Refining Method.

Only after the Strange Fire entered the Alchemy Furnace did other alchemists dare summon their own fire sources. After all, anyone with sense wouldn't summon their fire before a Strange Fire—that was asking for trouble.

Xiao Yan, a Seventh-Rank Alchemist possessing a Strange Fire, challenging the Bone Child Elder over a Strange Fire, spread instantly throughout the She Tianhao Mansion Shan Mai.

"Seventh-Rank?!" She Tianhao's face turned pale—he finally took Xiao Yan seriously, and took the Yan Alliance seriously, for the first time.

If the Yan Alliance relied solely on Jia Xingtian, a Dou Zong Yi Xing, the She Tianhao Mansion would never have given them a second thought, let alone let Qing Lin go.

But if the Yan Alliance had a Seventh-Rank Alchemist—and one so young—that changed everything! The power of a Seventh-Rank Alchemist gave him pause.

This was even more dangerous than the Bone Bone Sect!

"No way—that kid's a Seventh-Rank Alchemist?! Are you kidding me?! Even if he started refining Pills from the womb, it's impossible!"

"It's true. Don't believe me? Go see for yourself."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go see!"

With Xiao Yan's stunt, the fighting arena—which had drawn the most spectators—suddenly lost many viewers.

Even some Sects dispatched powerful experts to watch.

"Young Master is truly impressive." On the spectator stands, Qing Lin, wearing a green veil, smiled happily upon hearing this.

She already knew Xiao Yan was a Seventh-Rank Alchemist—after all, she'd already eaten his Pills.

"Mansion Master, I plan to go watch the Alchemy Competition." Qing Lin spoke slowly.

She Tianhao's expression grew awkward—he knew Qing Lin wasn't interested in alchemy, but in a certain alchemist!

"Hehehe, since Little Sister Qing Lin is interested in alchemy, I'll accompany you to watch." She Tianhao had no reason to refuse Qing Lin's request to attend—but he could follow her himself!

After a moment of silence, Qing Lin gave a slight nod.

At once, not only the She Tianhao Mansion, but also the Sect Masters of Shi Ming Sect and Thunder Sect, along with several other powerful Sects, arrived at the Guang Chang for the Alchemy Competition, standing in the sky to watch.

Among the experts present were many discerning ones—even if they couldn't see the Bone Child Elder's Alchemy Technique, merely observing his fluid extraction of Medicinal Materials and orderly control of fire made it clear: Seventh-Rank Alchemists were no joke!

His Fire Control Power and Soul Force were unquestionably at Seventh-Rank level!

"His Fire Control Power is incredibly strong—does he have some unique fire-manipulation method?"

(End of Chapter)