Chapter 417

"He's so pitiful."

At this moment, Xiao Yixian stepped out from the Space Channel and stood beside Xiao Yan. Feng Zunzhe was a Four Star Dou Zun, and only Xiao Yixian could defeat him, so Xiao Yixian had been secretly on guard.

However, it was clear that Xiao Yan had been overly suspicious; the Alchemist Lord had not been blind this time.

Xiao Yixian slowly picked up the Bone Flame Ring on the table; she too had been indebted to its former owner, for her Poison Pill method had been left behind by the Alchemist Lord.

Xiao Yan took the ring Xiao Yixian handed him, shook his head, and sighed: "Alas, true friends are hard to find; no outsider can understand the pain of losing a bosom friend."

There was no way around it. Not even Xiao Yan could do anything—nor could Hun Xu Zi, who called himself the First Alchemist of Dou Qi Continent.

Xiao Yan had once asked Hun Xu Zi whether the dissipated Soul Body inside the Bone Flame Ring could be restored using the Soul Hall's methods, and Hun Xu Zi had given a definite yes.

Even a Nine-Grade Golden Pill could not revive a Soul Body that had completely dispersed.

"Perhaps, in another world, such tragedies never occur," Xiao Yan murmured unexpectedly; maybe in some alternate dimension, the outcome would be different.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Yixian beside him. Sensing his gaze, Xiao Yixian asked uneasily: "Why are you looking at me?"

Xiao Yan suddenly smiled and said: "Thanks again for your help."

Xiao Yixian's eyes held a hint of reproach: "I don't find it troublesome at all. Occasionally leaving the Small Valley to see the outside world is quite nice."

Xiao Yan stretched lazily, pulled out the Scroll of Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body from his Storage Ring, squinted slightly, and smiled: "The matter is settled. Time to cultivate the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body."

Xiao Yan's Soul Force stirred slightly, and soon after, a knock came at the door.

"Enter."

With a creak, Feng Qing'er pushed the door open, her expression uneasy; Xiao Yan could directly transmit thoughts into her mind through Soul Link! Could he be spying on her thoughts!

Before Feng Qing'er could recover, the Scroll of Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body was tossed toward her by Xiao Yan.

"Open it."

Feng Qing'er froze, then realized: Xiao Yan feared Lei Zunzhe had tampered with the Scroll and was using her as a scapegoat!

Now Feng Qing'er only hoped Lei Zunzhe wouldn't be clever—otherwise, she'd be dead!

Nervously, Feng Qing'er opened the Scroll, then exhaled in relief; luckily, Lei Zunzhe had been wise enough this time and done nothing extra.

Xiao Yan said coolly: "Check whether the cultivation method has any issues."

Feng Qing'er pouted, helplessly reading the cultivation technique, comparing it with the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body she knew.

Soon, Feng Qing'er looked at Xiao Yan and shook her head: "No, it's identical to the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body method I know."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan silently nodded; clearly, Lei Zunzhe was a man who understood the situation—he hadn't planted any traps in the cultivation method.

Feng Qing'er frowned, pondered for a moment, then gave up struggling and said directly: "But—"

"But?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and his Soul Force gently pressed.

Feng Qing'er felt her Soul bound as if by chains, a pressure pressing down—she knew this was Xiao Yan warning her.

Feng Qing'er sighed and gave Xiao Yan a helpless glare; she was just about to say it anyway: "But cultivating the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body isn't just about reaching perfection in Three Thousand Lei Dong—it also requires Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging."

"The reason you must perfect Three Thousand Lei Dong is because it requires Lightning Body Forging. After that, Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging becomes far easier."

Xiao Yan silently nodded; originally, he had only gained a bit of Lightning power while cultivating Three Thousand Lei Dong, and only succeeded thanks to the unique nature of the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame.

"To cultivate the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body, a strand of Soul must enter the Thunder Illusion Body. Without Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging, the Soul will be obliterated by the Thunder Illusion Body and cannot control it. Ordinary Wind and Thunder Pavilion disciples go to the peak of Thunder Mountain, drawing down Heavenly Thunder to strike their Souls, letting them absorb faint Heavenly Thunder energy. But Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging is extremely dangerous—slight missteps lead to total Soul annihilation. Only one in a hundred disciples succeed each year." Feng Qing'er spoke while watching Xiao Yan's expression; she now suffered from full-blown Xiao Yan fear.

"Did you also undergo Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging to cultivate the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body?" Xiao Yan asked.

To Xiao Yan's surprise, Feng Qing'er shook her head: "I never underwent Heavenly Thunder Soul Forging—I was born with a Wind and Thunder Body, my Soul naturally carrying Lightning energy. That's why I left my clan to join the Wind and Thunder Pavilion; the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body suits me perfectly."

If given another chance, Feng Qing'er would hide at home and never come out!

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then glanced at Feng Qing'er. That glance made her Soul tremble.

"Come here. Open your Soul Body," Xiao Yan smiled warmly, beckoning to Feng Qing'er.

"You! What are you planning to do to me again!" Feng Qing'er scrambled back two steps, clutching her collar tightly, face pale with terror, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes.

Beside him, Xiao Yixian looked at Xiao Yan, as if asking: What did you do to her to make her so terrified?

"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan cleared his throat loudly: "I just want to test how much your Soul's Lightning energy differs from mine."

What the hell, don't smear my reputation! I haven't done anything—I only gave her a single Asura Soul Pill! Xiao Yan swore to heaven: he and Feng Qing'er were completely innocent!

Hearing Xiao Yan only wanted to test, Feng Qing'er exhaled in relief—but remained highly alert, inching slowly toward him.

Her once noble and refined face was now filled with dread.

Xiao Yan raised his hand; a strand of silver flame appeared on his fingertip, faint lightning flickering across it like a silver dragon gliding through the air.

Nine Dragon Thunderfire possessed soul-shaking power and was a dual-element Spiritual Flame of Lightning and Fire. Having refined Nine Dragon Thunderfire, Xiao Yan's Soul inherently carried Lightning energy and could even strengthen the Soul—perfectly matching the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body.

But Xiao Yan wasn't sure whether the Lightning energy from Nine Dragon Thunderfire alone was enough to cultivate the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body; if not, he'd need to refine an Elixir to enhance it.

Drawing down Heavenly Thunder? Only fools did that. He was an Eighth-Rank Alchemist—he could just use Pills and Spiritual Flames.

With a hiss, Xiao Yan directed Nine Dragon Thunderfire straight into Feng Qing'er's Soul. Boom! Feng Qing'er's face twisted in pain, staggering back two steps—she felt as if her Soul had been blasted by Heavenly Thunder, searing agony ripping through her.

"Huh? My Nine Dragon Thunderfire should have knocked out a Sixth-Rank Alchemist's Soul—yet Feng Qing'er only feels discomfort?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly; does cultivating the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body require such extreme Lightning resistance?

Xiao Yan frowned; Nine Dragon Thunderfire split into two silver dragons, amplifying the Lightning power.

Feeling Xiao Yan's attack intensify, Feng Qing'er's expression grew more agonized, gritting her teeth to endure.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed with interest as he watched her hold on, increasing to three, then four dragons.

Just as Xiao Yan prepared to add a fifth dragon, Xiao Yixian coughed lightly: "Xiao Yan."

"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan jolted, instantly retracting all Nine Dragon Thunderfire. He absolutely wasn't doing this for fun—he simply wanted to know how much Nine Dragon Thunderfire Feng Qing'er's Soul Body could withstand.

After Xiao Yan withdrew the Nine Dragon Thunderfire, Feng Qing'er gasped heavily, thinking her Soul had been annihilated; the Lightning power just now was incomparably stronger than Heavenly Thunder.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Yixian brought over a chair, helped the kneeling, panting Feng Qing'er up, and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a silk handkerchief.

Feng Qing'er looked up and saw Xiao Yixian—the kind-hearted, elegantly serene woman. Even she was momentarily touched by Xiao Yixian's gentle, breeze-like aura.

"I'm fine," Feng Qing'er said, bewildered: why did such a gentle woman exist beside that demon, Xiao Yan? The contrast was too stark!

Was this called contrast?

Seeing this, Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose: "Feng Qing'er, don't think so badly of me—haven't you noticed your Soul Force has grown stronger?"

Feng Qing'er stared at Xiao Yan in shock; with him mentioning it, she suddenly realized that if things had been the same as before, she would already be dead!

"That Asura Soul Pill isn't poison—it's a genuine elixir that enhances Soul Force levels. If ranked, it should be Seven-Grade Intermediate," Xiao Yan said with some pride.

That spiritual black mist isn't poison—it can elevate Soul Force levels.

This elixir was refined by Xiao Yan using an improved formula based on the Great Soul Black Purple Pill, infused with the Soul Power of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique. Excluding the Asura Slave Seal, this pill is a high-quality Seven-Grade Pill.

Xiao Yan walked to Feng Qing'er's side, retrieved the cultivation scroll from her hand, patted her shoulder, and whispered, "Don't worry—as long as you don't oppose me, it won't affect you at all. Maybe we'll never meet again; then you'd have gotten a Seven-Grade Pill from me for free—you'd actually be ahead."

Feng Qing'er felt wronged, lightly biting her red lips. "This counts as a gain? Why don't you try it yourself!"

Xiao Yan paid no mind to how Feng Qing'er felt. In the Dou Qi Continent, where the strong rule and the weak are devoured, the fate of the defeated is always grim.

If not for Feng Qing'er providing intelligence on the Heavenly Ancient Dragon Clan, she would now either be an elixir or a Soul Body handed over to the Soul Hall.

Xiao Yan did not immediately cultivate the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body; instead, he lit the furnace to refine pills for Zi Yan. The remaining two days plus a bit were just enough time to refine pills for Zi Yan.

Without incident, a Seven-Grade Advanced elixir posed no difficulty for Xiao Yan—he succeeded in two days.

After taking the pill, Zi Yan entered a meditative state to refine its effects. The potency of pills for beasts is stronger and requires more energy.

After half a day, Zi Yan fully refined the pill's power, her cultivation rising from Three-Star Peak Dou Zong to Five-Star, instantly surpassing Qing Lin to become the fourth most powerful in the Yan Alliance.

These three days passed without incident—no surprises at all. The inn had become as forbidden as a sacred land even within Feng Lei Cheng.

Not only could no one enter the inn, but even carriages and pedestrians had to detour around it.

During these three days, news of the Four Directions Pavilion Assembly spread throughout the North Domain, and without question, the most discussed topic was Xiao Yan, the super-genius Alchemist.

At only twenty-five, he was already an Eight-Pill Alchemist—this news even reached the Dan Domain.

Although many signs suggested that the Heavenly Flame Venerable had consumed the Fuling Green Pill, likely refined by Xiao Yan, there remained many skeptical voices.

"Eight-Pill? Impossible! Rumor has it that Cao Ying, the demoness of the Cao Family in the Dan Domain, barely managed to refine a single pill two years ago that summoned two-colored Pill Lightning. That was only after the Cao Family wasted countless Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs and failed countless times."

"Though the Yan Alliance is a powerful faction in the North Domain, it's impossible they could waste large quantities of Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs for Xiao Yan to refine pills—the Yan Alliance lacks such wealth."

"Moreover, the hardest part of becoming an Eight-Pill Alchemist is enhancing Soul Force. Do you even know what a Spirit Realm Soul Force is?"

Naturally, this world has no external hacks or systems—cultivation advancement follows logic. Especially in Pill Alchemy, Soul Force, Fire Control Power, and refining experience are all indispensable.

Xiao Yan is so young, and the Yan Alliance, compared to other vast factions, is merely a fledgling power—it's only natural people doubt they could cultivate an Eight-Pill Alchemist.

Many believe the Yan Alliance spent a fortune hiring some Eight-Pill Alchemist to refine the Fuling Green Pill, restoring the Heavenly Flame Venerable's strength to Three-Star Peak Dou Zun.

Most importantly, Xiao Yan has not been certified by the Dan Tower.

An Eight-Pill Alchemist must be certified by the Dan Tower. At this level, the Dan Tower doesn't just provide access to medicinal material transactions—it also offers protection against the Soul Hall's assassinations.

The Soul Hall's Venerables target every single Eight-Pill Alchemist.

A Spirit Realm Soul Body holds immense Soul Points value—even the Yan Venerable covets it.

Yet no one questioned the Yan Alliance's strength. The Yan Alliance proved with force that they could rival the Feng Lei Pavilion—and even took Feng Qing'er hostage, openly staying in Feng Lei Cheng for three days!

Soon, the third day passed, and Lei Venerable arrived as promised.

Seeing the Pavilion Masters of the Four Directions all present, Xiao Yan rose quickly from his chair, bowed, and smiled, "Lei Venerable, you truly keep your word—exactly three days, not a moment more or less."

Hearing Xiao Yan's veiled barb, the three other Pavilion Masters behind Lei Venerable gritted their teeth—but seeing Feng Qing'er in the Yan Alliance's hands, they swallowed their rage.

Lei Venerable took a deep breath. He knew now was not the time for revenge; if the Feng Lei Pavilion fought the Yan Alliance, the result would be certain defeat.

Others might doubt Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy, but he, having personally interacted with Xiao Yan, knew: Xiao Yan is a true Eight-Pill Alchemist!

There is no need to doubt it!

"Hmph!" With a wave of his hand, Lei Venerable tossed over a dozen brocade boxes from his storage ring—all filled with Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs and Magic Cores.

The Heavenly Flame Venerable stepped forward slowly; spatial power calmly caught the brocade boxes and floated them before Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan opened each one in turn, confirming them, then smiled: "Truly, the Feng Lei Pavilion lives up to its reputation—these are all high-quality medicinal materials."

Xiao Yan couldn't help wondering if he'd asked for too little.

After securing all the materials, Xiao Yan walked cheerfully to Feng Qing'er's side, saw her stunned expression, and suddenly slapped her on the buttocks.

!!

"You!" Feng Qing'er immediately clutched her skirt, glaring at Xiao Yan with clenched teeth and red lips, flushed with shame and fury. When had a man ever slapped her buttocks!

"Aren't you leaving? What are you still doing here? Do you want to stay by my side?" Xiao Yan chuckled.

Feng Qing'er was furious, but she had no recourse. With a flash of Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body, she reappeared beside Lei Venerable, glaring angrily at Xiao Yan.

All she wanted now was to hear the news of Xiao Yan's death someday.

The moment Feng Qing'er returned, the atmosphere in the inn's hall turned tense; the other three Pavilion Masters subtly activated their Dou Qi.

Now that the hostage was back, the Feng Lei Pavilion had no reason to hold back—perhaps a great battle would erupt!

Xiao Yan sat down slowly, leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs and sipping tea, then glanced at the standing Lei Venerable and asked, "What's wrong, Lei Venerable? Do you have another matter with me?"

"If you want me to refine pills, no problem. I, Xiao Yan, don't care who you are—I care only about payment. Pay enough, and I'll refine for you."

"Considering Feng Qing'er, I'll give you the Feng Lei Pavilion a discount," Xiao Yan grinned, his white teeth somehow shimmering with golden light.

At this moment, Xiao Yan looked exactly like a shrewd merchant.

Normally, hearing an Eight-Pill Alchemist say this, Lei Venerable would have laughed heartily—but coming from Xiao Yan, he couldn't force a smile.

"Hmph!" Lei Venerable swept his sleeve and turned to leave.

"Xiao Yan, Zhong Zhou is vast, filled with countless powerhouses. This North Domain is merely a peripheral corner. Your Eight-Pill Alchemist title won't let you roam unchecked!" Lei Venerable's threatening voice echoed from outside the door.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lei Venerable. I shall heed your words. Qing Lin, show them out." Xiao Yan waved his hand.

Qing Lin nodded slightly and gestured toward the door. "This way, everyone."

After Lei Venerable left through the door, a Soul Resonance message reached Feng Qing'er's mind. Hearing it, her body trembled.

"What's wrong, Qing'er?" Lei Venerable asked with concern. "Are you injured?"

Feng Qing'er quickly shook her head. "I'm fine. They didn't harm me."

Lei Venerable narrowed his eyes and said gently, "Qing'er, you must inform your clan about Xiao Yan. Whether he refined your clan member's corpse or kidnapped you, both are grave insults to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan—bordering on a declaration of war."

Hearing this, Feng Qing'er swallowed hard, her thoughts unclear. She nodded softly. "I—I understand."

The Thunder Ancestor stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. He did not know that Feng Qing'er was not answering him.

(End of Chapter)