Chapter 597: Refining the Nine Yin Huangquan Elixir

With Elder Xuan Kongzi's command of "Begin," everyone immediately ignited their alchemy furnaces to refine elixirs.

Although this time there was the disruption of Xiao Yan and Hou Laoguai, for other alchemists, this was a rare opportunity to enter Xiao Dan Ta for advanced study.

Clang clang rang out—sharp metallic tones piercing the tense atmosphere, then merging into a continuous chorus as one by one, majestic alchemy furnaces were drawn from their storage rings and slammed down before their owners.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—wisps of various flames rose up, then were hurled into the alchemy furnaces; as the alchemists' Dou Qi surged in, the flames erupted, and the temperature of this entire realm rose rapidly.

Unfortunately, despite all present being Eight Grade Alchemists, many of them from the Old Generation, none possessed a Strange Fire.

Naturally—Strange Fires are hard to find, and not everyone has the courage to risk their life refining one. Moreover, at their status, Eight Rank Beast Fires and special flame seeds are commonplace; for refining elixirs without battle, these safer Beast Fires are far more suitable.

Gazing at the numerous alchemy furnaces around him, Xiao Yan's eyes held a trace of awe—he usually refined alone; such an environment with so many alchemists refining together was rare. Undeniably, Xiao Dan Ta truly offered superior conditions for improving Pill Alchemy.

It was like university research—having a good atmosphere and wise mentors and peers made breakthroughs far easier.

"These two girls' Pill Alchemy has improved a lot."

Xiao Yan did not immediately take out his alchemy furnace; instead, he began observing those around him.

With Xiao Yan's current eye, he could instantly tell that the most skilled alchemists present were naturally Cao Ying and Dan Chen. Unlike their personalities, in Pill Alchemy, Dan Chen was anything but timid—she refined with bold innovation, handling medicinal materials with sweeping, forceful motions. In contrast, Cao Ying was meticulous and cautious, precisely controlling her flames to refine the materials with exquisite care.

In Pill Alchemy, their personalities seemed reversed.

Xiao Yan then glanced at Hou Laoguai and knew he was refining the Eight Grade Peak elixir, Flame Demon Pure Mystical Pill.

"This guy Xiao Yan seems awfully confident," murmured the Grand Elder of Xiao Dan Ta beside him with a faint smile.

"I think it's not confidence—it's sheer fearlessness. Refining a Nine Grade Elixir can't be rushed," replied another Elder beside him, slowly shaking his head. He believed Xiao Yan wasn't confident at all—just indifferent to victory or defeat, casually glancing around, utterly unhurried.

After watching for a long while, Xiao Yan finally drew out Black Demon. With his current Soul Force and Fire Control Power, he could easily condense an alchemy furnace from flame alone—Black Demon's utility had become negligible; for refining a Nine Grade Profound Pill, Black Demon might not even withstand the elixir's violent energy and could explode.

But Xiao Yan didn't mind. He didn't show off—he simply took out Black Demon and summoned Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

The instant Bone Spirit Cold Fire appeared, every flame within the alchemy furnaces around him subtly shifted—each flickered slightly smaller, yet not dramatically so; it was clear these flame seeds, though inferior to Strange Fires, were still formidable.

"Strange Fire—pale white, flames rising like drifting snowflakes, carrying a hint of chill. It must be Bone Spirit Cold Fire, ranked eleventh on the Strange Fire Ranking, once refined by Yao Chen," said the Grand Elder, watching the Bone Spirit Cold Fire in Xiao Yan's palm, nodding slowly.

Seeing Bone Spirit Cold Fire appear, Hou Laoguai's eyes narrowed—he had nearly defeated Yao Chen at the Pill Gathering, only to lose when Yao Chen used a pill refined with Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

Once Xiao Yan entered his refining state, he ignored all external noise and gazes. With a sharp *shiiii*, he flicked his finger—Bone Spirit Cold Fire shot into the furnace. Then he no longer held back: a torrent of Dou Qi surged into the furnace, and the Saint Might of a Two-Star Dou Sheng erupted from Xiao Yan's body.

"Saint Might!!"

"And it's Two-Star Dou Sheng Late Stage."

*Boom! * A powerful Saint Might surged skyward, instantly spreading across the entire Shan Mai. Every alchemist present—including Hou Laoguai, the two Pill Giants, and the Grand Elder—turned toward Xiao Yan with stunned expressions.

"How the hell did he cultivate so fast?" Cao Ying's captivating eyes filled with disbelief—she herself was only Two-Star Dou Zun, yet Xiao Yan was already Two-Star Dou Sheng!

"Big Brother Xiao Yan is incredible," Dan Chen gazed at Xiao Yan with worshipful, sparkling eyes; she too was only Two-Star Dou Zun.

The Elder who had just doubted Xiao Yan felt as if his throat had been clenched—he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

Outside the Dan Tower Ancestor, the strongest in Xiao Dan Ta was the Grand Elder—but even he was only Initial Two-Star Dou Saint. Yet Xiao Yan was already Two-Star Dou Sheng Late Stage.

The Grand Elder smiled faintly, stroking his beard. "He's not just challenging a Nine Grade Elixir—he's clearly refined one before, with high success rate. He's a true Nine Grade Alchemist."

*Sssssss! *

Hearing the Grand Elder's words, every Elder—including Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi—inhaled sharply, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Among those Elders, only the top three had decent success rates refining Nine Grade Elixirs; others had succeeded only through sheer volume, producing low-quality pills, unable to even summon Black Demon Thunder.

If the Grand Elder meant that, then Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy had reached the Grand Elder's level!!

Number One of the Dan Tower!

*Shiiii shiiii*—one by one, medicinal materials were guided by Xiao Yan into the furnace; Bone Spirit Cold Fire transformed into fine, needle-thin flame threads, burning and piercing through the materials, quickly extracting medicinal powder and medicinal essence.

Seeing Xiao Yan begin refining, Cao Ying and Dan Chen immediately stilled their minds. As alchemists, they would never allow themselves to falter mid-refining. They already knew they couldn't defeat Xiao Yan—but they didn't want to fall too far behind him either; they wanted to shine.

Watching Xiao Yan refine, Hou Laoguai's gaze softened slightly—he understood: Xiao Yan was Xiao Yan, not Yao Chen. Victory or defeat no longer mattered.

Xiao Yan's refining naturally drew great attention—countless alchemists training in Xiao Dan Ta watched, spellbound, far surpassing Hou Laoguai's display.

Even outsiders could tell Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy was far superior to Hou Laoguai's. Even if Xiao Yan failed, no one would question his skill—let alone now, where he showed no sign of failure.

Refining elixirs, especially high-grade ones, always took considerable time. For elixirs above Eight Grade, ten days to half a month of refining was perfectly normal.

All present alchemists understood this perfectly, so none showed impatience; instead, they watched with keen interest. As the saying went: amateurs watch the spectacle, experts watch the technique. Others might grow bored by such contests, but for them, it was dazzling.

As time passed, five days slipped by. During these five days, several alchemy furnaces emitted chaotic energy fluctuations, eventually triggering violent surges that destroyed the medicinal essences within. Yet no one was disheartened by these failures—failure was routine for those present. No one, not even Xiao Yan, could guarantee a hundred percent success rate.

As time wore on, alchemists who had failed three times shook their heads and left—they lacked the strength to summon Seven Colored Pill Thunder.

To become a Pill Apprentice, you must have at least a basic foundation. Entering Xiao Dan Ta isn't a game. Every alchemist here aimed to become the supreme Nine Grade Alchemist. If you can't even refine a Seven Colored Pill Thunder elixir, you're wasting your chance to enter Xiao Dan Ta.

Typically, three sets of medicinal materials are prepared—meaning a 30–40% success rate is sufficient to produce one elixir. Why three? Because refining one elixir from three sets barely breaks even; anything more is a loss.

Thus, when we say an alchemist is "X Grade," we mean he has a 30–40% success rate—not 100%.

Though over half a month had passed and the skies of Xiao Dan Ta echoed with rumbling thunder, all were Five or Six-Colored Pill Thunder—no Seven Colored Pill Thunder had appeared yet.

After all, Seven Colored Pill Thunder is a threshold. Countless Old Generation alchemists here had been stuck at Six-Colored for decades—even centuries.

Pill Alchemy truly depends on talent and insight.

"Huh? Is that… Seven Colored?!"

"No—two! It's Cao Ying of the Cao Family and Dan Chen of the Dan Family!"

"No wonder they're the twin jewels of Sheng Dan Cheng—what extraordinary talent!"

*Boom! * Thunder rumbled continuously. Above, dark clouds surged violently; lightning raced like silver serpents through the clouds. Moments later, layers of color began forming within the clouds—until the seventh hue appeared, then stabilized.

Seven Colored Pill Thunder!

In Zhong Zhou, this would have drawn countless stunned gazes. But here, in Xiao Dan Ta—where Seven Colored Pill Thunder is merely the entry requirement—it drew little attention.

Yet for becoming a Pill Apprentice, Seven Colored Pill Thunder was more than enough.

"These two girls are impressive—so young, yet they've refined a Seven Colored Pill Thunder elixir. Excellent," murmured the Grand Elder, secretly nodding as he watched the Seven-Colored Thunderclouds gathering above Cao Ying and Dan Chen.

Both used special artifacts to block the Pill Lightning—after all, the Cao and Dan Families had deep reserves.

After quickly swallowing an elixir, they regained their breath, their pale faces regaining a touch of color. Once they secured their elixirs, Cao Ying and Dan Chen simultaneously turned to look at each other. They knew: only one Pill Apprentice slot existed, and each Elder could take only one apprentice into Xiao Dan Ta.

When Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi entered Xiao Dan Ta, they each took one apprentice.

After glancing around, the Senior Elder saw that, aside from Hou Laoguai and Xiao Yan's elixirs, everyone else had nearly finished refining; with his eye, he could tell that only Cao Ying and Dan Chen's elixirs had summoned Seven Colored Pill Thunder.

The Senior Elder slowly walked up to the two, glanced at their elixirs, and commented: "Both of you have produced elixirs that summoned Seven Colored Pill Thunder, but in terms of color and Pill Fragrance, Cao Ying's is superior."

Hearing the Senior Elder's words, even Cao Ying—so composed—leapt up in excitement, her face flushed with joy as she covered her mouth and giggled: "Hehe, Dan Chen, it seems I've won this time."

Dan Chen immediately pouted, her lips sticking out in a sulk; she had hoped to shine before Xiao Yan, yet she had been outdone by Cao Ying!

Then, Cao Ying's beautiful eyes turned upward toward the slender figure above, glowing with a faint light. She knew Xiao Yan would defeat Hou Laoguai—that meant she would follow Xiao Yan inside Xiao Dan Ta to study Pill Alchemy.

For a moment, Cao Ying's eyes shimmered with strange hues; her white teeth lightly bit her Red Lips, her lips curved in a smile, her cheeks flushing red, her expression soft and alluring—a maiden lost in romantic fantasy, none could guess what she imagined.

Though Cao Ying knew some of Xiao Yan's affairs and had even inquired about them, some things were beyond control—and on the Dou Qi Continent, where masters lived long lives, one man with multiple wives and concubines was perfectly normal.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye; now, only Xiao Yan and Hou Laoguai remained on the Guang Chang. Though both were the top Pill Alchemists, their elixirs were the most difficult to refine, so their time was naturally longer.

Most eyes were fixed on the two when suddenly—BOOM—a dull, heavy sound erupted. As the crowd stared in confusion, a deep, thunderous crash came from Hou Laoguai's Alchemy Furnace; an intense energy surge burst outward, and instantly, clouds above the Sky condensed like lightning.

"Hou Laoguai has succeeded! Now we'll see if Xiao Yan's Ji Pin Dan Yao can succeed."

Without surprise, Nine Color Pill Thunder descended and was easily caught by Hou Laoguai; after securing his elixir, he turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan. Not just Hou Laoguai—every single person's eyes now locked onto Xiao Yan.

Everyone knew Xiao Yan was refining a Ji Pin Dan Yao, but because of the Black Demon and Bone Spirit Cold Fire, the inside of his Alchemy Furnace was completely obscured—even the Senior Elder had no idea what state Xiao Yan was in.

"It's normal for Ji Pin Dan Yao to take two or three months to refine."

"True. I heard Elder Qing used six medicinal materials and spent a full year to produce one Ji Pin Dan Yao."

"Gah! A year!"

As everyone buzzed with chatter, Xiao Yan, who had been closed-eyed, slowly opened his eyes and smiled with quiet confidence. The moment that smile appeared on his face, every person present felt their scalp go numb!