Chapter 746: The Ten Thousand Beasts List

"In times of chaos, heroes emerge. We come from the Lower Plane, not Ning Tian Continent; relying on force to unify Ning Tian Continent will inevitably stir resentment." Cai Lin, who had once governed an empire, strongly agreed with Xiao Yan's approach.

Governing an empire is an extremely difficult task; sometimes force cannot resolve everything. A king, a competent ruler, needs a group of subjects who support him.

If Xiao Yan and the others forcefully killed every opponent, they would become tyrants, and their subjects would never willingly serve them—some might even pretend obedience while secretly resisting, reducing efficiency.

Worse still, Xiao Yan and his group came from the Lower Plane; arriving here and immediately seizing control of the continent would easily draw the attention of powerful factions in the Great Thousand World.

Xiao Yan asked Qiao Shihong about the World Embryo, but given Qiao Shihong's strength, he had never heard of it and did not know what the World Embryo was.

But Xiao Yan sensed that Zhu Ye had risked coming to the Heavenly Tomb not for the Supreme Secret Treasury—he had long realized Xiao Yan and the others came from the Lower Plane, and his true goal was the World Embryo.

That meant the World Embryo's value far exceeded the so-called Supreme Secret Treasury; he understood the principle that possessing something valuable invites disaster.

Now that the Six Supreme Beings of the Western Realm have been killed, the entire Western Realm must descend into chaos, completely reshuffled; every faction will move to seize dominance of the Western Realm, bringing widespread suffering and turmoil. In this chaos, Xiao Yan can act secretly, turning the Soul Sect from an evil Lower Plane organization into a savior of the Western Realm of Ning Tian Continent.

Brilliant, truly brilliant.

During the time when Xiao Yixian and the others used Sovereign Spirit Liquid to accelerate the transformation of Spiritual Energy, Xiao Yan began studying the Alchemy of the Great Thousand World. In the recent battle, they acquired many spoils, including two Pill Formulas, several Medicinal Materials, and numerous books and Array Diagrams on Spirit Arrays and Artifact Forging, all of which aided Xiao Yan's study of Alchemy.

Scrape, scrape—Xiao Yan carefully picked up a Pill and gently scraped off a layer of Medicinal Powder.

Xiao Yan took a test tube, dropped one drop of Medicinal Essence; instantly, a medicinal fragrance spread. After inhaling it, he slowly closed his eyes and murmured: "This should be a Third-Rank Mortal-Grade Pill, suitable for warriors below the Soul Spirit Realm—it rapidly restores Spiritual Energy. The fragrance contains seven Medicinal Materials, in a ratio of two to one to four: two ingredients restore Spiritual Energy, one enhances potency, and the other four are for balancing."

"The Medicinal Material ratios are wrong—missing one catalyst. It cannot fully extract all effects; excessive balancing causes waste and easily induces drug resistance. Continuous use drastically reduces recovery efficacy. This Pill Formula is low-grade."

Xiao Yan murmured to himself; though he currently knew nothing of the names or types of Medicinal Materials in the Great Thousand World, the ultimate purpose of Alchemy is always to serve cultivators and affect living beings, so many principles remain the same.

Xiao Yan's Alchemy was not achieved overnight—it was built step by step, with an extremely solid foundation; applying one example to infer ten others posed no problem.

Slowly opening his eyes, he looked at the several Pills before him and nodded silently: "Pill Refining Method and Fire Control are also fundamentals. With Medicinal Materials alone, you can refine Pills even without a Pill Formula."

If any Alchemist of the Great Thousand World heard Xiao Yan's boast—that he could replicate Pills without a Pill Formula—they would surely be outraged enough to hurl him to the ceiling!

But Xiao Yan truly possessed this ability.

"The grading system for Pills in the Great Thousand World is far more detailed than that of the Dou Qi Continent: four tiers—Mortal, Spiritual, Divine, Sage—with Mortal and Spiritual each divided into nine ranks." Xiao Yan had learned much about the Great Thousand World's Pill grading from various catalogues.

First, Alchemists are divided into four levels: Alchemist, Alchemy Master, Grandmaster Alchemist, and Supreme Alchemist—identical to the Spirit Array Master hierarchy: Spirit Array Master, Master, Grandmaster, Supreme Grandmaster.

These four levels correspond exactly to the cultivation system.

An Alchemist refines Mortal-Grade Pills, corresponding to the nine ranks below Sovereign: Spirit Movement Realm, Spirit Wheel Realm, Soul Spirit Realm, Fusion Heaven Realm, Transformation Heaven Realm, Penetration Heaven Realm, Body Trial, Spirit Power Trial, Soul Spirit Trial—exactly matching Mortal-Grade Pills from First to Ninth Rank.

This is why it's said that beneath the Sovereign, all are ants; even Pills are called Mortal-Grade, still at the mortal level.

An Alchemy Master refines Spiritual Level Pills, corresponding to the Nine-Pin Sovereign. At this level, refining Pills requires not only Medicinal Materials, but also Sovereign Spirit Liquid, mastery of Heavenly Power, and special Alchemy Techniques—extremely complicated.

Pills of this level were not even among the spoils of several Domain Lords.

As for Grandmaster Alchemists, they refine Divine Pills, corresponding to Earth Supreme. Supreme Alchemists refine Sage Pills, corresponding to Heavenly Supreme.

If graded by this system, the Pill of Breaking the Emperor Xiao Yan once refined was a Divine Pill.

Once such a Pill appears, every Earth Supreme will fight desperately to obtain it—even on auction halls, it becomes the final, most prized item. Divine Pills are called Divine Pills for a reason: they can defy heaven, alter fate, and turn decay into wonder.

An Alchemy Master capable of refining such Pills is usually respectfully called a Medicine Sage!

In the Great Thousand World, Alchemists hold equally exalted status.

After finishing his study of all the Pills, Xiao Yan opened the door and saw a serene figure boiling water.

Sensing Xiao Yan had emerged from his meditation chamber, Xiao Yixian turned her head; her long, flowing hair swayed in the air as she turned, her eyes bright, smiling to reveal a row of white teeth.

Dressed in a white robe, her graceful figure appeared even more elegant and enchanting.

"I was just preparing some flower tea—would you like some?" Xiao Yixian was always gentle, quietly blooming.

Seeing Xiao Yixian, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with sorrow; he walked to her side and gently pulled her into his arms: "We will surely find a cure for the Eternal Calamity Poison in the Great Thousand World."

Xiao Yixian was the first to emerge from seclusion—not only because her Cultivation Realm was the lowest, but more importantly, because her Eternal Calamity Poison could not be transformed.

This was within Xiao Yan's expectations; the Eternal Calamity Poison was a Special Physique of the Dou Qi Continent. Transforming a Special Physique is no simple matter—Sovereign Spirit Liquid alone could never achieve it.

During this time, Xiao Yan had not only studied Pills but also analyzed the Eternal Calamity Poison. He then discovered that this Special Physique might be separable.

Sovereign Physique! Xiao Yan had cultivated the Dou Physique, an original Physique reflecting a cultivation system. But Xiao Yixian, because of her Eternal Calamity Poison, had never cultivated any Cultivation Method—her Eternal Calamity Poison itself was the original method, possessing its own cultivation system!

The Eternal Calamity Poison requires only ingesting poison to continuously generate Poison Dou Qi—no Cultivation Method needed. Now Xiao Yan must find a special Sovereign Physique to allow Xiao Yixian to cultivate her Eternal Calamity Poison into a Sovereign Physique, separating it like the Dou Physique.

Feeling Xiao Yan's intense warmth, Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes softened, her expression relaxing. She whispered: "Just being with you is enough."

Soon, a month passed swiftly. With the aid of vast amounts of Sovereign Spirit Liquid, everyone successfully completed the transformation of Spiritual Energy, converting Dou Qi into Spiritual Energy—even Xing Tian had fully become a Spirit Puppet.

"This is Spiritual Energy." Gu Yuan clenched his fist; with each clench, Space trembled, even beginning to collapse.

"Hahaha! It's clearly far stronger than Dou Qi! Xiao Yan, what do you think of our current strength?" Zhu Kun laughed, then turned to Xiao Yan.

Only Xiao Yan had fought a Seven-Star Sovereign and even been caught in a Spirit Array capable of suppressing an Eight-Star Sovereign—he had some basis for judging cultivation levels.

Xiao Yan's Soul Force swept over them, paused in thought, then said: "Uncle Zhu Kun and Uncle Gu Yuan, your Spiritual Energy fluctuations are far stronger than the Spirit Array Zhu Ye activated—you've both reached Nine-Star Sovereign."

"Xun Er and Cai Lin, your Spiritual Energy fluctuations are slightly stronger than the Fire Kirin Array's explosion—you're both at Eight-Star Sovereign."

Upon hearing this, Xun Er and Cai Lin showed no surprise; after all, when they entered the Great Thousand World, they had just been Nine Star Dou Sheng, and since Spiritual Energy is superior to Dou Qi, their rank naturally dropped during transformation.

This transformation was like refining Dou Qi once more—making it purer. Quality improved, so rank naturally decreased.

But Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun had both been at Half Step Dou Emperor level on the Dou Qi Continent. Gu Yuan possessed an Imperial Soul, and Zhu Kun possessed an Imperial Body—both were already extremely powerful, so they retained their level.

"But none of you have cultivated Sovereign Physiques or Divine Techniques of the Great Thousand World. Your true combat power may still lag behind peers of the same rank. Always remain discreet." Xiao Yan warned.

Not to mention the Henggu Chi—he could no longer use Buddha Fury Lotus or the Flame Emperor Seal, his own created Dou Techniques. Converting to Spiritual Energy was merely the first step; they still needed to transform their Dou Techniques and Cultivation Methods into Divine Techniques and Divine Abilities—or else they'd have to relearn entirely new ones.

According to Xiao Yan's estimate, Heavenly Rank Dou Techniques corresponded to Divine Techniques, and Emperor Grade Dou Techniques corresponded to Divine Abilities.

But there were exceptions: Cai Lin and Zhu Kun, since their true forms were demonic beasts—or rather, Spiritual Beasts. Even in the Great Thousand World, Spiritual Beasts do not cultivate Divine Techniques or Divine Abilities—they cultivate Bloodline.

After Spiritual Energy transformation, Bloodline Power transforms as well.

"Now that we've completed the Spiritual Energy transformation, it's time to go out and witness the glory of the Great Thousand World." Xiao Yan's lips curled into a smile.

A month had passed since the Six Supreme Beings perished; the entire Western Realm was already in chaos, and the Heavenly Tomb had been labeled a legendary deadly place—no one dared approach.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Zhu Kun could no longer contain himself; his purpose in coming to the Great Thousand World was to break through to Dou Emperor—but he never expected the Great Thousand World had no Source Qi.

Fortunately, the Great Thousand World had Divine Beasts—equivalent to Earth Supreme, the level of Dou Emperor.

Xiao Yan and the others arrived at the second layer of the Heavenly Tomb, where Qiao Shihong had already been waiting. Since they were strangers in an unfamiliar land, a guide was necessary—and Qiao Shihong was just the right person.

"Your Excellencies, here is the complete Bestiary of Ten Thousand Beasts." Seeing Xiao Yan and the others appear, Qiao Shihong bowed deeply and handed Xiao Yan a book.

In the Great Thousand World, there exists a "Bestiary of Ten Thousand Beasts," divided into the Heavenly List and the Earth List, recording countless Spiritual Beasts of heaven and earth.

The Spiritual Beasts on the Earth List are further divided into the top hundred and the bottom hundred; Xiao Yan and the others naturally paid no attention to the bottom hundred, while the top hundred on the Earth List were all Spiritual Beasts with potential to reach the Supreme level, also known as Supreme Spiritual Beasts.

The lineages of these Spiritual Beasts were among the stronger Spiritual Beast clans across the Great Thousand World.

The Grand Void Ancient Dragon, the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, and the Ancient Heavenly Snake all belonged to the top hundred of the Earth List, because neither the Ancient Heavenly Snake Race nor the Grand Void Ancient Dragon Race were Divine Beasts—the ancestral elder of the Grand Void Ancient Dragon Race was merely a Divine Beast, and above Divine Beasts lay Supreme Divine Beasts!

Xiao Yan opened the Earth List of the Bestiary and said: "Ninety-ninth rank: Green-Eyed Golden Crystal Beast. Ninety-eighth: Two-Headed Demon Dog. Eighty-seventh: Single-Horned Jade Beast. Eighty-fifth: Dragon Flame Eagle."

Looking at the names of the beasts on the Bestiary, even Zhu Kun, an ancient monster who had lived for thousands of years, found them all unfamiliar—clearly, these were Spiritual Beasts unique to other continents or realms, nonexistent on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Seventy-fourth: Earth Spirit Stone Snake. Seventy-third: Ice-Xuan Spirit Cobra. Seventieth: Heartfire Lizard. Sixty-fifth: Northern Ming Golden-Striped Eagle. Oh, found one I recognize."

"Thirty-third: Ancient Heavenly Snake Race, ranked above thirty-fourth: Ancient Golden Crow."

Finally, he saw a familiar name; though it was not called "Ancient Heavenly Snake" but "Ancient," Xiao Yan and the others understood perfectly that here, "Ancient" and "Ancient" meant the same thing.

"I never expected the Heavenly Snake Race would be ranked only thirty-third on the Earth List." Seeing this rank, Cai Lin furrowed her delicate brows—after all, on the Dou Qi Continent, the Ancient Heavenly Snake was the pinnacle of Dou Qi Continent's beast bloodlines; though it had vanished, it remained the supreme beast, once an enemy of the Grand Void Ancient Dragon Race in ancient times.

Yet it was only ranked thirty-third!

"The Nine Underworld Sparrow Race ranks eleventh on the Earth List, Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle ranks eighth. The Spirit of the Luo River ranks fifth. Where are the Grand Void Ancient Dragon and the Tun Tian Mang Zong?" Xiao Yan flipped to the last page, then saw a line of text below.

"The top four on the Spiritual Beast List are the Four Symbols: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise. These four beasts, due to their unique bloodlines, are excluded from Earth List rankings."

Seeing these lines, Zhu Kun's face immediately showed a hint of pride; though he still had great distance from the true Divine Beast, True Dragon, he was at least a genuine member of the Dragon Clan, not comparable to hybrid beasts like the Heavenly Dragon Eagle.

"By the way, what is the number one on the Heavenly List, above all Spiritual Beasts?"

(End of Chapter)