Iku Iku

Deep underground, in a deathly silence, molten lava is flowing toward a certain direction at an eerie speed.

Located underground, in magma at temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius, even the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake born from magma is unwilling to step into this inferno.

At this central location, within a radius of a hundred meters, the colors are as beautiful as jade, with a blue lotus flower in the very center, upon which sits a figure with closed eyes.

Gu Yuan's divided soul watched the scene from afar, while his main body had already taken Xun'er back to the Gu Clan —compared to the Gu Clan's millennia-old heritage, Xun'er could not obtain a good cultivation environment here.

Of course, Xun'er was unwilling to leave at first, determined to protect Xiao Yan. In the end, it was Gu Yuan who persuaded Xun'er that she was convinced to leave. He said that if she did not work hard to cultivate, she would be left far behind by Xiao Yan and would not even have the ability to stay by his side.

Now, a year has passed, Gu Yuan can clearly feel that the soul fluctuations inside that Heavenly Flames are becoming increasingly obscure and difficult to detect, while its quality is constantly improving.

The gathering of Spiritual Qi is becoming increasingly evident, clearly indicating that Xiao Yan has already touched the threshold of the Spirit Realm Soul and is constantly accumulating Spiritual Qi to break through the bottleneck.

"Breaking through to the Spirit Realm is much harder than breaking through to the Dou Zun. It directly corresponds to Eighth Grade Alchemist, and I should also have a chance to get my hands on the Three Thousand Burning Flame from the Pill Tower."

After pondering for a moment, Gu Yuan still felt that Xiao Yan's seclusion to break through was a waste of time, so he pointed at Xiao Yan.

A soul at the Heavenly Realm Great Perfection can already perceive most of the Central Continent. Gu Yuan's main body is Emperor Realm Soul, and this split soul is far beyond the Heavenly Realm Great Perfection. If Gu Yuan were willing, the entire Northwest Continent would be within his sight, and the World Energy and Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth would be under his control.

Of course, things like Heavenly Flames, Black Demonic Lightning, and rare Medicinal Herbs still need to be searched carefully in a small area.

For Gu Yuan, giving a helping hand to Xiao Yan, a peak- Mortal Realm soul cultivator, is now incredibly easy.

With just a thought, the concentration of Spiritual Qi within a thousand miles increased hundreds of times, and Xiao Yan's speed of absorbing and refining Spiritual Qi also skyrocketed.

In reality, if a top expert were willing to lend a hand, breaking through to a higher realm would be quite easy. It's just that top experts are too powerful; ordinary people are nothing more than ants in their eyes, and they simply wouldn't offer any help.

Another month later, Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes.

An invisible wave emanated from Xiao Yan and spread outwards. His deep eyes were like an abyss, as if he wanted to swallow everything.

Xiao Yan could see that the Snake People Clan who were constantly training had several other Dou Emperor surrounding Queen Medusa, who was at the Peak Dou Emperor. They formed a Formation that connected the auras of these powerful individuals, even surpassing those of low-level Dou Zong.

The Imperial Family's guardian Jia Xing Tian Misty Cloud Sect, both Dou Emperor, were quickly discovered. However, in addition to these two, the Imperial Family also had a Sixth Grade Magical Beast hidden in their possession, and Misty Cloud Sect also had a Dou Zong expert with a somewhat strange aura.

Numerous Sixth Grade Magical Beast from the Beast Mountain Range also appeared within Xiao Yan's perception range. These Magical Beast, who were constantly engaged in life-and-death battles and were extremely sensitive to being spied on, were completely unaware of anything unusual.

In the end, Xiao Yan found Wutan City and saw the thriving Xiao Family, his smiling father, and the three elders who were no longer sharp-tongued.

Sure enough, the reason they used to argue all the time was because the Xiao Family was so poor and didn't have enough money to spend. They had to stretch every penny. Now, however, they have more resources than they can use and are extremely wealthy. Everyone has remembered their blood ties and has become more gentlemanly.

Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his Soul Power. According to the records in the Xiao Clan's inheritance, Xiao Yan understood that this was a manifestation of his Soul Realm breaking through to the Spirit Realm.

There's nothing to be happy about; breaking through to the Spirit Realm is as easy as a pro.

However, after a year of adjustment, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the Green Lotus beneath his feet was noticeably different.

With a thought, Xiao Yan's entire body, including the Green Lotus and its roots, transformed into a streak of green light and plunged directly into his dantian.

The Soul Power between the eyebrows, the Heavenly Flames in the chest, and the Green Lotus in the dantian established a subtle connection, and their quality also greatly improved.

Even the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame sealed between their brows could not shake the unity of this trinity.

"Perhaps I can break through to the Dou Zun directly?"

Such a thought crossed Xiao Yan's mind.

The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame sealed between the eyebrows is mostly composed of Subordinate Flame, and its overall strength has reached the Peak Dou Zun. Its original energy is very rare, but it barely surpasses the Dou Zun Realm.

Xiao Yan has never dared to refine too much of the power of the Golden Earth Burning Heaven Flame. He usually extracts a wisp at a time, and only when he breaks through a realm will he continuously extract an extremely small portion.

Ultimately, the reason is that the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth, is too powerful. Its domineering attribute of burning everything means that if Xiao Yan dared to swallow too much at once, his internal Dou Qi would be ignited on the spot, which would be a loss.

Things are different now. The Trinity can suppress the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, so it can keep devouring, devouring at will, devouring without restraint.

"Forget it, let's solidify my alchemy skills first, and talk about it again after I can refine Eighth Grade Pill." Xiao Yan composed himself and began searching for Xun'er.

"Xun'er has been taken back to the clan to cultivate." A calm voice rang out, and the next moment, Gu Yuan appeared beside Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan was taken aback, but he showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, he respectfully replied, "Thank you for protecting me, Uncle."

Gu Yuan waved his hand and said calmly, "It is your performance that has earned my attention, which is why I am willing to protect you."

Although he appeared calm on the surface, Gu Yuan was actually quite satisfied with Xiao Yan's attitude. Without further ado, he picked up Xiao Yan and began to travel through space.

"Your teacher's resurrection requires Pills, the remains of a powerful being, and three Heavenly Flames. Now that we have the Pills and the remains of a powerful being, we are just waiting for you to control the three Heavenly Flames."

In fact, the Gu Clan currently possesses Heavenly Flames: the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame, the Sea Heart Flame, and the Fire Cloud Water Flame, as well as a newly born Fallen Heart Flame. However, apart from Xiao Yan, no one can simultaneously wield two Heavenly Flames without suffering a backlash.

With Gu Yuan leading the way personally, the speed was naturally incomparable to that of the warship. Xiao Yan even lost his senses, his entire being under Gu Yuan's protection. If his Soul Power were to leave his body even slightly, it would be torn to shreds by the violent Space Power.

Xiao Yan felt that this might be his uncle letting him experience the "style of a strong person" to prevent him from becoming arrogant.

Unable to move or see anything, Xiao Yan found himself somewhat at a loss.

"Uncle, Green Lotus seems to have mutated."

"I saw it."

"It seems that in the future, the Green Lotus will be able to nurture Heavenly Flames that is based on the Green Lotus Core Flame, but also has the characteristics of the Life Spirit Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame."

"As expected."

"However, I am now using the Green Lotus to nurture my own Heavenly Flames, which is making my Heavenly Flames even stronger. In time, I may be able to reach the top of the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

"This is a good thing."

Xiao Yan chatted and joked with Gu Yuan, and Gu Yuan didn't get impatient, basically replying to every sentence Xiao Yan said.

After some awkward small talk, the scenery suddenly became beautiful – Gu Yuan had taken Xiao Yan back to the Gu Clan and "dropped" Xiao Yan onto Little Medicine Mountain.

The Old Yao immediately sensed the drastic change in his disciple and floated to Xiao Yan's side. He stared at him intently for a long time, his face full of disbelief.

"Teacher!" Xiao Yan greeted Old Yao with a grin.

"What did you do on this trip? Weren't you supposed to be fighting for the Fallen Heart Flame? How did you break through to the Spirit Realm Soul?" Old Yao asked in surprise.

"I broke through with just a little practice, it's not a big deal. Compared to that, I heard from my uncle that you were able to be resurrected, Teacher?" Xiao Yan replied casually.

The Old Yao glared and puffed out his beard. What do you mean by "just practicing casually"? So what if this brat has high talent?

But his disciple was filial and eager to revive him, so the Old Yao couldn't say anything and could only helplessly say:

"Thanks to you, the Gu Clan originally prepared the remains of a Dou Sheng Expert for me, intending for me to break through to the Dou Sheng realm directly upon resurrection and push my Soul Realm to the Heaven Realm Soul, becoming a Ninth Grade Alchemist."

"As a result, the complete Dou Sheng Skeleton was too powerful. Even the Residual Soul was gone, and I couldn't penetrate it with my Soul Power. In the end, I had to exchange it for a Half-Saint Skeleton to imprint my Soul Imprint."

The Old Yao's tone was full of helplessness. Generally speaking, the skeletons prepared for resurrection are weaker than those in life. It is not too difficult for a soul to enter into them, and it is relatively easy to modify the skeletons into a form that one can adapt to.

Even if they are resurrected, their strength will decline, but since they are all Alchemist, they can easily refine a couple of Pills and swallow them. It will only affect their potential, which is not a difficult problem to solve.

Using skeletons that exceed one's strength in life certainly has its advantages, but the difficulty also increases accordingly.

"No problem. One of my three Heavenly Flames is the Life Spirit Flame. Although it is Sub-flame, its vigorous life force can definitely help you overcome this difficulty, Master," Xiao Yan said confidently.

"It's good that you have this intention." Old Yao nodded with satisfaction, then patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and said, "But have you ever thought about how a mere Dou Zong like you could possibly temper the bones of Half-Saint level?"

"Uh..." Xiao Yan's expression froze.

"Let's break through to the Dou Zun Realm first! That way we can absorb a few more Heavenly Flames. Your teacher can wait." Old Yao shrugged nonchalantly.

Having been dead for so many years, he thought everything was over, but then he met a good disciple, got involved with the Gu Clan, the traitor Han Feng died suddenly, and even the Yao Clan wanted to invite him back and had his parents' names engraved on them. For a moment, the Old Yao was somewhat confused.

It's true that relying on others is worse than relying on yourself. If your own abilities are limited, then you should open your eyes and find a good apprentice. That's better than anything else.

The Old Yao just gave up and did nothing.

"Teacher, don't worry, I'll refine the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame right away!" Xiao Yan said with great enthusiasm.

"Don't rush, my resurrection can be delayed, but the Pill Tower's Pill Gathering about to begin. You should first improve your alchemy skills and ensure you can consistently refine Eighth Grade Pill before we talk about anything else," the Old Yao master said calmly.

"..." Xiao Yan was also confused.

"Back then, your teacher was the champion of the Xuan Kongzi. I defeated Pill Gathering Champion with my own body. Now, Xuan Kongzi is one of the Pill Tower Three Giants. His disciple might also participate in the Pill Gathering. When that time comes, you can suppress his disciple and we can have two champions from the same sect." Old Yao completely disregarded the fact that he was still in a soul body and was already lost in wonderful fantasies about the future.

"Then I'll take on another disciple to prepare for the next Pill Gathering, and our lineage can strive for a three-peat?" Xiao Yan said, tilting his head.

"I think it's quite good. Speaking of taking on apprentices, let your teacher tell you all about it. Taking on apprentices is a very complex subject..."

It was clear that Old Yao was in a good mood, and he started chatting with Xiao Yan about all sorts of things, no longer displaying the aloof demeanor he had when they first met.

In the days that followed, Xiao Yan began to refine Pills continuously.

After being in seclusion for so long, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cultivation only increased by one star, and he is now Two-Star Dou Zong. However, his Soul Realm has broken through, and after forming a trinity, he has become adept at controlling the Heavenly Flames. Refining fifth and sixth-grade Pills is as easy as playing with them, and he may not fail even once or twice out of a hundred attempts.

The success rate only decreases when refining Seventh Grade Pill, to about 96%.

It is worth mentioning that more than half of the Seventh Grade Pill Pills by Xiao Yan had Pill Pattern, which means Seventh Grade Pill were of excellent quality and their medicinal effects were at least two or three levels higher.

This is also the "special attack" bonus that the Spirit Realm Soul provides to alchemy—it's that easy for high-level players to run into the fishpond and blast fish.

After picking up his lost alchemy skills again, Xiao Yan began to try refining Eighth Grade Pill, which were also the grade corresponding to the Spirit Realm Soul.

Xiao Yan's success rate was visibly halved, halved again, and halved once more. On average, it took four to five portions of Medicinal Herbs to refine one Pills.

That Little Medicine Mountain can no longer keep up with Xiao Yan's consumption; the entire mountain range is needed to sustain Xiao Yan.

In other words, the Gu Clan was wealthy and had more money than they could spend, so they didn't care about Xiao Yan's expenses at all. They even prepared a Black Annihilation Army squad to follow Xiao Yan 'Xiao Yan command and specifically search for Medicinal Herbs in the mountains to save him unnecessary time.

Furthermore, when refining Seventh Grade Advanced Pill and even higher-grade Spirit Pill, the Pill Lightning that inevitably descends upon successful completion seems to be shielded by the Gu Clan through some special means. Whenever the sky is covered with dark clouds, a vast ocean that stretches as far as the eye can see will appear out of thin air, swallowing up the dark clouds along with the Pill Lightning flashing within them.

Ordinary Alchemist would need to find a bodyguard, but Xiao Yan never had to worry about resisting the Pill Lightning; the Gu Clan had arranged everything for him.

This caused Old Yao great anxiety— Alchemist cannot prepare guards during the Pill Gathering; they can only withstand the Pill Lightning themselves. If they cannot withstand it, the Pills will be destroyed, and that would be a huge problem.

Thus, Xiao Yan received ten puppets capable of withstanding the Pill Lightning and comparable to Dou Zun.