Amethyst Crystal Pill

Xiao Heng sat inside the wooden cabin and let out a long breath. Three months had been enough for him to consolidate his Third-grade Alchemy, and he had even successfully refined quite a few Fourth-grade Pills. He had also absorbed the inheritance of a Fifth-grade Alchemist.

Tonight, he planned to refine a Fourth-grade Pill—the pill recipe he had obtained from the Fourth-grade Alchemist in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's possession. A Fourth-grade Pill: the Amethyst Crystal Pill.

He had already studied the recipe for the Amethyst Crystal Pill, and he had gathered all the necessary ingredients. There were not many, only four sets. He still had several chunks of Purple Spirit Crystal left, and the system's appraisal had confirmed that those crystals were indeed Purple Spirit Crystal.

Red Heavenly Flames blazed fiercely within the Pill Cauldron. Xiao Heng refined the thirteen medicinal ingredients one by one, and the process went fairly smoothly. Refining these ingredients was no longer difficult for him.

Letting out another long breath, Xiao Heng tossed the Purple Spirit Crystal into the Pill Cauldron. Purple Spirit Crystal was a crystal that the Amethyst Winged Lion King could only shed once every twenty years. It was inherently fire-aligned and exceptionally hard. This time, even with Heavenly Flames, it took Xiao Heng nearly half an hour to refine it.

Next came the most crucial and difficult stage. Clumps of medicinal liquid slowly fused together until they reached the purple liquid. The instant the blue medicinal liquid came into contact with the purple liquid, it immediately gave off a sizzling sound!

The immense fire-attribute energy within the liquid formed from the Purple Spirit Crystal began to awaken, and purple flames slowly rose. This was normal. What Xiao Heng needed to do now was remove this mass of purple flame. It was the final violent factor within the Purple Spirit Crystal. Once he removed it and fused the remaining energy with the medicinal liquid, the Amethyst Crystal Pill would be complete.

It sounded simple, but it was anything but easy in practice. Fire was violent by nature, let alone when two flames collided. Just think of Xiao Yan's Buddha's Rage Fire Lotus.

Xiao Heng had an advantage in alchemy that no one else possessed: he possessed every attribute. His balanced attributes were also one of the benefits of his transmigration. Possessing every attribute meant he could pour in more Wood Attribute Dou Qi to stabilize the flames.

As a large amount of Wood Attribute Dou Qi flowed in, Xiao Heng's Heavenly Flames became finer and gentler. Even when facing another type of flame, the Heavenly Flames only resisted rather than counterattacked. Then, they sought out the flaws within the purple flames, removing and incinerating them one by one.

Another half hour passed. As the final wisp of purple flame vanished, all that remained was a mass of translucent purple energy.

Xiao Heng let out a breath and tossed a Qi Replenishing Pill into his mouth. Although things had gone smoothly so far, he had consumed no small amount of Dou Qi. That was why high-grade alchemists were always powerful cultivators. Without sufficient Dou Qi, it was simply impossible to complete the refinement of a high-grade pill.

After all, refining certain pills consumed no less Dou Qi than a battle—sometimes even more. And once an alchemist possessed that much Dou Qi, their combat strength naturally could not be weak.

With the purple flames gone, the green medicinal liquid beside them slowly began to merge into the mass of purple energy under Xiao Heng's control.

At this point, he could not relax in the slightest. If Xiao Heng made even the smallest mistake, then this attempt at alchemy could be declared a failure.

Sweat ran down Xiao Heng's cheeks before dripping onto the floor. He carefully sensed every change within the Pill Cauldron, recalling all the temperatures required during each stage of refining this pill.

Every tiny degree of fusion required a different temperature. If he failed to control it properly, the pill would be unable to fuse, ultimately resulting in failure!

The purple energy and green medicinal liquid slowly merged, gradually becoming one. Under the searing heat of the Heavenly Flames, the pill gradually took shape, turning into a purple medicinal pill.

He stopped supplying Dou Qi and drew the Amethyst Crystal Pill into his hand. The freshly refined pill was still somewhat hot, but Xiao Heng did not care about such a little heat.

With a smug grin, he said, "The Amethyst Crystal Pill wasn't that difficult after all!"

Xiao Heng admitted that he was getting a little carried away. The Heavenly Flames had indeed elevated his alchemy by an entire level. Without them, an ordinary Fourth-grade Alchemist would likely struggle even with the initial refinement of Purple Spirit Crystal, much less successfully forming the pill.

He placed the pill into a jade bottle and sealed its mouth with Dou Qi. Then Xiao Heng closed his eyes and slowly recalled every detail of the refinement process. Successfully refining this pill had greatly improved his alchemy. Next, he planned to refine it a few more times. If he succeeded, it would mean that his rank as a Fourth-grade Alchemist had been completely consolidated.

By the time he had used up the remaining three sets of ingredients, it was already noon the next day. Looking at the three jade bottles before him, Xiao Heng smiled in satisfaction. Out of four sets of ingredients, he had only failed once. Though the Heavenly Flames had certainly helped, it still meant that he was now a genuine Fourth-grade Alchemist.

He took out one Amethyst Crystal Pill. It was the finest-quality one among the three, and a red Pill Pattern could clearly be seen upon its surface.

The Amethyst Crystal Pill entered his stomach and immediately dissolved into energy that surged toward every part of Xiao Heng's body before fading away. Another portion of the energy rushed toward Xiao Heng's Qi Vortex, transforming into drops of liquid that fell into his Qi Sea.

The energy within his Qi Sea gradually became saturated, then began to churn. The energy was purified once again, and his Qi Sea was replenished another round.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Heng said in delight, "Five-Star Dou Shi."

He had not expected to break through so quickly. When he had absorbed the Heavenly Flames before, his Dou Qi had risen by two stars. Two months ago, after he had completely sorted through the residual energy left from devouring the Heavenly Flames, he had broken through another star. He had not expected that two months of cultivation, combined with this Amethyst Crystal Pill, would raise him another star.

When Xiao Heng had left Wutan City, he had still been at the peak of the Dou Zhe realm. Half a year had passed, and he had unexpectedly broken through to Five-Star Dou Shi—nearly one star per month.

By the time Xiao Heng walked out of his room, it was already afternoon. Xiao Yi Xian was cooking. As he walked over, Xiao Yi Xian gave him a radiant smile and said, "Wait a moment. Dinner will be ready soon."

Xiao Heng sat down beside Xiao Yi Xian and looked at her with a trace of heartache in his eyes. He reached out and gently wiped away the medicinal powder at the corner of her mouth.

Has the Calamity Poison Body acted up again? I wonder whether my arrival has been good or bad for this girl.

Xiao Heng's sudden gesture startled Xiao Yi Xian. She could not dodge in time, but she also realized that there was medicinal powder left at the corner of her lips.

She hurriedly wiped it away and explained, "You cultivated for too long, so I ate a little first."

Although she tried hard to suppress the tremor in her heart, her stiff tone still betrayed her.

Xiao Heng looked at Xiao Yi Xian, smiled, and said, "Do you know? Whenever you lie, your right hand subconsciously brushes back your hair."

Avoiding Xiao Heng's gaze, Xiao Yi Xian pretended to stir the food in the pot. Feigning indifference, she said, "Really? I never noticed. Have you been watching me for a long time? You really are a rogue."

Seeing that she still wanted to change the subject, Xiao Heng shook his head and said, "We're friends."

Those few words stirred a stormy sea in Xiao Yi Xian's heart. Silence...!

"You know?"

Xiao Heng nodded. "Yes, I've known for a long time. The Calamity Poison Body."

Forcing out a smile, Xiao Yi Xian said casually, "Then are you leaving?"

Xiao Heng shook his head. "I knew from the first time I met you. Do you think I would care about something like that?"

"Then you still dare eat the food I make? Aren't you afraid I'll poison you to death?"

As she spoke those words, her heart clenched tightly. She was afraid—afraid of losing Xiao Heng, her last friend. She never dared meet his eyes. She was scared. Xiao Heng's companionship had let her feel, after so long, that perhaps she was not so alone after all. She could have friends too.

Xiao Heng smiled. "We're friends. Besides, your cooking is quite good."

Turning to look at Xiao Heng, she almost thought she had misheard him. A glimmer of tears flickered in the corners of her eyes. "You said that yourself. Don't regret it, okay?"

"Mm. I won't."

Xiao Yi Xian was still Xiao Yi Xian—so beautiful, so gentle, and yet so lonely.

Xiao Heng wiped away the tears at the corners of Xiao Yi Xian's eyes and smiled. Then he continued, "Actually, you don't need to be so pessimistic. I know of a way to completely cure your Calamity Poison Body."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Heng in delighted surprise. "Really?"

At that moment, a spark reignited in her heart, which had already begun to despair. She believed that her friend would not lie to her.

Xiao Heng nodded firmly and continued, "I know of a method that can completely cure the Calamity Poison Body. However, it requires several materials. With my current strength, I can't obtain them yet. But don't worry, I'll definitely help you."

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes shimmered with tears. She was deeply moved. She believed Xiao Heng, even if he were lying to her.

"Alright, don't be so moved. We're friends, aren't we? What you need to do now is try your best to keep your Calamity Poison Body from erupting. Give me time." Xiao Heng gently wiped away Xiao Yi Xian's tears.

Old Yao had a method for controlling the Calamity Poison Body. Given his relationship with Xiao Yan, obtaining it would be simple. As for those materials, with the information he possessed, as long as he became strong enough, getting them would only be a matter of time.

Brushing away Xiao Heng's hand, Xiao Yi Xian wiped away her remaining tears with both hands. She said somewhat chokedly, "Don't take advantage of me!"

Xiao Heng smiled helplessly and let the matter pass. Looking toward the food in the pot, he said expectantly, "Why isn't it ready yet? I'm hungry!"

Xiao Yi Xian said, "Alright, alright, it'll be ready soon. Wait a little longer."

After eating his fill, Xiao Heng took out a jade bottle of medicine and tossed it to Xiao Yi Xian. "Take this pill. It'll be good for you."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded and put the jade bottle into her Storage Ring.

"Thank you!"

Xiao Heng casually rubbed Xiao Yi Xian's head. "Why are you being so polite with me? Alright, I'm going to cultivate."

She struggled for a moment, only to realize that she could not escape Xiao Heng's clutches at all. Xiao Yi Xian could only glare at him angrily.

She said fiercely, "You can't just touch a girl's head whenever you want. Be careful, or I'll poison you to death!"

Xiao Heng nonchalantly withdrew his hand. A girl like Xiao Yi Xian, the sweet girl-next-door type, really did make people want to protect her.

"Alright! I'll stop teasing you. I'm going to cultivate."

Watching that hateful fellow's retreating back, Xiao Yi Xian glared at him resentfully, as though she wanted to bite him. Then she relaxed and smiled sweetly, looking utterly charming. Unfortunately, Xiao Heng had already returned to his room and did not see it.