Lin Ran Refines Pills!

Everything Lin Ran had displayed was simply far too beyond imagination.

A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old Sixth-Rank Alchemist certified by the Pill Tower, from the Central Continent, with a powerful force behind him and profound foundations.

When faced with someone whose strength, backing, and potential were all practically maxed out, who could suppress the urge to invest in and curry favor with him?

Frank spoke first, with Otto following close behind. Under Lin Fei and Xue Mei's dumbfounded gazes, the two Fourth-Rank Alchemists who normally held the highest status in Black Rock City now looked no different from those ordinary people who fawned over the powerful and flattered others.

Perhaps people were simply like that by nature.

The people they normally looked down on were, in truth, no different from themselves in the eyes of someone like Lin Ran.

Xue Mei's expression was complicated, while Xiao Yi Xian pursed her lips in a smile and briskly stuffed everything into her Storage Ring in one sweep.

Led by Gute, Lin Ran and the others arrived in a quiet secret chamber. The spiritual energy within was dense and stable; it truly was an excellent place for refining pills.

"Since that's settled, let's begin refining the pill!"

Lin Ran spoke calmly. At his words, everyone froze for a moment before moving to the corner of the room, their unblinking eyes fixed on his every movement. Even Xiao Yi Xian wore a face full of curiosity and envy.

Xiao Yi Xian had originally been a physician, and for physicians, becoming an alchemist was the dream they pursued their entire lives.

Though she had no talent for pill refining, watching Lin Ran personally refine a Sixth-Rank pill somehow made her even happier than if she had become an alchemist herself!

Looking around at the crowd, Lin Ran's expression remained unchanged, composed and unhurried. The Storage Ring on his palm flickered slightly, and a pale-gold Medicine Cauldron as large as a tabletop abruptly appeared.

The Medicine Cauldron was enormous, its surface engraved with countless dense patterns. Paired with its pale-gold body, it looked as though sacred fire burned around it, dazzling and radiant. At a glance, one could feel an overbearing aura of pure yang and utmost strength rushing forward!

"What a cauldron!"

The moment it appeared, Otto, Frank, and Gute alike stared at the extraordinary pale-gold Medicine Cauldron with shining eyes. Compared to Lin Ran's cauldron, the ones they used were simply unfit to be seen in public.

The scorching aura that washed over them from merely looking at it perfectly demonstrated the cauldron's power. Its ability to automatically gather fire energy would provide a considerable boost to pill refining!

"A Medicine Cauldron is the most important tool in an alchemist's hands. A good cauldron can greatly increase the success rate of pill refinement."

Gute gazed at the pale-gold Medicine Cauldron and said solemnly, "Even if this cauldron is not one of the thirteen cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, it certainly cannot be far inferior."

"The Heavenly Cauldron Ranking..."

Everyone in the room murmured the special term, their expressions varying.

On the Dou Qi Continent, there were countless wondrous objects. Over the long course of history, the sages of old had established rankings for certain types of such treasures, which had been passed down to this day.

For example, the Heavenly Flame Ranking contained twenty-three Heavenly Flames, and the world of alchemy likewise had a Heavenly Cauldron Ranking.

As the name suggested, the ranking recorded exceptionally perfect and outstanding Medicine Cauldrons. There were thirteen cauldrons listed upon it, and every one of them possessed a charm that made countless alchemists flock after them.

"This Medicine Cauldron of mine is called the Sunfire Cauldron. It is indeed not ranked on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, but it was once the favorite treasure of an Eighth-Rank Alchemist. My teacher saw that its aura was compatible with mine, so he snatched it and gave it to me."

Lin Ran spoke calmly. At the same time, his palm trembled slightly, and Crimson-Gold Flame swiftly curled around it. He slowly placed his hand against a diamond-shaped fire inlet on the cauldron, then flicked his finger. The crimson-gold flames immediately surged within the cauldron.

"An Eighth-Rank Alchemist?!"

Everyone was shaken, but what shocked them even more were Lin Ran's words.

Snatched from an Eighth-Rank Alchemist?

Boss, was your master really that incredible?!

To these people, an Eighth-Rank Alchemist was an unreachable existence, like a god in the heavens. Yet to Lin Ran, such an existence seemed to be nothing special.

Just what kind of person was this young man?

Every single thing Lin Ran mentioned seemed to shatter their previous understanding. They would not even dare boast so extravagantly at a drinking table.

Yet not a single person doubted the truth of Lin Ran's words.

A seventeen-year-old Sixth-Rank Alchemist was already the most convincing proof, wasn't it?

Watching the crimson-gold flames dance within the cauldron, Lin Ran's Storage Ring flashed. He grabbed medicinal herbs one after another and tossed them all into the Medicine Cauldron in one go.

His hand left the cauldron, and Lin Ran's expression remained calm. Then his slender hand suddenly moved at high speed, as agile as plucking flowers and leaves from the air.

With every flick of his fingers, the blazing Crimson-Gold Flame within the Sunfire Cauldron obediently split into more than a dozen small clusters, wrapping around the herbs he had thrown in.

Refining them simultaneously, with precise control over every detail!

As they watched Lin Ran's movements flow as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, Otto and Frank wore grave expressions. Lin Fei and Xue Mei stared in utter disbelief, while Gute simply sat down on the floor and watched Lin Ran's pill refinement without blinking.

The highest-ranked alchemists present were only Fourth-Rank. As for Lin Fei and Xue Mei, they had only just crossed the threshold into alchemy.

Though Gute had a younger brother known as the Pill King, pill-refining techniques were not necessarily passed down even between blood brothers. Moreover, Gute was proud and arrogant and rarely interacted with Gu He, leaving his alchemy forever stuck at the Third Rank.

Yet nearly every minute step in Lin Ran's pill-refining technique gave them a sudden sense of enlightenment.

This was the allure of a high-ranking alchemist!

Within the silent secret chamber, crimson-gold flames danced enchantingly. A faint medicinal fragrance spread through the air as herb after herb was elevated within the flames under Lin Ran's control.

The breathtaking sight resembled a work of art, leaving everyone entranced.

The Medicine Cauldron slowly rotated in midair, its crimson-gold flames churning violently within. As the cauldron spun, continuous tiny ripples of energy spread through the surrounding space.

Centered around the cauldron, these energy ripples expanded outward in circles in every direction, quietly dissipating just before they reached the walls...

Inside the flame-tossed cauldron, the embryonic form of a thumb-sized black pill slowly took shape beneath the flames. However, its surface remained uneven and pitted, not yet fully condensed.

Even so, an extremely rich pill fragrance had already wafted from the cauldron, filling the room and lingering for a long time.

Suddenly, Lin Ran's palm shifted slightly, and the Crimson-Gold Flame within the cauldron grew even more intense. At that instant, guided by Lin Ran's will, a stream of crimson-gold Dou Qi silently transformed into a streak of golden light beneath the cover of the flames and shot into the Medicine Cauldron, drilling directly into the nearly formed pill embryo.

The Dou Qi merged with the pill, then abruptly transformed into countless tiny flecks of golden light that dispersed into every part of it.

Once the Dou Qi had completely fused with the pill, Lin Ran waved his hand. The Crimson-Gold Flame inside the cauldron surged once more, instantly engulfing the black pill embryo completely and beginning the final round of fierce burning.

The crimson-gold flames rose for only the blink of an eye before swiftly dying away.

As the flames vanished, a thumb-sized, jet-black, perfectly round pill with a faint sheen appeared within the Medicine Cauldron, spinning rapidly.

The instant the black pill appeared, a fierce ripple of energy violently erupted from within it. Though part of the energy ripple was intercepted by the Sunfire Cauldron, the rest still seeped through and blasted fiercely in every direction.

"Not good!"

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. Even Green Yi, with the strength of a Dou Wang, looked solemn.

The energy fluctuations produced when a Sixth-Rank pill emerged were something even a Dou Wang-level expert had to handle carefully.

But—

Facing the rapidly spreading energy ripples, Lin Ran casually waved his hand. An invisible force formed a transparent energy barrier throughout the room in the blink of an eye.

The energy was blocked, producing only layer after layer of ripples without stirring the slightest wind.

Inside the Medicine Cauldron, a jet-black pill lay quietly.

The Sixth-Rank Demon Transformation Pill had been formed!