Pill Grandmaster

In mere dozens of minutes, the several thousand medicinal ingredients packed densely within the pill cauldron had all transformed into streams of pure, multicolored energy. A terrifying energy fluctuation spread from the cauldron. With another sweep of his sleeve, Yao Chen turned the energy within into an energy vortex that spun rapidly inside the cauldron. With every rotation, the energy's color faded slightly.

"Rapidly extracting the energy from medicinal ingredients and materializing it—Yao Chen truly has some skill. When Yao Wangui expelled him from the clan, he really misjudged him." Elder Wan Huo murmured to the nearby elders, who were watching the alchemy process with rapt attention. "Fortunately, the Clan Leader saw things clearly and spared our clan a tremendous loss."

"Wangui did not misjudge him. Yao Chen's Dou Di Bloodline truly is nearly useless." Yao Dan smoothed things over for Yao Wangui. Yao Wangui was quite powerful, and with a great enemy at hand, they could not utterly disparage him. "But it is precisely because Yao Chen did not rely on his Dou Di Bloodline and still reached such a realm at this age that his astonishing talent is proven. Given time, this boy will surely achieve great things."

Elder Wan Huo and the others nodded. The Dou Di Bloodline only accelerated cultivation before one entered sainthood. After reaching the Saint Stage, unless one possessed a divine-grade Dou Di Bloodline, it would instead negatively affect cultivation. For that very reason, Yao Chen's future accomplishments were likely beyond estimation.

As they chatted and laughed, the energy within the pill cauldron had already faded considerably. Yao Chen shifted his hand seals and formed a seal. Materialized Soul power surged forth, enveloping the entire pill cauldron. The energy inside swiftly lost all color, turning into streams of milky-white pure energy.

"Materialized Soul power? Yao Chen's soul realm has actually reached the Late Heavenly Realm!" Yao Linmao exclaimed.

"Would the person I personally left the clan to bring back be weak?" A brilliant smile spread across Yao Dan's face. "This time, I brought a treasure back for the clan."

"Clan Leader, what do you think of his disciple's strength?" Thinking of Yao Chen's disciple, Yao Linmao hurriedly asked again. "At Peak Six-Star Dou Zun, he is also quite formidable among the clan's younger generation. Only Ren Yaozi should be able to suppress him by a slight margin."

"Ren Yaozi's strength is indeed commendable, but if he were truly to fight Xiao Yan to the death, I fear he would not last a hundred exchanges against Xiao Yan." Yao Dan lowered his voice. "As for how to judge Xiao Yan's strength, he is currently learning alchemy from Ling'er."

"Does the Clan Leader intend to bring those two together?"

"There are some things you only need to understand in your heart. Saying them aloud would spoil the fun." Yao Dan blinked.

Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, deputy building, Eighth-Grade Nine-Colored Alchemist assessment site.

"Mr. Xiao Yan, the Clan Leader arranged for me to teach you how to refine Eighth-Grade Seven-Colored Pills. You should know that whether one can independently and successfully refine an Eighth-Grade Seven-Colored Pill is the sole standard distinguishing an Eighth-Grade Intermediate Alchemist from an Eighth-Grade Advanced Alchemist." Yao Ling smiled sweetly. "However, given your strength, Mr. Xiao Yan, I believe you should have no problem completing this task on your own. So, I will teach you some alchemical secrets and theoretical knowledge unique to the Yao Clan."

"Then I must thank Sister Yao Ling. Though I may have already heard some of these secrets from my master." Xiao Yan raised his brows and smiled.

"You should have heard quite a bit of theoretical knowledge already, but merely discussing tactics on paper is not the best way to learn alchemy. Senior Yao Chen is, after all, an independent cultivator. The quantity of medicinal ingredients he possesses ultimately cannot compare to the immense foundation of our Yao Clan." When speaking of the Yao Clan's foundation, Yao Ling's tone gained a hint of pride. "What is written on paper can never compare to seeing it firsthand. Today, I will demonstrate before you, Mr. Xiao Yan, how to refine a pill of Eighth-Grade Eight-Colored or Higher. I trust you will learn something from it."

Yao Ling opened her palm, and Turtle Spirit Earth Fire surged out, transforming into a materialized pill cauldron. She then clenched her hand, and thousands of medicinal ingredients flew in from every direction. The sheer quantity made Xiao Yan stare wide-eyed.

"The Ancient Eight Clans truly cannot be underestimated..."

Yao Ling clenched her teeth as the medicinal ingredients inside the pill cauldron gradually transformed into pure energy. Yet that speed could not be mentioned in the same breath as the speed Yao Chen had displayed when refining pills.

"Once the soul reaches the Heavenly Realm, one's observation of all things becomes extraordinarily keen. During alchemy, one can freely draw upon the energy of heaven and earth within medicinal ingredients, even materializing it." A faint weakness could be heard in Yao Ling's voice. To display the foundation of the Ancient Eight Clans before Xiao Yan, she had chosen to refine the highest-grade pill within her capabilities this time. Even going all out, she had only around a seventy percent chance of success. "Of course, this process also demands an enormous amount of Dou Qi. Even at my current realm, if I want to do this, I must exhaust all the Dou Qi in my body..."

Before she finished speaking, she felt a palm on her back. The Dou Qi that had nearly run dry throughout her body seemed to become more abundant again.

"What are you doing?" Yao Ling was shocked and enraged. If some brazen lecher from the clan had done this, his arm would likely have already been separated from his body. But she had now poured nearly all her Dou Qi into the pill cauldron, with less than one percent remaining in her body. If they truly fought, she might not necessarily be able to defeat Xiao Yan with certainty...

"Seeing that Sister was expending too much energy refining pills, I merely wished to lend you a hand." Xiao Yan spoke with concern as he brought an Eight-grade Six-color Qi Replenishing Pill to Yao Ling's lips. "I refined this pill myself some time ago. It seems this kind of pill is rather difficult to refine. Even for Sister, it is quite a challenge."

"You brat, at least you know how to be considerate and care for others." A few blushes rose to Yao Ling's face. "I am doing this so that you can learn more. Since you understand my intentions, my effort has not been in vain."

After speaking, Yao Ling once more focused wholeheartedly on refining the pill. This time, she was much more at ease. As time passed, several days later, all the medicinal ingredients within the pill cauldron had transformed into milky-white pure energy.

At that moment, dark clouds gathered from every direction above the main building of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. A black bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck down from within, directly hitting the main building. The rumbling thunder pulled the two of them out of their alchemy.

"Has another Nine-grade Treasure Pill been born?" Yao Ling recognized the Black Demon Lightning at a glance. "There has been a great deal of activity in the clan lately. I wonder what the Clan Leader is planning." At that thought, worry appeared on Yao Ling's face.

"Genius, a true genius!" Yao Dan roared. As the leader of a clan, he had not lost his composure like this in many years. "At such an age, you are already a Pill Grandmaster. I hereby declare that you now have a place in the Yao Clan's Elder Council!"