What Medicine?

"What's wrong? Don't believe me?"

Yao Wan did not get angry when she heard that. She merely asked in return.

"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just a little... how should I put it? Too shocking, I guess?"

Xiao Yan sighed, shook his head, and explained, "Miss Wan has stayed in the Xiao Clan for a year, so you must know that the highest-grade Dou Technique in my clan is only Mystic Middle-Rank."

"This Suction Palm looks plain and unremarkable, but if it's really used, it has to be a Mystic-rank Dou Technique."

"Rather than saying I'm suspicious, it's more like I'm simply sighing that comparing people makes you want to die, and comparing goods makes you want to throw them away."

Yao Wan shook her head. "Do you like belittling yourself that much?"

"If I teach you, then just learn it with peace of mind. It's not as if I've ever asked you for any payment."

Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment.

...Actually, I'd rather you asked me for more payment.

Such a thought popped into his mind for no reason, but Xiao Yan still did not say it aloud, lest he turn around and bring trouble down on himself.

"Forget it... let's not talk about this. Let's talk about something else, like... like that move Miss Wan used just now. That was clearly Eight Extremities Collapse, right?"

Xiao Yan could not help saying, "I naturally believe that with Miss Wan's character and vision, you wouldn't do something like secretly learn someone else's Dou Technique. But, look, doesn't that make it hard to explain...?"

"Explain?"

Yao Wan shook her Beautiful Head and said, "I don't need any explanation. Because I can do it, I did it. It's that simple."

"I saw the principle behind the flow of Dou Qi through your entire body, then sensed the way you released the Dou Technique at the end. Once I knew the cause and the result, I inferred the process. Isn't that very simple?"

Yao Wan explained in a calm tone.

"You can even do something like that...?"

"Everyone has their own talents. There's no need for you to envy her, Little one."

Yao Lao spoke up at just the right time.

Yao Wan and Xiao Yan turned their heads together.

Along with a waft of Pill Fragrance drifting over on the wind, refreshing to the heart, a Dark Red medicinal pill appeared in Yao Lao's hand. Presumably, that was the Blood Lotus Pill he had mentioned earlier, the one that had to be prepared if they wanted to subdue a Heavenly Flame.

"Looks like the pill is complete. Congratulations, Yao Lao."

Yao Wan smiled.

"You're too polite, Girl. If not for the abundant resources here, before going to look for the Heavenly Flame, we would likely have had to spend quite a bit more time just gathering the medicinal ingredients to refine the Blood Lotus Pill."

"That may be true, but Xiao Yan's cultivation is still a little lacking. I plan to have him train along the way to the Borderlands, raise his cultivation as much as possible, and then go to the Chu Yun Empire."

Yao Wan explained.

"Oh? That's good too. But we both understand the principle that haste makes waste."

Yao Lao was somewhat surprised that this girl seemed a little steadier than she had been when she was so restless in the Xiao Clan. At least she was not so eager for quick success anymore. Whether in cultivation or pill refinement, chasing quick gains was always the greatest taboo.

"Mm. Then let's keep going."

On the road, Xiao Yan also mentioned to Yao Lao how Wan Guniang seemed to have roughly grasped the method of using the Dou Technique Eight Extremities Collapse after merely taking one look at it.

"I actually noticed that just now."

Yao Lao said.

"Then what does Teacher think?"

"To be honest, I've never seen a strange talent like this girl before. She really can't be described by common sense."

"Besides, this girl will probably tinker out quite a few bizarre things in the future. You'd better prepare yourself mentally first, kid."

"Prepare myself mentally?"

Continuing west was the territory of the Chu Yun Empire.

On this road, Yao Wan deliberately slowed her pace, taking Xiao Yan along as they walked, trained, and slowly grew stronger.

The Young Man, who had originally panted heavily just from carrying the Mystic Heavy Ruler, also adapted little by little to the enormous pressure on his body. From the beginning, when even moving had been a problem, his speed gradually became faster, and then he strode as if he were flying.

Along the way, Xiao Yan's cultivation also shot from a One-Star Dou Zhe to a Three-Star Dou Zhe.

Moreover, even now, he still had a strong momentum of advancing by leaps and bounds.

It was just that both Yao Wan and Yao Lao felt there was no need for Xiao Yan to do anything wrong out of a moment's greed for achievement.

On the path of cultivation, one must absolutely avoid chasing quick gains.

In addition, Xiao Yan also began preparing for his first attempt at refining medicine.

Because it was, after all, his first time refining medicine, Yao Lao and Yao Wan naturally did not want him to refine some pill with extremely high requirements.

However, Xiao Yan himself seemed to have already decided what medicine he wanted to refine.

"Don't need help?"

Yao Wan could not help asking.

"Don't worry. I've followed Teacher and learned for so long, after all. My first practice attempt isn't some difficult problem. Just leave it to me."

After saying that, Xiao Yan took out the Medicine Cauldron Yao Lao had given him and Opened the Furnace to refine pills.

He urged his Dou Qi to transform into flame and poured it into the various fire vents within the Medicine Cauldron. His spiritual perception opened fully, as though a great net had wrapped around the entire Medicine Cauldron, allowing him to immediately observe the slightest changes produced during the refinement.

After that, Xiao Yan began tossing some medicinal ingredients from his Storage Ring into the Medicine Cauldron.

After being refined by the high temperature of the Dou Qi flame, only the essence of the medicinal ingredients in the Medicine Cauldron was soon left.

It was just that such a step, which appeared effortless and easy in either Yao Lao's or Yao Wan's hands, became tedious and troublesome in Xiao Yan's hands.

"Hah... huff..."

As the refining time gradually lengthened, the Dou Qi Xiao Yan consumed also grew greater and greater. Along with the emptiness of the Dou Qi inside his body, it became increasingly difficult for Xiao Yan to control the Dou Qi flame.

Even his fingertips began trembling slightly, but Xiao Yan still ignored the beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, gritted his teeth, and maintained the release of the Dou Qi flame while silently speeding up the refinement.

After another One Incense Stick's Time passed, the extraction of the three medicinal ingredients had been completed. After that, he only needed to merge them together.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, then added another burst of fire beneath the Medicine Cauldron.

Amid the high temperature, the essences of the medicinal ingredients were able to fuse.

At the final moment, Xiao Yan pushed his Dou Qi and opened the Medicine Cauldron. A kind of white medicinal powder flew out and fell into a bottle.

Hm? What is that?

Yao Wan blinked.

It did not look like some kind of healing pill. Had the refinement failed?

But it did not really look like that either.

Thinking of this, Yao Wan could not help twitching the tip of her nose slightly and taking a deep breath, yet she did not smell any particularly special medicinal fragrance.

How strange... I didn't pay attention just now to which medicinal ingredients Xiao Yan used for refining, so now I don't even know what medicine he refined.

Yao Wan looked at Yao Lao with a slightly curious gaze, only for Yao Lao to lower his head and cough, avoiding Yao Wan's questioning look.