Dou Ling's Pressure, Fifth-Grade Pill Formed!

"Kid, which alchemist isn't held in high regard and well-connected?"

"With your alchemy skills already at the peak of Rank 5..."

"You're the only one I've seen with zero connections."

"Getting your alchemist certification will spread your fame and help build a network."

"The path of cultivation can't be walked alone."

At this, Old Yao's tone shifted, tinged with teasing:

"You're stuck on women, kid. Once you pass as a Rank 5 Alchemist..."

"Won't finding a bed-warmer be easy?"

Hearing Old Yao's words, Xiao Yan's face darkened:

"Get lost, get lost, you old lecher!"

"Teacher, you weren't exactly a saint when you were young, were you?"

Old Yao smiled faintly, stroking his beard.

Everything was left unsaid.

The next day:

The crystal chandelier in the Alchemist Guild's main hall lit the bluestone floor bright as snow.

Xiao Yan stepped inside with Xiao Yi Xian, heading to the central hall.

Dozens of alchemist apprentices had already gathered for registration.

Scanning the crowd, the youngest was at least twenty years old.

On the stage, Flank and Otto swept their gaze across the room, then stopped on Xiao Yan.

Their brows furrowed slightly:

A boy of fifteen or sixteen stood out far too much in this crowd.

So young, and already here for the Rank 1 Alchemist exam?

Could their little Black Rock City really produce such a stunning alchemy prodigy?

Or was this just another arrogant brat, like before, trying his luck?

Xiao Yan stood in the hall when he suddenly heard a light snicker behind him:

"Sister Xue, look, this guy's taking the Rank 1 Alchemist exam."

Lin Fei toyed with the alchemist apprentice badge on her chest, her jade earrings trembling with her laugh:

"He doesn't look older than us. Can he even recognize all the first-grade herbs?"

Xue Mei's icy blue eyes swept over the medicine stains on Xiao Yan's sleeve, her voice cold as a mountain spring:

"The guild's standards really have been dropping lately."

Their soft laughter reached Xiao Yan's ears, but he couldn't be bothered to even glance back.

After all, what adult gets angry at children?

Let alone ants.

Otto and Flank, however, had already descended from the stage as per routine.

Seeing this, they clasped their hands and bowed:

"Young friend, please forgive the offense. Our two disciples are still young and ignorant."

"They don't yet understand that there's always someone better."

"If they've offended you, we hope you'll be magnanimous."

Having spent years in the guild and cultivated for so long, their bearing naturally surpassed that of two jealous teenage girls.

This unfamiliar youth—if he were just an arrogant brat, it wouldn't matter.

But if he turned out to be a true genius, offending him would be a loss not worth taking.

Most importantly, they couldn't see through Xiao Yan's cultivation level!

Caution was necessary.

Seeing their own masters show such respect to a mere boy, the two women grew displeased, but dared not act out in front of them:

Wasn't this just some kid trying to show off? Was it really that serious?

"Young friend, you have an impressive bearing. Who might your teacher be?"

"Perhaps we share an old acquaintance?"

Xiao Yan shook his head gently.

"My master does not wish for me to reveal his identity outside."

"As for this assessment, I'm not here to test for a Rank 1 Alchemist."

"But a Rank 5."

The moment Xiao Yan's words fell, the hall fell into dead silence.

The teacup in Flank's hand cracked with a sharp sound, scalding tea dripping through his fingers.

The Rank 4 Alchemy Master leaned in slowly, his snow-white beard stirring without wind:

"Young man, do you know what a Rank 5 means?"

Otto's palm flared with deep yellow flame, his surging Dou Qi pressure spreading like a tide:

"In the entire Jia Ma Empire, Rank 5 Alchemists can be counted on one hand. You—"

Before he could finish, spiderweb cracks suddenly spread across the cyan stone floor.

Xiao Yan's black robe billowed, his Four-star Dou Ling pressure exploding outward as a tangible shockwave.

Lin Fei stumbled back and crashed into a medicine cabinet, glass vials shattering with a clatter.

Xue Mei clung tightly to a pillar, her ice-blue hair ribbon snapped by the blast, her long hair cascading like a waterfall.

"Four-star Dou Ling?!"

Flank's beard and hair bristled, his rising momentum violently suppressed back into his body:

"What kind of joke is this?!"

"Impossible!"

Otto's yellow flame sputtered out, and he staggered back three steps.

"I've paid the registration fee, so if I want to take the test, I'll take it."

"Why so many questions?"

Xiao Yan's voice echoed through the hall, freezing everyone in place.

The two Rank 4 Alchemists managed to hold steady.

But the dozens of candidates who had remained silent from the start were the real unlucky ones.

Without saying a word, they were nearly crushed to the ground by the Dou Ling pressure.

Otto and Flank snapped back to reality, staring at the red-and-blue flame dancing on the young man's fingertip.

No sooner had they regained their composure than their eyes went wide.

Feeling the flame within themselves—that instinctive cowering and retreat—they were stunned:

"A, a Strange Fire?!"

"This, this is definitely a legendary Strange Fire!"

Only then did they recall yesterday's pill-formation fluctuation—a presence without visible phenomena.

After all, Xiao Yan had only suppressed his presence, not his location.

He hadn't bothered to hide the pill-formation wave.

So that Fifth-grade pill had actually been...

"Can we start the assessment now?"

Xiao Yan's calm voice rang out, snapping the two back to their senses.

Their earlier assumptions had been completely wrong!

Since when did a Dou Ling-level powerhouse, wielding a Strange Fire, come to joke around with you about alchemy?

They hurriedly cupped their hands and bowed in apology:

"Of, of course!"

"Please, this way—there's a dedicated assessment chamber!"

Xiao Yan followed, and the heavy black-iron door of the assessment room slammed shut.

Twelve oil lamps on the walls lit up one after another.

Outside, Flank tremblingly produced a Rank 5 pill formula scroll.

The five ancient seal-script characters for "Ice Flame Meridian Opening Pill" on the sheepskin still carried an ancient aura.

"This pill is a water-and-fire dual-attribute pill."

"Even among Rank 5 pills, its difficulty ranks among the top!"

"Why would that lord choose this formula?"

Otto's palms were slick with cold sweat:

"Even Master Gu He, back in his day..."

In the secret chamber:

Xiao Yan lifted the lid of the cauldron, and the Fire Cloud Water Flame coiled upward in intertwined streams.

Compared to the Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame, the Fire Cloud Water Flame was milder in nature, more suited for alchemy.

The Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame, on the other hand, leaned toward absolute destruction.

Ice-blue and crimson intertwined within the cauldron, as one medicinal herb after another was tossed in.

The room's temperature swung between scorching heat and biting cold.

Frost flowers formed on the crystal window panes, then melted into glass.

Outside, the two sensed this powerful flame aura, both showing longing expressions:

"As expected of a legendary Strange Fire!"

Flank slumped into his gilded chair, his ten fingers digging deep into the armrests:

"This aura is just too overwhelming."

On the other side, Otto shot a glance at Flank:

"Old man, you'd better drop that thought. If someone really gave you a Strange Fire, would you dare to absorb it?"

Xiao Yi Xian leaned against the doorframe, poison mist coiling into a small serpent at her fingertip, paying no mind to the two young girls hesitating nearby, wanting to step forward and apologize.

The Strange Fire's fluctuations grew stronger:

Xiao Yan grabbed the Cold Water Ginseng with his left hand in midair, while his right palm pressed down on the Dragon Fire Fruit.

The two herbs transformed into streams of red and blue light within the Strange Fire, the liquid medicine suspended and converging into the cauldron's core.

The pill-testing mirror on the wall suddenly burst with radiant light—an omen never seen since the guild's founding.

In the waiting hall outside the secret chamber, a thunderous uproar erupted at the entrance.

Seventeen Third-Rank Alchemists crowded before the door:

"Damn! A few old bastards dare to shove me!"

"A Fifth-Rank Alchemy Master's pill-formation omen—can you even understand it?"

"Go back and settle down to train!"

"Elbow strike!"

Otto and Flank watched this chaotic scene, their mouths twitching slightly.

As the final pill pattern etched into the elixir, dark clouds suddenly gathered over Black Rock City.

A gale swept through, startling flying mounts into scattering.

The moment Xiao Yan pushed open the black iron door, the radiant light coalesced behind him into the phantom of a strange beast.

He flicked his hand, and a smooth, round, red-and-blue dual-colored pill floated in his palm:

"A Fifth-Rank Ice Flame Meridian Opening Pill."

Twin dragons of ice and fire coiled and swam across the pill's surface:

"Care to verify?"