Well-Meant Efforts

At the Xiao Clan, the sunset's afterglow slipped through the gaps between the roof tiles and spilled onto the flagstone path.

Strips of bluestone road cut through the residential district of ordinary houses, dividing the entire Xiao Clan in orderly fashion as they extended all the way to the outer edges and the grand core residential area of the Clan Head and elders.

Right beside the Clan Head's residential area stood an unremarkable, quiet Small Courtyard.

Inside the Small Courtyard, flowers and grasses flourished, and the little pavilion was shaded and cool. Though it was not luxurious, it carried a leisurely air detached from the world.

In front of the Small Courtyard's gate hung a plaque carved with two large words: Su Garden.

Around Su Garden, several burly men at the Dou Zhe realm patrolled the area. If any Xiao Clan juniors wandered nearby without permission, they were all driven away.

Su Garden was the residence the Xiao Clan had specially prepared for Su Qingyun.

After Old Ya finished testing Xiao Yan's and Su Qingyun's aptitude for alchemy, he could not calm down for a long time. His soul was so highly excited and tense that he actually fell into slumber once more.

Only two days later did Old Ya awaken again and begin teaching Su Qingyun and Xiao Yan basic knowledge about alchemists.

For example, alchemist ranks were divided into nine grades, and each grade was further divided into the three levels of low, middle, and high; the general characteristics and value of the pills from the first few grades; as well as the relationships between various medicinal herbs and elemental power.

Su Qingyun had already gained a general understanding of some of this knowledge in his previous life from "Battle Through the Heavens" and its fan works, so he absorbed it with ease and understood it very quickly.

Xiao Yan's comprehension was also decent. It was just that compared to Su Qingyun, he was slightly inferior.

After Old Ya woke up, Xiao Yan's realm also rose quickly. On top of that, after spending years with Su Qingyun and being influenced by the Immortal Spirit Aura emitted from Su Qingyun's Immortal Emperor Sacred Void Body, his constitution had become much clearer.

Su Qingyun had not used the Marrow Cleansing Pill and other pills Xun'er had prepared for him either, so he gave them to Xiao Yan to absorb. With Old Ya's help as well, Xiao Yan actually advanced one or two stages of Dou Zhi Qi over the next few days.

After his Soul Attribute and Soul Power had been tested on the Mountain Peaks, Su Qingyun also faintly felt as if he was about to condense a cyclone.

The important sign of breaking through from Dou Zhi Qi Stage Nine to Dou Zhe was gaining the ability of internal sight and condensing a Dou Qi Cyclone.

To put it plainly, the Dou Qi Cyclone was a converter specifically for Dou Qi. It could rapidly circulate and store Dou Qi, achieving a leap in improvement.

Strangely, although Su Qingyun felt as if he was about to condense a cyclone, he was still unable to touch that threshold. He always felt as if something was missing.

That day, Old Ya woke from the Black Ring and gave Xiao Yan and Su Qingyun two tasks.

"Stinky Kid, although you've spent several years with Qingyun and your physical condition is quite good, you're still too weak. That Mysterious Tier High-Grade Dou Technique, Eight Extremities Collapse, that I passed on to you earlier has very high requirements for physical strength. With your current physical strength, you still aren't suited to cultivate it. You'll need medicinal assistance. These are the materials for refining Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid. Find them, and not only will it nourish your body and soul, it will also help you practice Eight Extremities Collapse."

"Qingyun, these past two days, This Old Man has racked his brains and finally figured it out. Your cyclone is probably different from ordinary people's.

"The reason is your innate Immortal Physique and All-Element Affinity. You spent ten years nourishing your Immortal Physique before you could smoothly control this special Immortal Qi, so your cyclone is likely also a kind of 'All-Element Immortal Vortex.' This has never been recorded anywhere on the entire Dou Qi Continent. I'm afraid the only one who can let you break through the bottleneck is yourself."

"However, if you trust me, Beloved Disciple, we can try something."

"What kind of attempt?"

Just as Su Qingyun felt a hint of disappointment, another list of pill materials appeared in Old Ya's hand and floated into Su Qingyun's grasp.

Xiao Yan could not help leaning over to take a look, and his expression instantly changed.

"Tier 1 Wood-element Magic Core, Tier 1 Ice-element Magic Core, Tier 1 Fire-element Magic Core, Tier 1 Dark-element Magic Core, Light-element Magic Core, Tier 1 Water-element Magic Core... ten Magic Cores in total, and it even needs the rare medicinal herb Spirit Transformation Grass! Are you insane?! All of these are valuable things. It'll cost at least ten thousand gold coins!"

Xiao Yan had originally thought the materials he needed for Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid were already very expensive: Purple Leaf Orchid Grass, Bone Cleansing Flower, and a Wood-element Tier 1 Magic Core. But after seeing the cultivation materials Su Qingyun needed, he felt that the materials he had to buy were far too cheap!

One had to know that on the Dou Qi Continent, a commoner family's yearly income was only around twenty gold coins. How much was ten thousand gold coins? The answer was self-evident!

So after seeing this materials list, Xiao Yan sucked in a breath of cold air and hissed, "Old man, are you kidding me? Aren't you making things hard for my Brother Qingyun? My Brother Qingyun lived in seclusion in Falling Immortal Stream for ten years. Where would he get the gold coins to buy these materials?"

"Haha, you Stinky Kid, what old man? You should call me teacher! These are only Tier 1 Magic Cores. If you want to become an alchemist, the cultivation resources you'll need in the future will only grow greater and greater. Otherwise, why do you think alchemists are so precious?"

"Xiao Yan, don't worry. Although the cultivation materials alchemists need are many and expensive, there are also many ways to earn money. Once you've achieved some success, you can casually refine a few pills and sell them to earn back several times, or even dozens of times, the value of the materials in gold coins."

After Su Qingyun looked over the materials list, although he sighed inwardly, he soon calmed himself and comforted Xiao Yan.

In truth, Su Qingyun already understood Old Ya's meaning. He wanted Su Qingyun to come into contact with true pill refinement and use pills condensed with various elements to promote his cyclone's fusion with elemental powers.

Moreover, there was also a possibility that condensing the cyclone would fail. If that happened, the materials needed would have to be multiplied by two, three, or even several times.

But Su Qingyun was willing to try. He wanted to become stronger too, so he had to take this step.

"Qingyun is clever indeed. Stinky Kid, learn more from your Senior Brother Qingyun. Being able to become fellow disciples with him is truly your good fortune!"

"Come, Qingyun. I have a few scrolls of Dou Techniques here. Although they aren't worthy of your immortal bearing, if you sell them, they can still be exchanged for quite a few gold coins. They should be enough to buy a good number of materials."

With a wave of his hand, Old Ya was very generous toward Su Qingyun.

Xiao Yan pointed at his own nose and said, "What about me?"

"You... you can fend for yourself, kid. This is a necessary trial on your life's path. It's only one Wood-element Magic Core and a few medicinal herbs."

"All right, off you go. This Old Man's soul is still a bit shaken from the shock a few days ago, so I need to rest. Once the materials are ready, This Old Man will come out and teach you how to refine medicine."

"Sigh, you old man!!!"

Watching Old Ya return to the Black Ring again, Xiao Yan was so angry he had nowhere to vent. That old man actually did not give him a few scrolls of Dou Techniques. Even a Yellow Tier Mid-Grade Dou Technique would have been fine! Not only could he learn it himself, but once he was done, he could sell it for gold coins and use them to help Brother Qingyun buy materials!

"Brother Qingyun, I have four hundred gold coins here. They're all my savings from these years. I'll give—"

"Xiao Yan, let's learn these Dou Techniques together."

Xiao Yan was originally taking out gold coins, intending to give his savings to Su Qingyun to buy materials. Unexpectedly, Su Qingyun smiled faintly, interrupted him, and instead shared the Dou Techniques Old Ya had given him with Xiao Yan to study.

"Slaying Palm, Mysterious Tier Low-Grade."

"Cloud Hand, Yellow Tier High-Grade."

"Flood Fist, Yellow Tier Mid-Grade."

"..."

Su Qingyun shared Slaying Palm, Flood Fist, and the other Dou Techniques with Xiao Yan to learn.

What astonished Xiao Yan was that, although he would not be jealous of Su Qingyun, Old Ya was far too biased! He had not given Xiao Yan a single Dou Technique, yet had directly given Brother Qingyun so many Dou Techniques to sell! And there was even a Mysterious Tier Low-Grade Dou Technique among them. This was more than enough to buy some materials—if placed in an auction house, it would be worth at least One Hundred Thousand Gold Coins! Little did he know that upon seeing Su Qingyun share the Dou Techniques with Xiao Yan, Old Ya inside the Black Ring had already revealed a kindly, warm smile and sighed deeply. "Qingyun, this child, is not only a Heaven-Blessed Genius with an Immortal's Demeanor, but also so kindhearted. This time, This Old Man finally hasn't misjudged someone."

"Stinky Kid, This Old Man's efforts were well-meant, yet you even started cursing This Old Man. Being able to cultivate alongside a child like Qingyun must be the blessing you earned over eight lifetimes!"

Seeing Xiao Yan and Su Qingyun help each other, showing the bond of close friends and brothers, Old Ya thought of an old acquaintance of his.

Back in those days, he too had once had a close friend who helped him and relied on him in turn. Together, they founded a force and roamed the Central Plains...