"Son, what kind of pill is that in your hand? It smells so good! It looks more translucent than jade. Could it be one of those legendary immortal pills? Just smelling it makes me feel refreshed, like eating it would let me ascend to immortality."
The crimson flames within the Bronze Cauldron slowly subsided, while a rich pill fragrance drifted throughout the small courtyard. Old Yan and Ms. Xiao were both flushed and intoxicated. They walked over to Yan Kuan, seemingly wanting to take the pill and examine it closely—perhaps even taste it.
"Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill, a fourth-grade pill that aids Dao Palace Realm cultivation. If an expert at the peak of the first Dao Palace level takes it, they should be able to advance to the second level."
Yan Kuan handed the Jade Vial to his impatient father, then added jokingly, "Of course, if you take it, Dad, I won't have to support you in your old age."
"What do you mean?"
Yan Qiang lowered his head to look at his son. He always felt that this brat was plotting something, yet whenever they went head-to-head, he was always the one who suffered.
"I just said it's a pill that greatly benefits Dao Palace Realm cultivators. The gap between you and the Dao Palace Realm is about the same as the gap between a person and an ant. All they need is one light step, and you're done for."
Yan Kuan used the tip of his pinky to illustrate the disparity between the two, then raised his right hand and mimed a firework exploding. "Even someone at the peak of the Wheel Sea Realm would struggle to digest the energy contained in this pill. If you take it, it'll go bang, and then we'll be watching fireworks."
Hearing that, Old Yan hurriedly shoved the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill back into Yan Kuan's hands. "What nonsense are you talking about, boy? How can you joke about your own father like that?"
"I never said I refined it for you. It's for me."
Yan Kuan slowly accepted the Jade Vial and once again made that pinky-tip gesture with his right hand. Thinking of how his son had compared him to an ant, Old Yan grew angrier and angrier. Yet his child was still so young, and he could no longer control him. He really wanted to start over with a new account.
Ms. Xiao crouched down and hugged her precious son, saying something particularly hurtful. "Son, why are you scaring your dad? Why bother arguing with him?
"My son is so amazing, so you'll definitely refine lots of pills, right? You're such a filial son, so Mom can stay beautiful forever, right..."
"I know the formula for beauty-preserving pills and the like, but the ingredients they require would probably be very difficult to gather on the Ancestral Star. Still, once your cultivation improves, preserving your appearance won't be difficult."
Yan Kuan answered very seriously, "Your aptitudes are average. If you rely on your own cultivation, it'll basically be difficult for you to achieve much. But who told you to have a son like me?"
As he spoke, Yan Kuan placed two Jade Vials in his mother's hands. Then he took several Jade Boxes from the Sea of Bitterness and began refining a new batch of pills.
The noon sun was scorching, but none of the three people in the courtyard had any intention of seeking shade. Wisps of Purple Qi gradually spread through the courtyard, and threads of earthly Purple Qi were drawn forth and swept into the cauldron. A moment later, a streak of purple light flew out and landed in Yan Kuan's palm.
"The Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill is complete."
When this purple pill emerged from the cauldron, a rich purple pill fragrance slowly rose up, eventually forming a cloud of purple mist over the courtyard.
Such a dense pill fragrance undoubtedly meant that this was another fourth-grade peak pill. The Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill had effects similar to the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill. It was likewise a pill capable of directly improving one's strength, except its effects only applied to Da Dou Shi.
If a Da Dou Shi took a Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, they could raise their cultivation by one star. Moreover, two Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills could be taken consecutively without causing much drug resistance. In other words, two Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills could directly raise one's strength by two stars.
Yan Kuan already had one Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill. If he took it together with two Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills, then with a bit of luck, he could directly raise his cultivation by five stars through pills alone, reaching the level of a six-star Da Dou Shi, comparable to the second level of the Dao Palace Realm.
The successful refinement of the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill greatly boosted Yan Kuan's confidence. His pill-refining cultivation had now reached the fourth-grade peak, so he could attempt to refine any fourth-grade pill. As for fifth-grade pills, he had not tried, so he could not be certain.
Not long afterward, the phenomenon of Purple Qi swirling and pill fragrance filling the garden appeared once again. He quickly refined a second Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill.
At this point, he took out another jade box. Inside was a Purple Spirit Mushroom spiritual herb from Dragon Tiger Mountain. This time, he was going to refine the fourth-grade pill, Azure Mushroom Fire Spirit Balm.
Azure Mushroom Fire Spirit Balm was refined from medicinal ingredients such as Three-Leaf Azure Mushroom, Fire Lotus Fruit, and Thousand Spirit Grass. It was a pill that aided cultivation, but rather than being taken orally, it was applied to the body.
After a cultivator applied this Fire Spirit Balm, their sensitivity to flame energy would increase, and they would actively absorb it into their body. Even if they did not deliberately circulate their cultivation technique to absorb it, the fire-attributed energy between heaven and earth would still be drawn in, continuously pouring into their body.
Three-Leaf Azure Mushroom was a type of spiritual mushroom unique to the Battle Qi Continent. Yan Kuan had not found any on the Ancestral Star, so he used Purple Spirit Mushroom as a substitute. He had also found replacements for the other spiritual herbs. The effects of this brand-new version of Fire Spirit Balm should not be bad either.
After the new Purple Zhi Fire Spirit Balm, Yan Kuan refined another batch of modified Swift Spirit Wind Pills. The medicinal effects of this fourth-grade pill were even more unusual: it could accelerate the circulation of energy within a cultivator's body, speeding up the tempering of their energy and increasing their cultivation.
As the sky gradually darkened, Yan Kuan finished a day of pill refinement. The flames in the Bronze Cauldron slowly died out, and two masses of crystal-clear jade-colored liquid slipped into two Jade Vials.
Yan Kuan carefully put away some pills for his own use, then placed the final two Jade Vials before his parents. "Dad, Mom, have someone make two large wooden tubs and place them in the courtyard. During your future cultivation, use medicinal baths to help you find Qi Sensation.
"This is Foundation Establishment Spirit Elixir. Use one drop each time..."
Yan Kuan explained the effects and usage of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Elixir to his parents, his heart full of mixed emotions. If he had been able to begin this pill-taking cultivation method earlier, he would not have spent five or six years barely managing to condense a Battle Qi Cyclone.
"Xiao Kuan, go do what you need to do. Your father and mother will support you."
Yan Kuan's mother, Xiao Lin, understood that her son was preparing to leave again. She could not stop him under such circumstances. All she could do was quietly support him, avoid becoming a burden, and incidentally speak on behalf of the unreliable Old Yan.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
Yan Kuan nodded. This time, he planned to enter seclusion at Mount Ba Ling. He estimated that after taking this whole gift package of pills, along with the pure and abundant fire-attributed energy there, his Battle Qi cultivation should soon reach the Peak Great Battle Master level.
Once his Battle Qi cultivation rose, it could in turn nourish the opening of his Sea of Bitterness and undergo transformation. Before long, he would be able to develop the Wheel Sea Secret Realm to a level comparable to the third level of the Dao Palace Realm. Looking across the current Blue Star, that would count as high-end combat power.
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