Pill Success: Sixth Grade

In the central square of the ancient city within Ten Thousand Demons Valley, the rich fragrance of medicinal pills made many accomplished demon cultivators linger reluctantly. The frequent stirring of heaven and earth energy had also turned this place into a cultivation holy land within the valley, with countless thatched huts built in a circle around the square where Yan Kuan refined pills.

Among these countless thatched huts, two were the most special—those belonging to Yan Kuan's parents. After he reached a cooperation agreement with Ten Thousand Demons Valley, they too entered this core area of abundant spiritual energy to cultivate in seclusion, and their cultivation progress was quite good.

Yan Kuan had been refining pills here for over two years, and they had stayed in the valley for two years as well. Occasionally, under the protection of powerful valley experts, they would travel to nearby towns to contact the heads of various company departments, remotely directing the company's development.

Thanks to Yan Kuan's steady supply of pills and the abundant spiritual energy of Ten Thousand Demons Valley, these two people of ordinary talent actually advanced from the Sea of Bitterness realm to the Life Spring realm within two years, achieving a qualitative leap in their life essence. Some of the pills they had consumed during these two years even made powerful demon beasts at the Four Extremities Realm envious, giving them a profound understanding of the saying: "When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

"Honey, look—our son seems very serious this time. Could it be that the pill he's about to refine is something extraordinary?"

At the edge of the square, standing beside Third Valley Lord Sun Wukong, were Yan Kuan's parents. Yan Qiang had grown quite familiar with Sun Wukong over the years and wasn't too restrained. He glanced at his son, noticed that the latter's expression seemed unusually solemn, and couldn't help asking his wife.

Sun Wukong also pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the couple's conversation, mainly hoping to get confirmation from Xiao Lin. Over the years, Xiao Lin had taken care of Yan Kuan's daily needs, and her precious son would share key matters with his mother.

"Shh! Keep your voice down—don't disturb our son. Little Kuan Kuan is preparing to refine a Rank-Advancing Pill this time, the one he mentioned before, a divine pill that might help someone at the Four Extremities Realm break through to the Dragon Transformation Realm."

Xiao Lin shot her husband a glare. After reaching middle age, it wasn't that their feelings had faded, but living with the same person for too long, growing overly familiar—everything about him just seemed irritating. How could he compare to her precious son?

"Rank-Advancing Pill."

Sun Wukong had been openly eavesdropping on the couple's conversation, and when he heard the words "Rank-Advancing Pill," he couldn't help exclaiming in surprise. One by one, the great demons who had heard Yan Kuan mention this pill erupted into excitement. Many Four Extremities Realm peak demons eyed each other warily, seeing everyone as a rival.

There were countless demons within Ten Thousand Demons Valley, and at the top of the pyramid naturally stood the three valley lords, including Sun Wukong—all great demons at the Dragon Transformation Realm.

Among them, Third Valley Lord Sun Wukong was the youngest, exceptionally talented, with divine powers that reached the heavens. Yet he had only been cultivating for a little over two hundred thirty years, which was extremely rare in the current era. There was even a faint possibility that he might glimpse the Immortal Platform in this End of Dharma age and become a Great Divine Power Expert.

Amid Xiao Lin's gestures and shushing sounds, the surrounding demons gradually fell silent. Everyone watched Yan Kuan in the central square with tense anticipation.

Yan Kuan was currently sitting cross-legged before a medicine cauldron covered in strange flame patterns. After continuously refining high-grade pills for over two years, starting from Fifth Grade Dragon Strength Pills and now attempting a Peak Sixth Grade Rank-Advancing Pill, Yan Kuan had achieved a leap in just two short years that ordinary alchemists wouldn't even dare to dream of.

However, the reason he could make such progress was that, on one hand, his spiritual power had already reached the standard of Seventh Grade. The greatest bottleneck restricting his alchemist rank no longer existed. What remained were his pill-refining techniques and alchemist realm, which required patient, meticulous effort—continuously refining pills to improve.

He had spent two years refining pills, consuming countless precious spiritual herbs from Ten Thousand Demons Valley's treasury and even its hidden reserves, constantly accumulating experience. Only then did he achieve his current improvement.

These two years of secluded pill refinement were also an unforgettable experience for him. They had given him an immense accumulation of alchemical knowledge, which would greatly aid his future development.

Inside the cauldron at this moment, the flowing flames writhed slightly as if imbued with intelligence, like living things using tiny fiery serpents to lick at the spiritual herbs. Various herbs were gradually being refined into medicinal liquid, slowly converging under Yan Kuan's control.

The Rank-Advancing Pill was the highest-grade existence among Sixth Grade pills. Even on the Battle Qi Continent, in the Central Province where experts were as numerous as clouds, the Rank-Advancing Pill was extremely precious and would trigger a frenzy of competition among countless sects and forces.

This pill could help a Battle Emperor advance to a Battle Ancestor. Battle Ancestor experts could found their own sects, truly stepping into the ranks of the continent's powerhouses and gaining real capital to strive in the world.

But in the universe of Shrouding the Heavens, Yan Kuan estimated its value would be even greater. Especially for the major forces on the Ancestral Star, where cultivation was difficult, a pill that could greatly aid the breakthrough from the Four Extremities Realm to the Dragon Transformation Realm would likely stir up a storm in the Eastern Lands' cultivation world.

This time, Yan Kuan spent a very long time refining the pill. After a full three days and three nights, the several key main ingredients gradually weakened their resistance and began a preliminary fusion.

Although it was called fusion, the speed was as slow as a crawling turtle—painfully slow to endure. But this was the most crucial step in pill refinement, allowing no slack or distraction.

He remained alert, watching every detail. At noon on the third day, the pill took on a rough form, and the surrounding heaven and earth energy suddenly began to churn. The scene was like throwing a massive boulder into a calm lake—waves surged violently.

A beam of energy about half a foot wide shot out from the cauldron and soared into the sky. Such a startling phenomenon did not disturb Yan Kuan. His mind was entirely focused on the changes of the pill inside the cauldron. At this critical moment, he had to stay calm.

As time passed, the initially irregular pill gradually became round and smooth. A faint, precious light emanated from within, making it look like a beautiful gem.

Ring after ring of substantial energy ripples, centered on the cauldron, surged outward in all directions without pause. The continuous spectacle was quite magnificent.

Yan Kuan's hand seals changed rapidly. The blazing flames inside the cauldron suddenly swelled, nearly filling the entire vessel. Amid the sea of fiery red flames, a tiny point of light grew increasingly distinct and dazzling.

This point of light contracted and expanded. With each expansion, another wave of energy ripples spread outward. Some of the smaller demons standing around the square were sent tumbling head over heels, and even the distant turf was directly flipped up. Such formidable destructive power shocked the gathered demons.

The point of light inside the cauldron contracted and expanded, as if brewing something. After nearly half an hour of this, the light point suddenly shrank to its smallest size.

"Boom!"

Three minutes after the light point shrank, a burst of precious light exploded outward, enveloping the entire square. A thunderous blast sounded from nowhere, and then a beam of energy a full two zhang thick shot from the cauldron into the sky, forming a cloud of pill essence in the heavens.