A Staged Collision?

The burning flames of the soul rise in the starry sky, and the misty Spiritual Energy, under the burning flames, emits a mesmerizing glow, twinkling like stars.

However, Xiao Yuan himself was clearly not in a good condition.

Regardless, he was ultimately burning his own soul power.

The Yao Lao could no longer sit still. He emerged from the ring and looked at Xiao Yuan with a slightly solemn expression.

Although he had done similar crazy things when he was young, what Xiao Yuan is doing now is obviously even crazier.

One wrong move and your soul is damaged—that's no joke.

But Xiao Yuan was clearly prepared. As he formed the hand seals, his soul flames spread out, completely covering the starry sky and forming a sea of fire.

This kind of flame is invisible to ordinary people.

Only alchemists of at least the seventh rank or higher could sense it.

The sea of fire swept across, igniting the spiritual matter in the starry sky and infusing it into the fire, which instantly amplified the sea of soul fire.

Xiao Yan seemed to realize something and said with some surprise, "Is this about using soul flames to refine spiritual matter in the starry sky for one's own use?"

"This method is somewhat similar to my Spirit Raising Method, except that Spirit Ascension improves the quality of the pills, while Xiao Yuan is currently Spirit Ascension. Compared with the large amount of spiritual power he has refined, the soul power he has lost is not so important. However, even ordinary people will have their own choices when using this method."

The Yao Lao had a keen eye and had naturally seen this long ago; he had even considered the drawbacks of this method.

While this method can greatly enhance the spirituality of the soul, it also carries extremely high risks. If the operation is not performed properly and the soul is damaged, even the Douqi Realm will stagnate.

Besides, to perform such a method, one must be at least Eighth Grade Alchemist; otherwise, it would be tantamount to setting oneself on fire, let alone using soul flames to refine spiritual matter in the starry sky.

With a whoosh, the figure of Heavenly Flame Venerable appeared beside Xiao Yan like a ghost, his face twitching as he looked at Xiao Yuan, who was fighting for his life.

"Is this kid crazy? He actually dares to do something like this?"

Heavenly Flame Venerable couldn't help but click his tongue, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

"Third Brother has always been like this."

Xiao Yan also sighed.

Although he prides himself on being a decisive person, he would never willingly burn his soul like that.

Of course, if his Third Brother said he could do it and that he was capable of doing it, then he wouldn't mind experiencing it, as it might be very beneficial to the improvement of his spiritual realm.

This refining process lasted a full hour, and even Xiao Yuan's powerful soul, as an Eighth-Tier spiritual medicine master, was beginning to feel the strain.

The Raging Sea of Fire in the sky, formed from the flames of the soul, had grown three times larger than it had at the beginning.

Feeling that he had reached his limit, Xiao Yuan naturally wouldn't continue to force himself to keep going.

As the hand seals changed, his soul power drew the sea of soul fire above him downwards.

Xiao Yuan raised his head, and a dazzling Orange-Red Flame shot out from his mouth, enveloping the invisible flame that had condensed in his soul fire sea.

Immediately afterwards, the Yin-Yang Life Soul Pearl within his soul's sea of consciousness began to emit the pure soul power accumulated during this period, replenishing his losses.

Xiao Yuan's complexion improved somewhat, and he then used the Heavenly Flames to forcefully restore the still-burning soul power to a normal state.

The orange-red flames transformed into a stream of light and flew into Xiao Yuan's brow, while the spiritual power of his Spiritual Energy stirred up a spiritual storm in his sea of consciousness.

Then, a Spiritual Energy aura emanated from Xiao Yuan's body, permeating the entire courtyard.

Xiao Yan and Heavenly Flame Venerable felt their spirits invigorated, as if their souls had gained more Spiritual Energy, while Yao Lao's illusory body actually solidified a bit.

The courtyard was filled with a refreshing atmosphere, with lush green grass sprouting from the soil, turning the originally withered ground into a vibrant scene.

"This is?"

When Xiao Yan saw this scene, he was stunned for a moment, but then he realized that it was a chain reaction caused by the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy in Xiao Yuan's body.

Xiao Yuan tidied up the vibrant Spiritual Energy in his soul sea, then turned his head to look at Xiao Yan.

"So, do you understand now?"

He asked with a smile.

"Yes, I understand, but without pills or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to replenish soul power, this method consumes too much energy."

Xiao Yan smiled wryly upon hearing this.

"That's not a problem. My insights just now went beyond that. Since the soul power accumulated in the Soul Nourishing Pearl can repair the soul and replenish the source, I can take out a portion of it and refine it into a pill."

Xiao Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile.

"You can do that?"

Xiao Yan's eyes widened.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. I'll look into it with you later!"

Upon hearing this, the Yao Lao nodded with great interest. Pills that can restore the Soul Origin and repair soul damage are extremely rare across the entire continent. Even some Eighth Grade Alchemist would probably covet them.

For alchemists, having such a pill is no less than having a second life!

"What a prodigy! I'm rooting for you!"

Heavenly Flame Venerable stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's get some rest. Xiao Yan has an assessment to take tomorrow."

Xiao Yuan said.

He also needs to process the spiritual power that brought back a large amount of spiritual matter.

The commotion on Xiao Yuan's side naturally did not escape the notice of some extremely powerful seniors. In a Void Space in the center of the Saint Pill City Inner Region, some information was circulating and then intertwined. "Someone was spying on the Star Region earlier, but fortunately they did not awaken the Three Thousand Burning Flame, otherwise it would have been another trouble."

From the void, an ancient voice slowly resounded.

"Can you detect who it is?"

"No, but their soul power is quite good. I guess one of them has already reached the Spirit Realm, while the other's soul power has completely entered the Spirit Realm. They are at least Eighth Grade Alchemist who can refine the Three-Colored Pill Tribulation Lightning Pill."

"Could it be someone from the Soul Hall? They also have a great interest in the Three Thousand Burning Flame. According to some intelligence, the Soul Hall will also send people to this Pill Gathering. If they manage to get a top ten spot, they'll definitely make a move on the Three Thousand Burning Flame."

A low, questioning voice also quietly rose up.

"I don't know. Their soul power is very young, and they don't seem to have any ill intentions, but it's hard to say for sure that there's no problem."

"Let's tighten the curfew. The Three Thousand Burning Flame will grow stronger as it absorbs the light of the stars. We can't keep it sealed forever, but it harbors a great deal of resentment towards us. If the seal is broken, the entire Saint Pill City will probably be destroyed. So it would be best if someone could subdue it. Of course, the person who subdues it must not be someone like the Soul Hall. Many alchemists' souls on the continent have fallen into their hands."

"By the way, you all saw the sea of soul fire just now, right? I think it must have been caused by that young Eighth Grade Alchemist."

"Hmm, but for some reason, I saw some familiar figures in the changing sea of soul fire. I don't know if it's just my imagination."

"Yes, I also feel that the way that person manipulates soul power and controls fire has a somewhat familiar feel to it, as if I've seen it somewhere before."

"It seems I'm not the only one with this feeling. Perhaps this young man is a disciple trained by some alchemist we've met before."

As soon as he finished speaking, the space fell silent. "Could it be Yao Chen?"

The silence lasted for a while before a woman's voice slowly broke the silence.

"Yao Chen, what a distant name. Sigh, he should have been one of the three giants of the Danta back then, but he had no ambition for it. Those guys from the Soul Hall have gone too far."

"You must have heard about the great battle in the Pill Domain a while ago. It is said that the main player in the battle was Yao Chen's disciple. I just don't know if Yao Chen is still in the Pill Domain now."

"Hmph, if she's not here, fine, but if she's in the Pill Domain and still doesn't come to see us, I won't let him off easily!"

As the female voice rang out again, the other two voices fell silent once more.

"Ahem, I'd really like to meet Yao Chen's disciple. To be chosen as a disciple by that extremely discerning old man, he must have some extraordinary abilities. But I wonder how he compares to the two from the Cao Family and Dan Family?"

An aged voice changed the subject.

"Those two are both monstrous talents. At this rate, they are very qualified to become the next generation of Pill Tower Giant a hundred years from now."

"Well, never mind the rest. The Pill Gathering about to begin, so let's focus on making it a success. As for the Soul Hall, while they are powerful, they can't control everything. If there's some earth-shattering conspiracy, the Ancient Clan and some reclusive ancient forces won't let them run rampant. What we need to do now is prevent the Three Thousand Burning Flame from falling into the hands of the Soul Hall. Let's disperse for now. Be extra careful during this time."

"Um"

As the words fell, the conversation between the Pill Tower Giant slowly came to an end in this Void Space. The next day, when Xiao Yuan's four girlfriends woke up from their sleep, they were surprised to find that the courtyard, which had been desolate yesterday, was now full of spring colors.

"Woke up?"

Xiao Yuan, who had been standing in the courtyard enjoying the warm morning sun, turned his head to look at them at that moment.

"So, are you going to stay here, or go wander around?"

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

What are you planning to do?

Xiao Yi Xian thought for a moment and asked.

"I plan to go and see just how rigorous the alchemist assessment at the Pill Danta is."

Xiao Yuan smiled.

"Then I'll go with you. Even if I can't become an alchemist, it'll still be nice to take a look and feast my eyes."

Xiao Yi Xian said with a smile.

"I won't go."

Tang Huo'er shook her head upon hearing this.

Although refining those medicinal liquids did improve her fire control skills, she really didn't want to get involved in alchemy again.

It's so boring. You can sit in front of the medicine cauldron for a whole day, or even several days.

She still prefers to cultivate Dou Technique and Dou Qi; that feeling of constantly getting stronger is what she likes.

"Yun Yun and I aren't going either. We've both reached a bottleneck in our Dou Technique recently, so we might as well have a friendly spar. How about Huo'er join us too?"

Cai Lin looked at Tang Huo'er as she spoke.

"Okay, okay!"

Tang Huo'er's eyes lit up when she heard that they were going to have a spar.

"Alright, Senior Tianhuo will also stay behind. He seems to have gained some insights and is in seclusion. Don't make too much noise."

Xiao Yuan nodded and gave instructions.

"Don't worry, it's just a friendly spar, how big of a commotion can it cause?"

Yun Yun said softly.

"Okay, let's go then."

Xiao Yuan nodded and pulled Xiao Yi Xian outside.

"His skills have improved again."

Watching Xiao Yuan leave, Yun Yun sighed and said.

Currently, among the four sisters, she is the weakest.

But in reality, she was already quite strong; even her teacher, Yun Shan, was no match for her in his lifetime.

However, being around such a group of extraordinary talents also put her under a lot of pressure.

"You should have gotten used to it by now."

Cai Lin reached out and put her arm around her shoulder, speaking softly.

"Ladies, shall we begin our sparring?"

Tang Huo'er hugged the two of them from behind and said excitedly.

After leaving Ye Courtyard, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Yan followed Ye Zhong for nearly ten minutes before finally stopping outside an ancient Stone Tower in the Saint Pill City Outer Region. At this moment, countless alchemists were constantly coming and going outside the Stone Tower, and the noisy commotion turned into waves of sound that spread outwards.

"This is a branch of the Danta Branch Tower, similar to a branch of the Alchemist Guild in some empires."

Ye Zhong led the three of them into the rather ancient Stone Tower, following the flow of people, and introduced it to them in a low voice.

Upon entering the Stone Tower, Xiao Yuan glanced around. The area inside was unexpectedly spacious, no smaller than the headquarters of the Alchemist Guild of the Jia Ma Empire. At this moment, there were many alchemists dressed in robes representing various levels of alchemy moving about inside the tower.

"The northern part of the tower is the Trading Area, where many alchemists trade the Medicinal Herbs or pills they need."

After introducing everything, Ye Zhong pointed to the north path of the Stone Tower.

"However, there are usually not many good things here. In a couple of days, there will be a special auction in Saint Pill City. This auction is for alchemists to trade with each other. Only alchemists who have been certified by the Danta are qualified to participate. Perhaps we can go there. They often have a lot of rare items."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow. An auction that was entirely for alchemists to trade was quite rare. However, he was indeed somewhat interested in it, and even if he didn't find what he needed, it would still broaden his horizons.

"However, the level certification area is in the south. Follow me."

Ye Zhong smiled, turned around and headed towards the southern area inside the tower, and Xiao Yuan and the other two quickly followed.

When Xiao Yuan and his companion arrived at the assessment area, there was already a long queue. Upon seeing this, Ye Zhong frowned slightly and said to the three of them, "Please wait a moment. I'll go and pull some strings. If we keep waiting like this, we might not be able to finish the assessment today."

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan naturally agreed, and Xiao Yi Xian, who had come with Xiao Yuan, also didn't mind. So the three of them stood still, nodded, and watched Ye Zhong leave.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan frowned, and then a soft, delicate body bumped into him.

"Is this some kind of staged accident scam?"

Xiao Yuan thought to himself.