Ye Xiu returned to the courtyard and sat cross-legged on the ground in the backyard, beginning to digest the huge amount of new knowledge in his mind.
Gathering Qi Powder, Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill... They were all recipes for fourth-grade pills, and there were at least dozens of them.
And it wasn't just the recipes.
The techniques, control of the flame, processing the ingredients, when to add what and when to lower the heat—it all appeared in his mind, as if he had spent decades refining fourth-grade pills.
"The Innate Medicine Body really is ridiculous."
Once his cultivation reached a certain level, he automatically became an alchemist of the corresponding grade. He had just broken through to one-star Dou Ling, which made him a fourth-grade alchemist.
The real deal, without question.
Ye Xiu took all the medicinal ingredients Xuan Hao had stored in his Storage Ring and dumped them onto the ground, then began sorting through them.
Before long, Ye Xiu found two stalks of Purple Leaf Gold Vein Grass.
A fourth-grade ingredient and the main ingredient in Gathering Qi Powder.
Ye Xiu kept searching, and soon gathered the remaining auxiliary ingredients. Green Spirit Fruit, Angelica Flower, Earth Dragon Root... They were all fourth-grade ingredients, exactly what Gathering Qi Powder required.
"What a coincidence. This is perfect for getting some practice."
Ye Xiu grinned.
Gathering Qi Powder was for people at the Dou Qi stage. Take it, and you could break through to Dou Zhe, saving a long stretch of cultivation time.
It wasn't any use to him, but he could sell it at auction.
Ye Xiu put away the ingredients, went inside, and set out the Five-Hole Medicine Cauldron.
He sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron. With a turn of his palm, a crimson-gold flame of Dou Qi shot into it.
Ye Xiu didn't add the ingredients right away. First, he used his spiritual strength to sense the changes in temperature inside the cauldron. After breaking through to Dou Ling, his spiritual strength had grown much stronger. Before, he had needed to focus completely to sense things clearly; now, a casual scan told him all he needed to know.
That should do it.
He flicked a finger, and the Purple Leaf Gold Vein Grass flew into the cauldron.
With a hiss, the purple leaves tumbled in the flames, slowly turning into a pool of purple liquid. Ye Xiu wrapped it in his spiritual strength and gradually stripped away the impurities. The useless material turned into black smoke and drifted away, while the remaining liquid grew purer and darker in color.
He handled this step with ease, far more effortlessly than when he had refined third-grade pills.
Next came the Green Spirit Fruit, Angelica Flower, and Earth Dragon Root... He tossed them in one by one, refining and purifying each until they became pools of liquid in different colors, floating inside the cauldron.
Next came the fusion.
The pools of liquid slowly drew together. When they touched, they began to fuse.
Ye Xiu wasn't in any hurry.
His spiritual strength was far greater than before, and controlling the pools of liquid was child's play. After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, they had completely fused into a liquid about the size of a baby's fist. Its surface began to gather together, gradually taking on the shape of a pill.
By this point, the Gathering Qi Powder was already seventy percent complete.
Ye Xiu continued to wrap the embryonic pill in his spiritual strength while increasing his output of Dou Qi. The flames blazed hotter, continuously tempering the pill. Its pitted surface gradually smoothed out, and it grew rounder and rounder.
A little while later, Ye Xiu felt it was about ready. He gave a low shout. "Rise!"
He slapped the Medicine Cauldron. The flames instantly went out, and the lid flew open as four jade-green pills the size of longans shot out.
Ye Xiu snatched up the jade bottle he had prepared in advance and caught them in midair. All four pills went straight inside.
He lifted the bottle and held it up to the light from the window. The four pills were round and smooth, and their medicinal fragrance was incredibly rich.
"Success."
Ye Xiu nodded in satisfaction.
Getting four pills from one batch of ingredients—if other alchemists saw his success rate, they'd probably go crazy on the spot.
For an ordinary fourth-grade alchemist, two pills from one batch was already good. Three meant they had performed exceptionally well.
Ye Xiu put away the four Gathering Qi Powder pills and started refining a second batch.
The night passed, and dawn was almost upon him.
Two batches of ingredients had produced eight Gathering Qi Powder pills!
Ye Xiu stretched and stood up, loosening his muscles. After refining pills all night, he didn't feel tired at all; he was full of energy. He had used up a little Dou Qi, but a brief circulation of his cultivation technique restored it quickly.
He put away the Medicine Cauldron, stored the Gathering Qi Powder in his Storage Ring, and prepared to step outside for some fresh air.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Ding!"
He knew that sound. It was the system.
"Sign-in locations have been updated: Magical Beast Mountain Range, Qingshan Town."
"Host, please go to the listed location to sign in and claim a generous reward."
Ye Xiu's eyes lit up. "Great, great! The system finally updated the sign-in location!"
He had been cooped up in Wutan City for a while and was nearly bored to death. He had wanted to leave for ages.
And west of Qingshan Town lay the Tagor Desert.
Deep in the Tagor Desert was the Green Lotus Core Flame.
A Heavenly Flame—
exactly what Ye Xiu desperately needed!
In the world of Battle Through the Heavens, if you played with fire without a Heavenly Flame, you could hardly show your face in public.
Although he was now a one-star Dou Ling and a fourth-grade alchemist, he still used flames formed from Dou Qi. They were fine for refining fourth- and fifth-grade pills, but anything beyond that would be a struggle.
And they weren't much use in a fight, either.
With a Heavenly Flame, it would be a different story.
There were two Heavenly Flames closest to him.
The Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth, and the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth.
The problem was, neither would be easy to get.
The Green Lotus Core Flame was deep in the Tagor Desert. Judging by the timing, Queen Medusa had probably already set her sights on it. She was a Peak Dou Huang; if he went there now, he'd be throwing his life away.
The Fallen Heart Flame was beneath the Heaven Blazing Qi Refining Tower at Jia Nan Academy, and it had already been sealed. Besides, Jia Nan Academy was full of experts. If he went in as a one-star Dou Ling and tried to take it by force, he'd be signing his own death warrant.
Ye Xiu thought it over and started making plans.
He could wait until Queen Medusa's evolution failed and she was badly injured before swooping in to claim the Green Lotus Core Flame. The safest way to get the Fallen Heart Flame was to stay at Jia Nan Academy for a few years, then take advantage of the chaos during the outbreak to get his hands on it.
The Jia Nan Academy recruitment team visited Wutan City every year. Judging by the date, they should be coming soon. He'd get himself a spot by joining the recruitment team first.
As for the Green Lotus Core Flame...
Ye Xiu considered it and decided to prepare for both possibilities.
First, he'd go to Qingshan Town and see what reward the system gave him. Then, when the Jia Nan Academy recruitment team arrived, he'd apply to join the academy and request an extended leave.
He could use the break to visit the Tagor Desert. If he happened to catch Queen Medusa during her evolution, he might be able to take advantage of the situation.
If he couldn't, that was fine too. He'd go to Jia Nan Academy and get the Fallen Heart Flame instead.
With his plan settled, Ye Xiu pushed open the door and stepped outside.
The sun had already risen over the courtyard, bathing it in golden light.
He stood in the doorway and squinted up at the sky.
"The Jia Nan Academy recruitment team should be here soon..."
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