After more than a month of focused study, Xiao Yan's alchemy had undergone a qualitative leap.
Several aspects were essential to refining medicinal pills.
Sufficient Dou Qi to complete the refinement, control over flames, and Soul Perception.
As for Dou Qi, Xiao Yan had now reached the Dou Ling realm. His cultivation technique had also advanced to the initial Xuan Rank, and his reserves were more than sufficient to refine Tier 6 Medicinal Pills.
He even felt somewhat confident about refining certain relatively low-tier Tier 7 Medicinal Pills. However, he did not have Medicinal Herbs of such a high grade, so he had not attempted it yet.
It was worth mentioning that Xiao Yan had refined two kinds of Tier 6 Medicinal Pills over the past month.
One was the Imperial Extreme Pill, a famous Tier 6 Medicinal Pill.
Xiao Yan had only barely gathered enough Medicinal Herbs for one batch. Using the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, he refined a pill whose quality was not much different from the one Xiao Yan had refined with the Green Lotus Core Flame in the original story.
Both were of superior quality, with a high chance of allowing a Dou Emperor to advance by two stars after taking them.
He kept this pill in his Storage Ring, intending to give it to Yun Yun when he revealed his identity in the future, so she would not cut off contact with him outright.
Besides the Imperial Extreme Pill, the other Tier 6 Medicinal Pill he had refined was the Myriad Beast Blood Pill.
This pill was based on a formula Yao Lao and he had created together after much discussion. With large quantities of Magical Beast flesh and blood as the main ingredients, supplemented by medicinal herbs, and refined using the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, one could produce a Myriad Beast Blood Pill.
This pill had no other effect after being consumed. It simply enhanced one's physical constitution. The weaker one's body was, the greater the improvement, and vice versa.
Since Xiao Yan had absorbed the Silver Moon Wolf King's essence blood upon returning to the small valley, his body's strength had successfully reached the level of a Tier Six Magical Beast.
Thus, the Myriad Beast Blood Pill did not improve him much.
So he simply gave the pill to Xiao Yi Xian.
Yet Xiao Yi Xian directly refused, saying that her cultivation was progressing too quickly and that she did not need such a pill. She told Xiao Yan to save it for his family instead.
Xiao Yan did not listen at all. Taking advantage of Xiao Yi Xian's inattention, he stuffed the pill into her mouth.
The Myriad Beast Blood Pill's primary ingredient was Magical Beast flesh and blood, something he truly did not lack. The Magical Beast flesh and blood stored in his Storage Ring was enough to refine three pills.
After giving one to Xiao Yi Xian, two remained. They would make perfect gifts for the two brothers who had always doted on him.
The result was...
After the pill entered her stomach, Xiao Yi Xian fell unconscious for two days and two nights, her body undergoing frenzied strengthening from the Myriad Beast Blood Pill.
When she woke, her physical strength already rivaled that of a Rank Three Magical Beast at its peak. The improvement was simply enormous.
Back to the point.
His alchemy reaching such a level was also closely related to the improvement of his soul power.
After his physical strength had surpassed his soul power, his soul power seemed to have been stimulated. He had clearly not taken any initiative to improve it, just as before.
Yet in this short month or so, his soul power had soared directly to the Sixth Tier and even faintly touched the Seventh Tier, which was the Mortal Realm Peak soul.
Xiao Yan gained a deeper understanding of his Soul Heaven-Swallowing Talent.
Even Yao Ling from the original story could not compare to such Heaven-Swallowing Talent.
Although Yao Ling had reached the Heavenly Realm soul at a young age, he had relied on the enormous resources of the Yao Clan.
Xiao Yan did not even possess a soul cultivation technique. He had reached this level through nothing but natural growth.
Yao Ling's Soul Heaven-Swallowing Talent stood worlds apart from everyone else on the continent, but Xiao Yan's Heaven-Swallowing Talent was likewise worlds apart from Yao Ling's.
In the former comparison, Yao Ling was the sky.
In the latter, he, Xiao Yan, was the sky.
With his cultivation and soul power improved, there was no need to say much about his control over flames.
With the flame affinity granted by his Fire Spirit Body, Xiao Yan did not fear Yao Lao at all in this regard. He could even defeat him with ease.
He could even control tiny wisps of flame and send them through another person's pores into their meridians without harming them in the slightest.
He also used this to slightly improve the Flame Burst Fist. When it struck an enemy, the flames would enter the opponent's body directly and detonate inside it, causing greater damage.
With the improved Flame Burst Fist, along with Flash Step, the movement Dou Technique he had successfully begun mastering over the past month, he could temporarily set aside his Dou Technique training.
In the small valley, Xiao Yan sat on a rock, gazing into the distance in thought.
"More than a month has passed. I've digested all my gains, and my cultivation has reached its limit. If Teacher possesses me, I can reach the Dou Zong level."
"My body has reached the Sixth Rank. That is more than enough for the Tagor Desert."
"So..."
He came back to himself and looked at the small wooden cabin, as well as Xiao Yi Xian, who was picking medicinal herbs not far from it.
"It is time to leave after all."
Xiao Yan rose to his feet, deciding to be direct and tell her plainly that he was leaving.
He walked over to Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian had just finished gathering herbs. Some dirt had smeared her fair, tender face, but she still looked adorable.
"Young Master Xiao, judging by your expression, you have something to say. You're leaving, aren't you?" Xiao Yi Xian asked with an unchanged expression and a smile.
Xiao Yan choked. "You guessed?"
Xiao Yi Xian's smile bloomed. "After living together for so long, I can see through your thoughts at a glance."
"You needn't worry about me being sad. I was actually considering how to tell you that I wanted to leave too. Since you had the same thought, that saves me from bringing it up first."
Xiao Yan was stunned. "You're leaving? Where are you going?"
Xiao Yi Xian looked into the distance. "The Chu Yun Empire, perhaps. Sister Yun Zhi said it is a land of poison masters, which suits my growth very well."
"The Chu Yun Empire?" Xiao Yan frowned, knowing that place was dangerous.
In the original story, Xiao Yi Xian became the Heavenly Poison Maiden there. She appeared glorious, but who knew how many hardships she had endured?
Yet on this Northwest Continent, it was the only place where Xiao Yi Xian could grow quickly.
Xiao Yan knew that he could not, and should not, stop someone who wanted to become stronger.
He did not try to persuade her otherwise. He merely separated a wisp of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame's Child Flame and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian. "This is a Child Flame of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. Absorb it into your body. It will not go berserk. In a crisis, inject Dou Qi into it, and the flames will display their power. You can use it to flee or to fight enemies."
"And I will be able to sense this aura as well. When the time comes, I will come find you."
Xiao Yi Xian accepted the flame in a slight daze. She tried to force a smile, but tears slipped down uncontrollably. "You awful guy."
Xiao Yan asked in confusion, "What?"
"Why are you so awful? I clearly wanted to pretend that I did not care, but you care about me so much, you worry about me so much, that I cannot keep pretending."
As she spoke, she threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms and choked out, "You are not allowed to forget me! Otherwise, you will not be my best friend anymore. Xiao Lan will be instead!"
Xiao Yan hugged Xiao Yi Xian tightly, his tone serious. "If one day I die and look back on my life, you will definitely hold great weight in my memories. I will not forget you."
"After I leave, you must not forget me either."
Xiao Yan released Xiao Yi Xian. The Purple Cloud Wings spread from his back, and he flew resolutely into the sky.
Watching Xiao Yan fly away, Xiao Yi Xian murmured, "Great weight? Xiao Yan, do you know... if one day I die and look back on the past, you will be everything."
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