"Yu Tianjiao said it was called the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus. It had the characteristics of both a Tool Martial Soul and a Beast Martial Soul, with extreme explosive power and destructive force."
Ye Lingling explained.
"How come I didn't know about it?"
Dugu Yan sounded a little sour.
Ye Lingling gave her a helpless look.
"You were asleep with your head on Yu Tianjiao's shoulder at the time. We saw how soundly you were sleeping, so we didn't wake you."
At that, Dugu Yan's face turned a little red with embarrassment.
She had often clung to Yu Tianjiao like that. At first, she had only pretended to be asleep, but once they became more familiar, she often ended up genuinely dozing off.
She felt that Yu Tianjiao was very warm, and being near him was as comfortable as basking in the sun.
In truth, it was because Yu Tianjiao possessed the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus Martial Soul. Just being near him suppressed the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison lurking inside Dugu Yan.
"Yu Tianjiao's starting!"
Ye Lingling, who had been watching him closely, hurriedly alerted them.
At that, Dugu Yan and her grandfather Dugu Bo quickly turned to look.
Yu Tianjiao sat cross-legged at the edge of the scorching Yang Spring in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The searing heat seemed to have no effect on him.
His gaze was calm as still water, his mind completely immersed in the pill refinement he was about to begin.
The Buddha Fury Fire Lotus in his left palm slowly revolved, expanding in front of him until it transformed into a lotus-shaped fire cauldron.
Green flames surged up from the lotus seat. An indescribably terrifying heat instantly spread through the air, making it ripple and twist as if it were being scorched, accompanied by faint crackling sounds.
The aura of this Heavenly Flame, burning at such an extreme temperature, made Dugu Bo's pupils contract. For the first time, genuine shock appeared on his face.
"This... this flame..."
As a Titled Douluo who had spent his life wielding poison, Dugu Bo had an exceptionally keen sense for energy.
He could clearly feel the destructive power contained in the green flames, along with their pure, scorching heat, as if they could burn everything to ashes.
This was no flame an ordinary Soul Master could control!
He even had a premonition that, with his strength, he would still risk death if he faced a flame like that!
What on earth had this kid Yu Tianjiao gone through during the three years he'd been away from home?
The sudden heat forced Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to retreat several steps. Dugu Bo's expression shifted, and he hurriedly released Soul Power, forming a gentle glow that enveloped them.
But the two girls didn't notice at all. They were simply staring intently at Yu Tianjiao's focused profile.
Dugu Bo couldn't very well scold them for it, so he could only helplessly turn his gaze back to Yu Tianjiao.
Yu Tianjiao had no attention to spare for anything else.
Refining a Sixth-Grade Pill took a great deal of effort, so he directly activated the system's Ghost Possession mode.
With the system's support, his powerful soul perception spread out like invisible tendrils, instantly enveloping the several rare Immortal Herbs laid out before him.
A vast trove of alchemical knowledge, exquisite flame-control techniques, and the mighty soul power of a Sixth-Grade Alchemist surged into his mind like instinct, blending with his own.
With a flick of his finger, a plant of the Red Flame Dragon Pattern Grass was tossed into the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus. Its body was a deep red, and its shape resembled dragon scales.
The green flames wrapped around it at once, almost as if they were alive.
Under Yu Tianjiao's masterful control of his soul power, the flame's temperature was kept precisely in check.
The tough leaves softened and curled in the fire at a visible pace, eventually turning into a drop of thick, blood-red liquid. It radiated astonishing fire-attributed energy and vitality, floating in the center of the flames as every impurity was completely burned away.
The entire process flowed as smoothly as running water. His absolute control of the heat and his precision in adjusting the temperature for each ingredient were nothing short of sublime!
Dugu Bo stared in stunned silence.
He had seen countless Soul Masters use their Soul Skills throughout his life, but he had never seen anyone handle rare treasures of nature with such exquisite, almost artistic skill.
By comparison, all these years of using Soul Power himself had been crude in the extreme!
This was clearly a higher level of technique, something he couldn't even begin to understand!
Yu Tianjiao's focused expression and the effortless mastery he showed while controlling the flames dispelled the last of Dugu Bo's doubts. In their place came deep astonishment and a faint, hidden anticipation.
Maybe this kid really could solve the problem inside him!
At the thought, Dugu Bo's hands began to tremble.
Who would choose to die if they could live?
"Grandpa, look! Yu Tianjiao's amazing!"
Dugu Yan whispered excitedly, her face full of pride!
This was the man Dugu Yan had set her heart on!
Even after his Soul Power had regressed for three years, returning to level three, the moment he came home, he was still that dazzling, peerless prodigy!
This time, Dugu Bo didn't argue. He simply nodded in silence, his gaze fixed on Yu Tianjiao's movements.
One Immortal Herb after another was tossed into the flames.
The medicinal cauldron formed by the Fire Lotus was translucent and green, so Dugu Bo could see every step of Yu Tianjiao's pill refinement clearly.
The more he watched, the more astonished he became, and the more he liked the kid.
Yan-yan certainly had a good eye!
That old Yu Yuanzhen really did have a fine son!
Come to think of it, if his son married his granddaughter, wouldn't that make him a generation senior to Yu Yuanzhen?
Wonderful!
At the thought, Dugu Bo couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
He wasn't one to smile often.
But just thinking about this was enough to make him lose his composure.
Time slipped by as Yu Tianjiao focused on refining the pill.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Maintaining Sixth-Grade Alchemy while precisely controlling the Green Lotus Core Flame took a heavy toll. Even with the system's support, it was still a tremendous test of his Soul Power and mental strength.
But he knew this chance to experience Sixth-Grade Alchemy was rare.
On the Douluo Continent, Sixth-Grade Alchemy was essentially the highest level.
Even Titled Douluo would be tempted by the pills it produced.
Experiencing alchemy at this level in advance could only benefit him.
Soon, he had finished refining all the ingredients. Now came the most crucial step.
Combining them into a pill!
Yu Tianjiao's gaze sharpened. His soul power poured forth as he began guiding the several clumps of medicinal essence, each a different color and bearing a different attribute, to slowly draw together above the flames.
He had to be extremely careful at this step. The slightest mistake could set off a violent explosion as the conflicting medicinal properties clashed, leaving all his work in vain.
He cautiously controlled the flame's temperature, merging the clumps of medicinal essence one after another.
The green light of the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus illuminated his focused face. Sweat ran down his skin, only to evaporate instantly in the scorching heat.
Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling all held their breath. Even the air seemed to have frozen.
Dugu Bo clenched his fists without realizing it. He could feel the immense energy contained in the several clumps of liquid at the center of the flames. Their faintly pulsing power was enough to make even him wary.
Finally, guided by Yu Tianjiao's powerful soul strength and compressed by the Green Lotus Core Flame's intense heat, a purple pill the size of a parasol tree seed slowly took shape.
At the same time, a strange medicinal fragrance filled the air, instantly overpowering the smell of sulfur from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the herbal scents throughout the garden.
The moment he smelled it, Dugu Bo shuddered all over!
Just breathing it in made the chill inside his body fade considerably!
This pill might really work!
"Form!"
With Yu Tianjiao's soft command, the pill took its final shape. A rich purple light burst forth, illuminating the entire ravine of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well like a hazy purple wonderland.
The light lasted for several breaths before slowly fading.
Above Yu Tianjiao's palm, the green Buddha Fury Fire Lotus burned quietly. At the center of the flames, a round, translucent pill the size of a parasol tree seed hovered in the air.
A Sixth-Grade Pill, the Break Calamity Pill!
Before you continue