Preparing to Refine

In the Xiao Clan's small courtyard, space rippled faintly, and Lin Hai's figure quietly emerged like ink spreading through water.

He had been away for only a short while, but the atmosphere in the courtyard had already changed.

A small medicine cauldron floated before Yao Chen. Bone White Flame flickered inside it, clearly refining a pill, and the air was rich with medicinal fragrance.

Xiao Yan stood guard nearby.

Xiao Yixian watched the cauldron with nervous anticipation, her small hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

Seeing Lin Hai return, all three immediately turned their gazes toward him.

Lin Hai said nothing and went straight to Yao Chen. With a turn of his palm, a deep-blue bead appeared, hovering above it. It had been compressed to an extreme degree and radiated a terrifying chill.

The moment the bead appeared, the temperature in the entire courtyard plummeted!

A layer of white frost instantly formed on the ground and tabletop, while water vapor in the air crystallized into ice and pattered down!

The extreme cold even interfered with Yao Chen's Bone-Chilling Cold Fire, making the flames flicker slightly!

"Th-this... what is this?!" Yao Chen's eyes flew wide as he stared fixedly at the bead. His soul body trembled violently with shock, and his voice rose to a shrill pitch. "Such purity! Such terrifying cold energy! Th-this is... the Ice-Ridge Cold Spring?! And it's been compressed and refined to this degree?!"

As an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster, Yao Chen was widely learned. He recognized the bead's nature at a glance, and could sense the extreme energy within it—far surpassing that of an ordinary Ice-Ridge Cold Spring!

What kind of terrifying means would it take to compress an entire pool of cold spring water into something like this?!

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian were shivering from the cold and retreated again and again, their eyes filled with shock.

Just the lingering chill radiating from the bead was enough to overwhelm them!

With a thought, Lin Hai drew in most of the cold emanating from the bead. Only then did the courtyard's temperature gradually rise.

He said mildly, "Well, is it enough?"

"Enough? It's more than enough!" Yao Chen was so excited he could hardly keep from dancing. He circled the bead several times. "With this single bead of Cold Spring Essence, forget refining that mere Nether Poison Dragon Fire—even when Xiao Yan swallows a true Heavenly Flame in the future, his chances of success will increase by thirty percent out of nowhere! It's also an unparalleled treasure for refining certain high-tier pills with extreme cold attributes! Sir, you... you truly possess divine powers!"

He simply couldn't find words to describe the shock in his heart.

This sir had gone out once and not only found the Ice-Ridge Cold Spring, but had brought back a concentrated essence of it!

This efficiency was simply inconceivable!

Xiao Yixian gazed at the bead. Though the cold had turned her lips pale, her beautiful eyes shone with dazzling brilliance.

This was the treasure Lin Hai had gone out of his way to obtain for her!

"How is the pill coming along?" Lin Hai asked, looking at Yao Chen's cauldron.

Yao Chen immediately reined in his excitement and replied confidently, "The Pulse-Protecting Pill is ready. It's only a second-rank pill—an easy task for me." He waved his hand, and the cauldron opened. A pill the size of a longan, radiating a gentle glow, flew into a jade bottle.

"The Ice Spirit Pill is a little more complicated, but it's nearly ready as well!" The flames in the cauldron surged again as the essences of various medicinal ingredients rapidly fused.

Lin Hai nodded and handed the Ice-Ridge Cold Spring Essence Bead to Xiao Yixian. "Keep it safe. When you refine the Beast Fire later, follow your teacher's instructions."

Xiao Yixian carefully took the jade bottle (Lin Hai had already used his energy to temporarily block most of the chill). It was still bone-chillingly cold to the touch, yet she felt immeasurably warm. She nodded firmly. "Mm! I understand!"

A moment later, the cauldron hummed again, and the pill's fragrance filled the air.

A snow-white Ice Spirit Pill, radiating a chilly aura, was successfully refined!

Everything was ready!

Yao Chen's expression turned utterly solemn. He looked at Xiao Yixian and said gravely, "Yixian, calm your mind and concentrate. Hold fast to your core! In a moment, I'll send the Nether Poison Dragon Fire into your body. You must guard your mind and circulate the basic fire-control technique I just taught you with all your strength, guiding the poison fire along specific meridians. At the same time, slowly use the power of your Woeful Poison Body Origin to merge with and devour it!"

"During the process, the heat and poison may assault your meridians, causing intense pain and a burning sensation. If you feel you can't endure it, take the Ice Spirit Pill and Pulse-Protecting Pill at once!"

"If the situation becomes critical, draw upon a trace of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring's energy to protect your heart and main meridians! Remember, you're in control. Your poison body is far stronger than it is. Don't be afraid—you need to control and merge with it!"

Xiao Yixian took a deep breath. Her beautiful face was filled with resolve as she sat cross-legged and nodded firmly. "Teacher, I'm ready!"

Lin Hai and Xiao Yan stepped aside and watched in silence.

Yao Chen's soul power wrapped around the ink-crystal bottle. The instant its stopper came off, the cluster of dark-green Nether Poison Dragon Fire burst out like a venomous snake breaking free, radiating a scorching, vicious aura!

"Go!" Yao Chen barked. He controlled the flame, turning it into a streak of green light that instantly entered Xiao Yixian's dantian!

"Ugh!" Xiao Yixian's delicate body shuddered, and she let out a pained groan!

In an instant, a strange dark green appeared across her skin. Threads of hot air and poisonous mist seeped from her pores, her brows knit tightly, and her body trembled slightly from the unbearable heat and the agonizing assault on her meridians.

But she remembered Yao Chen's instructions and gritted her teeth through the pain. Her hands laboriously formed a seal as the dormant power of her Woeful Poison Body seemed to awaken in response to the intruder. It began surging of its own accord, trying to envelop and devour the invading poison fire.

Yao Chen focused all his attention on sensing her condition, ready to intervene at any moment.

Lin Hai watched quietly, his expression calm.

He knew this was only the beginning, but with Xiao Yixian's willpower and the overbearing nature of her Woeful Poison Body, successfully refining this Beast Fire was only a matter of time.

Once she succeeded, she would take the most crucial first step toward taking control of her own destiny and becoming an alchemist.