[The host opened an Orange Treasure Chest. Reward draw successful: gained 500 points of alchemy proficiency.]
Yao Chen looked at the System Panel. His alchemy proficiency had increased, though he was still a long way from becoming a Ninth-grade Alchemist.
Still, as long as he kept improving, he would reach the ninth grade sooner or later. It wasn't an impossible hurdle to overcome.
"So he really is a Dou Zong," Queen Medusa praised inwardly. Then she watched Yao Chen leave the Miteer Auction House.
Medusa remained where she was, her expression and gaze turning vacant in an instant. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
"It seems the clan elders weren't lying... A Dou Zong powerhouse really has appeared in the Jia Ma Empire," she murmured.
After leaving the Miteer Auction House, Yao Chen wandered around Wutan City. It wasn't until evening that he returned to the Xiao Clan.
At the Xiao Clan's rear mountain, he found Xiao Yan still practicing. His strength had already reached Two-Star Dou Zhe.
It would take considerable time and effort for him to keep improving and reach the three-star level. But Xiao Yan was indeed working hard, and he was just as diligent in practicing his Dou Techniques.
When Xiao Yan saw Yao Chen return, he spoke up, then looked at him. "Master, you're back."
"Your disciple hasn't slacked off for a moment all day. I've made some progress with Eight Extremities Collapse. How about I demonstrate it for you to inspect? Please point out anything I'm doing wrong."
After speaking, Xiao Yan immediately performed Eight Extremities Collapse in front of Yao Chen.
It still had plenty of flaws. But considering Xiao Yan was only a Dou Zhe, managing to perform it as well as he had was already no small feat.
"What do you think, Master? How am I doing with Eight Extremities Collapse?"
Xiao Yan was excited. He had thought reaching this level of skill had been difficult enough, and expected Yao Chen to praise him. Instead, Yao Chen shook his head and said, "Xiao Yan, you've only practiced Eight Extremities Collapse to this level. It's nothing worth mentioning, yet you're already patting yourself on the back?"
"Fine. Then let your master show you the true power of Eight Extremities Collapse."
After speaking, Yao Chen immediately performed Eight Extremities Collapse in front of Xiao Yan. As the Dou Technique unfolded, the boulder before them exploded. The force of the Dou Qi was so overwhelming that Xiao Yan, standing nearby, felt its pressure keenly.
"Is this the power of someone above the Dou Zong level?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in awe.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Xiao Yan broke through from Two-Star Dou Zhe and reached Three-Star Dou Zhe.
As Xiao Yan's rank increased, the System Panel showed that Yao Chen had received the promised quest reward.
[You, Yao Chen, helped your disciple Xiao Yan advance by one star. Random reward: the upper limit of your soul power increased by 40 points.]
Yao Chen left the Xiao Clan and went to the Miteer Auction House. Over the past half month, the Mittel Family had mobilized all its resources and connections, and had finally managed to find the medicinal ingredients Yao Chen had requested.
Ya Fei was at the Miteer Auction House. She had already placed all the ingredients inside a Storage Ring.
She handed the ring to Yao Chen and said, "Mr. Yao, the medicinal ingredients you need for the Rank 7 Pill are all inside this Storage Ring."
"Good, I understand," Yao Chen said. He took the Storage Ring from Ya Fei, intending to find a quiet place to refine the Rank 7 Pill.
Back at the Xiao Clan's rear mountain, Yao Chen wore a black robe. He took out his pill cauldron from his Storage Ring and summoned the Heavenly Flame in his hand, then began refining the Rank 7 Pill.
The Bone-Melting Blood-Fusion Pill was not merely a Rank 7 Pill; it was at the peak of the seventh rank and could even reach the eighth rank.
Its medicinal effects were astonishingly powerful. As long as someone wasn't completely dead, a single pill could bring them back to life. It was an exceptionally rare treasure.
Moreover, refining a Rank 7 Pill would attract pill lightning.
For someone without sufficient strength, pill lightning was extremely dangerous. But Yao Chen was a Dou Sheng, so he had no reason to worry.
Yao Chen took out his pill cauldron and Heavenly Flame and began refining the Rank 7 Bone-Melting Blood-Fusion Pill. Sure enough, the process summoned pill lightning. Xiao Yan saw it and froze on the spot.
"Master, why does refining a pill attract heavenly lightning?" Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.
Yao Chen gave him a brief explanation. Xiao Yan listened, inwardly amazed. Who would have thought that refining pills above the seventh rank would summon the strange phenomenon of pill lightning?
It seems that without enough strength, refining pills of such a high grade carries great risks.
At the Rank 7 level, pills began to develop rudimentary intelligence. If you weren't careful, a pill might even escape on its own.
The Pill Tower Ancestor, for example, was himself a pill—a ninth-grade Mystic Pill.
After an hour of refining, Yao Chen had finished making the Rank 7 Bone-Melting Blood-Fusion Pill. Xiao Yan stared at it, his eyes flickering with amazement.
As expected of my master! He refined a Rank 7 Pill in a single attempt. That's incredible! Xiao Yan thought.
After successfully refining the pill, Yao Chen left the Xiao Clan and went straight to the Miteer Auction House, where he handed the Rank 7 Pill to Ya Fei.
Ya Fei stared at the pill in her hand, utterly astonished.
Who would have thought Mr. Yao would really manage to refine a Rank 7 Pill?
According to Yao Chen, the Bone-Melting Blood-Fusion Pill was incredibly precious. As long as a person wasn't completely dead and still had a breath left, no matter how severe their injuries, the pill could bring them back from the brink of death.
As expected of a Rank 7 Pill.
"Mr. Yao, rest assured. We'll put this Rank 7 Pill up for auction at the Miteer Auction House."
"I, Ya Fei, will make sure to promote this Rank 7 Pill properly and get the best possible return," Ya Fei said.
Yao Chen nodded. "Good. I'll have peace of mind leaving it to you."
"Mr. Yao, you can count on us!" Ya Fei said.
[The host successfully refined a Rank 7 peak-grade pill and gave it to Ya Fei. She was astonished and admired the host, triggering a random reward: two Orange Treasure Chests added to the System Panel.]
Yao Chen looked at the two Orange Treasure Chests in his inventory. Without hesitation, he chose to open both and draw their rewards.
Three days later, news of a Rank 7 Pill appearing in Wutan City spread through the Jia Ma Empire like wildfire, causing a massive commotion.