After the series of trials for the Heavenly Secrets Talents Ranking had come to an end, less than two months remained until the Pill Convention began, yet Xiao Yan was busier than ever.
Xiao Yan found himself greatly enjoying the Pill Tower's unique and vibrant atmosphere of learning. There were simply too many masters in the Pill Tower! Especially in the fields of alchemy and soul power—this was practically a living Treasure Mountain for a young man like Xiao Yan, who was in the golden period of his growth.
Xuan Yi's tireless guidance in alchemy, Su Huo's many insights into soul power and soul techniques, and Yuan Chen's wealth of experience in the path of pills were all selectively absorbed by Xiao Yan. Thus, Xiao Yan's days had been incredibly fulfilling lately, though he still occasionally encountered considerable trouble.
Inside his cultivation chamber, Xiao Yan sat with his eyes tightly closed and his brow furrowed, his expression somewhat strained by what he was doing. An inch before his forehead floated a thin needle condensed from soul power. It was the length of a finger, entirely gray, and so unremarkable that one could easily overlook it without paying close attention.
Soul power spread out from between Xiao Yan's brows like a dense spiderweb, only to suddenly collapse just before it fully condensed. The soul power scattered in every direction after the failure. A bead of cold sweat slid down Xiao Yan's temple as he slumped helplessly onto the floor, gasping for breath.
This was already his fourth failure at cultivating the Shadow Piercing Needle today, and the process had been going on for ten days. The consecutive failures had nearly exhausted his soul power, while waves of weak fatigue battered Xiao Yan's mind. Yet Xiao Yan did not allow himself to