Advanced to Dou Shi!

Inside an alchemy room of Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department.

Xiao Yun sat cross-legged on the ground in a cultivation posture, absorbing the energy between heaven and earth. As time passed, the energy surging through the surroundings grew increasingly fierce.

In the end, Xiao Yun's body had practically become a black hole, continuously devouring the wildly surging energy of heaven and earth.

With his mind immersed within his body, Xiao Yun used Dou Qi to guide the energy absorbed from every part of his body. Carefully, he directed it through his meridians to his lower abdomen, where the crimson vortex continuously absorbed and tempered it.

Though this energy was abundant, it contained far too many impurities. It had to be refined and stripped of those impurities before it could be absorbed and converted into Dou Qi.

If he blindly absorbed energy without refining it and allowed impurities to settle inside his body, it would not affect his Dou Qi cultivation in the short term. But as time went on, his cultivation speed would only grow slower and slower, and he might even be unable to advance for the rest of his life.

Under Xiao Yun's careful guidance, most of the energy of heaven and earth was refined into pure Dou Qi and absorbed into the crimson vortex.

Xiao Yun's body had now become a conversion factory. The motley energy of heaven and earth was absorbed into his body, tempered and refined throughout it, then converted into pure Dou Qi and absorbed by the vortex. The Dou Qi within the vortex steadily increased, while his Soul Power continuously compressed it, gradually forming liquid energy.

As the energy of heaven and earth continuously washed over him, threads of purple energy seeped from Xiao Yun's meridians, flesh, and bones, entering the vortex along with the surrounding energy. He felt an indescribable comfort spread through his entire body, as though blood vessels clogged for more than a decade had suddenly cleared. It felt so good that he wanted to roar aloud.

Under his mind's close observation, Xiao Yun could vaguely see that a great deal of liquid substance had formed within his vortex.

Moreover, as the purple energy overflowed, he could clearly sense every bone and piece of flesh in his body undergoing a transformation, gradually filling with immense power.

The absorption of the energy of heaven and earth lasted for a full half hour. As the suction from Xiao Yun's body weakened, the surrounding energy gradually dispersed.

But at the instant the suction vanished, Xiao Yun's eyes suddenly flew open. Crimson light shot out from them, and with a tap of his feet, he rose straight to his feet. Wherever his gaze swept, his aura was dozens of times more powerful than before.

"Ha ha ha! Good disciple, from today onward, you are a Dou Shi!" Fire Elder, who had been guarding him all along, sensed Xiao Yun's condition. Although the vortex in his body had shrunk considerably, the energy within it had become several times stronger. He understood that Xiao Yun had successfully advanced to Dou Shi.

Xiao Yun exhaled a breath of turbid air expelled from his body. Turning toward the smiling Fire Elder, he could not hide his own smile either.

He felt that joining Jia Nan Academy had truly been the right choice. In merely half a year, he had advanced from a Dou Zhe to the Dou Shi realm and learned the art of alchemy. Had he remained in the Xiao Clan, he likely would not have achieved what he had today.

"Thank you, Teacher. If not for the pill you refined, I would likely have needed some more time before advancing to Dou Shi." Xiao Yun bowed to Fire Elder.

"In the end, it is because your talent is good. I did not really do much. Besides, you are my disciple. If I don't give the pills I refine to you, who should I give them to?" Fire Elder was very pleased with Xiao Yun's humble and sensible attitude. "If I remember correctly, you are still seven this year, right?"

"Yes, Teacher. I will turn eight in a little over a month." It was currently November, while Xiao Yun's birthday was in January. In just over forty days, he would be eight.

"Ha ha ha, a seven-year-old Dou Shi! Old Hu has always bragged to me about how talented his granddaughter is. In a few days, I'll take you to see him and see what else he can possibly say."

"..." Watching Fire Elder act like a child showing off a beloved new toy to his companions, Xiao Yun felt a headache coming on.

"Right, what was it you came to see me about?" Fire Elder reveled in his joy for quite some time before suddenly recalling that Xiao Yun had not been summoned by him, but had come on his own initiative.

"I came to take the First-Tier Alchemist examination. My success rate in refining first-tier pills is already around eighty percent." Prompted by Fire Elder's question, Xiao Yun also remembered his original purpose for coming.

"Not bad. An eighty percent success rate—perhaps even many Third-Tier Alchemists do not have a higher success rate than you when refining first-tier pills. Take this token and go to the Alchemist Association in Canaan City for the examination." Fire Elder tossed Xiao Yun a token, then waved him away.

After leaving Fire Elder, Xiao Yun headed straight for the Alchemist Association in Canaan City. Striding along the paths of Jia Nan Academy, he carefully examined the token Fire Elder had given him. It was entirely crimson and covered in patterns, with the character "Fire" engraved at its center.

After studying it for quite a while without figuring anything out, Xiao Yun put the token into his Storage Ring. Then he stopped a random student on the road and asked for the location of the Alchemist Association in Canaan City.

Following the student's directions, Xiao Yun swiftly made his way through Canaan City. After turning through an unknown number of streets, he finally stopped and looked at the majestic building before him.

The building had a highly distinctive design. Its overall shape resembled a medicine cauldron standing in the middle of the street. Around it were windows shaped like furnace mouths, while atop the high roof, a massive cauldron lid hung down, covering the entire building.

His gaze stopped above the main entrance, where a plaque bore five ancient yet forceful characters.

"Alchemist Association!"

Xiao Yun showed Fire Elder's token to the guards at the entrance, then strode inside under their envious gazes.

Having entered the Alchemist Association, Xiao Yun had yet to properly examine its interior when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Little friend, what is your relationship with Old Fire? Why do you have Old Fire's token?"

Looking toward the voice, Xiao Yun saw an elderly man in ancient-style alchemist robes walking toward him. A badge hung on the old man's chest, engraved with a medicine cauldron and five carefully drawn silver ripples above it.

"My name is Xiao Yun. Greetings, Senior. I am Fire Elder's newly accepted disciple." Xiao Yun did not dare be careless and bowed to the elder who knew his teacher.

"Ha ha ha, you know your manners. You are far better than your teacher. What did your teacher send you to the Alchemist Association for? I am the president here. Just tell this old man if you need anything."

The elder was quite pleased by Xiao Yun's polite attitude and immediately asked about his purpose for coming.

"This junior has come to take the First-Tier Alchemist examination."

"So you're here for the examination. I'll take you there in a moment... What? The First-Tier Alchemist examination?!" The elder's mouth fell open as he stared at Xiao Yun in disbelief. Looking at the seven- or eight-year-old boy before him, he was too shocked to speak.

Sweeping Xiao Yun with his Soul Power, the elder discovered something even more terrifying. Xiao Yun, who was not even half his height, was actually already at the Dou Shi realm!

"Hey, you there! Come here! Take him to the First-Tier Alchemist examination." The elder suddenly turned his head and called over a burly man, telling him to lead Xiao Yun to the examination. He did not want to look at Xiao Yun any longer. The thought of such an unparalleled genius being accepted as Old Fire's disciple made his chest feel tight.

An hour later, Xiao Yun emerged from the Alchemist Association. He had taken off the Jia Nan Academy uniform he had been wearing and changed into a small alchemist robe. His chest badge bore a single silver ripple.

Having become a First-Tier Alchemist, Xiao Yun's face was also full of smiles. It was just a pity that the elder he had met earlier seemed to be at the same alchemy level as his teacher. They had only exchanged a few words before the elder left, and Xiao Yun had not seen him again since.

"What a pity. I wanted to ask him about the problems I encountered during the examination, but asking Teacher after I return will be the same."

After completing the examination, Xiao Yun walked along the paths of Jia Nan Academy. Just as he was thinking of returning to his dormitory to properly experience the power of a Dou Shi, he ran into his instructor, Xu Ning.

The instant he saw Instructor Xu Ning, Xiao Yun suddenly remembered that he had skipped two days of classes in the Teaching Department. Worse still, Xu Ning spotted him immediately.

It's fine! Teacher dragged me away to refine medicine. It wasn't like I skipped class on purpose. Instructor Xu Ning should understand my difficulties! Xiao Yun silently encouraged himself, telling himself that his absence was understandable as he lowered his head and walked toward Xu Ning.

Seeing Xiao Yun lower his head, Xu Ning said irritably, "My little ancestor, where have you run off to these past two days?"

"And what is with those clothes? Have you already become a First-Tier Alchemist? No, your Dou Qi feels wrong too." Xu Ning lowered his head in thought. He could clearly sense that Xiao Yun's aura differed from before and had become much stronger.

"You broke through to Dou Shi?"

"Mm..." Xiao Yun nodded. He understood that his cultivation could not be concealed before a high-level expert, so he might as well admit it openly.

"Have you consolidated your realm after breaking through?" Xu Ning no longer pursued the matter of Xiao Yun skipping class and instead began considering things for Xiao Yun's sake. After all, he had only skipped two days of class. Compared to advancing to Dou Shi before turning eight, that was too trivial to mention.

"No. Right after breaking through, I went to the Alchemist Association for the examination. I only just returned and was about to go to the dormitory to consolidate it." Seeing that Xu Ning was not concerned about his skipped classes, Xiao Yun relaxed and raised his head as he spoke.

"Then there's no need to go to the dormitory. Come with me to the training ground. Sometimes, battle is the best way to consolidate your realm."

"Huh?" Looking at Xu Ning's smiling expression, Xiao Yun suspected that he simply wanted to beat him up, though he had no evidence.

"Stop standing there. Hurry up and follow me!"