Yao Xuan of the Yao Clan Side Branch

Shennong Mountain Range.

Although this place belonged to the Central Plains, its location in the extreme south made it remote and somewhat desolate.

The Shennong Mountain Range was shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, teeming with venomous insects and fierce beasts. Coupled with the presence of highly toxic miasma, ordinary experts at or below the Battle Emperor Realm who rashly stepped foot here would only meet a tragic end.

However, because this was the territory of the Yao Clan, the Shennong Mountain Range contained many of the world's top-tier spiritual herbs, and thus the energy of heaven and earth was extremely dense.

The Yao Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans!

As an ancient Emperor Clan with alchemy as its foundational heritage, even though the Yao Clan's Dou Emperor Bloodline had faced the problem of exhaustion, the number of high-grade alchemists within the clan still ranked among the best on the Battle Qi Continent.

Medicine Realm, within a remote valley.

A white-haired youth sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, using his soul power to control his battle qi with his entire heart and soul, purifying and refining the medicinal herbs inside the pill furnace before him.

It was unknown how much time had passed when the battle qi flames slowly dissipated, and bursts of medicinal fragrance drifted from the furnace.

The youth opened his eyes, gently raised his hand, and the emerald-green pill inside the furnace flew into his palm.

The youth carefully examined the third-grade pill in his hand, the Spirit-Congealing Blood-Nourishing Pill, and could not help but whisper softly:

Although I succeeded in refining it, the quality seems quite average. It seems I need to practice more.

The youth was named Yao Xuan, born into a side branch of the Yao Clan.

However, Yao Xuan did not actually belong to this world; he was a transmigrator. For some reason, the Yao Xuan of his previous life had traveled to this world called the Battle Qi Continent.

Yet, unlike other transmigrators, Yao Xuan was not born as the young patriarch of an ancient Emperor Clan. Although he was born into the Yao Clan, he was merely a member of a side branch.

But at least he was born into the Yao Clan, which focused on alchemy. Coupled with the fact that he was a transmigrator, Yao Xuan's soul power was stronger than that of his peers in the same branch. Combined with the perfect ratio of fire and wood attribute battle qi in his body, it was no surprise that Yao Xuan became an alchemist.

Yao Xuan knew that while alchemists were the most prestigious profession on the Battle Qi Continent, they were common sights within the Yao Clan.

Therefore, the identity of an alchemist did not bring Yao Xuan any change in status; he remained an inconspicuous, transparent figure within the Yao Clan.

Yao Xuan sighed softly and put the third-grade pill back into his storage ring.

Just as Yao Xuan was about to stand up, a familiar voice came from behind him: "Brother Yao Xuan!"

Yao Xuan turned around at the sound and saw a girl with an exceptionally beautiful and refined appearance running quickly toward him.

The girl was named Yao Ling. That was right, she was the very same Yao Ling from the main line who had the best hope of her soul power reaching the Emperor Realm.

Yao Ling was born into the main line, while Yao Xuan was merely a side branch disciple; the two should not have had any intersection.

But because Yao Xuan's lineage, though a side branch, was the strongest among them, Yao Xuan had been in contact with Yao Ling since childhood.

In fact, Yao Xuan had been raised from a young age to serve as Yao Ling's bodyguard, but as time passed, their relationship grew closer and closer, even developing the feeling of childhood sweethearts.

Yao Ling walked quickly to Yao Xuan, leaned down slightly, and gave him a sweet smile:

"Brother Yao Xuan, I knew you would be hiding here refining pills again..."

Yao Xuan also smiled slightly and pinched Yao Ling's cheek: "You little girl, you snuck out again, didn't you?"

Yao Ling nodded with a smile, then took a pill from her storage ring and handed it to Yao Xuan: "This is a fourth-grade pill I just refined. If you take it, Brother Yao Xuan, it will have great benefits for your cultivation!"

Yao Xuan took the fourth-grade pill and instantly recognized it as an Origin-Weaving Pill.

Although it was only a fourth-grade pill, it was a special supply provided exclusively to the main line disciples of the Yao Clan.

This pill contained the characteristics of pill fire, which could stimulate the flow of blood and qi in the user's body, temper the physical body, and assist in both cultivation and alchemy.

It could be called a top-tier pill among fourth-grade pills.

Yao Xuan took the pill and smiled slightly, swallowing it without hesitation. In an instant, he could feel the speed of his battle qi circulation increase significantly.

"Brother Yao Xuan, how is it? I refined this pill myself!"

Yao Ling tilted her head slightly with a proud look, feeling quite smug.

Yao Xuan also nodded with a smile: "Not bad!"

"To be able to refine this fourth-grade pill so perfectly, it seems you are already a qualified Fifth-Grade Alchemist, Ling'er..."

Over the years, Yao Ling had often given Yao Xuan pills that helped with cultivation, so even though Yao Xuan was from a side branch and his Dou Emperor Bloodline was negligible, he had reached the realm of a Two-Star Dou Spirit at the age of eighteen.

At the same time, his soul power had reached the peak of the Mid-Level Mortal Realm, only a step away from the Late-Level Mortal Realm.

Yao Ling smiled slightly and looked at Yao Xuan very seriously: "Brother Yao Xuan, you are not bad either!"

"You are already a fourth-grade alchemist now, and your soul power is almost catching up to mine..."

"With talent like yours, even among the main line, you are not inferior!"

After hearing this, Yao Xuan smiled slightly: "Ling'er, you are at the Mortal Realm Grand Perfection. I am still clear about the gap between us..."

It was a world of difference compared to Yao Xuan's Mid-Level Mortal Realm.

After all, cultivation was not easy, and cultivating soul power was even harder.

Although both were in the Mortal Realm, Yao Xuan was well aware of the gap between them.

Yao Ling smacked her lips: "Brother Yao Xuan, you reached the Mid-Level Mortal Realm by cultivating step by step, while my innate soul origin was different from the start. In terms of cultivation speed, you have indeed caught up to me..."

Yao Ling was not wrong. After all, her starting point for soul power was far beyond her peers, and her bloodline essence had the magical effect of directly nourishing, repairing, and replenishing the souls of others.

Yao Xuan remembered that in the original story, when Xiao Yan's soul power was exhausted and about to run out, it was Yao Ling who donated her blood, allowing Xiao Yan's soul power to instantly recover to its peak, and even become a bit stronger.

Yao Ling was well aware of the miraculous properties of her own blood and essence, so had her blood not been so strictly guarded by the clan, she would have long since offered it to help Yao Xuan with his cultivation.

After all, in Yao Ling's eyes, Yao Xuan's talent was more than enough to warrant an exception for him to be inducted into the direct lineage and granted access to superior resources.

Yao Xuan slowly rose to his feet, retrieved the Spirit-Condensing Blood-Nourishing Pill he had just refined from his Storage Ring, and handed it to Yao Ling.

"This is the pill I just attempted to refine. Take a look and see if it's passable..."

However, Yao Ling took the pill and, without even glancing at it, popped it directly into her mouth, nodding with a smile: "As long as it was refined by brother Yao Xuan, it could never be bad..."

In truth, given Yao Ling's status, she was never in short supply of medicinal pills, yet she would consume every single one that Yao Xuan refined, showing him a level of trust that could only be described as absolute.

Yet, just as Yao Ling swallowed the pill, a figure slowly appeared in the sky behind them.

"Yao Ling!"