Late-Level Mortal Realm, Apprenticing Under Shennong

Yao Xuan completely abandoned the rigid, forceful alchemy conventions of the Yao Clan, and his state of mind suddenly became clear and open.

He cast aside every alchemy technique that had once been deeply rooted in his heart. No longer did he use battle qi to forcibly suppress the medicinal properties; instead, he immersed all his focus into the pill furnace.

The soul power at the peak of the Mid-Level Mortal Realm spread through the medicine cauldron in fine strands...

The mixed medicinal properties, which had originally clashed and tangled chaotically with one another, rapidly dissolved their barriers under this method of following their natural course.

The walls of medicinal power that had previously refused to merge shattered layer by layer, and the refined medicinal essences of dozens of spirit herbs intertwined and united in perfect order.

Yao Xuan's alchemy speed surged in an instant, while the medicinal light within the furnace visibly grew clearer and more mellow.

The previously stalled fusion stage was completed in a moment, directly entering the pill-condensing stage.

A trace of approval flashed through Old Man Shennong's eyes, and he nodded inwardly.

This boy's comprehension of the alchemical path actually surpassed even Yao Chen's in his younger days. He understood at the slightest prompting and instantly grasped the core principle of following the natural flow in alchemy.

The incense candle crackled as it burned, and more than half the allotted time had already passed. Less than a third remained for Yao Xuan.

Yet Yao Xuan had already entered an exceptional state of alchemy, his mind empty and pure, completely cut off from every movement in the outside world.

His hand seals flickered without the slightest hesitation as he precisely controlled the rising and falling intensity of the flames, firmly stabilizing the forming pill embryo.

The most difficult part of refining an Azure Origin Meridian-Restoring Pill was locking in the pill patterns and stabilizing the pill. The patterns of a top-grade fifth-tier pill were delicate and complex; the slightest mistake would cause the pill to rupture and its medicinal power to scatter.

An ordinary alchemist would have had no chance of succeeding in such haste, but the enlightened Yao Xuan handled it with ease.

His pure soul power carefully smoothed the pill embryo's surface while gentle flames refined it bit by bit...

As time passed, fine, compact azure pill patterns slowly emerged, wrapping around the pill layer upon layer and thoroughly sealing in all its medicinal power.

The furnace trembled softly, releasing a crisp pill chime. Its rich, lingering fragrance suddenly intensified, refreshing the senses.

At the instant the final strand of pill pattern fully solidified, the remaining half of the incense candle burned out exactly, its sparks slowly fading.

"Pill complete!"

Yao Xuan spoke softly. The moment his words fell, he hooked a finger, and the furnace lid flipped open in midair.

A round, flawless pill of pure azure-green floated out...

Its pill patterns flowed clearly across its surface, while its spiritual radiance was restrained and rich. It was precisely a high-quality Azure Origin Meridian-Restoring Pill...

Seeing that Yao Xuan had truly refined this top-grade fifth-tier pill within the time of a single incense stick, Old Man Shennong nodded repeatedly.

After all, Old Man Shennong's test had been difficult from the start: refining a top-grade fifth-tier pill within one incense stick's worth of time...

Even an ordinary peak fifth-tier alchemist would find such a demand difficult to fulfill...

Yao Xuan lightly raised his hand and drew the pill into his palm before respectfully offering it to Old Man Shennong. "Senior..."

"This is the pill this junior refined. Does this count as passing your test...?"

Yet Old Man Shennong did not even glance at the pill. He merely raised a hand and spoke in a deep voice:

"Boy, while watching you refine the pill just now, this old man noticed that your soul power seemed to show signs of a breakthrough..."

"You should take this pill. Though it is only a fifth-tier pill, it will still be of great help to you at your current stage..."

Yao Xuan did not refuse again upon hearing this and nodded slightly.

After all, in the eyes of an alchemy grandmaster like Old Man Shennong, a fifth-tier pill was no different from a piece of candy.

Yao Xuan then held up the azure-green pill in his palm, tilted back his head, and swallowed it directly.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his throat. A warm, majestic medicinal power instantly swept through his limbs and bones, yet there was not the slightest sense of violent swelling.

The Azure Origin Meridian-Restoring Pill was originally intended to strengthen one's foundation, merge the meridians, and nourish the source.

In an instant, the gentle medicinal power flowed slowly along the meridians throughout his body, repairing and tempering the tiny cracks in Yao Xuan's meridians left behind by years of hard cultivation...

Pure medicinal power continuously poured into his qi vortex...

Yao Xuan could clearly feel that the battle qi barrier that had remained firmly fixed at the Two-Star Dou Spirit realm for so long had begun to loosen under this gentle nourishment.

At the same time, the vast insights into the alchemical path accumulated from his earlier enlightenment, combined with the pill's miraculous effect of nourishing the soul, all flooded into Yao Xuan's sea of consciousness...

Yao Xuan's soul power, which had long been stuck at the peak of the Mid-Level Mortal Realm...

Finally encountered its opportunity at this moment. His vast spiritual sense expanded and condensed wildly.

His sea of consciousness trembled lightly as an invisible shackle shattered with a boom, and pure, lucid soul power swept through his entire body.

Yao Xuan's soul realm naturally broke through its bottleneck and steadily entered the Late-Level Mortal Realm!

At this moment, Yao Xuan's perception underwent a sudden transformation. The subtle flow of energy between heaven and earth and the scent of spirit herbs in the air all became vividly clear to his mind. The sharpness of his spiritual sense had increased severalfold!

The return of origin brought by his soul breakthrough spurred the medicinal power within him to erupt once more.

Battle qi rapidly circulated around Yao Xuan's body, rolling waves of it stacking upon one another, growing condensed and abundant.

He completely broke through the shackles of the Two-Star Dou Spirit realm!

In an instant, Yao Xuan's cultivation successfully broke through to the Three-Star Dou Spirit realm!

A faint red battle qi now shimmered around Yao Xuan's body, and his meridians felt clear and unimpeded.

His battle qi was far more vigorous than before...

Yao Xuan exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. The gleam in them was restrained, while his heart brimmed with shock and joy.

He immediately rose to his feet and bowed toward Old Man Shennong in thanks, his tone growing even more respectful:

"Thank you, Senior, for your gift and guidance. This junior has benefited greatly!"

Yao Xuan now felt even more strongly that being expelled from the Yao Clan was not necessarily a bad thing. After all, a top-grade fifth-tier pill like the one he had just taken...

Had it been in the Yao Clan, it would certainly have been a pill specially reserved for those of the direct line. It would have been impossible for him to take it.

Otherwise, Yao Xuan's soul power would have reached the Late-Level Mortal Realm long ago...

At the same time, Yao Xuan could not help marveling at how miraculous pills truly were!

A mere fifth-tier pill had allowed his realm, stagnant for many years, to break through. No wonder alchemists held such lofty status across the Battle Qi Continent.

In the original work, Xiao Zhan, who had only been a Da Dou Shi, had also been forcibly elevated to the Dou Emperor realm by the Soul Clan using pills!

Faced with Yao Xuan's gratitude, Old Man Shennong merely stroked his beard, a faint smile in his eyes.

"No need to be so restrained..."

"This pill was refined by you in the first place. Letting you take it is only natural..."

"This old man saved you today because of fate, and now that you have passed this old man's test..."

"Then, as I said before, this old man can help you leave the Shennong Mountain Range..."

Yao Xuan hurriedly said, "Thank you, Senior!"

Old Man Shennong paused, then looked Yao Xuan over once again before saying, "However, this old man can offer you another choice today..."

"Your talent is truly extraordinary. Would you be interested in further improving your alchemy within the Shennong Mountain Range?"