Medicinal Bath

Yao Chen walked ahead at a rapid pace, the anxiety on his face not yet fully gone.

Feng Xian followed behind him. The young master of the Feng Family was usually calm and gentle, but his expression was unusually complicated now.

On their way back to the Feng Family, Yao Chen had pulled him to a safe spot on the outskirts. When the battle began, he had watched the entire thing from afar. The black-robed man bound so tightly by the Dou King's chains that he could not move, the ruthless figure who had instantly killed the Dou King with a single soul attack—was actually Brother Lin, whom he had known for years.

Yao Chen jogged up to Lin Yu and examined him from head to toe. Only after seeing that he was merely a little pale and otherwise unharmed did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Feng Xian then stepped forward and opened his mouth, but for a moment, he did not know what to say.

Looking at Lin Yu's familiar face, countless emotions churned within him before finally turning into a heartfelt sigh.

"Thank you for helping us, Brother Lin. I thought you were at most a second-tier alchemist. I never expected you to be this formidable!"

Lin Yu's lips curved slightly at his words.

He raised a hand and removed his hood, revealing a face that was almost excessively young. Seeing Feng Xian's deeply moved expression, a trace of amusement surfaced in his eyes.

He patted Feng Xian on the shoulder and got straight to the point. "Yao Chen and I are preparing to head to Sacred Pill City. Do you want to come with us?"

Sacred Pill City.

Those three words were like a stone dropped into Feng Xian's heart, sending ripples spreading outward.

A flicker of longing rose in Feng Xian's eyes. His breathing quickened slightly, and his lips moved, but he did not answer immediately.

His gaze unconsciously shifted toward Feng Xiangtie nearby.

Seeing the look on his son's face, Feng Xiangtie immediately understood what he was thinking.

The Feng Family head laughed heartily and heavily slapped Feng Xian on the shoulder with his broad palm, nearly making him stumble.

"What are you looking at me for? It's not like I'm stopping you!" Feng Xiangtie's voice was bold and hearty, his eyes full of affection and pride. "You've been cooped up in South Cliff City for so many years. It's time you went out and saw the world. Train properly with these young friends, and don't bring shame upon the Feng Family!"

Feng Xian's eyes grew slightly hot at his words, and he nodded heavily.

Lin Yu glanced at Feng Xiangtie. The man was forthright by nature and of decent character, and the Feng Family had helped him quite a bit over the years.

After thinking it over, he said, "I'll refine a fifth-tier pill for you to help you break through to Dou King."

Feng Xiangtie was stunned at first, then overjoyed. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to relax.

He had been stuck at the peak of Battle Spirit for who knew how many years. With his limited talent and no high-tier pills to assist him, breaking through to Dou King had been nearly impossible.

Now that Lin Yu had offered to refine a fifth-tier pill for him, this opportunity was practically a gift from heaven.

He was so excited that he repeatedly cupped his hands in salute, his voice trembling slightly. "Thank you, young friend! Thank you!"

Feng Xiangtie personally led Lin Yu to the quietest secret chamber in the Feng Family's rear courtyard. He shut the door, then ordered guards to stand watch outside and forbid anyone from disturbing them.

Inside the secret chamber, Lin Yu sat cross-legged and took out the medicinal ingredients needed to refine the Purpleheart Barrier-Breaking Pill from his Storage Ring.

He had refined this pill more than once before, and making it again now came naturally to him.

Pill fire rose, and the medicinal ingredients melted into crystalline liquid within the flames. The fragrance of medicine gradually filled the entire secret chamber.

In less than half an hour, a round Purpleheart Barrier-Breaking Pill emerged from the furnace.

Lin Yu did not immediately get up. Instead, he took out from his clothes the fifth-tier medicinal herb he had obtained from the Dou King's Storage Ring.

He placed the Purpleheart Barrier-Breaking Pill and the fifth-tier medicinal herb into the Fusion Panel together, then silently spoke a command.

"Fusion."

After a flash of light, a pill even more dazzling than before fell into his palm.

The pill was violet-gold, with faint flowing radiance circling across its surface. The aura of a fifth-tier pill was so dense it seemed almost impossible to disperse.

Lin Yu handed the pill to Feng Xiangtie. Feng Xiangtie accepted it with both hands and thanked him profusely, then forcibly gave Lin Yu a large pile of medicinal ingredients in gratitude.

After giving Feng Xiangtie the pill, Lin Yu did not linger long. He set off for Sacred Pill City with Yao Chen and Feng Xian.

From Wulong City to Sacred Pill City, even traveling day and night would take several months.

The three of them were not in a hurry. They cultivated as they traveled, stopping to gather medicinal herbs whenever they encountered ones suitable for alchemy, hunting any magical beasts foolish enough to charge at them, and resting in towns and villages for supplies.

Though they lived rough, their days were free and fulfilling.

A month later, in an open space beside a stream, Feng Xian sat cross-legged as battle qi surged around him.

Lin Yu and Yao Chen stood guard on either side of him, their eyes fixed on the changes in his aura.

Suddenly, a deep muffled sound came from within Feng Xian's body, as though something had been forced open. His aura abruptly surged, while his previously restless battle qi gradually settled and became more than twice as robust as before.

He had become a Great Dou Master.

Feng Xian opened his eyes and panted heavily. Sweat had soaked through his clothes, but his face was filled with wild joy.

After his breakthrough, the three continued their journey at the same unhurried pace.

That evening, they found a hidden cave in a deep mountain gorge.

Yao Chen began preparing the medicinal bath. Once the medicinal liquid in the bath furnace reached its boiling point, the three removed their outer robes, circulated their battle qi to protect their bodies, and stepped into the scalding bath furnace together.

Hiss—

The instant their battle qi came into contact with the boiling water, sharp hissing sounds rang out.

The scalding medicinal liquid frantically tried to erode its way inside, only to be blocked outside their bodies by the barrier formed from battle qi.

Yet the medicinal properties in the water seeped through every opening, threading into their battle qi before passing through it into their meridians, permeating their dantians, and even rushing straight into the depths of their minds.

After the initial burning sensation passed, the true effects of the medicine began to take hold.

As the medicinal properties penetrated deep into their bones, a maddening pain slowly rose from within their bone marrow.

It was a pain beyond description, as though an invisible hand had reached into the gaps between their bones and crushed every inch of their skeletons into fragments.

Feng Xian's teeth ground together with a creak, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

Although this was not his first time enduring a medicinal bath of this intensity, every time felt as unbearable as the first.

He took a deep breath and forcibly swallowed the scream that had risen to his throat, his fists clenched beneath the water until his knuckles turned white.

However, this was only the beginning.

As the medicinal properties continued to seep in, the agony gradually intensified.

Feng Xian finally could not endure it any longer and let out a roar from deep in his throat.

The roar echoed through the cave, shaking loose pebbles from the walls.

He desperately circulated his battle qi to resist the heart-rending agony. Gritting his teeth, he forced his eyes open, hoping to draw some strength to endure from his companions.

However, when his gaze fell upon Lin Yu and Yao Chen, he nearly truly collapsed.