Three Years

Lin Yu flicked a finger, sending a wisp of flame formed from the fusion of thirty Beastfires flying from his fingertip and into the space beneath the medicinal cauldron.

The flame was a strange purple-gold color, its temperature far surpassing that of ordinary Beastfire. As it danced, faint roars of dragons and tigers could be heard within it.

The medicinal ingredients inside the cauldron rapidly melted and purified beneath the enveloping Purple-Gold Flame. One herb after another was refined as Lin Yu's hands fluttered like butterflies among flowers, casting all manner of alchemical hand seals into the cauldron with effortless fluidity. Every movement was as precise as if measured with a ruler.

Yao Chen watched from the side without blinking.

Lin Yu's alchemical methods differed from those Yao Chen had learned and formed a complete system of their own. Some of the finer details were handled with greater thoroughness and maturity, clearly the product of systematic inheritance and repeated refinement.

Before long, an overwhelmingly rich pill fragrance spread from the medicinal cauldron.

Lin Yu withdrew the flames and opened the cauldron. A purple-red pill covered in flame patterns lay quietly at the bottom. The pressure of a sixth-grade pill made the air within the cave stiffen slightly for an instant.

It was complete.

Dan Huchen and Qu Dongsheng rose to their feet almost at the same time, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at the Purpleflame Pill.

When the boy had claimed to be a Sixth-Grade Alchemist, they had assumed he was boasting. How could someone who looked only eighteen or nineteen be a Sixth-Grade Alchemist?

Yet now, a genuine sixth-grade pill had been refined before their very eyes. The entire process had been smooth and effortless, which meant his alchemical skill had not only reached the sixth grade—he was far from weak even among Sixth-Grade Alchemists.

Lin Yu placed the Purpleflame Pill into a jade vial and turned to Yao Chen.

The two exchanged smiles. They saw the same thought in each other's eyes: they had never had the chance to properly discuss alchemy while traveling, but now that they had a secure place to stay within the Demon Clan, they could finally settle down and learn from one another.

Yao Chen was equally willing to discuss alchemy with Lin Yu.

He had grown up in the Yao Clan. Though the clan's alchemical inheritance was orthodox, it was inevitably somewhat rigid and closed off.

Lin Yu's alchemical arts, meanwhile, came from the Sixth-Grade Alchemist inheritance he had purchased from the Fusion Panel's shop. Its alchemical methods, heat control, and even techniques for using soul power were exceptionally comprehensive.

As the two exchanged their respective bodies of knowledge, both benefited immensely.

They were brothers to begin with and had always been close, so naturally neither hid anything while discussing alchemy.

Yao Chen shared without reservation his insights into several pill formulas he had created himself, while Lin Yu demonstrated several exquisite fire-control methods from his inheritance.

One spoke while the other listened; one refined while the other watched. From time to time, they switched places before the medicinal cauldron, and the more they talked, the better they got along.

However, whenever Dan Huchen and Qu Dongsheng casually edged closer in hopes of overhearing something, they could not hear a word.

Naturally, Lin Yu had used his soul power to block their probing.

Time flew by, and before long, three years had passed.

Over those three years, the great hall halfway up Demon Valley Peak changed from a scattered field of rocks and timber into a majestic, imposing structure. On the day its roof was completed, the human Da Dou Shi who had been captured as laborers received their full payment and were safely sent back to human cities.

Over those three years, Lin Yu successfully advanced to the Dou Wang realm, his Dou Qi cultivation steadily rising to a whole new level.

His soul power had already reached Mortal Realm Great Perfection, only one step away from the legendary Spirit Realm.

Over those three years, Lin Yu and Yao Chen exchanged much alchemical knowledge with Dan Huchen.

Dan Huchen looked fierce and vicious, his face covered in flesh, like a burly middle-aged man ready to slam the table and start cursing at any moment. Yet deep down, he was someone extraordinarily devoted to alchemy.

Whether driven by profit or genuine friendship, relationships between people could sometimes be this strange.

Qu Dongsheng, by contrast, presented an entirely different sight.

The white-haired, youthful-faced old man looked immortal and refined. On the surface, he appeared warm and approachable, always handing out little gifts and offering a few pointers on alchemy. He seemed far easier to get along with than Dan Huchen.

But over those three years, Qu Dongsheng had secretly learned quite a few alchemical techniques from Lin Yu and Yao Chen.

During those three years, Hu Jiujiu appeared only three times.

Come to think of it, it had already been half a year since they had last seen her.

That day, Lin Yu had just finished refining a batch of pills and was sitting cross-legged in the great hall, regulating his breath.

This newly built alchemy hall was spacious and bright, with neat rows of windows lining all four walls. The mountain breeze drifted inside, carrying the fresh fragrance of the medicinal fields.

Compared to the cave they had lived in before, the conditions here were incomparably better.

Feng Xian poked half his body through the doorway and called out to Lin Yu, "Brother Lin, Brother Chen, Senior Tiger Minister asked me to bring you over."

Lin Yu slowly opened his eyes, and a meaningful smile curled across his lips.

Dan Huchen rarely summoned anyone on his own initiative. Whenever he did, it was usually for something important.

And judging by the timing, it was about time for that matter—the Alchemy Duel Convention.

"Let's go." Lin Yu stood up, called to Yao Chen beside him, and the two headed for Dan Huchen's residence together.

When they found Dan Huchen, he was sitting in his alchemy room with several yellowed ancient pill formulas spread across the table before him.

Hearing their footsteps, he raised his head. A rare solemn expression appeared on his fierce face.

Lin Yu got straight to the point. "Senior, why did you call us here?"

"Don't you want to enter the sacred land and study alchemy?"

Dan Huchen's voice was as rough as ever, but there was a greater seriousness in his tone. "There is an opportunity now. It depends on whether you are willing to seize it."

"What opportunity?" Yao Chen's eyes lit up. He unconsciously leaned forward, bracing both hands against the table as he stared intently at Dan Huchen.

Three years had passed.

Although he and Lin Yu had spent those three years refining pills in seclusion on Demon Valley Peak, they had never forgotten the goal they had set when they left South Cliff City.

Sacred Pill City. The Pill Tower. The sacred ground in the hearts of all alchemists.

Demon Valley Peak possessed abundant medicinal resources, but it could not teach them higher-level alchemical arts.

Over those three years, Yao Chen had refined sixth-grade pills on multiple occasions.

As for Lin Yu, there was even less need to mention him.

More than once, Yao Chen had personally seen Lin Yu remain in the pill-refining room for several hours before emerging with a seventh-grade pill.

A Seventh-Grade Alchemist—such a height was beyond the reach of most alchemists even after an entire lifetime. Yet Lin Yu had reached it without a word.

If they could personally enter the sacred land to study, Yao Chen was absolutely confident that their alchemical arts would undergo a true transformation.

"The Alchemy Duel Convention in Sacred Pill City." A gleam flashed across Dan Huchen's fierce face. His voice remained rough as ever, but it carried more gravity than usual. "As long as you distinguish yourselves at the convention, you can receive a recommendation to enter the sacred land's alchemical inheritance grounds."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across Yao Chen and Lin Yu's faces as though weighing his next words.

Yao Chen could tell that Tiger Minister made it sound casual, but this Alchemy Duel Convention was definitely not as easy as he made it seem.