Valley Cultivation

"Me?" Xiao Yan pointed at himself. "I don't have one, but I'm willing to search with you."

Moved, Little Fairy Doctor stuffed the scroll back into Xiao Yan's hands and trotted out of the room.

Xiao Yan watched Little Fairy Doctor's white-clad back and rubbed the Storage Ring on his hand.

At first, he had indeed thought the Calamity Poison Physique could not be cured—that it traded one's life for strength. But after seeing the Poison Pill Method taken from the Bone Flame Ring, he realized Yao Lao had thoroughly deceived everyone.

Yao Lao had deceived others and harmed himself as well. Had he revealed the Poison Pill Method in the valley that day and taken Little Fairy Doctor with him, the dignified Medicine Venerable would not have been captured by a Soul Hall Protector before even making it back to the Central Plains.

Later, when the three great empires besieged the Jia Ma Empire, Little Fairy Doctor had become the Poison Sect's leader in the Chu Yun Empire, leading to an entirely different perilous turn of events.

Even the Poison Pill Method alone could not completely control the poison physique. They would also need the inheritance left behind by a Calamity Poison Physique expert known to Yao Lao.

Now, without any of those things, Xiao Yan would no longer make such doctrinaire mistakes. The poison-wielding Chu Yun Empire had actually provided a line of thought for resolving the Calamity Poison Physique.

Poison Dou Qi was not a natural attribute. Before becoming Dou Practitioners, those people soaked their bodies in certain poisonous waters to cultivate, allowing the toxins to invade them and transform their original attributes into virulently poisonous ones.

Because the poisonous waters differed, the resulting Poison Dou Qi also differed in effect. Thus, Poison Dou Qi had countless branches.

Xiao Yan believed they could try soaking Little Fairy Doctor in fire-attributed medicinal liquid, turning her Calamity Poison Physique into one with both poison and fire attributes.

On that foundation, they could use the Calamity Poison Physique as an environment for Strange Flames to arise, condense a flame seed within her body, and let the Strange Flame grow stronger as she grew stronger. In one stroke, she would be able to completely control the Calamity Poison Physique.

Starting the next morning, after refining some Blood-Clotting Powder and Force-Accumulating Pills, Xiao Yan began trying to refine Bloodflame Pills and upgrade the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid once more.

Little Fairy Doctor was somewhat distracted at first, but she soon had no energy left for wild thoughts.

Fast—far too fast! Seeing an alchemist refine medicine for the first time, Little Fairy Doctor truly experienced the might of alchemists. Their speed alone was beyond comparison with physicians, not to mention that the medicines they produced were more effective.

In truth, not every alchemist was like this. Failed refinement was the common occurrence.

It was merely that Xiao Yan possessed exceptional talent in alchemy. Having become thoroughly familiar with Blood-Clotting Powder and Force-Accumulating Pills, while also cultivating an Advanced Profound Rank technique, merging Beast Flame, and using a third-tier medicinal cauldron, he could refine pills as smoothly as flowing water.

When it came to Bloodflame Pills, which he did not understand very well, and the stronger Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, things became the same as for ordinary alchemists.

Bloodflame Pills could be considered fourth-tier medicinal pills. Xiao Yan was not arrogant enough to think he could refine them with his current strength, especially without a prescription.

Xiao Yan decided to first make an extremely simplified version. The original Bloodflame Pill required twenty-three different fire-attributed herbs and the blood of three second-tier fire-attributed Magic Beasts. He used only five fire-attributed herbs and the blood of three first-tier fire-attributed Magic Beasts.

The herbs were readily available in the valley, while the blood of Magic Beasts could be gathered by the guards left behind.

Regardless of the cost, Xiao Yan achieved some success that very day.

However, he did not use it himself. Instead, he gave it to Little Fairy Doctor. After taking poison, she mixed the low-grade Bloodflame Pill with Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid and soaked her body in it.

For the upgraded Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Xiao Yan made even greater adjustments to the prescription this time.

The Purple Leaf Orchid Grass was reduced back to twenty years, but the quantity was increased to twelve stalks. The Bone-Washing Flowers were increased to eight, the Magic Core was changed to a second-tier wood-attributed one, and four twenty-five-year-old Scarlet Spirit Grasses were added.

Scarlet Spirit Grass had attributes similar to the other three ingredients, and its medicinal potency was strong, making it suitable for the upgrade.

To refine Iceheart Pills and Vein-Guarding Pills, Xiao Yan had Ya Fei collect second-tier Magic Cores. She collected twenty wood-attributed Magic Cores; ten were used for pill refinement, leaving ten behind specifically for further upgrading the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.

After blowing up the cauldron several times, Xiao Yan used ten attempts to refine three bottles of Super Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.

Fortunately, the medicinal cauldron he used now was a third-tier cauldron. Otherwise, after so many explosions, Xiao Yan's old medicinal cauldron would have been unable to withstand it.

Using the Super Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Xiao Yan circulated his technique and enjoyed the long-lost effect of accelerated cultivation.

Every three minor levels of Dou Qi cultivation formed a stage. The final three stars of every rank were the hardest to break through.

When Xiao Yan advanced to a Six-Star Dou Practitioner, he had taken only four months with almost no external aids to accelerate his cultivation. Later, even after using the Deluxe Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, it had still taken him two months to break through to seven stars.

This time, however, Xiao Yan no longer simply piled up medicinal ingredients through brute force. He began emphasizing coordination, and the effects of the Super Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid were enough to last until the Nine-Star Dou Practitioner level.

After finishing his daily cultivation, Xiao Yan left the treasure-filled cave where he lived, unleashed his flying Dou Technique, and headed toward the small valley.

He lived in the cave, planting and ripening medicinal ingredients in the empty flower garden, while Little Fairy Doctor lived in the thatched hut in the valley.

Xiao Yan landed in the valley and walked up to the thatched hut, where Little Fairy Doctor was cooking nonpoisonous mushrooms.

Having arrived in the valley half a month ago, Little Fairy Doctor was no longer wearing that dress with a hole torn in its belly. Instead, she had changed into new clothes bought by the woman who had delivered the materials.

Her jet-black hair was tied on either side with white bun-shaped ornaments, dividing her lovely locks into two ponytails. Her exquisite dress outlined her slender figure.

"You came at just the right time." Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Little Fairy Doctor smiled faintly. She took a small bowl from the side, filled it with mushroom soup, and carefully handed it to him.

Xiao Yan naturally accepted it, let it cool a little, and began drinking.

After finishing the bowl, Xiao Yan handed it back and smiled. "Your cooking is getting better and better. Whoever marries you will truly be blessed with good fortune."

"Marry me?" Little Fairy Doctor froze for a moment. "Poison masters are the profession with the fewest marriages on the Dou Qi Continent, because not many people dare share a bed with a wife who can release deadly poison with every gesture."

After studying the Seven-Colored Poison Classic Xiao Yan had given her, she was not only someone with the Calamity Poison Physique—she had also become a poison master skilled in compounding poisons.

Xiao Yan smiled. "So as long as someone has the courage, they can marry you? That's far too easy."

"I'm not an ordinary poison master." Little Fairy Doctor filled Xiao Yan's bowl again and handed it back somewhat roughly.

After drinking the second bowl, Xiao Yan set it aside. "The Calamity Poison Physique, right? I know. But the Calamity Poison Physique is quite good too—its cultivation speed is extremely fast."

"You're not afraid I'll surpass you?" Little Fairy Doctor asked.

Xiao Yan smiled. "There are plenty of people who cultivate faster than I do. If I were afraid of even you, I'd scare myself to death. Besides, if you become a Dou Emperor in a short time, then I'll have a mighty thigh to cling to."

"What mighty thigh? That sounds awful." Little Fairy Doctor flushed in embarrassment, then paused before saying, "My legs aren't for just anyone to hold."

Xiao Yan said, "Not even someone who knows you inside and out?"

Little Fairy Doctor snorted. "If you're not afraid of being poisoned to death, then go ahead and hold them."

"Then many thanks." Xiao Yan stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Little Fairy Doctor's waist, lifted her up, and spun her around twice. "Before your poison physique reaches its full maturity, I need to hold you a little more."

Little Fairy Doctor was startled, her cheeks flushing red. One hand wrapped around Xiao Yan's neck while the other thumped his chest several times.