Two Years

A few days later,

Inside a room on the top floor of the Alchemy Department, before a table holding a two-mouthed medicine cauldron,

Xiao Qing carefully controlled the Dou Qi flame as it scorched the medicinal ingredients within the cauldron.

At his side, Fire Elder stroked his beard and watched the scene before him with satisfaction.

As the temperature of the Dou Qi flame gradually rose, the medicinal ingredients inside the cauldron began to shed their outer layers, while the medicinal essence contained within the herbs was extracted by Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing stared intently at the flames within the cauldron, fine beads of sweat covering his youthful face.

He cautiously took out the medicinal essence he had refined earlier from a jade bottle at his side and poured it into the medicine cauldron.

Xiao Qing's gaze sharpened as he used his soul power to control several clusters of medicinal essence, fusing them together. The Dou Qi flame surged, and the clusters of essence gradually formed a rough, pitted pill embryo.

As the pill embryo took shape, Xiao Qing stopped feeding Dou Qi flame into the cauldron.

Fire Elder raised a hand and drew the pill embryo from the cauldron into his palm. After examining it before his eyes, he praised the sweat-drenched Xiao Qing.

"Although the Wound-Repairing Pill is not difficult to refine among first-rank pills, disciple, being able to form a pill embryo on your very first attempt at alchemy is already quite impressive. No one in the Alchemy Department has managed that."

Xiao Qing looked at the pill embryo in Fire Elder's hand, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you for your praise, Teacher."

Fire Elder stroked his snowy-white beard. He was extremely pleased with Xiao Qing, but he still warned him.

"Although you successfully formed a pill embryo this time, you must remember not to become arrogant or complacent."

"To become an outstanding alchemist, the quality of one's pills and the success rate of refinement are especially important. You are still far from that stage, so you must never slack off in the future!"

Over his many years at Jia Nan Academy, he had seen countless geniuses.

There were too many to count who had fallen midway because of arrogance and excessive ambition, suffering devastating losses.

Naturally, he did not wish for Xiao Qing, a disciple even more monstrous than those geniuses, to follow in their footsteps.

"I understand, Teacher."

Faced with Fire Elder's earnest warning, Xiao Qing nodded solemnly.

Seeing that Xiao Qing had truly taken his words to heart, Fire Elder nodded in relief and flipped his hand over, producing a jade-green flame.

"Disciple, the Scarlet Flame Manual you cultivate still lacks a beast flame to transform your Dou Qi."

"Considering that you are only a Dou Zhe right now, I specially selected a Green Spirit Flame from the storehouse, one nurtured by a fifth-tier Azure Wood Fox."

"This flame inherited the Azure Wood Fox's gentle nature and is not as violent as other beast flames."

"With my assistance, you should be able to absorb it smoothly."

Looking at the jade-green flame in Fire Elder's hand, Xiao Qing's face filled with emotion. He said sincerely, "Thank you, Teacher."

Fire Elder chuckled. "No need to thank me. We are teacher and disciple; isn't it only natural for a teacher to prepare some resources for his student?"

Xiao Qing felt a warm current flow through his heart.

He then sat down cross-legged on the spot and began absorbing the Green Spirit Flame under Fire Elder's guidance.

With Fire Elder's assistance, no complications arose during the absorption of the Green Spirit Flame, and the process went very smoothly.

After a long while, Xiao Qing, having finished transforming all his Dou Qi, slowly opened his eyes. A flash of jade-green fire flickered through them before vanishing.

Seeing this, Fire Elder wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile spreading across his face.

Xiao Qing stood and gave a solemn bow. "I will remember Teacher's kindness in my heart!"

Fire Elder waved his hand, a trace of gratification in his eyes.

"No need for such formalities. Once you become familiar with this Green Spirit Flame, refining pills should become much easier for you as well."

As he spoke, he handed over a Storage Ring filled with medicinal ingredients. "These are medicinal ingredients for you to practice with after you return. If you run out, come find me for more."

Xiao Qing reached out and accepted it, his heart feeling heavy with gratitude.

In the days that followed, Xiao Qing's life became more regular.

Because he had become Fire Elder's disciple, Xiao Qing did not need to attend theory or practical combat classes even after his leave ended.

Every morning without fail, he went to the Alchemy Department to study alchemy under Fire Elder.

Fire Elder was delighted by Xiao Qing's enthusiasm for learning alchemy and could be said to have taught him everything he knew.

As the days passed, Xiao Qing's alchemy steadily improved.

Thus, Xiao Qing studied alchemy during the day and cultivated at night instead of sleeping.

With a Peak Fifth-Rank Alchemist as his teacher, Xiao Qing never lacked the pills necessary for cultivation, and his strength advanced rapidly.

Two years later.

Gentle morning light streamed through the window and fell upon the face of a boy who still retained some youthful innocence.

His lips were red, his teeth white, and his thick black hair draped over his shoulders. His fair face already faintly hinted at the handsomeness he would possess in the future.

The boy was currently seated cross-legged with his eyes closed. Jade-green Dou Qi swirled around him, and a faint medicinal fragrance spread through the room.

Boom!

An invisible wave of sound erupted from within the boy's body. Along with it, he slowly opened his eyes, and a streak of jade-green fire flashed through them before disappearing.

"Six-Star Da Dou Shi!" Xiao Qing sensed the Dou Crystal in his dantian, and a smile appeared on his face.

In two years, he had gone from a one-star Dou Zhe to a Six-Star Da Dou Shi, crossing more than twenty minor realms in between.

This cultivation speed still could not compare to those geniuses of the imperial clans, but it was not slow, was it?

What was more, he was not only a Six-Star Da Dou Shi now, but also a Peak Fourth-Grade Alchemist capable of refining the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill!

"The Inner Academy Selection Tournament is only two months away. It is time to set out for the Inner Academy."

Xiao Qing thought this to himself. During the previous Inner Academy Selection Tournament, he had already had the opportunity to enter the Inner Academy.

But at the time, he had only been an Advanced Dou Shi. Although he had a chance to enter the Inner Academy, he had no hope of placing among the top five.

How could that possibly do?

How could he let the only opportunity to enter the Library Pavilion of Jia Nan Academy slip away?

Thus, he had no choice but to put aside the idea of entering the Inner Academy Selection Tournament and continue cultivating wholeheartedly.

Now that another Inner Academy Selection Tournament had arrived, his cultivation as a Six-Star Da Dou Shi was already enough to place him among the top five.

At that thought, Xiao Qing could not help smiling.

With a thought, an illusory panel appeared before him.

[Host: Xiao Qing]

[Age: Seven]

[Cultivation Method: Scarlet Flame Manual]

[Cultivation: Six-Star Da Dou Shi]

[Soul: Mid-Stage Mortal Realm]

[Remaining Draws: 0]

[Items Drawn: Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva, Taiyi Soul Art, Emperor's Seal Technique, Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame]

Looking at the items listed in the final section, Xiao Qing's smile widened.

When he had broken through to the Dou Shi and Da Dou Shi realms, the panel had granted him one additional draw each time.

In those two draws, he had obtained the Gu Clan's clan-protecting Dou Technique, the Emperor's Seal Technique, and the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame, created by Xiao Xuan.

These two Dou Techniques had a wide range of uses. Although, with his current cultivation, he was still unable to cultivate the Emperor's Seal Technique,

he already had some faint ideas about how to make use of it.