Ninth-Rank Alchemist

Hun Xuzi meticulously explained the various details of refining the Ninth Grade Precious Pill, while Li Changqing pretended to listen attentively below.

Although he had never refined Ninth Grade Precious Pill before, he shouldn't have too much trouble refining it, after all, his true cultivation level was Five-Star Dou Sheng, and his Soul Force had reached the Mid-Heaven Realm.

After explaining the details of the refining process, Hun Xuzi even personally demonstrated the process of refining Ninth Grade Precious Pill.

It took Li Changqing a full half month to keep a close eye on Hun Xuzi's refining techniques and the order of medicine preparation.

Just as the pill was about to be completed, the sky suddenly darkened. This was different from the usual gloom of the Soul World; this darkness was filled with an aura of destruction.

In just a moment, pitch-black thunderclouds gathered in the sky, with rolling lightning flashing and crackling within them.

This is Black Devil Lightning, whose power surpasses that of Nine-Colored Pill Lightning. Even a low-level Dou Sheng would likely be severely injured if faced head-on.

With a deafening roar, a bolt of black lightning, as thick as a mountain, struck down, causing the entire Great Hall to tremble.

Hun Xuzi showed no concern whatsoever; instead, a black flame, imbued with a devouring power, rose from his palm.

The Void Devouring Flame's sub-flames rapidly expanded, transforming into a black fire tornado that hurtled towards the lightning bolts crashing down from the sky.

The black fire tornado completely devoured the Black Devil Lightning, and the terrifying black lightning did not even cause a ripple.

A moment later, the Black Devil Lightning dissipated.

The newly formed Ninth Grade Precious Pill tried to escape, but unfortunately, its intelligence was directly erased by Hun Xuzi's powerful Soul Force.

After putting away the Ninth Grade Precious Pill, Hun Xuzi looked at Li Changqing and asked, "How was it? Are you confident in refining it?"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Changqing slowly said, "Thank you for demonstrating, senior. I am confident that I can refine Ninth Grade Precious Pill within six months."

Hun Xuzi nodded slightly, then took out a book and handed it to Li Changqing: "This is my Precious Pill Alchemy Experience; you can use it as a reference."

Li Changqing accepted the book. "Thank you for your generous gift, senior."

"Since there's nothing else, you can leave now. If you encounter any problems, feel free to come and ask me for help. Also, for the Pill you need to hone your Alchemy, just use my Token to get them from the Hun Clan's treasury."

"Yes." Li Changqing responded and took his leave.

With the guidance of Hun Xuzi and the continuous supply of Medicinal Materials from the Hun Clan, Li Changqing finally refined Ninth Grade Precious Pill after half a year.

On this day, a rolling black thundercloud gathered above Li Changqing's residence, and destructive power was accumulating within it.

With a deafening roar, black lightning struck down.

With a thought, Li Changqing sent out the Yin-Yang Sword, which continuously absorbed the power of heaven and earth contained within the Black Devil Lightning to strengthen itself.

After the thunderclouds dissipated, Li Changqing used his powerful Soul Force to erase the Pill's sentience, marking his official entry into the ranks of Ninth-Rank Alchemist.

Li Changqing let out a long breath and held the Pill in his palm.

Looking at the Pill in his hand, which emitted a rich medicinal fragrance and surged with pure medicinal power, Li Changqing breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This is a Pill that can assist even a powerful cultivator at the Dou Sheng level in their cultivation; however, its effectiveness decreases as the cultivation level increases.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Changqing swallowed the Pill directly.

He used the Kunpeng Method to digest the medicinal power. Although he was Five-Star Dou Sheng, the Pill was still somewhat useful.

After refining the medicinal power, Li Changqing felt a slight increase in his cultivation level.

He opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "No, this kind of cultivation is too slow."

"Ninth Grade Precious Pill are of little use to me. If I want to break through my cultivation level quickly, I must refine Ninth Grade Precious Pill on a large scale, or directly refine Ninth-Grade Profound Pill."

"But this is the amount of Black Devil Lightning caused by the frequent refining of Ninth Grade Precious Pill within the Soul World, which will surely attract the attention of the Hun Clan. And the energy of heaven and earth absorbed when the Ninth-Grade Profound Pill is formed will also be impossible to hide, and will attract the attention of the Hun Clan even more."

"If we estimate based on my current cultivation speed, by the time Hun Tiandi obtains the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill, I will definitely not have reached the Eight-Star Dou Sheng, and I won't have the strength to snatch the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill."

Li Changqing looked up at the perpetually gloomy sky of the Soul World:

"No, staying in the Soul World isn't a long-term solution. We need to go out and seek opportunities to quickly improve our cultivation. Otherwise, it's basically impossible to snatch Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill right under the Hun Tiandi's nose."

With this in mind, Li Changqing immediately got up and headed to Hun Xuzi's Great Hall.

Great Hall, Hun Xuzi said, "Indeed, your talent is indeed very strong. I can already sense the Black Devil Lightning descending upon your Residence, so you must have already refined Ninth Grade Precious Pill."

Li Changqing bowed. "I must thank you for your guidance, senior."

Seeing Li Changqing's humble demeanor, Hun Xuzi smiled and said, "With your strong talent yet lack of arrogance, and your understanding of humility, your future achievements will definitely not stop at the level of Half-Saint."

After praising Li Changqing, Hun Xuzi said directly, "You must have something to ask of me. Speak, as long as it's within my capabilities and not excessive, I can fulfill your request."

Li Changqing looked pleading and said sincerely:

"To my shame, I've been in the Soul World for so long, but apart from going out once a year ago when the Bodhi Ancient Tree appeared, I haven't left."

"And the environment within the Soul World is too oppressive; staying there for too long makes me feel extremely uncomfortable, so..."

Hun Xuzi smiled, "You're quite honest. However, the environment in the Soul World is indeed oppressive. You can leave the Soul World with my Token. Anyway, you know where the entrance to the Soul World is. Just remember to come back."

Li Changqing's expression froze for a moment, and he hesitated before saying, "However, I may have been gone for quite some time."

"How long?"

"I joined the Hall of Souls because I wanted to become Ninth-Rank Alchemist. Now that my dream has been achieved, I wish to travel the continent. So, it will take at least ten years."

"Ten years..." Hun Xuzi repeated these two words, lowering his head to ponder the Hun Clan's plan.

As a high-ranking member of the Hun Clan and an important part of the Hun Clan plan, Hun Xuzi naturally knew when the Hun Tiandi would take action against the other ancient families.

If the plan proceeds smoothly, the Hun Clan will be able to collect Ancient Emperor Tuoshe Jade, open the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, and obtain the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill in just six years.

Li Changqing has been gone for ten years. Li Changqing cannot arrive immediately when the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill is obtained, or if we cannot find Li Changqing at all, something unexpected might happen.

Fearing that Hun Xuzi would forcibly keep him in the Soul World, Li Changqing added, "But rest assured, senior, I still remember the matter the Hun Clan asked me to help with."

"If the Hun Clan needs me, senior, you can inform me immediately. With my cultivation as Half-Saint, no matter where I am on the Dou Qi Continent, I can quickly return to the Soul World."