Seventh Rank in a Single Thought, Hai Bodong's Bliss!

"In the end, this world still bows to the strong..."

Looking at the simulation results, Lin Chen sighed. In the previous simulation, even after Qing Lin joined the Heavenly Snake Mansion and displayed her cultivation potential, the Heavenly Snake Venerable had still treated her as a pawn for a marriage alliance.

When it came to him, however, his standing as a Sixth-Grade Alchemist who commanded heavenly flames had quickly won over a group of Dou Zong elders.

He had even helped the Heavenly Snake Mansion's grand elder break through to Dou Zun, prompting the Heavenly Snake Venerable to nominate him as the mansion lord outright. As for a marriage alliance?

The Heavenly Snake Venerable would sooner have to sell his own ass!

"Three simulations, building up my strength before unleashing it—that was what gave me such glorious achievements in this life."

"Even Xiao Yan, who became Yao Lao's disciple at fifteen, only reached Dou Zun at twenty-six. It took him a full eleven years, while I only needed seven. That speed is already downright terrifying. Having a powerful faction behind you really does pay..."

As Lin Chen considered the gains from this simulation, he felt that joining the Heavenly Snake Mansion was indeed a good choice. At least in the Northwest Continent, there was no better option.

But the threat posed by the Hall of Souls was too great. To help the Nihility Devouring Flame attain an emperor realm soul, Hun Tiandi had already resorted to every conceivable means. In his hunt for souls, he would not even spare a remote backwater like the Northwest Continent.

As things stood, perhaps his only chance of living a little longer was to head to the Central Plains, join the Pill Tower, and secure the protection of its Six-Star Dou Sheng Pill Tower Ancestor.

"In that case, I'll choose the experience of a peak Seventh-Rank Alchemist. The Azure Flame Asura Blade might be good, but it's only an earth-tier middle-grade Dou Technique. Even if it rivals an earth-tier high-grade technique at full mastery, it still isn't worth as much as that alchemy experience."

"Besides, one of my goals in this simulation was to obtain the Poison Pill Method. I'd be a fool not to take it."

With that thought, Lin Chen made his choice in an instant.

The next moment, an immense torrent of information seemed to flash before his eyes. In the distant river of time, a tiny wave seemed to rise, turning into a streak of light that hurtled toward him.

Boom!

In an instant, countless figures appeared before Lin Chen's eyes. When he looked closely at the multitude, he realized they were all versions of himself refining pills at different points in his life!

Himself refining a sixth-grade Misfortune-Breaking Pill, himself improving the Life Devouring Pill formula, himself studying the Poison Pill Method, himself working with a group of alchemists to refine an eighth-tier Ice-Fire Barrier-Breaking Pill...

For a time, scenes of refining all manner of pills transformed into streams of indescribably wondrous sensations that poured into his mind. It was as though he had personally experienced them all and refined those pills anew...

Time slowly passed.

When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, a sharp gleam flashed through them. He formed seals with both hands, sending streams of dark-blue flame shooting out. They gathered in midair and formed an ice-blue cauldron of fire!

With a sweep of his sleeve, countless medicinal ingredients flew out of the Jade-Green Ring. The sand mandala, which resembled a long yellow snake, was the first to enter the cauldron.

Inside the cauldron, dark-blue flames coiled around it, transforming into countless threadlike, ice-blue snakes. The snakes were lifelike, resembling tiny serpents of ice crystal. Unassuming as they looked, they melted it into liquid in an instant.

This was none other than the consummate technique, Heavenly Flames Condensation!

For an alchemist, aside from soul power far beyond that of ordinary people, the most important ability was control over fire!

Whether refining pills or wielding flames against an enemy in battle, fire control was an alchemist's most indispensable skill.

After accepting his own experience as a peak Seventh-Rank Alchemist, Lin Chen's soul power had not increased, but his fire control had already reached the pinnacle of the seventh rank.

If he fought Lu Man and Bai Ya again, Lin Chen was confident he could defeat them both at once, even without using the Sound Wave Dou Technique he kept as his trump card!

It could be said that accepting this experience had not only greatly improved his alchemy, but also given his combat abilities a tremendous boost!

On the Dou Qi Continent, the esteemed high-ranking alchemists had always numbered among the most formidable fighters!

Whoosh!

Scorching flames blazed inside the cauldron. Countless medicinal ingredients melted into pools of brilliantly colored medicinal liquid, which gradually converged under Lin Chen's exquisite control to form the embryo of a pale-purple pill.

A tiny dark-blue ice-crystal snake constantly wound around the pill embryo, polishing it until it was round and full. A deep-purple pill fragrance gradually wafted from the cauldron, filling the entire room in an instant!

Boom!

The next moment, a powerful ripple of energy spread outward. A dazzling purple light flew from the cauldron, turning into a purple pill covered in countless intricate markings.

The sixth-grade Misfortune-Breaking Pill had been successfully refined!

Lin Chen swept his sleeve, and a powerful suction erupted from his palm, drawing the Misfortune-Breaking Pill into a jade bottle.

At the same time, the flaming cauldron in midair instantly collapsed into a mass of dark-blue flame, which he inhaled into his mouth. A faint medicinal fragrance lingered around him, lending him an extraordinary air.

Sitting cross-legged, he examined the Misfortune-Breaking Pill in his hand and carefully recalled the refining process.

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction, silently considering, With my current soul power, refining peak sixth-grade pills is no problem. It's a matter of minutes. I'm still a little short when it comes to the seventh grade.

Most importantly, refining seventh-grade pills requires weathering a lightning tribulation. Even ordinary Dou Zong experts fear those. I'd better wait until I break through to Dou Emperor and my Dou Qi and soul power improve again. My chances of success will be better then.

Otherwise, if I want to refine seventh-grade pills while still a Dou Wang, I'll have to work with other Sixth-Grade Alchemists.

That's not impossible, but why spend extra resources hiring other alchemists to refine them with me? Wouldn't that be a complete waste?

With those thoughts in mind, Lin Chen picked up the Misfortune-Breaking Pill and rose, intending to remove Hai Bodong's seal first.

Not long afterward.

Inside a secluded cultivation chamber in Stone Desert City.

Boom!

Suddenly, an ice-blue pillar of light shot into the sky. The vast pressure of a Dou Emperor spread outward as tremendous waves of cold erupted, forming layer upon layer of ice crystals across the ground.

Accompanied by a roar that had been suppressed for far too long, an ice-blue streak of light suddenly tore across the sky and shot straight into the clouds!

"Hahaha! I, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, am back!"

An aged, resonant laugh rang out. High in the sky stood a striking, imposing figure, a pair of brilliant ice-blue wings beating behind him. His entire body radiated the aura of one of the Jia Ma Empire's foremost experts!

A Two-Star Dou Emperor, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong!

"Whew..."

Hai Bodong took a deep breath of the air high above the ground, an intoxicated expression appearing on his face. He could not help exclaiming, "I've never felt so refreshed in all my life!"

"I wouldn't trade this feeling of flying freely for a hundred lifetimes!"

Just then, a somewhat impatient call came from the ground.

"Hey, Old Hai, what are you showing off for? Hurry up and stabilize your cultivation. We're going to see Queen Medusa tomorrow. If she hits you with another seal, you'll have to sell yourself to me to pay off your debt!"

In the courtyard, Lin Chen took a small sip of tea. Watching Hai Bodong throw his head back and howl high in the sky, he could not help grumbling, "This Old Hai is only a Dou Emperor, yet he loves showing off. He's even worse than me. Does he really think he's a Dou Zong?"

As his words fell, a streak of blue light descended from the sky.

Hai Bodong landed before Lin Chen and rubbed his hands together ingratiatingly. "Your reprimand is well deserved, my lord. I'll go right away-straight into seclusion to stabilize my cultivation."

With that, he turned and headed toward the nearby chamber, humming an unfamiliar tune. He was clearly in an excellent mood.

Lin Chen curled his lips, then picked up a blank scroll, ready to record all the pill formulas in his mind.